Dallas Mavericks' Off-Season Moves Early Season Breakdown

Have the Mavs Upgraded Their Talent From Last Year?

The Dallas Mavericks brought in six new players over the summer, hoping to upgrade a roster that won 50 games and made it to the second round of the playoffs.

Three key players Dallas brought in were forward Shawn Marion (via trade with Toronto), power forward-center Drew Gooden (mid-level exception signee), and 25th overall pick Rodrigue Beaubois. Let's take a look, statistics wise, if Dallas has upgraded or not and how much.

Shawn Marion vs Antoine Wright

The most important of the group is Shawn Marion, who has missed the last two-and-a-half games, but has averaged 12.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and over a steal a game this season.

Marion replaced Antoine Wright in the starting line-up who, last year, averaged 7.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per while shooting only 41.5 percent from the field. This year, in Toronto, he is averaging only 5.3 points and under one rebound per game while shooting an awful 30.6 percent from the floor. Both players are considered elite defenders.

Antoine Wright is averaging two fewer minutes per game off the bench this year in Toronto with 20.8 minutes per compared to 23.9 for Dallas. Wright has less points and less rebounds but really was strictly a defensive stopper in Dallas and rarely played in crunch time for the Mavs. Marion has been terrific for Dallas and has done everything he has been asked to do. Driving to the basket, backing defenders down in the paint and laying off of outside shots has led to Marion shooting 49 percent from the field. If Dallas is going to make it to the Finals, Shawn Marion is going to have to be at the forefront on both offense and defense and (for the most part) he has been.

Early Season Verdict: Huge upgrade.


Drew Gooden vs Brandon Bass

Dallas hoped to acquire center Marcin Gortat for the mid-level exception as they assumed Orlando would not match his offer. As it turned out, Orlando matched Dallas' offer to Gortat and signed away Brandon Bass from the Mavericks. Dallas ended up signing Drew Gooden (for the same amount of money) and, after injuries and a slow start, Gooden has produced with 3 double-double in four starts while narrowly missing a fourth dub-dub as he had nine points and 16 rebounds. Gooden has averaged 9.1 points and 7.4 rebounds overall this season, but has only shot 43 percent overall. The most important thing Gooden has shown is an aggressive approach and tenacity around the basket, things that have been lacking in Dallas for a long time.

Bass has averaged 9.1 points too, but his rebounding is down to 3.2 per. Last season, Bass averaged 9.4 per and 4.1 rebounds for Dallas. Although Bass played hard for Dallas he was, frankly, too small (at 6'6) to be playing the center position. Bass is also in a logjam for playing time in Orlando, while Gooden was the projected starter before the season and (now healthy) is starting for Dallas and playing better than any center has for the Mavs in a long time.
Both are average to below average defenders so that is a push.

If Gooden keeps playing like this, Dallas is a bonafide championship contender. While Bass was good, he never had anywhere near that amount of impact.

Early Season Verdict: Upgrade


Rodrigue Beaubois vs Gerald Green

As Roddy B is this year, Gerald Green was one of Rich Carlise pet-projects last season for the Mavericks. I know they play two different positions, but both were not highly touted coming into town and were seen as "lighting in a bottle" guys.

Green did not end up being a fit for Dallas and was released after last season. He averaged 5.2 points per for Dallas and averaged 43 percent shooting, but never really got a legitimate shot.

Beaubois is being given many opportunities for the Mavericks and is taking advantage. It doesn't all show up in the box-score, but Roddy B has been a legit scorer-distributor off of the bench for Dallas. He has averaged 7.2 points per and is shooting 60 percent from the field.

Beaubois is longer and more athletic than Green, and is a much better defender than Green. Roddy B has shown his defensive prowess thus far and only has room to grow.

Early Season Verdict: Huge Upgrade.

Dallas also got Kris Humphries, Quinton Ross, and Tim Thomas in the offseason with each providing grit and toughness off the bench. Ross has even started six games through the Mavs injury plagued start. In my opinion, this group is head and shoulders above the bench Dallas had last year. They are bigger, tougher, and more athletic as a group.

Just for fun, lets compare Marcin Gortat (Mavs fans were severly disappointed when he was forced to be Dwight Howard's back-up) and Kris Humphries; both of whom have played around the same amount of minutes per game. (15.2 minutes per for Humphries and Gortat averaged 18.3)

Gortat: 4.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks per.

Humphries: 6.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, .5 blocks.

I know its early, but this is a deep-exciting team that has perservered through many injuries at the beginning of the season.