Former Mavericks lead assistant Monte Mathis accepts position with Orlando Magic

Monte Mathis was the longest tenured member of the coaching staff, but he will no longer grace the Maverick sidelines. Rick Carlisle announced during the Mavs pre-draft press conference that Monte Mathis has accepted a position as an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic. Carlisle also announced that Melvin Hunt has officially accepted the position as lead-assistant on the coaching staff.

Mathis took over as the defensive coordinator when Dwayne Casey left the coaching staff in 2011. Since Mathis took become the defensive coordinator, the defense has wandered in mediocrity. Some of that is personnel, but there were times when the defense looked flat out confused from a schematic sense.

Nonetheless, Mathis should be remembered well. He was a member of the organization for the last 11 years. He endured the disappointment of the 2006 finals and the pure elation of the 2011 finals. He was a fiery personality on the sidelines. I will miss seeing his animations on the Maverick sidelines.