Mavs Madness

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Thursday, December 27, 2018

The Best Mavs Rookie Seasons

Luka Doncic's phenomenal beginning to his rookie season has made him the heavy favorite to become only the second Maverick player to win NBA Rookie of the Year. Let's see how he stacks up with the best rookie campaigns in franchise history.

Jay Vincent (1981-82)
Mark Aguirre was supposed to be the Mavs standout rookie after the team drafted him first overall after their inaugural season. However it was the team's second round pick who ended up stealing the headlines, taking advantage while Aguirre played in only 51 games due to injury. Vincent averaged a team rookie record of 21.4 points per game on his way to being named first team All-Rookie, finishing 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting. Vincent would go on to play 5 additional solid seasons for the Mavs but would never reach the heights he did as a rookie.

Sam Perkins (1984-85)
Perkins was drafted fourth overall, a pick behind some guy named Jordan and contributed instantly to a young and talented Mavs squad. Perkins averaged 11.0 points and 7.4 rebounds as he became the team's second first team All-Rookie selection. Perkins upped his game in the postseason where he averaged 16.0 points and 10.9 rebounds in 4 playoff games.

Roy Tarpley (1986-87)
The Mavs had another All-Rookie selection with the 7th pick in the 1986 draft. Tarpley averaged 7.5 and 7.1 rebounds in his rookie season as he backed up Perkins and James Donaldson. Like Perkins he stepped his game up in the playoffs with averages of 13.3 points and 10.5 rebounds. Tarpley would build on his rookie season by winning Sixth Man of the Year in his sophomore season but unfortunately drug and alcohol problems wrecked what would have a very productive career.

Jamal Mashburn (1993-94)
The second of the 3 Js to join the Mavs, Mashburn showed great promise in his rookie season on an otherwise dismal 13 win team. Mashburn averaged 19.2 points per game and finished 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting behind Chris Webber and Penny Hardaway. He also tied for the team scoring lead with the previous year's first round pick, Jim Jackson.

Jason Kidd (1994-95)

Kidd became the Mavs first and for now only Rookie of the Year, sharing the title with Grant Hill. Kidd put up 11.7 points, 7.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game but most importantly helped bump the Mavericks win total from 13 to 36. Kidd would notch 4 of his career 107 triple-doubles as a rookie including a 38 point, 11 rebound and 10 assist masterpiece in a 156-147 double overtime win at Houston on April 11. Kidd of course would go on to have a Hall of Fame career and helped lead the Mavs to the 2011 title in his second stint with the club.

Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels (2003-04)
The Mavs didn't have too many rookies contribute a lot during the long run of success in the Dirk era, but the 2003-04 season was an exception as Howard and Daniels both emerged as valuable rotation members on a 52 win team. Howard, the team's first round pick, contributed from day one putting up 8.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in 23.7 minutes per game. Daniels, an undrafted free agent, didn't play much at first but finished the year strong. In March and Arpil, Daniels put up 14.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game as he entered the starting lineup. Both Howard and Daniels ended up receiving second team All-Rookie nods.

Dennis Smith Jr. (2017-18)
In his rookie year last season, Smith put up numbers that hadn't been seen by a Mavs rookie in a long time. Starting in all 69 games he played in (nice), Smith was second on the team in scoring with 15.2 points per game as well as second in assists with 5.2 per contest. That was good enough to earn DSJ a spot on the All-Rookie Second Team. The high point of Smith's season came in late December when he became one of the youngest players ever to record a triple double when he put 21, 10 and 10 in a win at New Orleans. He followed up that performance by taking over in crunch time with 19 points in a win at OKC on New Year's Eve.

Luka Doncic (2018-19)

And now we have Luka, who is doing things previously unseen by a teenager. His 19.0 PPG leads all rookies and he also ranks second in rebounds (6.7) and assists (5.1). He's even stepped it up another notch of late, putting up 22.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 7.4 assists over his last 8 appearances. Pretty amazing stuff for someone who won't turn 20 until February 28. Despite a very strong rookie class the Mavs having their second ever Rookie of the Year seems to be a forgone conclusion, barring injuries of course. The Mavs have seen a lot of very good rookie seasons in their 39 years as a franchise but nothing like what we're currently witnessing from the Slovenian teenage Wonder Boy.

Monday, December 3, 2018

Power Ranking the Mavs

The Mavericks hot play of late has seen them rise up the Western Conference standings all the way to the 8 spot. But where does that put them in the weekly power rankings that prominent national websites put out each Monday? Let's find out.

ESPN.com: 15th (up from 18th last week)
What they said: "The Mavs have earned the right to be taken seriously again with eight wins in 10 games... The Mavs have morphed into a dominant defensive team, ranking third in the NBA with only 101.8 points per 100 possessions allowed over that 10-game stretch."
Tim MacMahon

NBA.com: 10th (up from 11th)
What they said: "The Mavs are 2-1 in this critical stretch of six straight games against opponents that are also in the top 10 in the West, with seven guys averaging double-figures over the three so far."
John Schumann

The Athletic: 16th (up from 19th)
What they said: "Harrison Barnes, JJ Barea, and Wes Matthews have been killing opponents over these 10 games. Barnes has been their leading scorer at 20.6 points per game while making 46.7 percent of his 3-pointers. Barea is averaging over 16 points per game while making 54.1 percent of his shots. Matthews has been that archer he loves to mimic with 46.2 percent from deep. These three players are fueling this offense during this dramatic turnaround after their 3-8 start."
Zach Harper

SI.com: 15th (up from 16th)
What they said: "Dennis Smith Jr. is officially as tough as every hockey player ever after having his tooth knocked out and winning the subsequent jump ball. For the Mavericks as a whole, it was another respectable week. And Sunday’s contest against the Clippers without Luka Dončić opened the door for Harrison Barnes to continue his recent scoring tear and put up 20 points for the fourth time in the last five games."
Khadrise Rollins

CBSSports.com: 20th (up from 22nd)
What they said: "After a brutal start, the Mavericks have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They've won eight of 10, including wins against good teams: the Clippers, Warriors, Celtics, Rockets, Thunder and Jazz. One reason: Harrison Barnes. After a slow start as he recovered from a hamstring injury, Barnes has come on, scoring 28 or more points in three of his past five games."
Reid Forgrave

Monday, November 26, 2018

The Mavericks Week Ahead: November 26-December 2

A very important week awaits a Maverick team now very much in the thick of the playoff race in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. 3 conference games, all against fellow contenders, will be a good test of just where this team stacks up against the rest of the conference.

Wednesday: at Houston (7:00):

After 3 days off the Mavs will finally get back to action as they face their in-state rivals for the first time this season. The Mavs and Rockets both currently sit with .500 records, part of a 4-way-tie for 8th place in the West. The Rockets of course got off to a slow start, beginning the season 1-5. They had begun to turn things around, winning 5 straight after the de facto release of Carmelo Anthony, before losing games in Detroit and Cleveland this past weekend. The Mavs should have Dennis Smith Jr. back for this one after he missed Saturday's game due to a wrist injury. Dwight Powell could also return after missing the last 3 games with knee soreness. The Mavs have lost 8 in a row to the Rockets and haven't won in Houston since Nov. 14, 2015.

Friday: at LA Lakers (9:30)

The Mavs will look to avenge the one point loss they suffered against the Lakers on Halloween night. The Lakers are winners of 7 of the last 9 with the only losses both coming against Orlando. The Mavericks have only beatean a LeBron James led team once since the 2011 Finals, dropping 12 out of 13 meetings. The Mavs have also lost 4 out of the last 5 meeting against the Lakers, after winning the previous 14 contests between the teams. The Lakers now feature a pair of former Mavs in the middle. JaVale McGee is averaging career high 13.2 PPG while Mavs icon Tyson Chandler has made an immediate impact since signing with LA on November 6th.

Sunday: vs. LA Clippers (6:00)

The Mavericks will get their first look of the season at the surprising Clippers (13-6), who lead the Western Conference by percentage points over the Warriors. Of course this will also be DeAndre Jordan's first game facing the team he spent the first 10 years of his career playing for. Jordan is the Clippers franchise leader in games played, rebounds and blocks and is 8th all-time in scoring. Tobias Harris is having a career year for the Clippers, leading the team in both scoring (21.5 PPG) and rebounding (8.7 RPG). Meanwhile Montrezl Harrell has emerged as a Most Improved Player and 6th Man of the Year candidate, putting up 15.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game on 64.1% shooting from the field.

Monday, November 19, 2018

Dorian Finney-Smith is the Mavs Latest Player Development Success Story

When the Mavericks signed Dorian Finney-Smith as an undrafted free agent in the summer of 2016 not much was expected, after all undrafted players rarely make much impact in the league. But the Mavs have a history of turning undrafted important players into important pieces, with J.J. Barea being the most prominent example. And now you can add Finney-Smith's name to the list as the third year forward has emerged as an indispensable piece of the Mavs rotation.

After a solid college career at Florida, Finney-Smith was known as a excellent defender and those skills almost immediately translated to the next level. As a rookie in 2016-17, Finney-Smith earned the trust of Rick Carlisle, playing in 81 games and starting 35 of those games. While DFS showed strong defensive capability as a rookie, his offense remained very much a work in progress as he shot 37% from the field and 29% from three. After his rookie year the Mavs worked with Finney-Smith to rework his shot so he could become the 3-and-D player they desperately wanted him to be. However Finney-Smith's sophomore campaign was almost a complete wash as me missed 61 games due to knee tendinitis.

Now in his third year, the last of his rookie contract, the hard work Finney-Smith has put into his shot is finally paying off. He is averaging 9 points a game so far on 51.6% shooting from the field and a remarkable 44.4% on threes. He has made multiple threes in 9 of the 15 games and has played and scored in double-digits in 7 contests. Couple that with superb defense (he is quite easily the best defensive player on the team) and DFS is becoming more and more important to the Mavs present and future.

A good example of how much he is valued is the 40 minutes he played in Saturday's win over the Warriors as he started for the injured Wesley Matthews. In those minutes he posted 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and held Klay Thompson to 9-24 shooting including 2-11 on threes. It's clear that the Mavs are at their best when Finney-Smith is on the floor and that he complements the game of the Mavs young starts, Luka Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr. extremely well.

Immense credit is due to Finney-Smith for putting in the time to make himself such a valuable NBA player. Credit is also due to the Mavs for believing in his potential and helping develop him into the player he is today. We all know you can't win in the NBA without stars but good role players are needed as well and the Mavs have themselves a keeper in that regard with Dorian Finney-Smith.

Thursday, November 15, 2018

The Biggest Blowouts in Mavs History

With the Mavs tying their second largest ever margin of victory last night with their 50 point shellacking of Utah, let's look back at the 5 biggest blowout wins in franchise victory plus one satisfying playoff romp as well.

1. November 13, 2014: Mavs 123 76ers 70
The biggest margin of victory in franchise history came against a truly horrid 76ers team, that was in the middle of a 0-17 start to the season. The Mavs led 38-10 after the first quarter and 73-29 at halftime and kept pouring it on from there. Dirk led the way with 21 points in 20 minutes, making 7-8 shots from the field. That the 76ers started such luminaries as Henry Sims and Hollis Thompson pretty much says it all about this game.

T2. Jaunuary 24, 2010: Mavs 128 Knicks 78
The Mavs first 50+ point win didn't start as anything extraordinary as their lead was only 27-25 after the first period. From there however they would outscore the Knicks 101-53 for the remaining three quarters giving them the biggest road margin in franchise history. Dirk and Jason Terry led the Mavs with 20 points a piece while Drew Gooden had 15 points and 18 rebounds. Oddly enough the Mavs would fall at home to the Knicks by 34 points later that season.

T2. November 14. 2018: Mavs 118 Jazz 68
Last night saw the Mavs win their 3rd 50+ point game of the decade, pretty remarkable since no other franchise has more that 1 such win over that time frame according to ESPN Stats and Info. The Mavs held the Jazz to a franchise opponent low for points in a half, allowing only 22 measly points in the second half. All 13 Mavericks who played were double digit pluses in plus/minus, with each player scoring at least 4 points.

4. Jaunuary 22, 2017: Mavs 122 Lakers 73
Entering the game with a 15-28 record, the Mavs did not seem like a team that was about to put a 49 point beatdown on the visiting Lakers but that's exactly what transpired. 7 different Mavs scored in double figures, led by Justin Anderson's 19. A huge reason for the margin was the 3 point line, with the Mavs shooting 17-39 from distance while the Lakers went 3-21. Brandon Ingram had a especially rough game for the Lakers shooting 2-12 from the field while fielding a -45.

5. Jaunuary 15, 1985: Mavericks 149 Warriors 104
The Mavericks poured it on the lowly Warriors, exploding for 87 points in the second half and 51 in the fourth quarter. The 149 points scored by Dallas, tied a franchise record that still stands for points in a regulation game. Mark Aguirre's 25 points and Rolando Blackman's 23 led a balanced Maverick attack as the team shot 62.8% for the game.

Bonus: May 7, 2005: Mavericks 116 Rockets 76
The biggest margin in a playoff win in team history came in game 7 of a first round series where the Mavs came back after dropping the first 2 games at home. Everything went the Mavericks' way in Game 7 as Jason Terry led the way with 31 points while Dirk and Josh Howard both posted double-doubles. Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady combined for 60 of the Rockets 76 points as the rest of the Rockets made only 6 of their 33 shot attempts.

Monday, November 12, 2018

Breaking Down the Rookie of the Year Candidates: Luka and the Field

It's incredibly early but it certainly looks like the Mavs have a Rookie of the Year favorite with Luka Doncic. So let's breakdown the favorites for the award so far with of course young Luka leading the pack.

1. Luka Doncic: One amazing stat says all for the amazing start to Doncic's NBA career. There have only been three rookies in NBA history to put up 20 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game like Luka is currently doing. Those would be three guys named Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Oscar Robertson. Pretty extraordinary company. If he keeps this up the Slovenian teenager will be the Mavs second ever Rookie of the Year, joining Jason Kidd who shared the award with Grant Hill in 1995.

2. Deandre Ayton: The #1 overall pick is also off to a strong start, averaging a double-double of 16.1 points and 10.9 rebounds. While his team has struggled, winning only once since beating the Mavs on opening night, Ayton looks to be Luka's biggest rival for the Rookie of the Year trophy.

3. Trae Young: Young and Doncic will be forever linked by the draft day trade between their respective teams and both teams should be happy with the early results. While Young has struggled shooting the ball, shooting 28% on threes, he has still put up 18.5 points and 8.2 assists, leading the Hawks in both categories.

4. Wendell Carter: Carter, the 7th overall pick by the Bulls has really come on of late, scoring in double figures in 8 straight games after failing to do so in his first five games. He also had a stretch of three straight double-doubles last week. All in all so far in this young season, Carter is showing that those Al Horford comparisons weren't too far off.

5. Jaren Jackson Jr.: Jackson has flashed his unlimited potential, scoring at least 20 points twice already. He also showed typical rookie inconsistency by failing to score in double figures in five out of the last 8 games. That being said, Jackson is different from most rookies as he surrounded by veterans on a team off to a strong start. That he is already a solid contributor speaks well for his immense talent.

Honorable Mention: Marvin Bagley III, Shai Gilgeous-Alexnader, Mo Bamba