Mavs video: DeAndre Jordan leaves interview in middle of question about rumors of a rift with teammate

Mavs big man DeAndre Jordan is not up for talking about the alleged rift that has been created between he and his teammates

Mavs big man DeAndre Jordan is not up for talking about the alleged rift that has been created between he and his teammates through the early stages of this season. In fact, the former Texas A&M standout recently walked away from a reporter who wanted to ask a question about the supposed tension.

TIt seems the problem lies in the way Jordan is interacting with his teammates on the floor. According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, DeAndre is “rubbing his teammates the wrong way.”

Don’t be deceived by DeAndre Jordan’s solid statistics. He has been a major disappointment for the Mavs. He has rubbed teammates the wrong way with what they perceive as selfish play, the most blatant example being when he stole an uncontested rebound from Luka Doncic by putting his forearm in the prized rookie’s back and tipping the ball away. Jordan’s disinterest in playing help defense has been a big problem as Mavs opponents light up the scoreboard.

https://youtu.be/NkW_MrKwnH0

When asked about snatching the rebound from Doncic earlier this week, Jordan noted it's just his style of play.

“I guess I've been poaching for the past 11 years,” Jordan told SportsDay on Monday. “I feel like every rebound that comes off is mine. So I am guilty of that. But honestly, when I'm going for the ball, I don't really look for anybody else.

“Honestly, I didn't even see how it looked until after the game,” Jordan added. “But we saw the play and we talked about what people have said about it. Social media is insane. But we've talked about it.

“I don't think it's anything negative,” Jordan said in closing. “We were both trying to make a play on the ball and that was really it. I don't get mad when Dennis [Smith Jr.] comes in and swipes a quick rebound. At the end of the day, it's a possession for us.”

The sky is not falling in Dallas, despite this bit of news. In fact, the Mavs are currently riding a three-game winning streak, and Jordan has been playing fairly well. In his 14 appearances with the Mavs this season, the Houston native has racked up averages of 10.6 points on 62.5 percent shooting from the field, 13.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 blocks in 32.1 minutes per outing.

Jordan and the Mavs will be back in action on Saturday night, when they'll welcome the Golden State Warriors to the American Airlines Center. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. EST.