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DeAndre Jordan decided to leave the Los Angeles Clippers behind last week, when he verbally committed to the Dallas Mavericks. That verbal committment hasn’t translated into an actual signing on the dotted line, though, and the Clippers are taking advantage of that fact. More importantly, reports have surfaced that the somewhat “torn” Jordan might actually listen to L.A.’s plea to have him turn down the Mavs.
Will it work? That’s the question dominating NBA headlines Wednesday afternoon, as Clippers brass are expected to meet Jordan in Houston, where he spends his off-seasons.
While there was a very real rift between Jordan and star point guard Chris Paul, it seems it could be a situation that could be mended. Per reports, the Clips brought in veteran small forward Paul Pierce for twi reasons – to shore up a major positional need – and to get an aging star to help Paul and Jordan co-exist. Paul flying out of the bahamas to join the meeting in Houston could go a long way as an olive branch, too, and Jordan is now believed to be 50/50 on his decision.
It’s anyone’s guess what Jordan does, but this development certainly has the Mavs feeling “nervous”. It’s especially concerning after Dallas owner Mark Cuban publicly admitted the Mavericks would probably have had to seriously consider “tanking” if they weren’t able to land Jordan and shooting guard Wesley Matthews.
If Jordan goes back to the Clippers, L.A. naturally becomes a serious title contender. They’re in serious trouble without him (they have no other options at center), but if he sticks around, they suddenly look quite formidable with Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, Pierce, Blake Griffin and Jordan in their starting unit. With Lance Stephenson off the bench, they would be more top-heavy and deeper than they were a year ago, when they came one win within reaching their first ever Western Conference Finals series.
Jordan bolting would be awful news for Dallas, who would go from potential top playoff contender to a team struggling to even sniff the playoffs. It’s just one star center’s world and we’re living in it. For the NBA betting man (or woman), this is a massive move to monitor. Jordan’s ultimate decision could impact both of these teams at an extreme level and it could also have a fairly large trickle down effect. Stay tuned.
