Dallas Mavericks: Former Mav, Zaza Pachulia, hired by Golden State Warriors

It is always good to see former Dallas Mavericks players doing well in their post-basketball lives. Former center, Zaza Pachulia, has been hired by the Golden State Warriors as a team consultant, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.

The Dallas Mavericks have had a revolving door at the center position over the last several years, giving Mavs fans a chance to see a number of guys (mostly veterans) try their luck at the position for a year or two. One of those guys that stepped into that position was Zaza Pachulia, a center from the Republic of Georgia that played 16 total seasons in his NBA career.

Zaza was actually a very well-liked player in his one season in Dallas. He was viewed as a hard-nosed player that was a good decision maker, an excellent rebounder and a pretty decent scorer as well. He was never a super athletic player, but was a good defender throughout his career.

Pachulia leaves a bit of a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths due to one particular play in the playoffs during his time with the Golden State Warriors. While the Warriors were playing the San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs, Pachulia went to block a shot from Kawhi Leonard, but had his foot underneath where Kawhi was coming down to land, causing Leonard to twist his ankle and miss some time the remainder of the series. Golden State went on to win that series.

Obviously Pachulia’s time with the Warriors was good enough for the team to offer him a job as a team consultant. This was initially reported by Marc Stein of the New York Times. Pachulia retired from the NBA after last season, which he spent with the Detroit Pistons.

Although we do not agree with the move done by Zaza that caused the injury to Kawhi Leonard, it is still alright to view his time with the Mavericks favorably. We wish Zaza the best of luck in his career after basketball and hope he does well with the Golden State Warriors.