Mavs could add scoring punch or inside help through draft
Earl K. Sneed breaks down one national writer's belief that the Dallas Mavericks need to add a scoring threat or inside help through the draft.
Mavs could add scoring punch or inside help through draft
What’s the biggest area of need for the Dallas Mavericks heading into the NBA Draft on June 28?
As Fran Blinebury of NBA.com detailed, there may be more than one area of pressing concern for the Mavericks after a first-round playoff series exit ended their run as champions.
For starters, the Mavs could use the No. 17 and No. 55 selections to address the defensive hole in the middle, after center Tyson Chandler moved on to the Big Apple in free agency before winning Defensive Player of the Year while anchoring the New York Knicks’ frontline.
Wrote Blinebury: “When the Mavs let Tyson Chandler shuffle off to New York following the championship season, it re-opened the gaping hole in the middle of the lineup that had the Mavs often compared to a donut for decades. First, they need a shot-blocking presence to protect the rim and also a rebounder to clean the glass.”
Meanwhile, as the nationally-respected writer went on to note, the Mavericks will also look at what may or may not happen when free agency starts on July 1, eyeballing another superstar to pair with 11-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki.
And depending on their plans to land a “big fish” as president of basketball operations and GM Donnie Nelson has suggested, that could influence what direction the soon-to-be former champions are leaning in while perhaps having to fill the potential holes of 39-year-old point guard Jason Kidd and sixth man extraordinaire Jason Terry when they hit the open market next month.
That’s precisely what Blinebury hints at the Mavericks doing in the draft in just a little less than two weeks, writing that “with the No. 17 pick in the draft, it's time to find a shooter from the wing who can fill that instant-offense role of Jason Terry off the bench.”
Addressing the media just a day after the Mavericks’ 103-97 Game 4 defeat on May 5 to the Oklahoma City Thunder to end their season, Nelson was in complete agreement with all of Blinebury’s points.
“I think you saw during the course of the playoffs, [Nowitzki] was fighting tooth and nail and he needs help,” Nelson explained. “He needs help and we plan to get it for him. … In this league, you’re always looking for athletes. You’re always looking for folks that can protect the paint, you’re always looking for guys that can create their own shot. Oklahoma City series, we were beat on both sides of the ball. We couldn’t create opportunities, life was very difficult and it was a grind, but we’ve gotta get guys that can create those opportunities and make life easier for Dirk and the rest of the boys.”
