Is Deandre Jordan Dedicated & Worth the Money?

Is Deandre Jordan a dedicated max deal worthy player? The Los Angeles Clippers center, made a comment about Olympic Gold Medals. Jordan stated in an interview:

“I think they’re (gold medals) above NBA Rings.”

This is a daring statement from a player who is not in possession of an NBA championship while playing on a title contending team. Some people put the blame on him for his less than satisfactory performance at the free throw line. Because he shoots 43% from the free throw line, the idea of “hack-a-jordan” assists other teams by sending him to the line hoping he will miss. Because of this strategy, the Clippers have to pick their poison, sit Jordan and lose his defensive presence or play the center and possibly lose offensive possessions from him shooting free throws. This strategy has placed the Clippers in a dilemma for years. One can debate a major contributor to the curse of this franchise is the fact Jordan is unable to make free throws.

Jordan is one of the highest paid players in the NBA making $21.17 M. Saying such a comment proves the point that he is not worth the money he is being paid. I question where Jordan’s heart is in terms of winning an NBA championship. The idea around being a top center worthy of such money is being a presence in the totality of the game. Jordan is a strong player for the majority of the game, however due to his weakness at the line, he undermines his value. In close games, the Clippers resort to sitting him down instead of risking the possibility of lost possessions.

If Deandre Jordan could make free throws on a consistent basis, he would be considered the best center in the NBA. He would average the same amount of rebounds at 13.8, average 2.3 blocks a game, and increase his scoring by possibly 10 points a game. He would be the best interior defensive player making him a threat almost everywhere on the court. However, not making free throws lowers his ranking and erases the idea for him being a max deal player.

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