The injury news just keeps getting worse for the Mavericks.
Center Daniel Gafford sustained a right knee sprain on Monday against the Kings and will be reevaluated within two weeks, the team’s PR department tweets. Gafford has started 28 of 51 games this season, averaging 12.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 21.9 minutes per game.
Dallas’ frontcourt has been decimated in recent weeks. Dereck Lively (right ankle stress fracture) could miss the remainder of the regular season and Dwight Powell (right hip strain) hasn’t played since Jan. 17.
Perennial All-Star Anthony Davis was injured in his Mavericks debut on Saturday. His left adductor strain will sideline him for multiple weeks. P.J. Washington is listed as questionable for Dallas’ game against Golden State on Wednesday due to a right ankle sprain, Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal tweets.
Two-way player Kylor Kelley is the only other true big man on the roster. Forwards Kessler Edwards, Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Naji Marshall were utilized up front in small lineups after Gafford departed on Monday.
The Mavericks have an open roster spot, but are ineligible to sign a free agent to a rest-of-season contract due to their proximity to their first-apron hard cap. As we detailed on Monday, Dallas is about $171K below that hard cap and won’t be squeeze in a veteran rest-of-season signing until March 31. The Mavs do have the ability to complete one 10-day signing at any time, but that would leave the club just $51K shy of the first apron, unable to complete another deal until the season’s final week.
The All-Star break will buy the Mavericks a little time, but they’re likely to be in this predicament for at least a couple more weeks.
The Mavs have an open roster spot and could sign a big man on the market to a minimum free agent deal (like what the Lakers did with Alex Len) but that would require Dumont and Nico getting their heads out of their bums.
They actually can’t even do that right now because they’re so close to their hard cap. Just included that information in the story.
The Curse of Casey Smith
Curse of Luca continues
Davis, Lively, Gafford, Powell all injured, and trade deadline passed.
Can an NBA team win games without a big?
Golden state has been doing it for years
We will find out if the Lakers can come playoff time.
Generally speaking, big men get injured more often. In the hypothetical of AD being healthy for the majority of his career, it still wouldn’t make sense trading for a lesser, older big man. Why do you think that was the only real criticism of Wemby coming out. I don’t wish injuries on anyone, but as far as the Mavs ownership and front office, you reap what you sow.
The Mavericks got tired of Cowboys fans complaining and made sure they’re the worst run franchise in the city, state, and possibly the entire country.
These karma jokes just write themselves.
New Orleans Pelicans part 2
I feel like we are getting closer and closer to a scenario where a team is so hamstrung by injuries and salary cap rules that they can’t even put 5 healthy players on the floor.