Once upon a time, the Dallas Mavericks had DeAndre Jordan set to leave Los Angeles to come and play alongside Dirk Nowitzki. Now, after a weird emoji battle, Jordan is back in Los Angeles and the Mavericks have to rely on a duo of Zaza Pachulia and Javale McGee at center.
Samuel Dalembert looked to be another veteran that could at least play some defense for the Mavericks, but he didn’t really have a preseason to speak highly about. He showed up out of shape and couldn’t make any kind of impression, so the Mavericks decided to waive him. While Dalembert wasn’t exactly the best person to replace the likes of DeAndre Jordan, he was still an above average option for a defensive center. With him out of the picture, there are high expectations of both Pachulia and McGee.
Zaza Pachulia and Javale McGee both haven’t been anything to write home about in their careers. Pachulia has only averaged more than 10 points per game twice in his career, and his defensive rating numbers have been average. McGee is on to his fourth team in his eighth season and he’s more known for getting on Shaqtin’ a Fool than he is for lighting up a scoreboard or shutting a team down.
This season is going to be rough for Dallas, especially with all of the players they still have trying to return from injuries. If you ask me, they will be falling out of the playoff race quite early on. Dallas’ best move would be to work some trades to bring in a group of younger players. Hopefully Dirk can go out on top instead of having to retire after missing the playoffs.
H/T: CBS Sports
