Mavericks Season Preview and Predictions

A month-by-month look at the Mavericks 15-16 schedule and predicted record.

October-November
Games: 18 (7 H, 11 A)
Key Games: Oct. 28 at Phoenix, Nov. 11 vs. LA Clippers, Nov. 14 at Houston
Analysis: With a new group that includes players returning from  injury the Mavs face a road-heavy start to the season. For the first time in franchise history the team starts with three games on the road. The most hyped games will be the nationally televised games against DeAndre Jordan and the Clippers on Oct. 29 and Nov. 11.
Predicted Record: 9-9

December
Games: 14 (8 H, 6 A)
Key Games: Dec. 1 at Portland, Dec. 14 vs. Phoenix, Dec. 30 vs. Golden St.
Analysis: It's a month for reunions with Wesley Matthews return to Portland on the 1st, Tyson Chandler's first game back in Dallas on the 14th and the Mavs first time seeing Monta Ellis in a Pacers uniform on the 16th.
Predicted Record: 7-7

January
Games: 18 (8 H, 10 A)
Key Games: Jan. 12 vs. Cleveland, Jan. 17 at San Antonio, Jan. 27 at Golden St.
Analysis: In by far the Mavs busiest month, the Mavs have three separate three game road trips including a strech of 6 out of 7 on the road. Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Kevin Durant all make trips to the AAC in the moth.
Predicted Record: 10-8

February
Games: 10 (7 H, 3 A)
Key Games: Feb.3 vs. Miami, Feb.5 vs. San Antonio, Feb. 24 vs. Oklahoma City
Analysis: With only 10 games in the month thanks to the All-Star break and 7 of those games at home this is the month for the Mavs to do some damage. The team will go nearly a month from Feb. 7 to March 5 with only one road game.
Predicted Record: 6-4

March
Games: 15 (8 H, 7 A)
Key Games: Mar. 7 vs. LA Clippers, Mar. 16 at Cleveland, Mar. 25 at Golden St.
Analysis: The Mavericks gets two looks at the defending champion Warriors and make their only trip to Cleveland. On the other end of the spectrum they will see Portland and Denver twice as well as Orlando, Detroit and the Knicks at home.
Predicted Record: 9-6

April
Games 7 (3 H, 4 A)
Key Games: Apr. 6 vs. Houston, Apr. 11 at Utah, Apr. 13 vs. San Antonio
Analysis: The Mavs close the season with a tough five stretch that includes four West playoff teams and a game at Utah. The Utah game could be very pivotal in the race for the West's final playoff spots.
Predicted Record: 4-3

Final Record: 45-37, 8th place in the Western Confernence

Predicted Team Leaders
Points Per Game: Dirk Nowitzki, 17.5
Rebounds Per Game: Zaza Pachulia, 7.0
Assists Per Game: Deron Williams, 6.8
Steals Per Game: Wesley Matthews, 1.25
Blocks Per Game: JaVale McGee, 1.42
Minutes Per Game: Wesley Matthews, 33.5

Mavericks Cut Dalembert, 3 Others

The Mavericks  moved  closer to completing  their final opening roster today by releasing  Samuel Dalembert along with Brandon Ashley, Tu Holloway and Jamil Wilson. The roster now stand with 16 players with one cut yet to go.
Dalembert, the Mavs starting center in 13-14 was on a guaranteed minimum contract but showed up to camp out of shape and then got hurt. The other three players will likely head to the Texas Legends, the team's D-League affiliate in Frisco. The last roster spot is expected to come down to center Salah Mejri and injured forward Maurice Ndour.

Matthews, Williams to Play Tonight

In some very good news on the injury front, the Mavericks new starting backcourt of Wesley Matthews and Deron Williams will both make their debut tonight in the team's preseason finale against the Chicago Bulls in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Matthews has been out since rupturing his Achilles tendon in a March 5 game against the Mavs while he was playing for Portland. Meanwhile Williams has missed the entire preseason after straining his calf before training camp. Both players participated in a 3-on-3 game on Wednesday and a full practice on Thursday. The Mavs tonight will still be without Chandler Parsons (knee surgery) and JaVale McGee (tibial stress fracture)

My 2015-16 NBA Predictions

West
1. Golden St.
2. Oklahoma City
3. San Antonio
4. Houston
5. LA Clippers
6. Memphis
7. New Orelans
8. Dallas
9. Utah
10. Phoenix
11. Sacramento
12. Denver
13. Portland
14. LA Lakers
15. Minnesota

East
1. Cleveland
2. Chicago
3. Atlanta
4. Washington
5. Miami
6. Toronto
7. Boston
8. Milwaukee
9. Indiana
10. Detroit
11. Charlotte
12. New York
13. Orlando
14. Brooklyn
15. Philadelphia

West Finals: Oklahoma City over Golden St.
East Finals: Cleveland over Chicago
Finals: Cleveland over Oklahoma City

Awards
MVP: Anthony Davis
Rookie of the Year: Emmanuel Mudiay 
Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Davis
Coach of the Year: Billy Donovan 
Most Improved Player: C.J. McCollum
6th Man: Isaiah Thomas

All-NBA
First Team

F: LeBron James
F: Kevin Durant
C: Anthony Davis
G: Stephen Curry 
G: Russell Westbrook
Second Team
F: Blake Griffin
F: Kawhi Leonard
C: DeMarcus Cousins
G: James Harden
G: Chris Paul
Third Team
F: Paul George
F: LaMarcus Aldridge
C: Marc Gasol
G: John Wall
G: Klay Thompson 

Media Day Quotes

What the Mavs key players and coach had to say on media day on Monday as training camp began.

Dirk Nowitzki

On Expectations
"This franchise always prides itself in winning and making the playoffs. And that’s got to be the goal. No matter who goes out there, no matter who makes the team, we’re going to play the right way. Coach Carlisle is going to make us a unit on both ends of the floor."

On His Minutes
"I don’t really have a number in my head. That’s up to the coaches. I’m going to get ready however it’s going to play out."

Chandler Parsons

On His Knee Surgery
"The knee is getting better. Like I’ve said many times, this is something I’ve never really had to go through, but in a way, I’m kind of glad I did. It allowed me to slow down and work on things this summer that I never really had the time to work on."

On Whether He Has The First Clippers Game Circled On The Calender
"No, obviously the crowd’s going to be a little bit more into it and it’s going to be fun, but at the end of the day, he’s just a player on another team."

Wesley Matthews

On His Achilles Rehab
 It’s good. It feels really good. It’s getting stronger every single day. I’m putting the work in. I’ve got the best staff in the league, so we’re confident that what I said earlier as far as being ready opening night still stands."

On If He's Confident He Can Be The Player He Was Before The Injury
"I’m not confident that I’m going to be that player. I’m confident that I’m going to be better than that player."

Deron Williams

On Coming Home To Dallas
"It feels really good, like it was a long time coming. I’m just excited about this opportunity and this fresh start. My time in New Jersey and Brooklyn didn’t go as well as I think everybody hoped. It’s kind of a fresh start for me and a chance to reset and refocus."

On Proving People Wrong
"Of course, I want to prove people wrong. I started to doubt myself in the past. Mentally, it took a toll on me. I just got to get out of that rut that I was in the last couple years mentally and I look forward to this situation."

Rick Carlisle

On The Challenge Of Roster Turnover
"I like it. I like the challenge of taking a bunch of new guys and melding them together. I'm always going to look for a positive on things like that, whereas the media tends to be a little more negative. That's OK. I understand. You have a job to ask the tough questions. I'm looking forward to it."

On What he Learned From The DeAndre Jordan Situation
"The only thing I know about is that when something like that happens, you’ve got to adjust quickly and that’s what we did. Disappointing, but you know what? It’s the NBA. Dynamic things happen. And when they go the other way, you’ve got to be aggressive. And we were. We filled out a very competitive roster. So we’re looking forward to training camp."

Mavericks Preseason Schedule

The Mavericks today released their seven game preseason schedule today that includes three home games, two road games and two neutral-site contests. Highlights include Tyson Chandler's return to the AAC with the Suns, a playoff rematch with the Rockets and a trip to Cleveland to take on LeBron and the defending East champs.

Mavericks Sign JaVale McGee

The Mavericks today announced the signing of veteran center JaVale McGee to a two-year deal. The deal is for the minimum with a team option for year two.
McGee, 27 has spent seven years in the league with Washington, Denver and Philadelphia with career averages of 8.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 19.9 minutes per game. He has been limited to only 28 games played in the last two seasons due to injuries. The 7 footer was the 18th overall pick in the 2008 draft by the Wizards out of Nevada. McGee joins a Mavericks center core that includes Zaza Pachulia and Samuel Dalembert as well as Salah Mejri who signed a partially-guaranteed deal.