Justin Dentmon Called Up to NBA By Dallas Mavericks, Replacing Chris Wright

Where one door closes, another one seems to open.

That's turned out to be the case for two NBA D-League athletes this week. Though Iowa Energy guard Chris Wright's contract was not renewed by the Dallas Mavericks, the team opted to still give an in house D-League option a try, instead bringing aboard Justin Dentmon.

Traded to the Texas Legends earlier this season, Dentmon is the defending NBADL M.V.P. Since joining Texas, he's done quite the impressive job of defending such a title.

Having first hit the hardwood for the Legends on January 25th, Dentmon has gone on to average 26 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 22 contests.

His numbers are up and his percentages are higher since donning the blue, white, and silver uniform once again (he last played for the team during the 2010-11 season). Dentmon's absolutely been given the green light to lead the way for Texas, and he's been thriving with such trust.

While playing for the Austin Toros, Dentmon was faced with having to split time with various Spurs' assignees, such as point guard Cory Joseph. Though they may play different styles (with Dentmon being more explosive, and Joseph serving as more of a playmaker) , Dentmon still enjoys keeping an eye out for his teammates on the court. Accepting a great amount of responsibility with the ball often in his hands, Dentmon not only needs to executive by hoisting up shots or taking it to the hole, but also needs to know where to find his teammates to help cash in on easy buckets.

Forced to share minutes with Joseph, Dentmon had to play a bit more off the ball.

Perhaps the Legends (the Mavericks' NBADL affiliate) let Dentmon loose on the minor league hardwood to better get an idea of his highest untapped potential. As a member of Texas, the guard entered a much more comfortable situation, and is able to do what he does best and go about playing as he pleased.

He certainly made the most of his opportunity to do so.

Whether or not Dentmon will stick around longer in Dallas than Wright did remains to be seen, but what remains an absolute certainly is that he continuously has peaked Dallas' curiosities. If they opt to let him go after ten days, at least Dentmon can rest assured his opportunity remains right around the corner (almost literally) if he continues to play well in front of Mavericks' brass in the weeks to come., be it in a Mavs or Legends uniform.