The Mavericks Window is Slightly Open
Believe it or not the Dallas Mavericks still have a chance to win one more NBA Title before Dirk decides to hang it up and yes they could do it with the current roster they have right now. The Mavs need to take lessons from their I-35 Rival the San Antonio Spurs. For the past three to four seasons everybody expected the Spurs to be washed up, too old and done with another run for a NBA Championship. At the end of those seasons what happened? The Spurs end up making a Finals run and as far as the Conference Championship as they did this past season.
The main key to the Spurs success is rest. Gregg Popovich rests his guys. He’ll rest Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili when need be which sometimes it’s a whole game off or take some rest in the third and fourth quarter of games. A healthy team in late March is a dangerous team when post-season comes around.
I’m not saying that the Mavs are championship contenders, but I have always preached that winning championships in the NBA is about the right timing, “Lightning in a Bottle.” If you are not the Lakers or Celtics who have a little more than half of the NBA Championships then winning a NBA Title is all about timing.
It may look like that the roster that the Mavs have put together for this coming up season doesn’t look intimating, but the Mavs have done a great job in putting pieces together to make a division title run. By adding Elton Brand, Darren Collison, O.J. Mayo and Chris Kaman to play along side Dirk and Marion the Mavs have put up a team that can compete when the time is right. Of course the main key is to keep Dirk Nowitzki healthy because without him the Mavs chances in winning anything is pretty much near impossible. Keeping the Big German healthy by the time March and April gets here is the number one key for the Dallas Mavericks.
Other keys for the Mavs this year will to get Collison and Mayo to be the Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili for the Dallas Mavericks. I know that they will not be the talent like Manu and Parker are, but the Collison and Mayo have the potential to be a dangerous combination. Let say that does happen. Let say that both Mayo and Collison become that two guard combination that the Mavs need that right there boost the Mavs to more wins and if the Mavs can get ahead big late in games that’s more rest for Nowitzki.
Now there’s the two new big guys the Mavs acquired. Both Brand and Kaman will be another key to give Dirk the rest he will need throughout the season. We all know that either Brand or Kaman will be coming in for Nowitzki most likely Brand. If Elton can provide the team with offense and protect the paint that will give Dirk more rest.
I do not believe that the Mavs will have too much trouble on the defense side because of one person and that’s Shawn Marion. Shawn will be the key guy to get the rest of the players to put their “A” game on the defensive end. Of course the Matrix will need to be healthy when the season ends for the Mavs to even have a shot in getting far in the post-season, but if he is healthy in April along with Dirk and the gang the Mavs could be a “headache” for the other seven Western teams who make the playoffs this season.
It all comes down to rest rest and more rest for Dirk Nowitzki and do not get me wrong Collison, Mayo, Brand and Kaman are going to need to be healthy too when post-season creeps up at the end, but remember Dirk is the oldest man on here. Dirk is the only player that needs to be a hundred percent healthy when March and April comes. Collison, Mayo, Brand and Kaman may not be a hundred percent healthy by the time post-season comes, but if they can stay at least sixty or seventy percent healthy they will still be able to be dangerous in the post-season.
As I mentioned before I am not saying that the Mavs are the favorites to win it all, but were they in 2011? No! 2011 was about “lightning in the bottle”. The Dallas Mavericks could take advantage in whatever may happen to the other seven teams that make the post season in the west when the time is right. If the time is right and the Mavs execute then the Mavs will have a shot in reaching the NBA Finals once again. Only time will tell.
