News started to trickle down on Wednesday afternoon that Corey Brewer has decided to join the Dallas Mavericks. After securing a buyout from the New York Knicks, Brewer. who turns 25 on Saturday, became one of the most desired free agents due to his athleticism and defensive versatility. Based on the capology, the Mavs had the most to offer Brewer in terms of money for this year. Based on the teams in the running (New Orleans, San Antonio, Boston just to name a few), Dallas was the perfect mix of money and minutes available on a championship contender. Considering how things turned out, it appears that the flexibility in regards to letting Sasha Pavlovic go after the second 10-day contract expired has officially paid off.
While it is not a can't-miss kind of move, it is definitely a move that gives the Mavericks even more depth. The former Florida Gator should become one of Dallas' best perimeter defender and close up a hole that the Mavericks were unable to fill before last week's trading deadline as they were in pursuit of Detroit's Tayshaun Prince. Brewer is listed at 6-9, which would provide excellent length throw at the likes of Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Manu Ginobili. The fact that the Mavericks added another piece that easily could have gone to those Western Conference powers does make the move quite significant. Brewer expected to clear waivers Thursday.
While MFFLs can be excited simply for the fact that a player chose the Mavericks with other elite teams in the equation, money plays into the equation as Marc Stein is reporting that Brewer is expected to land a three-year deal worth between $7 million and $8 million with the Mavericks.
The fact that the Mavericks were able to get him in that price range is impressive considering Brewer was taken seventh overall in the 2007 draft by Minnesota. The Mavs were able to outspend the other suitors due to the fact they still possessed all of their Mid-Level exception from last summer. Again, it was the best-case scenario for Brewer to where he could get paid and has the opportunity to play with a contender. Dallas will be the third team Brewer will be a member of this season. He was traded from Minnesota to New York as part of the Carmelo Anthony deal, New York decided to release Brewer and that brings us to now.
The move should help the Mavericks in the short term as well as giving them a chance to pick up and incorporate a young and athletic player that can have an impact on their rotation. They now have Rodrigue Beaubois, Ian Mahinmi, Dominique Jones and Corey Brewer as their young guns. The Mavericks are having their cake and eating it too as they stay in the championship chase while building for the future.
The Mavericks have preached flexibility and being opportunistic and this situation follows suit based on previous moves. If you do not remember, the Mavericks acquired Shawn Marion from the Toronto Raptors based on the fact the Raptors needed additional cap space to acquire Hedo Turkoglu (who is no longer on the team). They also acquired Tyson Chandler due to the Charlotte Bobcats backing out of a deal with Toronto due to salary concerns and then Head Coach Larry Brown unsure whether the move was a good fit for the team. Now, the New York Knicks decided to let Corey Brewer go and the Mavericks were in the position to pounce on the situation.
Based on Carlisle's defensive philosophy, the offense is triggered by the defense which should play to Brewer's strength. While Brewer is not a gifted scorer, his defense can lead to easy scoring opportunities for himself and the rest of the Mavericks. Brewer will not be asked to be the savior. He will just be asked to be one of the guys and do what he does best and that is play defense.
So what does it mean? It means the Mavericks are absolutely stacked with talent. Based on Rick Carlisle's emphasis on defense, Corey Brewer could take a chunk of Peja Stojakovic's minutes against teams like San Antonio, Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Lakers based on their athletic and explosive wing players. Dallas has plenty of options to throw at teams based on the given opponent. It is likely that the acquisition makes DeShawn Stevenson a relatively permanent fixture on the bench. Stevenson moving to the bench was already in motion with Roddy Beaubois returning to the lineup. Things could happen such as injuries or foul trouble which would lead to Stevenson being ready to step in and follow Carlisle's "Be Ready" mindset. Stevenson is a free agent at season's end, so the Brewer acquisition could mean that you need to soak in Stevenson as a Maverick while you can. Caron Butler still remains optimistic that he will return to the team during the playoffs, but it appears that Brewer's signing signifies that they have found a suitable replacement and are not planning on his return.
That takes care of how things go could to start the games but what about the closing moments of games? Again, it will be based on match-up but based on Jason Terry's capability to take over games; it should be assumed his spot as a closer is relatively safe.
Considering how everything turned out, credit needs to be given to the front office for the Dallas Mavericks. The moves made by the Mavericks as of late have been low risk, high reward. Acquiring players the caliber of Peja Stojakovic and Corey Brewer without giving up assets in terms of players is nothing short of remarkable.
MMB will have any and all news in regards to Corey Brewer as they return to the practice court on Thursday afternoon.
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