PMOTT3 and Chuck Texas Early Off-Season Review: Dallas Mavericks
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 1:51 pm
PMOTT3's Review:
Quick Chuck Note: Not sure PMOTT3 had seen the Dalembert signing when he sent me his Dallas review, but I still think its very possible that Dalembert doesn't even make the final 15 so its not a big omission. He's saying the right things now, but if he is late or falls asleep in a meeting or does usual Dalembert stuff I don't think Rick and the Mavs put up with it. Of course I list him as the starter because I'm trying to be a foolish Mavs optimist somewhere.
Key Losses:
Monta Ellis
Tyson Chandler
Tyson will hurt more but losing Monta should still sting
Other Losses:
Rajon Rondo
Al-Farouq Aminu
Richard Jefferson
Amare Stoudemire
Bernard James ?
Gregg Smith ?
Aminu, Stoudemire, and Jefferson are the real losses. The others won't make a difference really.
Draft:
Justin Anderson
not my favorite choice but not a bad one either. I would have gone with Portis, Hunter, or Hollis-Jefferson before Anderson.
Trades:
.future top-55 protected 2nd for Zaza Pachulia
Basically got Zaza for free so great trade. Although i would prefer Zaza as my backup C at this point in his career; not my starting one.
Free Agency:
Wes Matthews
Deron Williams
J.J. Barea
John Jenkins
Charlie Villanueva
Most on here assumed Wes would do a 1+1 type of deal to re-up his value for the 2016 FA bonanza. I think it is incredibly stupid to give a player coming off one of if not the most serious injuries in basketball 70 million dollars. And ALL of it is guaranteed. No options. If Wes re-ruptures that achilies tendon this season then this deal could turn into one of the worst contracts in the league. Way too much risk for my liking.
I would actually consider starting Barea over D-Will. He's washed up at this point and with the exception of that one crazy hot shooting game in the ATL/BRK playoff series; he basically looked like a ghost out there. Didnt catch a lot of Brooklyn games last season but i assume he looked like a ghost for much of the whole season. At least he isn't on that albatross contract anymore.
I'm not that big on Barea but i was okay with the original deal until Cuban decided to give him more money. I'd consider him to be an overpay now.
I hate that Jenkins never got his shot in ATL with us but i hope he gets more burn in Dallas. I suspect he will probably start off in their D-league or getting garbage minutes though. Still, not a bad contract.
Surprised Villanueva didn't bolt like Jefferson did.
Wilson, Ashley, and Famous are just cheap end of the bench scrap.
Current Depth Chart (rough):
PG: D-Will/Barea/Felton
SG: Matthews/Harris/Jenkins
SF: Parsons/Anderson/Wilson
PF: Dirk/Villanueva/Ashley
C: Zaza/Powell/Famous
*Just look at Chuck's he will know better
Needs:
Well...if the goal is to compete and stay competitive for Dirk's twilight years then this team needs a lot of work. I think their PG rotation is one of the worst in the league. Their big depth is pretty bad as well. Their starting wings are coming off of major surgeries and the backups dont look dependable at all. This roster just needs a lot of work but unfortunately there just wasn't much to work with after DJ left them high and dry.
Additional Thoughts:
Cuban said before that the goal was to tank if they whiffed in FA and i think that they really need to stick to that plan. Their pick this year is top 7 protected so there is at least some cushion there. As the roster stands though, it just doesn't have the talent to compete in the tough West. None of this is Dallas's fault, this definitely wasn't the plan, there was basically no one good left after DJ screwed them, and it just isnt going to be a good year for Mavs fans. Sorry Chuck.
Win/Loss Prediction: 36-46
I don't see Carlisle committing to the tank and i think Dallas wins just enough games to give Boston a mid to late lotto pick.
Off-Season Grade: F
Barea contract was an overpay. Same for Matthews and extremely risky. I actually think the Kings dodged a bullet by Wes turning them down. The bench looks pretty bad as does their PG rotation. Hated bringing in D-Will. The best move they made was getting Zaza for free and when that's your best move your off-season deserves an F.
Chuck Texas' Review:
Key Losses:
Tyson Chandler
Monta Ellis
Any and all hope
Other losses:
Amare
Richard Jefferson
Al-Farouq Aminu
Bernard James
Greg Smith
Rajan Rondo
Once again Dallas trades for Tyson Chandler, watch him have a great year for the team, and chase after "bigger" fish instead of keeping him. Monta was better than expected here and while the end of his tenure turned sour, he always played hard and his ability to create shots is going to be missed. Aminu is really the only other significant loss. I really really wanted to keep this kid. Rest of those guys are whatever. And of course no way Rondo could return.
Draft:
Justin Anderson
Satnam Singh
I'm angry about the 2nd round pick because there were still potentially useful players to be had(I would have taken a chance on Robert Upshaw) and we were doing bits for Fegan and getting a sideshow act for Donnie's D-League team. I'm okay with Anderson, but I would have preferred Bobby Portis or RJ Hunter both of whom were still on the board. Still nice to make a pick and get a guy with potential 3&D skills.
Trades:
Zaza for the old top 55 protected 2nd
Really solid deal for Dallas. Zaza is worth his contract for a year, we had a desperate need and we didn't give up any assets. It was fine.
Free Agency
DeAndre Jordan
Wes Matthews 4 year Max
JJ Barea 4/$16M
Deron Williams 2/$10M 2nd year PO
Charlie V (1 year min)
Sam Dalembert 1 year min
John Jenkins 3 years/partial gtd
Jarrid Famous 3 years/partial gtd
Brandon Ashley 3 years/partial gtd
Maurice Ndour 3 years/partial gtd
Jamil Wilson 3 years/partial gtd
Awful Awful Awful
The place we have to start is with a player I love: Wes Matthews. He agreed to come as part of a package with Jordan and the Mavs agreed to give him every penny Jordan didn't get. Which turned into a max when Jordan changed his mind. I thought the original contract was a huge risk for Dallas but one I understood as Jordan and Matthews would give Dirk a chance to play playoff basketball until he retired and it gave Dallas a more attractive core to add another big piece next year. But now its just a huge risk on a guy who has an injury that tends to derail careers.
As you all know I love Barea and I'm thrilled to have him back. But it really feels like we bid against ourselves here because after his stint in Minny I can't see another team giving him more than the vet's exception for a year, maybe two. The Deron contract on its surface isn't terrible. As much as I don't want him here $5M per is fair. But in giving him a PO if he has a good year we have to either pay more next year or he's gone. We didn't create an asset. Dalembert is fine on a min deal. He has useful skills, but tends not to care. Charlie V I hope doesn't make the team--what's the point.
Now what I do like is giving gtd money to a bunch of younger guys to get them to come to our camp and fight it out for jobs and then the ones who don't make the 15 have incentive to play for our D-LEague team where we can continue to work with them. If even one of them eventually is a rotation guy then this was worth it. Not holding out much hope, but I like the approach.
Depth Chart (My assumptions on who actually makes the final 15 at this point)
Sam Dalembert/Zaza Pachulia/Jarrid Famous
Dirk Nowitzki/Dwight Powell/Maurice Ndour
Chandler Parsons/Justin Anderson/Jamil Wilson
Wes Matthews/JJ Barea/John Jenkins
Deron Williams/Devin Harris/Ray Felton
Needs:
Top end talent, top end talent, top end talent. Dallas has no all-star caliber players and no prospects who project to be all-star caliber and we owe Boston a 1st round pick. This roster has holes everywhere, but I'd rather just give the younger players a chance rather than bringing in another stop-gap veteran
Additional thoughts:
This sucks for Dirk. Wish Cuban had stuck to what he claimed in the wake of the Jordan signing--without DJ we would tank. We should be totally tanking. We shouldn't have traded for Zaza or signed Deron. We should be picking up assets in salary dumps like Portland and Philly. That Kings deal would have been great for us. Now we should be extremely cautious with Wes. I'm prepared to let him sit out the whole year if need be. I'd take it slow with Parsons too, but once he's healthy I'm making him the centerpiece of everything. Guy worked his tail off recruiting for the team this summer and I'm rewarding that. The offense will run through Parsons. I'm seeing if he can be a top offensive option here or give him the chance to prove it to other teams to get a big deal somewhere else.
Win-loss Prediction: 34-48
I think potentially this could be a sub 30 win team and I think best case scenario they could finish a game or two above .500. But too many questions marks health-wise on the wings and no depth behind the starters. Zaza and Dalembert would both be decent backups, but one of them has to start. I don't think Deron is going to ever return to close to his prior form and while Dirk will still be fine offensively his defense is becoming a bigger and bigger issue.
Off-Season Grade: F
They didn't get better for this year. They didn't add assets for the future. It's just another 2012 wasted off-season except with a lot more long-term risk. I know they got screwed by Jordan, but that was a pipe-dream plan to begin with and bottom line is the bottom line and this was an epic failure.
Quick Chuck Note: Not sure PMOTT3 had seen the Dalembert signing when he sent me his Dallas review, but I still think its very possible that Dalembert doesn't even make the final 15 so its not a big omission. He's saying the right things now, but if he is late or falls asleep in a meeting or does usual Dalembert stuff I don't think Rick and the Mavs put up with it. Of course I list him as the starter because I'm trying to be a foolish Mavs optimist somewhere.
Key Losses:
Monta Ellis
Tyson Chandler
Tyson will hurt more but losing Monta should still sting
Other Losses:
Rajon Rondo
Al-Farouq Aminu
Richard Jefferson
Amare Stoudemire
Bernard James ?
Gregg Smith ?
Aminu, Stoudemire, and Jefferson are the real losses. The others won't make a difference really.
Draft:
Justin Anderson
not my favorite choice but not a bad one either. I would have gone with Portis, Hunter, or Hollis-Jefferson before Anderson.
Trades:
.future top-55 protected 2nd for Zaza Pachulia
Basically got Zaza for free so great trade. Although i would prefer Zaza as my backup C at this point in his career; not my starting one.
Free Agency:
Wes Matthews
Deron Williams
J.J. Barea
John Jenkins
Charlie Villanueva
Most on here assumed Wes would do a 1+1 type of deal to re-up his value for the 2016 FA bonanza. I think it is incredibly stupid to give a player coming off one of if not the most serious injuries in basketball 70 million dollars. And ALL of it is guaranteed. No options. If Wes re-ruptures that achilies tendon this season then this deal could turn into one of the worst contracts in the league. Way too much risk for my liking.
I would actually consider starting Barea over D-Will. He's washed up at this point and with the exception of that one crazy hot shooting game in the ATL/BRK playoff series; he basically looked like a ghost out there. Didnt catch a lot of Brooklyn games last season but i assume he looked like a ghost for much of the whole season. At least he isn't on that albatross contract anymore.
I'm not that big on Barea but i was okay with the original deal until Cuban decided to give him more money. I'd consider him to be an overpay now.
I hate that Jenkins never got his shot in ATL with us but i hope he gets more burn in Dallas. I suspect he will probably start off in their D-league or getting garbage minutes though. Still, not a bad contract.
Surprised Villanueva didn't bolt like Jefferson did.
Wilson, Ashley, and Famous are just cheap end of the bench scrap.
Current Depth Chart (rough):
PG: D-Will/Barea/Felton
SG: Matthews/Harris/Jenkins
SF: Parsons/Anderson/Wilson
PF: Dirk/Villanueva/Ashley
C: Zaza/Powell/Famous
*Just look at Chuck's he will know better
Needs:
Well...if the goal is to compete and stay competitive for Dirk's twilight years then this team needs a lot of work. I think their PG rotation is one of the worst in the league. Their big depth is pretty bad as well. Their starting wings are coming off of major surgeries and the backups dont look dependable at all. This roster just needs a lot of work but unfortunately there just wasn't much to work with after DJ left them high and dry.
Additional Thoughts:
Cuban said before that the goal was to tank if they whiffed in FA and i think that they really need to stick to that plan. Their pick this year is top 7 protected so there is at least some cushion there. As the roster stands though, it just doesn't have the talent to compete in the tough West. None of this is Dallas's fault, this definitely wasn't the plan, there was basically no one good left after DJ screwed them, and it just isnt going to be a good year for Mavs fans. Sorry Chuck.
Win/Loss Prediction: 36-46
I don't see Carlisle committing to the tank and i think Dallas wins just enough games to give Boston a mid to late lotto pick.
Off-Season Grade: F
Barea contract was an overpay. Same for Matthews and extremely risky. I actually think the Kings dodged a bullet by Wes turning them down. The bench looks pretty bad as does their PG rotation. Hated bringing in D-Will. The best move they made was getting Zaza for free and when that's your best move your off-season deserves an F.
Chuck Texas' Review:
Key Losses:
Tyson Chandler
Monta Ellis
Any and all hope
Other losses:
Amare
Richard Jefferson
Al-Farouq Aminu
Bernard James
Greg Smith
Rajan Rondo
Once again Dallas trades for Tyson Chandler, watch him have a great year for the team, and chase after "bigger" fish instead of keeping him. Monta was better than expected here and while the end of his tenure turned sour, he always played hard and his ability to create shots is going to be missed. Aminu is really the only other significant loss. I really really wanted to keep this kid. Rest of those guys are whatever. And of course no way Rondo could return.
Draft:
Justin Anderson
Satnam Singh
I'm angry about the 2nd round pick because there were still potentially useful players to be had(I would have taken a chance on Robert Upshaw) and we were doing bits for Fegan and getting a sideshow act for Donnie's D-League team. I'm okay with Anderson, but I would have preferred Bobby Portis or RJ Hunter both of whom were still on the board. Still nice to make a pick and get a guy with potential 3&D skills.
Trades:
Zaza for the old top 55 protected 2nd
Really solid deal for Dallas. Zaza is worth his contract for a year, we had a desperate need and we didn't give up any assets. It was fine.
Free Agency
DeAndre Jordan
Wes Matthews 4 year Max
JJ Barea 4/$16M
Deron Williams 2/$10M 2nd year PO
Charlie V (1 year min)
Sam Dalembert 1 year min
John Jenkins 3 years/partial gtd
Jarrid Famous 3 years/partial gtd
Brandon Ashley 3 years/partial gtd
Maurice Ndour 3 years/partial gtd
Jamil Wilson 3 years/partial gtd
Awful Awful Awful
The place we have to start is with a player I love: Wes Matthews. He agreed to come as part of a package with Jordan and the Mavs agreed to give him every penny Jordan didn't get. Which turned into a max when Jordan changed his mind. I thought the original contract was a huge risk for Dallas but one I understood as Jordan and Matthews would give Dirk a chance to play playoff basketball until he retired and it gave Dallas a more attractive core to add another big piece next year. But now its just a huge risk on a guy who has an injury that tends to derail careers.
As you all know I love Barea and I'm thrilled to have him back. But it really feels like we bid against ourselves here because after his stint in Minny I can't see another team giving him more than the vet's exception for a year, maybe two. The Deron contract on its surface isn't terrible. As much as I don't want him here $5M per is fair. But in giving him a PO if he has a good year we have to either pay more next year or he's gone. We didn't create an asset. Dalembert is fine on a min deal. He has useful skills, but tends not to care. Charlie V I hope doesn't make the team--what's the point.
Now what I do like is giving gtd money to a bunch of younger guys to get them to come to our camp and fight it out for jobs and then the ones who don't make the 15 have incentive to play for our D-LEague team where we can continue to work with them. If even one of them eventually is a rotation guy then this was worth it. Not holding out much hope, but I like the approach.
Depth Chart (My assumptions on who actually makes the final 15 at this point)
Sam Dalembert/Zaza Pachulia/Jarrid Famous
Dirk Nowitzki/Dwight Powell/Maurice Ndour
Chandler Parsons/Justin Anderson/Jamil Wilson
Wes Matthews/JJ Barea/John Jenkins
Deron Williams/Devin Harris/Ray Felton
Needs:
Top end talent, top end talent, top end talent. Dallas has no all-star caliber players and no prospects who project to be all-star caliber and we owe Boston a 1st round pick. This roster has holes everywhere, but I'd rather just give the younger players a chance rather than bringing in another stop-gap veteran
Additional thoughts:
This sucks for Dirk. Wish Cuban had stuck to what he claimed in the wake of the Jordan signing--without DJ we would tank. We should be totally tanking. We shouldn't have traded for Zaza or signed Deron. We should be picking up assets in salary dumps like Portland and Philly. That Kings deal would have been great for us. Now we should be extremely cautious with Wes. I'm prepared to let him sit out the whole year if need be. I'd take it slow with Parsons too, but once he's healthy I'm making him the centerpiece of everything. Guy worked his tail off recruiting for the team this summer and I'm rewarding that. The offense will run through Parsons. I'm seeing if he can be a top offensive option here or give him the chance to prove it to other teams to get a big deal somewhere else.
Win-loss Prediction: 34-48
I think potentially this could be a sub 30 win team and I think best case scenario they could finish a game or two above .500. But too many questions marks health-wise on the wings and no depth behind the starters. Zaza and Dalembert would both be decent backups, but one of them has to start. I don't think Deron is going to ever return to close to his prior form and while Dirk will still be fine offensively his defense is becoming a bigger and bigger issue.
Off-Season Grade: F
They didn't get better for this year. They didn't add assets for the future. It's just another 2012 wasted off-season except with a lot more long-term risk. I know they got screwed by Jordan, but that was a pipe-dream plan to begin with and bottom line is the bottom line and this was an epic failure.