Pacific Notes: Jordan, Price, Suns

Most people who saw Shaun Livingston‘s brutal left knee injury from eight years ago thought his playing days were over.  Now, as Marcus Thompson II of Bay Area News Group writes, the Warriors guard is in his tenth season, making his highest salary, and playing his most important role.  Here’s more from the Pacific Division..

  • In the latest edition of their A to Z podcast (audio link), Clippers big man DeAndre Jordan told Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports that the incumbent team won’t necessarily have a head start on the rest of the field in free agency.  “I mean I’ve obviously been here seven years, and the past two have been great,” he said. “[Coach Doc Rivers] has been my biggest supporter and the best coach I’ve ever had. The team is great. The guys are great. We have great camaraderie. But the free agency process is definitely going to be a fun one. I want to experience it and see what it’s like because before I was restricted so I just kind of had to wait it out.  I definitely want to experience it, but I’m happy being a Clipper and I’ve been here for seven years, so this is definitely what I’m used to.”
  • Ronnie Price wants to return with the Lakers next season and it sounds like the feeling is mutual, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes.  Coach Byron Scott said that he’s “definitely a guy [the Lakers] will consider” and that the guard has proven himself to be the “type of guy you want on a team.”  The nine-year veteran has averaged just 5.1 PPG off of 34.5% shooting with 3.8 APG, but he’s become a favorite of Scott’s thanks to his toughness  and locker room leadership.
  • Suns owner Robert Sarver made it clear to Sam Amick of USA Today Sports (via Twitter links) that he is strongly in favor of playoff reform. “I am in favor of what’s best for the fans and players who do the competing. I am looking forward to seeing the analysis of the pros and cons of a change from the league office,” Sarver wrote to Amick via email.
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