Rumors

NBA on Prime: Blake Griffin: I'm just disappointed. To be honest. I can't think of really another word. Obviously shocked at first. But disappointed. I'm disappointed for Chris Paul. But I'm disappointed in the Clippers organization. I mean, Chris Paul is a guy who came to the Clippers, when DeAndre and I were first and second-year guys. He brought a winning culture. He taught us how to operate in the NBA, and how to take every game seriously, how to take your body seriously, that there was no detail that was too small. And we weren't perfect, right? Like, we created ultimately win a championship. I know that. I'm reminded of it every day. And CP and I didn't always see eye to eye. But I'm disappointed because we got to a franchise that was synonymous with jokes. Right? You heard the Clippers, and you heard the curse. And, again, we didn't win a championship, but we did create a culture and an environment that people respected. You know, every year, you knew the Clippers were gonna be competitive. And Chris Paul, for 20 years, has been the same player. He's been about winning. And, you know, re-signed with the Clippers. This was supposed to be his moment, his, you know, coming back to LA. You know, 'I'm giving it one last go.' And for him to not get to walk out on his own terms, from the franchise that he chose to go to to end his career, is extremely disappointing. But I think the biggest reason I'm disappointed is what Chris said: No communication with Ty Lue. And, even more than that, you know, no communication -- I talked to CP Wednesday, I talked to him yesterday, I talked to him today -- no communication with Steve Ballmer. And that's, like, the disappointing thing for me. #NBAonPrime

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Joey Linn: Chris Paul just posted this on his Instagram story with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan

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Pelicans Film Room: "We actually put him on our staff but he is probably making more money in the player role. He'll probably take that paycheck... He has got a great way, the guys respect him... He probably does more than I even know" -- James Borrego on DeAndre Jordan

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SMAC Entertainment, the management and production company co-founded by Constance Schwartz-Morini and Michael Strahan, has signed New Orleans Pelicans center DeAndre Jordan, the company announced Friday.

deadline.com

Jordan becomes SMAC’s first active NBA player client as the firm continues expanding its roster in basketball. The company will work with him to build new business ventures — including entertainment production opportunities, endorsements, licensing, and strategic partnerships — as he broadens his footprint in entertainment media.

deadline.com

Bennett Durando: Christian Braun regrets not trying to dunk on DeAndre Jordan on the first possession of the game. He decided not to in the moment because the risk of DJ using an out-of-context photo to make fun of Braun later. "You know how he is, man." (Eventually said nice things about him.)

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Keith Smith: DeAndre Jordan's rest-of-season contract with the New Orleans Pelicans is fully guaranteed, a league source told @spotrac .

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Jim Eichenhofer: Asked about his adjustment from All-NBA and All-Star in mid-2010s to playing less but being a team's veteran mentor in recent years, DeAndre Jordan said, "My ego died a long time ago. I'm grateful. I learned how to accept that, and still find a way to have an impact on the game."

Twitter

Jim Eichenhofer: DeAndre Jordan on #Pelicans: "With the guys here, I've always been a fan of this team. Coming here (as an opponent) has always been a tough battle, especially when they're completely healthy... I'm happy to be a part of it, especially when we get some guys back from injury."

Twitter

Michael Scotto: Just In: The New Orleans Pelicans and DeAndre Jordan have agreed to a deal, league sources told @hoopshype. The 17-year NBA veteran has averaged 8.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks with the Clippers, Mavericks, Knicks, Nets, Lakers, 76ers, and Nuggets.

Twitter

Vlatko Čančar: So we see this car — it’s okay. I’m like, “Maybe we should check out some other cars.” It was kind of beat-up. Nothing fancy. And then they’re like: “Let’s find another car, man... it’s embarrassing to buy this one.” So I’m looking around and there’s this red one, and I’m like: “Okay, maybe there’s something better in the lot.” So we really start looking. But the way they look at cars? They see something that costs $20,000, for example — but they don’t think about taxes, warranty, all the extras. Host: There are like a thousand conditions. Vlatko Čančar: Right. So the price goes up. And then we realize: we don’t even have enough money. Total embarrassment. We’re making millions... And we don’t have money for a $20,000 car. Host: Man... Vlatko Čančar: Then, little by little, someone goes: “I gave mine,” ...and just walks off. And I’m like: “Guys, we can’t do it like this.” So I said: “Alright, me, Jeff Green, DeAndre... all of us who are here — KCP, I can’t even remember who else — let’s just put in more for now. We’ll get the rest from the others later.”

YouTube

Amin Elhassan: I think the bigger thing is that the Clippers have been investigated multiple times under Steve Ballmer over these things. That was another thing a lot of people forgot. DeAndre Jordan, remember the whole thing with the chair and the emoji war and all that stuff when he was almost a Maverick, then he wasn't. The Clippers did some caps circumvention during that as well. They kind of set up a side deal with Lexus to pay DeAndre Jordan. The NBA fined them $250,000 for that. So, at this point with Steve Ballmer, it's not just a case of, "Hey, man, this looks fishy." It's also, "You're a repeat offender. This ain't your first rodeo."

YouTube

At this point, the $48 million commitment by Aspiration to Leonard and Ballmer’s $50 million investment stand as two separate transactions. The league is currently investigating whether there is a connection that circumvented salary cap rules. If there is a finding of wrongdoing, it would not be the first violation for Ballmer and the Clippers. They were fined $250,000 in 2015 for offering DeAndre Jordan unauthorized endorsement opportunities.

Boston Sports Journal

Howard is one of 19 players in NBA history with five consecutive first-team All-NBA nods. The only other centers on that list are Shaq and George Mikan. The only other 21st-century players are LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Giannis Antetokounmpo, O'Neal, Luka Doncic and Kevin Durant -- who, with the exception of the young Doncic, are acknowledged as top-25 players in NBA history. Critics would contend that Howard so thoroughly dominated the All-NBA voting because of a lesser caliber of competition in that era. This idea has some merit: Though the center landscape wasn't quite as barren during Howard's reign as it would be half a decade later -- the All-NBA centers in 2015-16 were DeAndre Jordan, DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Drummond -- the second- and third-team All-NBA centers behind Howard were Amar'e Stoudemire (three times), Yao Ming (twice), Suns-era Shaq, Andrew Bogut, Al Horford, Andrew Bynum and Tyson Chandler. There are good players on that list, but few Hall of Famers.

ESPN