When the calendar turns Wednesday, it will be official. Amar’e Stoudemire will be a member of the Dallas Mavericks, according to Real GM.
The Mavericks had been hunting for a backup big man to replace Brandan Wright since they traded the efficient leaper to the Boston Celtics for Rajon Rondo.
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The top name that surfaced over the course of the last couple of months to be that replacement was Jermaine O’Neal. The veteran big man had been planning his NBA comeback, and Dallas was deemed to be the front runner.
Then something funny happened. O’Neal kept delaying his return. It wasn’t until as recently as Monday that O’Neal declared he was still not in game shape to contribute for Dallas on a nightly basis, which gave the Mavericks the green light to go all-in on Stoudemire.
And that was a great decision, because Stoudemire gives the Mavericks not only what they lost with Wright, but also with what they gain: A big man who can stretch the floor, average 12 points and nearly seven rebounds per game in a limited role and still has some flashes of athleticism.
All of that gives Dallas that needed piece to anchor its front court, as well as provide a piece the Mavericks can rely on for the second unit.
A piece that could possibly be the difference in Dallas being a championship contender.
There’s no point in beating the horse to death about how much of an impact Dallas’ training staff can do with a guy like Stoudemire. Just ask Tyson Chandler. So for those who would like to acknowledge that Stoudemire is washed up can just refer to his former teammate in New York.
The premise of players given a chance to win a championship should be taken highly. The New York Knicks shot themselves in the foot years ago. In fact, it was around the same time New York acquired Carmelo Anthony. Before the Knicks traded for Anthony, they already had a superstar in the making: Amar’e Stoudemire.
Stoudemire was putting up MVP-type numbers for the Knicks, and were making them relevant again. Then, James Dolan decided to make the Knicks the next best show on Broadway.
In a matter of 4.5 years, the Knicks became the biggest joke on Broadway, and Stoudemire isn’t nearly the same player he was when being the franchise centerpiece of the Phoenix Suns, or the MVP player in New York.
Most players just need a reason to care, a reason to play. Now that Stoudemire will be on board in Dallas, he has a reason and is on a team that has a legit chance to compete for a championship.
The cast around Stoudemire will instantly make him a better player. He would more than likely play power forward, backing up Dirk Nowitzki and maybe play center in certain small-ball situations.
But he gets to play with a point guard like Rajon Rondo, and while his transition to Dallas is still rocky at best, he gets another option in Stoudemire to play the high pick-and-roll offense.
That is the ideal situation for Stoudemire, who’s shooting 54 percent from the floor this season, and played with point guards like Jose Calderon, Pablo Prigioni and whoever else the Knicks have.
Not only does the addition of Stoudemire help himself and Rondo, but it helps everyone else he’s on the floor with. Stoudemire’s ability to stretch the floor gives Dallas a perimeter option.
When the Mavericks have that many weapons, and can space the floor, it opens the door for guys like Chandler Parsons, Devin Harris, J.J. Barea and Richard Jefferson to have better opportunities to succeed offensively.
In short, that makes the Rondo trade that much better, and more worth it than it ever was before.
But what Stoudemire brings to the table the most, and more importantly, is defensive rebounding.
ESPN Dallas’ Tim MacMahon highlighted Stoudemire’s importance to Dallas’ defensive rebounding woes. According to MacMahon’s column, Stoudemire has a 22.4 defensive rebounding percentage this season. When Wright was with Dallas, only 12.9 percent of his rebounds were on the defensive end.
That highlights to the point that having a much bigger body to be Dirk’s backup is going to help plenty for the Mavericks, especially on the defensive end. In the last 15 games Rondo has been on the floor, Dallas has only allowed 38.7 percent shooting.
Dallas is getting misses, they just can’t get rebounds. Stoudemire fills that role perfectly.
This is the kind of offense, as well as what Dallas already does defensively, that fits what Stoudemire wanted. Getting a big like Stoudemire is a steal, and is a much better option than O’Neal.
The only thing left for the Mavericks to do is get a 3-point specialist to play in the backcourt. But slowly but surely, Dallas continues to put pieces together that give reason to believe they can make a run. It’s a process, much like the Rondo trade was a process.
But once again, there’s no reason to count out the Mavericks.
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