Clippers star Chris Paul has his eyes set on the 2012 London Olympics – NBA News
After a remarkable NBA season with the Los Angeles Clippers, which saw him leading his team to the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs, Chris Paul now has his eyes set on the Summer Olympics in London.
Paul was traded to the Clippers before the season started and has since become the leader of the young team, improving the performance of his teammates through his presence and play making, and contributing his part in the success
of the team.
The Clippers finished with a 40-26 record in the NBA at the end of the regular season, and clinched the 5th seed of the Western Conference. They were however ousted by the rampant San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference
Semi Finals in straight games.
Now with the season behind him, Paul is focused on the up upcoming Summer Olympics. He was a part of the U.S.A team that won the gold medal in the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and is eager for a repeat this year.
CP3 has been selected in the preliminary squad and will soon head to training camp for team U.S.A, after the NBA playoffs finish. When asked about what his expectations were from the Olympics in London, Paul said in an interview
with FIBA.com;
“If I’m chosen to be part of the USA national team, I’ll do my best to win another gold medal. It won’t be easy because the tournament will be tough. A lot of teams can fight for a medal.”
Paul will be a valuable asset in the U.S team, particularly in the absence of Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, who will not be competing in the Olympics after undergoing surgery on his left knee to repair an ACL tear. Rose is
the other dominant point guard in the league at the moment and in his absence, Paul will have even more responsibilities on his shoulders. He is a pass first shoot second type of point guard, and a magician at finding open teammates and giving them open looks.
Paul also talked about his experience from the Beijing Olympics.
“It was an extraordinary experience. Representing your country at the Olympics is something very special and I was so proud to do so in Beijing. My teammates and I had a great time there and we had to work hard to win the gold
medal. It’s probably one of the best moments I’ve had in my career so far. I’ll never forget this experience”
Paul averaged 19.8 points and 9.1 assists to go with 2.5 steals per game, making him one of the best point guards in the league at the moment. He was the leader of the Clippers team and closed games for them on a regular basis,
going into an altogether different zone in the final quarter.
He was earlier set to move to the Los Angeles Lakers from his old team of the New Orleans Hornets. However, the deal with the Lakers fell apart and Paul moved to the Clippers.
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