Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan not dwelling on rocky past
DeAndre Jordan spurned the Dallas Mavericks in an about-face that left the Mavs scrambling for a defensive big to fill the void that otherwise would've been occupied by the 6-foot-11 Texan.
Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul was a central figure in the tension-filled situation. Although Paul's often rocky relationship with Jordan could be characterized as two brothers squabbling, much was made of its impact on Jordan's original decision to put L.A. in the rear view mirror.
"People are going to say what they're going to say and you can't control it. But actually, nah, I wasn't mad … when all that stuff was going on," Paul told Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday, referring to the free-agency fiasco that ended in favor of his Clips.
With fingers pointed at Paul for his role in the debacle, the eight-time All-Star did an admirable job in his attempts at damage control. He went so far as to reiterate his love for Jordan via Instagram:
"It's such a blur, man, I don't know," Paul said, reminiscing about the chaotic nature of the time they almost lost their defensive anchor. Referencing the popular ESPN documentary series, he jokingly predicted, "Maybe it will be a '30 for 30' one year."
For all intents and purposes, the Jordan-Mavericks incident of 2015 should indeed get its very own "30 for 30" treatment. Between accounts of Jordan being held hostage, "Chairgate," and a "Reservoir Dogs" reenactment, there was enough entertainment to fill up a Hollywood script.
With the dust now settled, all seems peachy keen in Southern California. Paul and Jordan remain friendly with each other.
"Chris has been a great teammate to me," Jordan said. "Teammates bump heads and argue, but it's for the greater goal of the situation and for what you want to do. I feel like Chris didn't say anything (out of line), I didn't say anything (out of line), so we took hits, but we know what our relationship is like and what it's about."
The question remains: who will narrate the documentary - Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones?