2011-12 Dallas Mavericks Odds to Win the NBA Championship
Thursday, December 22, 2011
by WagerWeb Sportsbook
The backbone of the Dallas Mavericks’ defense Tyson Chandler is gone, as is the coach Dwane Casey who devised the schemes for it. The addition of Lamar Odom and Vince Carter will bolster the offense and a Odom, Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion front line is a matchup nightmare.
But offense, historically, has never been the Mavericks’ problem. The pressure will be on Brendan Haywood to become a consistent, 30-35-minute starter to enable Dallas to match up with big teams like the Lakers and Thunder in the playoffs.
LAST SEASON: 57-25, beat Miami 4-2 in NBA finals.
STARTING FIVE: G Jason Kidd (8.2 apg, 7.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg), G Vince Carter (14 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.0 apg), F Dirk Nowitzki (23 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.6 apg), F Shawn Marion (12.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg, C Brendan Haywood (4.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg).
KEY ADDITIONS: F Lamar Odom (trade, Lakers), G Vince Carter (free agent, Suns), G Delonte West (free agent, Celtics).
KEY LOSSES: C Tyson Chandler (trade, Knicks), G J.J. Barea (free agent, Timberwolves), F Caron Butler (free agent, Clippers).
WAGERWEB.COM NBA BASKETBALL ODDS TO WIN WEST: +350
Odom, the versatile 6-foot-10 forward who was often an unheralded and unappreciated part of the Lakers’ back-to-back titles might be the key here. Just the fact that he was slated to be part of the three-team deal that would have landed him in New Orleans and Chris Paul with the Lakers was enough to shake Odom to his core and immediately demand a trade that put him in Dallas.
Now Odom fits into a Dallas lineup that suddenly went from having many holes to being among the deepest in the league with the additions of Vince Carter and Delonte West, too. Now the Mavs have a jam-packed backcourt with Carter, Jason Terry and Rodrigue Beaubois at shooting guard and the pairing of Kidd and West at point. They have perhaps the best forward threesome in the league in Nowitzki, Odom and Shawn Marion and two of the last three Sixth Man Award winners in Terry and Odom.
The regular season will be tough because of their age, the compressed season and the fact everyone will want to take down the champs. The real test will come in the playoffs. They won’t be favorites, but if the chemistry and rotation come together, Nowitzki, Kidd and coach Rick Carlisle have shown they have what it takes to win it all.
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brendan haywood - caron butler - chris paul - dallas mavericks - delonte west - dirk nowitzki - dwane casey - j.j. barea - jason kidd - lamar odom
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