Mavs plan to bring back Brandan Wright

[Underdog]

No surprises here...

While all eyes will soon be focused on free agency as July 1 draws near, one current Dallas Mavericks player knows he won't be going anywhere when that magic date finally arrives.

Brandan Wright, who quickly became a fan favorite as he earned more and more playing time last season, will be back, not that such news should come as any great surprise. Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson called exercising the club's team option on Wright for a second season a "formality."

The lanky, super-athletic 6-foot-10 former lottery pick came to Dallas last season as a bargain free agent seeking to get his career back on track after injuries plagued him in his first three seasons with Golden State. The Warriors opted to trade him to the Nets during the 2010-11 season. The Nets passed on him last offseason, and Wright -- more of a natural power forward -- signed with Dallas and played mostly center.

Wright, 24, remains a bargain for the 2012-13 season at again just under $1 million. His role won't become clear until the Mavs fill out their roster. Starting center Brendan Haywood is under contract but is an amnesty candidate, particularly if the Mavs sign Deron Williams. Backup center Ian Mahinmi is an unrestricted free agent. Depending how the Mavs fill the backup power forward position, Wright could also see time there.

He is one of just a handful of players expected to be under contract heading into July.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/maver...d-nears-return

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Wright's offseason is as important as Roddy's and Ian's. Those three guys need to make the next step in their progression. (providing of course Ian is kept) Roddy needs to regain his confidence in attacking and shooting, Ian needs to stop fouling, and Wright needs to add some weight and work on the jump shot big time.

[Underdog]

Yeah, I'd like to see Wright build more upper-body strength or play less center... But I guess that's totally contingent on which moves we make this summer, so he should probably bulk up a bit anyway.

[mavs777]

Brandan Wright is exactly how old? Considering how skinny he is in his 20s its hard to imagine his body can put on a lot of weight

[KillerLeft]

Originally Posted by mavs777

Brandan Wright is exactly how old? Considering how skinny he is in his 20s its hard to imagine his body can put on a lot of weight

24ish, and I don't know...I think he could put on a little weight. I mean, he's never going to look like Dwight Howard, but people do fill out a little (quite a bit in some cases) during their late 20's. Chandler is a decent example of this, imo.

[KillerLeft]

Personally, I was thoroughly impressed with Wright last season. I know he's not quite as big as an ideal 5, but this new breed of quick, athletic centers with dynamic defensive range who can function easily in the transition game seems to be the future of the position. If that's the case, it would seem Wright has a pretty decent future, imho.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by mavs777

Brandan Wright is exactly how old?

He'll be 25 shortly after the season starts.

[howdoesmydirktaste]

The league is kind of moving away from the Shaq-type center and becoming more of a Chris Bosh setup. If wright puts on some bulk and gets a little better basketball IQ, he could work.

[Budapest Maverick]

Yep, that's a no brainer, would be an awesome backup PF, and depending how our center spot plays out, and the every night matchup, he could give us another 5-10 minutes at center, all that for a little more than the veteran minimum, if i'm not mistakent. He's one of the guys i expect to be back regardless of who we get in the FA market.

[xrobx]

I'm happy with the move, and I hope he continues to progress and work on his game

[samoan-maverickII]

Put him on the Boris Diaw diet plan.

[mac222b]

Originally Posted by samoan-maverickII

Put him on the Boris Diaw diet plan.

Hope he likes foie gras...

[clutch#41]

deron williams alley oop to brandon wright!! thats going to be on sportscenter top 10!! i can see it now

[CapitanObvious]

Well... it would seem the FO made the wRight Choice.

[dirt_dobber]

Best constant for Mavs: A bigger, stronger, 81% shooter Brandan Wright
http://www.dallas-mavs.com/vb/showth...35#post1278735

Through three games, the best constant for the Mavericks’ front line has been Brandan Wright.

You know you’re on a nice roll when you shoot 5-of-8 in a game and your field-goal percentage takes a massive drop.

Wright was 12-of-13 from the field in the first two games and now is 17-of-21 through three games, a sizzling 81 percent. That puts him ahead of schedule for one of the individual goals he set for himself.

“I want to hit 65, that’s my goal,” he said of the field-goal percentage he’d like to have for the season. “I was close last year.”

Indeed he was. He hit 61.8 percent from the field in 2011-12 when he had a nice breakthrough season.

So far, in this, his fifth NBA season, he’s averaging 13 points and 4.7 rebounds in 23 minutes per game. He has started at center, although that most likely will end when Chris Kaman gets his game conditioning back.

Perhaps what’s most impressive about Wright, who has always been the most athletic big man on the court whenever he plays, is that he’s added a bit of muscle to his wiry frame.

Not a lot, mind you. Taking away Wright’s quickness and leaping would be a disservice.

But a great illustration that he’s stronger than he used to be came in the second quarter Saturday against Charlotte. Wright got hacked on the arm by Bobcats big man Tyrus Thomas. While one arm stayed down, Wright muscled the ball up with his other hand and made the layup.

“I guess you’d call that progress,” Wright said.

Indeed, Wright worked hard in the off-season to get better at handling physical play in the paint. And he clearly has shot selection down to an art form with his outrageous shooting percentage.

In fact, all of the Mavericks are shooting the ball well so far. Their 51.6 percent 3-point shooting is ridiculous.

But Wright’s play so far is arguably the brightest surprise. Given the injuries on the front line, the Mavericks would be in a difficult spot without him.

“He’s gotten stronger,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “From a physical standpoint, you can tell he’s bigger. He’s made strides.

“He’s never going to be considered a bruising, ultra-physical type of player. But with the right leverage and the right work on strength, he can continue to make strides.”

Last season, Wright averaged 6.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 16 minutes per game. In three games this year, he has bumped up those numbers significantly.

A lot of people forget that Wright was the eighth overall pick in the 2007 draft as a 19-year-old.

He hits the ripe old age of 25 Tuesday. And he’s looking like one of those NBA players who definitely gets better with age.

[Underdog]

Yeah, Wright's upper body definitely looks a little bulkier... Not a bad thing at all.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by howdoesmydirktaste

The league is kind of moving away from the Shaq-type center and becoming more of a Chris Bosh setup. If wright puts on some bulk and gets a little better basketball IQ, he could work.

The league only appears to be moving away from the Shaq types because there aren't any. It's not like there are a few that just can't get any playing time. If there were a Shaq or even close, that team would be very good, and other teams would be looking for big body counters.

[markus1234]

More rebounds please.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Yeah, Wright's upper body definitely looks a little bulkier... Not a bad thing at all.

He also looks taller than 6'10 to me. Probably because of the way he jumps.

[Bayliss]

The league only appears to be moving away from the Shaq types because there aren't any. It's not like there are a few that just can't get any playing time. If there were a Shaq or even close, that team would be very good, and other teams would be looking for big body counters.

You just described Dwight and the Magic.

[EricaLubarsky]

minutes
Games in which Wright has played 20+ min: 4-1
Games in which Wright has played <20 mpg: 4-7
In wins Wright averages 21.2mpg, in losses he averages 14.6

overall
2nd in +/- this year

road vs home
Home:
59% FG
Away
70% FG

position
At center, we are outscored by 9.8pts per 48min
At PF, we outscore opponents by 20.3pts per 48

PER
PF - 24.5
C - 22.2

Rebound rating for those playing 4/5
31.0 James
27.1 Brand
25.5 Kaman
25.3 Marion
19.2 Murphy
17.7 Wright
16.4 Curry
13.8 Crowder
13.2 Carter

pt differential per 48 by position
Center
+5.5 pp48 Brand
-0.9 pp48 Kaman
-1.0 pp48 James
-9.8 pp48 Wright

Power forward
+20.3 pp48 Wright
+17.4 pp48 Carter
+9.9 pp48 James
-5.9 pp48 Brand

[sefant77]

Took him 17min to grab his first rebound last night...

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by sefant77

Took him 17min to grab his first rebound last night...

That stat alone means so very little.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by sefant77

Took him 17min to grab his first rebound last night...

and yet he won us the game.

/dramatic elipses

[grndmstr_c]

EL, I think that +/- ranking is in error. Either that or NBA.com is off, because they've got him at -7 on-court for the year.

Edit Re: "and yet he won us the game"...No he didn't. He contributed to the win just like a lot of other Mavs, but he hardly deserves sole credit or anything approaching it.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by grndmstr_c

EL, I think that +/- ranking is in error. Either that or NBA.com is off, because they've got him at -7 on-court for the year.

Edit Re: "and yet he won us the game"...No he didn't. He contributed to the win just like a lot of other Mavs, but he hardly deserves sole credit or anything approaching it.

1) My +/- is net +/- not raw plus-minus as NBA.com does it.
2) Other +/- is raw by position
3) As much as a player can contribute in a team game (which I thought was obvious), he did. 8pts on 80% shooting, 4reb, 3 knockaways, 1block and a crucial steal that lead to 2FTs and possession. I'm not sure if you are arguing semantics or expecting more from a reserve. What is your argument there?

[grndmstr_c]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

1) My +/- is net +/- not raw plus-minus as NBA.com does it.

Doesn't matter. Fish, both the DJs, Vince, Jae and Curry all rank ahead of him in per-minute net by my calculations.

3) As much as a player can contribute in a team game (which I thought was obvious), he did. 8pts on 80% shooting, 4reb, 3 knockaways, 1block and a crucial steal that lead to 2FTs and possession. I'm not sure if you are arguing semantics or expecting more from a reserve. What is your argument there?

Maybe it's just semantics. It's got nothing to do with expectations, though. I just don't agree that Brandan did enough last night to earn the (one) game ball, or to be credited with being the one guy who won the game for the Mavs. He contributed in a number of positive ways, just like a bunch of other guys, and he was imperfect in several ways, just like a bunch of other guys. It was a team win, and there's no shortage of players who simultaneously deserve credit both for the fact that it was a win, and for the fact that it almost wasn't.

[LonghornDub]

Game ball aside, last night shows precisely why the guy needs to play at least a little.

[joebobbill]

It was clear to me that Wright provided the 'winning difference' against the Suns, but that comes by comparing the team with Murphy 2 weeks ago to the team playing with Wright last night. Wright put his stamp on the last 3 minutes.

[sike]

I'm a fan of BWright's soft touch around the rim. The dude has legit offensive game.

[Kante]

His "floaters" are pretty soft, i like that.

[dirt_dobber]

His line in last night's win against the Rockets.
30 min. / 8 points on 4-6 shooting / 6 rebounds / 3 assists / 2 blocks
also was a team high +/- with a +22

[joebobbill]

Has anyone seen Wright taking 3s before games?

Is there any chance he could develop a corner 3?

[BGMaverick9]

Originally Posted by joebobbill

Has anyone seen Wright taking 3s before games?

Is there any chance he could develop a corner 3?

Looking for the next Alexis Ajinca?