Dallas Mavericks Season Grades

Aron Jacobowitz — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:10:25 +0000

Dirk Nowitzki – B -
After beginning the season completely out of shape and out of sorts, Dirk played his way back into shape and became the player the Mavericks need every season to have a chance at postseason glory. His rebounding numbers dipped a lot and his scoring also slowed, but he is still the guy in Dallas.

Jason Kidd – C +
He had his worst statistical season as a pro. Simple as that. Only averaging 5.5 assists per game while also contributing two turnovers per game does not translate into a successful point guard season. Shooting 36% from the field doesn’t help your case either. His contract is off the Mavs books, although he has expressed interest in remaining in Dallas as a backup PG.

Shawn Marion – B
He put forth his lowest scoring average through a regular season since his rookie year. However, he also led the team in rebounding averaging 7.4 per game at the SF position. He still is the team’s best on-ball defender and contributes in many aspects of the game, but unless his scoring rises next year he will be headed on a sharp decline.

Mar. 08, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Lamar Odom (7) and forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) react while on the court during a game against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 96-94. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE.

Lamar Odom – F
Instead of acting like a profesional athlete, he decided his reality show would take center stage. In reality, we all know reality TV is not truly reality because the presence of a camera invokes acting. Well, Lamar was so used to acting, he didn’t know how to just ‘be’. His breakdown and inexcusable lack of production held this team back for the majority of the season. It’s a good thing this marriage is set to end.

Jason Terry – B+
He had another stellar year off the bench and kept this team afloat down the stretch of the regular season. He is set to become a free agent as well and the Mavericks should reach out to make this work. He is too valuable of a player for this team and he is definitely a fan favorite. He averaged 15 points, 4 assists and shot 38% from long distance.

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Dallas Mavericks Chances at Landing Deron

Aron Jacobowitz — Mon, 14 May 2012 22:51:54 +0000

Most people enjoy coming home. Family and friends are always at a premium and it always spawns great memories, but there are those who enjoy the visiting aspect as opposed to returning home to live. Dallas has a chance to lure the likes of Deron Williams to play for his hometown Mavericks in an effort to seriously improve their on-court star presence and chances at returning the Larry O’Brien to Dallas.

“I want to win, that’s first and foremost,’’ said Williams. “So I’m going to go where I feel we have the best chance to win. I know we might not win a championship in the first year or two, but hopefully, (the place I go) has the chances of building something special, and has flexibility — just somewhere where I believe they’re headed in the right direction.’’

He is one of the most talented point guards in the NBA who has been stuck playing in New Jersey for the past year and a half, mired in (less-than) mediocrity, vying to improve his basketball situation. No one aside from Williams himself knows what he will ultimately decide. Only those closest to him understand who he truly is and if he desires a return home.

Williams will make his decision before late July when the Olympics’ activities begin:

“I don’t want to play in the Olympics without a contract,” said Williams.

Now, all that said, Mark Cuban is notoriously known as a terrific owner, and the Mavericks possess an attractive situation for Williams even without the home aspect. Dirk Nowitzki is still in his prime and the Mavs have a tremendous amount of cap space with the large sum contracts of Jason Kidd and Jason Terry coming off the books this off-season.

You know Dirk is fond of Williams and would definitely welcome the addition: “I was fortunate enough to spend some time around him during All-Star games. He’s a great dude and he’s from here, so I think it would be a great fit, but hey, that’s not my decision.”

People have been speculating that Kidd will have an influence on Williams’ decision to join the Mavericks because they share an agent, but Kidd downplayed the relation, noting the obvious; Deron is his own man who makes his own decisions:

“I won’t have any influence on D-Will’s decision,” Kidd said. “I only joke because we have the same agent and we’ll probably play a lot of golf this summer together, and so [there is] a lot of speculation. But he’s his own man and he’s going to make the right decision for what fits best for him to try to win a championship.”

If Deron is truly looking to better his financial future as well as his chances at competing for a championship, Dallas seems to be his best option looking forward. However, Mavericks fans need to harness their excitement because it has yet to come to fruition. Even though the situation makes complete sense to everyone spectating, the decision comes down to Deron and Deron alone.

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