LOS ANGELES -- It’s hard to properly make the case for DeAndre Jordan to be named an All-Star.
There’s no box-score stat for causing an opponent to change his shot or one for refusing to even attempt one.
“It’s easy to quantify points,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “A guy averages 30 points a night; it’s easy to quantify that. It’s harder when you don’t see that guy.”
In the final 60 seconds of the second quarter of the Clippers’ comeback win over Denver on Monday, Jordan blocked three shots, grabbed a rebound and finished an alley-oop pass from Blake Griffin that put the Clippers ahead by three.
“That was the postcard to all the coaches,” Rivers said. “He just changes the game. I know there are offensive guys that change the game, they do. Klay Thompson had 37 in a quarter, that changes the game, but what D.J. did in that second quarter changed the game. It’s the same thing but when the ball goes in people talk about it more. We don’t talk about the D.J.s or the Dennis Rodmans or the Ben Wallaces enough and the effect that they had on teams. It’s a winning effect. Those are the guys that help you win titles. I hope he makes it.”
Rivers has gone as far as personally calling other coaches in the Western Conference. The Clippers even printed out and distributed flyers this week with Jordan’s statistics, which include leading the league in field goal percentage (73.1) and rebounds per game (13.4) and ranking second in blocks per game (2.42). He also ranks 23rd among all players in real plus-minus, 11 spots ahead of center Marc Gasol, who was voted in as a Western Conference starter by fans last week.
Jordan, though, seems to have come to terms with the fact that he won't make the West's roster.
“Making the All-Star team would be great but if not, whatever,” Jordan said. “It would just be another year.”
Jordan has been asked to participate in the slam-dunk contest the past three years but has declined, choosing to wait to go to his first All-Star Weekend as a member of Sunday's main event. He did, however, say he would participate in the dunk contest if he were to be named an All-Star.
“It’s just a pride thing for me,” Jordan said. “No disrespect to the dunk contest, I love it. It’s something I’ve watched since I was a little kid. I just told myself I wasn’t going to do it unless I got the opportunity to be an All-Star first. It’s a great event but it’s a personal thing.”
Rivers said he doesn’t fault Jordan for choosing to spend his All-Star break elsewhere if he isn't chosen to play in the game.
“I know I wouldn’t,” Rivers said. “Dunk contest or Cabo, I’m going Cabo. That would be me, and I think D.J. too. I think some players like it. They really do enjoy the environment. Would it help him, maybe next year people view him different? It may or may not, who knows? For D.J., he’s not going to win a fan vote, so it’s always going to be from the coaches. I don’t think him being in the dunk contest is going to sway a coaches’ vote, if you look at it that way.”
Some coaches may be on Jordan's side. On Sunday, Phoenix Suns coach Jeff Horncek tried to the Hack-a-Jordan method in the fourth quarter when they were within striking distance and watched Jordan hit 8 of 15 free throws and the Clippers win by 20 points. After the game, Hornacek noted how Jordan’s defense made a big impact.
“When we got back in the game I know Deandre Jordan came back in and blocked shots,” Hornacek said. “I don’t know, the stats say he had four. That can’t be right, it seemed like he had 14. So, you know, he’s a big influence down there and again, we got to be aware of where he’s at. He does such a great job of coming from a distance, where you think you have a layup, but he’s so long that he still gets it. So it’s trying to drive in there, bring him to you and then try to make extra passes.”
Jordan smiled when asked to make his case for being an All-Star as he stands in front of an empty locker room with the rest of the media in the adjacent press conference room talking to Chris Paul, Griffin and Jamal Crawford.
“I should have made some YouTube videos or something,” Jordan said. “But in the famous words from the wise man, Marshawn Lynch, ‘I’m just about that action, boss.”