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Withey Working To Improve 3-Point Shot

October 7th, 2017 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill
  • Mavericks center Jeff Withey has worked on his 3-point shooting to try to fit into coach Rick Carlisle’s system, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Withey signed a two-year contract worth nearly $3.4MM this summer, but only $350K of that is guaranteed. “We like his length, shot-blocking ability,” Carlisle said. “[Owner] Mark [Cuban] was really a key guy on this. He’d been studying him for a while. And he’s shown that he can knock in some perimeter shots from time to time.”
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Seth Curry Out Indefinitely

October 7th, 2017 at 2:33pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Seth Curry has been diagnosed with a stress reaction of his left tibia, according to a Mavericks press release. He’ll be reevaluated weekly and there is no timetable for his return.

Curry was the favorite to land the team’s starting shooting guard spot after impressing in training camp and limited preseason action. Coach Rick Carlisle indicated earlier in the week that Curry in the starting lineup “makes sense.”

“I’m not saying it’s 100 percent. But we need a consistent scorer and a guy who can guard that position and he’s continued to make strides,” Carlisle said of Curry prior to the injury.

Dallas signed Curry to a two-year, $6MM last offseason and he enjoyed his best season as a pro in year one with the franchise. The guard scored 12.8 points per game while shooting 42.5% from behind the arc.

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Nerlens Noel Faces Distractions Again; Gian Clavell Makes Strong Statement

October 5th, 2017 at 5:28pm CST by Austin Kent

There have been no shortages of distractions throughout Nerlens Noel‘s basketball career and that’s not about to change during the 2017/18 campaign. As Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post writes, the Mavs center will approach this season with his unrestricted free agency looming.

Still just 23 years old, Noel has already dealt with injuries, trade rumors and free agency speculation across stops with Kentucky, the Sixers and now the Mavs. This year he’ll look to earn a substantial offseason payday despite starting the season as Dallas’ backup center.

With Dirk Nowitzki slotted ahead of him at the five, Noel will be utilized off the bench as an athletic post defender with the ability to check guards on the perimeter. The Mavs will also look to employ his ability to crash the net in pick-and-roll situations, with a keen eye on how the young center might fit with the franchise long-term, in the post-Nowitzki era.

  • The Mavs only have 12 players currently on guaranteed deals. It turns out, Gian Clavell could be one of their seven players on non-guaranteed deals to convince the team to keep him on for the full year. Earl Sneed of Mavs.com tweets that the guard has made a strong case for making the squad.
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Texas Notes: Curry, Parker, Anthony, Paul

October 4th, 2017 at 8:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is leaning toward Seth Curry as his opening-night starter at shooting guard, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Curry is competing for the position with Yogi Ferrell, who has been working with the first team in practice alongside rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. Regardless, Carlisle says Curry “probably” has the edge for the starting position. “I’ve just been real impressed with him the first week and right now, it makes sense,” the coach said. “I’m not saying it’s 100 percent. But we need a consistent scorer and a guy who can guard that position and he’s continued to make strides.”

Curry started 42 of his 70 games a year ago in his first season with Dallas, averaging 12.8 points and 2.7 assists per game. He led the team on a second-half surge after joining the starting lineup in January. Dirk Nowitzki, Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews are expected to join Curry and Smith as the opening-night starting five.

There’s more NBA news out of Texas:

  • Spurs coach Gregg Popovich offered a health update on Tony Parker, saying the injured point guard could be ready to return in December, relays Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Parker received partial medical clearance last week for training camp and expressed hope that he could return in November from the torn quadriceps tendon that knocked him out of the playoffs. Parker has been approved for weight work, running and shooting, but not for any contact drills. “I think he’s going to be ahead of schedule,” Popovich said. “I kept thinking he might be ready in January or something. He might be ready in December. He’s come along really well.”
  • After listening to Carmelo Anthony trade rumors all summer, the Rockets are ready to move on, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Houston was considered the likely landing spot for Anthony right up until he was traded to Oklahoma City. However, Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni, who once coached Anthony in New York, said talks never got far enough that he expected him to join the team. “We’re human. We think about possibilities,” D’Antoni said. “If we can get that guy, look at this. Then reality sets in. I found out if I go play a little bit more golf and quit thinking about it, I’m better off.”
  • Chris Paul has no doubt that he and James Harden can be an effective backcourt combination for the Rockets, relays Michael Lee of The Vertical. Paul forced a trade from the Clippers over the summer, telling the team he planned to opt out and sign with Houston if it didn’t deal him. “It was definitely time for a change,” Paul said.
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NBA GMs: Dennis Smith Was Biggest Draft Steal

October 4th, 2017 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams
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Poll: Dallas Mavericks’ 2017/18 Win Total

October 1st, 2017 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

After finishing below .500 last season for the first time since the 1999/2000 campaign, the Mavericks recognized that they’re no longer among the league’s bona fide contenders and committed to a rebuild.

That means the club essentially sat out of free agency — Dallas’ own free agents, Dirk Nowitzki and Nerlens Noel, were the only players to get more than the minimum salary from the team this offseason, and neither of them got more than $5MM in guaranteed money.

Of course, the Mavericks’ primary summer addition was Dennis Smith Jr., who has generated some buzz as a Rookie of the Year candidate. Still, it may be unfair to expect too much from Smith. Outside of a few transcendent talents, first-year players often struggle to make an impact right away, and the rookie point guard will be just 19 years old on opening night. He may develop into an All-Star caliber player down the road, but he’s unlikely to be fully formed out of the gate.

Given their limited upgrades, the Mavericks aren’t expected to significantly improve upon last year’s 33-49 record. Offshore betting site Bovada has the club’s over/under at 35.5 wins for 2017/18.

What do you think? Are you more bullish on the Mavs’ chances to pick up a few extra victories this season, or will the team continue to pile up losses in a tough Western Conference? Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Previous over/under voting results:

Western Conference:

  1. Golden State Warriors: Over 67.5 (53.57%)
  2. Houston Rockets: Over 55.5 (65.57%)
  3. San Antonio Spurs: Over 54.5 (67.74%)
  4. Oklahoma City Thunder: Over 50.5 (71.77%)
  5. Minnesota Timberwolves: Over 48.5 (55.69%)
  6. Denver Nuggets: Under 45.5 (50.44%)
  7. Los Angeles Clippers: Over 43.5 (60.7%)
  8. Portland Trail Blazers: Over 42.5 (56.3%)
  9. Utah Jazz: Over 41.5 (55.94%)
  10. New Orleans Pelicans: Over 39.5 (65.26%)
  11. Memphis Grizzlies: Over 37.5 (53.43%)

Eastern Conference:

  1. Boston Celtics: Over 55.5 (63.5%)
  2. Cleveland Cavaliers: Over 53.5 (68.82%)
  3. Toronto Raptors: Over 48.5 (64.21%)
  4. Washington Wizards: Over 47.5 (71.29%)
  5. Milwaukee Bucks: Over 47.5 (63.88%)
  6. Miami Heat: Over 43.5 (55.39%)
  7. Charlotte Hornets: Over 42.5 (51.07%)
  8. Philadelphia 76ers: Under 41.5 (53.37%)
  9. Detroit Pistons: Over 38.5 (51.95%)
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Southwest Notes: Gay, Smith, Mavericks, Pelicans, Grizzlies

September 30th, 2017 at 11:09am CST by marksuleymanov

Rudy Gay‘s season in Sacramento ended abruptly last season due to a torn left Achilles tendon. After declining his $14.2MM option for 2017/18, Gay signed a two-year pact with the Spurs looking to reestablish himself. Early indicators for the 31-year-old are positive, Tom Osborn of San Antonio-Express News writes.

“I think he’s going to be great,” guard Danny Green said to Osborn. “He’s going to give us that versatility of playing four smalls (because) he can play inside and out and guard bigs. Once he gets into shape and gets comfortable with that Achilles, I think he’ll be great for us.”

Gay has a career average of 18.4 PPG in 11 NBA seasons. If he can regain his pre-injury form for the Spurs, San Antonio will have another productive scorer in their lineup. A scorer that Green compared to Kevin Durant due to his ability to quickly shoot the ball.

Below are additional news tidbits around the Southwest Division:

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Noel Likely To Come Off Bench

September 25th, 2017 at 10:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavs big man Nerlens Noel will likely come off the bench this season behind Dirk Nowitzki, coach Rick Carlisle told Tim MacMahon of ESPN and other media members. Noel started 12 of 22 games after being acquired from the 76ers in February. Carlisle informed Noel and agent Rich Paul of his plans over the weekend, MacMahon adds. “At this point in time, Dirk at the 5 position is probably the best scenario for Dirk and for our team, and I just don’t think that Dirk is a guy that’s going to come off the bench as long as I’m here,” Carlisle said. “So there’s a very good chance that Nerlens will come off the bench.” Noel had a tumultuous summer as a restricted free agent, changing agents and ultimately signing Dallas’ qualifying offer of $4.1MM when he didn’t get the contract offers he expected. Noel will an unrestricted free agent next summer.

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Nerlens Noel May Not Start For Mavs

September 25th, 2017 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams
  • Addressing Nerlens Noel‘s role with the Mavericks, head coach Rick Carlisle said today that the big man will likely come off the bench, adding that Noel is okay with that (Twitter links via Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com). When he took center stage at Media Day, Noel was asked about signing the one-year qualifying offer with the Mavs and replied, “I love the city of Dallas. I do. But we all know what happens with this business.”
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Dirk Nowitzki Talks New Contract, Mavs, Cuban

September 22nd, 2017 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite battling injuries and seeing his numbers take a hit during the 2016/17 season, Dirk Nowitzki re-signed with the Mavericks this summer, and received a two-year deal from the team, an indication that 2017/18 may not be his final NBA season.

Appearing on The Jim Rome podcast this week, Nowitzki discussed the possibility of playing for two more years, explained why he has been willing to accept team-friendly deals multiple times throughout his career, and joked about whether or not he’ll retire before Vince Carter does (Carter is trying to outlast Nowitzki, Dirk says). Here are a few highlights from that conversation, via The Dallas Morning News:

On whether or not he’ll play out his new two-year contract:

“When the Mavs said ‘Hey, we want you to sign a two-year deal,’ then obviously in my head I’m thinking ‘Yeah, I’d love to fulfill this deal, I’d love to play two more years.’ But you know, last year for the first time I had some weird stuff. I had some Achilles problems, I missed almost the first two months of the season which was really, really frustrating. It was hard to kind of work my way back midseason to game shape and so it was a tough time for me.

“If that happens again and I miss 30-40 games, then it really doesn’t make any sense. I want to be out there. I don’t want to be frustrated with something and battling back from injury all the time. But if the year goes well and the body holds up good, then why not try another? So I kind of have to see and wait and listen to my body and then we can make that decision next summer.”

On whether he’s ever considered leaving the Mavericks to join a super-team:

“I always said, if we wouldn’t have won the championship here in Dallas then that would’ve been an option for me. … If we wouldn’t have won it in 2011, it would’ve been a possibility, but when we won it then I kind of knew this was the place I wanted to be. I’ve been here so long, it’s almost like I’m part of the community. … It’s just like I belong here. A different jersey at this point would feel completely weird.”

On accepting multiple team-friendly contracts throughout his career:

“Don’t get me wrong, I made a lot of money in the league. Mark [Cuban] has been incredibly loyal to me on and off the floor. He’s a great supporter of mine. After my rookie deal, I was 23, 24, and that’s when I made my first max deal, six-year deal at the time. He made me his franchise player and I just felt so fortunate to be in that situation.

“I never thought growing up that I would be in those shoes one day where I can be a franchise player and make max money. That’s like a dream come true, so I think just that relationship we have with Cubes, with the city of Dallas that was always there. I always wanted to be here, I wanted to be loyal, I wanted to be on a good team moving forward so I always wanted to help out and like I said, Mark has always been great to me so we just had a great relationship.

“I tell the story all the time, how many owners come to the best player’s bachelor party? Cubes came to mine and we had a blast, so that kind of shows you the kind of relationship we have and had over the years. It’s been awesome.”

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