What Jason Terry’s Injury Means For The Mavericks

Jason Terry (photo. Reebok)
There’s no hotter team in the NBA than the Dallas Mavericks. Currently sitting five games behind the Lakers for the top seed in the Western Conference, the Mavs are 20 games over .500 and have won nine in a row. But all that could soon change, as their spark plug Jason Terry is slated to undergo surgery today to repair a fractured orbital bone. What’s his timetable for return? The reports range anywhere from a week to two months. Safe to say this is not good news for Mavs fans.
“He’s got a couple things going on in his facial area,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “I can’t get specific about it because they got to check it out when they get in there. In the meantime, it’s definitely a tough loss for us. But it’s a deep position, and we’re going to have to fill it by committee and have guys step up.”
So who makes up this committee? Losing the team’s second leading scorer at 17.0 a game, they’re going to have to have guys step up and score. The obvious guy is going to be Jose Juan Barea. We’ve seen Barea go off on scoring sprees before, so now the time to put on a show. Also, between Rodrigue Beaubois (shaky rookie), DeShawn Stevenson (worst shooter on the team) and Matt Carroll (who they’ll have to dust off), they’re going to need to have these guys be ready to play. Also, even though he hasn’t logged a minute yet, it’s a good thing the Mavs signed Von Wafer. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in the rotation tonight against the Kings.
Assuming Terry returns sooner rather than later, they should be fine. They have enough veterans on the roster to take care of business, and with the NBA Finals on their mind, they can rally around this injury to persevere.
What do you think? Without Terry, how far can the Mavs go?
Other Stories About The Mavericks:
- The Dallas Mavericks Have To Be Considered Darkhorse Title Contenders
- Dime Q&A: Shawn Marion Breaks Down The Caron Butler Trade And The Josh Howard Rumors
- Top 5 Best Backup Point Guards In The NBA
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March 5th, 2010 at 11:22 am
Heckler says:
it will mean more meaningful minutes for deshawn stevenson; who is actually a good defender when his head is on straight and in the game.
jason kidd
deshawn stevenson
caron butler
dirk diggler
brendan haywood
a decent starting five. then terry will come off the bench
March 5th, 2010 at 11:29 am
Papa Smurf says:
Heckler,
I think the key part of your comment is “when his head is on straight.” I wouldn’t bet on that. Although I do love the way he irritates Cleveland fans.
March 5th, 2010 at 11:31 am
mavs all the way says:
we’re fine.
I mean, it’s a tough loss, but we’re aight.
Rick Carlisle is a very good coach to at least offset the loss, temporary loss that is. This is where his coaching skills come in.
here we come. for real.
mavs all the way.
March 5th, 2010 at 11:38 am
Rizwan says:
Mavs suck!!
Suns fan
March 5th, 2010 at 11:45 am
karizmatic says:
If Wafer does some of the things that he is capable of, he could potentially fill the void. They can still go pretty far without him maybe even Western Conference finals, but that definitely is a huge loss, that’s a sad one too, I’m not a Mavs fan but Jason Terry is a huge part of their team and I know they won’t be the same team without him in the lineup. It’s too bad I wanted to see them at least make a run with all their guns cocked locked and ready.
March 5th, 2010 at 11:57 am
2 Easy says:
I see Terry only missin a week or 2 and comin back rockin a mask tho. He’s a tough competitor who wants to win at all costs and the way the mavs have increasin depth and development at the wings this will give those other guys a chance to get into a comfort zone with their games so their sparks in the playoffs see JJ Barea from last year
March 5th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
TL says:
Can’t come back and play if you can’t breathe correctly. haha.
Look at the Mavs lineup:
Hayward
Dirk
Butler
Stevenson
Kidd
You have 4 of 5 that are good to great defenders. The only problem I see is Kidd getting destroyed by faster guards. Wonder if Stevenson can step up and cover faster guards…
March 5th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
RC says:
He will be back in no time. The Mavs have such a talented roster. Caron should pick up the pace a little bit here. It’s his chance to get more shot attempts. Caron is easily 20ppg guy if he really focuses.
March 5th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
BiGShoTBoB says:
Let’s not forget about Shawn Marion…
March 5th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
sh!tfaced says:
Forget DeShawn and his ugly tatoos. They’re gonna play Caron and Matrix at the same time.
Kidd
Caron
Marion
Dirk
Haywood
March 5th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
quest??? says:
i dnt see von wafer playing a significant role, ive seen a lot of mavs game and im a hundred percent sure that the role will be filled by barea and rodrigue, with a lil deshawn stevenson.
March 5th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
JH says:
#10 has got it right.
Kidd
Butler
Marion
Dirk
Haywood
Terry will be back before the playoffs.
March 5th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
JH says:
#10 has got it right. This is a mute argument.
Kidd
Butler
Marion
Dirk
Haywood
Terry will be back before the playoffs.
March 5th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
Derik says:
The Matrix needs to step up and put up some sick numbers like 26pts, 14rbs, 4blks, 3stls, I miss the old Matrix…
March 6th, 2010 at 8:09 am
Arno says:
Beaubois isn’t shaky at all. Every time he’s had minutes, he contributed. More, he can defend too quick for Kidd opposing PG.
As a rookie, he needs playing time and he will step up. After scoring 17 when JK was given the night’s rest, he had 22…