Dallas Mavericks: Breaking Down Sports Illustrated’s Rankings

Sports Illustrated has taken it upon themselves to rank the top 100 players in the NBA, because who doesn’t like that sort of thing and spark some controversy?

Rob Mahoney and Ben Golliver just wrapped up their list, which was topped with LeBron James coming in at No. 1. That surprised no one, but a nice surprise was seeing four Dallas Mavericks.

The highest, as expected, was Dirk Nowitzki, and joined with the Big German is Tyson Chandler, Monta Ellis and new Maverick and now-famed camel aficionado Chandler Parsons.

As mentioned a few graphs ago, who doesn’t like coming up with player rankings? Everybody has an opinion, and almost everybody is a fan of someone who feels they’ve been slighted. It gets people going and their blood boiling.

But as I looked at where the four Mavs are ranked in this top-100 list, I’m not going to lie: I was one of those who were taken aback. I wasn’t shocked, per say, but I wasn’t surprised, either. Usually, I would be. But when it comes to these rankings, maybe with the exception of Monta (more on that in a moment), SI got it right.

Let’s go ahead at what Rob and Ben had to say about the core four in Dallas.

No. 66 – Monta Ellis

Now, here’s where one can get confused, and rightfully so. Ellis may have not had his best statistical year in his first with Dallas, but in terms of how he played the game and showed off his basketball IQ, Monta had the best season of his career.

This is a snippet on what Mahoney had to say about Mr. Have It All.

"We now have empirical evidence that a team with Ellis as a central part can gun for the best offense in the league. Dallas was just that potent last season with Ellis as one of its creative leads, a remarkable turnaround after years of inefficiency with the Bucks and Warriors. Ellis deserves credit for buying in and giving the Mavs the off-the-dribble force needed, in the process generating more points via drives for his team than any player in the league."

Mahoney nailed it on the head. Putting Monta with a supporting cast that has the likes of Dirk, a head coach in Rick Carlisle and others, Ellis can be one of the best basket attackers in the league, which could soon move him into the ranks of one of the best shooting guards in the Western Conference.

But No. 66? A little low seeing who’s next on the list after Monta: Andrew Bogut, Omer Asik, Nene and Danilo Gallinari. After that, you get to DeMar DeRozan at No. 61, which is also pretty low.

Mahoney mentioned Ellis’ shot selection as still being questionable, but if that’s the only knock on him to be put just at the end of the second third of this list, then that’s nitpicking.

No. 56 – Chandler Parsons

Here’s one I’m alright with. When not riding camels in the Mavs’ offices, Parsons is going to be the one with the microscope on him in Dallas this season. SI went ahead and put him right near the middle, which is fair.

Parsons also is ranked before Gordon Hayward and after Luol Deng; two small forwards who were also on the market this summer, so you could CP up to No. 55 and no one would get mad, especially if he’s proven more than Hayward at this point.

Here’s a snippet of what Golliver had to say.

"Parsons joined LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Gordon Hayward and Michael Carter-Williams as the only players to average at least 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal last season. The 2011 second-round pick, who has spent much of his three-year career ranking among the league’s most underpaid players, should find a solid fit in Dallas, where he will play off Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis."

If Mark Cuban is willing to pay Parsons like a star, that’s not bad company to be in. The question is, can he get to that next level? With guys like Monta and Dirk on his team, there’s no reason to think he won’t.

No. 39 – Tyson Chandler

It’s the second coming in Dallas for the former Defensive Player of the Year, and the centers are getting some love this year. Chandler, coming in at No. 39, is actually the 10th best center on this list.

I’m alright with that, especially with this projection seeming like it’s solely based off the premise that Chandler will return to his Dallas form from 2011. That could mean at season’s end, Chandler may move up, but I like where he’s at right here.

Here’s what Mahoney said:

"When healthy (which can’t be assumed but shouldn’t be ruled out yet) and engaged, Chandler can lead a defense with his mobility, vertical explosion and energy. The 2013 All-Star can also catalyze an offense. He’s only a minimal scorer, but his rolls to the rim have a transformative impact on a team’s spacing and his potential as a lob target challenges the speed of an opponent’s rotations. With that kind of low-usage influence complementing first-rate defensive play, Chandler could serve as the potential backbone for an elite team."

Mahoney, being one of those who follows the Mavs intently, understands that premise of Chandler returning to his Dallas form now that he’s back in Dallas.

There’s enough offense on this team for Chandler not to worry about playing the 86-84 contests, so even if he makes a few plays here and there to put the game away, that could very well make the difference for the Mavs going forward. Being a top-10 center in a league where the center position has lost its luster is pretty good, especially where Tyson is ranked.

No. 14 – Dirk Nowitzki

Look at that smile. That’s the smile of a player who resembles a fine wine.

Now at 36 years old and fresh off another All-Star season, take it as a sign of respect. Either that or Dirk just has that much left in the tank. Tim Duncan finished in the top-5 in this list, which he deserves fresh off a championship.

Who knows how much time Dirk has left, or if he’ll keep playing at this level? Either way, if he’s a top-15 player in the league, even at his age, that says a lot.

Mahoney went into many of words just to describe how good Dirk is, and he goes into his reasoning with this paragraph.

"Nowitzki is this good right this second, having just led the Mavs to a virtual tie for the best offense in the league last season before challenging the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. At 36, Dirk is still utterly impossible to defend, wrecking opponents with his shot-making and bending defensive principles to his will."

As shown in the playoffs last season, the energy on defense is all but gone and his rebounding is also on the decline. But this is what we know: As long as Dirk Nowitzki is on the floor for the Mavericks, he’s going to make a difference.