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Keeping Jordan, Core Intact A Priority

Rowan Kavner

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. – As the head coach, it’s tough to swallow what happened in Game 7. As the president of basketball operations, there’s not much time to think about that.

The latter title for Doc Rivers becomes more prominent now as the season draws to an abrupt close, and as Rivers mulls the decision the Clippers need to make in the offseason, it’s clear he wants to keep the core intact.

“We were a quarter away from the Western Finals,” Rivers said Monday. “So, I don’t think we need to blow this thing up. We don’t need to do a lot. We don’t need to go and get a max player, except for the one we have.”

Keeping the core in place begins with finding a way to keep DeAndre Jordan, who’s the only one among the trio of Jordan, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. It appears evident that giving a max deal to Jordan is the plan, with Rivers joking that he thinks he can say that at this point.

But the ball will be in Jordan’s court.

Jordan wasn’t ready to make any sort of statement about his future immediately after the Clippers’ loss. When asked about the process heading into the offseason, Jordan responded by saying he’s not a free agent until July, and as tough as it may be to think about later, it’s not on his mind yet.

“I’ve been here for seven years, so this is what I’m used to,” Jordan said. “But I’m not thinking about that, man. It’s still so fresh.”

Rivers said as much as Jordan loves being in Los Angeles with the Clippers, the team knows it can’t take that for granted.

“There’s going to be a lot of teams coming after him that have money,” Rivers said. “There’s a lot of them that don’t, thank God. That helps us. He deserves the attention. He really does, he’s earned it.”

Rivers recalled how two years ago when Rivers came to the Clippers and took the job, everyone was telling him he had to move Jordan. Now, Jordan finished a season as the league’s leader in rebounds, field goal percentage and defensive win shares.

“I look at this guy now, and he’s just a joy to be around,” Rivers said. “He’s a great guy to coach, he’s smart as heck and he’s just one of those guys as a coach you want next to you. So I couldn’t be happier for him. I love when players do what they should do and have the opportunity to make whatever they can make. I’m all for it.”

Jordan’s coming off a 2014-15 season in which he averaged career highs in points (11.5) and rebounds (15). His 1,226 total rebounds were the most in franchise history. His 71 percent shooting wasn’t just the best in the NBA this season – it marked the second best shooting season in NBA history, behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s 72.7 percent mark in the 1972-73 season.

That’s not to mention everything Jordan did defensively to deter opponents driving into the lane, something Rivers and Clippers players mentioned all season while describing their affinity for their center. For all those reasons, it’s not just Rivers that wants Jordan and the core to stick around.

“I always want to keep us together,” Paul said after the Game 7 loss.

Matt Barnes, who’s still under contract another season, said he hopes the Clippers can bring everyone back and see what happens.

“This is a business, so it’s going to be a crazy summer,” Barnes said. “I think everyone’s heart is in the right place. Everyone on this team wants to win. Sometimes, it just doesn’t work that way.”

Rivers said he knows the team will need to add pieces, which will be difficult because of the restrictions from a salary cap standpoint, but what remains clear heading into the offseason is that Rivers would like DeAndre Jordan and the core of the team to remain intact.

He said teams that stick it out typically perform better than ones that blow up a roster, and he believes his group is close.

“Bringing J.J. (Redick) in here was great,” Rivers said after the Game 7 loss. “That’s one thing we’ve done well. But, we have to get this team more support. With the contracts we’re hamstrung with, it’s going to be minimum deals for the most part. There are no big deals out there that we’re going to make, most likely. Our first priority is D.J. After that, we’ll see what happens.”