Offseason questions: Will younger Mavs employ a full-court press?
Earl K. Sneed continues his offseason questions series, writing that the additions of young guards Darren Collison and O.J. Mayo will help the Dallas Mavericks employ a full-court press on the defensive end of the floor.
Offseason questions: Will younger Mavs employ a full-court press?
DALLAS – After taking the court last season as the oldest team in the NBA, it became very clear to the Dallas Mavericks’ front office this offseason that it was time to take a different approach.
Enter eight new additions, a talented young core and a group of veterans with a chip on their shoulders in search of an elusive title.
In addition to rookies Jared Cunningham, Bernard James and Jae Crowder, the Mavericks also brought in 25-year-old point guard Darren Collison and 24-year-old combo guard O.J. Mayo. The influx of young talent should add support to three-year pro Rodrigue Beaubois and guard Dominique Jones, who is entering his third season, as they try to help lead the organization’s youth movement.
Meanwhile, the off-season acquisitions of Chris Kaman, Elton Brand and Dahntay Jones have also added a younger supporting cast of veteran talent around 11-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki, giving the Mavs a mixture of age and experience as they try to journey back to the NBA Finals.
“Well, this is exciting because we went from being extremely old,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle explained last Monday at the newcomers’ introductory press conference. “You know, we were the oldest team in the league. I know we were last year, and the year before we were one of the older teams, too. We consider age a good thing, because it means you have experience and it means that normally you have guys at the stage in their career where they’re really interested more in winning than individual things. But, we needed to get younger.
“With these eight new players, with the three younger guys and these five guys, O.J. is in his mid-20s, Darren is in his early to mid-20s, Dahntay is not that old, Kaman is younger than he looks and Elton has been around a long time, because he came out (of college) early but he’s 32 years old, too, which is young in this league. So, we’re excited about it.”
But just how will the drop in average age improve a team that was swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the younger and more athletic Oklahoma City Thunder last season?
That’s a question that figures to be answered over time during the 2012-13 campaign, but Carlisle believes the impact will be felt on the defensive end of the floor.
With the additions of Collison and Mayo, the Mavs will have the ability to defend opposing teams for the full length of the court, allowing Carlisle and defensive coordinator Monte Mathis to utilize a full-court press. That suits both Mayo and Collison just fine, as the two try to make their marks on their new team by leading an end-to-end defensive effort.
“I think in order to win defense is a key aspect of the game. … When you bring in a group of younger guys with fresher legs it’s all about competing and guarding your position. And I think we can definitely bring that to this team,” Mayo explained.
“The one thing I’ve learned in this league is you have to play defense and team defense has to be your primary thing to do,” Collison added. “And I think what I can bring to the table is, you know, pick up full court as much as I can and just try to get a little bit more energy than [the Mavericks] had last year. And I think we’ll be good.”
The team will also try to make up for a lack of size on the perimeter, often playing two interchangeable young guards capable of manning both the point and shooting guard positions. And with added speed and versatility, Carlisle intends to utilize his young core at both ends of the floor.
“Often times when you look on the floor with our team you’re gonna see two guards out there that can both handle the ball and can both play off the ball. … And so, we’re gonna have depth and speed in the backcourt,” Carlisle foreshadowed. “We’re not necessarily gonna be the biggest team in terms of guard positions, but as Darren mentioned, we’re gonna need our guards to get up full court and make life miserable on the opponent. I mean there’s 94 feet that we can cover with our guys, and that’s gonna be a big part of who we are. And if we’re gonna be a really good defensive team, those guys can bring an extra element.”
