The Association: Dallas Mavericks

[vtcha]

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2021-22 Season Preview

The Mavericks finally won it all in Year 4 of the so-called 'Big 3' era.

Having learnt from past mistakes, there was no doubt that Cuban was going to do whatever it took to bring the band back together. Fortunately for him, everyone else wanted to be back, and from there, all the pieces simply fell into place.

Now with every other team getting stronger, namely the Pelicans, it'll be interesting whether the Mavericks can repeat again this year. Was Serge Ibaka's incredible performance during the postseason legit or was he simply playing for a big payday?

However, it was a strange move by Ibaka, whom decided to pick up his player option, and instead will hit free agency next year. The Mavericks were also able to acquire LaMarcus Aldridge, whom averaged 9.6 PPG with the Spurs last season. However, he only shot 33.6% from the field and it remains to be seen whether he still has anything left in the tank at the age of 36.

Overall, not much has changed from last year in terms of the roster. Dallas will still rely heavily on its' core again in hopes of repeating as back-to-back champions.

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Team Roster

	#1 Justin Anderson | SF University of Virginia
	Height: 6'6"	DOB: Nov 19, 1993 (27 years old)
	Weight: 228 lbs	Drafted: 2015 (1st Rnd, 21st by DAL)
	Nationality: American	Experience: 6 years
STATS GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2020-21 Season 14 18.9 41.0 83.3 2.6 0.7 0.7 0.2 5.0 Career 125 17.6 39.7 84.3 2.9 0.8 0.5 0.5 4.6

	#40 Harrison Barnes | SF/PF University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
	Height: 6'9"	DOB: May 30, 1992 (29 years old)
	Weight: 225 lbs	Drafted: 2012 (1st Rnd, 7th by GSW)
	Nationality: American	Experience: 9 years
STATS GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2020-21 Season 14 35.7 40.6 83.3 5.3 1.4 0.6 0.6 18.1 Career 373 29.3 44.5 77.9 4.8 1.5 0.8 0.3 12.0

	#20 A.J. Hammons | C Purdue University
	Height: 7'0"	DOB: Aug 27, 1992 (29 years old)
	Weight: 260 lbs	Drafted: 2016 (2nd Rnd, 46th by DAL)
	Nationality: American	Experience: 5 years
STATS GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2020-21 Season 14 12.4 59.4 84.6 3.6 0.1 0.5 1.0 4.3 Career 63 15.4 71.1 77.2 5.8 0.5 0.7 1.3 5.8

	#11 John Wall | PG University of Kentucky
	Height: 6'4"	DOB: Sep 6, 1990 (31 years old)
	Weight: 210 lbs	Drafted: 2010 (1st Rnd, 1st by WAS)
	Nationality: American	Experience: 11 years
STATS GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2020-21 Season 14 33.3 50.0 81.7 3.4 12.8 1.9 1.1 19.4 Career 491 35.5 43.7 78.9 4.4 9.3 1.8 0.7 18.4

	#7 Serge Ibaka | PF CB L'Hospitalet (Spain)
	Height: 6'10"	DOB: Sep 18, 1989 (32 years old)
	Weight: 235 lbs	Drafted: 2008 (1st Rnd, 24th by SEA)
	Nationality: Congolese/Spanish	Experience: 12 years
STATS GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2020-21 Season 14 29.1 51.4 84.6 7.0 1.8 1.4 0.9 11.1 Career 594 28.9 51.7 75.6 7.3 0.7 0.5 2.4 11.5

	#10 Tim Hardaway Jr. | SG University of Michigan
	Height: 6'6"	DOB: Mar 16, 1992 (29 years old)
	Weight: 205 lbs	Drafted: 2013 (1st Rnd, 24th by NYK)
	Nationality: American	Experience: 8 years
STATS GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2020-21 Season 14 20.2 30.3 88.9 1.6 1.4 0.9 0.4 4.4 Career 272 22.6 41.3 83.0 1.9 1.3 0.5 0.2 9.3

	#12 DeMarcus Cousins | C University of Kentucky
	Height: 6'11"	DOB: Aug 13, 1990 (31 years old)
	Weight: 270 lbs	Drafted: 2010 (1st Rnd, 5th by SAC)
	Nationality: American	Experience: 11 years
STATS GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2020-21 Season 14 34.9 68.9 79.9 14.5 1.4 1.1 1.7 30.3 Career 482 31.8 47.3 73.4 11.1 2.7 1.4 1.2 20.8

	#23 Wesley Matthews | SG/SF Marquette University
	Height: 6'5"	DOB: Oct 14, 1986 (35 years old)
	Weight: 220 lbs	Drafted: 2009 (Undrafted)
	Nationality: American	Experience: 12 years
STATS GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2020-21 Season 6 6.7 18.2 0.0 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.0 1.0 Career 582 31.0 43.3 83.1 2.9 2.0 1.1 0.2 13.4

	#33 Marcus Smart | PG/SG Oklahoma State University
	Height: 6'4"	DOB: March 6, 1994 (27 years old)
	Weight: 220 lbs	Drafted: 2014 (1st Rnd, 6th by BOS)
	Nationality: American	Experience: 7 years
STATS GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2020-21 Season 14 27.5 35.8 68.4 2.6 5.2 1.5 0.3 9.6 Career 198 27.5 36.1 73.3 3.8 3.6 1.5 0.3 9.3

	#25 Chandler Parsons | SF/PF University of Florida
	Height: 6'10"	DOB: October 25, 1988 (33 years old)
	Weight: 230 lbs	Drafted: 2011 (2nd Rnd, 38th by HOU)
	Nationality: American	Experience: 10 years
STATS GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2020-21 Season 14 22.7 31.5 66.7 3.9 1.0 0.6 0.4 4.7 Career 409 32.3 46.7 69.5 4.9 2.9 1.0 0.4 14.1

	#17 Tony Powers | SG University of Mississippi
	Height: 6'3"	Age: 21 years old
	Weight: 185 lbs	Drafted: 2020 (2nd Rnd, 54th by CHI)
	Nationality: American	Experience: 1 year
STATS GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2020-21 Season 4 2.8 20.0 100.0 0.5 0.5 0.0 0.0 1.3 Career 4 2.8 20.0 100.0 0.5 0.5 0.0 0.0 1.3

	#16 LaMarcus Aldridge | PF/C University of Texas at Austin
	Height: 6'11"	DOB: Jul 19, 1985 (36 years old)
	Weight: 240 lbs	Drafted: 2006 (1st Rnd, 2nd by CHI)
	Nationality: American	Experience: 16 years
STATS GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2020-21 Season 14 21.7 33.6 81.4 5.1 0.9 0.7 0.7 9.6 Career 791 34.3 48.3 80.5 8.3 1.8 0.8 1.0 18.9

	#24 Anthony Morrison | SF University of Michigan
	Height: 6'7"	Age: 22 years old
	Weight: 236 lbs	Drafted: 2021 (1st Rnd, 30th by DAL)
	Nationality: American	Experience: Rookie
STATS GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2020-21 Season Career

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Player Contracts

Key: Team Option, Player Option, Non-Guaranteed

PLAYER	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25	2025-26
DeMarcus Cousins	$33,880,000	$35,500,000	$37,100,000	$38,690,000
John Wall	$32,540,000	$35,000,000	$36,580,000	$38,150,000
Harrison Barnes	$22,420,000	$23,380,000
Serge Ibaka	$18,130,000
Marcus Smart	$14,840,000
Justin Anderson	$4,410,000	$3,000,000	$3,130,000	$3,270,000
Chandler Parsons	$3,970,000
LaMarcus Aldridge	$3,000,000	$3,130,000
A.J. Hammons	$2,340,000
Wesley Matthews	$1,160,000
Tony Powers	$1,280,000
Tim Hardaway Jr.	$1,160,000
Anthony Morrison	$1,030,000	$1,080,000	$1,130,000	$2,040,000

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Future Draft Pick Status

IN	OUT

[MarvellousOne]

Re: The Association: Dallas Mavericks

Congrats on the Championship. Really loving the myLeague, keep it up! Mavs looking really strong for a repeat after picking up LA who should be a strong backup

[LopaKa]

Re: The Association: Dallas Mavericks

Glad to see you and your Mavs win a championship, must have been an awesome feeling! Nice job snagging Lamarcus as well, hopefully he can still provide something at his age. Also, is Anthony Davis still with the Pelicans? If he is that's funny that Westbrook signed with them after hearing rumors that they could play together down the road for the Lakers lol.

[vtcha]

Also, is Anthony Davis still with the Pelicans? If he is that's funny that Westbrook signed with them after hearing rumors that they could play together down the road for the Lakers lol.

Yep, he's still with the Pelicans ironically.

And if Dallas trades their draft pick before the deadline (in real life), then you know somethings up haha.

[vtcha]

Since the Mavericks were crowned the NBA Champions last season, many teams have undergone a number of changes over the long summer offseason. NBA.com's John Schuhmann will grade each franchise -- from the best team to the last -- in the inaugural Power Rankings for the 2021-22 NBA season.

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NBA.com's Power Rankings, are just one man's opinion. If you have an issue with the rankings, or have a question or comment for John Schuhmann, send him an e-mail or contact him via Twitter.

1

Minnesota (Last season: 9-5) Head Coach: David Blatt With the core all entering their prime years', a new era of dynasty is about to unfold...

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Kris Dunn	Isaac Tate
SG	Zach LaVine	E'Twaun Moore	Seth Curry	Boss Benson
SF	Andrew Wiggins	Jerami Grant	Paul Zipser
PF	Harry Giles	Andrew Nicholson
C	Karl-Anthony Towns	Mike Muscala	Damir Markovic

2

Golden State (Last season: 10-4) Head Coach: Steve Kerr The Warriors' reign came to an end last season but they did have a legitimate excuse. This time around, Draymond Green is healthy and surely seeking for avengence.

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Stephen Curry	Shaun Livingston
SG	Klay Thompson	Allen Hall
SF	Kevin Durant	Thanasis Antetokounmpo
PF	Draymond Green	Kenneth Faried	Meyers Leonard
C	Willie Cauley-Stein	Damian Jones	Reggie Davis	Mason Plumlee

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Dallas (Last season: 12-2) Head Coach: Rick Carlisle With Mark Cuban bringing back a championship squad this time around, the Mavericks will be looking at a repeat.

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	John Wall	Marcus Smart
SG	Tim Hardaway Jr.	Wesley Matthews	Tony Powers
SF	Harrison Barnes	Justin Anderson	Anthony Morrison
PF	Serge Ibaka	Chandler Parsons	LaMarcus Aldridge
C	DeMarcus Cousins	A.J. Hammons

4

San Antonio (Last season: 7-7) Head Coach: Gregg Popovich The Spurs made a huge signing in Malik Monk. However, will they translate into more W's for them?

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Malik Monk	Tyler Ulis
SG	Hamidou Diallo	Braden Samuel	Major Banks
SF	Kawhi Leonard	Jace Janning
PF	Tyler Lydon	Skal Labissiere	Chimezie Metu	Joel Bolomboy
C	Thomas Bryant	Wayman Little

5

L.A. Clippers (Last season: 8-6) Head Coach: Jason Kidd What will new coach Jason Kidd do for the everlasting mediocre Clippers?.

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Chris Paul	Collin Sexton
SG	Dejounte Miller	Allonzo Trier	Ellis Flowers
SF	Allen Crabbe	Malcolm Hill	James Michael Johnson-King
PF	Juan Hernangomez	Markieff Morris
C	DeAndre Jordan	Willy Hernangomez	Evan Temple

6

Portland (Last season: 7-7) Head Coach: Kevin McHale A great regular season team but they simply can't get it done come Playoff time. Will it be any different this season?

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Damian Lillard	Tony Wroten	Malcolm Delaney
SG	C.J. McCollum	Malcolm Gibbs
SF	Maurice Harkless	C.J. Miles	Patrick Berry
PF	Bam Adebayo	Al-Farouq Aminu	Noah Vonleh
C	Tony Bradley	Dewayne Dedmon

7

New Orleans (Last season: 5-9) Head Coach: Alvin Gentry The biggest winner in free agency, can Russell Westbrook bring the Pelicans to championship aspirations?

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Russell Westbrook	Jerian Grant	Calbert Lyons
SG	Buddy Hield	Brandon Knight
SF	Isaac Bonga	Dakoulas Balidis
PF	Anthony Davis	Jordan Mickey	Clint Erickson
C	Marques Bolden	Malik Jackson	Quentin Malone

8

Denver (Last season: 7-7) Head Coach: Mike Malone Can Denver make some splash under their two talented big men?

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Emmanuel Mudiay	De'Aaron Fox	Lowell Hooper
SG	Gary Harris	Jamal Murray
SF	Rodney Gaines	Terrence Ross	Danilo Gallinari
PF	Nikola Jokic	Richaun Holmes
C	De'Andre Ayton	Jusuf Nurkic

9

Memphis (Last season: 9-5) Head Coach: Logan Schmidt With both Conley and Gasol at their rear of their peak, is this the last dance for Memphis and its' grit-n-grind philosophy?

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Mike Conley	Wade Baldwin
SG	Tyler Johnson	Andre Roberson	Bruce Brown	Corutney Walker
SF	Kelly Oubre Jr.	Tyreke Evans
PF	Deyonta Davis	Jon Leuer	Martin Olic	Lamond Wise
C	Marc Gasol

10

L.A. Lakers (Last season: 5-9) Head Coach: Luke Walton I'm starting to sound like a broken record but is this the year Blake Griffin finally takes the Lakers to the Playoffs?

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Trevon Duval	Alejandro Ruiz	Shelvin Mack
SG	D'Angelo Russell	Iman Shumpert
SF	Brandon Ingram	Miles Bridges
PF	Blake Griffin	Larry Nance Jr.	Bob Rush
C	Enes Kanter	Earl Norton	Skyler Olson

11

Utah (Last season: 6-8) Head Coach: Nate McMillan The Jazz went back to square one again after making the Playoffs in the previous year. Can Markelle Fultz right the ship?

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Markelle Fultz
SG	Dante Exum	Kerwin Roach
SF	Gordon Hayward	Devin Robinson	Luke Hayward
PF	Michael Porter Jr.	Frank Kaminsky	Kevon Looney	Caleb Anderson
C	Rudy Gobert	Axel Romero	Marcus Barrow

12

Phoenix (Last season: 5-9) Head Coach: Jeff Hornacek How far can Phoenix go this season under their young talented backcourt duo of Booker and Ball?

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Lonzo Ball
SG	Devin Booker	Kent Bazemore	Malik Beasley
SF	T.J. Warren	Mario Hezonja
PF	Dragan Bender	Marquese Chriss	Bennie Boatwright	Armando Perez
C	Mohamed Bamba	Khalil Carson	Brandon McCoy

13

Orlando (Last season: 7-7) Head Coach: David Joerger With Jonathan Isaac breaking out last year, will his encore continue to bring in more success for Orlando?

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Derrick Rose	Jayjon Webster	Patrick Mills
SG	Steve Lever	Donovan Mitchell	Rawle Alkins
SF	Jonathan Isaac	Nasir Abdul-Wahad	Jeff Green
PF	Aaron Gordon	Jay Daniel
C	Nikola Vucevic	Henry Ellenson	Fred Brady

14

Sacramento (Last season: 6-8) Head Coach: Mike D'Antoni The Kings looked to have made some strides last year thanks to the incredible play of Frank Ntilikina. Can they keep it up again this year?

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Frank Ntilikina	Patrick Beverley
SG	Malcolm Brogdon	Caris LeVert	Rashad Vaughn
SF	Taurean Prince	Rolando Blackwell
PF	Thaddeus Young	Lucas Nogueira	Doug Andersen
C	Georgios Papagiannis	Elliot Newble	Steven Jones

15

Houston (Last season: 6-8) Head Coach: Kuba Gooding The Rockets were able to nab some much needed size during free agency in Nerlens Noel. With Harden nearing his prime, does he have enough left to carry the Rockets after so many years?

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	George Hill	Martell Jackson	Trevor Ashley
SG	James Harden	Ben McLemore	Ian Clark
SF	Norman Powell	DeAndre Lawrence
PF	Julius Randle	Terrence Jones	Carlton Bragg Jr.
C	Nerlens Noel	Clint Capela

16

Oklahoma City (Last season: 3-11) Head Coach: Billy Donovan OKC is officially in a rebuild mode, or are they? They've got such a plethora of young talent that a playoff appearance as early as this season isn't entirely out of the question.

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Matthew Holland	Darren Collison
SG	Josh Richardson	Alex Abrines	Evan Turner	Sid Tiggs
SF	Doug McDermott	Shabazz Muhammad
PF	Domantas Sabonis	Paul Millsap	Chief Thompson	Brad Horsley
C	Ivica Zubac	Bobby Portis	Marreese Sepights

17

Cleveland (Last season: 13-1) Head Coach: Tyronn Lue Despite losing just one game in the regular season last year, we're still unconvinced the Cavs can repeat anywhere near that kind of dominance, especially with their aging roster.

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Kyrie Irving	Rajon Rondo
SG	Matthew Dellavedova	Austin RIvers
SF	LeBron James	Robert Covington	D'Angelo Black
PF	Tristan Thompson	Davis Bertans	Chris McCullough
C	Stephen Zimmerman	Dwight Howard	Brook Lopez

18

Chicago (Last season: 6-8) Head Coach: Doc Rivers With some new faces to pair with Jimmy Butler, Wendell Carter and Tomas Satoransky, can the Bulls make some noise this season?

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Tomas Satoransky	Terry Rozier	Rok Sebic
SG	Jimmy Butler	Malachi Richardson	J.J. Redick
SF	Rondae Hollis-Jefferson	Will Barton	Bojan Bogdanovic	Matthew Hope
PF	Wendell Carter	Karl WInston	Darrel Nixon
C	Kelly Olynyk	Dwight Shelton

19

Indiana (Last season: 7-7) Head Coach: Terry Stotts The Pacers have solidified their front court in George, Turner and Adams. Now they'll just hope the back-court depth can hold up.

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Tyus Jones	Melo Trimble	Trey Burke
SG	Lonnie Walker	Louis Harrington	Gabe Madison
SF	Paul George	Bruno Caboclo
PF	Myles Turner	Tyronn Singleton
C	Steven Adams	Omer Yurtseven	Chinanu Onuaku	Diamond Stone

20

Philadelphia (Last season: 10-4) Head Coach: Mike Budenholzer The Sixers will look to bounce back after a disappointing exit in last year's Playoffs. They'll also have to do it without sixth man Dario Saric, whom they lost via free agency.

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Elfrid Payton	Cory Joseph	Jrue Holiday
SG	Terrance Ferguson	Paul Chapman
SF	Ben Simmons	Dzanan Musa	Kyle Anderson
PF	Jahlil Okafor	Pascal Siakam	JaMychal Green	Caleb Swanigan
C	Joel Embiid	Kosta Koufos

21

Brooklyn (Last season: 4-10) Head Coach: Lionel Hollins The Nets made some nice low-key acquisitions in Dario Saric and Victor Oladipo. However, size looks to be their biggest concern, with Leon Best (6'10") as their starting center.

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Cameron Payne	Jeremy Lin	Conrad Elliott
SG	Denzel Valentine	Victor Oladipo	Alec Burks
SF	Nicolas Batum	Jonathan Greene	Marcus Holmes
PF	Dario Saric	Alan Carter
C	Leon Best	Cesar Perez

22

New York (Last season: 6-8) Head Coach: Frank Vogel With the Knicks acquiring Kevin Love and Jordan Clarkson during the draft, it's now or never for the Knicks.

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Kemba Walker	Raul Neto
SG	DeMar Brooks	Jordan Clarkson	Lance Stephenson	Antonio Blakeney
SF	Jayson Tatum	Justin Jackson
PF	Kevin Love	Carmelo Anthony	Brice Johnson
C	Kristaps Porzingis	Donatas Motiejunas

23

Toronto (Last season: 5-9) Head Coach: Dwane Casey Toronto's aging stars still have something left in the tank. But after yet another disappointing outing last year, this might just be the final straw.

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Kyle Lowry	Scooter Patterson
SG	DeMar DeRozan	Evan Fournier	Jordan McRae	Dion Waiters
SF	Kevin Knox	Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk
PF	Tobias Harris	Trevor Booker	Kelvin Bennett	Emmanual Vasquez
C	Jonas Valanciunas	Jakob Poeltl

24

Boston (Last season: 4-10) Head Coach: Brad Stevens With the Celtics beginning to transition over from its' old core to new, it'll be interesting if they can blend playoff aspirations along as well.

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Isaiah Thomas	Eric Bledsoe
SG	Avery Bradley	Shake Milton
SF	Jaylen Brown	Jae Crowder
PF	Derrick Favors	Ivan Rabb	Dario Golob
C	Greg Monroe	Randall Person	Ike Anigbogu

25

Milwaukee (Last season: 7-7) Head Coach: Tom Thibodeau The Bucks had a pedestrian year after clinching the first seed the year before. Can they turn back the clock?

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Giannis Antetokounmpo	Frank Jackson	T.J. McConnell
SG	Troy Brown Jr.	Andrew Harrison
SF	Jabari Parker
PF	Thon Maker	Jared Sullinger	Wenyen Gabriel	Jarnell Stokes
C	Alex Len	Al Horford	John Henson

26

Detroit (Last season: 9-5) Head Coach: Stan Van Gundy Are the Pistons destined for mediocrity again?

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Reggie Jackson	Michael Carter-Williams	Joseph Young
SG	Kentavious Caldwell-Pope	Kostja Mushidi
SF	Stanley Johnson	Marcus Morris
PF	Lauri Markkanen	Brayden Tyler	Paulo Castillo
C	Andre Drummond	Jonathan Jeanne	Joakim Noah

27

Washington (Last season: 10-4) Head Coach: Sidney Lowe They'll be big expectations from the WIzards this year after making it all the way to the Conference Finals last season.

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Dennis Smith Jr.	Ricky Rubio	Isaiah Briscoe
SG	Grayson Allen	Grayson Allen	James Ennis
SF	Bradley Beal	DeMarre Carroll	Solomon Hill
PF	Otto Porter	Sacha Killeya-Jones	Brandon O'Neal
C	Gorgui Dieng	Ed Davis

28

Charlotte (Last season: 3-11) Head Coach: Scott Brooks The Hornets seem to have good something brewing with their young core of Lawrence Howard and Luke Doncic. But is it enough to get back into the Playoffs?

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Dejounte Murray	Sheldon Overton	Sean Jean-Charles
SG	Luka Doncic	Tim Potter
SF	Michael Kidd-Gilchrist	Khris Middleton
PF	Joffrey Lauvergne	Nikola Mirotic
C	Lawrence Howard	Cody Zeller	Jarrett Allen

29

Atlanta (Last season: 5-9) Head Coach: Erik Spoelstra The Hawks found themselves a gem in Raymar Benjamin and Erik Wright. Now with third overall pick, Milos Dabanovic, are things about to get a whole lot sweeter?

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Dennis Schroder	Edmond Sumner
SG	Erik Wright	Patrick McCaw	James Young	Erensto D'Angelo
SF	Mikal Bridges	O.G. Anunoby	V.J. Beachem
PF	M. Dabanovic	Cheick Diallo	Montrezl Harrell	Trey Lyles
C	Raymar Benjamin	Eddy Thomas

30

Miami (Last season: 9-5) Head Coach: Dwyane Wade With Jackson and Hood doing most of the heavy lifting, can someone else step up for the Heat and help them break out of mediocrity?

Projected Depth Chart
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Goran Dragic	Ray McCallum
SG	Rodney Hood	Sean Kilpatrick	Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
SF	Josh Jackson	Wizard Kelly
PF	Justise Winslow	Thomas Robinson	Isaiah Hartenstein
C	Hassan Whiteside	Bismack Biyombo	Dwight Powell

[vtcha]

Dallas off to a strong start, crush Oklahoma City

November 1, 2021 | by NBA News

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The Mavericks gave number one overall pick, Matthew Holland, a debut to forget, forcing the rookie to 7 turnovers and 4 fouls. Holland was able to salvage his numbers late in the fourth, finishing with 17 points and 4 steals. After the game, Marcus Smart could be heard saying "Welcome to the NBA rook" as he walked towards the tunnel with a smirk on his face.

As for the Mavericks, it was both their point guards that did the damage with John Wall scoring 16 points and 10 assists while Smart chipped in with 18 points.

Box Score

Spoiler

[PortugueseSeed]

Re: The Association: Dallas Mavericks

Strong start to a strong season.
Smart was in charge of showing what the NBA is for the rookies

[Jaiveer]

Re: The Association: Dallas Mavericks

Only 1 east team in the top 16, pretty much means the 15th west seed will be better than the 2nd east seed. Overpowered for sure

[vtcha]

Mavericks survive Texas showdown during Ring Night

November 13, 2021 | by NBA News

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The Mavericks finally received their championship rings in a packed American Airlines Center. The crowd was buzzing and the home team feasted on the energy, opening the first quarter with a 31-23 lead over the Spurs. Things continued much the same in the second quarter, again outscoring San Antonio, 32-24.

However, the Spurs made a roaring comeback in the third as they looked to spoil Dallas' championship celebrations. As the game went right down to the wire, down by 1, the Spurs elected to go for the win with Tyler Ulis attemting a three. Unfortunately it missed, but Thomas Bryant quickly tipped the ball in as time expired. After further review, the shot was voided as the ball was still in Bryant's hand as the shot clock went off. The Mavs narrowly dodged a bullet, winning 105-103.

John Wall led with 21 points, 5 assists and 6 steals, while DeMarcus Cousins led the team in scoring with 23 points. Former Spur, LaMarcus Aldridge, fared well against his old team, scoring 13 points and 6 rebounds whilst coming off the bench.

Box Score

Spoiler

[vtcha]

Nuggets embarrass Mavericks at home behind big night from twin towers

December 25, 2021 | by NBA News

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On Christmas Day, live on national TV, Denver crushed the defending champs, 119-94.

The Nuggets got off to a huge lead in the first quarter, outscoring Dallas by 23 points. They also managed to keep DeMarcus Cousins to single digit scoring in the first half whilst grabbing just a measly 1 rebound. However, by the third quarter, Cousins was back to his old self, dropping 20 points. But it was too little too late as the Mavericks could do nothing to stop Denver's front court, allowing 22 offensive rebounds and 29 second chance points.

DeAndre Ayton had a massive game, posting 33 points, 16 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks. He was complimented by fellow twin tower, Nikola Jokic, who racked up 22 points and 16 rebounds. Even backup center, Jusuf Nurkic, got in on the action with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

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Mavericks outlast Kings, 105-101

January 8, 2022 | by NBA News

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Harrison Barnes, whom had been struggling with his shot so far this season, started this one hot, scoring 21 points in just the first half as he finished with 28 points, knocking 5 from downtown. Chandler Parsons also came up big off the bench, turning back the clock and dropping 19 points (4 from deep).

Serge Ibaka's notable rim protecting presence was evident tonight as he swatted away 7 shots, combining with DeMarcus Cousins to tally an incredible 12 blocks. Ibaka's shot blocking resurgence seems to be in full effect ever since his defensive dominance in last year's Playoffs. He is currently leading the league with 4 blocks per game, and it remains to be seen whether the big man can go back to his block party days in Oklahoma City.

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Jazz out-muscle Mavericks despite losing Fultz

January 14, 2022 | by NBA News

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Michael Porter Jr. continued his hot streak against the Mavericks, dropping 27 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals, to help secure a 118-108 win for Utah. The Jazz are now 2-4 and are hoping to salvage their poor start to the season. However, the victory comes at a hefty price with Markelle Fultz suffering a broken ankle in the third quarter. Fultz, who scored 20 points and 4 steals, is estimated to miss up to 2-3 months.

As for the Mavericks, with the exception of DeMarcus Cousins, they simply couldn't get it going tonight at all. Cousins finished with 36 points and 10 rebounds but he was on an island on his own as the Jazz racked in 22 offensive rebounds and scored 26 points off Dallas' 20 turnovers.

After the game, Mavs coach, Rick Carlisle, voiced his displeasure in the lack of effort from his team. "We need to start realizing that as champions, we've got a target on our backs. Every team is going to come in and give it their all. We can't continue this cruise-control style of play and expect to turn it on when we want because it enforces bad habits."

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[benton32]

Re: The Association: Dallas Mavericks

Hey awesome stuff, I need to get going on my Blazers one more..

Are u playing the games and controlling everyone, I would not mind that but i feel like i would take away from how they would really play on the game, i usually just act as like a coach or gm, i wish they brought back normal coach mode, not the hoopscast live, it just seems weird watching the dots move around i know they are still doing stuff on the court when u go to reply it shows what they did,

but are u having issues with horrible AI defense acting lost and leaving guys so open, this is whats hesitating me on continue, just seems lame, I guess if both teams do it may the best team come out on top, but it usually happens on 3 pointers, Anyways good stuff dude

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Are u playing the games and controlling everyone

Yep, I play the 10 minute quarters whilst controlling everyone.

but are u having issues with horrible AI defense acting lost and leaving guys so open

Yeah, it's frustrating at times especially when the A.I defender completely loses his man once a screen is set. I've tried adjusting the defensive settings (i.e., setting the on/off-ball on three-point specialists to 'tight' or 'deny ball'), and while it helps, I'd say they will quite often make the same mistakes.

I play on HoF sliders with Real FG% and the only thing I've changed was bumping up the 3PT attribute for users to the same as the CPU. I mean, I was missing wide open shots and averaging below 25% from downtown.

[benton32]

Re: The Association: Dallas Mavericks

Yep, I play the 10 minute quarters whilst controlling everyone.



Yeah, it's frustrating at times especially when the A.I defender completely loses his man once a screen is set. I've tried adjusting the defensive settings (i.e., setting the on/off-ball on three-point specialists to 'tight' or 'deny ball'), and while it helps, I'd say they will quite often make the same mistakes.

I play on HoF sliders with Real FG% and the only thing I've changed was bumping up the 3PT attribute for users to the same as the CPU. I mean, I was missing wide open shots and averaging below 25% from downtown.

Thanks ya that AI defense thing is annoying me, aahah but hey like i said if it happens to both teams so be it may the better team in the end win, i just want the games to mirror the talent, i mean like when i watch or play one, i want the better teams to stand out more and better players lol