Vince Carter and Lamar Odom
Last year’s NBA champions, the Mavericks shuffled a lot of people from their lineup, and are busy trying to incorporate veterans Vince Carter and Lamar Odom into it. Carter has been especially important in the two victories, while Lamar Odom still seems to be stuck on I-10 somewhere between Van Horn and Pecos, Texas, on his way from Los Angeles where he enjoyed success as a Laker.
In last night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Odom had his best game yet as a Maverick, playing more minutes and scoring more points than he had scored to date. He is not yet locked in to his game, but his presence is felt, and his teammates are finding ways to spotlight his talents.
Coach Rick Carlisle of the Mavs appears to be running plays for the specific purposes of incorporating the talents of Carter and Odom, and it is helping fans to see how much the two of them bring to the table, as they have been grieving the losses of J.J. Barea, Tyson Chandler, and Caron Butler.
Delonte West
The brightest spot among the new players for the Mavs is Delonte West. Working his way into becoming a fan favorite in Dallas, West is showing all the characteristics he was touted to have: toughness, great ball-handling skills, and a decent penetration guy and playmaker on the offense. As West gives Jason Kidd a little more time to rest on the bench, both players will become more effective. West is already ahead of schedule, so Mavs fans are putting J.J. Barea behind them more and more with every outing.
Article comments
1 - Jay Wallis
Love your work here, can't wait to read more posts! If Odom can eventually get going once again, the Mavs all of a sudden have a very dangerous bench. Tell me one team that can match a second unit with the likes of West, Terry, Odom, and Mahinmi? Certainly not the Lakers or Thunder. In a few months, I doubt anybody will be bringing up the Mavs 0-3 start. I have a lot of Mavs posts if you want to check out
2 - Todd Thompson
Nice work on your blog, Jay. A fan, like I am, has to clear out all the passion occasionally to see how the rest of the world views my team. Your blog is on my radar now, and thanks for commenting.
3 - Charles D
Once Odom can get his mind right & really show Mavs fans what he can do for the team, I can see them back in at least the conference finals this season.
4 - ToddT
Charles, no doubt Odom will come around. He scored well in the loss against the Spurs, and he is a lot more active. Reportedly, he was out of shape badly when he came in. He is starting to play with more energy, and he is blending in well. The offense is still not very well organized, but the top eight players are going to be tough when they it figured out. In spite of the poor offense in the Spurs game, the Mavs will not have problems scoring on most night. There are at least five or six players who are capable of exploding on offense.
5 - Arsenal
great work..I am fan of your writings :D
6 - Hollister
Continue refueling, Dallas Mavericks!
7 - Mark
Dallas Mavericks are just rocking around all the way