New-look Mavericks host Phoenix Suns
Dallas' first game post-blockbuster is in the books, and unfortunately for Mavericks fans and backers the result was a loss. Maybe things will improve Wednesday when Jason Kidd and the Mavs return from the north side of the Red River to host the Suns. Then again, maybe not. Dallas backers have been drained when the Mavericks play at American Airlines Center to the tune of 5-19 ATS.
Meet the new Mavs. Same as the old Mavs?
Supporters of the Dallas Mavericks certainly hope not. The Mavericks were leading the NBA’s Southwest Division going into the All-Star break at 32-20, but that was with a considerable amount of the closest thing there is to luck. Dallas has a point differential of plus-1.4, eighth in the West and nearly identical to the 27-27 Miami Heat (plus-1.3). That 21-31 ATS record before the break also speaks volumes about the Mavs.
So Mark Cuban opened up the vault and made a deal with the Washington Wizards, who are last in the Southeast at 17-33 and more than willing to shed payroll.
Joining the Mavericks are forward Caron Butler, center Brendan Haywood and guard DeShawn Stevenson. Packing their bags are forwards Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, Quinton Ross and James Singleton.
This looks like a positive move for the Mavs – although they lost 99-86 to the Oklahoma City Thunder (-4½ at home) Tuesday night to fall to 32-21 SU and 21-32 ATS. No other team in the West has lost as much money this year.
This seven-player blockbuster might not be all that much of an upgrade for Dallas. Butler (13.78 PER) is in a bad slump this year, which, if you’re feeling charitable, you could blame more on the breakdown in Washington than his true ability level.
We could also give Butler a mulligan for his 4-of-16 shooting against Oklahoma City – it’s his first game with his new teammates, and he’s starting at shooting guard rather than small forward, his more familiar spot with the Wiz. The onus remains on Butler to shake off whatever’s ailing him and return to his previous level of play. It may never happen.
The addition of Haywood (16.34 PER) is more intriguing. He’s no longer a prospect at age 30, but Haywood is still one of the more underrated centers in the league. And he remains that way in Dallas; on Tuesday, Haywood came in off the bench in support of Erick Dampier (14.70 PER), who retained his starting job despite playing on a bad left knee. Now Dampier is out indefinitely after dislocating a finger against the Thunder. You could have argued about the merits of starting either man, but that’s a moot point. The Mavericks only have Haywood when they face the Phoenix Suns (32-22 SU, 29-25 ATS) on Wednesday, and they no longer have Gooden (16.41 PER) mopping up minutes at center.
Playing against the Suns will tax any team’s depth. This is the third fastest team in the NBA at 98.5 possessions per game, well above slowpoke Dallas at 94.4 possessions (No. 20 overall). But the Suns might be in for a transformation of their own.
Rumors continue to churn that Amare Stoudemire (20.30 PER) will be moved to either Miami (for spare parts and Mario Chalmers) or Cleveland (for J.J. Hickson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas). Perhaps a deal has already been made by the time you read this. That would obviously change the dynamics of Wednesday’s matchup. Stoudemire would be unavailable, and so would whatever players Phoenix would get in return.
If we take the Suns at face value as they were at press time, this is a very good team as is. Stoudemire has been healthy, and a full season under coach Alvin Gentry has revitalized Steve Nash (23.28 PER) back to his MVP levels of five years ago. Consistency has been an issue, though. The Suns started the year hot, cooled off considerably in the winter, and are now on fire again at 6-1 SU and ATS in their last seven. Four of those victories were on the road against favored opponents from the West.
Fancy that: Dallas is a 4½-point favorite on the early betting odds with a total of 218. The Mavs are only 5-19 ATS at American Airlines Center. Phoenix is 16-13 ATS away. The choice is yours.
Dallas' first game post-blockbuster is in the books, and unfortunately for Mavericks fans and backers the result was a loss. Maybe things will improve Wednesday when Jason Kidd and the Mavs return from the north side of the Red River to host the Suns. Then again, maybe not. Dallas backers have been drained when the Mavericks play at American Airlines Center to the tune of 5-19 ATS.
Meet the new Mavs. Same as the old Mavs?
Supporters of the Dallas Mavericks certainly hope not. The Mavericks were leading the NBA’s Southwest Division going into the All-Star break at 32-20, but that was with a considerable amount of the closest thing there is to luck. Dallas has a point differential of plus-1.4, eighth in the West and nearly identical to the 27-27 Miami Heat (plus-1.3). That 21-31 ATS record before the break also speaks volumes about the Mavs.
So Mark Cuban opened up the vault and made a deal with the Washington Wizards, who are last in the Southeast at 17-33 and more than willing to shed payroll.
Joining the Mavericks are forward Caron Butler, center Brendan Haywood and guard DeShawn Stevenson. Packing their bags are forwards Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, Quinton Ross and James Singleton.
This looks like a positive move for the Mavs – although they lost 99-86 to the Oklahoma City Thunder (-4½ at home) Tuesday night to fall to 32-21 SU and 21-32 ATS. No other team in the West has lost as much money this year.
This seven-player blockbuster might not be all that much of an upgrade for Dallas. Butler (13.78 PER) is in a bad slump this year, which, if you’re feeling charitable, you could blame more on the breakdown in Washington than his true ability level.
We could also give Butler a mulligan for his 4-of-16 shooting against Oklahoma City – it’s his first game with his new teammates, and he’s starting at shooting guard rather than small forward, his more familiar spot with the Wiz. The onus remains on Butler to shake off whatever’s ailing him and return to his previous level of play. It may never happen.
The addition of Haywood (16.34 PER) is more intriguing. He’s no longer a prospect at age 30, but Haywood is still one of the more underrated centers in the league. And he remains that way in Dallas; on Tuesday, Haywood came in off the bench in support of Erick Dampier (14.70 PER), who retained his starting job despite playing on a bad left knee. Now Dampier is out indefinitely after dislocating a finger against the Thunder. You could have argued about the merits of starting either man, but that’s a moot point. The Mavericks only have Haywood when they face the Phoenix Suns (32-22 SU, 29-25 ATS) on Wednesday, and they no longer have Gooden (16.41 PER) mopping up minutes at center.
Playing against the Suns will tax any team’s depth. This is the third fastest team in the NBA at 98.5 possessions per game, well above slowpoke Dallas at 94.4 possessions (No. 20 overall). But the Suns might be in for a transformation of their own.
Rumors continue to churn that Amare Stoudemire (20.30 PER) will be moved to either Miami (for spare parts and Mario Chalmers) or Cleveland (for J.J. Hickson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas). Perhaps a deal has already been made by the time you read this. That would obviously change the dynamics of Wednesday’s matchup. Stoudemire would be unavailable, and so would whatever players Phoenix would get in return.
If we take the Suns at face value as they were at press time, this is a very good team as is. Stoudemire has been healthy, and a full season under coach Alvin Gentry has revitalized Steve Nash (23.28 PER) back to his MVP levels of five years ago. Consistency has been an issue, though. The Suns started the year hot, cooled off considerably in the winter, and are now on fire again at 6-1 SU and ATS in their last seven. Four of those victories were on the road against favored opponents from the West.
Fancy that: Dallas is a 4½-point favorite on the early betting odds with a total of 218. The Mavs are only 5-19 ATS at American Airlines Center. Phoenix is 16-13 ATS away. The choice is yours.
