Roddy Buckets 56 games - 12.3 MPG - 7.1 PPG - 1.3 APG
Underwhelming, isn't it?
Beaubois is returning six months after sustaining a two-month foot injury tonight against the Sacramento Kings and local yokels essentially have the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals because of it.
Fact is, Beaubois is as unproven and still raw as they come. There hasn't been this much anticipatory hype since Tony Romo went into his first full year with the Dallas Cowboys.
Here are some truths:
Rick Carlisle Will Barely Play Him
Forget the injury. Carlisle does not dick around with young projects. One mistake and Beaubois will be pulled for the inferior (yet, steady) play of J.J. Barea.
Roddy Has Zero Experience
I loved the media observation from a local drive-time radio show that stated that Roddy B didn't do very well against good teams. That's because he didn't play against good teams. The only reason he played in the playoffs against San Antonio was because Carlisle was DESPERATE.
Fans Are Desperate
Deep in our hearts, we all know that the Dallas Mavericks -- as they've been playing the last five months -- are nowhere near prepared for playoff basketball nor do they have the personnel to play in that environment. Plus, we're suckers for youth. We're suckers for the phenomenal. One fantastic Beaubois play equals a dozen steady 12-footers from Dirk Nowitzki and that's a fact. The out of the ordinary is a drug. We get a taste. Soon we're hooked and looking for more. At that moment, we're not longer reliable to make good decisions.
Prepare For The Worst
What if Carlisle benches him? What if he's as mistake-prone as he was a year ago? What if he's not that good? I'm all about giving Beaubois as many minutes as you can get him. Stuffing him at the end of the bench so you can overuse him in the playoffs (although Carlisle actually benched him in the most important five minutes of that series-clinching game) is not a way to run things. Beaubois needs exposure. Good or bad!
The Mavericks Are Not Hoping ... They Are Expecting
Carlisle may not agree with Mark Cuban's and Donnie Nelson's ascertation of the situation. The Mavericks are not hoping Beaubois comes in and gives him something. He's not a contingency or the cherry on the sundae. Beaubois' the key. He might be our representation of a "free agent" acquisition mid-season to put this team over. They need Beaubois to turn into a reliable scorer. They also need him to round off his defensive game in order to keep up with Tony Parker, Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook in the playoffs. Do not buy into the "Everything's OK!" mantra from Mavericks camp. They know it's desperation time. They need Roddy B.
