After the highly publicized move to acquire All-star point guard Rajon Rondo, the Dallas Mavericks is currently setting their eye to acquire another All-star player to complete the puzzle of their championship ambitions.
Jermaine O'neal, who decided to spend more time with his family have not played since the start of the season, is the currently on top of the priority list of the Mavs. The Rondo deal, which forced the Mavs to trade Jameer Nelson, Brandan Wright and Jae Crowder, definitely left a big void within the Mavs defensive lineup.
In what would be his 19th season in case he comes back, doubts have been circulating whether the 36 year old former All-star can still play. O'neal averaged 7.9 points, adding 5.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in a season that only allows him 20.1 minutes per game with Warriors in last years season.
The increased interest in O'neal is due to the fact that the Mavs currently has some serious problems in terms of a big dominant defensive player. It is important to note that Tyson Chandler is in the starting five of the Mavs' all 27 games and no one is expecting him to start all the remaining games of the season, hence the dire need for a reliever, a position O'neal is most suitable for. To make matters worse, Chandler has suffered a fractured fibula, an injury that might not hurt him now but will definitely affect his game in the long run. The urgency to acquire O'neal just proves how serious Mavs is in putting a dominant defender in the paint.
The Rondo trade definitely opened up some interesting line-up shuffle within the Dallas Mavericks. With Dirk Nowitzki on full offensive crunch mode right now, along with Rondo's unparalleled passing skills, it is obvious that the only missing piece of the puzzle is a Chandler-type dominant big man. The Mavs have already showed great interest for O'neal, the only question now is whether they can make an offer to lure the All-star into hitting the hard court once again.
