The Dallas Mavericks didn't exactly snag all their targets this season but at least they were able to get someone they need badly — Wes Matthews.
Matthews was someone who really didn't draw much attention considering he wasn't far from that celebrated DeAndre Jordan pitch. Jordan was the main man at that time, overshadowing the entry of the former Portland Trailblazer shooting guard.
When Jordan decided to rescind his initial verbal agreement with the Mavs, attention shifted on Matthews who is expected to take on the role of Monta Ellis who opted out and is now with the Indiana Pacers.
Matthews is of course known to be a deadly wingman back in Portland but one concern shared by many is if he still carries the old form that made him interesting.
Matthews is coming off a pretty serious injury — ruptured Achilles — and was mostly out of action in Portland last season. Despite his claims that he is ready for the season, all eyes are on whether he can flash the same deadly form he previously showed when he was still a Blazer.
Even though the Mavericks have suddenly become dark horses for next season, Matthews will have a large hump to get across. One is getting over that serious foot injury and prove to the Mavericks that he is worth every penny of that maximum deal he got (reportedly $70 million spread over four years).
The new deal is actually a bump from the first one offered to him ($57 million for four years). He was given a pay hike when the DeAndre Jordan failed to materialize.
So is Matthews ready to prove his worth to the Mavericks organization?
"I'm not worried about it, and I'm not even concerned with trying to be the guy I was in Portland. I'm trying to be better than that. My thing, I can sum up any questions you guys may have about how I feel about the Achilles and my determination is I've gotten better every single year I've been in the NBA, and I'm not going to let this stop that in any way. So that's how I feel about the Achilles injury," Matthews shared in an interview with the Dallas Morning News.
