Team Previews - Dallas Mavericks

Shut Skip the fuck up

If you've been watching the NBA the past few years, then you know that the Mavericks won the 2010-2011 NBA Championship.  They did so in a decisive manner, defeating the Thunder in 5 games, the Lakers in 4, and the Heat in 6 (you know I was very excited watching them beat LA 122-86 in Game 4, LMAOOOO).  The moves made after winning the Finals baffled the casual viewer, since they refused to spend any sort of money to keep the team together.  Tyson Chandler, considered the glue that kept the defense together, was allowed to join the New York Knicks.  Caron Butler, who had been injured for much of the season, was allowed to join the LA Clippers (where he broke his hand late in the season).  Peja Stojakovic retired, and JJ Barea decided to join the Timberwolves for more money.  While they did pick up Vince Carter and Lamar Odom, both players proved to be shells of their former selves, and neither had the effect that was probably envisioned.  The result?  Dirk never really looked invested in the season (to be fair, he basically vindicated his career by winning the title against LeBron and Wade), and the Mavericks were swept in the 1st round by the eventual Western Conference Champion OKC Thunder.

This year, it appears that Mark Cuban is again invested in producing a winner.  Despite letting Jason Kidd move to the Knicks and Jason Terry move to the Boston Celtics, they have made a number of acquisitions that seem to coincide with Dirk's final years of being able to produce at a high level.  Obviously, they are banking on both Vince Carter and Shawn Marion being able to produce a bit more than they did last year, but even with those question marks, the Mavericks have put themselves in a position to do more damage next year.

Harden-lite

The most important addition in my opinion is one OJ Mayo.  While Mayo has underperformed in a bench capacity the last two years with the Memphis Grizzlies, his rookie and sophomore years in the NBA show there is great potential there.  A rookie year of 18.5/3.8/3.2 on 44/38/88 splits is nothing to ignore, and if he can bring production at that level to Dallas (whether off the bench or in a starting role) he will have filled the void that Jason Terry left as that sparkplug that supplements Dirk's scoring.  Unless Vince Carter will be relegated to the bench, it is likely that Mayo will have to come off the bench, a role that he at times seemed dissatisfied with in Memphis.  However, being on a 2 year/$8 million deal pretty much shows what Dallas thinks of his value at this point. This is a good opportunity for Mayo to show that he is an All-Star talent that the Mavericks can look to build around when Dirk retires (since they've missed out on Deron Williams and likely will not get Dwight Howard or Chris Paul).  Honestly, I think that Mayo has just been out of sorts for the last 2 years...I think he can give you James Harden/Jason Terry-like numbers off the bench, but he needs to have that sort of role as well, where he will be allowed to take a certain number of shots and play significant minutes.  In Dallas, that role exists, and Mayo is well poised to take advantage of it.

Gonna be hard to prosper, bro....

Dallas also picked up a decent PG in Darren Collison.  While he's coming off of a bad year, Collison isn't a bad player, and the competition between he and Rodrigue Beaubois may be a good thing for both players.  Either way, they're really only replacing the production of an almost-40 Jason Kidd, so I can't imagine their PG play getting worse.  Collison's contract is also expiring, which gives them flexibility in next year's free agency market.  I still don't think they get any of the big players, and they lost their chance at Deron Williams when he signed with Brooklyn, but having space for a good pick-up is always a good thing.  For the immediate future (as in next year) Collison is a good addition to the team.

Other important moves made were the acquisitions of former All-Star big men Elton Brand and Chris Kaman.  While Brand was once a 20/10 machine, injuries and age have reduced him to a serviceable 4 with good defense.  Kaman has struggled with injuries and has seen a decrease in production since his All-Star appearance, but there is the chance that he can show a slight return to form.  Obtaining the two for 1 year each at a combined 10 million is a bargain that again gives Dallas room to maneuver during the next free agency market.


Overall, I was a lot more excited about the Mavericks until I actually looked at the team.  The majority of the pick-ups are only going to be around for this year (or at the most the year after), so it's obvious that Cuban is gearing up either for a big haul in free agency, or he's going to remake the team, as he's done so many times (remember all of the stars and decent talent that has gone through Dallas: Steve Nash, Michael Finley, Josh Howard, etc.) and gear up for another deep playoff run in the near future.  Mark Cuban has already proven himself to be one of the better basketball minds in the NBA, so don't be surprised if his strategy works.