Time for Mavericks to start Monta Ellis at point guard

With their backs against the wall, it may be time for the Dallas Mavericks to roll the dice and go with the unexpected.

Rajon Rondo is gone and Devin Harris‘s health, despite playing, is still a concern. So the Mavericks may be down to J.J. Barea and Raymond Felton to start at the point guard spot. But what if Rick Carlisle decides to try something different?

It could be best for the mass to stick Monta Ellis at point guard and have Richard Jefferson and Al-Farouq Aminu starting alongside him on the wings.

The starting lineup would consist of: Ellis, Jefferson, Aminu, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tyson Chandler.

This lineup, though lacking multiple playmakers and shooters and it allows James Harden and Jason Terry to relax some on defense, does have its strengths.

First, it allows Ellis to stick to Jason Terry on defense to start the games, and it keeps him from guarding James Harden.

It also gives the Mavs size on the perimeter, which they’ve lacked all series. Aminu and Jefferson can take turns guarding Harden, while the other sticks to Terrence Jones.

Oh, the added size allows Nowitzki to stick to Ariza, which results in him not having to guard the pick-n-roll and Harden as much, if at all.

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With Jefferson and Aminu, the Mavs can now easily switch the Rockets’ pick-n-roll, with either one sticking to Harden and the other switching onto the roll man. Which also is a sigh of relief to Chandler, whose been caught in no-man’s land when deciding to help or stick to Dwight Howard.

The Mavericks lineups and rotations would lose balance, as the bench will consists of only point guards and bigs, but Rick Carlisle can find a way to stagger his rotations to try to offset this issue.

But having three quick guards on the bench may not be a bad thing for Carlisle and the Mavs. Houston’s bench of Corey Brewer, Pablo Prigioni, and Josh Smith look to push the tempo and ball. And while small, the Mavs three guard lineup could provide the needed speed and punch to count the Houston attack.

The main purpose of this isn’t to have the ball in Ellis’s hand, but more so to keep him and Nowitzki out of trouble on the defensive end.

This could be a desperate act, but with this being the Mavs’ last chance to make this a series, they should be nothing but desperate.