This week, NBA.com has put the Dallas Mavericks in the 4th spot in its weekly Power Rankings, trailing behind the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the defending World Champions San Antonio Spurs. It's truly an impressive achievement for the Mavericks after coming off fresh of a first round exit in the recent Western Conference playoffs.
But what is perhaps more impressive is the fact that the rankings were done prior to the signings of Jameer Nelson and Al-Farouq Aminu. Ok, so the acquisition of Nelson and Aminu are not enough to put the Mavs above the Clippers or Thunder much more the Spurs but it clearly puts the the team in position to challenge the Power Houses of the NBA.
So the big question now is are the Mavs true contenders? The team has obviously gotten better but how much have they improved?
The two glaring weaknesses for the Dallas Mavericks last season was their porous defense and suspect rebounding. The team's defense ranked 22nd in the league, allowing 105.9 points per 100 possessions. It also just takes watching a few games by the Mavs to know that they are a weak rebounding team. The Mavs are unlikely to resign Shawn Marion, who is their best defender and rebounder, this offseason which doesn't help the team either.
But the acquisition of Tyson Chandler could very much spell the end of the Mavericks defense and rebounding woes last season. Chandler was instrumental in the team's championship run on 2011 - he was the Mavs defensive anchor, leading rebounder, and locker room leader - and is clearly an upgrade over last season's center Samuel Dalembert even if Chandler is already 31 years old. The Mavs have also recently acquired Al-Farouq Aminu, a young athletic forward who is a beast in rebounding and defense. He could provide the Mavs what they will miss in Marion in his defensive versatility and rebounding.
If Chandler remains healthy for the whole season and in the playoffs and Aminu continues to provide elite rebounding and tough hard nosed defense, the Mavs should be able to significantly improve their defense and rebounding next season. They should be able to stop most teams but not the likes of OKC and San Antontio. Head Coach Rick Carlisle can make the most out of his team and can device defensive schemes that can hide the defensive flaws and deficiencies of Dirk Nowitzki so the Mavs should be able to at least become a decent defensive team next season.
When it comes to offense and scoring meanwhile, the Mavs are in a superb position. The team was ranked 3rd best overall last season, scoring 109 points per 100 possessions, and have the potential to be an even more potent scoring team with the addition of Chandler Parsons. The 25 year old versatile forward is a far better offensive weapon than Marion especially when it comes to outside shooting. It also means that Montal Ellis can now penetrate the lane with ease with Parsons being a real threat on the outside and Tyson Chandler setting up strong screens on top of the key and collapsing the defense by rolling hard to the rim for a possible lob pass.
The Dallas Mavericks as the 8th seed in the playoffs last season, gave the the eventual World Champion Spurs quite the scare when they took them to seven games - the only team who has managed to do it in the playoffs last year. Now Dallas is even better in both ends of the floor and a championship is a possibility if everyone remains healthy and team chemistry reaches its peak after the All-Star break. Many may argue if whether or not the Mavs are true contenders and a real threat to the Spurs or the other elites of the Western Conference this coming season in the NBA. But one thing is for sure: they will surely be back in the playoff mix next season but instead of fighting for the last playoff spot, they will likely be competing for home court advantage in the first round.
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