Category Archives: Mavericks

Gunners for Hire

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(www.espn.go.com)

It has finally happened. The Mavericks have devolved into the selfish, playing-to-catch-the-eye-of-their-new-team group of future free agents that we feared they might. Even the mighty Rick Carlisle cannot hold a group together when each individual is faced with missing the playoffs, and the uncertainty of their next NBA check.

Mike James is the worst offender, taking 14 shots in the loss to the Brooklyn Nets. James is taking 8.6 shots per game in just over 20 minutes per game in the last 11 games. If you go back and watch the last three games in particular, all of the times that Dirk has been frozen out, James has been putting up shots like it’s 2005. It isn’t his fault – James wasn’t a true point guard when he was a good basketball player – it’s unfair to ask him to be one now that he is a poor player.

Other Mavs who have begun to play more selfishly: Darren Collison and Chris Kaman. Can you blame them? They are also the two players least likely to be back on the Mavericks roster in 2014.

Dirk Nowitzki is shooting the ball with a 76 percent rate of success the last three games, but the “me-first” approach of other Mavs has allowed him just 31 total shots in those games. The vast majority of those shots have come early in the game when Carlisle still has some control of the offense. As time passes in these games, guys who know they are not coming back are forcing up shots in order to inflate numbers and open their off-season options.

The Mavericks have 14 games left, and if the last three games are any indication, Dallas’ basketball team not only miss the playoffs for the first time in 12 years, they will also have giant ugly beards to show for it.

Mavs Lose: Still Have No Answer For Thunder

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(www.dallasnews.com)

Thabo Sefolosha may have driven the final nail in the coffin in the Mavericks 2013 season. His turnaround jumper late in the shot clock to put the Thunder up 2 scores with 12 seconds left twenty thousand Mavs fans head in hands as the faint flicker of playoff hope left was extinguished.  Dallas, no matter how well they are playing, could not afford to lose two in a row.

Funny Thabo is the first Oklahoma City player mentioned as Russell Westbrook had 35 points and six assist, and the incomparable Kevin Durant had 31 points including 19 in the fourth quarter. Those two players are just too difficult to guard in end of game situations.

Dirk Nowitzki was vintage, 8 of 10 from the floor while scoring 23 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. Dirk was impossible for the Thunder to contain, luckily the Mavericks did the job for them, freezing the big man out in the fourth quarter. Dirk did not attempt a shot in the final frame, managing to score four points at the end; all from the line. Dallas just wasn’t deliberate enough in getting the shot they wanted, any shot off of Dirk’s hand.

The Mavs are 1 and 11 since beating the Thunder in the 2011 Western Conference Finals. Last year they were too old, and too small. This year they are too young, and too mentally weak. All that matters, for the last two season, they haven’t been good enough.

There is a lot of blame to go around, including some pointed squarely at head coach Rick Carlisle for the Mavs offensive failures, but the real blame still falls at the feet of the front office. Dirk, the Mavs general, has been given soldiers that are lacking, and are inadequate to go to battle against a team as talented as O.K.C.

Telling On Himself: Roddy Plays Hero As Mavs Get Back On Track

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(www.basket-infos.com)

The Dallas Mavericks looked like a team that had lost a hard fought game the night before as they spent the first 2 and a half quarters chasing the young Cleveland Cavaliers. Dirk was struggling with only 8 points on 4 of 14 shooting in the first 3 quarters, and despite the positive play of Darren Collison, the Mavs looked like they were going to drop a bad game, and drop all the way out of the playoff picture.

Then almost as if he was on a white horse, Rodrigue Beaubois entered the game. Roddy B almost instantly added energy to a Mavericks team that was sorely lacking it. Roddy Buckets made 6 of 10 shots, scoring 18 points and dishing out 5 assists and grabbing 3 rebounds in just 22 minutes. Beaubois is in the conversation for most frustrating player in Mavericks history, but he had a “telling on himself” game tonight. Rick Carlisle must be pulling out his hair, knowing if Beaubois reached his potential, the Mavs would have an answer to their biggest question. Sadly  nights like this are too few and far between, and Roddy will most likely be in a different uniform next season. Tonight though, was a revelation, and Beaubois was assertive not only as an offensive player, but also on defense. He really tilted the balance of this game.

Until the momentum shifted in the middle of the third, the Mavs were being out-rebounded 34-30.  They ended up out-rebounding Cleveland 46-39. They got to every loose ball, and turned up the heat on their defense. Even the cold shooting Dirk stepped up and filled his role as closer scoring 5 late in the game. Dirk finished with 13 points and 11 boards, his 3rd straight double-double.

Brandan Wright had 13 points on 6 of 8 shooting to go along with 5 boards.

Jae Crowder was also a factor in this game, breaking his career high in rebounds for the second straight night, grabbing 14 rebounds in 34 minutes.

Otherwise the Mavericks were bad, Vince Carter hit a dagger 3 but did little else and only Dirk, Wright, Collison, and Beaubois were in double figures. It wasn’t pretty but it was effective against a Cavs team they needed to beat at home. It isn’t over yet, and with Shawn Marion’s return imminent, things might just get interesting as the season closes.

 

Mavs Take Win Streak to 4

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(www.bigstory.ap.org)

The Dallas Mavericks played a great overall game to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 115-108. This was a win against a playoff team, on the road, in a game they had to close out.

It didn’t start well for Dallas. Their only lead in the 1st quarter was at 21-20 but they allowed the Bucks to go up 9 before taking their next lead at 46-45 midway through the 2nd. It was in that 2nd quarter that the Mavericks really put their stamp on this game, outscoring Milwaukee 35-20 in the quarter. Dirk had 17 first half points and looked to be poised to have a big night.

Dirk would score the Mavs second bucket in the 3rd to get to 19, and not score again.  One of the major flaws on this team is their guards inability to get Nowitzki the ball in spots that he likes when the defense focuses the bulk of their energy on him. Dirks line looks ok with 19 points 11 rebounds a steal and a block, but the period of time that the Mavs forgot the Big German allowed the Bucks back in this game.

The good new for Dallas came wrapped in a number 25 jersey. As Dirk went cold late, the forever young Vince Carter heated up. V.C. had 13 points in the 4th quarter, 9 on 3 huge threes down the stretch as Monte Ellis was trying to take over the game for Milwaukee. Vince finished with 23 points on just 10 shots and really won this game for the Mavericks.

Filling the Shawn Marion role nicely was Jae Crowder. Crowder, who is from the Milwaukee area, had 14 points, 8 boards and a steal in his homecoming game. Crowder’s ability to fill that role will become very important if the Mavs have to relieve themselves of Marion’s deal in the off-season  Crowder’s improving play and scrappy defense should allow them to move on with a few less sleepless nights.

Once again Monte Ellis attempted to beat the Mavericks by himself. Ellis had 32 points and 9 assists and simply loves playing against the Mavs. If Ellis is truly available in the off-season and the rest of the Mavericks plans blow up, maybe they should consider signing him just to avoid playing him.

Overall the win was great to see, and while I still have no faith the Mavs will make a legitimate run at the playoffs, hope doesn’t seem as silly as it did a week ago.

Mavs Win Third Straight

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(www.mavsmoneyball.com)

The Dallas Mavericks cruised in this one, beating Minnesota 100-77. This was the 3rd consecutive win for the Mavericks, a streak they will need to extend to 6 or 7 if their playoff hopes are to be revived.

The first quarter was close, with the Mavs finishing the frame up 21-20. J.J. Barea and Ricky Rubio looked like they where going to take advantage of the Mavs poor defensive back court and keep the game competitive.

The Mavericks took the game over out of the gate in the 2nd quarter, opening the quarter with a 14-0 run. They did a decent job holding that lead until half leading by 12 at the break 56-44. Dallas had made 6 threes in the first half of the game.

That lead widened to 17 at the close of the 3rd, and 23 at the close of the game.

Dallas did a good job taking advantage of a team on the 2nd half of a back to back. They have several wins in that fashion this season, and that speaks of the professionalism of a team that might not be overly talented.

Notes:

Vince Carter had a monster night, making 6 of his first 7 shots and scoring 15 points in this first 14 minutes. Carter finished with 22 points and 9 rebounds in just 25 minutes.

Dirk had a solid night, 16 points 9 rebounds on just 13 shots in 28 minutes. A line that looks better when you realize that for much of the night Nowitzki was a passenger. He settled for jumpers all game,knowing this one was in hand early.

Elton Brand had another double-double, 10 points and 12 rebounds. He has proven a solid player and may find a home in Dallas.

Brendan Wright had 13 points on 6 of 7 shooting along with 7 rebounds and a block. Wright is starting to show some consistency. He is another free agent this summer that would be a good piece going forward.

Darren Collison played well. He has become a much better point guard under the steady hand of Rick Carlisle. His overwhelming flaw is his inability to guard other point guards. Despite his solid offensive night, the takeaway play from Collison’s night was being backed down by tiny J.J. Barea.

O.J. Mayo had only 8 points on 4-9 shooting, but stuffed the stat sheet with 8 boards and 7 assists. Mayo had a turnover in the 3rd quarter which is notable because he had gone 112 minutes on the floor without one. Mayo’s transformation under Carlisle has been stunning, and if he can find the scoring form he had to start the season, he will have Chauncey Billups’ Carlisle recommendation to thank for a big pay-day in the off-season.

Dirk’s Next Deal

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(www.sportsillustrated.com)

Dirk Nowitzki needs to take a page from the Tim Duncan book of extending your career. Noted Spurs fan Craig “Junior” Miller has been making that point for a while on 1310 The Ticket, but Junior has been speaking of the health changes Duncan made two years ago that have rejuvenated his career. I think that Dirk needs to take a page from the Duncan book of contract negotiation. Dirk is the NBA’s 4th highest paid player this season, and jumps to 2nd in the league behind only Kobe Bryant next season. Some may be confused as all the stories were that Dirk had taken a hometown discount on his last deal. Dirk did, and it helped the team.

The flaw in that logic is that the hometown discount doesn’t exist in the NBA. The team a player is currently on is able to pay a player more, and longer tenured players are eligible for bigger raises. Dirk could have demanded more money and been on par with Kobe, earning a whopping $16 million more over the life of the deal, but no outside team could have given him a bigger deal than he got.

The longevity raises make Dirk eligible for an even bigger contract after the 2014 season, but if we are honest we know that Dirk is not the same player that signed before the 2011 season. If you look at the numbers, the aging Duncan who we all wrote off as a top player in the league 2 years ago is having a better season than Dirk. What this means is that while we all argue about players we should or should not commit max contracts to in this year’s free agency, we need to realize Dirk is a player the Mavs cannot pay max money to past next season.

Duncan went the Tom Brady route and took $10 million a year for 3 years. He traded taking an almost 50 percent pay cut for another year or two of security. That deal took him from being the 3rd highest paid NBA player, to the 4th highest paid Spur.

Dirk will not do that, nor should he. The Mavs should approach him in the summer of 2014 and offer 2 years (the term he has been hinting to in the press), for $30 million. $15 million per year – only $3 million less a year than the members of Miami thrice took – and a full $5 million a year above the team-friendly deal Duncan accepted. Dallas should also include  whichever clauses that Dirk wants, like his current no-trade clause, if still allowed under the new CBA.

Dirk might accept this offer if the Mavericks can show him in full detail how they will use that money to improve the Mavs and give him another shot at a title. The best way they can do that is to add a player worthy of max dollars this off-season. As Lance Berkman once said, “if the carrot isn’t big enough, the mule wont want to move.” Dallas in this case, will have to entice Dirk with a smaller carrot, and hope that the glaze -another title run – will seal the deal. It should be noted, that in the last hometown discount, Dirk was just saving Cuban luxury tax money and was willing to do it. This time around, he would be adding directly to the quality of his team.

Also of note, local artists should study the header image of this post, you have just over three years to figure out how to make it out of bronze.

I’m A Hater: Donnie Nelson

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(www.deadspin.com)

I realize that the man I am going to roast here not only was the architect of the Mavs’ 2011 championship team, but also a completely different team that went to the Finals in 2006. Donnie Nelson has also been the head of an organization that won 50 games for 11 straight seasons, and to the playoffs for 12 straight. But I hate him.

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The Point of it All

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Last week we talked about free agent big men that may be available this off season  Over the course of this week however, it has become apparent that the Maverick’s guard play will not be sufficient going forward. If I am Dwight Howard, or Andrew Bynum, or better still Al Jefferson, Dirk and max money is enticing. However, I would still have concerns about how the Mavs fill out the rest of their roster. My first question when deciding between the Mavs and other teams with cap room would be “who is playing the point guard position for you next season?”

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Is it Over Yet?

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(www.gatorzone.com)

The Mavericks lost to the Houston Rockets, a team they are chasing in the West and that they have to play again on Wednesday, 136 to 103. They gave up 44 points in the 3rd quarter after trailing 64-61 in the first half. They had an 11 point lead in the 2nd but they allowed a 19-7 run to close the half.

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