Dallas Mavericks 2011/12 Season Preview – New Faces + Some Older Vets = ????????

By James Wheeler

With the 2011/12 NBA season gearing up for a Christmas Day beginning, fans all over the world are breathing a sigh of relief. We will be getting NBA action this season and that’s one timely present indeed. After five months of CBA negotiations we will get a 66-game-season. Which, if you were as pessimistic about the prospect of a season as I was a few months back, is an excellent result.

For those who don’t know me Dallas has always been my team of choice and before anybody asks, I am NOT a bandwagon fan. I became a Mavericks fan the day Jason Kidd was traded there in February 2008 and for the first couple of years the trade looked like an average one. Kidd was playing as well as you could have asked from a 36-year-old Point-Guard, but the chemistry wasn’t quite there the way it had been for Devin Harris and the squad that was just two wins away from a championship back in 2006.

Here we are in 2011 – Dallas triumphantly won the championship in June over the Miami Heat and are now looking to reload and repeat for what will no doubt be an exciting season. Being a fan of the team in general I just wanted to break down for readers exactly who we lost, who we gained and what each player can do to make sure Dallas is in the hunt again.

2011/12 Dallas Mavericks:

• Rodrigue Beaubois
• Brian Cardinal
• Vince Carter
• Brendan Haywood
• Dominique Jones
• Jason Kidd
• Ian Mahinmi
• Shawn Marion
• Drew Neitzel
• Dirk Nowitzki
• Lamar Odom
• Jerome Randle
• Jason Terry
• Delonte West
• Brandan Wright

The squad on paper looks very different to just 6 months ago when Dallas reigned supreme over the Western Conference and the Heat. Let’s do a quick breakdown of who’s out and who’s in:

——-OUT——-

Caron Butler – Signed a 3 yr / $24m contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Mavericks will definitely miss Butler but they were able to take care of business without him in the playoffs and his ISO style of play may have broken the flow at key times for the team had he played. His 3 pt % was very good last season (.431%) and in his 29 games for the Big D put up 15 points / 4 rebounds a game. It’s a fairly big hole to fill but Dallas will look to move on without him.

JJ Barea – Signed a 4yr / $19m contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Barea’s last couple of seasons as an understudy to Jason Kidd have paid dividends. After a solid job in the  championship run, he got an offer from the T’Wolves that any young player would find hard to turn down. Appearing in 21 of the Mavericks playoff games, Barea continued where he left off in the regular season by posting similar numbers off the bench (9 points / 4 assists per game). His speed in contrast to Kidd’s methodical, slower style will be missed by the Mavs. His full name is Juan Jose Barea, also a member of the Puerto Rican international basketball team. While he will find a different environment in Minnesota, he will definitely find time in their rotation (despite them having quite a few point guards already).

Tyson Chandler – Signed a 4yr / $58m contract with the New York Knicks. Arguably the most important piece the Mavs added a year ago is now gone to New York. Chandler was terrific in helping solidify Dallas’ defense, putting them over the top as a defensive unit with his effort. His ability to rebound, block the occasional shot or two and get others motivated about the defensive end of the floor was a bigger impact than any of us can ever realise. However, his contract was nearly up and he wanted to get paid. Unfortunately what Dallas could offer wasn’t enough and with a championship ring he is off to try his luck in the Eastern Conference.

Peja Stojakovic – Retirement arrives for a man who will go down as one of the greatest shooters of his generation and one of the best international players to play in the NBA. Nobody could have predicted the huge impact he showed for Dallas in the back-end of the season. After struggling with back injuries in New Orleans, he showed vintage shooting touch during the playoffs and helped fill the gap left by Caron Butler in the scoring department. Integral in helping to bury the Lakers (and get revenge for 2002), Stojakovic goes out on top at age 34.

DeShawn Stevenson – Stevenson’s status is not yet known. He is a free agent and came up big beyond the arc last season for Dallas and provided tenacious defense at the 2 Guard position. He provided valuable points off the bench and is a solid backup guy any contender could use. It is now up to the Mavericks and Stevenson to find out if there is a future here.

It’s a lot to lose in one-off season. The Mavericks however have made it clear they also want to have cap space for the next free agency period, when Dwight Howard and Deron Williams become free agents. But enough of who’s out…Who’s in?!

——-IN——-

Vince Carter – VC reunites with Jason Kidd to form what was an absolutely monsterous back-court in New Jersey’s better days. Now, in the twilight of both of their careers, it’d be silly to expect the same results the second time around. Kidd is 38 and Carter is 34. But the chemistry between this particular duo had been undeniable. They are the last two people to score a triple-double in the same game (only duo before that was MJ and Pippen). Carter will arrive to a team that is already well established and he won’t have to be the number one scoring option anymore. He will slot into the starting Shooting Guard role and play important minutes for the Mavericks this season. With Kidd not a big scorer these days and Haywood more of a threat defensively than offensively, the starting lineup will need some points from both Dirk and Vince Carter if they are to start games well.

Lamar Odom – A quality player that never made an all-star team but in the right system probably could have. Odom will immediately help the Mavericks with his all-around game. He can score, defend at an acceptable level, shoot 3′s if needed and rebound. 6’10 with almost point-guard like handles, he will start at the Small Forward position  or, if Shawn Marion gets the go-ahead, can become the 6th man. A role he knows very well.

Delonte West – A guy who can cover both the PG and SG positions, West should have no problem fitting in as a backup to Jason Kidd and Vince Carter occasionally. West filled a role for the Celtics last season, playing 26 games (2 as a starter) and averaging 10 points 5 assists per game in 19 minutes a game. People tend to forget he’s only 27 years old and a solid pickup at the guard spot.

Brandan Wright – Comes in after spending time at the Golden State Warriors and New Jersey Nets. With injuries to his hip flexor and left shoulder limiting his potential so far, he’ll be keen to put in a full season with Dallas and to help keep them on the winning path. Coming from somebody who has seen him play, career averages of 5 points 3 rebounds a game do not do justice to how good he can be. Give him a clean bill of health and some minutes and he’ll prove the doubters wrong.

That sums up a busy off-season for Mark Cuban and the Mavs. I haven’t mentioned a few names on the squad list, namely Jerome Randle and Drew Neitzel, as they are bench additions that will need time to develop. Again, on paper it appears that the losses are greater than the assets gained. While this is true, the Mavs obviously had both short-term and long-term aspirations in mind when they did these deals. They want to be a contender for a long time and cap space opportunities next year will be helpful to let them do that. That being said, the team that Dallas has put together here is by no means a pushover and should certainly be in the title picture again if they gel together as effectively as last years squad was able to. We’ve sorted who’s out and who’s in, now lets talk about the rest and what they need to do this season for Dallas to have another championship.

——-RETURNING——-

Dirk Nowitzki – Cemented his legacy last season with another stellar year. Averaging a cool 23 points and 7 rebounds per game, the big German shot some ridiculous percentages for a 7 footer yet again. He set a career high in field goal percentage (.517%) and had efficient numbers from behind the arc and from the charity stripe (.393% and .892% respectively). The early season MVP candidate unfortunately lost steam when he got injured for a short time, but by the time the playoffs arrived Dirk looked ready to lead from the front. Averaged 28 points and 8 rebounds in a historic playoffs for the Mavericks franchise. Points tallies in the NBA finals against the Heat read 27, 24, 34, 21, 29 and 21. His Finals MVP award settled any debates about whether he was a choker or wasn’t good enough to win it all. Dubbed ‘The Uberman’ by Mavs fan, all he needs to do is show up, be Dirk, and the team will always have a 25-point-a-night guy.

Jason Kidd – The wise point guard will relish a shortened season. Contemplating retirement before the lockout ended, Kidd was able to achieve last season what had eluded him twice before – a championship. Having twice made the finals in 2002 and 2003, his Nets side ran into the brick wall that was the 02′ Lakers and were shown a basketball masterclass by Tim Duncan, Gregg Popovich and the 03′ Spurs. But in 2011 things were different. Kidd was a little older, a little wiser, had been in a Mavericks uniform for two and a half seasons. He could call the plays he wanted, but more importantly he had other players around him who could get over the hurdle. In 2002 and 2003 Kidd was playmaker, scorer, making other guys look good, shouldering a lot of the load and pressure. What made the 2011 Mavericks so good is that Kidd didn’t have to be THAT guy anymore. He didn’t need to score, all he had to do was put the ball on a string and get it to the guys who needed it. That’s exactly what he did. when his hall-of-fame career eventually comes to an end and people look back at his numbers while in a Dallas uniform, people won’t exactly be ‘wowed’. His numbers over 270 regular season games with the Mavs show averages of roughly 9 points, 9 assists and 5.5 rebounds a game. Throw in a few steals, much improved three-point shooting and basketball IQ and intangibles that you can never put in any stat book, and you have Kidd in his later years. When the Mavs won the championship, I recall Mark Jackson on commentary saying that Kidd’s DNA was “all over this championship”. Very true. What Kidd needs to do this season is very much the same. Be the glue that holds the team together on the court and be that level-headed leader on the floor that everyone looks to for guidance. If there was ever a point guard you’d trust to run plays at the most crucial of moments, you can’t get much better than ‘The Kidd’.

Brendan Haywood – Haywood and Tyson Chandler presented one hell of a front court combo last season. Haywood, a starter in Washington prior to joining Dallas, became a backup to Tyson Chandler. Needless to say the Center position was always well taken care of. With Chandler’s departure comes opportunity for Haywood. Dallas signed him to a lengthy deal last year and they will want him to start earning it this season. Defensive minded, he can certainly change shots in the paint and block his fair share. If he can step up and play like when he started in a Wizards uniform, he’ll have a good season.

——-THE BENCH!——-

Jason Terry – The JET will be a Maverick for life. He has been through the ups and downs with the franchise and was one of two (he and Dirk Nowitzki) who were survivors of the 2006 finals loss to Miami. He got his revenge. His scoring, but also his ability to fire up his teammates and the crowd will be what Jet did the best in 2011. His role the last few years has always been to be a ‘spark plug’ of sorts, to inject life and energy off the bench. Often that translated into points and he has been one of the best 6th man options in the league in recent memory. It’s important for guys who have been in the league a long time (Terry being one of them) to not let complacency set in. They won the championship last year but they should not use that as an excuse to stop working on their game. I expect Jet to come out and play hard this season. A back-to-back championship will mean a Dallas Dynasty and he’ll want to be there to make it happen.

Shawn Marion – What a great story it was last year for a guy who became a 20 point 10 rebound guy in Phoenix but accepted a lesser role for the ultimate cause – a championship.  Multiple-time all-star and part of the now infamous ‘Seven Seconds or Less’ offense in Phoenix in the mid 2000′s, Marion settled down in Dallas and took a cut in minutes and in productivity. A very underrated part of the championship squad, Marion held things together with bursts of offense and tough-nosed defense on wing stars Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. He was one of many great NBA players on the Mavericks to get his first championship ring and he will fill an important role with Lamar Odom this season at Small Forward.

Brian Cardinal – The Custodian had his moments in the Playoffs last season. Swapped for Peja Stojakovic in the finals to present a better matchup, he did what was needed of him. Shoot open 3′s, play tough defense and foul hard if needed. Cardinal will be a great veteran backup to have on the bench and knows how to play team basketball. If he continues to play in the same way as he did last season that is all the Mavericks will require from him.

Rodrigue Beaubois – ‘Roddy Buckets’ as he is known by Mavs fans had a really good debut season. in 2009-10 he played 56 games, averaged 7 points and shot over 50% from the field and 40% from the 3 point line. A combo guard of sorts, Roddy unfortunately had his last season cut short by injury, appearing in only half the games he did in his first year and had indifferent shooting percentages. But, his talent is there and if healthy and not traded, could provide some entertainment for Dallas fans this season.

Dominique Jones – I wanted to add a piece here about their young scorer Dominique Jones or ‘DoJo’. He’s been a part of the Mavericks development squad and may be ready to play this year. It depends on the final roster of course but in the opening pre-season game against Oklahoma City, DoJo had 17 points in 28 minutes. I know a lot of people will say ‘LoL Pre Season’ but hey if he’s showing good form against Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka and co, that’s alright with me.

Ian Mahinmi – Mahinmi showed in limited minutes last season that he’s a project player that will need time to reach his potential. From what I saw of him in flashes last season he fouled quite often. He’ll need to work on that if he wants to earn more minutes. He did get some run last season from coach Carlisle and had a ‘youtube moment’ in limited minutes – his free throw line jumper to end the third quarter of Game 6 of the NBA finals.

The Dallas Mavericks title defense begins Christmas Day against the Miami Heat.

James

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