Mavs' Matthews '100 percent' confident he'll play opening night
The Dallas Mavericks' star import of the offseason is insistent that he'll be ready in time for opening night.
Shooting guard Wesley Matthews, who inked a four-year, $70-million contract with the Mavericks this summer, is nearing the end of his recovery from a torn Achilles that he sustained in March; so far, all signs in regards to Matthews's comeback have been positive. He was cleared for everything but contact and full-speed drills in late September, and the Mavericks have not yet ruled him out for opening night.
Matthews himself is raring to go for the opener, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon:
Wesley Matthews is "100%" confident he'll be ready for opener. Mavs might not agree. Half-joking Wes: "I mean, I might go check myself in."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) October 21, 2015
The 29-year-old has taken great pride in being an iron man during his career, as he's appeared in every game in four of his six seasons to date. However, the recovery timeline for Achilles tears usually spans more than 10 months; Matthews is trying to shoehorn his recovery into a mere eight.
Dallas' stated approach has been to play it safe with Matthews, especially since players have historically struggled in recovering from Achilles injuries.
However, the Mavericks are currently dealing with a myriad of injuries elsewhere on the roster, as point guard Deron Williams, center JaVale McGee, and swingman Chandler Parsons are also question marks for opening night. In lieu of other options, the Mavericks might need Matthews to give them what he can from the outset.
When healthy, Matthews is one of the league's best 3-and-D players. He averaged 15.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.9 3-pointers per game with the Portland Trail Blazers last season.