Sports Cipher

O.J. Mayo Spent First Four Years of his Career with Memphis Grizzlies

O.J. Mayo, 24, has been added to the Dallas Mavericks along with a string of other players from around the league. He averaged 12.6 points last season and is expected to the Mavs starting shooting guard. In another scenario, O.J. Mayo could be the old Jason Terry and come off the bench. Mayo, 6’4, has been coming off the bench for the Grizzlies for the past two seasons. The “Jason Terry Role” could be a good fit for him.

Mayo was a member of the 2008 draft coming in the NBA as the third overall pick. Now, he will be the Mavs 11th player under contract including the rookies. One of the biggest reasons the Mavs are adding O.J. Mayo is to replace their playoff puzzle pieces.

O.J. Mayo Breaks News Through Twitter Account

Mayo broke the news on his Twitter account, saying, “I will be signing with dallas! #Mavsnation.”
Shortly after, Mavs owner Mark Cuban tweeted: “Welcome to the family OJ. We are fired up !! MFFL Mavs/Mayo Fan For Life !”

What the Mavs Have to Gain

It all started with Lamar Odom. After he was traded to Dallas, it was huge slap in the face by the Los Angeles Lakers. After a couple games, Dallas got slapped in the face. Odom was playing horribly and the team wasn’t meshing together. It all went downhill after Odom was released. The 2011 NBA Champions were trying to keep their playoff dreams alive. For that to happen, they needed all of their key pieces.

Unfortunately for Cuban and the Mavs, they lost their sixth man, Jason Terry, and veteran point guard, Jason Kidd to free agency. Why they didn’t fight harder for them, I’m not sure. Terry is going to be a member of the Celtics. Boston’s former point guard, Ray Allen, is heading to Miami and Avery Bradley is still recovering from injury. Terry will pick up the slack there. As for Jason Kidd, he took the offer from New York to supposedly mentor fellow point guard Jeremy Lin. That plan backfired in his face because it seems that Lin will head to Houston Rockets in a contract toss-up.

The point guard could be paired with Delonte West, whom the Mavs still have yet to re-sign. The Mavs still have Dirk Nowitzki, who will probably finish his career in Dallas, and Shawn Merion. They have added Elton Brand, Dahntay Jones, Darren Collison, and Chris Kaman. Brand was a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. Kaman was a member of the New Orleans Hornets. Both Jones and Collison were members of the Indiana Pacers.

The Mayo contract details have not been released, however the Mavs have about $4 million in salary cap space to extend to the point guard. Can’t wait to watch this upcoming NBA season with all the trades and draftees.