Doc Rivers doesn’t take kindly to having his character questioned.
During a recent radio appearance with Colin Cowherd, Mavs owner Mark Cuban said Doc Rivers’ “professional life” would’ve been over if DeAndre Jordan had signed with the Mavericks.
“I think the most interesting thing is that it shows you what someone will do when their entire future is vanishing in front of them. And that’s exactly what Doc did, and I give him credit for it,” Cuban said. “His professional life was over if he didn’t get DJ. And so his back was against the wall and he did what he needed to do, so more power to him. Sometimes the deals you don’t do are the best ones, so we’ll see.”
Thursday in an interview with The Orange County Register, Rivers responded to Cuban’s comments.
“I’ll say this. I’m so grateful to work for a team owned by Steve Ballmer, someone who stands for character and substance and who is so loyal,” Rivers said. “He is someone who I know will stand with me, even when things aren’t always going our way. I think what happened with D.J. was he decided to choose substance and character over smoke and mirrors.”
Did Doc just call Cuban a fraud?
The Clippers’ first game against Mavericks will come on Nov. 11 in Dallas.