At first, Chandler Parsons might have been all PC with his comments about DeAndre Jordan backing out of his commitment to the Mavs. As it got late last night though, Parsons started speaking his true feelings about DeAndre and the drama is definitely in full effect.
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“This is something that I’ve never seen in my career, and I know that it doesn’t happen very often,” Parsons told ESPN.com on Thursday. “When a man gives you his word and an organization his word, especially when that organization put in so much effort and I walked him through this process and was very, very open and willing to work with him, it’s just very unethical and disrespectful.”
Jordan made his initial decision to sign with Dallas instead of staying with the Clippers last Friday morning, informing Mavs owner Mark Cuban and Parsons at his home in suburban Los Angeles. Parsons first learned Monday from Cuban that Jordan might be having second thoughts.
“He wasn’t ready to be a franchise player. He was scared,” Parsons said. “He was scared to take the next step in his career. There was no other reason other than that he was comfortable and he has friendships there. How you make a business decision like that is beyond me. How you ignore an owner like Mark who is in your hometown just waiting for a chance to talk to you is beyond me.
“I don’t think he made a mistake. I think he’ll be good in L.A. He’s got a good team, he’s got a great point guard, he’s got Blake, but I think he could have been a superstar in Dallas. He could have been the man in Dallas. Never in a million years did I think that this was even a possibility.
“I’ll still be friends with him, but I can’t get over the way that he’s put our entire franchise in jeopardy. It’s normal to get cold feet. It’s normal to get second thoughts, but you don’t back out of a commitment of this much magnitude this late in the game and just leave us high and dry.”
Jordan refused to answer calls or texts all day Wednesday from Cuban, who had been promised another face-to-face meeting with the third-team All-NBA center. Jordan also didn’t respond to Parsons for several hours until sending him a late-night text message informing Parsons of his final decision and saying he hoped it didn’t affect their friendship.
“The kind of guy that he is, the kind of guy I thought he is, would never do something like that,” Parsons said. “That’s tough for me to swallow, just from the fact that I know how excited Mark was. I know how invested Mark has been throughout this whole process. That’s what I don’t get.
“Be a professional. Pick up the phone. If you’re not going to meet with him, pick up the phone and tell the guy that you’re committed to what you’re feeling, what you’re going through and maybe he can talk it out and help you. But do not ignore the guy. Do not make him sit there and sweat it out. That’s just very unprofessional. I can’t get over that part.”
It is safe to say DeAndre is easily the most hated person in Dallas and the Mavericks/Clippers games this year will be intense. Parsons really seems personally hurt and I guess you can’t blame him. It’s a business but it is impossible for emotions not to get involved.
