LOS ANGELES – DeAndre Jordan stepped off the LA Clippers home floor for what could be been the final time in his 10-year NBA career. After a quiet start to this career in Los Angeles, Jordan had been a part of the greatest era in Clippers basketball over the last six years, making the playoffs and winning 50 games season after season.
His six year run also coincides with Doc Rivers' presence as head coach, and together the duo had to endure one of the toughest seasons in recent history. Aside from all the rumors of Rivers' potential firing or a potential Jordan trade, they had to lead the Clippers through an assortment of injuries and roster changes, making a playoff berth seem like an astronomical challenge. Nonetheless, LA fought until the very end, but dropped their last couple of games after being eliminated from playoff contention in the final weekend of the regular season.
In the team's final game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Rivers inserted forward/center Montrezl Harrell and pulled Jordan out of the game for the final time of the season, and potentially, for the final time as a member of the Clippers. Jordan and Rivers then shared an embrace; a lengthy, 10 second hug with pats on the back and it was clear some emotions were coming out in the process.
For those who haven't seen it, this is probably the best I could find of the DeAndre Jordan/Doc Rivers embrace in the 3rd quarter. #Clippers pic.twitter.com/LAl6i6q5SI
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 12, 2018
“I basically told him I love him,” explained Rivers. “DJ's been great for me. We don't know what he's going to do and that could possibly be the last game. I hope not obviously. DJ and I are very close. I challenged him when I took this job. I asked him to be one of the best defensive players, once of the best rebounders, and he took that title and ran with it. I'm just proud of him. He's like a kid to me.
“I don't think people understand what coaches go through. They have these bonds with these guys and sometimes they get broken because of free agency, sometimes they get broken because you don't get where you want to get. you make moves, bitterness and all that stuff. But as ac coach, one thing I've learned is that you give each player your heart. Most of the time they embrace it, sometimes they crush it and you still do it every year. You do it every day and that's DJ with me. He's a special, special player in my coaching career.”
Rivers has now just finished his 19th season as an NBA head coach, and has compiled only two losing seasons on his resume, excluding his 11-game stint with the Orlando Magic in the 2003-04 season which he was let go a few weeks in. This season, he'll finish with a 42-40 record having lost nearly his entire starting lineup for large chunks of the season and having to, at one point, start G-League players in roles they were unfamiliar with. Despite all of that, there was one constant: DeAndre Jordan. Jordan continued his run of availability, playing at least 93 percent of regular season games for the eighth consecutive time. More importantly, he grew as a player under coach Rivers, and he's someone Rivers is proud of.
“That [embrace] was a thank you from him to me and from me to him for allowing me to coach him. For allowing me to coach him really hard and I was really hard on DJ, especially early on because I really saw something before I took the job. And then when I took the job, I saw something that I believe he didn't see. I told him that I would never allow him to be what he was. That was the deal we made. ‘I said I will never allow you to be what you are today. I'm going to coach you to who you're going to be someday and I'm never gonna relent.' He said that's fine, he allowed me to do that and it's good to see. Listen, I hope we can sign him, but I'm just really proud that he's in the position that he's in. He's earned it.”
Jordan shared the same sentiment when asked about what Rivers, and the embrace they shared, meant to him.
“Doc's the best coach I've ever had, so I just wanted to tell him I really appreciate everything that he's done for me over these years,” said Jordan. “This season was rough for us but I just really commended him for sticking with it, sticking with us, helping us find ways to win. Just being appreciative, that's all.
“We've been close since Doc got here, and we've grown closer every year through everything that we've gone through. He's challenged me, he's gotten on me, and I've responded. Our relationship is great. Like I said, I'm greatly appreciate to have him as a coach.”
The Clippers will now head into a summer of uncertainty once again. Will they retain the services of head coach Doc Rivers? Will DeAndre Jordan opt into the final year of his deal and return for another season or will he test free agency?
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