Mavs Maintain Relevancy, Hope With Signings of Jordan, Matthews

I said last week it was DeAndre or Debacle.

Whew.

If the Mavs would’ve whiffed on free-agent target DeAndre Jordan, Mavs owner Mark Cuban admitted during a radio interview on KTCK The Ticket that his team would have taken “a step back.” In other words, they would have tanked the 2016 season. There’s your debacle.

Instead, Jordan signed, brought along sharp-shooting wingman Wesley Matthews and – just like that – the Mavs are happy and relevant and contenders again in the Western Conference.

And for the second summer in-a-row, Cuban has successful landed a big free agent. Last year it was Chandler Parsons and Monta Ellis. Now Jordan and Matthews. The DVD players in the lockers. The fluffy robes. The celebrity allure. And, yes the lack of a state income tax, all are finally working to make Dallas an NBA destination.

Jordan has his flaws as a limited offensive option, Matthews is coming off Achilles surgery and the Mavs still need a starting point guard. But their defense and rebounding just received a huge jolt. They’re suddenly a better-shooting team from 3-point land. Jordan is better and younger than Tyson Chandler. Matthews, when he gets healthy, is a better defender and perimeter shooter than Ellis.

These two signings don’t make the Mavs a title contender. The Warriors aren’t suddenly shaking in their championship shoes. But the Mavs are relevant. And the critics who howl that Dallas never signs free agents, well, they’re pretty quiet today.

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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