https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/5/21/17374906/nba-draft-combine-rumblings-takeaways
Mavs Thinking Big?
Bamba told reporters that he believes he’s the type of big that point guard Dennis Smith Jr. wants to play with. “Rick Carlisle has said himself that he thinks Dennis is best with a big who rolls hard and finishes above the rim,” Bamba said. “It would be an interesting deal, me and Dennis.” Considering Carlisle’s affinity for a rim-running center, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see the Mavericks connected with Bamba, who posted an unfathomable 7-foot-10 wingspan and 9-foot-7.5 standing reach. But I’ve received mixed signals regarding Dallas’s interest in the Texas big man.
Ever since word spread in league circles in March that Dirk Nowitzki would return to the Mavericks for his 21st season, there have also been rumblings that the Dallas front office will look to make additions this summer that can put the team back on a winning track. The Mavericks can create space to sign a max free agent, and multiple league sources expect them to pursue a trio of big men: DeAndre Jordan, DeMarcus Cousins, and restricted free agent Julius Randle. If the Mavericks do indeed plan to pursue expensive bigs in free agency, then it’d make sense to target a primary scorer, like Porter, rather than Bamba.
Randle and Jordan are both Texas natives. Randle fits the timeline of Dallas’s young roster, while Jordan could finally get a glimpse at what he missed out on after backing out of a deal with the Mavs in the summer of 2015. Jordan has a $24.1 million player option for 2018-19, so he may not hit the market, but the Mavs would be a great fit considering, as Bamba said, Smith’s game is best suited with a center who can roll and flush lobs.
A core of Porter and Harrison Barnes at forward, Smith at guard, and Jordan at center seems solid on paper, with some upside to get even better. I’d be less enthusiastic if Dallas signed Cousins coming off a ruptured Achilles. The Mavericks have already dealt with the repercussions of signing a player coming of an Achilles injury in Wesley Matthews, who still produces, but lacks the same bounce and burst that made him one of the NBA’s best 3-and-D players. Cousins, an unrestricted free agent this year, will beat the odds if he becomes the same dominant-yet-flawed player he was prior to the injury. But Dallas’s history working with Cousins’s agent, Jarinn Akana, is undeniable. Of Akana’s 12 NBA clients, five are current or former Mavericks, and one played for their G League team: Boogie’s brother, Jaleel Cousins.
Mavs Thinking Big?
Bamba told reporters that he believes he’s the type of big that point guard Dennis Smith Jr. wants to play with. “Rick Carlisle has said himself that he thinks Dennis is best with a big who rolls hard and finishes above the rim,” Bamba said. “It would be an interesting deal, me and Dennis.” Considering Carlisle’s affinity for a rim-running center, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see the Mavericks connected with Bamba, who posted an unfathomable 7-foot-10 wingspan and 9-foot-7.5 standing reach. But I’ve received mixed signals regarding Dallas’s interest in the Texas big man.
Ever since word spread in league circles in March that Dirk Nowitzki would return to the Mavericks for his 21st season, there have also been rumblings that the Dallas front office will look to make additions this summer that can put the team back on a winning track. The Mavericks can create space to sign a max free agent, and multiple league sources expect them to pursue a trio of big men: DeAndre Jordan, DeMarcus Cousins, and restricted free agent Julius Randle. If the Mavericks do indeed plan to pursue expensive bigs in free agency, then it’d make sense to target a primary scorer, like Porter, rather than Bamba.
Randle and Jordan are both Texas natives. Randle fits the timeline of Dallas’s young roster, while Jordan could finally get a glimpse at what he missed out on after backing out of a deal with the Mavs in the summer of 2015. Jordan has a $24.1 million player option for 2018-19, so he may not hit the market, but the Mavs would be a great fit considering, as Bamba said, Smith’s game is best suited with a center who can roll and flush lobs.
A core of Porter and Harrison Barnes at forward, Smith at guard, and Jordan at center seems solid on paper, with some upside to get even better. I’d be less enthusiastic if Dallas signed Cousins coming off a ruptured Achilles. The Mavericks have already dealt with the repercussions of signing a player coming of an Achilles injury in Wesley Matthews, who still produces, but lacks the same bounce and burst that made him one of the NBA’s best 3-and-D players. Cousins, an unrestricted free agent this year, will beat the odds if he becomes the same dominant-yet-flawed player he was prior to the injury. But Dallas’s history working with Cousins’s agent, Jarinn Akana, is undeniable. Of Akana’s 12 NBA clients, five are current or former Mavericks, and one played for their G League team: Boogie’s brother, Jaleel Cousins.
in their executives and they may become a free agent destination.
