Dallas Mavericks Have Makeup Of Championship Team
By Dylan Hughes
After bringing Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea back, are the Dallas Mavericks back in championship form?
It’s been three seasons since the Dallas Mavericks put a smile on lots of NBA fans’ faces by knocking off the Miami Heat’s “Big 3” in the 2010-11 Finals. We’ve seen Kevin Durant and LeBron James finally face off in the Finals, LeBron win two titles in a row, and Tim Duncan win his fifth championship since. Even after winning just a few years ago, Dirk Nowitzki isn’t satisfied watching other teams compete for a championship every year while he sits at home. I would say he sits at home watching, but Dirk seems like the guy to stop watching when he’s out.
Dirk’s time is dwindling, and he isn’t happy with one ring. After beating LeBron, the King has already one-upped Dirk and Duncan continues to creep away from Nowitzki in terms of all-time greatness. Dirk isn’t happy, so he did something about it.
Nowitzki took a major pay cut in order to bring in help to form a championship caliber team again, and with that money the Mavericks ended up signing Chandler Parsons away from the Houston Rockets.
Parsons may not seem like that one last piece to help Dallas get over the hump, but that just may be the case.
In the Western Conference, you would be a fool to count anyone out. It’s almost like baseball: if you make it in, there’s a chance you ride off momentum all the way to the championship. Memphis has shown that over the years (without actually making the Finals, but having good runs).
Last season, Dallas took the now defending champion San Antonio Spurs to seven games in the first round of the playoffs. Aside from Game 7, the Mavs lost by no more than six points in their other three losses. That roster was one piece away, but after this summer, they have actually filled more needs than they may have known they needed to fill.
The lineup of Jose Calderon, Monta Ellis, Shawn Marion, Nowitzki, and Samuel Dalembert logged in 844 minutes together over the span of the season, equating to a 38-23 record. While the team was good, it was no 2010 roster.
In June, the Mavericks made quite a surprising trade (to me, at least) bringing Tyson Chandler back to Dallas after shipping him to New York in December 2011. Trading Chandler in the first place was odd after winning a championship with him just six months earlier, and perhaps Dallas didn’t realize how important he was.
At the time this trade occurred, I was not on board. After a great season from Calderon, Dallas traded him to the Knicks for Chandler and Raymond Felton. Felton was once a good point guard. Even in 2012-13 he had a good season, but had a horrific 2013-14 season averaging less than 10 points for the first time in his career, along with some legal troubles.
At the time, I never even thought about Chandler, as I was (and still am) high on Calderon and thought the PG swap was a horrendous move.
After the Jameer Nelson signing, however, I now love the move.
I haven’t lost hope for Felton, but I don’t think I’d want him starting on my team if I’m trying to win a championship. A healthy Felton with no off the court issues may fit in, but those days may be in the past.
I loved the Nelson signing because he is filling the need Kidd left in 2012 by leaving for New York and the need Calderon left by being traded: a veteran running the point.
You don’t here young teams winning championships. A young player could win one, but a young team won’t. In 2011, Dallas had the experience to win. Aside from Chandler, every player in their starting lineup played in the late 90s. Even so, Chandler was in his 10th NBA season.
Today’s roster is a bit different, but is perhaps more talented.
I think it’s fair to say the current Mavs’ roster has much more scoring than the 2010 one. Back then, Jason Terry and Nowitzki somewhat carried Dallas’s offense while Chandler and Shawn Marion held things down on defense.
These days, Dirk doesn’t really have to do much. Well, as much, at least.
He’s got Ellis, who hasn’t averaged less than 17.6 points per game since 2006-07, and the newest addition Parsons, who found himself averaging in the mid-teens in Houston the last two seasons.
Good defense is almost necessary in a strong title run, and the Mavs showed that in 2010-11. Giving up 96 points per game was good enough for 10th in the NBA, along with 100.2 points per game offensively, ranking them at 11th in the league.
Saying Dallas has a championship makeup may sound like a bold statement, but they now can matchup at all positions which is something a lot of teams can’t say. San Antonio can do it, Memphis can do it. The Clippers, Blazers, and Warriors could get there. But as far as right now, Dallas is ready to compete.
The only thing that could hold Dallas back is defense as this roster is more offensive-minded, but having Chandler as an anchor down low makes a huge difference.
It’s too early to judge actual performance, but looking at this roster, the potential is there to make some upsets in the postseason. With J.J. Barea now back on the roster, there is one more experienced player who helped bring Dallas a championship. Barea is a great teammate who makes plays, and his presence off the bench can make a difference the numbers just won’t show.
Take this as an early season exaggeration, but I think people are over-looking this Dallas team. Ellis is playing his best basketball right now, and Parsons, who grew up a fan of Dirk, surely wouldn’t want to disappoint him.
Give it a few months. Let the season play and out we’ll see where Dallas lies. In the grueling West, I think they’ll fare well.
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