Dallas Mavericks Can Survive with Re-Built Center Position

The DeAndre Jordan-debacle left the Dallas Mavericks hanging with a ton of cap space and practically no one to use it on.

Now Dallas has to scrap to stay competitive. Cuban admitted to Tim Cowlishaw and Matt Mosley on KESN-FM 103.3 (h/t SportsDayDFW.com) he was ready to throw in the towel and tank the season if the Mavs missed out on Jordan. However, now that it has become a reality, he's told 105.3 The Fan's Mike Fisher he's ready to reload with whatever is available. 

Dallas still managed to swing a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, landing Zaza Pachulia as a consolation prize. Pachulia will likely step into the starting center role. With virtually no quality big men available, Dallas opted to sacrifice a second-round pick in order to absorb Pachulia's $5.2 million contract, which will expire after next season, per HoopsHype.com.

It's hardly the perfect solution, but it's the best team owner Mark Cuban and the front office could muster considering the circumstances.

The Mavs thought they had plenty of contingency plans in case Jordan didn't commit to the team in the first place. One of those went out of the window when Tyson Chandler inked a deal with the Phoenix Suns. With Monta Ellis going to the Indiana Pacers, Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported a sign-and-trade offer sending Roy Hibbert to Dallas was also on the table.

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Once Jordan gave Dallas a verbal agreement, all other contingencies were naturally deemed unnecessary. The Mavs had just landed one of the biggest free agents of the summer, and the focus shifted away from the center position.

Now it's a fair dilemma. Even without Jordan, it would've been hard to see Dallas keeping its draft pick next summer, which belongs to the Boston Celtics and is protected one-through-seven, per RealGM. Dirk Nowitzki, Wesley Matthews and Chandler Parsons are still there, as are solid bench cogs such as Devin Harris and J.J. Barea. 

A roster featuring those pieces would have a tough time hitting rock bottom. Now that Dallas gave up a future second-round pick to rent a solid starting big in Pachulia, it's become clear that tanking isn't an option. That is especially the case since Deron Williams is reportedly joining the team, per Marc Stein of ESPN. 

Instead, the Mavs will probably look to add more depth up front and try to make the best out of a dire situation.

Pachulia's Fit

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Pachulia is by no means a world-beater, but he does a lot of things at a reasonable NBA level.

He is a decent passer and can operate well as a playmaker in horns sets at the elbow, both through handoff plays and hitting open spot-up shooters. He doesn't get a ton of looks in the post and isn't particularly effective when he does, but if Pachulia establishes deep position and draws a help defender, he usually makes the right basketball play.

Even though he isn't particularly explosive, Pachulia is a good rebounder. He hustles on the offensive glass and ranked ninth in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage last season, per Basketball-Reference.com.

Pachulia has a decent mid-range stroke too, especially when he is hit with a pocket pass along the baseline. He shot 49.5 percent between 10 to 14 feet from the basket last season, per NBA.com. He can be an effective pick-and-pop threat.

The fact Pachulia has some range is a huge plus for the offense, but he'll have to knock down most of his open looks. Defenses will undoubtedly surrender an open mid-range jumper to him if it means getting the ball out of Dirk's or Parsons' hands.

Although Pachulia certainly isn't an elite rim protector, he is a good defender. He can stand his ground at the basket but isn't athletic enough in the vertical department to truly make opposing guards second-guess themselves when on the drive. Opponents shot 52.2 percent at the rim with Pachulia defending it last season, per NBA.com.

Where Pachulia truly excels is his pick-and-roll defense. He has good feet and is quick enough laterally to block off driving lanes. Bobby Karalla of Mavs.com provides the statistical proof of Pachulia's effectiveness in containing ball-handlers:

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Of big men who saw at least 300 such possessions last season, Pachulia ranked fourth in the NBA in terms of points per possession allowed to pick-and-roll ball-handlers (0.708) and limited those players to 43.5 percent shooting from the field. More impressively, he forced turnovers 28.5 percent of the time on those possessions, the highest mark among that same crop of players. 

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Was It the Right Choice?

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Overall, Pachulia is a decent addition. If he was a free agent when the NBA moratorium was lifted July 9, he would've been the best available center. With that in mind, Dallas did well to land him if the goal is to remain as competitive as possible.

Even with Pachulia and Williams on board, the Mavs will struggle to make the playoffs next season, with the eighth seed likely being the ceiling regardless of whoever else joins the team. That considered, perhaps going for a younger option and tanking would've been the better option.

Instead of going after Pachulia, perhaps the Mavericks should have taken a good long look at his former teammate, John Henson.

Henson will enter his fourth NBA campaign next year. He has been itching to have a breakout season but hasn't been presented with the minutes to do so. His playing time went down to from 26.5 minutes per game in his sophomore year to just 18.3 in 2014-15. He has the raw tools to be a great rim protector and rebounder, and he would definitely have been worth taking a gamble on.

If the Mavs would've traded for a player like Henson, the plan would have been a lot more clear. Matthews and Parsons wouldn't be rushed back from their serious injuries, Nowitzki's playing time would be limited and Dallas could clear the stage for the likes of Henson, Dwight Powell and Justin Anderson.

Dallas would've been awful in that scenario, but there would be potential for a quick turnaround. With more minutes, the youngsters could develop into serviceable rotational pieces on a title contender, and the Mavs could chase a star next summer.

In hindsight, it's understandable why Dallas opted against that type of route. Nowitzki has one or two good years left in him, and Cuban owes it to the German to do his best in trying to remain competitive. Rick Carlisle is also not the type of head coach who would willingly sit by and watch his team lose 60 games.

It appears Pachulia will start next to Dirk for now, and it will be an interesting duo to watch. Nowitzki needs an elite rim protector next to him, and while Pachulia might not fit the bill, he'll still be a net positive in the Mavs' lineup. That being said, Dallas is certainly not done making moves, and it needs more depth up front. 

According to Shams Charania of RealGM.com, the Mavs have sparked contract discussions with JaVale McGee. It appears a weird fit on the surface, as a knucklehead like McGee is hardly the type of player that coach Carlisle would be enamored with.

Then again, Dallas has a good track record of bringing in veterans and young players alike and helping them boost their market value. As long as a contract with McGee would be cheap and short-term, it's not the worst idea in the world to take a flier and make him the reclamation project of the season. Al-Farouq Aminu certainly worked out well with similar expectations last year.

Josh Smith is another player worth looking at. He could provide some valuable minutes off the bench behind Dirk, and his versatile skill set would be a welcomed addition. 

None of these moves will make Dallas into a contender this year, but the fact that the Mavs could still put together a competitive roster considering what happened with Jordan is impressive.

You can follow me on Twitter: @VytisLasaitis