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5 Reasons The Dallas Mavericks Are The West’s Weak Link

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 22, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; (From left) Dallas Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons , guard Rajon Rondo , forward Dirk Nowitzki and center Tyson Chandler against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 98-92. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 22, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; (From left) Dallas Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons , guard Rajon Rondo , forward Dirk Nowitzki and center Tyson Chandler against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 98-92. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dallas Mavericks
Apr 2, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Rajon Rondo (9) watches his team take on the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at the American Airlines Center. The Rockets defeated the Mavericks 108-101. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Impacts Of The Rondo Trade

Rajon Rondo shouldn’t get all of the blame for what’s happened to the Mavs this season. Dallas had a ton of experience, sure, but the Western Conference is loaded and we’ll never know how their season would’ve unfolded had they not traded for Rondo.

Maybe Brandan Wright comes back down to earth. Maybe Jae Crowder doesn’t play as well as he is in Boston right now. Maybe starting Devin Harris at point guard becomes a train wreck. But that’s all hypothetical. What we do know is the Mavs have not been a very good team since Rondo played his first game for Dallas on Dec. 20.

The Los Angeles Lakers want to pursue him this summer? Mavs fans everywhere might be happy about that.

Before the trade, the Mavs were averaging 110.1 points per game (first in the NBA) and outscoring opponents by 7.4 points per game (third). They were shooting a league-leading 48.1 percent from the field and scoring a blistering 113.1 points per 100 possessions (first). They also accumulated a 19-8 record.

They weren’t a very good defensive team (105.1 points per 100 possessions, 20th in the league), but they were able to run teams out of the building with their offense. Since putting the ball in Rondo’s hands in a swing-for-the-fences play by Cuban, the Mavs’ offense has fallen off. Right now, that acquisition is looking like a strikeout.

Since the Rondo trade, Dallas has put up an underwhelming 27-22 record. The cause? Their offense is withering. Post-Rondo trade, the Mavs are scoring only 101.4 points per game (11th) and 103.4 points per 100 possessions (13th). Bringing in a creator like Rondo was supposed to lead to better looks, but Dallas’ field goal percentage has dipped to 45.1 percent and the Mavs are actually averaging fewer assists now (21.8 APG) than they were before acquiring Rondo (23.6 APG).

The only good that’s come of the Rondo deal (from a statistical standpoint) is Dallas has marginally improved its defense, going from 20th in defensive rating to 16th. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make up for Dallas’ point differential shrinking to a negligible +0.7 since the trade.

Pinning all of the Dallas Mavericks’ problems on Rondo is unfair, but there’s no question he’s been the catalyst behind this team’s unraveling title hopes. These players simply don’t fit together. Perhaps Dallas’ high-powered offense wouldn’t have been able to sustain itself for an entire season, since a month and a half is an admittedly small sample size.

But if you’re looking for the biggest reason the predators in the Western Conference are salivating over the Mavs like they’re juicy gazelles, it’s because the Rondo trade sacrificed Dallas’ depth and threw their chemistry out of whack.

All statistics courtesy of NBA.com

Next: NBA: Western Conference Contenders And Pretenders

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