Mavs Should Trade Bogut
- Despite owner Mark Cuban‘s declaration that the team isn’t interested in tanking, the Mavericks would be wise to trade Andrew Bogut with the future in mind, O’Connor argues in the same piece. O’Connor lists several teams, including the Blazers and the Celtics, that could use the big man’s defense.
And-Ones: Booker, Embiid, Karl
The Nets landed Trevor Booker during the offseason by selling him on the opportunity to expand his role, as he tells Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (video link). Booker said the Hornets, Magic, Suns, Mavericks and Wolves were among the teams to reach out to him, but his relationship with GM Sean Marks made him feel comfortable joining Brooklyn.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Joe Harris is enjoying the opportunity to play for the Nets, as he tells Scotto in a separate piece (video link). Harris, who signed with Brooklyn on a two-year deal during the offseason, is seeing a career-high 23.5 minutes per game this season.
- Joel Embiid is the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award, but it’s partly due to the struggles of the 2016 rookie class, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders details. Kennedy notes that there isn’t a single 2016 draft pick who is averaging at least 10.0 points per game.
- In his book, George Karl claims that the NBA has a steroid issue, suggesting that performance-enhancers are the reason that players have longer careers in today’s NBA, as Dan Feldman of NBC Sports relays. It’s worth noting that in the book, Karl doesn’t present specific evidence of any particular player using PEDs nor does the former coach even acknowledge the advances in league-approved medicine or the increased awareness in players’ dietary needs, both of which have been proven to increase the length of an average career.
Mavs Ready To Get Look At Jackson
- The Mavericks signed Pierre Jackson earlier today and coach Rick Carlisle said the team wants to get “a close look at him,” as Earl K. Sneed of NBA.com (Twitter link) relays. Carlisle added that he believes Jackson was going to be the first D-League player to sign with an NBA team this season even if Dallas didn’t offer him a deal.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News wonders now if the Mavericks can rise in the standings now that the team is starting to get healthy.
Mavericks Waive Jonathan Gibson
5:05pm: The Mavericks have made Gibson’s release official, announcing it in a press release that also confirmed Jackson’s deal with the team.
11:12am: In order to make room for incoming guard Pierre Jackson, the Mavericks will waive Jonathan Gibson from their roster, reports Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Dallas had been carrying the maximum 15 players, so the team needed to cut a player before the signing of Jackson could become official.
[RELATED: Mavericks to sign Pierre Jackson]
The decision to waive Gibson comes as no real surprise. As I noted earlier today, Gibson and Dorian Finney-Smith had been the only players on the Mavs’ roster without a fully guaranteed contract. Finney-Smith’s roster spot is safe, and Dallas would have had to eat a chunk of guaranteed salary to cut any other player on the roster. By waiving Gibson, the Mavs will simply take a small cap hit for a prorated portion of his non-guaranteed contract.
Gibson, who was cut by the Mavs at the end of the preseason, rejoined the team last month after a series of injuries decimated the backcourt. The 29-year-old was forced into action shortly after he rejoined the club, but as players returned from injuries, his playing time dwindled. Gibson had played less than 10 total minutes for Dallas over the last two weeks.
In 17 total games for the Mavs, Gibson averaged 6.2 PPG, 1.5 APG, and 1.3 RPG in 13.6 minutes per contest. His best game with the team was his second one — he poured in 26 points in Orlando back on November 19.
Assuming Gibson is officially released today and goes unclaimed on waivers, he’ll return to the unrestricted free agent market on Thursday.
Mavericks Sign Pierre Jackson
5:04pm: The Mavericks have officially signed Jackson, the team announced today in a press release.
9:07am: One of the D-League’s top performers so far this season is making the leap to the NBA, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical. According to Charania (via Twitter), the Mavericks are signing guard Pierre Jackson to a two-year contract that will feature a partial guarantee.
Jackson, 25, was the 42nd overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft, having been sent from the Sixers to the Pelicans in the trade that also sent Jrue Holiday to New Orleans. However, the former Baylor guard never made it into an NBA regular season game, having spent the last few seasons playing in the D-League or overseas.
This season, Jackson has played in 10 games for Dallas’ D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, and has thrived, scoring a league-leading 29.1 PPG to go along with 6.0 APG, 1.9 SPG, and a .540/.429/.829 shooting line. The Legends are 7-3 with Jackson in the lineup, after having started 2-3 without him.
The Mavericks currently have a full 15-man roster, so they’ll have to waive a player to open up a spot for Jackson. Jonathan Gibson, who was already waived once by the team earlier this year – and has a non-guaranteed salary – is a candidate to be cut. Dorian Finney-Smith, whose roster spot appears safe, is the only other Maverick without a fully guaranteed contract, so the team would have to eat some money if another player is waived.
Bogut, Barea Expected To Return Soon
Mavericks center Andrew Bogut, who has been sidelined since December 5th with a bone bruise on his right knee, could be back on the court this week, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Coach Rick Carlisle announced the news today on Bogut, who started 16 games before the injury. The 32-year-old, who was acquired in a trade from Golden State to sure up the Mavericks’ interior defense, is averaging 3.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per night. He was considered a prime candidate to be traded again when Dallas was at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, but Mavericks may consider keeping him as they inch back toward playoff contention. The way he and the team play between now and the February 23rd trade deadline could determine how long he stays in Dallas.
- The Rockets‘ plan for veteran center Nene involves more games and fewer minutes, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. With starting center Clint Capela out a month or more with a fracture in his left fibula, Houston needs Nene to play in back-to-back games. The Rockets play the Suns tonight and the Mavericks on Tuesday, and coach Mike D’Antoni plans to limit him to fewer than 20 minutes in the second game. “I think it’s working out,” D’Antoni said. “I talked to him [Monday]. He said he’s feeling great. I would like to avoid some back-to-backs, but we can’t right now. The sooner we get Clint back the better.”
Mavericks Believe Playoffs Still Possible
- Back-to-back road wins have the Mavericks feeling like they’re still in the playoff race, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Dallas is 5-4 since its 4-17 start and sits just three games behind Sacramento for the eighth seed in a crowded contest. The recent return of Dirk Nowitzki, Deron Williams and others from injury has the Mavericks believing this season can still be salvaged.
The Mavs' Quest For A New Superstar Continues
- Justin Dentmon has signed a contract with the Shandong Bulls. The 31-year-old point guard has served brief stints with the Spurs, Raptors and Mavericks.
- Dallas Morning News beat writer Eddie Sefko explores the various ways the Mavericks could go about acquiring a superstar – and just how badly Mark Cuban wants to get one.
Injury Notes: Nance, Nowitzki, Parsons, Oladipo
Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. has a bone bruise in his left knee and will be out indefinitely, the team announced on its website. He suffered the injury Tuesday in Charlotte. Nance had an MRI today to confirm the injury, but further results were limited because of swelling. He will be re-evaluated Sunday, and the Lakers plan to issue an update on availability after that examination. Nance has played in 28 of the team’s 31 games this season, all off the bench.
There’s more injury news from around the NBA:
- Dirk Nowitzki won’t play tonight, but the Mavericks hope to have him back soon, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Nowitzki is almost fully recovered from a strained right Achilles and could play Friday against the Clippers or Monday against the Pelicans. “I’ll probably get a good workout tonight and see how it responds,” Nowitzki said. “I’ll probably get my first practice [Thursday] and see how it feels, basically go from day to day. It’s been encouraging. It hasn’t gotten worse from some of the stuff we’ve been doing. Hopefully, I’ll be out there soon.”
- Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons is active for tonight’s game with the Pistons, tweets Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Parsons, who was still recovering from offseason surgery on his right knee when the season started, has appeared in just six games. He suffered a bone bruise on his left knee shortly after returning.
- Thunder guard Victor Oladipo says his injured right wrist is improving, but he will sit out his fifth straight game tonight, writes Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman. Despite his optimism, coach Billy Donovan said there has been “no change at all in terms of what he can and can’t do” since suffering the injury in a December 11th game. “He is getting better,” Donovan said. “I don’t want to come across like he’s not. There is improvement there, but it’s not at a point where he can do enough in terms of catching, passing, shooting, playing right now.”
- Back tightness forced Hawks center Dwight Howard to sit out tonight for the second straight game, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s a lot better than it was a couple days ago,” Howard said. “It continues to get better.” Howard, who signed a three-year, $70.5MM deal with the Hawks in July, has had back issues before. In 2014/15, back and knee problems limited him to 41 games with the Rockets.
- The Jazz expect to have point guard George Hill back in the lineup soon, although it may not happen until next week, report Aaron Falk and Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. Hill went through an intense workout Tuesday as he tries to overcome a sprained toe that has sidelined him for nearly a month.
- Wizards center Ian Mahinmi had platelet-rich plasma treatments on both knees this morning, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Knee problems have limited him to just one game after signing a four-year, $64MM contract this summer.
Barnes Embraces Mavs' Culture; Dirk To Return
Harrison Barnes admits that it’s been an adjustment going from the Warriors to the Mavericks, but he’s embracing the culture in Dallas, Sean Deveney of Sporting News writes.
“We play a different style of basketball here, but they won a championship in 2011 playing this way, so I don’t think you can argue that it can’t work,” said Barnes, the Mavericks’ top offseason signee. “It’s been good for me to learn the differences in change of pace, to value the basketball. When you play at a fast pace, you can afford a lot of turnovers, you can make a lot of errors in your play just because there’s so many more possessions in a game. When you slow it down like we do in Dallas, every turnover is that much more crucial, every missed shot is that much more influential. It is a different approach.”
- Dirk Nowitzki could return to the lineup tonight, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News relays. The big man has missed the Mavericks‘ last 21 games.