About a week ago it looked like the Dallas Mavericks were going to lose their playoff spot in the Western Conference after holding a spot in the top eight all year. The Mavericks, though, have responded by winning four straight games and are one game ahead of the Houston Rockets for the final playoff spot.
Dallas and Houston play one another in a crucial game on Wednesday night, but unfortunately for the Mavericks they likely will not have starting point guard Deron Williams for that contest. Williams is dealing with a sports hernia that has caused him to miss the Mavericks' last six games, and although he wants to be back as soon as possible head coach Rick Carlisle doesn't see his return happening in the near future.
"I'd like to think he's getting better," said Carlisle. "But I'm not sure he's made enough progress to even talk about him playing any time soon."
Williams played through the hernia for about a month, but the more he played through it the worse it got. The 31-year-old point guard may require surgery after the season is over, but he is hopeful that it can be avoided. Williams wants to get back on the floor to help the playoff push, but it seems more likely than not, at this point, that he will miss the rest of the regular season.
Because of the lack of progress with Williams the Mavericks have not provided a timetable for a potential return. Luckily for the Mavericks, Williams' fill-in J.J. Barea has played extremely well since moving into the starting lineup, as he has scored 20-plus points in three straight games.
Even though Barea has been great recently, the Mavericks still need Williams back if they make the playoffs because their offensive options are limited. Chandler Parsons is already likely done for the season after having knee surgery, so losing Williams for the season would be far from ideal. The Mavericks only have five games left on their schedule, so he is running out of time and games to get back.
Williams has had a somewhat resurgent season in his first year with the Mavericks, but injuries have been an issue for him in recent years. The 11th- year man out of Illinois is averaging 14 points and 5.8 assists per game while making 35 percent of his threes in 62 games this season.
