DeAndre Jordan’s flip-flop from Dallas back to the Los Angeles Clippers was the most dramatic NBA story of the summer. Easily.
And ever since Jordan put pen to paper the Mavericks and Clippers have been exchanging little barbs. Chandler Parsons says Jordan wasn’t ready to be a franchise player. Cuban wanted nothing to do with Jordan’s twitter apology. There have been plenty more. Nothing outrageous, but little digs back and forth.
That continued on Collin Cowherd’s new radio show on Fox Sports. Doc Rivers had been on recently and said he thought Cuban handled the situation poorly, and when Cuban was on he fired back (hat tip Dan Woike at the Orange County Register).
“It shows what someone will do when their entire future is vanishing in front of them, and that’s what Doc did. I give him credit for it. His professional life was over if he didn’t get DJ. So his back was against the wall, and he did what he needed to do. More power to him. But sometimes the deals you don’t do are the best ones. But we’ll see.”
Rivers is one of the most respected coaches in the NBA; his career would have been just fine with or without Jordan. Cuban is overselling that.
Would the Clippers have been as good if Jordan had stuck with the plan to join the Mavs? No. That’s not on Rivers, that’s just the simple fact that talent wins in the NBA. If you don’t have enough of it you lose games, something Cuban knows but will be reminded of plenty this season.
As for L’Affair de Jordan, it’s time for all of us to move on.