1990–91 Dallas Mavericks season

The 1990–91 NBA 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] while acquiring his teammate, All-Star guard Fat Lever from the Denver Nuggets,^[5][6][7] and Rodney McCray from the Sacramento Kings.^[8][9][10]

1990–91 Dallas Mavericks season
Head coach	Richie Adubato
General manager	Norm Sonju
Owner(s)	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	KTVT Home Sports Entertainment
Radio	WBAP
< 1989–90 1991–92 >

However, the Mavericks troubles would start early as Lever, and Roy Tarpley were both lost early in the regular season due to season-ending knee injuries;^[11] while on the injured list, Tarpley would again be suspended for substance abuse by the NBA.^[12] Despite winning four of their first five games of the season, the Mavericks struggled and lost 10 of their next 13 games. Their struggles continued as they lost eight consecutive games near the end of the season, finishing in sixth place in the Midwest Division with a 28–54 record.^[13]

Rolando Blackman led the team in scoring with 19.9 points per game, while Derek Harper averaged 19.7 points, 7.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game, and Herb Williams provided the team with 12.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. In addition, McCray averaged 11.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, while James Donaldson provided with 10.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, English contributed 9.7 points per game, and second-year forward Randy White averaged 8.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.^[14] Following the season, English retired.

Draft picks

Main article: 1990 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
2	49	Phil Henderson	SG	United States	Duke

Roster

1990–91 Dallas Mavericks roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From G 4 Steve Alford 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 1964–11–23 Indiana G 22 Rolando Blackman 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1959–02–26 Kansas State G 15 Brad Davis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1955–12–17 Maryland C 40 James Donaldson 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 275 lb (125 kg) 1957–08–16 Washington State F 2 Alex English 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1954–01–05 South Carolina F 50 Jim Grandholm 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1960–10–04 South Florida G 12 Derek Harper 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1961–10–13 Illinois G 21 Fat Lever  6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1960–08–18 Arizona State F 1 Rodney McCray 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1961–08–29 Louisville C 55 John Shasky 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1964–07–31 Minnesota C 42 Roy Tarpley  (S) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1964–11–28 Michigan G 5 Kelvin Upshaw 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1963–01–24 Utah F 33 Randy White 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1967–11–04 Louisiana Tech C 32 Herb Williams 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 242 lb (110 kg) 1958–02–16 Ohio State F 34 Howard Wright 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1967–12–20 Stanford

Head coach Richie Adubato Assistant(s) Gar Heard Clifford Ray Bob Zuffelato Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (L) On leave from the team Injured Roster Updated: January 5, 1991

Regular season

Season standings

Midwest Division v t e	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

#	Western Conference v t e
	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

Record vs. opponents

1990-91 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	–	3–1	1–4	1–4	3–2	2–0	1–1	0–5	1–1	1–1	4–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	2–3	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	0–4	0–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–2
Boston	1–3	–	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	4–1	2–2	2–0	4–1	5–0	1–1	2–3	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	5–1
Charlotte	4–1	1–3	–	0–5	1–4	1–1	0–2	1–4	1–1	0–2	0–5	1–1	0–2	2–2	2–3	1–1	2–2	0–4	2–0	2–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2
Chicago	4–1	2–2	5–0	–	5–0	2–0	2–0	3–2	1–1	0–2	4–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	4–1	2–0	3–1	4–0	2–0	1–3	1–1	0–2	2–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	3–1
Cleveland	2–3	1–3	4–1	0–5	–	2–0	1–1	2–3	0–2	0–2	1–4	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–3	1–1	2–2	3–1	2–0	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–3
Dallas	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	–	3–1	0–2	2–2	1–3	2–0	1–3	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–4	2–0	2–0	1–4	1–1	0–4	1–3	2–2	1–4	2–2	0–5	2–0
Denver	1–1	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–3	–	0–2	1–3	0–5	0–2	0–4	0–4	0–2	1–1	3–2	1–1	1–1	2–3	0–2	0–4	0–4	3–1	1–4	0–4	1–3	1–1
Detroit	5–0	2–2	4–1	2–3	3–2	2–0	2–0	–	1–1	2–0	3–2	2–0	0–2	3–1	2–3	2–0	3–1	1–3	2–0	2–2	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	3–1
Golden State	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	–	2–2	1–1	3–2	2–3	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–3	2–3	2–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	0–2
Houston	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	5–0	0–2	2–2	–	1–1	2–2	1–3	2–0	2–0	5–0	2–0	2–0	3–2	2–0	3–1	0–4	3–1	2–3	2–2	2–2	1–1
Indiana	1–4	2–2	5–0	1–4	4–1	0–2	2–0	2–3	1–1	1–1	–	1–1	0–2	2–2	2–3	1–1	3–1	2–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2
L.A. Clippers	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	4–0	0–2	2–3	2–2	1–1	–	0–4	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–3	0–2	2–3	1–3	3–2	2–2	2–3	1–3	0–2
L.A. Lakers	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–2	4–0	2–0	3–2	3–1	2–0	4–0	–	2–0	0–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	1–1	3–2	2–3	4–0	3–1	3–2	2–2	2–0
Miami	0–4	1–4	2–2	0–4	1–3	2–0	2–0	1–3	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–0	0–2	–	0–4	0–2	3–3	1–4	1–1	1–4	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–2
Milwaukee	3–2	2–2	3–2	1–4	3–2	1–1	1–1	3–2	1–1	0–2	3–2	1–1	2–0	4–0	–	1–1	2–2	4–0	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1
Minnesota	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	4–1	2–3	0–2	1–3	0–5	1–1	1–3	1–3	2–0	1–1	–	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–0	0–4	0–4	3–1	0–4	2–2	1–4	1–1
New Jersey	1–3	1–4	2–2	1–3	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	0–2	3–3	2–2	1–1	–	0–5	1–1	2–3	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–3
New York	1–3	0–5	4–0	0–4	1–3	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–0	1–1	4–1	0–4	1–1	5–0	–	0–2	5–1	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–2
Orlando	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	4–1	3–2	0–2	2–2	2–3	1–1	3–1	0–4	1–1	0–2	2–2	1–1	2–0	–	0–2	2–2	0–4	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–4	1–1
Philadelphia	4–0	3–2	2–2	3–1	2–2	1–1	2–0	2–2	0–2	0–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	4–1	2–2	0–2	3–2	1–5	2–0	–	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	3–2
Phoenix	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	4–0	4–0	2–0	3–1	1–3	1–1	3–2	2–3	2–0	1–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	–	3–2	3–1	1–3	3–2	2–2	2–0
Portland	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	4–0	1–1	3–2	4–0	2–0	3–1	3–2	2–0	1–1	4–0	2–0	2–0	4–0	1–1	2–3	–	3–2	2–2	4–0	3–1	2–0
Sacramento	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–3	0–2	3–2	1–3	0–2	2–3	0–4	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	0–2	2–2	1–1	1–3	2–3	–	1–3	1–4	1–3	2–0
San Antonio	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	4–1	4–1	2–0	2–2	3–2	1–1	2–2	1–3	2–0	1–1	4–0	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	3–1	2–2	3–1	–	3–1	2–3	2–0
Seattle	1–1	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–2	4–0	1–1	1–3	2–2	1–1	3–2	2–3	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	2–3	0–4	4–1	1–3	–	1–3	2–0
Utah	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	2–0	5–0	3–1	2–0	3–1	2–2	0–2	3–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	4–1	2–0	0–2	4–1	2–0	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–2	3–1	–	2–0
Washington	2–2	1–5	2–2	1–3	3–1	0–2	1–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–0	0–2	2–3	1–3	1–1	3–2	2–3	1–1	2–3	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	—

Game log

1990–91 game log Total: 28–54 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)
November: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
December: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
January: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
February: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
March: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
April: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
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.

Awards and records

Transactions