Five Out Offense: It was nice while it lasted, Rashard Lewis

1. (THE CONTRACT OF) RASHARD LEWIS SENT TO THE VOID. Well that was fast. During his physical it was discovered that Lewis needed knee surgery. After some discussions last night and this morning, the two sides have agreed to part ways. Donnie Nelson issued the following statement:

"It came to our attention during Rashard Lewis's physical that he is in need of a medical procedure on his right knee. We wish him all the best for a speedy recovery and continued success in his remarkable career."

Now the search for a back up power forward for Dirk continues. We'll be speculating on possible replacements and will have more news as we get it.

2. WHY ARE PEOPLE CALLING DALLAS CONTENDERS? Is it because they're (gulp) good? Michael Pena of Sports on Earth details his thoughts for why the Mavericks are now a force and the minor miracles which got them there. Also, the NBA.com Power Rankings have Dallas at 4th. AS IN FOURTH IN THE LEAGUE. I'm not sure what to do with my hands!

3. MAKE THIS MAN AN HONORARY TEXAN. Dwyane Wade talked about how a young player at one of his camps asked him why he flops so much. This makes me so happy.

4. HOLY COW THIS IS SO COOL. Hardwood Paroxysm now has a subsidiary site called Nylon Calculus, which is doing a lot of stats based writing. They have this amazing shot chart tool I really recommend going and messing around with.  Taking a look at where Dirk Nowitzki or Jason Terry shoots over the years is pretty ridiculous. Dirk's game has changed so much over the years and yet he remains among the best year after year. They also wrote this long, but interesting article about team shot charts... the basic idea is that a perfect team will get shots from every part of the floor, with no player overlapping what another player does well.

5. ARE WE EXCITED ABOUT PARSONS YET? Bryan Gutierrez gives his statistical input on Chandler Parsons over at MavsOutsider.