The 2011 Dallas Mavericks
This Mavs team answers the question of why blowing it up can be a bad idea. The teams lone star, Dirk Nowitzki, had spent 12 years in Dallas. Nowitzki had been through a lot of change without any consistent success. A “Big Three” consisting of himself, Michael Finley and Steve Nash wasn’t enough to even reach an NBA finals.
When Nowitzki did get to the Finals in 2006, the Mavs blew a 2-0 series lead to the Miami Heat. In 2007, arguably the best Mavs team Dirk was a part of, Nowitzki’s number one-seeded Mavs were upset in the first round by the 8 seeded Warriors that went just 42-40 during the regular season. Nowitzki had been through his fair share of heart breaks, but even so, the team held onto him. Instead of tearing it apart, the Mavs finally were able to put the perfect team around their German All-Star.
In 2008, the Mavericks acquired All-Star point guard Jason Kidd from the New Jersey Nets. This required giving up their rising star Devin Harris as well as two first round draft picks. In 2009, the Mavericks acquired all-star Shawn Marion as a part of a four team trade with Toronto, Memphis and Orlando. These two veterans were crucial in giving Dallas enough experience to get over the hump.
Prior to the 2011, season the Mavericks took a gamble and acquired Tyson Chandler from the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Matt Carroll, Erick Dampier, and Eduardo Najera. Chandler had dealt with various foot and toe injuries over the years, so the Mavs were able to buy low on him. The former second overall pick in 2001 was the perfect big man to pair with Nowitzki. His defense was impeccable and was one of the best offensive rebounders in the league.
Perhaps the biggest “diamond in the rough” for Dallas was when they found J.J. Barea. After going undrafted in 2006, Dallas took a flyer on him. Following multiple D-League stints, Barea burst onto the scene in 2009, when he played in 79 games. Barea was one of the key bench players during the 2011 title run averaging nearly ten points and four assists.
Related Story: Sam Presti’s most important offseason starts now
That being said, perhaps the biggest thing to go in Dallas favor was timing. The two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers were getting older, having just played in three straight Finals, and were clearly a step slow when Dallas swept them in the West semis. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Oklahoma City Thunder were too young. Durant and Westbrook were only 22 years old and lost a hard-fought series in five games to Dallas. Finally, the Miami Heat needed a year to figure things out. The first year of the Lebron-Wade-Bosh era was a major adjustment period and the team hadn’t completely put it all together.
Dallas also benefited from not having to play the number one seed in the West, San Antonio Spurs, who were upset by the eight seeded Grizzlies in the first round. So while Dallas did a great job of putting pieces around Nowitzki, they were beyond fortunate to peak at the perfect time.