Don't Look Now, But Your Dallas Mavericks Have a Decent Center

By Richie Whitt Tue., Nov. 9 2010 at 11:23 AM

Categories: Dallas Mavericks

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Danny Bollinger

Can't remember the last time Erick Dampier had 12 points on perfect shooting and 13 rebounds in a win over an elite opponent. I'm sure it happened, but not nearly enough.

That's why, in part, Dampier was traded in the off-season for Tyson Chandler. The positive effects for the Dallas Mavericks are already tangible.

Take last night's gritty win over the Boston Celtics, for example.

Sure Jason Terry was big off the bench and Dirk Nowitzki hit the game-winning jumper with 17 seconds remaining. Ho. And hum.

But the biggest defensive plays were made by the Mavs' starting center. That's not a misprint.

With the Mavs down two points Chandler blocked a driving shot by Paul Pierce and also picked up a steal against Boston's Rajon Rondo. With Chandler anchoring the defense, the Mavs stopped the Celtics on seven consecutive possessions down the stretch.

It's still November, but with consistency from its center we'll all feel better about this team come April.

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basketball, Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler

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Richie, check out your blog from July 19th entitled "The Mavs Finally Make Their Move, and the Rangers Trump Them?". Check out the blog posted there by "Richie Whitt", and then check out the comment by some crazy-ass lookin' clown named "Rob M". It looks like, regarding this trade, I was right, and you were... ...were... ...what's the word I'm looking for?
I have learned the mantra. "Just enjoy the ride." Things might never be as close as it was in '06, but there can always be great battles and careers to watch along the way. I think Donnie & Mark will always do what they can to keep this team competitive. Maybe, Agent Zero can replace Terry. Lets never forgot how bleak it was in the '90s.
@Meat You get tired of 60+ win seasons and underachieving in the playoffs. You'd probably trade a sucky year to see this thing blown up and rebuilt, but you're not like a lot of the fans. Until you've tasted success, this underachieving that the Mavs have been accustomed to just isn't fun. Go Spurs.
i thought this was a really under-rated move in the offseason for the mavs. the only thing tempering my excitement for the mavs season is their playoff history. hopefully, they will finally get back over the hump this season.
Don't look now, but isn't Chandler in a contract year? Everyone's a happier, more cooperative, more enthusiastic, more focused warrior when there's a new contract to be earned. But watch that complacency set in once Cuban renews him at 4 years for $50MM. Another fair question is whether Chandler and Haywood can/will be significantly more productive (or even AS productive) than Dampier/Diop were during the NBA Finals run. 12pts/13rebs is a solid night, but there were plenty of nights that Damp & Diop combined for 10+ points and rebounds. Can Chandler and/or Haywood match that production night-in/night-out? Remains to be seen. That said, the currently-healthy Chandler DOES appear to be the best combination of size, height, vertical threat, finisher that the Mavs have seen since Roy (cough, cough) Tarpley. Questions: Does he stay healthy? Does he continue to be productive? Does Haywood contribute?
I used to watch basketball religiously. For some reason, over the last two seasons, I developed a big case of "Who cares?". Don't know why either. I tried tuning into the game last night, but just couldn't sit through it.
So is it fair to say we wasted $55 million on Haywood Jablowme, since we were told all summer he was the man and would start, but now weve got Chandler dominating and wood sitting flacid on the bench with his 2 pts 2 reb a game.
Don't Look Now, but I couldn't give a shit less about the NBA. Before the season ever even started it was obvious that the Lakers are going to win the west and either the Celtics or the Heat are going to win the east. How lame and unexciting is that? It sucks that they Cowboys are done already. I can't wait until spring training gets here.
I believe the 'Best Center in Franchise History' title has been transfered from Big Wood to Chandler. Love watching that guy play, he's a beast, and you gotta love watching him finish an alley-oop dunk.