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Houston Rockets Fans Should Want DeAndre Jordan To Stay In Dallas

By Yoni Pollak

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There would be nothing better in this world than for Mark Cuban to eat his own words. Trust me, everyone would love it. (Side note: I happen to be a big fan of Cuban’s. I think he’s a great owner and I love his enthusiasm).

Here’s what Cuban had to say following the signing of DeAndre Jordan:

“We see him as ‘Shaq-like’ but never having been given the opportunity,” Cuban told KTCK-AM 1310 last Friday regarding DeAndre Jordan’s role with the Mavericks (via Fox Sports). “We told him if he came to the Mavs, he would be a focal point. He would grow into being a franchise player.”

That cost Cuban $25,000, not much for a guy like Cuban. He was ecstatic that Dallas finally landed themselves a big they really coveted. Congrats, Cuban!

Or maybe not…

According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, DeAndre Jordan isn’t quite sure what to do anymore.

ESPN’s Chris Broussard added that Jordan is “torn” and “unsure” of his decision to go to Dallas. Frankly, I don’t blame him.

Jordan left a Western Conference contender that was one game away from going to the Western Conference Finals. That team seemed to have gotten a bit better this offseason, after trading for Lance Stephenson and adding Paul Pierce to the bench. Still, Jordan decided to go to his home state of Texas and play for Cuban and the Mavericks.

Had the Clippers retained Jordan and signed him to a 5-year max deal, the Clippers would likely have been a threat for the next several years. Instead, Jordan heading to Dallas sent the Clippers to the bottom of the pack amongst the Western Conference contenders and also didn’t do much for Dallas’ chances.

You see, Dallas doesn’t get much better by adding Jordan. They added Wesley Matthews and Jordan this offseason, but they also lost Monta Ellis and Tyson Chandler. Both Matthews and Jordan aren’t THAT much better than Ellis and Chandler. Sure, a healthy Matthews is a lockdown defender and can score almost as much as Ellis, but he’s coming off a torn achilles injury and is no lock to come back to his normal self. As a matter of fact, history would say he won’t be the same.

Jordan is one of the better centers in the league, but simply can’t put a pall in a basket without dunking it in. Chandler is very much the same type of player, though Jordan is younger and is definitely better at this point in their careers. Jordan does have upside on his side as well, so there’s no arguing that he’s better than Chandler. The question is by just how much?

With those two additions, Dallas probably vaults themselves from a seventh seed to maybe a fifth or sixth. Dirk Nowitzki is one-year older, Chandler Parsons is coming off microfracture surgery, the bench didn’t get better (as a matter of fact it got worse with Al-Farouq Aminu heading to Portland), and they still don’t have a point guard.

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Rockets fans should hope Jordan stays in Dallas because that means the Clippers aren’t as big of a threat anymore. Couple that with the fact that Dallas doesn’t get much better and Houston ends up a winner in this case.

Sure, Rockets fans, myself, and Daryl Morey would love for Cuban to eat his own words. However, I’m a Rockets fan first and I look out for what’s best for my franchise. Jordan staying in Dallas makes Houston better.

DeAndre, stay in Dallas.

(…And if you don’t, I think you owe Cuban $25,000 for his comments that got him fined).

Stick with us here at House of Houston for all your Rockets offseason coverage.

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