Dallas Mavericks and their 'guarded' approach

Jose Calderon – an important new signing

So what were the Dallas Mavericks thinking this off season? They did their bit trying to entice Dwight Howard to play for them, and did engage in initial talks with the Boston Celtics to try and get a trade for Rajon Rondo going. However, the Celtics were clear enough when they said Rondo was now the leader of the franchise, and that they want to build the young team around him.

A move for Rondo would have gone a long way in trying to convince Howard to choose Dallas as his destination, however both the Mavericks and Celtics didn’t push that seriously for a trade, and so that was that. Howard chose Houston, Boston chose a trade that took away all the veterans from the 2008 championship winning roster, and the Dallas Mavericks were left in the lurch again, just like last year. Were they disappointed? Probably, but it wouldn’t seem given Cuban’s reaction on Leno.

So what did they do when they needed to go and sign frontcourt players, players who could add length, rebound and defend the ball, apart from shooting it? Well, they signed guards. And a whole lot of them at that. The current roster has eight guards out of a total of 15. The intriguing aspect: Most of those deals are proper contracts, not one year deals; a clear indication that there is method to the Mavericks’ madness. Unlike the last couple of years when they failed to land any major free agent and had to resort to 1 year contracts to make up their roster, the Mavericks had a plan B this year and they went out and got it done.

At the beginning of the off season, Dallas had a couple of choices, amnesty Dirk Nowitzki and use a big chunk of the money to attract potential free agents, or keep Dirk Nowitzki and build the team around him. Simple choice really. Just like Dirk did in 2011, they chose to keep the faith in their superstar.

Recently, Mark Cuban made it clear in his blog post that he wants to win as much as the other guy, but not at the cost of throwing away the organization’s culture down the drain. His continuous faith in his coaching staff as well as his players is reciprocated by their unflinching support of his passion. Both Cuban and Nowitzki came into the Dallas Mavericks organization in their respective capacities as owner and player at about the same time, and so share a special spirit and camaraderie that is rarely seen in the NBA. Read the complete Cuban blog here.

Their dealings this summer leave them with the option of being in the whereabouts for any possible trade situation in the season, and next summer, when the free agent class is huge, and the options are that many more. Also, this season is the first since 2011 when Dallas have a multitude of options at the guard positions, and this adds some much needed versatility to the team. The addition of proper offensive weapons will help them spread the ball, and play more of that flow offence we got to witness in the 2011 championship winning season.

The signings of Jose Calderon and Monta Ellis are very good in that regard. Calderon is an old school point guard; very efficient, pass first and a good spot up shooter. He will add great value to the Mavericks this season, helping Dirk get the ball in his favourite spots, and making it easier for him. Ellis is an explosive scorer, who gets to the basket very well, and is very quick.

Monta Ellis

Ellis’ weakness going forward has always been his inability to choose between good and bad shots. Giving him the benefit of the doubt though is the fact that he has almost never played with a pass first facilitator. Devin Harris is an interesting addition, his play off the bench will be critical in terms of both playmaking and defence. He brings some much needed solidity to the back court. Along with Ellington and Carter, he will have to shoulder the brunt of the bench scoring.

The rookies Larkin, Ledo and Mekel have all shown some promise in the summer league, and a lot of trust has been placed in them by the management. Their development over the course of the season will be a good watch, and offensively, this Dallas Mavericks roster looks to be an exciting one.

Defensively though, its a completely different ball game, and they could have a tough time keeping opponents out. Expect thoroughly entertaining games, featuring lots of brilliant offensive basketball thrown in with some dodgy defence. That is where coach Carlisle and his ingenuity come in. He transformed the 2011 roster into a strong defensive outfit, utilizing the strengths of Chandler and Marion coupled with Kidd’s positional intelligence.

He used a 3-2 zone defence to offset the defensive liabilities of his team and prevented the opposition from getting to the basket easily. This flexibility will be very crucial in the coming season. Dalembert and Marion will be pivotal to the defensive organization and fortitude of the team. Crowder and Ellington on the wings will be expected to provide strength and fight for position. Wright and Blair will be the energy guys, hustling for rebounds, finishing around the rim, and providing some much needed size and backup to the starting line up.

On the whole, Dallas has taken a conscious decision that they will play a lot of small ball (the 3 guard line up that has featured so often the last couple of years) and utilize their speed and quickness to make stuff happen. They possess the ability to take jump shots and also drive to the hoop, thus opening up free shots for the wings, which was a tactic frequently used earlier.

The 2013-14 season might well be like one of the Nellie years, where the team was completely breathtaking offensively, and a shambles defensively. A play-off position beckons, but it remains to be seen whether the Mavs can actually make this a season to remember. For now though, the probability of this season falling flat on their face is high, just like a lot of Wile e Coyote’s hair-brained schemes. But as is his wont, Wile e Coyote never gives up, and the same way, the Dallas Mavericks always look toward the future, forgetting the past.