Dallas Mavericks: Should Bismack Biyombo Be Pursued?

After watching an incredible, 26-rebound performance from Bismack Biyombo against the Cleveland Cavaliers last night, should the Dallas Mavericks be giving him a call this offseason?

For anyone continuing to keep up with the NBA Playoffs as the Eastern and Western Conference Finals have both been underway for a few games, then you had the opportunity to see Bismack Biyombo with an absolutely incredible performance for the Toronto Raptors.

For those who missed it, however, Biyombo had a career night last night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, grabbing 26 rebounds and adding 4 blocked shots for the night. He also grabbed 16 rebounds in the first half alone, a Toronto Raptors franchise record.

Biyombo has been playing the backup center role for the Raptors behind Jonas Valanciunas this season. When Valanciunas went down with a sprained ankle in the series against the Miami Heat, Biyombo had to step up to fill the void. He had done a fine job through his first few starts but then, when all hope seemed to be lost in Toronto, Biyombo turned things around.

DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry have struggled carrying the load through the first 16 games of the playoffs as they fought through two consecutive 7-game series’ against the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat. When the Cavaliers showed up big and took a 2-0 series lead, things needed to change in ‘The North’.

With this great performance from Biyombo coming as the playoffs draw nearer to an end, questions have started to arise about the ability and availability of a player like Bismack. Biyombo is a former lottery pick from 2011 who signed a 2-year, $6 million deal last year with the Raptors. He will have a player option for next season.

The 6’9” 23-year old from the country of Zaire is likely to take the player option this offseason and become an unrestricted free agent. Many team could use the defensive specialist on their team but most will not be willing to pay the money it may cost for a player who has not been a consistent starter yet in his young career.

With this performance last night and the obvious need for a bonafide center in the Mavericks starting lineup, the question must be asked: Should Dallas take a shot at someone like Biyombo?

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I personally believe that it would be smart for the Mavs to look into the possibility of getting him over here. Dallas, as we currently sit, has a great lineup with capable scorers throughout the roster. With scorers readily available, the Mavericks may not need the sort of offensive production from the center spot that we may be concerned about.

Another thing to remember is what kind of center has proven to compliment Dirk well in the past. Although Tyson Chandler was a more capable scorer than Biyombo has shown in his short career, both pride themselves on their defense and their rebounding ability.

Zaza Pachulia, JaVale McGee, and Salah Mejri have all shown flashes of good defensive play but with limitations all around. Biyombo doesn’t have the same limitations that we have seen from the centers of last year, as he is known for his rim protection and defensive rebounding.

And, to comeback to a previous point made, Biyombo may not be the best offensive player out there but he is also not incapable of catching the occasional lob to throw down, much like Chandler did for us in the past. His skills do not spread anywhere away from the rim, but these tend to compliment Dirk very well anyways.

In the end, it is way too early to really take a chance on a guy that has had one really stellar game. But, that does not mean that we shouldn’t be exploring all options. The Mavs should be ready to pull the trigger on whichever guy they feel is going to take the team to the next level.

Next: Dallas Mavericks: Revisiting the 2002 NBA Draft

The Mavericks offseason is still slow to get started and, as we speculate on different available free agents to target, we have also taken the chance to look back on each of the NBA drafts for the Mavericks since the year 1999. Stay tuned to see out take on each year right up to the upcoming 2016 draft in the near future.