^^^ Seriously. 3 years? They've got him 'til he's 40 and in his 20th season I believe. But, he doesn't rely on athleticism, is clutch, and signed pretty cheap, good move for them. They were lacking in guys that have been there before and most likely won't shrink, cower in fear, and fold/fall apart in the clutch moments.
I just don't get it. I don't see him as the key to that team at all. I'll check back to this thread at the end of the year. The clips should be a 7th seed and Dallas will be in the conference finals if DJ is the difference maker.
Both the Clippers and Dallas should be low ranking playoff teams. The Clippers depended on Jordan for manning the middle and rebounding. Block shots are part of it though by no means the end all. For that they have gone down notches from third to likely sixth or seventh. Dallas did not improve its stock by leaps and bounds like implied with Jordan but he is an upgrade from the aging Chandler. Of course, many factors weigh in such as injuries to other teams rated above them or trades. Both teams have depth issues and age concerns to date.
Granted I didn't watch the regular season Clipper games but the playoffs were none of this. He was a liability in critical games late. They burned timeouts unnecessarily to get him out of games and his inability to make FT consistently disrupted their offensive flow significantly. That team needs to flow and that flow was interrupted by his lack of fundamentals. I'd guess that is what the internal squabbling is about. If you want a stat to show this here's a couple. His MPG were almost the same Regular season to post season. His FT attempt were 5.7 a game in the regular season and 11.2 per game in the playoffs. He shot 39% in the regular season and 42% in the post season. So he gave away about 3 possessions in the regular season due to crappy fundamentals and nearly 6 in the post season. Close games and teams that can plan for weaknesses find them.... every time. These stats are true effectors of the game and translate to points on the board. Replacing a guy who gets 17 rebounds a game with a guy that gets 10 doesn't mean your team loses all 7 rebounds. Missing 60% of your free throws is missing 60% of your free throws. I'm relieved he isn't a Laker. We don't need one way compromises that can be exposed and exploited in key situations.
Agreed he was a liability at the charity stripe. On the Clipper offensive flow, he wasn't much of a factor. To be honest, he wasn't even needed other than garbage plays. What he brought was the other things, setting screens and rebounding. In a way, Jordan allowed Griffin to develop his game because the latter did not have to do the dirty work. He was a luxury for Paul on lobs and that threat opened up lanes for the latter's shots. Jordan won't be confused as a present day Olajuwon or even as a very watered down version of Russell but he was fleet enough to flash on pick and roll defense as well as being a necessity against teams with inside power games as rare as that seem nowadays. I agree with the pundits that Jordan won't have the same safety nets with Dallas. It was a lose-lose for both parties involved. Of course, changes can happen between now and then. I was intrigued with him with the Lakers wondering if being asked to be a leader would instill some motivation on him to work on his game. Maybe even get the coaching staff to run plays for him. Confidence can go a long way in developing a player. Other than that, I always thought of Jordan as a rich man's Keon Clark.
@bonk, I agree with your statistical analytics. Numbers don't lie...then again common sense can be handy too. Jordan is still raw if we get down to the basics of skill sets. Him and that self proclaimed mohawked champion down in Houston. OK, primitive and unrefined if we get down to brass tacks. Come to think of it, all the bigs could end up in the Lone Star state with Howard, Jordan and without further adieu, Aldridge.
Traded away Hawes for a headcase- check. Lost their star Center for nothing in return- check. Clippers gonna clip- check.
Dallas got worse & Clippers got worse.. DJ is not a good fit on the Mavs.. Maybe I'm wrong, but Dallas is not a motion offense. He would've been better when they had Ellis & Rondo & I honestly feel he would've worked better with Russell, Clarkson & Randle
I think Dallas will end up improved this summer. They've still got pieces to add. If they get Lin, Matthews, and Jordan it was a great off-season for them. Clips are in trouble though.