Clippers coach Doc Rivers calls DeAndre Jordan All-Star snub a 'travesty'
Since Blake Griffin hit the shelf indefinitely with a staph infection, Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan has done everything that could conceivably be asked of him and more.
He scored 24 points and hauled in 20 rebounds Wednesday night in leading the Clippers to a huge win over the surging Houston Rockets. A game earlier, he dropped 22 and ripped down 27 boards in a surprise road win over the Dallas Mavericks. He now has three 20-20 games in his last six outings.
And yet, when it came time for commissioner Adam Silver to choose an All-Star replacement for the injured Anthony Davis on Wednesday, he went with a more populist choice in Dirk Nowitzki.
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers was more than a little disappointed.
"I think D.J. should be on the All-Star team," Rivers said after his team's win on Wednesday. "I think it's a travesty. I really do. Dirk deserves to be on the All-Star team every year as far as I'm concerned, so you can never have anything against him. He's been a great player throughout his career, I just think that a guy who is getting 27 (rebounds) and 22 (points) and 20s and 20s (should) be on the team. ...
"What I keep saying about D.J., that you don't like is you play both sides of the floor. Just one side of the floor keeps getting all of the credit, and not the other side of the floor. And the other side is more important. There's never been a team that's won a title without being a decent defensive team or a great, great defensive team yet that side keeps getting forgotten about in the All-Star Game."
Jordan is averaging career highs in points (10.7) and rebounds (13.8), while shooting a career- and league-best 72.5 percent from the field. His 6-of-8 shooting performance Wednesday extended his NBA-record streak to 39 consecutive games shooting at least 50 percent from the field.
Throw in elite rim protection, and Jordan has been one of the NBA's best centers this season.
Jordan, for his part, sounded none too thrilled either, but he managed to take it in stride.
"Next year I probably have to average 20 points per game and maybe it will be something that they look at," Jordan said. "I'm happy for Dirk. He deserves to be an All-Star. At this point there's nothing I can do about it. I've accepted it and moved on. It's cool."