Los Angeles Clippers: DeAndre Jordan Made The Right Decision

Yesterday was unabashedly, undeniably and unequivocally the greatest day in the history of NBA Twitter. Unless you’re a Dallas Mavericks fan, the outbreak of emoji battles, hostage jokes and all-around social media drama was unlike anything we’ve ever seen. But now that it’s the morning after and the dust has settled, did DeAndre Jordan do the right thing?

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Yes. Absolutely yes. Probably not in the classiest way, but the decision itself? He made the best decision available.

The Los Angeles Clippers have never been to a conference finals. They just blew a 3-1 series lead that would’ve gotten them to the Western Conference Finals…if it weren’t for an epic fourth quarter meltdown in Game 5 at home. There were reports about bad blood between Jordan and Chris Paul, one of the more abrasive and demanding floor generals in the league.

But at the end of the day, even without signing a full five-year, $110 million extension like he could have, Jordan made the best basketball decision he could have.

Next: The Best Day In NBA Twitter History

The Best Day In NBA Twitter History

For a few days, everything looked peachy for the Dallas Mavericks. Rajon Rondo and Monta Ellis were gone, but Dirk Nowitzki was coming back for another go, Wesley Matthews was coming to Big D and the Mavs were about to lock in a 26-year-old center who’s only entering his prime now.

For any Mavs fan over the age of 30 (or any age, to be quite honest), Jul. 8, 2015 represented their personal Red Wedding, while also marking the most moronic day in NBA history. It all started with the news that the Clippers were going to meet with Jordan to try and sell him on reversing his decision and returning to Lob City.

Details were scarce. Chris Paul was off banana-boating with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in the Bahamas. J.J. Redick was just hanging out in Austin. Doc Rivers and Steve Ballmer were coming to meet Jordan, but little was known other than that. Soon the news emerged that the Mavs, sensing a snake in the grass, were going to meet with DJ again as well, which Chandler Parsons confirmed:

Then J.J. Redick responded, letting the world know his intention to drive from Austin to be a part of the meeting in Houston.

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Then Blake Griffin got involved:

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Even Chris Paul, who had been pegged as the biggest reason Jordan wanted a chance of scenery, turned his banana boat around to try and make things right:

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And although Paul Pierce didn’t tweet out a wheelchair emoji that would have blown an already ablaze Twitter to smithereens, even the old man who didn’t know how to use emojis got in on the act by posting a picture of one:

But the Clippers, lovable villains that they are, didn’t stop there. Once they realized the fight for Jordan’s allegiance was over, they remained at Jordan’s house, effectively preventing the Mavs from even meeting with them, just to be safe.

It wasn’t the hostage situation everyone jokingly made it out to be, but the Clippers essentially served as Jordan’s fortress of solitude from having to face Mark Cuban and the Dallas contingent who were suddenly being stonewalled.

But Jordan’s wishy-washiness wasn’t the only cringe-worthy moment of the night for Mavs fans. As Twitter jokes raged about a hostage situation and how Cuban would try to crash the party as a mustachioed pizza delivery man, Griffin got in on the fun and trolled the world:

Then, when the deal had officially been signed, The Truth lived up to his legendary status as one of the NBA’s greatest kick-you-when-you’re-down trash talkers.

Parsons pretty much summed up the feelings of every Mavs fan when he admitted defeat:

The entertainment value isn’t enough to overshadow the way DeAndre Jordan conducted himself…but then again isn’t it kind of enough? Like, at least a little bit? Unless you’re a Mavs fan, yesterday was the greatest day in the history of NBA Twitter. No other sport can boast free agency entertainment quite like that.

Next: What If The Mavs Kept DJ?

What If Dallas Had Signed Jordan?

Now keep in mind, this battle of emojis, comedy and drama that you see before you was only what the players themselves had to say. Throw in the witty banter of NBA writers and fans everywhere and yesterday was a regular NBA Twitter fiesta. It was glorious for everyone but Mavs fans.

And they have a legitimate reason to be angry. Jordan would’ve been able to cover for Dirk on defense, handling the boards, protecting the rim and providing a constant alley-oop target no matter who Dallas signed as its new point guard (Jeremy Lin was frequently mentioned here).

Now, Jordan is gone, Nowitzki has no supporting cast as he ages another year and Lin will be joining the Charlotte Hornets.

Rebuilding this late in Nowitzki’s career isn’t what Cuban wanted, but he may have no choice now that his options at center include the likes of Kevin Seraphin, Jordan Hill, Kendrick Perkins and Cole Aldrich. The Mavs have $20 million in cap space, but even if they made an offer to restricted free agents like Enes Kanter or Tristan Thompson, their respective teams would most likely match. There just aren’t any good options left among the remaining free agents.

However, let’s assume for one second that Chandler Parsons’ unforgettable airplane tweet had actually landed Jordan rather than ignite the greatest day in the history of NBA Twitter. Is there anyone out there who truly believes that Dallas’ hypothetical lineup would’ve been better than what Jordan has with the Clippers now?

For the Mavs, it ideally would’ve been Lin (who still hasn’t proven he’s a starting-caliber point guard and is a huge minus defensively), Matthews (a terrific three-point shooter and defender, but one who’s also coming off a scary Achilles injury), Parsons (a good shooter and improving defender, but not a star player), Nowitzki (always skilled offensively, but is starting to show serious signs of his age) and Jordan (a brilliant defensive anchor, but a limited offensive weapon).

I can’t be alone in thinking that Mavs team would be about as good as last year’s, even if Mark Cuban disagrees.

Next: What's Next For Lob City

What’s Next For Lob City

On the flip side of the coin, the Clippers have Chris Paul (a top-five point guard and one of the best floor generals in the league who supplies Jordan’s offense as effectively as anyone), J.J. Redick (an effective shooter and defender), Paul Pierce (a future Hall of Famer who proved he’s still got it last season), Blake Griffin (one of the best power forwards in the league and Jordan’s best friend) and Jordan (a brilliant defensive anchor who gets great looks at the rim by virtue of playing on this team).

The Smoking Cuban

One of those aforementioned teams is a first round playoff exit. The other is a possible title contender that lost Matt Barnes, but gained Pierce, Lance Stephenson and still has the power to re-sign Austin Rivers, Hedo Turkoglu and Glen Davis and bring back most of their bench unit.

Even more importantly, Jordan gets to play for the coach who helped cultivate his talent and raise his confidence in the first place in Doc Rivers. Rick Carlisle is a terrific coach, but it’s hard to say his stern demeanor would be a better fit than the player’s coach currently in charge in Los Angeles.

If it weren’t for a monumental fourth quarter collapse at the end of Game 5, the Clippers would’ve been in the conference finals in spite of their woeful bench. Pierce and Stephenson don’t singlehandedly fix that, but the Truth is a major offensive upgrade over Barnes even if he won’t be able to guard anyone.

The Clippers are just another contender in a conference full of contenders, but as currently constructed, they have a far better chance of winning a title than Jordan would’ve had with that Mavericks team. Keep making those second round elimination Clippers jokes all you want, but that’s the misfortune of playing in the West more than anything. Put that team in the East and they’d have made the NBA Finals by now.

Next: In The End

In The End

It wasn’t about the money for Jordan, who eventually signed with the Clippers to a four-year, $88 million deal (with a player option in the fourth year) rather than the five-year, $110 million deal he was eligible for. It was about basketball fit. It was about trust. And it was about feeling wanted.

The Mavs accomplished almost all of those things. Jordan would’ve gotten the expanded role he wanted on offense in Dallas, and he had spent the last few weeks being wined and dined by everyone in the Mavericks organization. The Clippers’ love seemed like it came too late, but after Jordan called Griffin and Doc Rivers expressing doubts, that love came swiftly and in full force.

Paul left his vacation to let Jordan know how much he valued him. Griffin, Redick and Pierce may or may not have turned Jordan’s home into an impenetrable fort to keep the Mavericks away from their prized free agent. The meeting was reportedly short and everyone spent the rest of the time playing cards and video games as they waited for midnight to strike so he could sign the papers.

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In the end, the way Jordan went about going back on his verbal commitment was regrettable, but also 100 percent legal. Days like yesterday are both the beauty and the pity of the NBA’s moratorium period. Jordan should have taken Cuban’s call and manned up. No one can deny that, regardless of the decision he made.

But in terms of the actual decision he made, Jordan chose wisely. He could have left a title contender for a team that probably would’ve been eliminated in the first round, but he and CP3 buried the hatchet and he got paid to stay with a team that’s better than their recent second round exits would have you believe.

You can fault Jordan for the manner in which he handled himself, but at the end of the day, you can’t fault him for sticking with the Clippers.

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