Dallas Mavericks: Loss To Phoenix Proves Problems Are At Point Guard
It’s fine and dandy if the Dallas Mavericks can beat top-tier teams in the Eastern Conference, if only they were in the Eastern Conference.
The Mavericks found another way to lose to a Western Conference playoff contender, losing to a Phoenix Suns team on Friday night that did not know the definition of “miss.”
Phoenix couldn’t miss a shot at all. Every time Dallas got the lead back to within eight points, the Suns found a way to stop any momentum. Phoenix shot an amazing 56.2 percent, and 13-of-26 from 3-point range.
Typical Dallas defense, but all credit in the world to the young Suns for proving they can be a legitimate threat in the West. But as the Mavs were getting torched by Phoenix on Friday night at the American Airlines Center, it became evident that there’s one link in this powerful chain that could cost the Mavericks come playoff time.
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Dallas needs to make a change at point guard. Soon.
It’s not just a matter of replacing Jameer Nelson in the starting lineup. Neither Devin Harris nor J.J. Barea are going to be the answer, either. Dallas needs to start turning its attention to acquiring the closest thing to a superstar point guard it can find.
If Friday night was any indication of what’s to come for Dallas, with Goran Dragic scoring 28 points and recording 13 assists, then the Mavericks need to find an upgrade. Dragic is one of the more underrated point guards in the league, and deserves to be an All-Star.
With a team like Phoenix, their point guards will take advantage of all opportunities. Eric Bledsoe had 19 points and seven assists. Can you imagine if Isaiah Thomas played?
Phoenix has three point guards that are not only good at scoring, but finding the open man. Jeff Hornacek has a team that is full of shooters and players who can score inside. Hence why Markieff Morris had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Gerald Green torched one of his former teams with 15 points off the bench.
The thing with Dallas is, they’re going to play point guards who are as good, if not better than Dragic. Guys like Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook if the Oklahoma City Thunder get it going. Then there are guys like Tony Parker, Mike Conley and Damian Lillard.
Dallas doesn’t have enough backcourt firepower to contend with any of those point guards. The ideal situation would be to put Monta Ellis as a point guard, if only he was capable of such a task. Ellis has never been a good floor general, and giving him the reigns to call plays in an offense might spell disaster.
Unfortunately, Dallas doesn’t have a guy like Jason Kidd, who may be old, but can still calmly direct an offense and do it well. Jameer Nelson has proven that he is incapable of running this offense, and is nowhere near the point guard he was when he played with Dwight Howard in Orlando.
Given the fact that there are other options better than Nelson, that still doesn’t speak well. Devin Harris is inconsistent on both sides of the floor. J.J. Barea is too small to handle those kinds of point guards. And don’t even begin to think Raymond Felton can be a savior at this rate.
It’ll take him forever to get back into game shape.
Dallas needs an upgrade at point guard. Who knows if that will come next summer or at the trade deadline? Hey, even Dragic is a free agent. The Mavericks could break the bank for him. But that’s a story for another day.
The Mavericks are 15-6, and are a great team. They need a point guard. Badly. ASAP.