Instead Of DeAndre Jordan, Mavs Now Entertaining Knucklehead Centers

Today in the Mavs’ crazy center carousel: JaVale McGee. If nothing else, life without DeAndre Jordan is intriguing.

Without their coveted free agent, the Mavs signed Zaza Pachulia, got rejected by mediocre player Kevin Seraphin and are now sniffing around McGee, a wildly talented 7-footer who has never approached his potential because of nagging injuries and bone-headed decision-making.

But if the Mavs are desperate for an athletic freak who can play above the rim, McGee fits that bill.

McGee, the 18th overall pick in '08 out of Nevada, can block shots and throw down dunks with as much flair as anyone in the league. But he’s also a knucklehead who often displays no sense of the game’s situational details like score and time.

His basketball IQ has to be among the lowest in the NBA, evidenced by him attempting silly dunks or fabricating acrobatic attempts at impossible plays with the game’s result long ago resolved. Among his lowlights: Throwing a pass to himself off the backboard for an alley-oop dunk in a game his team trailed by six points with two minutes remaining.

He’s also injury-prone, playing only 28 games over the last two seasons.

But if you don’t want McGee, get ready for Lottery-worthy re-treads as the Mavs will also likely consider at center former players Samuel Dalembert and Elton Brand.

At this point, might as well see if James Donaldson has a pair of sneakers.

A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.

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