Parsons: Jordan was 'scared' to be franchise player for Mavs
The Dallas Mavericks were in good shape a week ago, thanks in large part to the recruiting efforts of Chandler Parsons.
After the celebrations and pats on the back for getting DeAndre Jordan to agree to join the Mavs last Friday, Parsons and team owner Mark Cuban are left scratching their heads following the free-agent center's bizarre return to the Clippers.
"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's Tim MacMahon. "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."
Even after reports surfaced that Jordan was having second thoughts about his verbal commitment to Dallas, the Mavs still had hope they could make another pitch before the moratorium period ended.
They never got that chance.
The Mavs' plan was to build around Jordan and for him be the centerpiece of the team for the future.
With the Clippers, Jordan will continue to live in the shadow of All-Stars Blake Griffin and Chris Paul.
"He wasn't ready to be a franchise player," Parsons told ESPN. "He was scared. 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."
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