The Dallas Mavericks are a team that came into the year with nobody really knowing what to expect from them. They have a lot of talent but a lot of their players are coming back from injury and they have some key weak spots including the center position. So far they have fallen right in line with that thought process as they are 2-2 and have won the two games they should have and lost the two games they should have lost. Chandler Parsons is one of those players coming off an injury and so far he is on a strict minutes limit and that limit could stay in place until January, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Parsons underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee this offseason and spent the entire preseason rehabbing and recovering. Parsons was hopeful that he wouldn't miss any regular season time but he missed the first two games before making his season debut in Dallas' third game. In the two games he has played in Parsons has only averaged 13 minutes per game and that's about where Rick Carlisle wants to keep him for the foreseeable future.
In the two games he has played Parsons has only appeared in the first halves of games and sat during the second half including crunch time. The Mavericks had a chance to win against the Toronto Raptors in their last game but Parsons was unable to play down the stretch which is something he wants to see changed as he said ""I gotta find a way to be playing in the fourth quarter really."
The only way for Parsons to get on the court in the fourth quarter would be for him to sit the whole first half, most likely, which means he would be coming in cold and possibly rusty which is a whole other set of problems. Until Parsons progresses enough in the eyes of the training staff, it will be extremely frustrating for the Mavericks and their fans as they will not be able to have one of their best players on the floor for as many minutes as they would like.
The Mavericks haven't set out a timetable for how long this minute's limit will last but they said it will depend on how his knee responds. So far Parsons has said his knee feels great and that he is pleased with the progress but MacMahon believes that he likely won't be playing his customary 30 minutes per game until after Christmas.
