Strange Comfort

Posted by Rob Mahoney on February 16, 2010 under Commentary |

Caron Butler is slated to start tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder, while Brendan Haywood will come off the bench behind Erick Dampier. DeShawn Stevenson will be somewhere in the building. And as we see all three new Mavs appearing in different roles tonight, how those roles impact mid-season player integration should be a hotbed for discourse.

You want to start your most talented players, but that hasn’t always been the case in Dallas. Fit is just as much of a concern as talent, because without the proper trappings, even a solid NBA player can be rendered ineffective and irrelevant. Plus, after having a bench that has struggled to produce at times without the added production of Jason Terry, sliding a lesser player into the starting role just seems like a natural solution. Not every player in this league would go to the bench to help their team — it takes a special guy with a very particular confidence level; JET is so sure of himself and the system (as was Manu Ginobili in San Antonio) that he knows the “starting” designation is more or less irrelevant. It’s about who plays the bulk of the minutes, who works iwhthin the flow of the offense, who’s on the floor to finish the games the Mavs need the most. Jason Terry has done all three for the Mavs, regardless of whether he was a starter or a reserve, and he’ll continue to be an absolutely integral part of the offense.

But now that Caron Butler is in the mix, the question becomes a bit more complicated. Both are immensely skilled players, and neither fits seamlessly into the starting lineup. Terry has the on-court chemistry with his teammates, but he’s undersized for a 2 guard and doesn’t match-up well defensively with a lot of guards in the conference. Butler is no slouch, and he’s not a starter in the tradition of Antoine Wright or Adrian Griffin. His game is certainly worthy, but Donnie Nelson readily admitted that Butler is more of a natural small forward than a shooting guard.

Jason Terry made this issue a non-factor by announcing that he’ll return to the bench in favor of Butler, but that doesn’t necessarily erase the question: should Butler be starting?

In terms of actual court production and adjustment, I think you could make the argument both ways…even if the realities of the situation only allow for one. Finding how Butler fits into the offense and the defense is an absolutely urgent matter for the Mavs, and the quicker he can establish a rapport with Dirk, Kidd, and Marion, the better. Being in the starting lineup allows Butler to rely on the production of the top Mavericks, allowing him to ease into his role and hopefully improve as he becomes more and more acclimated to his teammates and the system.

But coming off the bench, Caron would have more liberty to be Caron. Butler would be placed in situations in which he’s the leader of the Mavs’ offense, which is the perfect place for a player of his caliber and pedigree to freelance into points. After acquiring a player this late into the season, you’re left to wonder if they can truly grasp the system and the plays by the time the playoffs roll around. And without the benefit of a training camp, the preseason, or even most of the regular season to figure everything out, the clock’s ticking is practically deafening. If that’s indeed the case, I’m not so certain the Mavs wouldn’t be better off pushing Caron to the bench and using him primarily as an isolation player, rolling on the court as a shot-creator and sliding in to provide depth at the 2 or the 3. He’d be able to carry the second unit with his scoring while still logging minutes alongside Kidd (to benefit from Jason’s playmaking) and Dirk (to benefit from Nowitzki’s tendency to draw defensive pressure) for critical stretches or to close quarters.

I don’t think we can say definitively either way which role serves Caron and the Mavs best at this point, but it’s something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks. I don’t think Carlisle would shift Butler to the bench barring some truly miserable play or a monstrous losing streak, but in thinking of what should be rather than what will be, it’s certainly an option.

I mean, does bringing Caron Butler off the bench make less sense than bringing Brendan Haywood off the bench? Caron might actually benefit from being the Mavs’ shot in the arm, while Brendan, who is Dallas’ best interior defender and a superior finisher to Erick Dampier, could have his effectiveness limited by circumstance. We’ve seen the effect that Jason Kidd has had on Erick Dampier’s offense, and he could do more of the same with Haywood, who is essentially a more mobile Damp with better hands and a slightly more varied post game. Plus, the players that Haywood has been brought in defend will primarily be first teamers — Tim Duncan, Andrew Bynum, Nene, etc.

I’m not saying it’s anything of an either-or approach; the Mavs could very well start both Butler and Haywood or bench the two of them. But if Dallas’ long-term plan is to start Dampier over Haywood and Butler over Terry, I’d hope they at least leave open the possibility of a change. If Damp was still performing at the same level he was earlier this season, there may be a more active debate between the Mavs’ options. But Haywood should be the man in the middle for Dallas going forward, and the sooner he can become accustomed to that role the better.

Oh, and take a minute to appreciate the fact that these are the kinds of problems the Mavs will be facing from this point forward. Dallas went into the All-Star break with questions and came out of it with answers, even if those answers are hardly simple. But the Mavericks have added some incredible depth and roster flexibility, and the very fact that the team now has two strong options at both of their most problematic positions cannot go unheralded. Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood (and DeShawn Stevenson…) are now Dallas Mavericks, which at the very least warrants a nod to Donnie Nelson and Mark Cuban for flipping trade assets into basketball assets.

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