There may have been a half dozen players on the small stage Tuesday when the Clippers introduced their offseason signings, but all eyes were on DeAndre Jordan.
In the biggest soap opera of the free-agent period, Jordan reneged on a verbal agreement with the Mavericks to rejoin the Clippers on a max deal. He used Tuesday’s press conference to dispel claims about the night he changed his mind with a handful of Clippers representatives, including Doc River and Paul Pierce, at his Houston home.
“It wasn’t a hostage situation,” Jordan told reporters. “I’m a pretty big guy and I don’t think they can lock me in my own house.
“We all got together and talked about different things and what we need to do to get to the highest goal that we want to reach as a group … I’m happy I’m here.”
It was reported Jordan called Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to tell him he had a change of heart but did say he owed Cuban an apology.
“I can’t speak for Mark (Cuban) or anyone else, I’m speaking for myself,” Jordan said. “When we make decisions in life and go back and change our minds, I feel like the only thing you can do is man up and apologize for it.”
After deciding to return to Los Angeles, many said Jordan wasn’t ready to be the centerpiece of a franchise, but he said Tuesday he will have a larger role on the 2015 edition of the Clippers.
“I wanted a bigger responsibility for myself and felt I was ready for that. The best thing for me is to be here and I’m going to be successful while I’m here,” Jordan said.
He also mentioned the only thing he was promised was an extra $8 million, which is also nice.
Now with a heftier paycheck and workload, Jordan will be a big factor in whether or not the Clippers take the next step and make it to the Western Conference finals with a star-studded lineup.
“I think what we’ve done in the past two seasons, we’re going in the right direction,” Jordan said. “I think we’re close to getting over that hump and I definitely feel like we have unfinished business.”