Mavs' Cauley-Stein Ruled Out, Brown To Start vs Cavs

The Dallas Mavericks will give Moses Brown his first start since joining the team for their matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

DALLAS — With the Dallas Mavericks being without Willie Cauley-Stein for Monday's matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team announced they will deploy Moses Brown as the starting center,.

Cauley-Stein had started the Mavericks' previous two outings but is currently dealing with an illness. Now, coach Jason Kidd will look to continue his experimentation with different center options by deploying Brown in the role.

“He could get a chance,” Kidd said recently when discussing if Brown could soon receive playing time. “I think for fans, or for anybody, if they look at our roster we have quite a few centers. So there’s a committee of centers.

“And at some point, maybe he [Brown] has an opportunity to play.”

There was some thought that Dwight Powell could move back into the starting lineup as he has started 16 of his 18 appearances this season, but Kidd opted to turn to Brown instead. 

Brown has only received playing time in six of the Mavericks' games so far this season. He's played a total of 18 minutes and has recorded six points, five rebounds, and two blocks within his time on the floor. 

Last season, Brown experienced a bit of a breakout campaign in a sense with the Oklahoma City Thunder — earning himself a full NBA contract. He averaged 8.6 points and 8.9 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game. 

The Mavericks have struggled to get the job done in the rebounding department. With Brown having a 9-foot-3 standing reach, Dallas will be looking to benefit from his presence in that regard.  

A two-man combination of Kristaps Porzingis (7-foot-3) and Brown (7-foot-2) features one of the tallest tandems in the league. Naturally, there may be limitations in the foot speed department but that's why experimentation is important to weigh the cost-benefit of the combination.

Much of rebounding success in the NBA is determined by the ability to contain dribble penetration and not having to be significant out of position to be able to finish the play with a rebound. Will simply having two very tall frontcourt players be a solution in its own right? That remains to be seen. 

With Evan Mobley back in the Cleveland Cavaliers' lineup, the Dallas Mavericks will face two bigs in the opposition's frontcourt with Jarrett Allens starting at center. Against such personnel, deploying Brown could prove to be especially helpful inside the paint.