What Maxi Kleber's Injury Means For Dallas Mavericks
Now 14-14 on the season following a 15-point loss at home to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, the Dallas Mavericks have struggled to prove that they have what it takes to make it back to the Western Conference Finals.
Luka Doncic has done everything in his power to carry this team and as a result, he is one of the favorites to win the MVP award this season, but the Mavericks will need to have steady play from their depth and bench if they are to be a competitive team once more.
However, their depth took a massive hit on Thursday when the team announced that veteran forward Maxi Kleber is out indefinitely with a right hamstring tear.
Mavs PR: “The Dallas Mavericks announced today that forward Maxi Kleber suffered a tear of his right hamstring at practice on Tuesday, December 13. Treatment options are being considered. At this time, there is no timetable for Kleber’s return and updates will be given when appropriate.”
For years now, Kleber has been a steady presence in the Mavs’ frontcourt, especially since he has the ability to defend out on the perimeter and be a “small-ball” center in their rotations.
Without him on the floor now for what could very well be the remainder of the regular season, the Mavericks will be tested and presented with some major questions.
Obviously having Christian Wood in the frontcourt and on their bench helps, but does this possibly put the Mavericks in the market now to pursue other options at the power forward position?
Veteran Jae Crowder still remains a member of the Phoenix Suns and he is one of the bigger names available heading towards the trade deadline. However, he has not played at all this season, possibly being a slight “yellow flag” for Dallas.
Another name to consider in trade talks for the Mavericks is Atlanta Hawks’ forward John Collins.
The Mavericks are not afraid to spend money if it brings them closer to achieving their overall goals and while going after Collins would be pricey, he is definitely an intriguing fit for this team.
Collins is an athletic forward that can run in transition, he has shown flashes of his defensive potential and on top of everything else, he is still only 25-years-old even though he is now in the midst of his sixth NBA season.
Whether or not the Mavericks would be willing to part with one or two key assets for John Collins, as well as some draft compensation, is the major question though.
Tim Hardaway Jr., Reggie Bullock and Davis Bertans are names that come to mind that Dallas could look to move in a deal for Collins with Hardaway likely being a player the Hawks would consider adding.
Then again, Atlanta knows that they themselves are in a position to contend for a playoff spot, so taking a step backwards is not necessarily something they want to do.
It seems like at this time, the Mavericks would need to get at least one other team involved in any trade discussions ahead of the deadline simply because they really do not have that intriguing of assets.
Davis Bertans has played in just 11 games this season and is making $16 million, giving him one of the most unfavorable contracts in the league, and Reggie Bullock has struggled this season, shooting just 31.8 percent from three-point range and recently being demoted to the Mavericks’ bench.
Perhaps the Mavericks turn their attention to another veteran player like Bojan Bogdanovic on the Detroit Pistons, a player who has consistently proven to be one of the better three-point shooting threats in this league.
While they have shown no indications that they want to move on from him, Detroit has received a fair amount of interest in Bogdanovic from rival teams to this point and they will trend towards the trade deadline in a similar position to what they were in a season ago with Jerami Grant, having to answer the question of whether or not to trade their veteran forward.
If they do not make a trade to bring in another frontcourt talent, the Mavericks will have to just roll the dice with what they have and trust in some of their bench talents like Christian Wood, JaVale McGee and Josh Green.
Dorian Finney-Smith has the ability to slide over to the power forward position and with Wood’s ability to play the center position, the Mavericks could potentially look to go small at times with Luka Doncic, Spencer Dinwiddie, Josh Green, Dorian Finney-Smith and Christian Wood on the floor in their closing lineups, possibly even adding Tim Hardaway Jr. to the mix at times.
The most important factor for the Mavericks is that they cannot lose intensity on the defensive-end of the floor in wake of Maxi Kleber’s injury.
Obviously it will be tough for their second unit guys to replicate Kleber’s value on defense, but the Mavericks are not the most talented offensive group, which is why they must now go back to what made them a great team last season – depth on the defensive side of the floor.
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