A ‘Buh Humbug’ Dallas Mavericks Christmas

Last Christmas, the Dallas Mavericks sat with a 15-17 record, and were just outside the playoff picture. Fast forward to now, and it is the same old Holiday story. Currently, the team is 16-16  and a game and half from the eight spot in the Western Conference.

So what are the chances the Mavs turn it around again? Can the team have a repeat performance of last season’s post holiday shenanigans?

It’s very possible. If you recall, last seasons biggest takeaways were: the resurgence of Jalen Brunson, the Kristaps Porzingis trade, and improved play of Spencer Dinwiddie.

If the Dallas Mavericks hope to turn it around this season, one thing they must answer is the Christian Wood dilemma.

Rumors have started to swirl that the Dallas Mavericks could eventually place Wood on the trading block. Some reasoning for a trade include his lack on minutes as a starter and Dallas using his value to gain valuable assets.

Yet, nothing is for certain and there is plenty of reason for him to stay. Wood is the best center the Mavs have had since Tyson Chandler nearly 11 years ago. Compare his numbers to Dwight Powell and JaVale McGee, and Wood is the best big man option on the roster, making him a true option at center.

However, if Dallas does not pull the plug on Wood, then giving the him more minutes might help the squad down the stretch.  In four starts this season, Wood has averaged 18.5 points and 10.3 rebounds. This is a slight increase from his 17.1 ppg and 8.1 rbs regular season numbers.

Along with the Wood situation, the Dallas Mavericks must also find a secondary ball-handler/scorer to pair with Doncic.

When Brunson decided to part ways with Dallas, Jason Kidd and company showed no concern finding his replacement. On national television, coach Kidd stated that players like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dinwiddie would help pick up the slack.

Currently, Dinwiddie is the team’s third leading scorer averaging 16.6 points, a one point increase from last season. His biggest down fall is his field goal percentage, as he is shooting 3.5 worse than last season.

Like his counterpart, Hardaway, was also expected to help take the weight off Doncic’s shoulders. For the season, he is scoring 13.3 points, a low number he hasn’t seen since the 2015-2016 season. From 2016-2022, he has averaged above 14 points each season, but this year has been different as he has yet to recover from his foot injury.

His inconsistence style of play has it difficult for Dallas to rely on him. During the month of November he had games where he scored two, four, six and twenty, making it hard for Dallas to rely on him.

Nonetheless, his scoring numbers took the biggest jump this month. For the month of December he is averaging 17,6 points, compared to 9.6 points in November. If Hardaway can show flashes of his 2020-2021 season, then there is definitely room for him to grow in Dallas.

His salary will be the biggest hurdle the Mavs will have to overcome.

So while it has been a Buh Humbug Christmas for the Mavericks, there is still plenty of time for the team to grow throughout the season.

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So yes, there is a good possibility Dallas can replicate last season’s turnaround. All the team needs to do is overcome a couple of hurdles and just maybe they can get to playoff contention in the West.

The answer is simple: Get Luka some HELP!!