Everything has to go perfectly for the Mavs to contend for the playoffs this season.
But as Media Day commences Monday morning at American Airlines Center in advance of Tuesday’s training camp, we’ve got tons more questions than suitable answers.
Gone from last year’s 50-win team are the leading scorer (Monta Ellis), leading rebounder (Tyson Chandler) and three of the starting five (including leading headache Rajon Rondo). We know 37-year-old Dirk Nowitzki will do some scoring and a lot of leading, but the identity of the Mavs is one of the season’s mysteries.
In short: Dallas will try to be competitive with a committee of Plan B journeymen. And to tip things off, it’s not a healthy group.
Projected starters Wesley Matthews (Achilles) and Chandler Parsons (knee) and rotation center JaVale McGee (knee<>) will be slow starters in camp. But even when healthy, the Mavs have to determine in camp:
*Who takes their most important shots? Last year it was Ellis. Now it might be Dirk. Or Parsons. Or maybe new point guard Deron Williams. None of those player, however, have the skills to consistently create open looks at crunch time like Ellis did. If Matthews gets healthy, maybe he becomes the go-to guy.
*Who grabs the biggest rebounds? Right now it appears it will be re-tread center Samuel Dalembert. I know, yikes. For a sliver of shining hope last summer, NBA leading rebounder DeAndre Jordan was the easy answer. But now the Mavs are left with a committee of centers that will be hard-pressed to combine for departed starter Tyson Chandler’s 11.5 rebounds per game last season. Chandler’s in Phoenix, and the Mavs’ rebounding is in flux.
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First item on the camp agenda is to get healthy. Then, and only then, can the Mavs begin to start answering the really difficult questions.
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.
