Category: Dallas Mavericks Blog

The Dallas Mavericks are 32-28 and winners of two in a row, but otherwise struggling lately — but there’s still good news in the form of Chandler Parsons, who is doing big things after a slow start to the season. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

The early-season misery for Chandler Parsons, the struggles he endured in his return from hybrid microfracture surgery on his right knee, might seem like a distant memory.

After all, Parsons has played the best basketball of his career over the last couple of months, averaging 17.1 points while shooting 51.5 percent from the floor and 45.4 percent from 3-point range. His scoring average has steadily increased each month of the season, starting in the single digits while he dealt with strict minutes restrictions in November and spiking to 18.8 points per game in February.

But those dreadful nights in November and December, when Parsons was a shell of himself and wondered whether he’d ever return to form, still are fresh in his mind.

“It was just a mess,” Parsons said after putting up 29 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Dallas Mavericks before sitting out the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 128-101 rout of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Here’s ESPN.com reporting the views of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on the distance of the NBA three-point shot:

Mark Cuban has a suggestion to reintroduce the midrange shot to the NBA game: Move back the 3-point arc.

“It’s getting too close,” the Dallas Mavericks owner said Friday night of the 3-point arc, which is 23 feet, 9 inches at the crest and 22 feet in the corners, where there is no room to move it back. “Guys are shooting a foot behind it anyways. … That’s something we should look at. It’s worth looking at.

“I don’t think the number of shots would decline, but I think it would reward skill and open up the court some more. So guys would still take [3-point] shots if it’s seven inches back or whatever, but at the same time, it opens up the court for more drives, more midrange game.”

The midrange jumper has become an endangered species of sorts, while NBA players are firing 3-pointers at record rates.

Here’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporting on Dallas Mavericks center JaVale McGree, who finally made his debut for the team and by all accounts did quite well:

He’s only played one game and 11 minutes. But the Dallas Mavericks seemingly all smile in unison when center JaVale McGee’s name is mentioned.

McGee played his first game of the season this past Sunday in Oklahoma City and responded with eight points and six rebounds, and was 4-of-5 from the field. Not that for a guy who missed the entire training camp, preseason and first 12 regular season games while dealing with a stress fracture in his left leg.

“He did a lot of good things on offense the other night,’’ coach Rick Carlisle said after Tuesday morning’s shootaround at the FedEx Forum. “Defensively he’s a little behind because of the (lack of) reps.” …

Zaza Pachulia is the Mavs’ starting center, and Dwight Powell usually is the first pivotman off the bench. But the Mavs now have an added bonus in McGee, who is 7-1 and weighs 270 pounds and has the athleticism the aforementioned two players lack.

The Dallas Mavericks are off to a terrific start this season, boasting a 9-4 record. New point guard Deron Williams, contributing 13.8 points and 5.6 assists per game on 43.3% shooting, still isn’t the star he was years ago, but he’s fitting in and a key part of the team’s success. Here’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporting:

With Monta Ellis now playing for the Indiana Pacers and Dirk Nowitzki getting up there in age, the Dallas Mavericks knew they had to find themselves another go-to guy over the offseason.

They definitely found one in Deron Williams.

Signed to a two-year, $11 million free agent contract over the summer, Williams showed another sign Friday night against the Utah Jazz why he can be trusted with the ball with the game on the line. With the Jazz closing in on the Mavs, Williams nailed a 3-point basket to pad the Mavs’ lead to 95-87 with two minutes left.

A pair of free throws by Williams gave Dallas a 100-91 lead with 1:05 left and prevented any chances the Jazz had of making a valiant comeback.

The Mavs went on to win their sixth consecutive game, 102-93, and are now 9-4 on the year. And a lot of the credit goes to Williams, who is now feeling more and more comfortable being the Mavs’ go-to guy down the stretch.

Here’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporting on Mavs rookie Justin Anderson, who has only been playing eight minutes per game this season, but is starting to get some attention:

After what he was able to accomplish against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, Justin Anderson is now on the NBA radar.

That means teams will start game-planning for the Dallas Mavericks rookie, will start getting more physical with him, and will start doing all those nuances to mentally get in his head and get him off his game.

“Look, this is where it gets more challenging because the next opponent looks at the film and then they feature you as part of the film,’’ coach Rick Carlisle said after Friday morning’s shootaround at American Airlines Center. “They’re going to pay more attention to him than the Clippers probably did, and he’s going to have to do the same things.

“Keep it simple, go hard and play within the system.’’

Here’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporting on the injury-filled reality of Mavericks point guard Deron Williams:

Because of multiple injuries he’s incurred over the past three years, Dallas Mavericks point guard Deron Williams has become reluctantly accustomed to not being able to shift his game into another gear.

It’s frustrating, to say the least. Especially for a player who earned All-Star credentials from 2010-’12.

“That’s kind of how it’s been for me the last four years,’’ Williams said of injuries that have ransacked his body in recent years. “So at least I’m use to it and I’m just trying to get through it.

“I know, at least this time, it’s nothing serious.’’

Here’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporting on the Mavericks, who are still in recovery mode as several key players Wes Matthews, Chandler Parsons, among others) are coming off injury and not quite themselves just yet:

Rick Carlisle received a five-year, $35 million contract extension Thursday, but the Dallas Mavericks’ coach probably had a difficult time celebrating the occasion.

The Charlotte Hornets feasted on Dallas’ porous defense all night en route to upending the Mavericks 108-94 in front of a sellout crowd of 19,635 at American Airlines Center.

With the loss, the Mavericks are 2-3 and have dropped both of their home games this season. They also are 0-2 on this homestand, which ends Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans before they hit the road to play the Pelicans again Tuesday in New Orleans.

Carlisle decided to rest small forward Chandler Parsons in the first half and make the unorthodox move of only playing him in the second half. It was a decision the Mavericks probably regretted.

Dallas was only down 54-53 at intermission, but with Parsons on the floor for 14 minutes in the second half, the Mavericks were outscored by 16 points and looked disjointed.