Dallas Mavericks – A failed experiment?
In the era of ‘big-threes’ and trading for championships, the Dallas Maverick’s off-season and mid-season moves to become contenders in the west were embraced with high expectations. As April approaches and playoffs loom though, could these moves have been a failed experiment?
Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban has never been one to shy away from the spotlight, so this off-season when he offered Chandler Parsons a max contract it was no surprise. Despite being offered more this season than future Hall-of-Famer Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs management supported the move.
The off-season transformation also included re-acquiring center Tyson Chandler who was a part of the Mavericks’ 2011 Champion side. Despite losing All-Star Vince Carter in free agency, the Mavericks were able to sign Al-Farouq Aminu, Raymond Felton and Jameer Nelson, and bring back All-Star guard Monta Ellis.
Heading into the 2014/15 season Dallas were considered a threat in the west, being one of the deepest rosters in the league. All of this hype was blown out of proportion when Mavericks’ management made a deal to acquire veteran All-Star point Guard Rajon Rondo in December. Experts had Dallas now “serious title contenders” with essentially, a big four: Parsons, Nowitzki, Ellis and Rondo.
Cuban finally did it. Starting with a 70% winning percentage early this season the Mavericks found themselves sitting sixth in a crowded Western Conference. Rondo’s arrival and his conflicting nature affected team chemistry leaving the Mavericks with a winning percentage of 54% since the trade, slipping to seventh in the west.
The on court drama first surfaced on February 27th when a verbal altercation between Rondo and head coach Rick Carlisle transpired during a timeout. Carlisle affirming Rondo’s importance as a part of them team, blaming a lack of communication between the pair for the shouting match. Rondo was subsequently suspended for the following game.
Rajon Rondo’s performance on court has crumbled also. Although his point average since joining the Mavericks is on par, his assists totals dramatically dropping, despite being surrounded by better shooters. His steals and rebounds have also dropped since making the move, which leaves fans wondering whether the former All-Star will make a move this off-season.
The disruption on court has extended to other Mavericks players, with Monta Ellis being called out for being “a pain in the butt who isn’t producing”. Despite before the All-Star break being labelled a snub for the West team and putting up consistent performances, Ellis’ production has dropped.
In the months of February and March, Ellis has put up his lowest points and assists totals, shooting his worst field-goal percentage for the year. In a recent game against Phoenix he finished with four points off 22 field goal attempts, missing all eight field goals in the fourth quarter.
Despite Ellis’ shooting woes, Carlisle insists that “he’s the one guy who can get clean shots, he’s getting good looks. I always believe he’s going to make the next one. My responsibility as a coach is to get shots”. The emphasis on shots from Carlisle is nothing new, firing them at the NBA prior to the All-Star game claiming the wrong Maverick was suiting up for the game. In retrospect the NBA made the right decision to play Dirk Nowitzki instead of Ellis, despite Carlisle’s faith in the former All-Star remains strong.
Deflecting the blame from Ellis, Carlisle instead called out his team for their lack of “hard play”. He went on to say “we don’t play hard all of the time, that’s the problem”. The stats also highlighting the lack of hard play and defence from the Mavericks, who currently have the worst rebounding differential in the league, giving up the second most rebounds a game. They are also the fifth worst team defending the three-ball, giving up the most three-point baskets a game.
The Mavericks currently sit seventh in the West, with the seventh best remaining schedule, it would have them finishing seventh in West if everything goes as expected. This means a first round playoff match-up against Memphis at the ‘grind-house’. Although not particularly renowned for their offence, the Grizzlies have the inside power of Gasol and Z-Bo, which could lead to the early demise of the Mavericks bold 2015 postseason ambitions.
Much like the Heat’s big-three attempt in 2010, it’s not always just having the pieces the puzzle to win it all, even if one of your key pieces is 36 years old and on the Dirk-line. Chemistry takes time.
If the Dallas management can influence these pieces to come back next year it’s very possible that a deep playoff run is within the limits of this talented squad. 2015 post-season success though, is beyond the limits of this current, soft Mavericks team.
Andrew Croft is a second year Bachelor of Sport Journalism student at La Trobe University. Follow him on
twitter @andrewcroft12
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