Dallas needed a miracle to keep Phoenix out of the 8th spot in the Western Conference. They did just that and were the only team to really give the San Antonio Spurs a challenge on the way to an NBA title.
This year’s Dallas team looks a lot different, but they upgraded their starting five and added bench depth. In a lot of ways, they resemble the Dallas team that won a ring. I’m not saying that just because they have Tyson Chandler back (but it helps).
We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.
Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Dallas Mavericks.
2013-14 Win/Loss Record: 49-33
Key Additions: SF Chandler Parsons, C Tyson Chandler, PG Jameer Nelson, PF Charlie Villanueva, SG Doron Lamb, SF Al-Farouq Aminu, PG Raymond Felton, SF Richard Jefferson, PF Ivan Johnson, PF Greg Smith, SF Eric Griffin & PG Yuki Togashi
Key Losses: SF Shawn Marion, PG Jose Calderon, SG Vince Carter, C Samuel Dalembert, C DeJuan Blair, SG Wayne Ellington & Shane Larkin
Projected Starters: Tyson Chandler, Dirk Nowitzki, Chandler Parsons, Monta Ellis & Jameer Nelson
Fantasy Sleeper: PF Brandan Wright – Wright missed double-digit games to start the season, but ended up being one of their best PER guys. He only averaged 18.6 minutes per game, but still managed to score 9.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and nearly one block per game. If you’re looking for a bench guy to fill out your roster, he will help you. Also, if anything happens to Dirk, Wright would be the guy who would start in his place.
Team Analysis: Dallas hasn’t been the same since they let Tyson Chandler walk after winning a title a few years ago. They just now happened to fill that hole…with Tyson Chandler. They also were able to steal Chandler Parsons away from Houston and added bench depth with role players (Charlie Villanueva, Ivan Johnson, Richard Jefferson).
Their only question mark is at point guard. Can Jameer Nelson and Raymond Felton play point effectively for a playoff team? That will be a question answered early in the year. They could regret sending Jose Calderon to New York.
Even with their possible point guard issues, I have Dallas as the sixth seed in the Western Conference. They could even jump up a few seeds, since I expect 2 or 3 games separating the fourth and seventh seeds.
2014-15 Wins Over/Under Betting Line: 49.5 (Prediction: OVER)
2014-15 Projected Win/Loss Record: 51-31 (6th in Western Conference)
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.