Dallas Mavericks: David Lee Provides Extra Bench Help
By Cole Mentzel
The Dallas Mavericks recently signed David Lee and he could end up being a very important part of the big man rotation.
The Dallas Mavericks did what we all thought they would do and stood pat at the trade deadline. With that being the case, they were expected to make a splash on the waiver wire since they had more than the minimum to offer.
They made their first move by signing veteran forward David Lee, who is coming off of a championship season with the Golden State Warriors. Last summer, Lee was traded to the Boston Celtics, where he went on to play just 30 games, with his last coming on Jan. 10. During his time there, he averaged 7.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Just a day after the Jan. 18 trade deadline, the C’s decided to waive Lee as he had fallen out of the rotation and wanted a new situation. The Mavs were the first team to jump on the veteran big man and ended up signing him to a $2.1 million deal, adding yet another piece to the big man puzzle in Dallas.
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On Tuesday, Lee was introduced to the media in Dallas and gave a few thoughts on why Dallas was an intriguing destination for him (via Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com):
"“Well, they have obviously a first-class organization. I’ve played against the Mavericks for years and years now, and it’s always a great home crowd. Obviously, the Mark Cuban effect really is doing a great job with a first-class organization, and then the guys on the team. I mean, you can see the chemistry from playing against them, and that’s something I want to be a part of.”"
He also touched on his role with the team:
"“As far as minutes and stuff, you know, we’ll let coach figure that out. But more than anything, they’ve been emphasizing rebounding the basketball and being ready to come in off the bench and play with energy.”"
It’s obvious that Lee is sold on the idea that he can provide for the Mavs and help them get better. In order to make room for him, guard John Jenkins was released, meaning the Mavs retained all of their big men. Lee will be added into the pool of back-up bigs with Salah Mejri, JaVale McGee, Dwight Powell and Charlie Villanueva.
The hope is to have David Lee up to speed for Wednesday's game vs. OKC. He will play backup PF and center for the @dallasmavs.
— Earl K. Sneed (@EarlKSneed) February 22, 2016
As a player that tends to stay primarily in the paint, Lee will get opportunities to play the center position at times, most likely against smaller centers and not against the dominant presence of players like Dwight Howard or DeAndre Jordan.
Lee’s minute total will most likely range in between the 10- and 15-minute mark. He was averaging 15.7 minutes per game with the Celtics before being waived and the Mavs tend to play their backup bigs somewhere in that range.
I would argue that he is their best big man on the bench now. Besides the youth of Powell, Lee has the capability of being more productive than the other three guys competing for minutes.
In terms of experience, Lee is going to be a perfect fit for the Mavs. He will be one of only four players on the team that has won a championship, meaning his knowledge in clutch situations will be big, plus, his veteran leadership is going to come out during the playoffs, assuming the Mavs don’t have a late season breakdown.
The perfect scenario would be for Lee to bring his numbers back up and play consistent minutes off the bench, serving as a legitimate backup for Dirk Nowitzki. That’s something that is possible in Rick Carlisle‘s system.
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Though Lee has shown significant signs of decline in the past season and a half, he is the right piece for a Mavs team simply looking for a boost off of the bench.