It has become tradition. The Dwightmare in 2011-12. The ‘Melo-drama the season before. The season before that, several months were handed over to a single guy: The Summer of LeBron.

Chris Paul insists he does not need a fancy title for his upcoming free agency. No catchy name, and certainly not his own climate. This will not be another nine-month long searing migraine of fans in agony, the media tripping over itself and the Clippers being on the clock to find a trade, or else. Not if Paul has anything to say about it.

“At the end of the season, I’ll evaluate everything. But it’s no secret. Everybody knows I love it here,” Paul said. “I love our team, I love everything that’s going on.”

While that won’t completely douse speculation, it slams the door on most doubt. It is also significant given the many reports that he offered a toast at Carmelo Anthony’s wedding in 2010, while with the Hornets, that included a campaign to get Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Paul joined on the Knicks.

Paul also knows it is possible to stop the madness before it begins. So he hopes to stop it.

“Everybody’s situation is different,” Paul said in a quiet moment at the Clippers practice facility. “For me, I just try not to think about it. I feel like I have so much going on on a daily basis that I can’t think about what’s going to happen at the end of the season. Right now, I’m focused on getting my thumb healthy (after surgery) and getting our team chemistry right and what’s going on in our season.”

via Scott Howard-Cooper for NBA.com