Dallas Mavericks: Frontcourt Faces Giant Test
The Dallas Mavericks have drastically reshaped their roster over the last six months. It may have taken bold trades and free-agent signings, but they have become a superior team to the group that fell to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games in the first round of Western Conference playoffs last season.
Somehow Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson turned Jose Calderon, Jae Crowder, Samuel Dalembert, Brandan Wright, Jameer Nelson, Shane Larkin and Wayne Ellington into Tyson Chandler and Rajon Rondo. Throw in the free agent acquisition of Chandler Parsons and you have a Mavericks’ team that is suddenly expected to contend in the West.
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The Mavericks’ record reflects the on-court improvements that have been made. As of Jan. 18, the Mavericks’ have a record of 28-13, putting them on pace to easily surpass their win total of 49 games last season.
Although Dallas has become a dangerous playoff opponent, there is still one area of concern that could be the difference in how far this team goes in the Western Conference playoffs. The issue is certainly not on the offensive end of the court.
The Mavericks have been a stellar offensive team, averaging 108.5 points-per-game, making them the second highest scoring team in the league next to the Golden State Warriors.
While defense remains an area of concern, the trade for Rajon Rondo has improved the Mavericks as a team defensively. Rondo’s has held his own against the best point guards in the NBA since coming to Dallas. For example, when the Oklahoma City Thunder visited the American Airlines Center on Dec. 28, Rondo held Russell Westbrook to 10 points on 6-of-23 shooting from the field.
The Mavericks won’t become the ‘89 Detroit Pistons anytime soon, but explosive guards like Russell Westbrook would have feasted on Jameer Nelson had he remained the Mavericks’ starting point guard. Considering the Western Conference playoffs will feature point guards that include Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Tony Parker and Damian Lillard, the trade for Rondo was an easy decision to make when it became feasible.
With a highly effective offense, and a defense that is improving, the only areas of concern that remain for Dallas is rebounding and defense in the post. Even with the offseason addition of center Tyson Chandler, the Mavericks are still struggling on the glass. Dallas ranks No. 27 in rebounding percentage (the percentage of total rebounds obtained on the court).
To date, Tyson Chandler is holding up his end of the bargain quite nicely. Chandler is averaging 12.2 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the NBA. The fact that Chandler is rebounding so effectively and yet the Mavericks rank among the worst rebounding teams in the NBA speaks volumes to lack of depth in the Mavericks’ frontcourt.
The Mavericks are still holding out hope that free agent forward/center Jermaine O’Neal will join the team, but that apparently will not be within the next week. It would have been great for Dallas to have O’Neal for the upcoming stretch, because this Dallas frontcourt is about to get its biggest test of the season.
From Jan. 19-28, the Mavericks face a gauntlet of teams that will challenge them in the paint and on the glass. In those 10 days, Dallas will face the Memphis Grizzlies (twice), Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans and the Houston Rockets.
Per NBA.com, the Bulls, Pelicans, and Rockets are in the top 10 in the NBA in Rebound Percentage.
The Grizzlies may not be ranked in the top 10, but Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph are a challenge for any frontcourt to tangle with. When Dallas faced Memphis at FedEx Forum on Dec. 9, Marc Gasol had 30 points and six rebounds and Zach Randolph had 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Two or three games could represent the difference in the No. 4 and No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. The Mavericks’ upcoming stretch of games over the next 10 days could cause them to slip in the standings if they fail to make a concentrated effort to improve their frontcourt play.
Until reinforcements arrive, head coach Rick Carlisle will continue to experiment with the combination of Tyson Chandler, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwight Powell, Charlie Villanueva and Greg Smith. The depth here is lacking, but if any of the Mavericks’ backup big men want to make a statement, now is the time.
The second half of the season begins with a challenging stretch for a talented Mavericks’ team that is still trying to figure some things out. This may be a difficult stretch, but Dallas should relish this challenge as they work to continue improving the only real weak point of their team.