Brand, Dirk, Kaman make up talented Mavs' frontline
Earl K. Sneed writes that the additions of Elton Brand and Chris Kaman to a Dallas frontline that already featured 11-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki should make for an offensively lethal combination.
Brand, Dirk, Kaman make up talented Mavs' frontline
DALLAS -- The offensive success that Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki has showcased for more than a decade has been well documented: the 2007 NBA MVP, 11 straight All-Star appearances, the first European-born player with 20,000 career points and the 2011 Finals MVP.
But with the additions of big men Chris Kaman and Elton Brand, Nowitzki’s offensive load might be lightened this season as the Mavericks try to bounce back from having their title reign ended with a first-round playoff series sweep at the hands of Oklahoma City.
That at least is the plan, after the Dallas front office surrounded Nowitzki with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 Draft in Brand and another former All-Star and German teammate in Kaman.
“On the floor, we’ve got some weapons that are going to be really fun to watch,” Mavericks president of basketball operations and GM Donnie Nelson said when the team introduced its off-season signees on Monday. “We have a low-post presence we haven’t had in a while in Chris. We’ve got some versatility with Elton, who can score low and then take his guy out. … And so, we literally can not wait to hit the ground running in a few weeks for training camp.”
“Elton Brand is a long-time pro in this league,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle added. “He’s been an All-Star. He’s been on a couple of different teams. He’s a versatile player and he’s a pro’s pro. And we know that he’s gonna be real solid for us. And Chris Kaman, the one thing I can promise you about Chris, he’s got a different game than we’ve ever seen with any other Mavericks’ big man, because of the different things that he can do.”
In Brand and Kaman, the Mavs will have the most patent low-post presence in Nowitzki’s era, lending Carlisle to feature more high-low sets in his offensive playbook. Meanwhile, both new additions will try to return to their All-Star form, likely facing less defensive pressure when in the game next to the Mavs’ go-to scorer.
For Kaman, playing next to Nowitzki again after the two starred with the German National Team in the Beijing Olympics in 2008 is what attracted the free agent to Big D. And as for Brand, after the Mavs were awarded the veteran with the winning bid following his amnesty release from Philadelphia, the opportunity to play next to someone as offensively gifted as Nowitzki and again team with a fellow big man that helped lead the Los Angeles Clippers to the playoffs in the 2005-06 season was a perfect situation.
“You know, when you’re playing with a player as talented as Dirk Nowitzki, Chris and myself, we’re used to having the best big defender guarding us. That’s no longer gonna happen,” Brand joking explained. “They have to guard Dirk. We all know that he’s one of the greatest. So, we’re looking forward to that, you know, exploiting matchups and being in the low-post, depending on where Coach [Carlisle] has us get the ball. But we expect to exploit those matchup problems out there with Dirk out there playing with us at different times. … I like what Chris Kaman can do. I’ve played with him many years, played against him the last few years. He’s still a solid center that can score with either hand and shoot the ball. I’ll definitely see some minutes at the 5, back up Dirk at the 4, but every day it’s gonna be a competition. You know, guys gotta be ready to practice and we’re gonna have a lot of fun and we’re gonna make each other better.”
“You know, I’ve established a pretty good relationship with Dirk. I feel like I’m comfortable playing with him, so that was kind of one of the things that helped bring me here to Dallas,” Kaman added. “And I’m just really looking forward to the opportunity, seeing what it brings in the NBA, as opposed to European players. And I played with Elton for four or five years in L.A., and we have a good relationship as well. So, I’m in a pretty comfortable position here. I’m settled in, I feel comfortable with the coaches and everybody around. They have a great staff here, and I’m just really happy to be here at this point.”
The duo will now try to help Nowitzki resurrect a stagnant offense that at times leaned too much on No. 41 last season. And with plenty of heated practices awaiting with the start of training camp at the end of the month, you can expect the seasoned frontline to be ready for battle against opposing teams by the time the season rolls around.
“You know, they were sixth in defense and 19th in offense last year, so we definitely know we’re gonna improve on that offensive side and we’ve got a lot of guys that can score this year, “ Brand explained. “And we want to stay up their in the top 10 in defense, for sure. … Guys are still hungry. They like the way that championship felt. Hopefully we can get up to compete at that level.”
