SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for January and and February: 19. Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks Overall Win/Loss Record (as of February 28th) :  25-32 (fourth place, Southwest Division)	Last Month: 22	This Month: 19
Team Statistics and League Rank (as of February 28th) Points Scored: 101.0 (8th) Points Allowed: 102.2 (27th) Team FG%: .453 (11th) Opponent’s FG%: .442 (10th) Team FT%: .797 (3rd) Team Three Point FG%: .364 (10th) Rebounds per game: 42.6 (14th) Opponents rebounds per game: 45.8 (29th) Turnovers per game: 14.3 (8th) Opponents turnovers per game: 14.8 (16th)	Individual Statistical Leaders (as of February 28th) Scoring (ppg): OJ Mayo (17.1) Rebounds per game: Shawn Marion (8.0) Minutes per game: OJ Mayo (35.9) Assists per game: Darren Collison (5.5) Field Goal Percentage: Brandon Wright (.617) Free Throw Percentage: OJ Mayo (.830) Three Point FG Percentage: OJ Mayo (.403) Steals per game: Darren Collison (1.4) Blocked Shots per game: Elton Brand (1.3)
Worst Player of the Month:  Chris Kaman After being touted as one of the up and coming big men in league, it seems as if Chris Kaman's performance has severely deteriorated over the past few months.  He went from an potential All Star with a bright future ahead of him to an aging and hobbling mess whose best basketball is far behind him.  Kaman has spent much of his time in Dallas coming off the bench and has watched his minutes along with his production decrease with each passing month going.  He went from averaging 13.5 points and 6.8 boards per game at the end of November to just 9.2 and 5.7 by the end of January.  And it does not seem to be getting any better anytime soon as he missed all but two games in the month February becoming less of factor with each passing game.	First Player of the Month:  Vince Carter It is shocking to say, but for the last two months, the one that they called Vinsanity has started to show signs of life that the old Vince Carter still exists  somewhere.  At 36, Vince Carter has come off the bench for the Mavericks and has put up rather impressive numbers averaging up to 14.3 points per game while shooting the ball at a rather impressive clip as well.  For the last couple of months, Carter has been shooting close to .450 from the field along with posting .400 shooting from beyond the arc.  Add the fact that he has yet to miss a game for the Mavericks this season, Carter should be be recognized as one of the best feel good stories in the NBA.  After years of being considered as a washed up has-been, Carter has silenced all of his skeptics and doubters having possibly one of the best seasons he has probably had in a LONG time.
Analysis: For a team that is on the verge of demise, the Dallas Mavericks certainly do look like it--so far this season they have managed to remain rather competitive despite what their discouraging record may show.  Although the Mavericks' chances of making the playoffs are slim to none, they continue to play as if they are contending for the post season.  Their team may be quite old, but the Mavs certainly don't show it as the rank amongst the NBA's best in scoring, field goal, free  throw and three point percentages,  and have almost matched their opponents in every statistical category despite losing a majority of their games.  Nonetheless, with a little over a month left in the regular season and being just seven games off of .500, the Mavs, if luck runs their way and are capable of making a run in the final stretch, may have an outside chance of attaining the eighth and final playoff berth.  Some may consider that as wishful thinking; however, if one looks at the current situation in the Western Conference, one can see that such an idea is not as far fetched as many may believe. For starters, take a look at the three teams that are currently ahead of Dallas for the eighth and final playoff spot--neither one of them can be considered as having a lock on their respective spots.  Both the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets, the teams that currently hold on the two final spots in West, are both very young and not consistent enough to hold onto their respective standings for very long.  The Rockets are a terrible defensive team that allow their opponents to shoot nearly .460 from the field and are the worst team when it comes to committing turnovers while the Jazz allow themselves to be outshot and outscored by their opponents despite the team's winning record.  Add the fact that history has not been so kind to the Rockets as for four straight years they have finished with records over .500 only to fall short to the post season and that their perimeter centric offense leaves them quite open to exploitation as they have not real offensive option in the front court.  In the Jazz's case, it is the complete opposite as Utah has plenty of options in the paint, but whose options around the perimeter remain sketchy at best. As for the third team that currently stand in the Mavericks', it is none other than that train wreck side show otherwise known as the Los Angeles Lakers.  For the entire season, the Lakers have played well short of expectations despite boasting a starting lineup with four NBA All Stars and two certain Hall of Fame inductees stumbling along barely able to find little or any consistency.  Thus far, they have scratched and scraped their way to .500 record which is pretty modest to say the least by Lakers standards.  As it stands now, the Lakers are practically in the same boat as the Mavericks--they are both veteran teams who have seen their best years pass them by, but still manage to remain somewhat competitive despite their internal turmoils.  If the Lakers, despite all the off the court drama and rather shoddy play are capable of reaching a game away from the final playoff spot, who's to say that the Mavericks cannot do the same? Despite their rather aged and shabby appearances, the Dallas Mavericks still have plenty of fight left in their old bones and aching muscles.  The team's star, Dirk Nowitzki looked as if he was headed downhill as he struggled early in the season; however as the season progressed, it seems as if he has found his second wind playing like the All Star that Dallas fans have grown to love.  The same goes for fellow old timers such as Shawn Marion and Vince Carter who many observers already were laying the last rites on their dying careers.  Although his ability to put up big numbers has all been gone, Marion has still shown plenty of effort and energy on both sides of the floor shooting at a .505 clip while Vince Carter has been playing his best ball in a very long time showing flashes of the Vince Carter of old.  Add them with an intriguing crop of youngsters such OJ Mayo, Darren Collison and Brandon Wright, the Mavericks have certainly proven that they are still relevant in this league and will not be going away anytime soon. Many expected Dallas to tank the season as the prospects for the Mavs seemed rather bleak to say the least; however, the Mavs have turned those expectations on their heads as they continue to play with the same vigor and effort as if they were still contending for the playoffs, win or lose.  This certainly does not look like a team who expects to head into the lottery once the regular season comes to a close--in fact as the season draws to a close, they look even more motivated to make a push to reach the post season for the 13th straight year.  While most NBA fans look for the Lakers to climb out of the pit they dug for themselves, they should not ignore the Mavericks as they just might quietly sneak into contention give die hard Laker fans a little something to worry about.  Regardless, whether they make the post season or not, no one can argue the fact that the Dallas Mavericks have shown plenty of grit, poise, and determination during this turbulent time and thus should be commended for their efforts.  Like true warriors, they continue to fight despite the odds and win or lose, they will be looked upon as heroes to their fans and to the rest of the league.