SB Nation - Matt Carroll

Mavericks at Hornets: Game 5 Preview

Phillip Baggett — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:16:37 -0000

The Mavericks will roll into New Orleans Arena tonight still riding high from the emotional come from behind win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night. While the win over the Jazz was ugly for three quarters the last 8 minutes were simply amazing. Can the Mavs keep their 3 game winning streak going?

Point Guards:

Kidd: Kidds defense has been exceptional even when his shot has not been falling and he will need that defensive effort again tonight against the best the league has to offer. Jason broke out a little last night scoring a season high 19 points, it was good to see the "old man" knock them down. Jason's work in the two man game with Dirk last night was fabulous need to see more of it tonight.

Paul: What else can you say about this guy? He is the best point guard in the league in all facets. Even on an off night he causes serious problems for opposing teams. Look for the Hornets to try and get him going early to force the Mavs into the early double allowing Okafor and West to get open looks. Edge: Hornets

Shooting Guards:

Ross: Quinton suffered an injury early in last nights game and he did not return. If Quinton does not play tonight look for our old buddy Matt Carroll to get his first start of the season. Even if Ross starts it is probable that Carroll gets quite a few minutes tonight, due to his shooting ability and length.

Peterson: Morris is a big combo guard-forward. While he is not likely to pour in a bunch of points, he does a lot of the little things that coach Scott likes. However he is only averaging about 15 minutes per so expect to see a ton of Peja. Edge: Mavs

Small Forwards:

Marion: Shawn is continuing to grow on this team and looks to be a 15 and 8 guy. I would like to see Shawn (and the rest of the team for that matter) have more off the ball movement to allow Kidd to get him the ball in better scoring situations. Shawn continues to play excellent defense and is a key reason the Mavs are #2 in the league.

Wright: The 2007 first round selection from Kansas has not had much playing time in his short NBA career until now. He is a very talented player with a large upside, but he is young and this maybe the opportunity the Mavs have needed to get Marion going. Edge: Mavs

Power Forwards:

Nowitzki: I think he might have found his touch last night what do you think? 29 points in 8 minutes would suggest such a thing, and thank goodness he took the summer off because I am sure he is feeling the effects of the intense game last night. Dirk will be ready come 8:30 tonight though and more than his offense his defense will be very much needed tonight against David West.

West: Other than Dirk one of my favorite forwards in the league right now, teamed with Paul he can be down right deadly. Dirk will have his hands full with West tonight should be a great battle. Edge: Mavs

Centers:

Dampier: As much as we all have gotten on Erick over the years I must say that when the guy wants to play he can be... well good. Erick has been that way all year so far and let's hope it continues tonight in New Orleans.

Okafor: Okafor was all alone in Charlotte but now in New Orleans he is surrounded by a qaulity team, this could spell trouble for the rest of the league once he and Paul get on the same page. In the Hornets last game against the Knicks it appeared that the two got a little closer, as Okafor poured in 24 points on 69% shooting. The Mavs must keep him under wraps. Edge: Hornets

Prediction: The second game of these back to backs is always tough but even tougher the night after having to expend as much energy as they did last night. However I think the Mavs are just too strong for these Hornets right now. Look for Marion to get some good looks tonight to ease the work load on Dirk.

Mavericks - 105

Hornets - 97

Sorry for missing the preview last night, I will try to do better. GO MAVS

Mavs Bounce Back: Beat Lakers 94-80

Wes Cox — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:31:56 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

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Dampier played good defense on Bynum all night - significantly better than Gooden.
I love how Matt Caroll rocks the headband while he's on the bench.
Shawn Marion played much better defense on Kobe Bryant than Quentin Ross.
Kris Humphries was very active all night, and he got rewarded with 20 minutes -- something he only did twice last season.
Rick Carlisle didn't go to the three guard lineup until the fourth quarter. Obviously they went to a zone at that point, and it worked pretty well. Dallas was +5 during that 8 minute stretch that effectively closed out the game.
The Lakers made 13 FG's in the second half.
Shawn Marion was a team worst -17 in game one, and team best +37 in game two.
Shannon Brown's dunk early in the fourth was sick. I was pretty surprised he didn't get a T for hanging on the rim, but I'm not going to complain since Dallas got the majority of the calls throughout the game.
James Singleton saw the court and made hist first shot of the season -- an open three (he was 13 of 40 from outside the arc last season)
I say this every time Dallas plays the Lakers at the Staples center, but I still love their stage lighting and would love to see it at the AAC.
After a win like that, they might have to wear those new blue unis more often. I thought they looked pretty good too.

Postgame Quotes Jason Terry

We owed our fans a better performance tonight, and we know they were all watching at home. The Lakers, we have huge confidence playing against them. Last year we let three games slip away that we thought we had an opportunity to win. Tonight our confidence was up, but everyone contributed. You look at what Humphries did off the bench, Shawn Marion. Those guys are just now getting acclimated to what we are doing, and we are learning how to utilize them offensively.

Postgame Quotes Shawn Marion

Not a lot of guys were talking about you before the season. Does this sort of victory put you on the map so to speak?

We're already on the map. Just because people didn't talk about us doesn't mean we're not on the map. Trust me, we're there. When you go look at the map you see Dallas right there.

Postgame Quotes Dirk Nowitzki

It was great. We haven't won in this building in what feels like forever. We played well, especially after losing the season opener at home which we took pretty hard. We played well together. We played well defensively. We competed. We kept them under 40% shooting.

AP Recap & Highlights | Box Score | GameFlow

Preseason: Dallas Mavericks

djturtleface — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:19:12 -0000

Tonight at 7 p.m. the Memphis Grizzlies visit those cagey Mavericks in Dallas. You'll only find this on television if you live in Dallas, and you still won't find it on League Pass Broadband, since League Pass Broadband still isn't working.

Onto your storylines of the game:

Summer League Champs: The Grizzlies summer league roster is killer, if summer league and the win over the Thunder are any indication. Will our super subs keep rolling over the Mavericks deeper bench?
Zach Randolph's Skillz: Will watching Dirk inspire Z-bo to actually make a freaking shot?
Watch Matt Carroll regress: Matt Carroll's contract actually gets smaller every year. He's like the NBA Benjamin Button, which is cool.
Oldness: Jason Kidd, Erick Dampier, and Shawn Marion will try to lure O.J. Mayo into a house made of gingerbread, presumably to attempt to eat his youth. O.J. won't follow, but will regain his stroke and get silly for the first time this preseason.
Starters: Last year the Grizzlies starters were actually half-decent and their bench was abhorrent. The opposite has been the case this preseason. The Mavericks have a solid starting lineup; the Grizzlies need to show some fight, particularly on *GASP* the offensive end.

Feel free to use this as an open thread of sorts if you're interested.

NBA Previews - The Dallas Mavericks

Phillip Baggett — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:51:45 -0000

This year we decided to be a part of the massive NBA Blogger Team Preview that was set-up by fellow blogger Jeff at Celtics blog. I hope you all enjoy this and please make sure to keep checking back here for the division by division previews.

So without further delay....

Team Name: Dallas Mavericks

Last Year's Record: 50-32

Key Losses: Brandon Bass, DeSegana Diop

Key Additions: Shawn Marion, Drew Gooden, Matt Carroll, Tim Thomas, Kris Humphries, Rodrique Beaubois

1. What Significant Moves were made during the off-season?

Last season the Mavericks showed to be lacking heavily in the depth department. So the Mavs spent this off season grabbing up quality back up players with good shooting skills to go along with a defensive edge. The Mavericks were middle of the road defensive team a year ago, and with no one other than Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry to handle the bulk of the scoring it was project #1 Donnie Nelson to go get a top tier offensive player. Nelson accomplished that in a 4 team trade that landed the Mavs Shawn Marion. After that he went out and got a very active and scoring big man in Drew Gooden.

2. What are the team's biggest strengths?

The Dallas Mavericks now have the players to fully integrate Rick Carlisle's offense and at the same time get after people on the defensive end. This team will be extremely difficult to handle if they are able to get out and run. Transition offense is going to be a huge plus for them this season. The Mavericks should also be able to matchup with just about anyone 8 or 9 deep. This should be a very active and athletic team, while they may be a little older team now, the athleticism is there and even more so than the last few years.

3. What are the team's biggest weaknesses?

This team while being more athletic still has their issues; first and foremost defensive rebounding is a big area of concern. If the Mavericks cannot get better at keeping their opponent to one shot, this could singlehandedly crush their hopes of making a deep playoff push. This teams other glaring weakness is their perimeter defense. They must get better defensive guard play from Jason Kidd, and Jason Terry specifically. Both of these guys do great things for this team on the offensive end but they need to step up to the challenge on the defensive end.

4. What are the goals for this team?

The Mavericks front office, coaching staff, and players all feel that they have a team worthy of making a push for that elusive NBA Championship. While I am ecstatic to hear these types of things coming from my favorite team, I must hold back my urges to jump on that same wagon. This team is going to be a very good team this year, they have the components in place to make a lot of waves. While your goal should always be to win a championship, if the Mavericks can somehow push themselves into the Western Conference Finals, then the year would be a huge success!

5. What's the window of opportunity for this veteran team?

This Mavericks team is officially in the final two minutes of the game! With each passing year they become closer and closer to the day when they will have to completely reconstruct this team. The Mavericks have been a perennial contender for many years now and have not been able to accomplish the ultimate goal of bringing a championship to Dallas (Thanks largely in part to the phantom fouls on Dwayne Wade, Damn you David Stern!). The Mavericks have maybe two years to get the job done, the time is now!

Projected Finish: 56-26

Orlando Magic 110, Dallas Mavericks 105

Ben Q Rock — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:49:44 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

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In a surprisingly competitive, intense game, the Orlando Magic rallied to dispatch the Dallas Mavericks, 110-105, in the first game of both team's 2009 preseasons. Vince Carter, who did not wear a headband, led 6 Magic players in double-figures with 21 points, incuding 15 in the third period, while Dwight Howard posted 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks before fouling out in 23 minutes of play. Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki shot just 3-of-12 from the field, but converted 17 of his 19 well-earned free throw attempts to finish with a game-high 23 points.

Team	Pace	Efficiency	eFG%	FT Rate	OReb%	TO Rate
Magic	95	115.2	50.0%	44.7	26.1	13.6
Mavericks	95	110.5	43.7%	45.6	23.8	14.7

With a combined 64 personal fouls and 92 free throw attempts, the game wasn't pretty, especially early as both teams committed plenty of turnovers. The game became easier to watch as it progressed, with teams looking a bit sharper offensively--thanks to poor defense on both sides--and the players willing to let it all out on the floor. The Orlando Sentinel posted this photo to illustrate the teams' hustle tonight, while the double-technical foul assessed to Orlando's Matt Barnes and Dallas' Matt Carroll for jawing at each other in the third period attests to the teams' intensity. You'd think the game counted for something, the way these teams played.

But it doesn't count for anything, which is why it's more important for us to, at this stage, evaluate how some of the Magic's new players fared, and what coach Stan Van Gundy's tendencies were.

For one thing, Carter's performance came across as pedestrian to me; he assessed it as "OK." Five of his 6 first-half shot attempts came from beyond the arc, and it wasn't until the third quarter when he began to assert himself more often. Sure, he still teed-off from downtown plenty, but he also drove to the basket more aggressively. In one sequence which demonstrated his new attitude, Carter drove hard right off a hard pick at the top of the key, attempted to drive the ball to the basket, but could not get all the way there. His off-balance layup clanked off the side of the backboard. Clearly perturbed, Carter got back on defense. When Orlando regained possession, Carter launched a trey from the left wing, which caught nothing but the bottom. In short, it took some time for him to get going, but once he did... well, he looked decent. I hate to see him take three-pointers at such a rate, as they accounted for two-thirds of his shot attempts. But hey, 21 points on 18 shots, just 1 turnover. We can live with that.

More on the rest of the Magic after the jump.

Oddly, it was Barnes and former Maverick Brandon Bass who overshadowed Carter as far as new additions are concerned. The pair combined for 29 points on 13 shots. Barnes impressed me with his heady plays, with 3 of his 4 rebounds coming at the offensive end. Orlando hasn't had a quality rebounder at small forward in a while, and Barnes certainly is an upgrade over Hedo Turkoglu in that respect. Meanwhile, Bass scored 7 of his 13 points in the final two minutes, drawing fouls and converting at the charity stripe. He was as advertised. And earlier in the game, he caught the ball at the top of the key, got into a triple-threat position, and Dallas played him for the drive; apparently, the Mavs were wary of his ability to create off the dribble. He wound up taking the jumper and missing, but it was nonetheless good to know that Bass will frustrate defenses more in the high post than Tony Battie ever did.

Jason Williams? Yeah, not bad, either. Early in the game, Van Gundy elected to assign Williams to cover the speedy Jason Terry, and Williams--coming off a one-year retirement, and not especially quick to begin with--acquitted himself nicely. He posted 6 assists--a team high--and 3 turnovers, but none of his turnovers came after halftime. And he, not Anthony Johnson, was the first point guard off the bench. Of course, it's only one game, so we can't read too deeply into Van Gundy's rotations just yet. But if Williams continues to get the nod over Johnson, well, the writing will pretty much be on the wall, won't it?

Jameer Nelson looks to be okay. 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting--all on three-pointers-- to go with 4 assists and 2 turnovers. All 3 treys were assisted, so we have yet to see his off-the-dribble game. Then again, he only played 24 minutes, so there's plenty of time left for him to show it off.

All in all, it was nice to see the Magic's bench get it done, as Van Gundy and Mavs coach Rick Carlisle elected to let their reserves do battle with the game on the line. Orlando came up victorious... not that it means a heckuva lot.

A few assorted rotation notes:

Williams was the first man off the bench, coming in for Nelson. The next subs were, in order: Barnes for Mickael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat for Howard, Bass for Rashard Lewis, and J.J. Redick for Carter.
That was the entire 10-man rotation. Ryan Anderson and Anthony Johnson were the only available players on guaranteed deals who did not play; Adonal Foyle is still out with a sore knee.
Unsurprisingly, Morris Almond and Linton Johnson III, the Magic's non-roster invitees, also earned DNP-CDs.
Down the stretch, the Magic played Bass, and not Gortat, at center. Gortat struggled, with 0 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 block in 16 minutes.

Redick, by the way, didn't make any of his 4 shot attempts--all of them were three-pointers, and they included one airball--but shot 7-of-10 at the foul line to compensate.

And Barnes? 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, and no turnovers in only 20 minutes. That's efficient production. He, and not Pietrus, started the second half at small forward. Dude's just active, and plays within himself more than Pietrus does.

As always, share your thoughts from the game in the comments section.

The 2008-09 Toronto Raptors - Did The Legomaster Hate this Team or What?

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:00:19 -0000

More photos » by CHRIS YOUNG - AP

Should Colangelo really be receiving an Oscar in this picture??

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With yet another trade perhaps imminent, Franchise steps back to ponder just what Bryan Colangelo was really thinking about his team last season...

Nine new players.

And if the rumoured Marcus Banks for Matt Carroll deal goes down, that makes 10.

With a roster of 15, that means that over the past two and a half months or so, Bryan Colangelo has somehow managed to replace two-thirds of his roster.

What makes this feat that much more incredible is that not three months ago, many fans, myself included, didn't believe that BC could do much other than re-sign Shawn Marion, maybe keep Anthony Parker and Carlos Delfino, and perhaps use whatever leftover scraps existed to sign someone else. It really was hard to imagine a huge improvement from the club going into this October.

Now, no matter how you feel about certain key moves like the Hedo signing, as Scott Carefoot recently noted on Raptorblog, there is enough youth, athleticism, and upside that any team improvement doesn't solely have to come at the hands of Bosh (who may have plateaued) or Bargnani (who may revert to his sophomore season for all we know.) No, in the current situation players like Marco Belinelli, Amir Johnson, Jarrett Jack, and of course DeMar DeRozan, last Friday's X Factor topic, could all push this club to a level that Hedo, CB4, Andrea and Jose could only dream of.

Hell, even Sonny Weems could carve out a nice niche for himself on this roster!

Training camp and preseason should be a real treat then this year with so many new players battling for playing time. But the influx of new names had me thinking last night that instead of posting the next X Factor report this morning, maybe I should be talking about something else...

...like the need for Raptors fans to petition the Academy so that Bryan Colangelo receives an Oscar for his performance last year.

I'm serious here.

Remember the whole "we're not that far away" speech at the end of last season?

Does 10 new players suggest "not that far away" to you?

The guy must have been just losing it internally having to watch Sam Mitchell chain Andrea to the bench, JO hobble around, Kapono pass on shooting 3's, and Jamario pass on driving in order TO shoot 3's.

As a fan it was infuriating to watch so I can't even imagine how he felt, especially considering he put the whole mess together.

In contrast, regardless of how the upcoming season turns out, you get the feeling that Colangelo finally has the team HE wants; multiple options at every position, lots of players who can score and distribute, a few ridiculous athletes, shooters galore, and not a single player who doesn't want to be here.

He also has a coach who he feels can mould the club into playing the style of basketball he wants to run in Toronto, and as much talent as he could possibly hope for given his original off-season salary restrictions to surround Chris Bosh in a last ditch effort to retain the four-time All-Star's services.

Fait accompli right?

At face value you'd have to say yes.

I'm still not convinced this is a 50 win team but with each passing move I'm more and more excited to see just how this new blend of players mixes.

I'm betting BC is too as really, he's done a house-cleaning job of massive proportions this summer.

Which brings me back to my original point; just how much did BC hate last year's club?

Was Colangelo really even that enamoured with the Jermaine O'Neal trade? If you think about it, the composition of last year's club, one that was supposed to be based on half-court "twin towers" sets, defence and rebounding, is almost a complete opposite of the one he's still putting the finishing touches on.

Perhaps the TJ Ford issues forced his hand and that really was the best option out there, an option he felt he could always divest himself of in two seasons max if things didn't work out?

Or perhaps he saw the troubles his old club, Phoenix, had in getting past some of the more traditional teams in the West and so he decided to buck his usual style given the limited resources he was working with?

I don't think we'll ever know the true story but it's safe to say that the team that fans watched playing in January (if you were actually still tuned in) was basically the antithesis of the type of team BC wanted to send out on the court every night.

The Shawn Marion trade was a band-aid solution and by putting some extra time in the ER this off-season the Legomaster was able to upgrade from "band-aid" to full-scale lobotomy.

While the results of this lobotomy have yet to be determined, there's no question that Colangelo now has assembled his "own team," arguably for the first time since his arrival in Toronto. In fact, with the dealing of Roko Ukic, there are now only two remnants from the Rob Babcock era; Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon.

And even for someone who's been as critical of some of Bryan Colangelo's moves as me, this fact alone has me looking forward to this season and beyond.

FRANCHISE

Let's Keep Quentin Richardson on the Move, Shall We?

Ben Q Rock — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:00:20 -0000

More photos » by Fernando Medina - NBAE/Getty Images

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Monday afternoon, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Minnesota Timberwolves engaged in a fairly inconsequential trade. You can read more analysis at Clips Nation and Canis Hoopus, but the gist is this: L.A. shipped Quentin Richardson to Minnesota, receiving Sebastian Telfair, Craig Smith, and Mark Madsen. In Telfair, the Clippers have a solid backup point guard to Baron Davis, while Smith adds depth to a fairly beefy front-line which already includes Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman, and #1 draft pick Blake Griffin. Minnesota? It gains Richardson's $8.7 million expiring contract while simultaneously filling a void at shooting guard and small forward, a void created when it dealt Mike Miller and Randy Foye to Washington for the 5th overall selection in this year's draft. Two lottery teams are now slightly deeper and better off financially. So why do we care?

Because it's, frankly, amusing that Richardson has changed teams three times in the last three weeks. New York, for which he's played the last 3 seasons, traded him to Memphis for Darko Milicic. The Grizzlies, in turn, sent him to L.A. for Zach Randolph. Now, he's Minnesota-bound. The novelty of a career role-player being a hot commodity on the trade market appeals to us irony-craving folks, especially in the doldrums of the NBA offseason, with few marquee free agents left to sign and with most contenders having already filled out their rosters.

Richardson's third move in three weeks blew up the NBA Twitterverse. Richardson (@QRich), for his part, is taking his latest move in stride:

Round and round I go on this NBA tour. Where o where will it stop no one knows. Lol. Right now I'm a t'wolf. Tomorrow? Who knows? Lol.

So it is in that spirit we suggest ways to get Richardson to the 26 teams of which he hasn't been a part this summer, with commentary on select trades. It all follows the jump.

to Atlanta for Jamal Crawford

The Hawks themselves just acquired Crawford, and he fits coach Mike Woodson's "type" as an undersized shooting guard who can shoot from distance, so it's doubtful they'd give him up. Then again, with no progress in their hopes to re-sign Marvin Williams, their starting small forward and a restricted free agent, they could pull the trigger on this deal for Richardson and hope to explore sign-and-trade avenues with Williams.
to Boston for Kendrick Perkins and Brian Scalabrine

Nope, I can't even reach for a basketball reason here: the Celtics have no need for Richardson, nor would they be inclined to part with Perkins, an outstanding post defender whose NBA experience (364 games over 6 seasons) belies his age (24).
to Charlotte for Boris Diaw

Not much of a reason for Charlotte to unload Diaw if all it's getting is Richardson, although it might enjoy divesting itself of Diaw's deal. The Bobcats have a lot of long-term money committed to mediocre players, so losing Diaw--although he's an above-average player--might be worth the financial flexibility down the line.
to Chicago for Kirk Hinrich

Well, Richardson's a finished product, so I'm not sure why the Bulls would want him. They tend to be more interested in younger players whose growth they can stunt, am I right, Matt and Kelly? Zing!
to Cleveland for Daniel Gibson and Delonte West

Yup, it'd be crazy for the Cavs, a championship contender, to part with two decent, young combo guards. Clearly, they're not worried about saving money, having traded for Shaquille O'Neal (owed $20 million) last month. But sources did tell Marc Stein last week not to be surprised if the Cavs traded West this season... wait for it... in order to save money.
to Dallas for Greg Buckner and Matt Carroll

Hey, the Mavs can add another thirtysomething to their rotation! Buckner, 32, has the age, but won't play for Dallas. Richardson? He could conceivably see the floor as a situational shooter, and will turn 30 in April. As a bonus, he could join homophonically named Quinton Ross on the roster.
to Denver for Nene
to Detroit for Tayshaun Prince
to Golden State for Stephen Jackson and Marco Belinelli

Jackson is a favorite of Ws owner Chris Cohan, which is why he got a hefty extension last season despite still having a few years left on his deal as it was. Given how awful the Warriors are now, it's probable that even Cohan would be willing to part with Jackson's silly deal in exchange for Richardson's cap relief. Plus, Richardson's three-point marksmanship--he's a career 39.8% shooter from beyond the arc--would blend well with Golden State's trey-happy offense.
to Houston for Brent Barry and Shane Battier

Houston will likely hit the lottery this season, having lost Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady for the duration. Richardson's expiring deal would give Rockets GM Daryl Morey plenty of flexibility next summer. Morey? With options? Frightening, and that's not me being pithy.
to Indiana for Jamaal Tinsley
to the L.A. Lakers for Adam Morrison and Sasha Vujacic
to Miami for Mark Blount and Yakhouba Diawara
to Milwaukee for Charlie Bell and Dan Gadzuric
to New Jersey for Keyon Dooling, Jarvis Hayes, and Eduardo Najera
to New Orleans for Rasual Butler and Morris Peterson

This potential trade is notable for its being comprised entirely of three players who Tweet regularly. We previously linked Richardson's account. Here's Peterson (@mopete9) and Butler (@RasualButler45). Also, the Hornets wouldn't be the Hornets if they weren't stocked with swingmen (don't forget James Posey and Julian Wright!) while their frontcourt is so barren they're forced to play Sean Marks and Melvin Ely heavily.
to Oklahoma City for Chucky Atkins and Nenad Krstic
to Orlando for Mickael Pietrus and J.J. Redick

Magic GM Otis Smith values flexibility as much as the rest of the league's executives, but not even he's willing to part with Pietrus, his starting small forward, for a few extra bucks next summer.
to Philadelphia for Willie Green and Louis Williams
to Phoenix for Leandro Barbosa and Jared Dudley
to Portland for Steve Bake and Martell Webster
to Sacramento for Beno Udrih

The Kings would accept this deal faster than Mavis Beacon can type "Richardson." Udrih, with a career Player Efficiency Rating of 12.9, is owed $26.7 million over the next 4 seasons.
to San Antonio for Matt Bonner, Michael Finley, and Roger Mason
to Toronto for Marcus Banks, Patrick O'Bryant, and Antoine Wright
to Utah for Mehmet Okur
to Washington for Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson

Mavs Abroad: Shan Foster and Renaldas Seibutis

Wes Cox — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:30:12 -0000

Shan Foster

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The leagues in Europe have been finished for a while now, so it's time to see how the Mavs players fared in their 08-09 seasons.

Renaldas Seibutis (24yo, 2007 50th pick) played 48 games (34 league games and 14 EuroCup games) for Spanish side CB Bilbao Berri. His overall line:

G	MPG	PPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG
54	18.16	7.4	55.4%	33.3%	83.2%	1.66	1.16

Not bad, but he'll most likely be cut this summer.

Shan Foster (22yo, 2008 51st pick) played 30 games for Italian Serie A team Juvecaserta Basket.

G	MPG	PPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	STL
30	29.4	10.4	48.1%	35.8%	80.5%	2.9	0.9	1.6

Foster is back in the states preparing to make a strong impression in summer league play.

"It's extremely hard to make a roster," said Shan Foster, Vanderbilt's all-time leading scorer and the 2008 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year.

The 6-foot-6, 205 pound sharp-shooting forward was picked by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of last year's draft, only to have his rights optioned to a team in the Italian league after a brief stint in the NBA's summer league.

After returning from Italy a few weeks ago, Foster has been working on his game hoping this will be the year he cracks an NBA roster.

"Growing up, a lot of kids have the dream of making it to the NBA," he said. "You put yourself in a pool of millions of kids, all going after the same goal. Once you place yourself in that pool, you really get a glimpse of how hard it ...is."

Foster came into the league as one of the top 3 point shooters in the draft. His 35.8% from three in Italy this year is certainly disappointing, and the presence of Matt Carroll and his contract fill the Mavs roster spot for a niche long range guy.

Here's a really short video Foster dribbling and shooting after the whistle.

2003 NBA Draft Re-draft: Part 1

Jon L — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:00:15 -0000

The 2003 draft means Maciej Lampe references.

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Welcome back. In anticipation of the upcoming NBA draft, we looked at the second round of another group of players considered "weak," the 2005 draft. What we found was that even in a year that saw Yaroslev Korolev and Wayne Simien taken in the first round, there were still some quality players available if you were willing to look. I thought I'd continue the series with a look at the 2003 draft, but first a discussion of what I'm doing.

First I look at what type of player a team drafted, be it a point guard, three-point shorter or foreign-y tall guy. Then I look at what a team's roster was that year, to see if the draft pick made sense in the context of the team's construction - in this case we're talking about the 2003-2004 season. To a certain extent this isn't totally the best way to go about it, because some of the roster moves were made after the draft, and with the draft pick in mind. Still, I think it's a pretty good way to look at what a team needs/needed. Think of it this way: if a team drafted a point guard, then ended the season with six different point guards having played but only two or three centers (and especially if they're terrible centers), then whatever point guard they drafted must not have been that big of a help anyway and they should've looked at drafting a big man.

Beyond that, there are really only two ground rules - first, nothing changes with the draft's first round. In this case, that means Minnesota still drafted Ndudi Ebi and the Magic are stuck with Reece Gaines. Second (and this one is more for me than for you), a player had to have declared for the draft in order to be picked in the re-draft. First I list the team and who they originally drafted, some discussion of what they were looking for and who was available, followed by the player who I thought they should have drafted.

The purpose of these is to look at who was picked below where they should have been or who went undrafted entirely, and hopefully demonstrate that even in drafts that are considered "weak" or "top-heavy," there are still quality rotation players and bench guys to be found, even in the depths of the second round. The key word here, as always, is upside.

I've split this up into two parts again, with part 2 coming tomorrow and part 1 below the jump.

30. New York Knicks (original pick - Maciej Lampe)

Ah, Maciej Lampe. One of the most notorious European NBA washouts after Frederic Weis and Nikoloz Tskitishvili. I couldn't find video of his name being called, but this will have to do. I'd actually forgotten the Knicks had drafted him, since my memories are of him playing (and not playing) in Phoenix. Before the draft he was seen as someone who could play multiple frontcourt positions and shoot threes. I question, though, why a team that at various times contained Antonio McDyess, Tim Thomas, Kurt Thomas, Keith Van Horn and fellow rookie Mike Sweetney would need to "re-draft" another forward (probably because the forwards included Tim Thomas, Keith Van Horn, and Mike Sweetney). The Knicks traded for Stephon Marbury that year (which is how Lampe ended up with the Suns), but they likely would have done that even if they had drafted a point guard. Center was a relatively solid position for them that year with Dikembe Mutombo and Nazr Mohammed (and if I had forgotten that Lampe was drafted by the Knicks, I realllllly forgot that Deke started 56 games for them that year). I guess I'll stick with the Knicks' thinking and look at big forwards who can shoot, which leads me to Matt Bonner.

31. Cleveland Cavaliers (original pick - Jason Kapono)

After drafting some guy in the first round, the Cavaliers were looking for a complementary shooter. There were a few in this draft, Kyle Korver having ended up as perhaps the best of them, but I think there would be something poetic about the Cavaliers taking Mo Williams. Who knows? Maybe their offense would have been better earlier.

32. Los Angeles Lakers (original pick - Luke Walton)

It was said at the time, but the Lakers and Walton just make sense together. Walton had the best match of skills to what the Triangle offense asks of its complementary players. I see no reason to mess that up.

33. Miami Heat (original pick - Jerome Beasley)

Miami was about five years early in drafting a Beasley. This one ended up getting cut a few games into the season, then went to the CBA and finally the D-League's Dakota Wizards before moving on to Europe. His numbers weren't terrible in Dakota (well, maybe his free throw shooting was), he just didn't do much. The Heat were full up with forwards that year, including Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, and Udonis Haslem. While Grant played a lot of center, their only "true" pivot men were Wang Zhizhi and Loren Woods. While this guy was originally listed as a PF, he's developed into a really solid backup center (who routinely kills the Washington Wizards): Zaza Pachulia

34. Los Angeles Clippers (original pick - Sofoklis Schortsanitis)

Hey, remember this guy? Schortsanitis still hasn't made it over to the NBA, though some items that I read indicated that he might try again after his contract is up in 2010. The Clippers were looking for someone to backup Chris Kaman (what, Melvin Ely wasn't getting it done?), though this draft is pretty weak in the center department. Fellow Greek player Andreas Glyniadakis spent some time in the NBA and the D-League, and won the D-League championship with Albuquerque. This is somewhat of a reach, but as I said (and as you'll find out), this is a weak draft for centers.

35. Milwaukee Bucks (original pick - Szymon Szewczyk)

I don't know why, but Milwaukee always seems to be teeming with forwards and thin in the backcourt. Szewczyk was a face-up power forward when he was drafted, but I'm going in a different direction. With a guard rotation that included Brevin Knight, Damon Jones and Erick Strickland...there's really no good way to finish that sentence. I mean, I guess Brevin Knight is solid, or may have been then, but...anyway, the Bucks select previously undrafted Marquis Daniels

36. Chicago Bulls (original pick - Mario Austin)

The Bulls were pretty terrible this year, finishing last in their division. They had Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry (and I guess Marcus Fizer), so it doesn't make sense to look there. The Bulls also had just drafted Kirk Hinrich and had Jalen Rose around, so they didn't really need another point guard. A shooter might have been helpful, and there's a pretty good one available: Kyle Korver

37. Atlanta Hawks (original pick - Travis Hansen)

I don't remember the name (or face) of Travis Hansen at all. At all. Apparently he played in about 40 games for Atlanta, though, before going over to play in Spain and Russia. He was/is apparently pretty athletic and a solid perimeter defender, though in his place may I suggest D-Leaguer Ronald Dupree? His defense isn't terrific, but he can definitely score, and would have made a nice backup to Stephen Jackson

38. Washington Wizards (original pick - Steve Blake)

The Wizards picked Blake largely because he had played at the nearby University of Maryland, the same reason they drafted Juan Dixon in the second round a year earlier. Blake never really got a shot in Washington, nor showed much of a reason to give him one, but he's made himself into a solid starting point guard in Portland. In a move that surprises even myself, I'm going to have the Wizards pick Blake again and let him develop behind Gilbert Arenas.

39. New York Knicks (original pick - Slavko Vranes)

This is kind of sad. Vranes was one of those "foreign-y tall guys" I mentioned up top, 7'4" and not much else. He actually still hasn't developed all that well, averaging 3.5 points and 5 rebounds last year in Europe. I've already gone over what the Knicks had, and since we went (sort of) big last time we'll look at guards with this pick. Matt Carroll has developed into a solid role player for Charlotte after spending a few seasons in the D-League, so let's reward him by sending him to the Isiah Thomas Knicks. "Reward."

40. Golden State Warriors (original pick - Derrick Zimmerman)

Zimmerman has bounced around since being drafted, playing in the NBA, the D-League and is now in Europe, and he became a solid defensive player, being named the D-League Defensive Player of the Year two straight seasons. The Warriors that year had several big-name point guards, though, like Avery Johnson, Nick Van Exel and Speedy Claxton. Other than Troy Murphy, though, this team's power forwards were just no good. I'm looking at you, Brian Cardinal. Jerome Beasley had some okay years in the minors, and might have worked out here.

41. Seattle SuperSonics (original pick - Willie Green)

Green was traded to Philadelphia on draft night, where he still plays, he just doesn't play well. We're going to assume this pick stays with Seattle, though, who had the shooting guard spot pretty well taken care of with Ray Allen, Antonio Daniels, Brent Barry, and others. Center, though, yikes. Jerome James. Vitaly Potapenko. Calvin Booth. Again, yikes. James Lang is available, and while he's been up and down as he's gone from the NBA to the D-League, he would have been a decent option at the time.

42. Orlando Magic (original pick - Zaza Pachulia)

Despite the presence of Tracy McGrady, the Magic this year were terrible, just terrible. Drafting Reece Gaines in the first round didn't help. He plays the same position as McGrady (albeit with a different skill-set), but this is probably too far for Jason Kapono to have fallen.

43. Milwaukee Bucks (original pick - Keith Bogans)

Bogans was traded to Orlando, and I gave some consideration to drafting him with the last pick. As was discussed earlier, the Bucks had a lot of forwards, and we already drafted a shooting guard/wing player for them in Marquis Daniels. We'll go defense with this pick, and Derrick Zimmerman

44. Houston Rockets (original pick - Malick Badiane)

It's another foreign-y tall guy! Badiane's draft rights were traded to Memphis for the rights to fellow FTG Sergei Lishchuk, and Badiane ended up playing 19 games for the Anaheim Arsenal this past season, where he was inconsistent. A double-double in 23 minutes would be followed by a two-point performance. Almost none of Houston's small forwards were good that year, and while I haven't been overly impressed with him, James Jones has shown some ability in starting for Miami this year.

Diop Traded for Matt Carroll and Ryan Hollins

Wes Cox — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 07:24:29 -0000

Dallas has finally made a deal and January 16th etched itself into the Dallas history books. From now until the end of the time, it will be remembered as the day Dallas traded that one backup center to Charlotte for those two other guys. Although I suppose in ten years there might be someone out there who will be able to tell you the actual trade was DeSagana Diop for Matt Carroll and Ryan Hollins, but it will be the same guy who can tell you the Mavs took Jay Bilas with the 108th pick of the 1986 draft.

Needless to say this isn't one of the more exciting trades in recent memory. Diop to Charlotte rumors had been popping up for a large part of the season and the most recent incarnation had Diop ending up in Charlotte and Raymond Felton returning to Dallas. To get an idea on how much more interesting that idea was, Felton averages four more ppg than the three players in this deal combined. As a result, this trade was rather anticlimactic.

On the surface, it's hard to argue one way or the other that either Dallas or Charlotte improved their team immediately. Carroll is a shooter who is having the worst shooting year of his career (26.7% from 3). Hollins immediately takes Diop role as the guy to get limited minutes behind Dampier. And Diop has left Dallas before finishing a single year of his recently signed full MLE -- which is what the trade really comes down to.

This deal saves Dallas money. It's a wash this season, but as Diop's contract continues to increase until 2013 Carroll's will steadily decrease. By the final year Carroll will be making nearly four million less than Diop. That aspect makes this trade stand on its own, but one can't help but wonder if this is a precusror to something larger.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - DeSagana Diop	34	13.3	0.6	1.7	37.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.9	41.4	1.3	2.1	3.5	0.4	0.3	0.4	0.7	1.6	1.6

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - Ryan Hollins	18	10.2	1.1	1.9	54.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.4	2.2	66.7	1.1	0.9	2.0	0.2	0.6	0.2	0.9	1.9	3.6

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - Matt Carroll	33	14.1	1.7	4.1	40.7	0.4	1.4	26.7	0.5	0.6	78.9	0.2	1.5	1.6	0.7	0.8	0.5	0.2	1.5	4.2

Salaries
	DeSagana Diop	Matt Carroll	Ryan Hollins
08/09	$5,585,000	$5,050,000	$972,581
09/10	$6,031,800	$4,700,000	-
10/11	$6,478,600	$4,300,000	-
11/12	$6,925,400	$3,900,000	-
12/13	$7,372,200	$3,500,000	-