The Dallas Mavericks had a three-game winning streak going into their Jan. 23 matchup against the visiting Chicago Bulls. Two of those three wins may have come against the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets, but a hard-fought 103-95 victory at Memphis against the Grizzlies was something for this team to be proud of.
The Mavericks’ Achilles heel this season has been their lack of depth and efficiency in the frountcourt, and their victory at Memphis provided a glimmer of hope that this Dallas team may be able to overcome their deficiencies in the paint and on the glass.
Whatever positive vibes the Mavericks had about their frontcourt were thoroughly extinguished by the visiting Chicago Bulls. The Bulls trio of Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson dominated the Mavericks’ on the glass, outrebounding Dallas by an embarrassing margin of 47-30.
Despite the fact Chicago dominated the glass and connected on nine of 16 three-point attempts, the Mavericks were in the game until the final moments, losing by a score of 102-98. Dirk Nowitzki spoke about the team’s struggles on the glass after the game.
“We always got to keep the board game sorta close,” he said. “We’re not going to win it every night, but sort of keep it in range; we give ourselves a chance to win.”
It’s a telling statement that the goal in Dallas has fallen to merely keeping the rebounding battle close. Per Basketball-Reference.com, the last time the Mavericks out-rebounded an opponent was on Jan. 2 when they faced the Boston Celtics, a team in rebuilding mode with a makeshift roster that is devoid of real talent.
Since that game, the Mavericks have failed to out-rebound any of the 11 opponents they have faced. Dallas is playing a dangerous game with their current roster; they had the benefit of one of the easiest schedules in the NBA during the first half of the season, but as you would expect that is now coming back around.
Ten of their next 12 games will be against Western Conference opponents that will continue to challenge Dallas in the paint and on the glass. For Dallas to overcome this deficiency to this point in the season, they have relied on extremely efficient offensive play.
As bad as the Mavericks have been on the glass, they have been one of the best offensive teams in the NBA. Yet, as impressive as they have been on the offensive end of the court, history has demonstrated that teams relying on offense only get so far.
Offensive teams win a lot of games and sell a lot of tickets, but relying on offense alone could make for a quick playoff exit in the NBA playoffs given the incredibly deep Western Conference.
Still waiting on Jermaine O’Neal
When the Mavericks traded backup power forward Brandan Wright on Dec. 18 in the Rajon Rondo trade, the rumored frontcourt savior on the street has been free agent center/forward Jermaine O’Neal. O’Neal was recently reported to be in Germany undergoing treatment on his knee as he prepares to join a contender for the stretch run.
The Mavericks continue to be patient as they wait for O’Neal to announce his intentions, but how much longer can they afford to wait? When you get past the 35-6 Golden State Warriors, the rest of the Western Conference is separated by only a handful of games.
If the Mavericks fail to improve their frontcourt play during this upcoming stretch of games against Western Conference opponents, they could find themselves quickly slipping to the No. 7 seed. The last thing that Dallas wants for veterans Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler and Rajon Rondo is to have their minutes stretched during the last month of the season as they fight for a playoff spot.
If Jermaine O’Neal decides to take his talents to the Portland Trail Blazers or another Western Conference foe, the Mavs will look foolish for waiting on him and not acting sooner.
Take a number
The Mavericks are not the only team looking to solidify their frontcourt as the second half of the season begins. The price for frontcourt help in the NBA is high; the Cleveland Cavaliers had to give up two first-round picks for center Timofey Mozgov.
Mozgov is solid center who has improved the Cavaliers team, but Dallas can no longer afford to pay that steep of price for a rebounding presence.
Dallas sent a first-round pick to the Boston Celtics in the trade for Rajon Rondo, and Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson may be unwilling to move another first-round pick for a big man coming off the bench. The only players the Mavericks would like to move in a trade — small forward Al-Farouq Aminu and point guard Raymond Felton — are not going bring anything substantial in return.
It’s possible Dallas could move both players if they found a team looking to shed a long-term contract and included a future first-round pick in a deal, but this is highly unlikely. The Mavs hope to keep free agents Tyson Chandler and Rajon Rondo in Dallas for the foreseeable future and taking on a bad contract would inhibit their offseason flexibility.
So much at stake
With a record of 30-15 and a versatile roster rich with talent, the Mavericks are an impactful rebounding and post player away from becoming a true contender. Even if that doesn’t happen, they should continue to win the majority of their games in January, February and March.
The games that truly mean something for this veteran team will not begin until the NBA playoffs begin in April, and history has shown they will not win the majority of those games without frontcourt help in some form. How Dallas improves their frontcourt remains to be seen, but it needs to happen now.