Dallas Mavericks: Chemistry Shaken By Rondo Trade?
Team chemistry is a funny thing in the NBA; at times even the slightest lineup changes can drastically affect how players share the court together. The Dallas Mavericks (32-17) may be coming off a modest, two-game winning streak but there are underlying issues that will continue to arise when Dallas faces the stronger teams in the NBA.
The Mavericks’ consecutive wins against the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic over the weekend were important for a Dallas team hoping to stay in the thick of the Western Conference playoff picture. With the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves in town on today there is a great chance their win streak reaches three games.
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It’s imperative that the Mavericks continue to win games against teams they should defeat, but we’re past the halfway point of the season and Dallas still can’t beat the top teams in the Western Conference. At some point, this becomes a concerning trend. It would be one thing if Dallas were hovering around .500 vs. the top teams in the Western Conference, but that is not the case.
Dallas is 2-10 when they play the top eight teams in the Western Conference, and one of those wins was against a San Antonio Spurs team without Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.
The Mavericks have an impressive starting five on paper, unfortunately it takes more than an impressive list of names to top the best teams that the NBA has to offer. This isn’t NBA 2K, where the best collection of talent usually wins out. The teams that will make a deep playoff run in the Western Conference will be teams that know how to effectively share the court together.
A work in progress
The Mavericks entered the 2014-15 season with eight new players on their roster. Despite the fact they were incorporating so many new additions, Dallas won 10 of their first 13 games. While there was still evident room for growth, the fact that the Mavericks’ new lineup played well right out of the gate was an encouraging sign that things would only get better in Big D.
As the season unfolded, it became evident that this new lineup was still inferior to the top teams in the Western Conference. When your goal is an NBA championship, having a really good season will not suffice.
Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson were faced with a difficult decision, and their decision was one that would essentially press the reset button on the chemistry the Mavericks were continuing to build.
Effects of the Rondo trade
The Mavericks have never been shy when it comes to making a bold move, and that’s exactly what they did as they chose to acquire Rajon Rondo from the Boston Celtics in a five-player trade. The trade provided Dallas with a gritty, four-time NBA All-Star and it turned the Mavericks’ starting five into one of the best in the league.
A midseason trade of this magnitude would no doubt affect the chemistry that Dallas was working to develop to this point in the season and that proved to be the case. One of the biggest offseason additions was forward Chandler Parsons and he was just hitting his groove when the Mavericks shook up their roster.
In the five games prior to Rondo joining the Mavericks, Parsons was averaging 24.6 points-per-game, but the lineup change initially affected him more than any other player in Dallas. In the five games following the Rondo trade, Parsons averaged only 13 points-per-game.
Parsons is once again finding his groove in the Mavericks’ offense, but it’s evident to anyone with two eyes that watches this team that something is amiss. Rondo’s inability to consistently hit the outside shot has affected the Mavericks’ spacing in their half-court offense.
Bench still searching
The only perceived drawback to this trade was the loss of the most consistent, athletic member of the Mavericks’ second unit, forward Brandan Wright. Wright was an efficient scorer, shooting 75 percent from the field at the time of the deal.
Suddenly the Mavericks’ second unit was full of question marks. According to HoopsStats.com, Dallas was ranked No. 3 in bench efficiency and No. 6 in bench points-per-game during the 2013-14 season.
Devin Harris, Vince Carter and Brandan Wright were the trio that led the Dallas second unit last season, and after the Rondo trade Devin Harris was the only one of the three that remained in Dallas. The Mavs’ bench is now solid, but certainly not as effective as it was last season. Over the last 10 games, they rank No. 13 in bench efficiency and No. 16 in points-per-game.
The chemistry of the starting five in Dallas was expected to be an issue until Rondo becomes more comfortable with his new teammates, but the Mavericks’ bench has also been affected. To date they have struggled to maintain the level of productivity and consistency they had before shaking up their roster.
Enough time left?
There may be complaints amongst some players and coaches that the NBA season is too long, but that could work to the Mavericks’ advantage this year. Despite having a number of veteran players, head coach Rick Carlisle is still experimenting with his roster like it’s the preseason.
The Mavericks still have enough time remaining in the season to build a level of cohesiveness that will be necessary to compete in the Western Conference. The challenge for Carlisle and the Mavericks’ players will be developing that chemistry as fast as possible.
Rondo was not simply lucky to win an NBA championship or make the All-Star team four times in the Eastern Conference, he’s a talented player. Rondo hasn’t worn anything other than Celtics green in his nine-year career and he’s had to make this adjustment on the fly.
Rondo joined a talented team and all parties appear to be working to make this fit work as fast as possible. The Mavericks may not be quite as potent offensively as they were prior to the trade, but they have improved defensively by a considerable margin.
By the time the NBA playoffs roll around in April, the Mavericks will hope to have a team that is more accustomed to having Rondo in the lineup. Rondo’s been an impressive player in the NBA playoffs throughout his career, and the success of this bold, midseason trade is hinging on him doing that once again.
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