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Los Angeles Clippers: DeAndre Jordan Made The Right Decision

By Gerald Bourguet

May 2, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) and guard Chris Paul (3) hug after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in game seven of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center. Clippers won 111-109. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
May 2, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) and guard Chris Paul (3) hug after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in game seven of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center. Clippers won 111-109. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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DeAndre Jordan
Apr 5, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) and center DeAndre Jordan (6) on the bench in the fourth quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Clippers won 106-78. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

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).

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    • 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

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