Mark Cuban knows Dallas Mavericks need Tyson Chandler for a re-peat: NBA Feature
Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban might be one of the most controversial owners in the league however, one thing is for sure that he does know how to build a championship team.
With the lockout now over and the next NBA season slated to start on Christmas, the Mavs owner finds himself in a quagmire.
The problem is that six members of his championship winning team namely, Tyson Chandler, Jose Juan Barea, Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson, Brendon Haywood and Brian Cardinal will be free agents in about two weeks time and with a stricter spending policy in place for larger market teams in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), Cuban has to take a big, rather a huge gamble.
The first four players in the list are all accomplished stars now and with a championship under the belt, the players will not be available at the same price tag as they were last season. This puts the onus on the Mavs management to foresee the future and make a choice that will ensure the winning momentum.
In short, Dallas Mavericks need to make sure that they re-sign Tyson Chandler and Mark Cuban is smart enough to evaluate that fact.
Chandler’s arrival at Dallas made Mavericks a complete team and after ten years of post season meltdowns, they finally found the right man to complement Dirk Nowitzki on both sides of the court. Nowitzki has always been regarded as one of the best shooters in NBA, however over the years; the added defensive responsibilities took away his freedom on the offense.
That however changed last season.
With Chandler holding the defensive fort, Nowitzki found the freedom he has been longing for so long and ran over all the oppositions, be it the Portland Trail Blazers, the mighty Los Angeles Lakers, the talented Oklahoma City Thunder or the powerful Miami Heat. The remaining damage was done by the three clutch players - Jason Terry, Shawn Marion and Jason Kidd. However, it all happened because the Mavs had a solid presence in the paint, be it on the offensive or defensive ends.
Chandler not only choked the life of the opposition offences, depriving them of the lane trips, but was also sensational in setting up offensive screens and giving his more accomplished shooting team mates open looks at the rim.
Having said that, there is a strong possibility that the Mavericks would have to award a huge contract to Chandler, considering that he is now one of the best active centres in league. However, given the fact that there are not too many good players of his species in the league and the other available options will come at approximately the same cost, Cuban will not want to disturb the tandem of his team.
Tyson was a starter last season and it was with the rest of the starting lineup - Nowitzki, Kidd, Marion and Terry – that he made the system work. Among the rest of the players in the free agent list, except Butler, who was injured most of the last season, no other player is a starting material and that might work in Cuban’s favour.
Chandler averaged 10.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in the last season. However, his presence is worth much more than his numbers and Cuban knows that. Therefore, when Chandler returns back to the NBA court in Mavs colours next season, do not be surprised.
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