Beloved former Suns great in serious danger of not finishing the season

It has not been a good homecoming for former Phoenix Suns great Chris Paul. The "Point God" was supposed to add to a veteran cast that was going to push for a championship on the L.A. Clippers, but already those aspirations are up in smoke. James Harden is holding down the fort admirably, while Bradley Beal is once again failing to hold up his end of the bargain.

Paul can no longer get on an NBA court consistently.

Despite starting all 82 games for the San Antonio Spurs last season, the 40-year-old doesn't figure to be in Clippers' head coach Tyronn Lue's plans right now. This despite his roster being hampered by injuries, with Derrick Jones Jr. the latest to be sidelined with a knee issue that will keep him out of action for at least a month.

It is time to accept that Paul's time in the league is coming to an end, with the Suns also managing to avoid a disaster in not landing their former floor general this offseason as well. It was rumored to be between Los Angeles and Phoenix for Paul given that his family is based in L.A., and he went with the former.

This has allowed the Suns to turn the franchise back over to Devin Booker, and he has already repaid them handsomely for doing so. Jalen Green hasn't had a chance to show what he can do because of a hamstring issue, but if Paul was around he wouldn't be taking any minutes off him. Even backup Collin Gillespie has been excellent in his role.

A position he likely would not have had the opportunity to get had Paul been brought back to The Valley. This in turn also has the knock-on impact of the organization signing yet another point guard on a two-way contract, which again is far less likely to have happened if they had Paul. The Suns have turned the page on their old and creaky past, and they are flourishing because of it.

It is also unclear how head coach Jordan Ott could have used the veteran given he wants his teams to play with pace and also commit on the defensive end. None of which would have been possible with this version of Paul on the court. One that, and it cannot be stressed enough, coach Lue would rather not use at all for the Clippers right now despite being well below .500.

It is sad to see Paul go out like this, and nobody in Phoenix is revelling in his misery either. He's going into the Ring of Honor one day, and the Suns also represent the closest he ever got to winning a championship. Unfortunately there are only "DNP - Coach's Decisions" in his future, before likely calling it a day next summer. A sad end to a Hall of Fame career.