Tag Archives: Rodrigue Beaubois

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.

 

Tonight is not the night

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(www.interaksyon.com)

Dirk Nowitzki did not score 30 points and the Mavericks did not look good in a 113-107 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs were without Tim Duncan, but it didn’t matter. The Mavs refused to guard the 3-point line and San Antonio was willing to take them all night. The Spurs made nine 3-point shots.

The rest of the Spurs’ offense came from easy buckets off the pick and roll. Tony Parker showed once again that Dallas has no defensively adequate point guards. He scored 23 points on 9 of 16 shooting, but was more effective as a passer with 10 assists. DeJuan Blair had 22 points. Yes, DeJuan Blair.

As for my call for Dirk to have a big night. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Dirk looked a bit better, with more spring in his step on a 6 for 14 shooting night. Most disappointing was that Dirk finished the first half with only two buckets. After the break, he came out and hit his first jumper of the 3rd quarter. Then the largest man on the court became invisible. He took one more shot in the quarter as the Spurs went on an epic run that essentially won the game. Most point guards understand that when the other team goes on a run, you need to get your superstar the ball in his favorite spot to get a bucket and turn the tide. That, apparently, is asking too much of the bunch the Mavs put out. Dirk was frozen out until late in the 3rd quarter.

The only real bright spot is that Rodrique Beaubois remembered that he can play basketball for a night. He scored 19 points on 6 of 8 shooting.

This game wasn’t as close as the final score. The Mavericks played very poorly. The guards have no idea how to play with Dirk. So much so that even if he gets all the way healthy, and his shooting percentage improves, he probably won’t reach his level of normal productivity. He isn’t getting the shots he got with Kidd, and he isn’t demanding them either. Instead, Jay Crowder takes 3′s early in the shot clock. Elton Brand gets endless looks at the short corner. Darren Collison drives recklessly into traffic and too often turns the ball over. The franchise that has been known for smart basketball, now has a team with some less-than-smart basketball players. It’s getting better, but it’s still bad. The only question left, was Charles Barkley just a year early on burying Dirk?

I’m a Hater: Darren Collison

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Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE

Darren Collison is currently the Mavericks’ second best player, and I hate him. Collison may be a good guy, but he couldn’t be more wrong for the Dallas Mavericks. People were quick to speak about the Mavericks’ good fortune when Jason Kidd turned down their three year offer, and soon after they were able to trade for Collison.

Collison is much younger than Jason Kidd, but nothing he does is more beneficial to the Mavs on the court. Kidd, with all his age and wisdom, is currently 7th in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio. Collison is 41st. Unlike Kidd, Collison can’t help the Mavs’ poor rebounding, and most importantly, can’t run the Mavs’ flow offense. It seems that when Carlisle developed his offense, Collison’s patented “jump, panic and pass” technique wasn’t part of it.

Collison’s greatest sin, however, has been his inability to play effectively with Dirk. Darren has been so poor at involving Dirk that the Mavericks have begun playing Roddy B with Dirk in high pick-and-rolls. Roddy B. Yes, Darren Collison has been so bad that the player that Rick Carlise seems to want to wish out of existence is put in his place at times. Carlise would rather wear Larry Birds’ back brace everyday than play Roddy Buckets, but Collison’s inability to pass the ball to a 7 foot man has given him no choice. With Collison running the point, Dirk’s usage percentage* is down 5.7% from last season to 23.5%. That is his lowest usage percentage since 1999, when he still had buck teeth and Michael Finley was the Mavericks’ best player.

Collison might be a decent NBA point guard who is being asked to do too much by running the Mavs fluid system. He is truly a one man fast break whose speed puts pressure on opponents. But at 13.1 points per game, he doesn’t score well enough to justify leaving one of the 50 best players of all time at the other end of the court as he jets down to miss yet another layup. I wish the best for Darren Collison, but his one year here will have been one year too long.

-Travis Kvaal

*Usage percentage is an estimate of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor.

Stats from basketball-reference.com and correct as of 1-15-13