Jeremy Lin Could Give the Mavericks a Perfect Offseason
By Reid Hanson
Since winning the title in 2011, the Dallas Mavericks have struggled mightily in luring top-quality free agents. This offseason, the narrative has changed when the Mavs agreed to a deal with former Clippers’ center, DeAndre Jordan. Throw in the highly-sought-after shooting guard, Wesley Matthews, and you have an offseason rarely seen in these parts – successful.
Now the Mavs find themselves with virtually zero cap space, and an incomplete starting lineup. They still need a starting PG. Sure, the Dallas Mavericks have point guards Devin Harris, Raymond Felton, and J.J. Barea on the roster, but none of them are exactly someone you want to run your team, especially one with playoff aspirations.
Devin Harris is a strong player when healthy – it’s just he’s never healthy for an entire season. Raymond Felton has been a reliable starter in the past, but he also has had recent weight, conditioning, and performance issues. Who knows if Felton has anything to offer going forward?
The Dallas Mavericks just re-signed their own free agent, J.J. Barea, on a two year deal. But as a change-of-pace player incapable of even moderate defense, he can’t even be relied on to be the #1 PG. Nope, the Mavs have a stable of complements, and no lead horse.
For as successful as this offseason has been, they are still a PG away from perfection. Perfection may sound like too strong of a word, but considering the limited success the Mavs have had at attracting top free agents in the past, combined with the fact they signed BOTH of their primary targets this offseason, you have to consider this wildly successful.
And if you can do all that, AND find a starting PG with zero money available under the cap – you call that perfection.
That’s what the Dallas Mavericks are working on now. They are trying to find a PG capable of carrying the load, competing in a stacked Western Conference, all for the low-low price of…nothing.
They best way to find a starting PG when you’re up against the cap, is by trade. And when you lack tradable assets, the best way is by sign-and-trade. That is exactly why Lakers PG Jeremy Lin is the Mavs’ best bet to complete the roster, and give the Mavs the perfect offseason
This isn’t to say a roster with Lin as the #1 PG is the perfect roster, either. This is the perfect offseason — As in the best REASONABLE outcome given the circumstances. I’m not going to consider LeBron James as an option because that’s just not reasonable thinking. Even LaMarcus Aldridge was a little unrealistic. Jordan, Matthews, and the potential addition of Lin are what’s perfect, considering the Dallas Mavericks’ circumstances.
In recent seasons, Jeremy Lin hasn’t been a great player, but he hasn’t been a complete bum either. In Hollinger’s all-important ESPN rankings, Lin ranked #26 in Player Efficiency Rating (15.65). That’s not great, but it’s better than what the Mavs have had with Harris (14.86), Barea (15.14), Rajon Rondo(13.49), Jameer Nelson(12.14), and Jose Calderon (11.34).
Jeremy Lin’s True Shooting Percentage is .539 which would rank him #19 in the NBA at PG, which is less than Devin Harris, but the same as Tony Parker, and slightly better than Russell Westbrook. In fact, Lin is comparable to Tony Parker in most advanced statistics. That’s nothing to scoff at.
Standing 6’3” 200 lbs, with a 6’5” reach, Jeremy Lin has the size needed play PG in the NBA. He’ll never be mistaken for being a stellar defensive player, but his speed allows him to keep up with, and stay in front of, the league’s best PGs.
Linsanity obviously took a hit since breaking onto the scene with the New York Knicks a few years ago. Both Houston and Los Angles provided challenges for his game, and failed to offer an environment like NY, where he once thrived.
While we don’t know exactly what a player like Jeremy Lin can and cannot do, we do know he was a beast in New York. In NY, Lin thrived running the pick-and-roll, with an athletic and well-spaced team around him. That’s exactly what we have in Dallas.
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DeAndre Jordan can set the high screen and go hard to the rim. Dirk Nowitzki is the master of mismatches and spacing already, combined with the 3 point efficiency of Wes Matthews, the Mavs will provide ample opportunity for Lin to thrive. Add in the penetrating athleticism of Chandler Parsons, and the Mavs will once again have a dynamic and multifaceted offense, playing to everyone’s strengths.
The biggest barrier to success is Lin’s propensity to turn the ball over. For as spectacular as he can be dishing out assists, he can also be careless. And carelessness is something Rick Carlisle doesn’t tolerate.
It’s tough to imagine what the Lakers would want back in return. Besides a 2nd round draft pick, and Raymond Felton’s expiring contract, the Mavs don’t have much to offer. But picking up Lin has great boom potential, without much bust risk, given the limited investment they can make.
Jeremy Lin would provide something for nothing and could give the Dallas Mavericks the perfect offseason…and reignite the once promising career of Jeremy Lin in the process.
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