NBA AM: Mavericks Defy Odds And Remain Relevant

Surviving Adversity

The NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint, so it is always wise to take early trends with a grain of salt. Guys returning from injury, trades, internal locker room issues and plenty of other variables often arise throughout the course of a campaign that eventually even the playing field.

However, one of the early surprises of the 2015-16 season is the Dallas Mavericks (11-8), a team that is surprisingly fifth in the Western Conference standings. The surprise comes from the fact the franchise was written off after center DeAndre Jordan abruptly changed his mind and opted to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers this past summer.

Jordan represented a potential marquee free agent signing for the franchise that has had its share of problems luring elite talent into town in recent years. Jordan was also supposed to usher in a new era of Mavericks basketball with future Hall of Fame forward Dirk Nowitzki’s retirement looming on the horizon.

But Jordan’s change of heart, coupled with injury concerns for forward Chandler Parsons, left Dallas scrambling.

The team quickly acquired veteran center Zaza Pachulia from Milwaukee for a future second-round pick and then later signed center JaVale McGee to shore up the interior. Dallas also signed former All-Star point guard Deron Williams after he reached a buyout, reported to be over $25 million, with the Brooklyn Nets.

Two of these moves have paid immediate dividends.

Pachulia was immediately inserted into the team’s starting lineup and has performed strongly by averaging nearly a double-double, posting 10.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game early on.  The veteran doesn’t have the mainstream appeal of Jordan, nor his shot blocking skills, but he has proven to be an excellent stopgap option in the paint with a far less expensive price tag.

Williams, often injured in recent years, has missed only one game this season and has assumed the team’s starting point guard slot. The veteran is averaging 13.9 points and 5.6 assists per game while shooting a career-high 94 percent from the free throw line.

Pachulia and Williams were brought in after the Jordan debacle when the team’s front office was scrambling to recover. But the franchise has also had a couple of internal bright spots from role players rising up to the occasion.

Veteran guard Raymond Felton appeared in just 29 games, totaling 281 minutes, last season for the team. This season, the guard has appeared in all 18 of the team’s contests and has already amassed 454 minutes of floor time – logging six starts. Felton is averaging 11 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a member of the starting lineup. While those numbers aren’t eye popping in nature, Felton’s steady play was needed with signee Wesley Matthews rounding back into form.

The other boost for the Mavericks comes in the form of second-year forward Dwight Powell. The former Stanford University product is averaging 8.9 points and 6.7 rebounds on 53 percent shooting from the floor to start the season, providing another interior presence behind Pachulia in the lineup.

In a surprise twist, the Mavericks are actually a half-game ahead of the Clippers (10-8) in the Western Conference standings. The Clippers have struggled to gain a consistent rhythm after re-signing Jordan and injecting a plethora of role players to their roster over the summer.

Preseason rankings pegged the Mavericks as irrelevant, but their start is a clear reminder that games aren’t played on stacks of loose leaf paper. It remains to be seen if the Mavericks can keep up this type of pace and whether Parsons, who is still working his way back after knee surgery, can return to form. But you must give the team credit, led by head coach Rick Carlisle, for staying afloat early and remaining relevant when plenty of other teams would have crumbled after a tumultuous summer.

Donovan Gets Vote of Confidence

In many ways, this could be a make-or-break year for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Former MVP Kevin Durant will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. All-Star guard Russell Westbrook and forward Serge Ibaka will follow suit in 2017. For a team that reached the NBA Finals in 2012, the once upstart Thunder could be facing a closing title window for its core group.

The team hired Billy Donovan as head coach this past offseason and the squad has raced out to an 11-7 record despite missing Durant for six contests due to injury.

With so much riding on the team’s success, which likely ties into the franchise’s chances of keeping the core intact, Donovan’s performance will go a long way.

The rookie coach recently received a vote of confidence from the franchise’s biggest star.

“I like his attention to detail,” Durant said of Donovan, according to Sam Amick of USA Today Sports. “Every single day he holds us to a standard, and he’s always talking about it every single day. It’s something that we need. He’s always about grinding it out every single day – every day is important, so with him he’s fun to play for. He’s always changing things up, always making adjustments. That’s what great coaches do.”

The Thunder return to action December 3 at Miami.