Aminu To Sign With Blazers

It's less than an hour into free agency and already the Mavericks have lost a key contributor from last year's team. Al-Farouq Aminu has agreed to a 4 year, $30 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Mavs had hoped to bring Aminu back but with free agency just starting there is no way they could have matched that offer. Aminu joins a Portland team that appears to be in rebuilding mode with the seemingly imminent loss of LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency. Aminu averaged 5.6 points and 4.6 rebounds and played strong defense in his lone season in Dallas.

Mavericks Free Agent Targets

With plenty of cap space to spend the Mavericks will be active players once free agency begins on Wednesday. He are the names that should be of most interest to the Mavs, who currently have only 4 players under contract (Dirk, Parsons, Harris, Felton). Note: Free agents who played for the Mavs last season such as Tyson Chandler, Monta Ellis and Al-Farouq Aminu are not included.

Big Men

DeAndre Jordan (26), LA Clippers
The Houston native who led the league in rebounds and field goal percentage last season, will be the Mavs' top free agent target. It is a mutual interest as the Mavs are reportedly the only team Jordan would leave the Clippers for. Chandler Parsons who shares an agent with Jordan is already selling the big man on Dallas. Jordan would give the Mavs a young building block to pair with Parsons in the team's post-Dirk era.

LaMarcus Aldridge (29), Portland
The Seagoville product coming home would be a great story but it appears Aldridge prefers San Antonio and now maybe the Lakers to a Dallas homecoming. In the unlikely case the Mavs were forced to choose between him and Jordan, I'd go with Jordan but obviously signing either would be a major coup for the franchise.

Robin Lopez (27), Portland or Omer Asik (28), New Orleans
These two would only be options if the Mavs strike out on  Jordan  and cannot re-sign Tyson Chandler. Both are starting centers in the league with Lopez being solid on both ends  while Asik is a defense only player.

Wings

Danny Green (28), San Antonio
Green is an ideal 3 and D player the Mavs now crave for the two guard spot, sort of an anti-Monta. With the Spurs possibly needing cap room to sign Aldridge, Green might become very available. With Parsons taking an expanded offensive role, playmaking will be less of need from the 2 than shooting, making Green a perfect fit.

Wesley Matthews (28), Portland
Matthews is another 2 guard in the 3 and D mold with one major drawback, the torn achilles he suffered in a game against the Mavs on March 5. Matthews hopes to make an early season return but the track record for guys coming back from that injury isn't the greatest. Still, Matthews when healthy is a heck of a player on both ends of the court and might be worth the risk.

Khris Middleton (23), Milwaukee
Middleton is yet another 3 and D guy who unlike Green and Matthews is a restricted free agent, meaning the Bucks can match any offer he receives. Still, a team like the Mavs could test how much the Bucks are willing to pay the former Aggie who is coming off a breakout season for the surprising Bucks.

Point Guards

Mo Williams (32), Charlotte
Williams, a Dallas resident, almost signed with the Mavs last offseason before the team opted to sign Jameer Nelson instead. Williams, is a gifted scorer who scored 52 points in a game last season. He is probably the best of the cheap point guard options the Mavs will look at, with the hope being that he will produce more than Nelson did last season.

Jeremy Lin (26), LA Lakers
The former Mavericks Summer Leaguer is another intriguing cheap point guard option who could excel in the Mavericks pick-and-roll heavy offense. While never duplicating his "Linsanity" heights, Lin has been a solid contributor the last few years for both Houston and the Lakers.

Patrick Beverley (26), Houston
If the Mavs wanted to go a bit more pricey on a point guard, the defensive specialist Beverley would be a good option. Beverley missed last year's playoffs with a wrist injury and is offensively limited but is considered one of the top defenders at his position thanks his pestering ability on the ball.

Mavericks Draft Grades

ESPN.com (Chad Ford): B
"Head coach Rick Carlisle was looking for more shooting, preferably from a player who could contribute now. They may have found their man in Anderson. He shot 45 percent from three as a junior at UVA, has a terrific NBA-ready body, is a hard worker and a tough defender. But is he a great shooter? During his first two years at UVA he shot about 30 percent from downtown. Was this year just an aberration? If it wasn't, the Mavs got tremendous value at 21."

SI.com (Chris Mannix): B
"Anderson is an interesting pick here. On one hand, he is an NBA defender right away. He’s big, physical and was a linchpin of Virginia’s stingy defense last season. Anderson shot the ball well statistically, but there are lingering concerns about his consistency. Still, Rick Carlisle loves intelligent players who know how to fit into a system and Anderson played in arguably the most precision-based system in college basketball last season. Clearly, Dallas was not enamored with any of the point guard prospects here."

Yahoo Sports (Kelly Dwyer): B+
"Anderson developed rapidly in his junior year at Virginia, nailing a ridiculous amount of threes while playing his way into the first round. If he can keep up his knockout outside shooting, he’ll have a lasting role in this league. Even if the pro game limits Anderson’s ability to carry over bits of the all-around 3-and-D game he featured as a Cavalier in his third season, if the jumpers are falling he’ll be worth the selection. If his ceiling is the new Hubert Davis, so what? That’s where the NBA is at right now."

CBS Sports.com (Sam Vecenie): B+
"The Mavericks got a pretty good wing in Anderson that has very high upside as a role player. He's already got an NBA frame at a chiseled 6-6, 230 pounds with a 6-11 wingspan. Anderson is also already an NBA level athlete, as his 43-inch vertical leap shows. This guy is just explosive and really a high motor defensive player. The key to him being a great role player or just a rotation guy will be the shot. He knocked down 45 percent of his 3s this season after struggling there the last two years. If the mechanics he showed this year are legitimate, then he's got a shot to make a ton of money and be very successful in Dallas. If his mechanics are more like the first two years of his career and what they looked like at the combine after he returned from his broken finger, he's probably just a guy. Overall though, definitely a good value at No. 21."

SB Nation (Kevin O' Connor): A
"Anderson could be the steal of the draft. He is a very good defender with the size to defend multiple positions, and he could grow into an elite stopper once his fundamentals improve. His motor is incredible, but his work ethic is even better. That's why he improved significantly as a three-point shooter this past season at Virginia by revising his mechanics. This bodes well for his ability to develop as a ball handler, his prominent weakness."


USA Today (Scott Gleeson): B
"Justin Anderson (No. 21) made huge strides at Virginia and seems to be getting even better. At 6-6, he's a wing capable of playing solid defense and knocking down open shots, which is exactly what Dallas needs. Satnam Singh (No. 52) is the first India native to get drafted."

Mavericks Draft Recap

Going to in this offseason needing to acquire more shooting and improve defensively the Mavericks drafted a player with the 21st pick who can help in both areas.
Justin Anderson is a 6-6 small forward from Virginia who is known for playing lockdown defense as well as shooting 45% on threes as a junior, an immense improvement from his first two years in college. Anderson, was a second team All-ACC selection despite missing the last eight games of the regular season with a fractured finger. Anderson averaged 12.2 and 4 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per game. He was ACC Sixth Man of the Year as a sophmore. Virginia was ACC Champions his last two seasons.
I expect Anderson to become a rotation player as a rookie seeing backup minutes at both the 2 and 3.
With the 52th overall pick in the second round the Mavs took 7-2 center Satnam Singh Bhamara, the first native of India to be selected in the NBA Draft. Singh played for IMG Academy in Florida this past season. Expect to see him playing for the Texas Legends.

Quotes from Rick Carlisle on Anderson

"So we’re really happy we got a chance to draft Justin Anderson from the 2015 NCAA College World Series champion Virginia Cavaliers. Justin is a unique kid. He’s a 3-year guy. He’s gotten better each year. He is very physically strong. We feel he’s a wing player that could either play the 2 or the 3. We believe that he’s got an NBA body. He’s one of the strongest kids in the draft, positionally. He’s in a good position coming here. We have to fill roster spots. We need to get younger. And so he makes a lot of sense to us and we need to improve our defense. We feel he’s a solid defender and he’s a guy whose shooting has gotten better each of the last three years. He shot 45-percent from 3 this past season. We spent quite a bit of time with him. We interviewed him in Chicago. We watched his workout there. And then he was in here two or three weeks ago for a workout and we got a chance to spend more time with him. He’s a terrific kid and he’ll represent this franchise well."

Mocking The Draft: The Final Mocks

With the draft hours away, there appears to be no consensus across the internet on who the Mavericks will take with the 21st pick.

ESPN.com
Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville
"The Mavs loved his workout. He's tough and gives them physicality in the paint. Of the players left on the board, Harrell is arguably the best prospect. He lacks great size, but has great length and elite athleticism. If he can stay in his lane and just focus on being an elite rebounder and defender instead of shooting 3s, he'll be very useful in the NBA. He just won't be a star."

NBA.com
Delon Wright, PG, Utah
"Wright shouldn't be viewed as a potential starter just yet, but he would be a pretty good start. He's not a great shooter, but he gets into opponents on defense, and he has the size (6-foot-5 1/2) to be able to guard both guard positions. He's a willing, able passer, which would be the kind of point guard Rick Carlisle wants on a team with as many scorers as the Mavs. He's smart and tough and knows the NBA game and his brother, Dorell Wright of the Portland Trail Blazers, has been in the league for a decade. Man, I'm starting to talk myself into thinking Wright maybe could be a starter in Dallas next season."

SI.com
Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame
"The Mavericks are point guard shopping (again) and Grant is one of the best prospects at the position. The Notre Dame product has great size for his position and plays with a lot of confidence. He's on the older side but the Mavericks need someone who can contribute sooner rather than later."

CBSports.com
Rashad Vaughn, SG, UNLV
"I think this would probably be a bit of a reach for Vaughn, but the Mavericks will probably want to go high-upside here given the absolute just lack of players on their roster. Vaughn makes sense from that perspective, as he could end up becoming a pretty terrific scorer after some coaching, as he's among the youngest players in the draft."

DraftExpress
Delon Wright, PG, Utah

NBADraft.net
Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame

Monta To Opt Out Of Contract

Monta Ellis has opted out of the final year of his contract according to ESPN.com and will become a free agent. Ellis, who would have made $8.3 million next year, is not expected to be brought by the Mavericks according to ESPN. The Mavs will now plenty of cap room and will probably look to replace Monta with a two guard who can both shoot and defend. Possibilities include Danny Green and Wesley Matthews.
All and all I enjoyed Monta's two years in Dallas, although the last half-season was rough. That being said it was time to move on.

My Mock Draft

1		Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Kentucky Minnesota Timberwolves
2		Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke Los Angeles Lakers
3		D'Angelo Russell, SG, Ohio State Philadelphia Sixers
4		Kristaps Porzingis, FC, Baloncesto Sevilla (Spain) New York Knicks
5		Mario Hezonja, SG, FC Barcelona II (Spain) Orlando Magic
6		Emmanuel Mudiay, SG, Guangdong Foshan (China) Sacramento Kings
7		Justise Winslow, SF, Duke Denver Nuggets
8		Stanley Johnson, G, Arizona Detroit Pistons
9		Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky Charlotte Hornets
10		Myles Turner, FC, Texas Miami Heat
11		Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky Indiana Pacers
12		Frank Kaminsky, F, Wisconsin Utah Jazz
13		Kelly Oubre, SF, Kansas Phoenix Suns
14		Cameron Payne, G, Murray State Oklahoma City Thunder
15		Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin Atlanta Hawks from Brooklyn

16		Trey Lyles, SF, Kentucky Boston Celtics
17		Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas Milwaukee Bucks
18		Tyus Jones, PG, Duke Houston Rockets from New Orleans
19		Kevon Looney, F, UCLA Washington Wizards
20		Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona Toronto Raptors
21		R.J. Hunter, G, Georgia State Dallas Mavericks
22		Jerian Grant, SG, Notre Dame Chicago Bulls
23		Rashad Vaughn, SF, UNLV Portland Trail Blazers
24		Delon Wright, G, Utah Cleveland Cavaliers
25		Justin Anderson, F, Virginia Memphis Grizzlies
26		Montrezl Harrell, F, Louisville San Antonio Spurs
27		Terry Rozier, G, Louisville Los Angeles Lakers from Houston
28		Christian Wood, PF, UNLV Boston Celtics from L.A. Clippers
29		Chris McCullough, PF, Syracuse Brooklyn Nets from Atlanta
30		Joseph Young, G, Oregon Golden State Warriors

Melvin Hunt To Join Mavs Coaching Staff

According to ESPN's Marc Stein former Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt has agreed to join Rick Carlisle's staff as an assistant coach. Hunt took over as head coach of the Nuggets when Brian Shaw was fired in March. He went 10-13 to finish the season but the Nuggets decided to hire former Kings coach Michael Malone as coach instead. Hunt, a former player at Baylor has also been an assistant for the Rockets, Lakers and Cavaliers. He was a Nuggets assistant under both George Karl and Shaw.
Hunt will replace Monte Mathis on the bench who has been offered the head coaching job with the Texas Legends if he cannot find another NBA job. Eduardo Najera who coached the Legends for the last three seasons is moving to a scouting job in the Mavericks front office.

Mavericks Summer League Schedule

Once again the Mavericks will be competing in the Las Vegas Summer League this July. They will play three scheduled games followed by a tournament featuring all 24 participating teams.

Mavs Summer League Schedule
Sat. July 11 3:00 vs. New Orleans
Sun. July 12 9:00 vs. Portland
Tue. July 14 2:30 vs. Washington

Mavericks Draft Preview

Here are scouting reports for some of the most likely candidates for the Mavericks at pick number 21, all of whom happen the be guards. Recent players picked at #21 include Mitch McGary, Gorgui Dieng and Jared Sullinger.

R.J. Hunter
6-6, SG, Georgia State
A NCAA tournament hero last season thanks his game winning shot to upset Baylor, Hunter is considered one of the best shooters in the draft. With the Mavs need for shooting and size in the backcourt he could be an instant rotation player.

Tyus Jones
6-2, PG, Duke
While the Final Four Most Outstanding Player lack elite size and athleticism he makes up for it with a high basketball IQ and strong shooting and court vision.

Jerian Grant
6-4, PG, Notre Dame
The son of longtime NBA player Harvey, Grant would give the Mavs size at the point they haven't had since Jason Kidd. He may lack the upside of other prospects but he should be able to contribute right away with his strong playmaking skills and pick-and-roll play.

Delon Wright
6-6, PG, Utah
The brother of NBA veteran Dorrell, Wright is another big guard with experience who can do a lot of different things including defend. His shooting does need to improve, however.

Rashad Vaughn
6-5, SG, UNLV
The college one-and-doner has seen his stock rise of late thanks to his jump shot and ability to attack the basket. He probably has the most upside of any of the other guards the Mavs might consider.

Dirk To Play For Germany

The allure of finishing his national team career in his home country was too great for Dirk Nowitzki to pass up. Dirk announced today that he will play for Germany at EuroBasket 2015 in Berlin this September.
"I've chosen to be in Berlin," Nowitzki said. "A EuroBasket in our home country is a huge thing and I look forward to it, I thought it would be a great way to conclude my national team career."
Dirk last played for Germany in the 2011 EuroBasket. The top two teams in the tournament will qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. 

NBA Finals Prediction

Warriors 4 Cavaliers 2
MVP: Stephen Curry