Hoops Habit
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Los Angeles Clippers: Grading The Offseason

By Gerald Bourguet

Jul 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers players pose with jerseys at press conference at Staples Center. From left: Branden Dawson (22), DeAndre Jordan (6), Austin Rivers (25), coach Doc Rivers and Josh Smith (5), Cole Aldrich (45), Paul Pierce (34) and Wesley Johnson (33). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers players pose with jerseys at press conference at Staples Center. From left: Branden Dawson (22), DeAndre Jordan (6), Austin Rivers (25), coach Doc Rivers and Josh Smith (5), Cole Aldrich (45), Paul Pierce (34) and Wesley Johnson (33). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jul 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers players Branden Dawson (22), DeAndre Jordan (6) and Austin Rivers (25) pose at press conference at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Keeping DeAndre Jordan

J.J. Redick was right; had the Clippers failed to re-sign DeAndre Jordan this summer, their grade for the offseason would have been an F. Even with all these other signings and a stronger bench, losing a rebounder, shot-blocker and alley-oop target of Jordan’s caliber would have demoted Lob City from “contender” to “just another good team” in the unforgiving West.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Clippers got the job done by seizing their opportunity the moment Jordan started expressing doubts about his commitment to the Dallas Mavericks.

What actually went down may not have been as dramatic as Twitter speculation made it out to be, but from CP3’s banana boat tweet to Griffin’s outright trolling to the image of Mark Cuban arriving at Jordan’s house for a showdown with Doc Rivers that everyone was picturing in their heads, this free agency pursuit had everything.

Luckily for the Clippers, it ended with Jordan re-signing for four years and $88 million (with a player option for the fourth year).

Say what you want about the way Lob City got it done, but if you really have an issue with the way DeAndre Jordan went back on his verbal commitment to the Mavs, A) That’s on Jordan, B) Neither he nor the Clippers technically did anything wrong and C) Unless you’re a Mavericks fan, what are you so upset about? This whole ordeal was fun as hell!

The fact that the Clippers came out on top in the most entertaining day in the history of NBA free agency is only secondary to the on-court benefit of keeping Jordan around, however. As the NBA leader in rebounding, field goal percentage and defensive win shares last season, Jordan’s impact on both ends of the floor is undeniable.

Will the Clippers make good on their promise to get DJ more involved on the offensive end of the floor? That remains to be seen (though for their sake, they probably shouldn’t). But without Jordan, the Clippers had no shot at being title contenders in 2015-16. Instead, they will boast one of the league’s best starting fives, remain a title contender, and fatally wounded another would-be Western playoff team in the process.

Grade: A+

Next: Little Rivers

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