Dallas Mavericks 2009-2010 Thread

[svhorns]

MVP

http://beat.bodoglife.com/wp-content/uploads/Dirk%20Diggler.jpg

[F18mustang]

this thread sucks

[svhorns]

this thread sucks

your thread sucks.

[F18mustang]

your tag-team sucks.

thats what she said

[PaulinPlano]

I have my tickets for the November 18 game here in Dallas with the Spurs!

[svhorns]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_i8grH95Ufbc/RybXDdWN9SI/AAAAAAAAAGY/fuK56aXXhwU/s320/dirk+tongue.jpg

[SLC]

MVP

http://beat.bodoglife.com/wp-content/uploads/Dirk%20Diggler.jpg


:notworthy



I hope we can get it going this season. Outside of LA, the West is wide open, hopefully the Mavs can step up to the plate and make something happen.

[svhorns]

http://www.detroitbadboys.com/images/dirk-nowitzki.jpg

[F18mustang]

Thunder>Mavs

[SLC]

Thunder>Mavs


F that.


I laughed though.

[yankee]

F that.


I laughed though.

in 2-3 years, yes that will be the case.

[svhorns]

:notworthy



I hope we can get it going this season. Outside of LA, the West is wide open, hopefully the Mavs can step up to the plate and make something happen.

Dirk makes this team go. I tuned into the Mavs game against N.O. and after he fouled out The Mavs couldn't create a shot to save their lives. With Dirk in the game The Mavs IMO are the best team in the west. The defense this year will be awesome with the addition of Marion. Howard is still out right now but watch out when we get him back!!

[svhorns]

in 2-3 years, yes that will be the case.

Can we perma ban yankee?

[yankee]

oh and a little to early to be making MVP votes...but if i voted right now there's no question about it...


http://i37.tinypic.com/5cloo2.jpg

[SLC]

in 2-3 years, yes that will be the case.


We shall see.

[PaulinPlano]

Dirk makes this team go. I tuned into the Mavs game against N.O. and after he fouled out The Mavs couldn't create a shot to save their lives. With Dirk in the game The Mavs IMO are the best team in the west. The defense this year will be awesome with the addition of Marion. Howard is still out right now but watch out when we get him back!!

They are shooting lousy as a team which indicates their defense is carrying them. It will be interesting to see if that dope smoker will help.

[svhorns]

oh and a little to early to be making MVP votes...but if i voted right now there's no question about it...


http://i37.tinypic.com/5cloo2.jpg

Nick Collison is decent. I wouldn't vote him over Dirk though.

[yankee]

Can we perma ban yankee?

you guys can deny it all you want, but for as long as the thunder/sonics have sucked, they've added some great talent. the trifecta of durant/green/westbrook is already good, and once westbrook matures more....watch out. if the thunder can get consistent center play (somewhere, not sure if nenad is the answer)....watch out again. harden will need time to develop, but he can be a good one. until then, he and sefolosha make a nice combo.

[yankee]

Nick Collison is decent. I wouldn't vote him over Dirk though.

lol **** nick collison.

[SLC]

Dirk makes this team go. I tuned into the Mavs game against N.O. and after he fouled out The Mavs couldn't create a shot to save their lives. With Dirk in the game The Mavs IMO are the best team in the west. The defense this year will be awesome with the addition of Marion. Howard is still out right now but watch out when we get him back!!


Howard coming back will be huge. I thought Damp played well in that game, I hope he keeps it up. When Gooden and Thomas get in there we will be friggen tough.

[F18mustang]

Nick Collison is decent. I wouldn't vote him over Dirk though.

srsly?

[PaulinPlano]

Howard coming back will be huge. I thought Damp played well in that game, I hope he keeps it up. When Gooden and Thomas get in there we will be friggen tough.

If Damp could play that way all the time, the Mavericks would probably win a championship... but he can't.

[SLC]

If Damp could play that way all the time, the Mavericks would probably win a championship... but he can't.


So true with Damp...To much inconsistency.

[okt0ber]

this thread sucks

It sure does. Lame thread. That represents a non-championship team.

[TXFOOSBALL]

It sure does. Lame thread. That represents a non-championship team.

Shut up! Nobody asked you! BTW, did you call me drunk a couple weeks ago...I vaguely remember this as I was drunk as well.

[okt0ber]

Shut up! Nobody asked you! BTW, did you call me drunk a couple weeks ago...I vaguely remember this as I was drunk as well.

I believe I did, yes. But, I don't remember details at all, or if you even answered the phone.

[TXFOOSBALL]

I believe I did, yes. But, I don't remember details at all, or if you even answered the phone.

I think you were "sexting" me

[SLC93]

in 2-3 years, yes that will be the case.

Potentially but there's alot of time to pass. For OKC the talent has to continue to develop and then they have to be able to either sign that talent or turn it into additional assets. They've stockpiled picks and cap room so they should be in good shape. That team should still be in Seattle, though. Shame.

As for Dallas, don't write them off as still being extremely relevant in 2-3 years. Over the course of the next several years they have multiple expiring contracts with value of over 10 million each. Those are pure gold in a good economic enviroment. It the current climate Dallas could turn those contracts into any number of talent combinations via trade. Also do not be naive and think Dirk is anywhere near done. He's got 2-3 years of prime ball left in him and another 2-3 of very good ball after that. Dallas has set itself up very well to transition into the future.

[SLC93]

Dirk makes this team go. I tuned into the Mavs game against N.O. and after he fouled out The Mavs couldn't create a shot to save their lives. With Dirk in the game The Mavs IMO are the best team in the west. The defense this year will be awesome with the addition of Marion. Howard is still out right now but watch out when we get him back!!

Did you not see Jason Terry's performance? If he or Barrea hit any one of the four ft's they missed, Dallas wins.:mad:

I agree with what you're saying re Dirk. He is the heart but the same is true of a Cleveland or Orlando. We all saw how Boston fell apart without KG last season. Does LA really scare you without Kobe? It's all about the superstar in this league.

Watch out for Dallas when Howard gets in there. They could go on a serious tear. Also look for a December trade utilizing the contract of Gooden and Williams to bring in another rotation piece.

[SLC93]

They are shooting lousy as a team which indicates their defense is carrying them. It will be interesting to see if that dope smoker will help.

:D

He will be a big factor. Josh as your second option is iffy. As your 3rd or 4th? Then your in business. With he and Marion on the wings, it's gonna be a nightmare for opposing offenses.When Kidd has the ball in his hands with them filling the lanes? Look out below.

[SLC93]

you guys can deny it all you want, but for as long as the thunder/sonics have sucked, they've added some great talent. the trifecta of durant/green/westbrook is already good, and once westbrook matures more....watch out. if the thunder can get consistent center play (somewhere, not sure if nenad is the answer)....watch out again. harden will need time to develop, but he can be a good one. until then, he and sefolosha make a nice combo.

Thabo is so under rated. I was hoping the Mavs could land him at last seasons trade deadline.

[SLC93]

Howard coming back will be huge. I thought Damp played well in that game, I hope he keeps it up. When Gooden and Thomas get in there we will be friggen tough.

As much as it pains many Mavs fans to say, Damp is playing lights out right now. He's basically at 10 & 12 this season. If that holds, Dallas is going to be really tough. He's in a contract year and those have always been the years he produces consistent to his talent. It's a win win for Dallas. He plays well and it helps the team as well as making his super, expiring contract more valuable because it's attached to a guy that is producing. Mark this. I look for Damp's contract to net us a star level player via trade. I then look for him to resign with Dallas after he is released.

[SLC93]

If Damp could play that way all the time, the Mavericks would probably win a championship... but he can't.

In a contract year he can. it's what got him his 70 million from Cuban.:D

[SLC93]

It sure does. Lame thread. That represents a non-championship team.

Take yourself elsewhere, then. By your logic a team can only have a thread if it has a title? Good to know, Guadalupe guy.:D

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

I have my tickets for the November 18 game here in Dallas with the Spurs!

Without a doubt, the HOTTEST rivalry going!:notworthy

Something about when these 2 teams get on the court together!

[yankee]

Thabo is so under rated. I was hoping the Mavs could land him at last seasons trade deadline.

he sure is!
it's a joy to watch him play defense. dude goes non-stop.

[yankee]

Potentially but there's alot of time to pass. For OKC the talent has to continue to develop and then they have to be able to either sign that talent or turn it into additional assets. They've stockpiled picks and cap room so they should be in good shape. That team should still be in Seattle, though. Shame.

As for Dallas, don't write them off as still being extremely relevant in 2-3 years. Over the course of the next several years they have multiple expiring contracts with value of over 10 million each. Those are pure gold in a good economic enviroment. It the current climate Dallas could turn those contracts into any number of talent combinations via trade. Also do not be naive and think Dirk is anywhere near done. He's got 2-3 years of prime ball left in him and another 2-3 of very good ball after that. Dallas has set itself up very well to transition into the future.

ford center >>>> whatever the sonics had in seattle
fan support in okc >>>> whatever the sonics had (or didn't have) in seattle

[RedRage00]

I have my tickets for the November 18 game here in Dallas with the Spurs!

Me too! I'm a Spurs fan though :cool:

[SLC93]

ford center >>>> whatever the sonics had in seattle
fan support in okc >>>> whatever the sonics had (or didn't have) in seattle

Yeah but you should never move a franchise from a major market to a city with silos.:D

[yankee]

Yeah but you should never move a franchise from a major market to a city with silos.:D

so far, city of silos is representing well. as this team continues to mature and get better, hopefully excitement and attendance will continue to go up. they're still packing crowds in at the ford center. they're in the top half of the league as far as pct. of arena filled both last year and this year. not bad for a lottery team. ;)

[svhorns]

so far, city of silos is representing well. as this team continues to mature and get better, hopefully excitement and attendance will continue to go up. they're still packing crowds in at the ford center. they're in the top half of the league as far as pct. of arena filled both last year and this year. not bad for a lottery team. ;)

You can thank Portland for pulling another Sam Bowie draft pick. Without KD... it wouldn't be pretty.

[yankee]

You can thank Portland for pulling another Sam Bowie draft pick. Without KD... it wouldn't be pretty.

sure.

[svhorns]

sure.

You're welcome.

[SLC]

As much as it pains many Mavs fans to say, Damp is playing lights out right now. He's basically at 10 & 12 this season. If that holds, Dallas is going to be really tough. He's in a contract year and those have always been the years he produces consistent to his talent. It's a win win for Dallas. He plays well and it helps the team as well as making his super, expiring contract more valuable because it's attached to a guy that is producing. Mark this. I look for Damp's contract to net us a star level player via trade. I then look for him to resign with Dallas after he is released.




Thats why the Mavs need to sign him to one year contracts, hell, at that rate they might end up with a yearly all star.:)

[tayb]

so far, city of silos is representing well. as this team continues to mature and get better, hopefully excitement and attendance will continue to go up. they're still packing crowds in at the ford center. they're in the top half of the league as far as pct. of arena filled both last year and this year. not bad for a lottery team. ;)

Kevin Durant. That team has the talent in the league. As they age and gel together they are going to be dangerous. Two or three years from now with that same core? Watch out baby.

I'm not a big NBA fan by any stretch but I can't stand the Spurs. If I had to peg a rooting interest it would probably be the Mav's but I honestly enjoying watching the stars play more than watching any single team.

[lonny23]

Kevin Durant. That team has the talent in the league. As they age and gel together they are going to be dangerous. Two or three years from now with that same core? Watch out baby.

I'm not a big NBA fan by any stretch but I can't stand the Spurs. If I had to peg a rooting interest it would probably be the Mav's but I honestly enjoying watching the stars play more than watching any single team.That's because you've been indoctrinated by the David Stern PR campaign to value stars over teams. That's why they hand out the Larry O'Brien Trophy before NBA Finals MVP. The other sports give out MVP trophies before championship trophies.

[yankee]

Kevin Durant. That team has the talent in the league. As they age and gel together they are going to be dangerous. Two or three years from now with that same core? Watch out baby.

I'm not a big NBA fan by any stretch but I can't stand the Spurs. If I had to peg a rooting interest it would probably be the Mav's but I honestly enjoying watching the stars play more than watching any single team.

i already tried telling that to mavs fans. it doesn't work. but i hear ya on that analysis.

[GoOwls]

i already tried telling that to mavs fans. it doesn't work. but i hear ya on that analysis.

I'll worry about them when they get good....the Mavs are a "right now" team and they impoved at all 6 positions they changed in the off season....if this team finds some chemistry, they could be contenders.....THIS year.

[SLC93]

i already tried telling that to mavs fans. it doesn't work. but i hear ya on that analysis.

I'm with you, re the Thunder's future. I'm only stating that they have to retain that core and utilize the cash & picks they have stockpiled correctly. If they do so they are fully prepped to vault to the top of the conference in 3 years.

[SLC93]

I'll worry about them when they get good....the Mavs are a "right now" team and they impoved at all 6 positions they changed in the off season....if this team finds some chemistry, they could be contenders.....THIS year.

I think with this exact roster you have every right to expect serious contention both this season and next. With the type of tradeable contracts we have the next two seasons, Damp/Howard/Terry all over 10 million/per, Dallas can fully reshape their roster, though.

[svhorns]

Damp with 20 rebounds against the Rockets?!?! Wow. Are we seeing a new Dampier this season?

[SLC]

Damp with 20 rebounds against the Rockets?!?! Wow. Are we seeing a new Dampier this season?


Straight cash homey

http://enrico.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/mossbadhair.jpg





I do like his play thus far though.

Damn...We got down to Houston by 17 and came back to smack that ***.:notworthy

[GoOwls]

Damp with 20 rebounds against the Rockets?!?! Wow. Are we seeing a new Dampier this season?

14 and 20.....wow.

One word though....it's his contract season....he historically has good contract seasons.

[lonny23]

Damp with 20 rebounds against the Rockets?!?! Wow. Are we seeing a new Dampier this season?
Damp was a double-double guy almost every night his last year in Oakland before he was signed and traded to Dallas on this current contract.

Besides money, there are a few things that I've always felt about Damp that we should consider:

1. Damp has bad hands, but the main thing is he catches the balls from mid-chest to shoulders. He drops the low balls. Kidd gets him balls where he can catch them, but most of his PG's in Dallas haven't done that. Damp never played with Nash, but he's always had a high shooting % taking shots in the paint.

2. One thing I've always seen from Damp is he plays harder, gets more boards, blocks shots, plays better D, and sets better screens when you get him a few touches early in a game. If he doesn't get a few balls, he pouts and lags, moves slow, and fouls more. This all goes back to a vicious circle of having teammates who can't get him the ball high and they stop giving him the ball because he fumbles it.

3. In many ways, Damp has always been a situational player. Damp is best suited on D to play traditional centers. He doesn't have the speed to keep up with the athletic centers, but he's always been one of the best guys in the NBA to play D on Shaq (Along with guys like Ben Wallace was in Detroit). He definitely is better at using strength over speed and one time I saw him keep Shaq from taking a shot in the 4th quarter because he couldn't back Damp down and get into his shooting range. I think Damp has always known he couldn't hang with the athletic guys, but he gets up for the guys like himself and always plays better when he's going up against guys like Shaq and Yao.

4. Damp is a funny character. He can be quiet and moody, but one thing he's always had is pride and you can get more out of him when you challenge his pride. Rick Carlisle is a smart guy and I'm sure he knew what he was doing in the off-season when he said Drew Gooden was going to be the starter. Rick was on the radio last week and rattled off the games played/games missed log for Josh Howard over the full season (Played 2 games, missed 4 games, played 3 games, etc.) and I'm sure he knew how to push Damp's buttons. Damp was working out in Dallas all off-season this year and didn't like hearing he wasn't going to start. He even talked in an interview a few weeks ago about how Dallas is a much better team when he plays and he had all the stats.

5. Dallas has always been a much better team when Damp has a good game. The problem is he doesn't always have a good game. I think some of it is motivation being lacking and some of it probably comes from his mental state and emotions for a game (His kind of center, getting the ball some vs. a guy he can't guard and the Mavs freezing him out), but there also seems to be a certain level that you can expect from his and he's not going to get 20 rebounds every game, but he should be able to get over 10 a game.

6. I can't tell you how mad Damp makes me at times. I know the guy is needed and I like having him on the team and have defended him many times, but I get tired of the bad play in many games. All I've ever wanted was for him to play hard every game and he's rarely done it for almost every game over the course of a season.

7. When all elese fails, one thing I know about Damp from his time in the NBA is HE PLAYS A LOT BETTER IN THE LAST YEAR OF HIS CONTRACT!:D

Damp 04-05 (First Dallas year)
59 games 56 starts 27.3 minutes 9.2 points
3.1 O Rebounds 5.4 D rebounds 8.5 rebounds
0.9 assists 0.25 steals 1.36 blocks
1.7 turnovers 3.5 fouls

Damp 03-04 (GS contract year)
74 games 74 starts 32.5 minutes 12.3 points
4.7 O rebounds 7.3 D rebounds 11.9 rebounds
0.8 assists 0.40 steals 1.90 blocks
1.8 turnovers 3.1 fouls

Damp 09-10 (Trying to get his team option instead of being a free agent and getting far less money. Part of it might be him not wanting to get traded out of Dallas because he's option #1 to go at the trading deadline. Then again, this might be his idea of an audtion for a another team, but I do get the feeling he doesn't want to leave and knows he will if he doesn't play well.)

7 games 7 starts 29.1 minutes 9.6 points .700 FG% (Will be 4th in a row over .600)
3.4 O rebounds 7.7 D rebounds 11.1 rebounds
0.6 assists 0.30 steals 2.60 blocks
0.9 turnovers 3.3 fouls

Damp 08-09
80 games 80 starts 22.9 minutes 5.7 points
2.7 O rebounds 4.4 D rebounds 7.1 rebounds
1.0 assists 0.30 steals 1.20 blocks
0.9 turnovers 2.4 fouls

Through all of this I do see trends for his career:

1. He's been very durable most years.
2. He never was a high 30 minutes player. I'm happy if we just get 30 good minutes. The problem has been we always get 25-30 minutes, but they're not always good. He went down to 23 last year because he was at his worst in Dallas.
3. Damp shot pretty well before he left the Warriors, but he's been even better in Dallas.
4. Damp never has been one for getting a bunch of free throws and his % will never be .700.
5. Damp won't give you assists or steals, but he'll give you 3 fouls a game rain or shine!:D
6. Damp sets great screens and you better be watching out for him if you're a little guy!:p
7. Damp's effectiveness and footprint on a game all come down to this. Dallas wins when Damp is on and you know Damp is on when this happens and it's almost always a case of all of these happening at the same time:

Damp gets more offensive rebounds
Damp gets more defensive rebounds
Damp gets more rebounds
Damp blocks more shots
Damp plays better defense
Damp blocks out better
Damp even scores more points

It even works to the point that Dallas gets most of the rebounds that Damp doesn't get when he's on (Because he's blocking out so well) and how he changes shots (That he doesn't block) and the other team shoots terrible when he's playing hard.

[svhorns]

I'll be at the Spurs Mavs game tonight. Lets go Mavs!!!!

[lonny23]

This is my best stat to show what Damp playing well means to the Mavs:

Mavs in all regular season and playoff games since Damp arrived:

319-155 (.673)

When Damp gets a double-double (Points and rebounds):

40-11 (.784)

When Damp gets double digit points, but not rebounds:

36-10 (.783)

When Damp gets double digit rebounds, but not points:

51-15 (.773)

Here's another way to break it down:

Damp gets double digits in something:

127-36 (.779)

Damp doesn't get double digits in anything (But he still played well in some of those games):

192-119 (.617)

or Dallas is a 64-18 type team when Damp plays well and a 51-31 team when he doesn't!:D Yes, I've noticed he's played well less than he's played good in Dallas. I will say Damp would've had a bunch of double digit foul games if the rules were different!:D

[lonny23]

I'll be at the Spurs Mavs game tonight. Lets go Mavs!!!!
1. Spurs are rested and Dallas will be tired somewhat.
2. The big win, the rest the guys got down the stretch, and the short flight to SA help.
3. It helps that Parker and Duncan are hurting and the Spurs really are a team in decline as seen by their bad defense so far and the extent that Pop has gone to limiting their minutes. I know he's trying to play for the playoffs, but the reality of what I see is a smoke and mirrors team that won't have the pep to step on the gas in the playoffs.
4. The Spurs have been a good home team and terrible road team so far, but I also think they're a team that has looked better when playing bad teams.

I think SA might win the game since they have more rest than Dallas, but over 82 games the Spurs won't be able to keep up with Dallas. Dallas is at least 5 games better than the Spurs and I think more than that. Honestly, I think Dallas wins without the rest unlike the game they blew in NO last week when they had to make a mad dash 4th quarter comeback on Utah.

[lonny23]

Guys and gals,

It's games like the Mavs at Spurs that make me dislike professional sports (Sometimes college, too) so often. I know the Spurs were rested and Dallas played last night, but I get tired of teams lollygagging and getting way behind (Mavs do it often) and I sure hate how Dallas has lost games to the Spurs the last 2 years when they were missing 2/3 of their trifecta. They're gutless pukes to me. I get tired of people working for me and doing it and I sure can't stand the thought of paying to watch it!:mad:

[RedRage00]

I didn't get a chance to watch the game, but I'm glad the Spurs won :)

[svhorns]

Wow what a :Censor:ing disappointment. Mavs played like complete trash tonight. I hate that I went to this game tonight. On top of it all... I had to hear Go spurs Go all night. Marion sucks. He played awful. Damp didn't do crap. Dirk played like crap in the 1st. Barrea didn't do crap. Kidd was making terrible passes. Jesus Christ man they didn't even have Fairy Duncan or Parker. I wasn't able to get vocal at all because we were down 13-15 points for most of the game. :Censor: man

[SLC]

Guys and gals,

It's games like the Mavs at Spurs that make me dislike professional sports (Sometimes college, too) so often. I know the Spurs were rested and Dallas played last night, but I get tired of teams lollygagging and getting way behind (Mavs do it often) and I sure hate how Dallas has lost games to the Spurs the last 2 years when they were missing 2/3 of their trifecta. They're gutless pukes to me. I get tired of people working for me and doing it and I sure can't stand the thought of paying to watch it!:mad:


You'll get a few of those a season, causes confusion and disdain, much like you're saying there. The Pissin Drunk once said almost that exact thing to Mark Cuban on his radio show, with Mark Cuban on the phone.


That last line is wild bro...Majorly wild.:)

[SLC]

Wow what a :Censor:ing disappointment. Mavs played like complete trash tonight. I hate that I went to this game tonight. On top of it all... I had to hear Go spurs Go all night. Marion sucks. He played awful. Damp didn't do crap. Dirk played like crap in the 1st. Barrea didn't do crap. Kidd was making terrible passes. Jesus Christ man they didn't even have Fairy Duncan or Parker. I wasn't able to get vocal at all because we were down 13-15 points for most of the game. :Censor: man


Calm down bro...It's a looooong season and that was onnnnnne game...No matter how upset you get, it's still just one game.

[svhorns]

The highlight of my night was yelling at Mark Cuban and him turning around to say whats up. He was taking pictures with everyone before the game. He's pretty much a bad a$$.

[HomeofChampions'06]

this thread sucks

:notworthy

Dallas Mavericks...where no championships happens.

[RedRage00]

Calm down bro...It's a looooong season and that was onnnnnne game...No matter how upset you get, it's still just one game.

You forget that you're talking about the Dallas Mavericks. :D

[RedRage00]

:notworthy

Dallas Mavericks...where no championships happens.

:notworthy :ninja: :notworthy

[SLC]

Great game by the Mavs last night. It's always good to notch a win against your rival.

Dirk was going off in the 2nd half and especially the 4th qtr. We need to keep the momentum of the win going.

[SLC93]

Dirk is playing at a level that is actually beyond his MVP year. As Dallas continues to mesh and get healthy, they're going to be extremely tough. Watching Carlisle work only makes me further lament the ineptitude that was Avery. I still can't believe Cuban let a brand new coach have the keys to a team that was primed to win immediately. With the talent they have and the flexibility they have with their contracts, Dallas is a far more serious player that most even know.

[lonny23]

Dirk is playing at a level that is actually beyond his MVP year. As Dallas continues to mesh and get healthy, they're going to be extremely tough. Watching Carlisle work only makes me further lament the ineptitude that was Avery. I still can't believe Cuban let a brand new coach have the keys to a team that was primed to win immediately. With the talent they have and the flexibility they have with their contracts, Dallas is a far more serious player that most even know.
Sometimes Cuban gets like Jones and stays married to the same players/coaches for too long. Avery was a motivator as a player, but he didn't have all the tools. In Cuban's defense, many thought Avery would be a good coach, but they should've known he wore on teammates. I guess Cuban never knew about Elie and Avery getting into it over AJ's mouth in the Spurs locker room. It was so bad that I emailed Cuban twice saying he needed to fire Avery before he did.

Most of Dirk's career has been wasted by having Nellie and Avery around. He learned from both, but they had too many flaws to win a title.

[SLC93]

Sometimes Cuban gets like Jones and stays married to the same players/coaches for too long. Avery was a motivator as a player, but he didn't have all the tools. In Cuban's defense, many thought Avery would be a good coach, but they should've known he wore on teammates. I guess Cuban never knew about Elie and Avery getting into it over AJ's mouth in the Spurs locker room. It was so bad that I emailed Cuban twice saying he needed to fire Avery before he did.

Most of Dirk's career has been wasted by having Nellie and Avery around. He learned from both, but they had too many flaws to win a title.

It's a double edge sword with Nellie, as always. I think he was the perfect coach for a teenage kid in a foreign country to acclimate with. His presence here helped Dirk in the early goings. That said all of his shortcomings, perceived or real, are the direct result of Nellie's system and philosophy that he was immersed in as an NBA infant.

Avery just made no sense, period. You never give that kind of team to a guy with no head coaching experience and that little of a pedigree. It's never been done before for a reason. The team responded for a bit because it was a new voice, that's it. There's a reason nobody has knocked his door down the last two years and it's Cuban still paying him has little to do with it.

[lonny23]

It's a double edge sword with Nellie, as always. I think he was the perfect coach for a teenage kid in a foreign country to acclimate with. His presence here helped Dirk in the early goings. That said all of his shortcomings, perceived or real, are the direct result of Nellie's system and philosophy that he was immersed in as an NBA infant.

Avery just made no sense, period. You never give that kind of team to a guy with no head coaching experience and that little of a pedigree. It's never been done before for a reason. The team responded for a bit because it was a new voice, that's it. There's a reason nobody has knocked his door down the last two years and it's Cuban still paying him has little to do with it.
1. I think you'd have to be a fool to hire Avery.
2. Somebody will.
3. Avery makes more money from Cuban than he would coaching.
4. Avery should get a job and get Cuban off the hook, but I bet he wants to sock it to Cuban.

[SLC93]

12-4 now with a better road record than home record! This team has a quality bench and is much improved defensively. Not sure what the GS brainfart was but nice response from the Mavs.

[lonny23]

12-4 now with a better road record than home record! This team has a quality bench and is much improved defensively. Not sure what the GS brainfart was but nice response from the Mavs.
I call it a case of the Mavs trying to relax and beat GS on offense because it's easier than playing hard D and then trying to win the next night, too.

Dallas is plenty good, but it remains to be seen how often they'll show up. I know they'll win at least 50 and my guess is at least 60, but beyond that, it's up to their effort.

[SLC93]

14-5 with a favorable stretch of scheduling on the horizon after a brutal number of b2b's in November. Where does Howard fit on this team when he returns?

[svhorns]

We didn't lose to the Nets... thank God.

[the_phoenix612]

http://theassociation.blogs.com/the_association/dirk.jpg> Charlotte Bobcats

[SLC93]

17-7 and already played twice as many road games as the Spurs and Lakers. The schedule will be much friendlier for us during the meat of this season.

I think we'll see a significant move made before New Year's day.

[SLC93]

18-7.

[SLC93]

19-7 after last night's win. Big surge in the last 5 minutes takes the Mavs to 10-4 on the road. To put that in perspective, the mighty Lakers have played 6 road games this season. Dallas is taking care of alot of business early. That's going to pay off down the road.

[SLC93]

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/columns/story?columnist=macmahon_tim&id=4747343

Great numbers for those of you that still live in the fantasy world where Dirk isn't clutch.

[SLC93]

20-8 and took out Cleveland without Dirk. Nice.

[the_phoenix612]

The worst team in the SW division (Hornets and Grizzlies tied) would be the 5th seed in the Eastern playoffs if the playoffs started tomorrow.

Food for thought.

[yankee]

i was wrong about my thunder predictions earlier in this thread....they're even better, earlier, then i'd ever thought they'd be. :notworthy

what a fun team to watch. bunch of young, good players who enjoy playing the game.. and even more importantly, enjoy being teammates.

now if we can only get that damn center... (serge?)

[SLC93]

The worst team in the SW division (Hornets and Grizzlies tied) would be the 5th seed in the Eastern playoffs if the playoffs started tomorrow.

Food for thought.

With as top heavy and poor as the East has been for the last 10 years, I'm not so sure the NBA shouldn't just seed the best 16 records for the playoffs at the end of the year and abandon the 8 per conference format.

[SLC93]

i was wrong about my thunder predictions earlier in this thread....they're even better, earlier, then i'd ever thought they'd be. :notworthy

what a fun team to watch. bunch of young, good players who enjoy playing the game.. and even more importantly, enjoy being teammates.

now if we can only get that damn center... (serge?)

They have as many wins this season, at the half way point, as they did for the entire 2008-2009 season. Their accelerated jump has been so fun to watch. I pull for them every night except when they play the Mavs.

Scary part of this equation, if you're the rest of the NBA? The Thunder are far enough under the cap to pursue a max contract level free agent and still use all of their exceptions in free agency, if they desire. Additional to that they have 5 first round picks in the next two drafts. With the talent they have on board and those assets OKC is going to be a major player in the next 12 years of NBA history.

[SLC93]

28-14 after last night. This is a very good team but a deadline deal has to be made and it has to be Josh Howard and parts that leaves. Doesn't even have to be and upgrade in talent. I'll take a lateral move in that area provided the returning player in the trade plays 77-82 games a year. It is always something with Howard. Be it injury, illness or stupidity this guy is just never there anymore. When he is he is rarely right and when he is right it takes him half a game to warm up. I'm done. His contract has huge trade value, even if he doesn't. Cut the cord, Cubes. It shoulds happened two seasons ago.

Don't sweat the 13-7 home record. The Mavs had the exact same record at home after 20 games last season. They won 19 of their last 21 at the AAC.

[the_phoenix612]

28-14 after last night. This is a very good team but a deadline deal has to be made and it has to be Josh Howard and parts that leaves. Doesn't even have to be and upgrade in talent. I'll take a lateral move in that area provided the returning player in the trade plays 77-82 games a year. It is always something with Howard. Be it injury, illness or stupidity this guy is just never there anymore. When he is he is rarely right and when he is right it takes him half a game to warm up. I'm done. His contract has huge trade value, even if he doesn't. Cut the cord, Cubes. It shoulds happened two seasons ago.

Don't sweat the 13-7 home record. The Mavs had the exact same record at home after 20 games last season. They won 19 of their last 21 at the AAC.
I think Cuban wants LeBron and I think it'll happen.

[lonny23]

28-14 after last night. This is a very good team but a deadline deal has to be made and it has to be Josh Howard and parts that leaves. Doesn't even have to be and upgrade in talent. I'll take a lateral move in that area provided the returning player in the trade plays 77-82 games a year. It is always something with Howard. Be it injury, illness or stupidity this guy is just never there anymore. When he is he is rarely right and when he is right it takes him half a game to warm up. I'm done. His contract has huge trade value, even if he doesn't. Cut the cord, Cubes. It shoulds happened two seasons ago.

Don't sweat the 13-7 home record. The Mavs had the exact same record at home after 20 games last season. They won 19 of their last 21 at the AAC.The Mavs leave a somewhat bad taste in my mouth:

1. I think they're a very good team, but they don't bring it each night.
2. They do bring it enough that I think they can go far in the playoffs.
3. They have the easiest remaining schedule in the West.
4. All indicators say they'll win the Southwest because the Spurs are terrible against good teams, Houston doesn't have the gas to beat out Dallas, and the other 2 just aren't good enough.
5. Denver plays well against good teams, but loses their share of easy games. My guess is they won't beat out the Mavs if Dallas starts turning into a great home team.
6. The Lakers won't run away from Dallas, but they'll probably get the #1 seed.
7. I'm not sold on Dallas having enough to beat the Lakers.

[yankee]

Big trade today for the mavs...

Mavs get:

Caron Butler
Brendan Haywood
Deshawn Stevenson

Wizards get:
Josh Howard
Drew Gooden
Quiton Ross
James Singleton


i'm not a mavs fan, but maybe some of you can chime in on how this trade shakes out...definitely looks like the mavs upgraded and might give them the edge they need to possibly knock off the lakers. butler and haywood will be able to immediately contribute, especially butler.

[SLC93]

Big trade today for the mavs...

Mavs get:

Caron Butler
Brendan Haywood
Deshawn Stevenson

Wizards get:
Josh Howard
Drew Gooden
Quiton Ross
James Singleton


i'm not a mavs fan, but maybe some of you can chime in on how this trade shakes out...definitely looks like the mavs upgraded and might give them the edge they need to possibly knock off the lakers. butler and haywood will be able to immediately contribute, especially butler.

This is the trade Dallas has been looking for since the Lakers stole Gasol. Neither Butler or Haywood is as talented individually as Gasol but they represent a pair of talents coming back, Dallas gave up no draft picks, Dallas gave up no young talent, they gained another trade exception and Dallas received cash from Washington instead of the other way around. Given all of that you can easily say Dallas fleeced Washington far worse than LA did Memphis.

As for how this translates to the floor? Simply stated, it's a grand slam. Dallas was able to upgrade their two biggest weaknesses in the starting unit and strengthen their bench, all in the same move. Butler is everything
Howard was when Howard was on and more. He's far tougher, both physically and emotionally. He'll take over at the 2 guard and slide to small forward when Dallas goes small. You're going to love him. Haywood is a like clock work. He's gives you a double double every night, will block 2-3 shots and can run the floor. Dallas will finally have a legit center who can do everything. Plus, he's about 4 years younger than Damp with no history of injury, other than a fluke thing with his wrist last season. As a result of their additions, our second unit now features Terry and Damp. Off the bench, I love those two. Let's not forget that Stevenson offers some good things, too. He's 28, 6'5 and very athletic, When he's on he offers some things we have traditionally lacked in the backcourt. He won't garner alot of minutes but I can see him making situational impacts for sure.

Dallas may not be done yet, either. The hold 3 trade exceptions that basically allow you to take a player off a teams hands and return nothing, provided their salary is within 100,000 of the exception value. Look for them to make a move for another power forward/center type before Thursday.
Nothing big but a good body to use in a pinch.

What does this mean? If Dallas can mesh and stay healthy for the remainder of the season, it almost guarantees a place in the conference finals. It also means that LA will be pushed and is beatable. None of those things could be said prior to this trade.

Cuban and Nelson have taken alot of grief in recent years, some of it deserved. You really have to tip your cap to them this year, though. They turned Stackhouse, Devan George, Antoine Wright, James Singleton, Quinton Ross, Drew Gooden and Josh Howard into Shawn Marion, Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood. That is amazing. A bunch of journeyman trash and an always injured/moody Howard for 3 players of all star caliber between 29-31 years old.

Lastly, if you're into the summer of 2010 free agency, Dallas was able to hold onto Dampier's huge, expiring contract, young Roddy and acquire better talent to possibly use in a move. Should the opportunity arise they are much better equipped to pull a trade for a James, Wade, Bosh, Johnson type.

I'm beyond excited.

[15Adragon]

This is the trade Dallas has been looking for since the Lakers stole Gasol. Neither Butler or Haywood is as talented individually as Gasol but they represent a pair of talents coming back, Dallas gave up no draft picks, Dallas gave up no young talent, they gained another trade exception and Dallas received cash from Washington instead of the other way around. Given all of that you can easily say Dallas fleeced Washington far worse than LA did Memphis.

As for how this translates to the floor? Simply stated, it's a grand slam. Dallas was able to upgrade their two biggest weaknesses in the starting unit and strengthen their bench, all in the same move. Butler is everything
Howard was when Howard was on and more. He's far tougher, both physically and emotionally. He'll take over at the 2 guard and slide to small forward when Dallas goes small. You're going to love him. Haywood is a like clock work. He's gives you a double double every night, will block 2-3 shots and can run the floor. Dallas will finally have a legit center who can do everything. Plus, he's about 4 years younger than Damp with no history of injury, other than a fluke thing with his wrist last season. As a result of their additions, our second unit now features Terry and Damp. Off the bench, I love those two. Let's not forget that Stevenson offers some good things, too. He's 28, 6'5 and very athletic, When he's on he offers some things we have traditionally lacked in the backcourt. He won't garner alot of minutes but I can see him making situational impacts for sure.

Dallas may not be done yet, either. The hold 3 trade exceptions that basically allow you to take a player off a teams hands and return nothing, provided their salary is within 100,000 of the exception value. Look for them to make a move for another power forward/center type before Thursday.
Nothing big but a good body to use in a pinch.

What does this mean? If Dallas can mesh and stay healthy for the remainder of the season, it almost guarantees a place in the conference finals. It also means that LA will be pushed and is beatable. None of those things could be said prior to this trade.

Cuban and Nelson have taken alot of grief in recent years, some of it deserved. You really have to tip your cap to them this year, though. They turned Stackhouse, Devan George, Antoine Wright, James Singleton, Quinton Ross, Drew Gooden and Josh Howard into Shawn Marion, Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood. That is amazing. A bunch of journeyman trash and an always injured/moody Howard for 3 players of all star caliber between 29-31 years old.

Lastly, if you're into the summer of 2010 free agency, Dallas was able to hold onto Dampier's huge, expiring contract, young Roddy and acquire better talent to possibly use in a move. Should the opportunity arise they are much better equipped to pull a trade for a James, Wade, Bosh, Johnson type.

I'm beyond excited.

Why read the sports page for Mavs updates when I can just checkin with '93... Very nice.

[SLC93]

Why read the sports page for Mavs updates when I can just checkin with '93... Very nice.

:D

If it makes you feel better, I've read just about everything that has been written about this trade prior to it and after it was announced. The Mavs did not let me down with this move. Cuban just may have had his biggest series of days since he traded for Nash and drafted Nowitski.

[farmerfan]

:D

If it makes you feel better, I've read just about everything that has been written about this trade prior to it and after it was announced. The Mavs did not let me down with this move. Cuban just may have had his biggest series of days since he traded for Nash and drafted Nowitski.

Don't watch the NBA and really don't care for it much. But dang, I thought your football knowledge was off the chart but your run down of this trade just made perfect sense for somebody that does not follow the Mavs or the NBA. I may just start watching after reading what you just wrote. I think we need you to start covering the Mavs for the DMN or ST. :notworthy Great breakdown '93:notworthy:notworthy

[SLC93]

Don't watch the NBA and really don't care for it much. But dang, I thought your football knowledge was off the chart but your run down of this trade just made perfect sense for somebody that does not follow the Mavs or the NBA. I may just start watching after reading what you just wrote. I think we need you to start covering the Mavs for the DMN or ST. :notworthy Great breakdown '93:notworthy:notworthy

Why, thank you, sir.:D

I keep up with the Mavs, big story lines and player movement until we get close to the playoffs. The regular season is just too long and lulls in stretches, even for the crazy fans. I'm all NBA come playoff time, though, although I wish they'd go back to the 5 game series in the first round.

[SLC93]

For those that care, the Mavs went on a 19-0 run at Orlando last night to take control of the game and secure the win. It was an absolute thing of beauty, as almost the entire run came while we sat our superstar. The additions of Butler and Haywood are paying off already. Handling the 2 seed in the East on the road was nice.

If the team can hang in there while Damp gets healthy and while we wait to see if we can pick up another backup at the 4, they are going to be deadly. Mark this. As long as health doesn't come into play they're in the conference finals.

Miami is in town tonight. Both teams on the second half of back to backs. Miami went to 2ot last night and is without Wade. Dallas needs to make a statement and crush them. If they can they'll have gone 3-1 during this 4 games in 5 nights stretch while integrating two new starters without the benefit of practice. All 4 games were against playoff team.

[SLC93]

Mavs are picking up steam and have won 4 in row now. Brendan Haywood has been an absolute revelation in the post. His presence has brought the defense back and really helped the offensive spacing. Butler's effort and hustle have been great and the throw in, Stevenson, got into the act last night, too. Love this trade. Wait until Damp comes back. You're going to love him as the back up center. We're a little small until he gets healthy and/or we pick up a veteran to backup the 4/5. Pray for good health.

The Lakers come to town on Wednesday. Be interesting to see the strides we've made. I'm not sure we're there yet due to the injury to Damp and yet to be replaced Gooden. The Lakers are special because of their length, more so than just Kobe. Still can't wait to watch.

[the_phoenix612]

Mavs are picking up steam and have won 4 in row now. Brendan Haywood has been an absolute revelation in the post. His presence has brought the defense back and really helped the offensive spacing. Butler's effort and hustle have been great and the throw in, Stevenson, got into the act last night, too. Love this trade. Wait until Damp comes back. You're going to love him as the back up center. We're a little small until he gets healthy and/or we pick up a veteran to backup the 4/5. Pray for good health.

The Lakers come to town on Wednesday. Be interesting to see the strides we've made. I'm not sure we're there yet due to the injury to Damp and yet to be replaced Gooden. The Lakers are special because of their length, more so than just Kobe. Still can't wait to watch.
I really, really liked Drew Gooden.

[hunterbunter]

the Mavs are too inconsistent. they will not be winning an NBA championship anytime soon.

[SLC93]

I really, really liked Drew Gooden.

I'm still harboring hope that the Clippers will buy him out and he'll return to Dallas. If you liked him playing out of position at center, you'd love him as Dirk's primary back up at power forward. Reports are conflicting and it looks like LA is going to hold onto him. With Dampier injured and Tim Thomas tending to a very ill wife, we're not nearly as long as we need to be on the frontline.

Gooden has had an absolutely weird career. He was a little goofy early in his career but he has always been noted as a good guy in the locker room. He was the fourth player picked in his draft, has a good offensive game and is a talented rebounder. For whatever reason he has had the worst series of luck/circumstance of any player in my recent memory. 8 teams in 8 years for a guy that will give you 12points and 8 boards every night, is rarely hurt and has never been in any real trouble? Weird.

[SLC93]

Huge win for Dallas last night. 5 in a row and playing great.


BE EXCITED!

If ever there was a time to just be a fan and let loose, it is now. This team is playing with a joy and an energy they simply haven't had much of in the last several years. Make no mistake, there was not a single, fluke quality to last nights victory. The Lakers were healthy and, despite being on the tail end of a b2b, rested. This was just their second game in 6 days. For comparison's sake the Mavs have played 4 in that same time frame. They also played well. Look at the box score. Aside from Kobe not shooting well, there isn't a real negative in there. No, the Mavs won this game, period. They did so despite not having Butler or Dampier or Thomas or whoever they may acquire post buyout. Therein lies so much of the optimism. With Dallas meshing faster than most expected, chemistry is not going to be an issue. If this team gets healthy they are the only team in this conference that can beat LA in a 7 game series. They're long, deep and have multiple guys to throw at Kobe with Marion, Butler and Stevenson.

BE EXCITED!



What we have here, potentially, is exactly what we've been screaming for, a serious contender. Yes, there are flaws but guess what? Every sqaud has them, even the Lakers. This team can do special things. Enjoy the ride. Be a fan. If you can't do this, take your lifeless existence to a Nets board or a Wizards board or anyone of the morbid franchises out there that have real reason to be miserable.

[slcdragonfan]

Huge win for Dallas last night. 5 in a row and playing great.


BE EXCITED!

If ever there was a time to just be a fan and let loose, it is now. This team is playing with a joy and an energy they simply haven't had much of in the last several years. Make no mistake, there was not a single, fluke quality to last nights victory. The Lakers were healthy and, despite being on the tail end of a b2b, rested. This was just their second game in 6 days. For comparison's sake the Mavs have played 4 in that same time frame. They also played well. Look at the box score. Aside from Kobe not shooting well, there isn't a real negative in there. No, the Mavs won this game, period. They did so despite not having Butler or Dampier or Thomas or whoever they may acquire post buyout. Therein lies so much of the optimism. With Dallas meshing faster than most expected, chemistry is not going to be an issue. If this team gets healthy they are the only team in this conference that can beat LA in a 7 game series. They're long, deep and have multiple guys to throw at Kobe with Marion, Butler and Stevenson.

BE EXCITED!



What we have here, potentially, is exactly what we've been screaming for, a serious contender. Yes, there are flaws but guess what? Every sqaud has them, even the Lakers. This team can do special things. Enjoy the ride. Be a fan. If you can't do this, take your lifeless existence to a Nets board or a Wizards board or anyone of the morbid franchises out there that have real reason to be miserable.

YOu're right. That was a great game last night. They were a little low in the shooting percentage, but their free throws kept 'em going. The D was excellent, and the ball handling out-a-site. What I especially liked was it looked like everyone (even the Lakers) was having fun. I may even try to pick up some tickets...

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

I watched while I was at work last night and, this was a legit game. Been a Dallas fan since 1986 (the first time I remember watching basketball) and, I haven't seen this much excitement out of them in awhile. As long as nobody else gets caught shaving points, I'll continue to watch.

Not putting them in there yet but, with this current team, they really do have as good of a chance as anyone. By the way, they've already beaten LA once this year, and that was in LA.

I'd really like to see them play Denver again, first and foremost.

[BlakeJ]

Watching the game last night alot of things came to mind.

1) Derek Fisher may be the most worthless player on the Lakers squad. He shoots the ball WAY TO MUCH and his defense is TERRIBLE! LA may pay for not going out and getting a defense minded point gaurd like Hinrich at the deadline.

2) What in the heck happened to Kidd?? He should retire. He used to be one of the funnest players to watch.

3) How in the heck do you gaurd a 7'0" big guy who couldn't post a 6'0" gaurd but can out shoot him? Dirk may be the softest player in the league, but he shoots the lights out from mid range.

4) Jason Terry is one dimensional. I get sick of watching his displays of tardness after every shot he hits. Guy is an idiot.

5) Brendan H is a STUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Washington dropped the ball for trading him.

6) Dream on Dallas fans...Dallas is still Dallas and Dirk is still Dirk when the big games come along. You're still Denver Light. ;)

[SLC93]

Watching the game last night alot of things came to mind.

1) Derek Fisher may be the most worthless player on the Lakers squad. He shoots the ball WAY TO MUCH and his defense is TERRIBLE! LA may pay for not going out and getting a defense minded point gaurd like Hinrich at the deadline.

2) What in the heck happened to Kidd?? He should retire. He used to be one of the funnest players to watch.

3) How in the heck do you gaurd a 7'0" big guy who couldn't post a 6'0" gaurd but can out shoot him? Dirk may be the softest player in the league, but he shoots the lights out from mid range.

4) Jason Terry is one dimensional. I get sick of watching his displays of tardness after every shot he hits. Guy is an idiot.

5) Brendan H is a STUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Washington dropped the ball for trading him.

6) Dream on Dallas fans...Dallas is still Dallas and Dirk is still Dirk when the big games come along. You're still Denver Light. ;)

Where to even start with this. I'll try.

1) PG is a big concern for LA, imo opinion. You're spot on here.
2) Have you even been watching the games this week. Kidd should have been the player of the week. He went for 14 points, 13 assists, 7 rebounds and steal and a block last night while quarterbacking an undermanned squad to victory. WTF?
3) Dirk is in rare company when you look at his place in the history of this game. Do not regurgitate such drivel like him being among the softest in the league. Just because he's 7ft and not a banger doesn't mean he's soft. He plays through knicks and injuries than almost anybody. He's also a very good rebounder given the fact he's not glued to the post, where most boards are available. Be better than this.
4) Terry is an emotional player. Does his schtick wear thin from time to time? Sure but he's not an idiot. He's a gunner who feeds off energy. He's a grat 6th man. Now that Dallas has improved the roster, he's right where he belongs.Bottomline is he's never been in any trouble and is more active than any Maverick in the community.
5) Big Wod is a beast and will be the difference between Dallas and the other contenders to LA.
6) Denver Light? Please. They finally get out of the first round and now they're all that. They are a very, very shallow team. Look at that roster. This is not last year. Dallas has added Marion, Butler, Stevenson and Haywood. Denver, meanwhile, let 3 rotation players go from last season's team and added a rookie pg.. Melo is amazing and I love Billups. That said, we're running Marion/Butler/Stevenson at Melo this year, not Antoine Wright or Devan George. Nene will have to deal with Haywood and Damp. Martin has been Dirk's beatch, historically. Look it up. Dallas and Denver may meet in the second round but, if everyone is healthy, it's a 4-2 Dallas win this year. Mark it.

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

Watching the game last night alot of things came to mind.

1) Derek Fisher may be the most worthless player on the Lakers squad. He shoots the ball WAY TO MUCH and his defense is TERRIBLE! LA may pay for not going out and getting a defense minded point gaurd like Hinrich at the deadline.

2) What in the heck happened to Kidd?? He should retire. He used to be one of the funnest players to watch.

3) How in the heck do you gaurd a 7'0" big guy who couldn't post a 6'0" gaurd but can out shoot him? Dirk may be the softest player in the league, but he shoots the lights out from mid range.

4) Jason Terry is one dimensional. I get sick of watching his displays of tardness after every shot he hits. Guy is an idiot.

5) Brendan H is a STUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Washington dropped the ball for trading him.

6) Dream on Dallas fans...Dallas is still Dallas and Dirk is still Dirk when the big games come along. You're still Denver Light. ;)

LOL! Here we go! Call Dirk what you want! But, what people fail to remember is that basketball is a team sport. Dirk didn't show up in other big games because maybe, just maybe, those other teams respect him so much that, they decided to work that hard to take him out of the game. Remember, it's a team sport! Tim Duncan has had times where he didn't show up in big games but, you never heard anybody say anything about it. Why? Because, he has Tony Parker and Manu and the rest of the "team" to take up the slack.

So, instead of wondering what happened to Dirk in those games, how come people never asked "Why can't Josh and Terry pick up the slack the way Parker and Manu does?".

Also, nobody has put the Mavs in the Finals..we said that they have a chance, and they do. The Lakers are still the best but, Dallas can play with these cats.

[BlakeJ]

Where to even start with this. I'll try.

1) PG is a big concern for LA, imo opinion. You're spot on here.
2) Have you even been watching the games this week. Kidd should have been the player of the week. He went for 14 points, 13 assists, 7 rebounds and steal and a block last night while quarterbacking an undermanned squad to victory. WTF?
3) Dirk is in rare company when you look at his place in the history of this game. Do not regurgitate such drivel like him being among the softest in the league. Just because he's 7ft and not a banger doesn't mean he's soft. He plays through knicks and injuries than almost anybody. He's also a very good rebounder given the fact he's not glued to the post, where most boards are available. Be better than this.
4) Terry is an emotional player. Does his schtick wear thin from time to time? Sure but he's not an idiot. He's a gunner who feeds off energy. He's a grat 6th man. Now that Dallas has improved the roster, he's right where he belongs.Bottomline is he's never been in any trouble and is more active than any Maverick in the community.
5) Big Wod is a beast and will be the difference between Dallas and the other contenders to LA.
6) Denver Light? Please. They finally get out of the first round and now they're all that. They are a very, very shallow team. Look at that roster. This is not last year. Dallas has added Marion, Butler, Stevenson and Haywood. Denver, meanwhile, let 3 rotation players go from last season's team and added a rookie pg.. Melo is amazing and I love Billups. That said, we're running Marion/Butler/Stevenson at Melo this year, not Antoine Wright or Devan George. Nene will have to deal with Haywood and Damp. Martin has been Dirk's beatch, historically. Look it up. Dallas and Denver may meet in the second round but, if everyone is healthy, it's a 4-2 Dallas win this year. Mark it.

Homer! ;)

Dallas is still Dallas and Dirk is still Dirk. You aint getting past the second round unless someone else steps up.

[GoOwls]

Watching the game last night alot of things came to mind.

1) Derek Fisher may be the most worthless player on the Lakers squad. He shoots the ball WAY TO MUCH and his defense is TERRIBLE! LA may pay for not going out and getting a defense minded point gaurd like Hinrich at the deadline.

2) What in the heck happened to Kidd?? He should retire. He used to be one of the funnest players to watch.

3) How in the heck do you gaurd a 7'0" big guy who couldn't post a 6'0" gaurd but can out shoot him? Dirk may be the softest player in the league, but he shoots the lights out from mid range.

4) Jason Terry is one dimensional. I get sick of watching his displays of tardness after every shot he hits. Guy is an idiot.

5) Brendan H is a STUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Washington dropped the ball for trading him.

6) Dream on Dallas fans...Dallas is still Dallas and Dirk is still Dirk when the big games come along. You're still Denver Light. ;)

McGrady is gone.....get over it....better luck next year.

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

Where to even start with this. I'll try.

1) PG is a big concern for LA, imo opinion. You're spot on here.
2) Have you even been watching the games this week. Kidd should have been the player of the week. He went for 14 points, 13 assists, 7 rebounds and steal and a block last night while quarterbacking an undermanned squad to victory. WTF?
3) Dirk is in rare company when you look at his place in the history of this game. Do not regurgitate such drivel like him being among the softest in the league. Just because he's 7ft and not a banger doesn't mean he's soft. He plays through knicks and injuries than almost anybody. He's also a very good rebounder given the fact he's not glued to the post, where most boards are available. Be better than this.
4) Terry is an emotional player. Does his schtick wear thin from time to time? Sure but he's not an idiot. He's a gunner who feeds off energy. He's a grat 6th man. Now that Dallas has improved the roster, he's right where he belongs.Bottomline is he's never been in any trouble and is more active than any Maverick in the community.
5) Big Wod is a beast and will be the difference between Dallas and the other contenders to LA.
6) Denver Light? Please. They finally get out of the first round and now they're all that. They are a very, very shallow team. Look at that roster. This is not last year. Dallas has added Marion, Butler, Stevenson and Haywood. Denver, meanwhile, let 3 rotation players go from last season's team and added a rookie pg.. Melo is amazing and I love Billups. That said, we're running Marion/Butler/Stevenson at Melo this year, not Antoine Wright or Devan George. Nene will have to deal with Haywood and Damp. Martin has been Dirk's beatch, historically. Look it up. Dallas and Denver may meet in the second round but, if everyone is healthy, it's a 4-2 Dallas win this year. Mark it.

Denver just got good last year! Dallas doesn't have a ring but, they have gotten further than Denver on more than one occasion. Denver-light=LMAO!

[BlakeJ]

McGrady is gone.....get over it....better luck next year.

McGrady?? What?? I dont get it. Are you ASSUMING I'm a Rockets fan?? LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!

[E-Vol-ution]

I really think Caron Butler is the key player on the Mavs.
His intensity and hunger is infectious.....look at Dirk.
This is exactly what was needed and all of the Mavs seem to have a sense of urgency.
Hayward is a load.....and doesn't mind knocking somebody on their butt.
He's much better than Dampier.

I wouldn't however.....sleep on LA.
They may not have a great point guard, but neither did Mike.
All they need is for Farmar, Derrick and the other guys to hit shots when they have to.

[SLC93]

Homer! ;)

Dallas is still Dallas and Dirk is still Dirk. You aint getting past the second round unless someone else steps up.

If you mean they're a team that is going to win 50+ games for the tenth straight year, win their division and compete for the conference then, yeah, Dallas is still Dallas.

As for Dirk, you realize was having his best season as a pro until Carl Landry ate his elbow, right? For a player with an MVP on his resume, that's impressive.

Funny. I thought I saw several people step up last night.

Hey, I've been as critical of the Mavs as anyone. They are my team but they don't escape my wrath. The front office has done an excellent job in the last 9 months of reshaping this roster to it's best quality in ages. They are a contender, my friend. Learn to live with it.

[SLC93]

Denver just got good last year! Dallas doesn't have a ring but, they have gotten further than Denver on more than one occasion. Denver-light=LMAO!

This was a border line playoff qualifier and a team that couldn't get out of the first round for over a decade before last season. During that time Dallas was winning 50+ every year, division titles, played for the conference 3x and went to the Finals. Denver Light my ***.

It was the addition of Billups that allowed them to pull that cast of knuckleheads together and made Melo realize he wanted to be elite. Their issue is depth. They have none. They let Parker, Jones and Klinas all walk in the offseason rather than pay them and it's going to hurt them in a series. LA can get away with it because 5 of their top 6 are all star talents. Denver has 2, a couple of good players and a total wack job in JR.

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

I really think Caron Butler is the key player on the Mavs.
His intensity and hunger is infectious.....look at Dirk.
This is exactly what was needed and all of the Mavs seem to have a sense of urgency.
Hayward is a load.....and doesn't mind knocking somebody on their butt.
He's much better than Dampier.

I wouldn't however.....sleep on LA.
They may not have a great point guard, but neither did Mike.
All they need is for Farmar, Derrick and the other guys to hit shots when they have to.

Yep! Caron is an upgrade from Josh because, of the intensity that you mentioned. Josh only shows up whenever he feels like it! Dirk averaged about 35 in that series against Denver last year, and they lost in 5. Caron, along with Marion, will help Dirk out a great deal because, teams won't be able to double, and sometimes triple team him the way they used to. They've addressed the depth issues and, not to mention, these guys weren't even at full strength last night. You still have Tim Thomas, who can play all 3 positions in the front court, and Dampier has come to play this year. Dampier will impact from this greatly, due to the fact that he won't have to play long minutes, like he had to against Denver last year. Once again, the Mavs did go into Staples Center earlier this year, and win.

With that said, I still believe LA is the best. But, as we saw last night, on any given night, it could go either way.

[BlakeJ]

If you mean they're a team that is going to win 50+ games for the tenth straight year, win their division and compete for the conference then, yeah, Dallas is still Dallas.

As for Dirk, you realize was having his best season as a pro until Carl Landry ate his elbow, right? For a player with an MVP on his resume, that's impressive.

Funny. I thought I saw several people step up last night.

Hey, I've been as critical of the Mavs as anyone. They are my team but they don't escape my wrath. The front office has done an excellent job in the last 9 months of reshaping this roster to it's best quality in ages. They are a contender, my friend. Learn to live with it.

Since when?? I mean you could say everyone is competing for the conference if you're looking at it that way.

You know you're a maverick fan when you get head over heals after a 5 game win streak. :D

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

This was a border line playoff qualifier and a team that couldn't get out of the first round for over a decade before last season. During that time Dallas was winning 50+ every year, division titles, played for the conference 3x and went to the Finals. Denver Light my ***.

It was the addition of Billups that allowed them to pull that cast of knuckleheads together and made Melo realize he wanted to be elite. Their issue is depth. They have none. They let Parker, Jones and Klinas all walk in the offseason rather than pay them and it's going to hurt them in a series. LA can get away with it because 5 of their top 6 are all star talents. Denver has 2, a couple of good players and a total wack job in JR.

Yep! Chauncey is THE guy that got this squad right! JR is alot like Josh, in you don't know what you're going to get from him.

Although, I wouldn't mind have "Birdman" coming off the bench! Talk about a dude who can cover some ground in a hurry...YIKES!

[GoOwls]

Since when?? I mean you could say everyone is competing for the conference if you're looking at it that way.

You know you're a maverick fan when you get head over heals after a 5 game win streak. :D

You know you're a Rocket fan if you're picking on Mavs fans.

McGrady is gone....the softest player in the league...McInjury is gone now...maybe you guys can go forward now that "Snarlface" is gone.

[E-Vol-ution]

Yep! Caron is an upgrade from Josh because, of the intensity that you mentioned. Josh only shows up whenever he feels like it! Dirk averaged about 35 in that series against Denver last year, and they lost in 5. Caron, along with Marion, will help Dirk out a great deal because, teams won't be able to double, and sometimes triple team him the way they used to. They've addressed the depth issues and, not to mention, these guys weren't even at full strength last night. You still have Tim Thomas, who can play all 3 positions in the front court, and Dampier has come to play this year. Dampier will impact from this greatly, due to the fact that he won't have to play long minutes, like he had to against Denver last year. Once again, the Mavs did go into Staples Center earlier this year, and win.

With that said, I still believe LA is the best. But, as we saw last night, on any given night, it could go either way.

I agree with everything you said and add one thing.......Kobe is the only person on either team that can only be stopped by himself. All the Lakers want to do is keep it close and let Kobe take over. He'll never be "off" for a series.

[SLC93]

I really think Caron Butler is the key player on the Mavs.
His intensity and hunger is infectious.....look at Dirk.
This is exactly what was needed and all of the Mavs seem to have a sense of urgency.
Hayward is a load.....and doesn't mind knocking somebody on their butt.
He's much better than Dampier.

I wouldn't however.....sleep on LA.
They may not have a great point guard, but neither did Mike.
All they need is for Farmar, Derrick and the other guys to hit shots when they have to.

I wouldn't disagree with the Butler part. We have yet to see his full impact but I have little problem seeing him doing the 20 per thing the rest of the season. Meanwhile, he's hustling his *** off while he gets acclimated. It takes a little longer for your outside guys to adjust.

Big Wood is a beast and just what Dallas has needed for soooo long at the 5 spot. He's a nightly double double who keeps a defense honest because he can run, catch and dunk. Defensively, the lane is now closed. holding out on this trade until Washington paniced and included him was great poker by Cuban. Imagine how much better we just made our frontline, too. Damp can still play and offer alot in the way of boards and defense, too, just not at 25 minutes a game. Now he can back up and play 15-18 easing the load on his body and making Dallas very big and strong upfront. Love it.

Even the throw in, Stevenson, was a nice addition. He's only about two year removed from having a nice stroke and giving Lebron hell in the playoffs. We'll see if he gets his shot bak but he's big, physical and always plays defense. Nice upgrade to the wing that means we should never have to watch Barea at he 2 again. Thank God!

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

I agree with everything you said and add one thing.......Kobe is the only person on either team that can only be stopped by himself. All the Lakers want to do is keep it close and let Kobe take over. He'll never be "off" for a series.

All of this! That's a squad with insane talent, and a man who knows how to coach. If you beat LA, you earned it!

[E-Vol-ution]

Yep! Chauncey is THE guy that got this squad right! JR is alot like Josh, in you don't know what you're going to get from him.

Although, I wouldn't mind have "Birdman" coming off the bench! Talk about a dude who can cover some ground in a hurry...YIKES!
Sooner or later, folks will realize Lawson can get 30 points in a game if he has to and run an offense very well. His only liability is getting posted up by guys like Deron Willams or Tyreke Evans.

[SLC93]

Since when?? I mean you could say everyone is competing for the conference if you're looking at it that way.

You know you're a maverick fan when you get head over heals after a 5 game win streak. :D

For the better part the last 10 years. At least 5 of those years you can say Dallas was in the top 3, maybe 6 of them.

It's not the 5 game streak. It's the fact that it's been 6 games in 8 nights, including 2 back to backs. It's the fact that 4 or the five have come against playoff teams, including two of the best teams in the league in Orlando and LA. It's the energy they are playng with. Most of all, it's the defense. All 5 wins coming while the opponent was held under 100, for a 93 point per average.

[E-Vol-ution]

It takes a really tough stomach to be a life long Knicks fan..............and watch everybody else get better:(

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

I wouldn't disagree with the Butler part. We have yet to see his full impact but I have little problem seeing him doing the 20 per thing the rest of the season. Meanwhile, he's hustling his *** off while he gets acclimated. It takes a little longer for your outside guys to adjust.

Big Wood is a beast and just what Dallas has needed for soooo long at the 5 spot. He's a nightly double double who keeps a defense honest because he can run, catch and dunk. Defensively, the lane is now closed. holding out on this trade until Washington paniced and included him was great poker by Cuban. Imagine how much better we just made our frontline, too. Damp can still play and offer alot in the way of boards and defense, too, just not at 25 minutes a game. Now he can back up and play 15-18 easing the load on his body and making Dallas very big and strong upfront. Love it.

Even the throw in, Stevenson, was a nice addition. He's only about two year removed from having a nice stroke and giving Lebron hell in the playoffs. We'll see if he gets his shot bak but he's big, physical and always plays defense. Nice upgrade to the wing that means we should never have to watch Barea at he 2 again. Thank God!

Working in the West End, and I saw Stevenson walking to the CVS on Ross Ave. and Lamar. I didn't realize he was 6'6! LOL! Not to mention, Stevenson and Brendan both have a little bit of a old school, Detroit Pistons edge to them.

Barea and Beaubois can continue to spell Kidd coming off the bench.

[BlakeJ]

For the better part the last 10 years. At least 5 of those years you can say Dallas was in the top 3, maybe 6 of them.

It's not the 5 game streak. It's the fact that it's been 6 games in 8 nights, including 2 back to backs. It's the fact that 4 or the five have come against playoff teams, including two of the best teams in the league in Orlando and LA. It's the energy they are playng with. Most of all, it's the defense. All 5 wins coming while the opponent was held under 100, for a 93 point per average.

Dallas Fans - Setting themselves up for dissapointment for over 2 decades now. NFL and NBA.

;)

Well less than two decades witht the Cowboys

[SLC93]

Sooner or later, folks will realize Lawson can get 30 points in a game if he has to and run an offense very well. His only liability is getting posted up by guys like Deron Willams or Tyreke Evans.

Love me some Lawson. Plus, he's mentoring under Billups. With help defense from Nene, Birdman or Martin they can work to offset that liability some.

[GoOwls]

It takes a really tough stomach to be a life long Knicks fan..............and watch everybody else get better:(

I got a feeling that the Knicks are going to get better soon.....really soon.....I hear rumblings.

[E-Vol-ution]

I got a feeling that the Knicks are going to get better soon.....really soon.....I hear rumblings.
That's my stomach.............why would Lebron want to come?
T-Mac is good for about four more games but at least his contract will be gone.......and D'Antoni sucks........the only "D' he uses is when he signs his name.

[SLC93]

Working in the West End, and I saw Stevenson walking to the CVS on Ross Ave. and Lamar. I didn't realize he was 6'6! LOL! Not to mention, Stevenson and Brendan both have a little bit of a old school, Detroit Pistons edge to them.

Barea and Beaubois can continue to spell Kidd coming off the bench.

With any luck the move will continue to be developing Roddy for 10-12 minutes a game, now that the new guys are getting good and transitioned. If Barea is part of your rotation, you're not a contender, imo.

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

Sooner or later, folks will realize Lawson can get 30 points in a game if he has to and run an offense very well. His only liability is getting posted up by guys like Deron Willams or Tyreke Evans.

Yeah, guarding Williams and Evans will be tough on the smaller guys.

Lawson is a very talented player, and I agree with what you said. Learning and being taught by Chauncey will do him a GREAT deal.

[BlakeJ]

Its only funny to me because I listen to 103.3 everyday at work. They're big time Dallas homers as well. It's fun to listen to them get excited when the Boys make a little run and hear the audience claim Super Bowl victory only to hear the let down and dissapointment the day after the last game of the season. Same with the Mavs. Galloway and Co. is the best...cant remember how many seasons I remember Dodge and crew saying this year is the year after a Mavs big win...only to say "Dirk you tricked us again." the day after their last game. Dallas fans are one of a kind.

[SLC93]

Dallas Fans - Setting themselves up for dissapointment for over 2 decades now. NFL and NBA.

;)

Well less than two decades witht the Cowboys

Katy fans - never experiencing disappointment because they have a gold paved road to the title game every year.:D

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

It takes a really tough stomach to be a life long Knicks fan..............and watch everybody else get better:(

Give it time E-Vol! The Knicks do have some guys who can play! Just give it time and, help might be on the way.

By the way, I like David Lee.

[BlakeJ]

I got a feeling that the Knicks are going to get better soon.....really soon.....I hear rumblings.

You know who could be an underdog for the Wade LeBron sweepstakes?? Imagine this lineup.

Wade, Baron Davis, LeBron, Blake Griffin, Chris Kaman....Eric Gordon to.

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

That's my stomach.............why would Lebron want to come?
T-Mac is good for about four more games but at least his contract will be gone.......and D'Antoni sucks........the only "D' he uses is when he signs his name.

LMAO at clowning of D'Antoni!

[SLC93]

Its only funny to me because I listen to 103.3 everyday at work. They're big time Dallas homers as well. It's fun to listen to them get excited when the Boys make a little run and hear the audience claim Super Bowl victory only to hear the let down and dissapointment the day after the last game of the season. Same with the Mavs. Galloway and Co. is the best...cant remember how many seasons I remember Dodge and crew saying this year is the year after a Mavs big win...only to say "Dirk you tricked us again." the day after their last game. Dallas fans are one of a kind.

Me, too, and all of that is true but how is that any different than any other group of fans and local media.

Say what you will about the Mavs but they've been ultra competitive and in the mix for most of the decade. As someone who was around for the 90's, that's not a bad ting to say.

[E-Vol-ution]

Its only funny to me because I listen to 103.3 everyday at work. They're big time Dallas homers as well. It's fun to listen to them get excited when the Boys make a little run and hear the audience claim Super Bowl victory only to hear the let down and dissapointment the day after the last game of the season. Same with the Mavs. Galloway and Co. is the best...cant remember how many seasons I remember Dodge and crew saying this year is the year after a Mavs big win...only to say "Dirk you tricked us again." the day after their last game. Dallas fans are one of a kind.
I actually view this current Mavs team as the best since the days of Tarpley. This team doesn't need Nick (still one of my favorite Mavs) to bail them out.........all Kidd has to do is make that shot at a 55% clip in the crunch.

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

Its only funny to me because I listen to 103.3 everyday at work. They're big time Dallas homers as well. It's fun to listen to them get excited when the Boys make a little run and hear the audience claim Super Bowl victory only to hear the let down and dissapointment the day after the last game of the season. Same with the Mavs. Galloway and Co. is the best...cant remember how many seasons I remember Dodge and crew saying this year is the year after a Mavs big win...only to say "Dirk you tricked us again." the day after their last game. Dallas fans are one of a kind.

Galloway and Co.=for entertainment purposes only! LOL! I don't take them serious! And, what you meant to say is "Dallas bandwaggoners are one of a kind". Those are the ones that don't really watch the games, they just look at the boxscore and make their own opinion about the outcome.

Dude, start listening to Barsky and Greg on 105.3!

[SLC93]

You know who could be an underdog for the Wade LeBron sweepstakes?? Imagine this lineup.

Wade, Baron Davis, LeBron, Blake Griffin, Chris Kaman....Eric Gordon to.

The Clips have a nice foundation but they do not have room for 2 max free agents. They have almost exactly enough cap room for one without making further moves.

Wade will either re-up with Miami, go to Chicago or land in Dallas. Remeber I said it.

[E-Vol-ution]

Give it time E-Vol! The Knicks do have some guys who can play! Just give it time and, help might be on the way.

By the way, I like David Lee.
I like Lee too.......but would rather change subjects back to the Mavs.
My team stinks and I'm still stuck on Clyde, Pearl, Dick Barnett, DeBusshere, Bradley and Reed.:notworthy

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

Me, too, and all of that is true but how is that any different than any other group of fans and local media.

Say what you will about the Mavs but they've been ultra competitive and in the mix for most of the decade. As someone who was around for the 90's, that's not a bad ting to say.

Oh, I still remember the 11-71 finish! I also remember Jim Jackson and Kidd not being able to get along, because of their infatuations with Toni Braxton. The funny thing, is that she didn't end up with either one of them. She ended up with Curtis Martin. LMAO!

On a side note, let it be known, that Toni Braxton was, and still is fine.

[E-Vol-ution]

The Clips have a nice foundation but they do not have room for 2 max free agents. They have almost exactly enough cap room for one without making further moves.

Wade will either re-up with Miami, go to Chicago or land in Dallas. Remeber I said it.
D-Wade belongs in Chicago..........

[SLC93]

I actually view this current Mavs team as the best since the days of Tarpley. This team doesn't need Nick (still one of my favorite Mavs) to bail them out.........all Kidd has to do is make that shot at a 55% clip in the crunch.

I almost typed that exact same thing a few posts earlier. Folks forget just how little Dirk has had around him through the years. Nash was never a steady all star here, let alone a 2x mvp and by the time Dallas was a serious contender Finley was about done.

Those mid to late 80's Mavs teams were sick with talent. Had they been around in the 70's or 90's they'd have won multiple titles. The Lakers were just toooo much. That and they were never allowed to reach their full potential. We moved too many players in trades we lost and should have never let Perkins walk.

[E-Vol-ution]

Oh, I still remember the 11-71 finish! I also remember Jim Jackson and Kidd not being able to get along, because of their infatuations with Toni Braxton. The funny thing, is that she didn't end up with either one of them. She ended up with Curtis Martin. LMAO!

On a side note, let it be known, that Toni Braxton was, and still is fine.

And Curtis Martin kicked her to the curb........:eek:

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

The Clips have a nice foundation but they do not have room for 2 max free agents. They have almost exactly enough cap room for one without making further moves.

Wade will either re-up with Miami, go to Chicago or land in Dallas. Remeber I said it.

Chi-Town is home for Dwyane and, balling with Rose and Deng will make them tough.

Dwyane in Dallas? It could happen and, it'd be flat out hilarious at the same time. LOL!

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

I like Lee too.......but would rather change subjects back to the Mavs.
My team stinks and I'm still stuck on Clyde, Pearl, Dick Barnett, DeBusshere, Bradley and Reed.:notworthy

Oh, I see! Carry on then!:D

[SLC93]

I like Lee too.......but would rather change subjects back to the Mavs.
My team stinks and I'm still stuck on Clyde, Pearl, Dick Barnett, DeBusshere, Bradley and Reed.:notworthy

Not a bad era to stay put in. Basketball bliss in the Mecca.

[BlakeJ]

Katy fans - never experiencing disappointment because they have a gold paved road to the title game every year.:D

Dont go SLCDadding on us!

SLC - We have hot moms...THATS IT! THATS IT!(In my best Ricky Bobby voice)

[SLC93]

Oh, I still remember the 11-71 finish! I also remember Jim Jackson and Kidd not being able to get along, because of their infatuations with Toni Braxton. The funny thing, is that she didn't end up with either one of them. She ended up with Curtis Martin. LMAO!

On a side note, let it be known, that Toni Braxton was, and still is fine.

And still couldn't ever win the damned Lottery!:mad:

Braxton ..... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm:D

[BlakeJ]

I actually view this current Mavs team as the best since the days of Tarpley. This team doesn't need Nick (still one of my favorite Mavs) to bail them out.........all Kidd has to do is make that shot at a 55% clip in the crunch.

We hear that EVERY YEAR!

[SLC93]

D-Wade belongs in Chicago..........

Wouldn't disagree but Chi would have to sign Bosh for it to happen, imo. I worry about him with Rose because they both dominate the ball so much, though.

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

I almost typed that exact same thing a few posts earlier. Folks forget just how little Dirk has had around him through the years. Nash was never a steady all star here, let alone a 2x mvp and by the time Dallas was a serious contender Finley was about done.

Those mid to late 80's Mavs teams were sick with talent. Had they been around in the 70's or 90's they'd have won multiple titles. The Lakers were just toooo much. That and they were never allowed to reach their full potential. We moved too many players in trades we lost and should have never let Perkins walk.

Detlef Schrempf (the original German), Sam Perkins, Mark Aguirre, Rolando Blackmon, Derek Harper, James Donaldson, Brad Davis, Tarp........MANN!:notworthy I was about 5 years old the first time I layed eyes on the game of basketball. That squad was sick, and pushed Magic and Kareem to 7 games.

That was a squad!

[SLC93]

Chi-Town is home for Dwyane and, balling with Rose and Deng will make them tough.

Dwyane in Dallas? It could happen and, it'd be flat out hilarious at the same time. LOL!

It would be tough to take, at first. I still hate him and his 7,000 free throw attempts in 06 a little but insert him here with what we have now and you'll win 65 games, easy.

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

And Curtis Martin kicked her to the curb........:eek:

Yep..he did!

Man, she is STILL fine to this day!

[SLC93]

Dont go SLCDadding on us!

SLC - We have hot moms...THATS IT! THATS IT!(In my best Ricky Bobby voice)

You forgot Town Square. We have that to!:D

[E-Vol-ution]

We hear that EVERY YEAR!
Yeah.....but I'm not a Mavs fan.

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

And still couldn't ever win the damned Lottery!:mad:

Braxton ..... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm:D

It was sad! LOL!

Braxton..YES LORD!:D

It was sad because, that Kidd/Jackson/Mashburn nucleus could've been special. I still remember when Mashburn gave Pippen the business in Chi-town, while dropping 50 in the United Center.

Mashburn had skills! He just couldn't stay healthy!

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

It would be tough to take, at first. I still hate him and his 7,000 free throw attempts in 06 a little but insert him here with what we have now and you'll win 65 games, easy.

Agreed! Dirk is a team player though, and he already has the stats. He just wants a ring!

You definitely wouldn't be able to double and triple team him then.

[15Adragon]

Huge win for Dallas last night. 5 in a row and playing great.


BE EXCITED!

If ever there was a time to just be a fan and let loose, it is now. This team is playing with a joy and an energy they simply haven't had much of in the last several years. Make no mistake, there was not a single, fluke quality to last nights victory. The Lakers were healthy and, despite being on the tail end of a b2b, rested. This was just their second game in 6 days. For comparison's sake the Mavs have played 4 in that same time frame. They also played well. Look at the box score. Aside from Kobe not shooting well, there isn't a real negative in there. No, the Mavs won this game, period. They did so despite not having Butler or Dampier or Thomas or whoever they may acquire post buyout. Therein lies so much of the optimism. With Dallas meshing faster than most expected, chemistry is not going to be an issue. If this team gets healthy they are the only team in this conference that can beat LA in a 7 game series. They're long, deep and have multiple guys to throw at Kobe with Marion, Butler and Stevenson.

BE EXCITED!



What we have here, potentially, is exactly what we've been screaming for, a serious contender. Yes, there are flaws but guess what? Every sqaud has them, even the Lakers. This team can do special things. Enjoy the ride. Be a fan. If you can't do this, take your lifeless existence to a Nets board or a Wizards board or anyone of the morbid franchises out there that have real reason to be miserable.

:notworthy

[E-Vol-ution]

It was sad! LOL!

Braxton..YES LORD!:D

It was sad because, that Kidd/Jackson/Mashburn nucleus could've been special. I still remember when Mashburn gave Pippen the business in Chi-town, while dropping 50 in the United Center.

Mashburn had skills! He just couldn't stay healthy!
That was an exciting offensive team. That was the last year I had season tickets. On the negative side; I saw Chris Jackson (forgot what he changed his name to), Allen Iverson and maybe it was Baron Davis score 50 a piece on Kidd that year. They had no defense what so ever.

[SLC93]

It was sad! LOL!

Braxton..YES LORD!:D

It was sad because, that Kidd/Jackson/Mashburn nucleus could've been special. I still remember when Mashburn gave Pippen the business in Chi-town, while dropping 50 in the United Center.

Mashburn had skills! He just couldn't stay healthy!

It's just too bad we were owned by a group of investors who knew nothing of basketball and cared even less than what they knew. Then we may have had a real gm and a real coach. Perhaps the trio wouldn't broken up. If it had the HOF talent wouldn't have been the one traded. Jackson's career end on the court in New Jersey the night his ankle decided to imitate a shot gun. He never recovered. Mash's knees quit on him. That era is definitely a huge coulda been.

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

That was an exciting offensive team. That was the last year I had season tickets. On the negative side; I saw Chris Jackson (forgot what he changed his name to), Allen Iverson and maybe it was Baron Davis score 50 a piece on Kidd that year. They had no defense what so ever.
True! Defense wasn't even their vocabulary!

Chris Jackson changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf! After changing his name, Abdul-Rauf, Dikembe Mutombo, LaPhonso Ellis, Robert Pack, Reggie Williams, Brian Williams/Bison Dele(may he R.I.P.), made the playoffs as an 8 seed, and proceeded to hand Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, Kendall Gill, and the rest of the Sonics, their collective @$$es in the first round of the playoffs. I've never laughed so hard in my life, while watching the Nuggets comeback from 0-2, to win that series 3-2. All of the bandwagon Seattle fans looked like fools, when it was all said and done. I believe Seattle went 63-19 that year.

Mutombo was blocking everything that came near the basket in that series!

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

It's just too bad we were owned by a group of investors who knew nothing of basketball and cared even less than what they knew. Then we may have had a real gm and a real coach. Perhaps the trio wouldn't broken up. If it had the HOF talent wouldn't have been the one traded. Jackson's career end on the court in New Jersey the night his ankle decided to imitate a shot gun. He never recovered. Mash's knees quit on him. That era is definitely a huge coulda been.

Yep! One can only wonder, what if Cuban would've bought the team a few years earlier.

[15Adragon]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/022610dnspocowlishaw.3f655ee.html

This wasn't a trade, it was a heist.
Oh yeah, steals. The Mavericks are fifth in the league (8.6 per game) in this five-game stretch.
A team trying to establish its identity following a roster-changing trade is doing it with defense.
This is new for the Mavericks. This is a good thing.
:notworthy:cool:;)

[SLC93]

What an freakin' weekend! Mavs win streak is now at 7 and Butler returned to action last night. Dirk averaged 36.5 ppg in the two wins. Should have Damp back in 7-10 days. Then things get real nice, rotation wise.

For those that fail, after 17 years, to recognize the brilliance of Kidd I really have no words. I can only suggest that you watch the Atlanta game, particularly the last 5 minutes and the overtime period.

19 points/17 assists/16 rebounds :notworthy

All time performance. For anyone interested, only 3 players have posted at least 15/15/15 in the last 25 years and nobody had since 1996. Care to guess who? Kidd was the last to do it. Prior to that only Magic,twice, and Bird, once, have played a game at that level.

Tough turnaround tonight, playing Charlotte in Charlotte. The game tips of at 6, roughly 22 and a half hours after last night's game in Dallas did. Ouch!

[svhorns]

Lets go Mavs!!!

I hope we get the 2 seed and play San Antonio in the playoffs. San Antonio fans could use another beating.

[slcdragonfan]

What an freakin' weekend! Mavs win streak is now at 7 and Butler returned to action last night. Dirk averaged 36.5 ppg in the two wins. Should have Damp back in 7-10 days. Then things get real nice, rotation wise.

For those that fail, after 17 years, to recognize the brilliance of Kidd I really have no words. I can only suggest that you watch the Atlanta game, particularly the last 5 minutes and the overtime period.

19 points/17 assists/16 rebounds :notworthy

All time performance. For anyone interested, only 3 players have posted at least 15/15/15 in the last 25 years and nobody had since 1996. Care to guess who? Kidd was the last to do it. Prior to that only Magic,twice, and Bird, once, have played a game at that level.

Tough turnaround tonight, playing Charlotte in Charlotte. The game tips of at 6, roughly 22 and a half hours after last night's game in Dallas did. Ouch!

I wonder if Katy Fan was watching. Mr. Kidd has done exactly what he was brought to Dallas to do, only better.

[GTown02]

Mavs make it 8 in a row after the 89-84 win over Charlotte.

[BlakeJ]

I wonder if Katy Fan was watching. Mr. Kidd has done exactly what he was brought to Dallas to do, only better.

I heard about it, and I'll quote the GREAT Colin Cowherd :laugh

"Who cares?? The guy has one game like that in 5 years and people start to forget that he's old, slow, and a shell of his former self. Unkown Marcus Thornton just put up 37 and 30 in the same week in the same league. Lets talk about him."

8 game win streak...forget the playoffs...dont even play em. 8 game win streak in Dallas is just like an NBA championship. :D

[SLC93]

I heard about it, and I'll quote the GREAT Colin Cowherd :laugh

"Who cares?? The guy has one game like that in 5 years and people start to forget that he's old, slow, and a shell of his former self. Unkown Marcus Thornton just put up 37 and 30 in the same week in the same league. Lets talk about him."

8 game win streak...forget the playoffs...dont even play em. 8 game win streak in Dallas is just like an NBA championship. :D

I listen to Colin every day and love his show. That said he's very casual on fact and allows his often under informed opinion to spill all over his show, from time to time. Guess you both missed the 14 point/10 assist/7.5 rebound average he's sporting during the streak. Did you not catch the 7 steals against Phoenix when he played the "great" Nash off the court? Ask Kobe if Kidd's 14/13 were impactful or not? Orlando would probably like those 4 steals back, too.

This is the thing. Old has nothing to do with it. It's the easiest stereotype Kidd detractors can throw out there, The guy is a bull. He's missed 2 games in 6 years while he been becoming too old.

Slow? Kidd has slowed down but considering he was once among the fastest in the league that is all relative. He's got plenty of speed. It's his quickness that has suffered but nobody plays the passing lines or anticipates like Kidd does. Additionally, now that he has a shot blocker behind him. life is easier for all the Mavs perimeter guys. Folks like to bash him when Paul or Williams or Rose get off but wanna know a little secret? Those guys get off on everyone. Furthermore, who cares what their box score is if Dallas notches the w?

You're smarter than this. Don't be one of those guys that dont get it. Kidd can win a game for you without scoring a point. Players of that type are rare and nearly nonexistent within the current generation. Get back to me in 10 days when Dallas has a stranglehold on the 2 seed in the west and is priming for a title run.

[BlakeJ]

I listen to Colin every day and love his show. That said he's very casual on fact and allows his often under informed opinion to spill all over his show, from time to time. Guess you both missed the 14 point/10 assist/7.5 rebound average he's sporting during the streak. Did you not catch the 7 steals against Phoenix when he played the "great" Nash off the court? Ask Kobe if Kidd's 14/13 were impactful or not? Orlando would probably like those 4 steals back, too.

This is the thing. Old has nothing to do with it. It's the easiest stereotype Kidd detractors can throw out there, The guy is a bull. He's missed 2 games in 6 years while he been becoming too old.

Slow? Kidd has slowed down but considering he was once among the fastest in the league that is all relative. He's got plenty of speed. It's his quickness that has suffered but nobody plays the passing lines or anticipates like Kidd does. Additionally, now that he has a shot blocker behind him. life is easier for all the Mavs perimeter guys. Folks like to bash him when Paul or Williams or Rose get off but wanna know a little secret? Those guys get off on everyone. Furthermore, who cares what their box score is if Dallas notches the w?

You're smarter than this. Don't be one of those guys that dont get it. Kidd can win a game for you without scoring a point. Players of that type are rare and nearly nonexistent within the current generation. Get back to me in 10 days when Dallas has a stranglehold on the 2 seed in the west and is priming for a title run.

You might be overrating him a bit homer.

[15Adragon]

I listen to Colin every day and love his show. That said he's very casual on fact and allows his often under informed opinion to spill all over his show, from time to time. Guess you both missed the 14 point/10 assist/7.5 rebound average he's sporting during the streak. Did you not catch the 7 steals against Phoenix when he played the "great" Nash off the court? Ask Kobe if Kidd's 14/13 were impactful or not? Orlando would probably like those 4 steals back, too.

This is the thing. Old has nothing to do with it. It's the easiest stereotype Kidd detractors can throw out there, The guy is a bull. He's missed 2 games in 6 years while he been becoming too old.

Slow? Kidd has slowed down but considering he was once among the fastest in the league that is all relative. He's got plenty of speed. It's his quickness that has suffered but nobody plays the passing lines or anticipates like Kidd does. Additionally, now that he has a shot blocker behind him. life is easier for all the Mavs perimeter guys. Folks like to bash him when Paul or Williams or Rose get off but wanna know a little secret? Those guys get off on everyone. Furthermore, who cares what their box score is if Dallas notches the w?

You're smarter than this. Don't be one of those guys that dont get it. Kidd can win a game for you without scoring a point. Players of that type are rare and nearly nonexistent within the current generation. Get back to me in 10 days when Dallas has a stranglehold on the 2 seed in the west and is priming for a title run.

Kidd playing smart is an understatement. Dirk's BBall IQ is pretty underrated too. That is a veteran combo that will be a tough out. Damp comes back and they will be able to match-up with big and small teams in the PO's. This is fun to watch.

[slcdragonfan]

Kidd playing smart is an understatement. Dirk's BBall IQ is pretty underrated too. That is a veteran combo that will be a tough out. Damp comes back and they will be able to match-up with big and small teams in the PO's. This is fun to watch.

I loved that "running into the coach" play. What a way to disconcert the other team, get a play opportunity. Smart? oh yeah.

[15Adragon]

I loved that "running into the coach" play. What a way to disconcert the other team, get a play opportunity. Smart? oh yeah.

He picked the other head coach's pocket on national TV while running the offense. All time great play. A no-look shove.

[SLC93]

You might be overrating him a bit homer.

I'm a Mavs fan, no doubt. Don't classify me as a homer, though. I have no delusions as to where he's at in his career or where he currently ranks amongst the league point guards. What I have no tolerance for is media driven drivel. Kidd is still very competitive and is a savant with his basketball iq, period. He still gets you close to 10 assists a game and ,despite being slow, will get a couple of steals a game. He remains the best rebounding pg in the league.He's also shooting 46% from beyond the arc this season. There's a reason he's so respected amongst the league's players. He fits this team very well and will be invaluable in the postseason.

[15Adragon]

I'm a Mavs fan, no doubt. Don't classify me as a homer, though. I have no delusions as to where he's at in his career or where he currently ranks amongst the league point guards. What I have no tolerance for is media driven drivel. Kidd is still very competitive and is a savant with his basketball iq, period. He still gets you close to 10 assists a game and ,despite being slow, will get a couple of steals a game. He remains the best rebounding pg in the league.He's also shooting 46% from beyond the arc this season. There's a reason he's so respected amongst the league's players. He fits this team very well and will be invaluable in the postseason.

An example of his hard work in the off-season.

[SLC93]

I loved that "running into the coach" play. What a way to disconcert the other team, get a play opportunity. Smart? oh yeah.

Smartest play I may have ever witnessed, given the game's circumstance, in professional basketball. I think some of the negative accounts in the media, mostly out of Atlanta but some national, are just ridiculous.

[SLC93]

An example of his hard work in the off-season.

Absolutely. I hate to break it to all the haters but, given his build/work ethic/ability, Kidd could very well excel until he's 40. Dallas will pursue an upgrade to back him up in the offseason to shave his minutes closer to 30 a night, imo.

[the_phoenix612]

Smartest play I may have ever witnessed, given the game's circumstance, in professional basketball. I think some of the negative accounts in the media, mostly out of Atlanta but some national, are just ridiculous.
I missed that game. What happened?

[slcdragonfan]

It reminds me of the inbounds pass off a players back, can't recall who did it, but it was brilliant. Kodak moments. I'll never forget that play or Kidd's.

[SLC93]

I missed that game. What happened?

Dallas down 2 at Atlanta. Couple of minutes left. Dallas has the ball. As Kidd is bringing the ball up the court he sees Atlanta coach, Mike Woodson, outside the coaches box and on the court, directing his guys on the defensive set. Kidd accelerates towards him and makes contact with him while he is trying to jump back off the court. The contact is an automatic technical foul on Woodson per the rule book. Dirk nails the free throw and retains possesion. Kidd basically manufactured a point and screwed with the other teams head all in the same play.

[BlakeJ]

I'm a Mavs fan, no doubt. Don't classify me as a homer, though. I have no delusions as to where he's at in his career or where he currently ranks amongst the league point guards. What I have no tolerance for is media driven drivel. Kidd is still very competitive and is a savant with his basketball iq, period. He still gets you close to 10 assists a game and ,despite being slow, will get a couple of steals a game. He remains the best rebounding pg in the league.He's also shooting 46% from beyond the arc this season. There's a reason he's so respected amongst the league's players. He fits this team very well and will be invaluable in the postseason.

ASSISTS!!!!!!!!

The most overrated stat used in the game of basketball. 90% of assists are made of one player passing another player the rock and watching them do all the work. I understand that some assists are amazing or great plays...but seriously stop using the assists references. Jason Kidd used to be great...now he's not even an all star. It took him injuries by Kobe, Paul, and Roy to get in and at that he got a total of 6 minutes. The least by any player on both squads.

Does Jason Kidd play hard?? Yes. Is Jason Kidd better than most at his age yes. But that doesnt calculate into what you are making him sound like.

Invaluable in the post season?? Come talk to me in a month or two when Dallas is once again watching the finals at home. Jason Kidd doesnt decide games...regualr season or playoffs...sorry. :)

[SLC93]

ASSISTS!!!!!!!!

The most overrated stat used in the game of basketball. 90% of assists are made of one player passing another player the rock and watching them do all the work. I understand that some assists are amazing or great plays...but seriously stop using the assists references.


Invaluable in the post season?? Come talk to me in a month or two when Dallas is once again watching the finals at home. Jason Kidd doesnt decide games...regualr season or playoffs...sorry. :)


Really? You obviously do not know the definition or parameters of the statistic. Do some research as to what exactly is requires to get an assist. Right now, your assumption is all wrong.

Since you've decided to completely dismiss one the core statistics in the sport and the bar that we've historically measured the prototype for the point guard position with I can no longer discuss this with you.

I'll also point out that Kidd has basically won 2 games in the last 7 days. pull your head out of the sand and work a bit harder to make points that stick.:)

[BlakeJ]

Really? You obviously do not know the definition or parameters of the statistic. Do some research as to what exactly is requires to get an assist. Right now, your assumption is all wrong.

Since you've decided to completely dismiss one the core statistics in the sport and the bar that we've historically measured the prototype for the point guard position with I can no longer discuss this with you.

I'll also point out that Kidd has basically won 2 games in the last 7 days. pull your head out of the sand and work a bit harder to make points that stick.:)

Jason Kidd = GOD

That better?? :rolleyes:

[BlakeJ]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assist_(basketball)

Thanks...please come again. :)

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

Really? You obviously do not know the definition or parameters of the statistic. Do some research as to what exactly is requires to get an assist. Right now, your assumption is all wrong.

Since you've decided to completely dismiss one the core statistics in the sport and the bar that we've historically measured the prototype for the point guard position with I can no longer discuss this with you.

I'll also point out that Kidd has basically won 2 games in the last 7 days. pull your head out of the sand and work a bit harder to make points that stick.:)

'93, you're one of the most knowledgeable posters to EVER be apart of this board. Thing is, is that some people just can't be convinced. Me personally, I still say that until otherwise, the Lakers are the best. But, I've been pulling for this organization since the 80s, just like you, and never stopped pulling for them in the 90s...just like you and Lonny.

Kidd still plays at a high level, even at about 4 steps slower than he was back in the day. Some people hate just because they can. The way I see it, is that if Kidd wasn't that good, then Kobe and LeBron wouldn't have pushed so hard for their squads to get him.

Keep bringing the knowledge to the board sir!:D

[BlakeJ]

'93, you're one of the most knowledgeable posters to EVER be apart of this board. Thing is, is that some people just can't be convinced. Me personally, I still say that until otherwise, the Lakers are the best. But, I've been pulling for this organization since the 80s, just like you, and never stopped pulling for them in the 90s...just like you and Lonny.

Kidd still plays at a high level, even at about 4 steps slower than he was back in the day. Some people hate just because they can. The way I see it, is that if Kidd wasn't that good, then Kobe and LeBron wouldn't have pushed so hard for their squads to get him.

Keep bringing the knowledge to the board sir!:D

I'm not hating. I like Jason Kidd. He just isnt near the player he used to be. If you went team to team, there are maybe a couple handfuls of gaurds you would rather have than Kidd if you arent a Mavs fan. 93 is making him sound like an elite point gaurd in the league in which he is not.

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

I'm not hating. I like Jason Kidd. He just isnt near the player he used to be. If you went team to team, there are maybe a couple handfuls of gaurds you would rather have than Kidd if you arent a Mavs fan. 93 is making him sound like an elite point gaurd in the league in which he is not.

Understood and that's your opinion. But, I believe that he is, if not elite, very close to it still. He isn't the scorer that other PGs are but, then again, he's never been. His game is different from those of a Chris Paul or Steve Nash yet, when he takes the floor, you still have to account for what he brings or else, he'll kill you.

[SLC93]

Jason Kidd = GOD

That better?? :rolleyes:

Never said he was God. Never said he was an all star. If you read my thoughts from several posts back you'd know I don't consider him better than Paul, Williams, Rondo etc..etc.. All I'm saying is he still plays very well and impacts the games in areas the casual fan or media fail to recognize.

[BlakeJ]

Never said he was God. Never said he was an all star. If you read my thoughts from several posts back you'd know I don't consider him better than Paul, Williams, Rondo etc..etc.. All I'm saying is he still plays very well and impacts the games in areas the casual fan or media fail to recognize.

Without Kidd Dallas went further and were more successful than with him. Just sayin....

[SLC93]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assist_(basketball)

Thanks...please come again. :)

Point being that your assertion painted a picture that assists were easy to come by. You don't just get them when a guy scores. If the player dribbles more than once an assist is not awarded. That being the case the passer gets credit for recognizing the situation on the court and putting the ball in the hands of the player most able to score. No different that a qb reading the defense and making the right choice with the ball. Your delivery was wrong. If the person receiving the passing has to do alot of work it is not an assist situation.

[BlakeJ]

SLC93...quick question. Answer this as a knowledgable NBA mind and not a current Mavs fan. Does Jason Kidd = Devin Harris and 2 first rounders...inculding one this coming year?

[SLC93]

'93, you're one of the most knowledgeable posters to EVER be apart of this board. Thing is, is that some people just can't be convinced. Me personally, I still say that until otherwise, the Lakers are the best. But, I've been pulling for this organization since the 80s, just like you, and never stopped pulling for them in the 90s...just like you and Lonny.

Kidd still plays at a high level, even at about 4 steps slower than he was back in the day. Some people hate just because they can. The way I see it, is that if Kidd wasn't that good, then Kobe and LeBron wouldn't have pushed so hard for their squads to get him.

Keep bringing the knowledge to the board sir!:D

The Lakers are the elite team in the conference. I agree completely. Dallas has positioned themselves very well to compete against them in the playoffs, provided they stay healthy and get Damp back. I dont claim the Mavs will roll past them but I can see them going 7 games and having a chance to win.

[BlakeJ]

Point being that your assertion painted a picture that assists were easy to come by. You don't just get them when a guy scores. If the player dribbles more than once an assist is not awarded. That being the case the passer gets credit for recognizing the situation on the court and putting the ball in the hands of the player most able to score. No different that a qb reading the defense and making the right choice with the ball. Your delivery was wrong. If the person receiving the passing has to do alot of work it is not an assist situation.

Assist = JK passing the ball to Dirk at the top of the key he shoots and scores.

But that rarely happens. :)

Assists are overated stats.

[yankee]

ASSISTS!!!!!!!!

The most overrated stat used in the game of basketball. 90% of assists are made of one player passing another player the rock and watching them do all the work. I understand that some assists are amazing or great plays...but seriously stop using the assists references. Jason Kidd used to be great...now he's not even an all star. It took him injuries by Kobe, Paul, and Roy to get in and at that he got a total of 6 minutes. The least by any player on both squads.



haha, do you even watch basketball??? point guards are getting their assists from CREATING plays, not just passing the ball and watching the guy sink a jumper. PG's love driving the lane, making the defense collapse in on them, and then kicking the ball out to the open guy on the wing. it takes alot of work to get many of their assists. a true asset to a team is a pass first point guard who'd rather pass than shoot (see jason kidd).

[BlakeJ]

The Lakers are the elite team in the conference. I agree completely. Dallas has positioned themselves very well to compete against them in the playoffs, provided they stay healthy and get Damp back. I dont claim the Mavs will roll past them but I can see them going 7 games and having a chance to win.


Are you a Cowboys fan?? :D

[SLC93]

Without Kidd Dallas went further and were more successful than with him. Just sayin....

Perhaps but that is an unfair comparison. You're taking for granted the Dallas rosters of the last two seasons were anywhere near the same quality as the ones prior to them. They weren't. In fact, if you really look at Dallas' rosters from last season and the year before you'll find yourself stunned they won 50+ and a playoff series. More importantly, you're forgetting how much better the western conference got in the last several years. Alot of teams got real good real quick. For the better part of the decade this was a 3 team conference, insert LA,SA, Dallas, Sacto and Phoenix depending on the what part of the decade we're speaking of. So, you see, it's not a simple one to one. Let's see how he does with a roster that has legitimate talent on it this year.

[SLC93]

SLC93...quick question. Answer this as a knowledgable NBA mind and not a current Mavs fan. Does Jason Kidd = Devin Harris and 2 first rounders...inculding one this coming year?

Yes and no. I don't think those 1's were necessary to do the deal. I think Cuban blinked before Thorn did. Additionally, since those picks a in the 20's, I don't believe their sacrifice has killed Dallas. Would I rather have kept them and had those young guys on my bench? Absolutely but not at the cost of killing the deal.

Here's what you have to remember about the Kidd/Harris debate. As much as I like Harris, he's injury prone and more of a hybrid 1/2 than a true 1. Dallas needed a facilitator, not another scorer. In Dallas, Harris was always going to be the fourth scoring option, not the first or second he is in NJ. I was not surprised at all when he exploded in NJ after the trade. He got much more opportunity and was it a much weaker conference. It was never about a lack of talent. It was about a skill set that didn't really fit here. Given that you also have to look at the roster. This is a veteran team that is built to win now. In order to best harvest it, Dallas needed a veteran pg. They chose Kidd. Billups would have fit the mold, too, imo.

It would be nice to have that young, up and coming type of star but we both know the NBA is structured, currently, so that teams can make trades and use free agency to remain relevant. This move was all about maximizing the last 5 years of Dirk's prime. Make sense?

[SLC93]

Are you a Cowboys fan?? :D

Yeah but that's a whole different barrel of Jones', I mean monkeys.:D

If you'll break it down by position and assume Dampier comes back and stays healthy as the 2nd team center, Dallas matches up with LA better than anyone in the conference. That's all I'm saying.

[SLC93]

'93, you're one of the most knowledgeable posters to EVER be apart of this board. Thing is, is that some people just can't be convinced. Me personally, I still say that until otherwise, the Lakers are the best. But, I've been pulling for this organization since the 80s, just like you, and never stopped pulling for them in the 90s...just like you and Lonny.

Kidd still plays at a high level, even at about 4 steps slower than he was back in the day. Some people hate just because they can. The way I see it, is that if Kidd wasn't that good, then Kobe and LeBron wouldn't have pushed so hard for their squads to get him.

Keep bringing the knowledge to the board sir!:D


:)

You're the original, though. The real deal!:D

[BlakeJ]

haha, do you even watch basketball??? point guards are getting their assists from CREATING plays, not just passing the ball and watching the guy sink a jumper. PG's love driving the lane, making the defense collapse in on them, and then kicking the ball out to the open guy on the wing.

Oh goodness. Angry Dallas fans coming from everywhere. You would think you guys would be used to not being as good as the next guy. ;)

[yankee]

Oh goodness. Angry Dallas fans coming from everywhere. You would think you guys would be used to not being as good as the next guy. ;)

me? no i HATE the mavs with a passion. i don't even like jason kidd. whenever i've played basketball though, i was the point guard so i took offense to what you said.;)

[BlakeJ]

Yes and no. I don't think those 1's were necessary to do the deal. I think Cuban blinked before Thorn did. Additionally, since those picks a in the 20's, I don't believe their sacrifice has killed Dallas. Would I rather have kept them and had those young guys on my bench? Absolutely but not at the cost of killing the deal.

Here's what you have to remember about the Kidd/Harris debate. As much as I like Harris, he's injury prone and more of a hybrid 1/2 than a true 1. Dallas needed a facilitator, not another scorer. In Dallas, Harris was always going to be the fourth scoring option, not the first or second he is in NJ. I was not surprised at all when he exploded in NJ after the trade. He got much more opportunity and was it a much weaker conference. It was never about a lack of talent. It was about a skill set that didn't really fit here. Given that you also have to look at the roster. This is a veteran team that is built to win now. In order to best harvest it, Dallas needed a veteran pg. They chose Kidd. Billups would have fit the mold, too, imo.

It would be nice to have that young, up and coming type of star but we both know the NBA is structured, currently, so that teams can make trades and use free agency to remain relevant. This move was all about maximizing the last 5 years of Dirk's prime. Make sense?


Good answer. I slightly disagree. They didn't need a facilitator as much as people say they did. This team was there one year and almost there many other years without Kidd. To me, all they did by going with the trade was shorten their wondow to win a championship while not improving enough through the trade to accomplish that. Billups would have been a better fit with more years and a larger window.

[SLC93]

Good answer. I slightly disagree. They didn't need a facilitator as much as people say they did. This team was there one year and almost there many other years without Kidd. To me, all they did by going with the trade was shorten their wondow to win a championship while not improving enough through the trade to accomplish that. Billups would have been a better fit with more years and a larger window.

I love Billups and would not have argued a bit if a deal for him was chosen over a deal for Kidd.

My only counter argument to you slightly disagreeing would be a plea to watch some tape. Dallas was having to work soooo hard to get buckets that season it was ridiculous. You could argue that was more the result of Avery's ineptitude than Harris. The window may have gotten shorter but Dallas is in better position now versus then, imo. The problem really wasn't the Kidd deal as much as it was the state of the roster. Have a little faith. I think we're in for a great playoff run.

[BlakeJ]

I love Billups and would not have argued a bit if a deal for him was chosen over a deal for Kidd.

My only counter argument to you slightly disagreeing would be a plea to watch some tape. Dallas was having to work soooo hard to get buckets that season it was ridiculous. You could argue that was more the result of Avery's ineptitude than Harris. The window may have gotten shorter but Dallas is in better position now versus then, imo. The problem really wasn't the Kidd deal as much as it was the state of the roster. Have a little faith. I think we're in for a great playoff run.

That once again ends in Denver or LA. ;)

Galloway and Co. callers are KILLING ME right now. Almost as much as they were KILLING ME right before the NFL playoffs. Dallas fans have short memory I think.

"Lakers better be scared out of their minds!" :laugh

Dodge is an idiot.

[E-Vol-ution]

I'm not hating. I like Jason Kidd. He just isnt near the player he used to be. If you went team to team, there are maybe a couple handfuls of gaurds you would rather have than Kidd if you arent a Mavs fan. 93 is making him sound like an elite point gaurd in the league in which he is not.
Let me tell you about that tortoise called Kidd.......he's not going to do well against a super quick elite guard on defense, but no one except Magic could see the court like him........no one.
This is why he's elite still.

[SLC93]

That once again ends in Denver or LA. ;)

Galloway and Co. callers are KILLING ME right now. Almost as much as they were KILLING ME right before the NFL playoffs. Dallas fans have short memory I think.

"Lakers better be scared out of their minds!" :laugh

Dodge is an idiot.

Perhaps LA but, in a 7 game series, Dallas beats Denver in 6, especially if Dallas secures the 2nd seed. Denver is terrible on the road. Dallas has 20 wins on the road. I love Melo and Billups but this squad is not the same group that roared into last year's playoffs, regardless of what the record currently reflects.

Galloway is the master of getting the masses riled up, for better or worse. They'll all be screaming Dallas sucks and Dirk is weak the next time we lose a few games.:D

[BlakeJ]

Perhaps LA but, in a 7 game series, Dallas beats Denver in 6, especially if Dallas secures the 2nd seed. Denver is terrible on the road. Dallas has 20 wins on the road. I love Melo and Billups but this squad is not the same group that roared into last year's playoffs, regardless of what the record currently reflects.

Galloway is the master of getting the masses riled up, for better or worse. They'll all be screaming Dallas sucks and Dirk is weak the next time we lose a few games.:D

Cowboys were the best team in the NFC at the end of the season. Don't make me dig up the threads..lol. Like I said...you guys have short memories up North.

I still feel Its LA then Denver.....................the rest. No matter what the seeding says.

[the_phoenix612]

Cowboys were the best team in the NFC at the end of the season. Don't make me dig up the threads..lol. Like I said...you guys have short memories up North.

I still feel Its LA then Denver.....................the rest. No matter what the seeding says.
Translation:
I think what I think and I won't let the facts get in the way of that.

[BlakeJ]

Translation:
I think what I think and I won't let the facts get in the way of that.

Facts?? Where?? You SLC sillies and your "facts"

[slcdragonfan]

Facts?? Where?? You SLC sillies and your "facts"

"stir the antbed" kinda guy aren'tcha. :) I do agree Dallas has to prove they can stay with the physicality of Denver. This current Dallas has a better chance at it than the one before the trade.

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

:)

You're the original, though. The real deal!:D

;):cool:

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

That once again ends in Denver or LA. ;)

Galloway and Co. callers are KILLING ME right now. Almost as much as they were KILLING ME right before the NFL playoffs. Dallas fans have short memory I think.

"Lakers better be scared out of their minds!" :laugh

Dodge is an idiot.

As I said before sir, true Dallas fans are not the same as bandwaggoners and fair weather fans.

As for Galloway and Co., I'll say again, that Galloway and Co. should be used for entertainment purposes ONLY! I never take anything they say serious. Hell, Galloway is the biggest bandwaggoner of them all. Not trying to toot our own horns but, we've given you about as close as the real deal as we can on here, facts and objectivity without being biased. If you can, go back and dig up some of our posts in the past on the Mavs. We, except for Lonny, know how to admit when we're wrong.

No need for me to say what I think about the Lakers, you already know how I feel about them.

Oh, and you're being a gentleman when you call Dodge an idiot. He's about as dumb as a sack of sledge hammers, right along with Matt Mosley.

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

Cowboys were the best team in the NFC at the end of the season. Don't make me dig up the threads..lol. Like I said...you guys have short memories up North.

I still feel Its LA then Denver.....................the rest. No matter what the seeding says.

LOL! I need you to dig up that "Cowboys are the best team in the NFC" thread for me. Not saying you're lying but, I know that it didn't come out of my mouth.

As for Denver, they let some important depth walk in the offseason. You, me, and anybody else with some sense knows, that that depth will be needed when the postseason rolls around.

[SLC93]

LOL! I need you to dig up that "Cowboys are the best team in the NFC" thread for me. Not saying you're lying but, I know that it didn't come out of my mouth.

As for Denver, they let some important depth walk in the offseason. You, me, and anybody else with some sense knows, that that depth will be needed when the postseason rolls around.

Folks forget they let 3 members of that rotation walk for financial reasons in the offseason. I actually think they did fairly well for themselves in the backcourt picking up Afflala and Lawson, though.

Time to disarm a perception, though. Denver is not overly physical and plays very little defense. There is not one single statistic that supports they are a physical unit that plays alot of defense. In fact, most measures show clearly that they struggle mightily and often revert to old Denver style and go shootout. That is fact.

If we're projecting matchups, Nene will be at a size disadvantage of several inches and about 25 pounds to Haywood. In that battle, Haywood averages about 3 more boards and 3x as many blocks per game than Nene. When the backup centers come in, Anderson is younger and runs better but Damp outboards and outscores him with the blocks being about even. Damp also has the size advantage by a few inches and about 40 pounds.. At power forward, Dirk has owned Martin throughout his career. Kmart simply cannot move with Dirk because of the knees. Dirk will double or triple Martin's offensive output, very nearly match him on the boards, matches him in blocks and matches him in steals. Dirk is 3 inches taller and 5 pounds heavier. Those are the 3 primary guys at the 4/5 and there is no way to argue Dallas isn't better. Things get dicier for Denver when we look at substitution patterns but I won't snore you with that. I'll just say that Denver is in big trouble if they ever find themselves with Martin or Nene on the bench together. Dallas will go small with Dirk and Matrix and the 5 and the 4 and run them off the court. Bottomline is our frontline not longer features a 6'8 Brandon Bass backing up the 4 and 5. Nor will it have Damp playing as a starter for 25-30 minutes. He's now the second guy. Dallas is bigger and stronger at every position upfront.

Te perimeter positions are where Denver will have to make their mark against Dallas. Melo is a beast but remember that Antoine Wright and Devean George are no longer on this team. He'll be dealing with Matrix, Butler and Stevenson in waves this series. He's still Melo. I'm not saying we'll shut him down but he's gonna have to work hard all game, every game. JR Smith and his thuggery are offset and then some with the additions of Butler and Stevenson. Both of those guys offer the size and straight attitude to neutralize his effect to impact. Kidd and Billups will be a war. There is no sugar coating that one. Jet > Afflalo. Should I say anything else there? Silly as this may sound, the advantage Lawson provides over Barrea is the single biggest advantage Denver has over the Dallas roster and it may be felt in a series.

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

Folks forget they let 3 members of that rotation walk for financial reasons in the offseason. I actually think they did fairly well for themselves in the backcourt picking up Afflala and Lawson, though.

Time to disarm a perception, though. Denver is not overly physical and plays very little defense. There is not one single statistic that supports they are a physical unit that plays alot of defense. In fact, most measures show clearly that they struggle mightily and often revert to old Denver style and go shootout. That is fact.

If we're projecting matchups, Nene will be at a size disadvantage of several inches and about 25 pounds to Haywood. In that battle, Haywood averages about 3 more boards and 3x as many blocks per game than Nene. When the backup centers come in, Anderson is younger and runs better but Damp outboards and outscores him with the blocks being about even. Damp also has the size advantage by a few inches and about 40 pounds.. At power forward, Dirk has owned Martin throughout his career. Kmart simply cannot move with Dirk because of the knees. Dirk will double or triple Martin's offensive output, very nearly match him on the boards, matches him in blocks and matches him in steals. Dirk is 3 inches taller and 5 pounds heavier. Those are the 3 primary guys at the 4/5 and there is no way to argue Dallas isn't better. Things get dicier for Denver when we look at substitution patterns but I won't snore you with that. I'll just say that Denver is in big trouble if they ever find themselves with Martin or Nene on the bench together. Dallas will go small with Dirk and Matrix and the 5 and the 4 and run them off the court. Bottomline is our frontline not longer features a 6'8 Brandon Bass backing up the 4 and 5. Nor will it have Damp playing as a starter for 25-30 minutes. He's now the second guy. Dallas is bigger and stronger at every position upfront.

Te perimeter positions are where Denver will have to make their mark against Dallas. Melo is a beast but remember that Antoine Wright and Devean George are no longer on this team. He'll be dealing with Matrix, Butler and Stevenson in waves this series. He's still Melo. I'm not saying we'll shut him down but he's gonna have to work hard all game, every game. JR Smith and his thuggery are offset and then some with the additions of Butler and Stevenson. Both of those guys offer the size and straight attitude to neutralize his effect to impact. Kidd and Billups will be a war. There is no sugar coating that one. Jet > Afflalo. Should I say anything else there? Silly as this may sound, the advantage Lawson provides over Barrea is the single biggest advantage Denver has over the Dallas roster and it may be felt in a series.

I agree 100 percent! This Denver team can become undisciplined and, we saw spurts of it in this series last year. The problem is that Dirk didn't have any consistent help. For a guy that sucks, I'm still trying to figure out how he averaged about 35 in that series last year.

JR Smith kills you when you leave him wide open for shots. Yes, he can slash to the basket and dunk on you but, his first instinct is to shoot. Someone will need to get in his face and frustrate him (Stevenson), and you win that battle.

I think Rodrigue Beaubois MIGHT play a role in this series too. KEYWORD: MIGHT!

One more thing, I'd watch out for Deron and the Utah Jazz as well.

[BlakeJ]

Dead Horse beaten here. I will be back in a couple months when all of your heads are once again hanging low after another early playoff exit. If the unthinkable happens and Dallas beats Denver or LA...I'll be the first back to congradulate you all. If Dallas beats LA...I'll congradulate you...then leave with my middle finger up. :D

[SLC93]

I agree 100 percent! This Denver team can become undisciplined and, we saw spurts of it in this series last year. The problem is that Dirk didn't have any consistent help. For a guy that sucks, I'm still trying to figure out how he averaged about 35 in that series last year.
JR Smith kills you when you leave him wide open for shots. Yes, he can slash to the basket and dunk on you but, his first instinct is to shoot. Someone will need to get in his face and frustrate him (Stevenson), and you win that battle.

I think Rodrigue Beaubois MIGHT play a role in this series too. KEYWORD: MIGHT!

One more thing, I'd watch out for Deron and the Utah Jazz as well.

The uninformed masses love to bash him but the fact is his numbers INCREASE every year in the post season. He scores more, he boards mores, he everythings more. Remember, his regular season numbers are going to put him in the HOF on the first ballot he's eligible for so this myth that he's not clutch or can't win is beyond belief, to me. For fun, do me a favor. Look up Dirk's career averages in the post season and see the company he's keeping. It will absolutely floor you the five guys he shares numbers with.

It's my hope that we get back to giving Roddy minutes, 10-12 a game. He's absolutely raw but his shot is pure and his athleticism on this roster is unrivaled. The next ten games are very favorable for us. He needs time.

I like the Jazz alot. That said, Dallas would eat them alive at the 2,3 and 5 spots. I like Dallas in that series. Love Williams. I have a secret hope that crap will hit the fan with him in Utah and he'll come home soon.

[SLC93]

Dead Horse beaten here. I will be back in a couple months when all of your heads are once again hanging low after another early playoff exit. If the unthinkable happens and Dallas beats Denver or LA...I'll be the first back to congradulate you all. If Dallas beats LA...I'll congradulate you...then leave with my middle finger up. :D

Nah, you're just trolling and that's cool. No worries. It's alot easier to come in and drop generalities and regurgitated opinions. For the record, thanks for the congrats, in advance.:D

[BlakeJ]

Nah, you're just trolling and that's cool. No worries. It's alot easier to come in and drop generalities and regurgitated opinions. For the record, thanks for the congrats, in advance.:D

Dallas = Home of the homers. :D

[svhorns]

9 in a row baby!!

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

9 in a row baby!!

Homer.:)

[E-Vol-ution]

Good sign when they beat the teams they are supposed to.......

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

Good sign when they beat the teams they are supposed to.......

This is something that still kind of worried me. We've seen the Mavs in the past beat a strong San Antonio and a good Phoenix team, then turn right around and get beat by Atlanta.

But, it's still early too. The West is still stacked, and truth be told, it's stronger than it's ever been. Dallas and San Antonio is still the hottest rivalry, IMO and, the Mavs MIGHT see them early again. You can't guarantee anything when these 2 get together. I like that though! Portland could cause some trouble too. Then, you have the Hornets, who aren't as strong as they were a couple of years ago, and OKC maybe a playoff team this year.

I can't remember the last time a conference was this stacked.

[GTown02]

Jason Terry needs surgery to fix his face.


Mavs’ Terry will need surgery after blow to face


DALLAS (AP)—Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry(notes) is scheduled to have surgery Friday after taking an elbow to the face during a game.

The Mavericks say a timetable for Terry’s return would be determined after the surgery.

Terry’s left eye was nearly swollen shut when he left the Dallas locker room after Wednesday night’s 112-109 victory over Minnesota.

Terry was hurt with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. He was called for a foul even though he was sprawled on his back with a bloody nose after took a blow to the face from Corey Brewer(notes), who was dribbling toward midcourt when they collided.

I didnt see the elbow last night, was it that big of a hit? I know he came back and played less than 5 minutes after.

[slcdragonfan]

Jason Terry needs surgery to fix his face.



I didnt see the elbow last night, was it that big of a hit? I know he came back and played less than 5 minutes after.

Looked like an elbow AND the ball. Didn't look bad enough for surgery but was a hard hit.

[SLC93]

10 in row now and that was with no Damp, no Terry and Haywood leaving after a few minutes.

Good news with Terry is he's back by Boston on the 20th, worst case. Better news is that both he and Damp should return about the same time. Best news is that schedule is favorable for being down so many folks. We'll see Chicago twice, Minny, NJ and NY while we're down. Should be no real issue as far as wins and losses.

You never wanna see anyone hurt but the last two games have freed Roddy. That kid is just raw energy. If we can get him substantial time down the stretch here, he'll be a factor in the post season. His speed and athleticism is unmatched on our roster. LA and Denver don't have a player like him, either. This could be a good take away.

We'll need to win as many of these gimme's as possible, short handed or not. When the wounded return we need to give our starters a blow before the post season arrives. Aside from health, that's my only real concern with Dallas is the big minutes the top guys are racking up.

[slcdragonfan]

10 in row now and that was with no Damp, no Terry and Haywood leaving after a few minutes.

Good news with Terry is he's back by Boston on the 20th, worst case. Better news is that both he and Damp should return about the same time. Best news is that schedule is favorable for being down so many folks. We'll see Chicago twice, Minny, NJ and NY while we're down. Should be no real issue as far as wins and losses.

You never wanna see anyone hurt but the last two games have freed Roddy. That kid is just raw energy. If we can get him substantial time down the stretch here, he'll be a factor in the post season. His speed and athleticism is unmatched on our roster. LA and Denver don't have a player like him, either. This could be a good take away.

We'll need to win as many of these gimme's as possible, short handed or not. When the wounded return we need to give our starters a blow before the post season arrives. Aside from health, that's my only real concern with Dallas is the big minutes the top guys are racking up.

I sat up and took notice the past two games, amazing that that kind of talent is just sitting. If his shooting stays hot, imagine a scene where we need shooters and have JET and him firing away.

This team I must say has been very good in this winning streak. However, I still detect a weakness in the middle with people driving strong to the basket, and that is something Denver does with Birdman. We have to hope that Damp and crew are back healthy to bang the pain into those drives.

[yallerjacket2]

I sat up and took notice the past two games, amazing that that kind of talent is just sitting. If his shooting stays hot, imagine a scene where we need shooters and have JET and him firing away.

This team I must say has been very good in this winning streak. However, I still detect a weakness in the middle with people driving strong to the basket, and that is something Denver does with Birdman. We have to hope that Damp and crew are back healthy to bang the pain into those drives.

I think they'll be fine with Damp and Haywood in the middle.

11 in a row baby. Tha train keeps a rollin'.

[SLC93]

I sat up and took notice the past two games, amazing that that kind of talent is just sitting. If his shooting stays hot, imagine a scene where we need shooters and have JET and him firing away.

This team I must say has been very good in this winning streak. However, I still detect a weakness in the middle with people driving strong to the basket, and that is something Denver does with Birdman. We have to hope that Damp and crew are back healthy to bang the pain into those drives.

I know that Carlisle's approach with Roddy this season has driven many of us nuts. I would have made it a point to carve him out 5-12 minutes every night. Then again, the highlight if my coaching career is coaching my sisters AAU teams when they were growing up. I'll defer to Carlisle. :D Evidently behind all of the DNP-CD's there was some real grooming going on. Rumor has it Kidd and Terry have been practically living with the kid. At this point, Roddy is on pace to be the only rookie in NBA history to shoot 50% from the field, 40% from 3 and 80% from the line. His stroke is pure and effortless. Couple that with his athleticism and, well ......... Also, he's not turning the ball over in this stretch, including zero last night. That marks his real growth.

Wouldn't worry about the middle. If all goes well, Dallas will be sporting the best tandem in the conference at the 5. With Haywood and Dampier, that lane is going to be condemned.

[slcdragonfan]

Bump.

I'm now recording these game. Late in the season, Lakers on a 3 game losing streak, Mavs on an 11 game win streak using 9 players.:notworthy

Watched a bit of the Denver game last night I think it was, they are definitely still a big-time contender. But the Mav depth is playing surprisingly well. dare we dream? Who's going to rep in the East? Cleveland and Orlando look to be the likely reps. In the West, Denver, LA, and the Mavs look to be tops, with the Mavs the hottest team in the league right now. Have to avoid injuries, and be able to handle the physical teams.

Getting exciting!

[svhorns]

12!!

[slcdragonfan]

12!!

sweet. And with Dirk out for a good while with foul trouble. Biggest question coming out of this one is how is JJ? That ankle roll looked bad.

[yallerjacket2]

sweet. And with Dirk out for a good while with foul trouble. Biggest question coming out of this one is how is JJ? That ankle roll looked bad.

It sure did. Good to see him walking off and barely limping though. Only eight players available at the end of the game.

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

Bump.

I'm now recording these game. Late in the season, Lakers on a 3 game losing streak, Mavs on an 11 game win streak using 9 players.:notworthy

Watched a bit of the Denver game last night I think it was, they are definitely still a big-time contender. But the Mav depth is playing surprisingly well. dare we dream? Who's going to rep in the East? Cleveland and Orlando look to be the likely reps. In the West, Denver, LA, and the Mavs look to be tops, with the Mavs the hottest team in the league right now. Have to avoid injuries, and be able to handle the physical teams.

Getting exciting!

Homer!:)

[BlakeJ]

This has Houston Rockets "hottest team...win streak" written all over it. Kind of sucks, because I like you guys. You hurting will hurt me. ;):D

[slcdragonfan]

This has Houston Rockets "hottest team...win streak" written all over it. Kind of sucks, because I like you guys. You hurting will hurt me. ;):D

They are finding multiple ways to win with multiple different players, many bench. It has been pretty amazing. It is one thing to win with your stud i.e. Kobe, Jordan, James. IT is quite another to win with your whole team. Heck, we are getting 3-pointers from Najera, Beaubois is looking brilliant (most of the time), Marion can step in and score up as he did last night, and drive, it goes on and on. Will it end? Sure, there will be a night or two when everything goes wrong or everything right for the other team. But this has been a pretty amazing run, esp after "the trade".

I like the Rockets, used to go to a lot of the games when I lived in Houston. Loved Olajuwon! and was there during the "twin towers" era. I liked the team they had last year and thought they had a lot of heart, played tough. Loved the battles between Ewing and Olajuwon.

But, you're not a Rockets fan, are ya'? ;)

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

They are finding multiple ways to win with multiple different players, many bench. It has been pretty amazing. It is one thing to win with your stud i.e. Kobe, Jordan, James. IT is quite another to win with your whole team. Heck, we are getting 3-pointers from Najera, Beaubois is looking brilliant (most of the time), Marion can step in and score up as he did last night, and drive, it goes on and on. Will it end? Sure, there will be a night or two when everything goes wrong or everything right for the other team. But this has been a pretty amazing run, esp after "the trade".

I like the Rockets, used to go to a lot of the games when I lived in Houston. Loved Olajuwon! and was there during the "twin towers" era. I liked the team they had last year and thought they had a lot of heart, played tough. Loved the battles between Ewing and Olajuwon.

But, you're not a Rockets fan, are ya'? ;)

I'm in the minority, where I have always rooted for the Mavs, Spurs, AND Rockets. For some reason, I just refuse to go against my own state.

But, I agree with what you're saying. They finally have guys who will actually step up and play as a "TEAM" when teams work to take Dirk out of the equation. That's what a true "TEAM" does!

Last year against Denver, the Lakers had guys that stepped up and played ball when the Nuggets tried to take Kobe out of the games. Bynum, Gasol, and Odom stepped up!

How come the talented Josh and the talented Devin, and the other guys couldn't do that for Dirk against Golden State and Miami?:confused:

[slcdragonfan]

I'm in the minority, where I have always rooted for the Mavs, Spurs, AND Rockets. For some reason, I just refuse to go against my own state.

But, I agree with what you're saying. They finally have guys who will actually step up and play as a "TEAM" when teams work to take Dirk out of the equation. That's what a true "TEAM" does!

Last year against Denver, the Lakers had guys that stepped up and played ball when the Nuggets tried to take Kobe out of the games. Bynum, Gasol, and Odom stepped up!

How come the talented Josh and the talented Devin, and the other guys couldn't do that for Dirk against Golden State and Miami?:confused:

The million dollar question. I think Devin was just too young and inexperienced, and Josh just too streaky. Also, Defense....

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

The million dollar question. I think Devin was just too young and inexperienced, and Josh just too streaky. Also, Defense....

True! I just had to ask because, Dirk takes most of the blame for those 2 particular losses. Hell, Duncan could go out and score 7 points but, they wouldn't miss a beat because, Manu, Tony and Horry brung it.

[SLC93]

Bump.

I'm now recording these game. Late in the season, Lakers on a 3 game losing streak, Mavs on an 11 game win streak using 9 players.:notworthy

Watched a bit of the Denver game last night I think it was, they are definitely still a big-time contender. But the Mav depth is playing surprisingly well. dare we dream? Who's going to rep in the East? Cleveland and Orlando look to be the likely reps. In the West, Denver, LA, and the Mavs look to be tops, with the Mavs the hottest team in the league right now. Have to avoid injuries, and be able to handle the physical teams.

Getting exciting!

:D

Lakers being on a losing streak is noteworthy but the driving force behind it is what is key, if your a Mavs fan looking forward to a possible series. The lakers top 6 is far and away the best in the league, even after you dock them for Fisher. After that, they're crap and that is the biggest reason they've been struggling lately. They're slightly banged up here and there and they are getting no relief for the rest of that roster. Conversely, Dallas is really battered with Terry,Damp and Haywood out but are winning games because of the depth and versatility of their roster. That's the takeaway.

As long as Denver has Billups at the reigns and Melo on the wing they'll have a good squad. With Martin being sidelines and they're depth being iffy anyway, Denver is going to have a tougher road than you anticipate. More than any of the contenders in the West they need homecourt in a series. They're attrocious on the road.

The east is still Cleveland's to lose, imo. As a sidenore, Dallas has played the elite extremely well this year. I'm not scared of any potential matchup.

In order to stay healthy, we have to get healthy. I've been saying this for weeks but you think we're playing well now wait until Wood and Damp are available as a tandem every night.

Very excited.

[SLC93]

sweet. And with Dirk out for a good while with foul trouble. Biggest question coming out of this one is how is JJ? That ankle roll looked bad.

Done with no Terry, Damp or Haywood & Dirk sat for extended minutes. Nice.

JJB was said to be seen walking without much of a limp postgame. Hope he's ok but when we're healthy he's a 6-10 minute guy now. Right where he should be and is most effective, imo.

[SLC93]

This has Houston Rockets "hottest team...win streak" written all over it. Kind of sucks, because I like you guys. You hurting will hurt me. ;):D

Couple of huge differences here. First, until last season Houston had shown a complete inability to get out of the first round for the best part of a decade. Meanwhile, first round failure in Dallas is an upset. Second, those hot streaks by Houston, as remarkable as they were, were accomplished with a roster nowhere near as talented or complete as what Dallas has at their disposal. Just wait, starting around the 15th Dallas is just going to be a beast for teams. How many teams riding a double digit win streak have that kind of ability to get even better?

[SLC93]

They are finding multiple ways to win with multiple different players, many bench. It has been pretty amazing. It is one thing to win with your stud i.e. Kobe, Jordan, James. IT is quite another to win with your whole team. Heck, we are getting 3-pointers from Najera, Beaubois is looking brilliant (most of the time), Marion can step in and score up as he did last night, and drive, it goes on and on. Will it end? Sure, there will be a night or two when everything goes wrong or everything right for the other team. But this has been a pretty amazing run, esp after "the trade".

I like the Rockets, used to go to a lot of the games when I lived in Houston. Loved Olajuwon! and was there during the "twin towers" era. I liked the team they had last year and thought they had a lot of heart, played tough. Loved the battles between Ewing and Olajuwon.

But, you're not a Rockets fan, are ya'? ;)

Dallas is winning right now using the old Suns formula. No coincidence Marion has thrived the last three games on offense.

[SLC93]

I'm in the minority, where I have always rooted for the Mavs, Spurs, AND Rockets. For some reason, I just refuse to go against my own state.

But, I agree with what you're saying. They finally have guys who will actually step up and play as a "TEAM" when teams work to take Dirk out of the equation. That's what a true "TEAM" does!

Last year against Denver, the Lakers had guys that stepped up and played ball when the Nuggets tried to take Kobe out of the games. Bynum, Gasol, and Odom stepped up!

How come the talented Josh and the talented Devin, and the other guys couldn't do that for Dirk against Golden State and Miami?:confused:

I love all the Texas teams and pull for them when it doesn't conflict with Mavs' interest. The only negative I have is regarding most Spurs fans. They have a big group of low rent jerks following them.

The answer to that is also the answer to one of the most frustrating myths in the league. It's because, while they had their moments, they were never as talented as the casts that teams like LA have rolled out. It's a testament to the fact that Dirk is elite and does make his teammate sooo much better. Go back and look at some of those rosters versus the other top teams in the same year. It's amazing Dallas has won 50+ and been a conteder all these years when you look at some of those squads. Serious deficiencies abound but the constant is Dirk. His uniqueness causes so much havoc for opponents. He is a difference maker. He is clutch. He is MVP worthy. He is amongst the best ever. Folks need to recognize before he's gone.

[BlakeJ]

Wow...short memories. Im sad for you guys already. :(

[yallerjacket2]

Wow...short memories. Im sad for you guys already. :(

So since the Mavs have never won a title, are we supposed to just give up hope of ever winning one? Should we not be excited when it looks like they may have the best team they've ever had?

[the_phoenix612]

Wow...short memories. Im sad for you guys already. :(

Dead Horse beaten here. I will be back in a couple months when all of your heads are once again hanging low after another early playoff exit. If the unthinkable happens and Dallas beats Denver or LA...I'll be the first back to congradulate you all. If Dallas beats LA...I'll congradulate you...then leave with my middle finger up. :D
You're almost as bad as GoOwls. If you're leaving, leave. But don't be an attention wh*re.

[BlakeJ]

You're almost as bad as GoOwls. If you're leaving, leave. But don't be an attention wh*re.

Angry Dallas fans already?? The playoffs haven't even started. :D

[the_phoenix612]

Angry Dallas fans already?? The playoffs haven't even started. :D
How can I be angry when they're riding a 12 game winning streak? Playing hot without 3 key players?

[BlakeJ]

How can I be angry when they're riding a 12 game winning streak? Playing hot without 3 key players?

Already setting up an excuse?? ;)