The Dallas Mavericks effectively sacrificed an entire year of Dirk Nowitzki's career to pursue another established superstar in free agency, in order to prolong their taut championship window. That's fine, they thought, since Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Dwight Howard — each franchise altering cornerstones — were all relatively obtainable. But this risky preposition also meant conceding Tyson Chandler, perhaps the second most important player on the roster, to the New York Knicks (four-years, $58 million) in free agency.
Well, they whiffed three consecutive times. Time for plan B. Or, rather, plan "We broke up a defending champion and are really desperate, so please come to Dallas, we'll pay you."
Instead, they've reportedly inked former San Antonio Spurs center DeJuan Blair to a one-year, $1.4 million contract according to Brett Poirer. Blair couldn't obtain a multi-year deal in the open market, so he took a sizable pay cut this year, with the intention of securing a larger deal in the following offseason.
Blair's role in coach Gregg Popovich's rotation was gradually reduced each season, and especially so in the playoffs, where the 24-year-old Pittsburgh product played a shade under 18 minutes in the NBA Finals. Blair, maligned with knee trouble in college, averaged 5.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in 14 minutes per game last season, each figure representing a career low. There's also the fact San Antonio has been trying to deal him in past season but to no avail.
Dallas' vaunted frontline will also include Samuel Dalembert, Brendan Wright and Bernard James.
So, yeah. Shut it down, let's go home.
