The All-Star break can’t get here fast enough for the beleaguered Mavs.
While the rest of the NBA dazzles – and gets free lap dances, apparently – in the Big Apple this weekend, Dallas needs the time off to get healthy for a second-half run.
Just when we were prepared to complain about Monta Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki not being named to the Western Conference team, the injuries hit. And now the wagons need to circle.
Rajon Rondo is out with facial injuries. And against the Clippers Monday night Ellis and Tyson Chandler both left in the first five minutes with assorted hobbles. The Mavs might very well be down those three starters tonight at home against the Jazz.
This might not be a bad thing, in the big picture anyway.
First, the Mavs get a rested weekend and time off is always valuable. And suddenly Dallas is a forgotten team in the West, with the fact that a likely 55-win team got no All-Stars could be chip-on-the-shoulder motivation. When Rondo, Ellis and Chandler return to full speed, the Mavs are still a dangerous team that could win a series or two in the playoffs.
If all goes – and gets – well, the Mavs you see tonight will be a far cry from the team that dazzles you come April.
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The latest news from around North Texas.
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 currently lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
