Can Deron Williams Make The Mavericks A Contender?

At this point last week, the Dallas Mavericks were a team that had a realistic chance of contending in the always tough Western Conference. Two reasons for that was because they agreed verbally to terms with highly coveted free-agents DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews. In losing Tyson Chandler to Phoenix and Monta Ellis to Indiana, the Mavs were replacing them with arguably better players at both positions, so their team had definitely improved.

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The exuberance that filled Dallas fans then came to an abrupt halt when reports surfaced that DeAndre Jordan had been in touch with the Los Angeles Clippers and was rethinking his decision of playing for the Mavs next season.

After the Clippers representation that included owner Steve Ballmer, head coach Doc Rivers, Chris Paul, Paul Pierce, Blake Griffin, and J.J. Redick traveled to Jordan’s home to talk to him about signing the contract at midnight confirming he would play with the Clippers. Mavs’ nation was infuriated, and rightfully so. Small forward Chandler Parsons made his opinion public on Twitter about being caught off guard by Jordan’s actions:

Although losing Jordan puts a huge hole in the Mavs’ frontcourt, especially after losing Chandler as well, they still were able to keep Wesley Matthews to his word and officially sign a four-year deal for max money. They traded a second-round pick to Milwaukee in exchange for center Zaza Pachulia to give them some type of help at the position.

Pachulia doesn’t compare to the other dominant big men that are in the Western Conference, but it was better than coming out with nothing.

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The Mavs didn’t wait long to continue their offseason mission of putting together a respectable team and are now after Brooklyn Nets point guard, Deron Williams. Williams had been in talks to sign with the Mavs before he chose to re-sign with Brooklyn in 2012.

David Aldridge tweeted today that Williams and the Nets had reached a buyout agreement that allows him to become a free-agent. The three-time NBA All-Star is from Dallas and hopes get the chance to compete for a championship representing his hometown. The question is, would Williams make the Dallas Mavericks realistic contenders for next season?

When Williams was in Utah for his first six seasons, he built the reputation of being one of the best young point guards in the NBA. He averaged career-high numbers while playing for the Jazz including 21.3 points per game during 2010-11 and 10.7 assists during the 2008-09 season.

Ever since he made the move to the Nets, his numbers have continuously dropped. This brings the question to mind of whether or not Williams is losing his skill or if Brooklyn’s system and the players surrounding him are what is hurting his game.

A guard as special as Williams does not all of a sudden lose his skill for the game. A team’s system can have a negative effect on a player and make him perform a lot worse then he has. If Williams is able to sign with Dallas, he may not be reborn into the player he once was with Utah, but it would be a much greater situation for him than Brooklyn.

Pairing him with Wesley Matthews would make for a solid backcourt along with Parsons and Dirk Nowitzki on the floor as well. If the Mavs were in the Eastern Conference, they would be one of the top five teams, but since they are in the Western Conference, it’s going to be a very difficult task for them next season just to get in the playoffs.

The loss of Tyson Chandler is going to hurt them tremendously especially on defense. His 1.2 blocks per game made teams think twice before trying to finish at the rim with Chandler being the anchor, not to mention averaging a double-double of 10.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.

Nowitzki is regarded as one of the best power forwards to ever play, but he is on the decline due to something no player can dodge, Father Time. Last season was the worst season statistically for him since his rookie season, which says enough in itself. The frontcourt of he and Pachulia will get handled by teams like San Antonio, Memphis, and the Los Angeles Clippers, all of which have elite big men.

The addition of Williams is needed in Dallas. He won’t make the Mavs an instant contender, as they are still missing key pieces including a dominant big man and depth off the bench, but Williams will have them in the playoff hunt once again. If the Mavs can’t get Williams, it is very likely they may not even be in contention to make the playoffs this upcoming season. Mark Cuban and head coach Rick Carlisle will do everything in their power not to let that happen.

Next: DeAndre Jordan Made The Right Decision In The Wrong Way

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