Reports: Friction Between DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul?
The Los Angeles Clippers suffered a monumental breakdown against the Houston Rockets, losing a 3-1 series advantage and going on to lose the western conference semifinal.
It is only the ninth time that a team has lost such an advantage and the second time that Doc Rivers has lost a series being two games ahead.
As the NBA moves forward, news has begun to appear that Clippers’ center DeAndre Jordan and point guard Chris Paul were feuding throughout the season.
Per Bill Reiter of Fox Sports, the duo’s relationship was reportedly becoming disgruntled. According to reports, Jordan’s tolerance with Paul was growing thin as the guard questioned his work-ethic and commitment to his game.
One of the specific points made was that Jordan did not work enough with the Clippers’ shooting coach to improve on his free-throws, in Paul’s opinion.
It seems that things were not so perfect in tinsel town this year.
For as personable as the State Farm star appears in the now overplayed commercials, Paul’s drive and expectations of his team are as demanding as that of Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett.
His drive to win has drawn the ire of teammates at times as he challenges his teammates and it appears that this is the case between himself and Jordan.
This situation makes things all the more intriguing for the summer as DeAndre Jordan becomes an unrestricted free-agent.
After having a breakthrough season, the center is expected to bring immediate improvement to any franchise he joins, with teams like the Lakers and Knicks expected to offer the maximum to take Jordan away from the Clippers. That is not to mention other teams looking to rebuild or improve such as the Celtics, Suns and others.
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What this all means for the Clippers could very well be smoke without fire, however. After a loss that will be discussed likely for seasons to come, undoubtedly everyone in the organization is looking to point at the reason why such a collapse happened.
The fact remains that the Clippers had the most effective offense this season and the trio of Paul, Jordan, and Blake Griffin were the ones leading the way. Plenty of highlight reel plays came from alley-oops from Paul to Jordan and led the center to being the leader in dunks across the league for the season and third in voting for Defensive Player of the Year.
Regardless of whatever may have been happening at the training center or locker room, the fact is the chemistry on the court led to a third seed berth in the playoffs and one of the most successful regular seasons in Clippers franchise history.
If sentiment does not matter for anything, than dollars also favor the Clippers. DeAndre Jordan is eligible for a five-year $100 million dollar deal in Los Angeles if he chooses to signs with the team.
If he were to choose to go anywhere else then the maximum he would get is a four-year $80 million dollar deal. While there are several weeks before any such moves are made, it is difficult to see Jordan signing with another team that gives him the same opportunities that the Clippers will immediately.
The coreunit of Paul and Griffin will remain in place and it is expected that Doc Rivers will be making the moves to improve the bench with young energy and veteran experience.
For more on DeAndre Jordan and the Clippers free-agency stay tuned to LA Sports HUB.