LA Clippers Downfall May Have Started With George-Harrell Verbal Altercation; Rivers To Remain As HC

The exit of the Los Angeles Clippers has left many pondering about the future of the franchise, including the tenure of Doc Rivers and its players. But before going that far, most continue to figure out what went wrong.

There was the growing belief that friction was building inside the Clippers ballclub. Some believed players were not getting along and that Rivers was losing control. But the alleged heated exchange reported by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports between Paul George and Motrezl Harrell during game 2 of the Clippers series with the Denver Nuggets may be proof that all is well under the Clips umbrella.

Per the report, Harrell was upset with George when the 30-year-old small forward blamed him when he made an errant pass while being guarded by Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. George tried to tone down but the 6-foot-7 big man would have nothing of it.

“You're always right. Nobody can tell you nothing,” Harrell reportedly said.

From there, the team clapped from the sidelines in what most saw as a way to defuse the situation. It all cooled down when Rivers took his seat to go over the game plan.

Like most games when players get into it, players and coaches would refer to it as nothing but two players just being competitive or the heat of the moment exchange. But if one goes through the history of the Clippers, friction was evident since the arrival of Kawhi Leonard and George.

That friction reportedly happened behind the scenes. Ironically, it was also Harrell who said that the Clippers were not a great team while expressing his frustrations during a media scrum, The Athletic reported.

George has one year remaining in his deal, same with Leonard. But Harrell will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. With this strained relationship between George and probably more, the 26-year-old is likely to walk out and hook up with another team.

Rivers will return next season per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports in another report. He is likely to reason with Harrell and try to fix things up internally. There is no telling if he will succeed in convincing Harrell. But looking ahead, Rivers may be in for worse things. If the Clips don’t win next season, the final year of George and Leonard’s contract, Rivers could be moving out as well.