The Clippers’ chaotic unravelling leaves Chris Paul as its most painful casualty

Los Angeles have turned a feelgood reunion into a late-career humiliation for one of their greatest players - and exposed a franchise stumbling into a darker new era

Pull out your Los Angeles Clippers bingo cards. Anyone have the square marked owner and star player accused of skirting the salary cap through improper means"? Go ahead and stamp that one. How about losing 14 of 16 after a hopeful 3-2 start"? Mark it. And yes, you can fill in other star averaging nearly 27 a night at age 36 - including a 50-piece against the Detroit Pistons, one of the league's best teams". The box reading Clippers fans tearing out their hair at alarming rates and contemplating shameful, fairweather defections" is probably safe to cross off, pending review. And after the wee-hours media cycle on Wednesday morning, everyone gets to tick the most dispiriting square of all: beloved, decorated veteran unceremoniously kicked to the curb in his final season".

The Clippers had posted a winning record every year since 2010-11, building a reputation as one of the NBA's most reliable playoff fixtures. Twenty-one games into this young season, that identity has dissolved into something hazy around the edges - and unmistakably sinister.