1990–91 Dallas Mavericks season
| 1990–91 Dallas Mavericks season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Richie Adubato |
| General manager | Norm Sonju |
| Owner | Don Carter |
| Arena | Reunion Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 28–54 (.341) |
| Place | Division: 6th (Midwest) Conference: 12th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | |
| Radio | WBAP |
The 1990–91 Dallas Mavericks season was the 11th season for the Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association.[1] During the off-season, the Mavericks signed free agent All-Star forward Alex English,[2][3][4] acquired his teammate, All-Star guard Fat Lever from the Denver Nuggets,[5][6][7] and acquired Rodney McCray from the Sacramento Kings.[8][9][10]
With the addition of English, Lever and McCray, the Mavericks won four of their first five games of the regular season. However, early into the season, the team lost both Lever, and Roy Tarpley to season-ending knee injuries, as Lever only played just four games, while Tarpley only appeared in just five games.[11] While on the injured reserve list, Tarpley was again suspended by the NBA for substance abuse.[12] Without Lever and Tarpley, the Mavericks struggled losing ten of their next twelve games, and later on held a 17–27 record at the All-Star break.[13] The team posted an eight-game losing streak in April, and finished in sixth place in the Midwest Division with a disappointing 28–54 record.[14]
Tarpley averaged 20.4 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game during his short five-game stint, while Rolando Blackman averaged 19.9 points per game, and Derek Harper provided the team with 19.7 points, 7.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game. In addition, Herb Williams contributed 12.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, while McCray provided with 11.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, and James Donaldson averaged 10.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, English contributed 9.7 points per game, second-year forward Randy White averaged 8.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, Lever provided with 7.3 points, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game during his short four-game stint, and Brad Davis contributed 5.4 points and 2.9 assists per game.[15]
Harper finished tied in seventh place in Defensive Player of the Year voting,[16] and also finished tied in eighth place in Most Improved Player voting.[16] The Mavericks finished sixth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 683,927 at the Reunion Arena during the regular season.[15][17] Following the season, English retired.
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 49 | Phil Henderson | SG | United States | Duke |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Regular season
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-San Antonio Spurs | 55 | 27 | .671 | — | 33–8 | 22–19 | 20–8 |
| x-Utah Jazz | 54 | 28 | .659 | 1 | 36–5 | 18–23 | 21-7 |
| x-Houston Rockets | 52 | 30 | .634 | 3 | 31-10 | 21–20 | 20-8 |
| Orlando Magic | 31 | 51 | .378 | 24 | 24-17 | 7–34 | 13–15 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 29 | 53 | .354 | 26 | 21-20 | 8-33 | 9-19 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 28 | 54 | .341 | 27 | 20-21 | 8–33 | 7-21 |
| Denver Nuggets | 20 | 62 | .244 | 35 | 17-24 | 3-38 | 8–20 |
- y - clinched division title
- x - clinched playoff spot
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-Portland Trail Blazers | 63 | 19 | .768 | – |
| 2 | y-San Antonio Spurs | 55 | 27 | .671 | 8 |
| 3 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 58 | 24 | .707 | 5 |
| 4 | x-Phoenix Suns | 55 | 27 | .671 | 8 |
| 5 | x-Utah Jazz | 54 | 28 | .659 | 9 |
| 6 | x-Houston Rockets | 52 | 30 | .634 | 11 |
| 7 | x-Golden State Warriors | 44 | 38 | .537 | 19 |
| 8 | x-Seattle SuperSonics | 41 | 41 | .500 | 22 |
| 9 | Orlando Magic | 31 | 51 | .378 | 32 |
| 10 | Los Angeles Clippers | 31 | 51 | .378 | 32 |
| 11 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 29 | 53 | .354 | 34 |
| 12 | Dallas Mavericks | 28 | 54 | .341 | 35 |
| 13 | Sacramento Kings | 25 | 57 | .305 | 38 |
| 14 | Denver Nuggets | 20 | 62 | .244 | 43 |
- z - clinched division title
- y - clinched division title
- x - clinched playoff spot
Game log
| 1990–91 game log Total: 28–54 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
November: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
| |||||||||
December: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
| |||||||||
January: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
| |||||||||
February: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
| |||||||||
March: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
| |||||||||
April: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
| |||||||||
| 1990–91 schedule | |||||||||
Player statistics
Ragular season
| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Donaldson | C | 82 | 82 | 2,800 | 727 | 69 | 34 | 93 | 819 | 34.1 | 8.9 | .8 | .4 | 1.1 | 10.0 |
| Rolando Blackman | SG | 80 | 80 | 2,965 | 256 | 301 | 69 | 19 | 1,590 | 37.1 | 3.2 | 3.8 | .9 | .2 | 19.9 |
| Brad Davis | PG | 80 | 6 | 1,426 | 118 | 230 | 45 | 17 | 431 | 17.8 | 1.5 | 2.9 | .6 | .2 | 5.4 |
| Randy White | PF | 79 | 29 | 1,901 | 504 | 63 | 81 | 44 | 695 | 24.1 | 6.4 | .8 | 1.0 | .6 | 8.8 |
| Alex English | SF | 79 | 26 | 1,748 | 254 | 105 | 40 | 25 | 763 | 22.1 | 3.2 | 1.3 | .5 | .3 | 9.7 |
| Derek Harper | PG | 77 | 77 | 2,879 | 233 | 548 | 147 | 14 | 1,519 | 37.4 | 3.0 | 7.1 | 1.9 | .2 | 19.7 |
| Rodney McCray | PF | 74 | 68 | 2,561 | 560 | 259 | 70 | 51 | 844 | 34.6 | 7.6 | 3.5 | .9 | .7 | 11.4 |
| Herb Williams | C | 60 | 36 | 1,832 | 357 | 95 | 30 | 88 | 747 | 30.5 | 6.0 | 1.6 | .5 | 1.5 | 12.5 |
| John Shasky | C | 57 | 0 | 510 | 134 | 11 | 14 | 20 | 150 | 8.9 | 2.4 | .2 | .2 | .4 | 2.6 |
| Kelvin Upshaw | SG | 48 | 1 | 514 | 55 | 86 | 28 | 5 | 270 | 10.7 | 1.1 | 1.8 | .6 | .1 | 5.6 |
| Steve Alford | PG | 34 | 0 | 236 | 24 | 22 | 8 | 1 | 151 | 6.9 | .7 | .6 | .2 | .0 | 4.4 |
| Jim Grandholm | PF | 26 | 0 | 168 | 50 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 79 | 6.5 | 1.9 | .3 | .1 | .3 | 3.0 |
| Roy Tarpley | C | 5 | 5 | 171 | 55 | 12 | 6 | 9 | 102 | 34.2 | 11.0 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 20.4 |
| Fat Lever | SG | 4 | 0 | 86 | 15 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 29 | 21.5 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 1.5 | .8 | 7.3 |
| Howard Wright† | PF | 3 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2.7 | .7 | .0 | .3 | .0 | 2.0 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Mavericks only.
References
- ^ 1990-91 Dallas Mavericks
- ^ "Mavericks Will Sign Alex English to Make Up for the Loss of Perkins". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. August 15, 1990. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
- ^ "Mavericks Sign English to One-Year Deal". United Press International. August 15, 1990. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; Mavericks Sign English". The New York Times. August 16, 1990. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; Nuggets Trade Lever to Dallas for 2 Picks". The New York Times. June 22, 1990. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ "Mavericks Get Lever for a Pair of No. 1 Picks: NBA: Nuggets Receive the Ninth Selection in Next Wednesday's Draft, and a First-Round Choice in 1991". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. June 22, 1990. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
- ^ "Mavericks Trade Two First-Round Draft Choices to Nuggets for Lever". United Press International. June 21, 1990. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
- ^ Wilbon, Michael (June 27, 1990). "This Could Be a Veteran's Moving Day". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
- ^ Love, Ian (June 28, 1990). "Kings Believe in 1990 Draft Class". United Press International. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
- ^ "Kings Knew What They Were Doing". Deseret News. Associated Press. July 1, 1990. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
- ^ "Injuries Send Several NBA Teams Limping Out of the Starting Gate". Los Angeles Times. November 20, 1990. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; Tarpley Suspended". The New York Times. April 6, 1990. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
- ^ "NBA Games Played on February 7, 1991". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
- ^ "1990–91 Dallas Mavericks Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
- ^ a b "1990–91 Dallas Mavericks Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
- ^ a b "1990–91 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
- ^ "1990–91 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 24, 2026.