Having been led by future hall of famer Dirk Nowitzki for the past decade and a half, it is no surprise that the Mavericks are considered one of history's most successful and consistent franchises. After an extremely successful campaign last season that saw Dallas take the eventual champions to seven hard fought games, the Mavericks vastly improved this offseason, bringing back players from its 2011 championship team as well as star small forward Chandler Parsons. But times will soon be changing in the city of Dallas, which is why the Mavericks championship hopes are at a "Now or never".
To begin with, the leadership spearheading the Mavs since 1998 will soon change hands. Dirk Nowitzki is already at age 37 and has already begun what will be a steep decline in production. Entering the twilight of his career, the German Sharpshooter has already seen a downfall in points,rebounds, assists, steals, and minutes while contributing next to nothing on the defensive end of the court. If this quick regression continues, Nowitzki will be reduced to nothing more than a specialist by time 2016 comes around, which is a bad thing for the Mavericks considering Monta Ellis' inability to lead a team and Chandler Parson's inexperience. With Nowitzki no longer playing dominant basketball, the Mavericks contention status could come crashing down very soon, which is why they must win while the opportunity still shines..
Furthermore, the Mavericks supporting cast is old and will not be able to produce at a high level for much longer. Tyson Chandler and Devin Harris have both been reduced to just shells of their former selves, as have Richard Jefferson and J.J Brea. Even Monta Ellis, one of the youngest players on Dallas' roster, is 29 years old and has received a decrease in minutes each of the past 2 seasons, hinting that his explosive brand of basketball has already begun to take its toll. Assuming a championship is not brought to the city of Dallas this year, they will enter 2015 with 4 players above the age of 29 in their starting lineup, none of which are incredible athletes.With teams like the Raptors and Wizards reliant largely on the incredible athleticism at their hands, the veteran Mavs will surely be taken advantage of. Therefore, the Mavs best chance to win a championship comes while the supporting cast remains fairly young and reliable.
Lastly, the Mavericks are an old fashioned, non-athletic team playing in a forever changing NBA. The offensive system Dallas utilizes is an old fashion motion offense fairly similar to that of the Spurs.The problem this offense creates is that it is built to produce open 3 pointers, and Dallas do not showcase any truly elite 3 point shooters outside of the forever aging Dirk Nowitzki.With perimeter defenses becoming better than ever, the Mavericks will no longer be able to get the open looks they are used to, which will result in a vast drop in efficiency and less energy saved for the defensive end-which has never been a forte for this team. With out of this planet athletes entering the association, there is only so much 32 year old Tyson Chandler can do to keep the defense together. Therefore, It's go time for the Dallas Mavericks, as their path to a championship is quickly closing
To begin with, the leadership spearheading the Mavs since 1998 will soon change hands. Dirk Nowitzki is already at age 37 and has already begun what will be a steep decline in production. Entering the twilight of his career, the German Sharpshooter has already seen a downfall in points,rebounds, assists, steals, and minutes while contributing next to nothing on the defensive end of the court. If this quick regression continues, Nowitzki will be reduced to nothing more than a specialist by time 2016 comes around, which is a bad thing for the Mavericks considering Monta Ellis' inability to lead a team and Chandler Parson's inexperience. With Nowitzki no longer playing dominant basketball, the Mavericks contention status could come crashing down very soon, which is why they must win while the opportunity still shines..
Furthermore, the Mavericks supporting cast is old and will not be able to produce at a high level for much longer. Tyson Chandler and Devin Harris have both been reduced to just shells of their former selves, as have Richard Jefferson and J.J Brea. Even Monta Ellis, one of the youngest players on Dallas' roster, is 29 years old and has received a decrease in minutes each of the past 2 seasons, hinting that his explosive brand of basketball has already begun to take its toll. Assuming a championship is not brought to the city of Dallas this year, they will enter 2015 with 4 players above the age of 29 in their starting lineup, none of which are incredible athletes.With teams like the Raptors and Wizards reliant largely on the incredible athleticism at their hands, the veteran Mavs will surely be taken advantage of. Therefore, the Mavs best chance to win a championship comes while the supporting cast remains fairly young and reliable.
Lastly, the Mavericks are an old fashioned, non-athletic team playing in a forever changing NBA. The offensive system Dallas utilizes is an old fashion motion offense fairly similar to that of the Spurs.The problem this offense creates is that it is built to produce open 3 pointers, and Dallas do not showcase any truly elite 3 point shooters outside of the forever aging Dirk Nowitzki.With perimeter defenses becoming better than ever, the Mavericks will no longer be able to get the open looks they are used to, which will result in a vast drop in efficiency and less energy saved for the defensive end-which has never been a forte for this team. With out of this planet athletes entering the association, there is only so much 32 year old Tyson Chandler can do to keep the defense together. Therefore, It's go time for the Dallas Mavericks, as their path to a championship is quickly closing