SB Nation User Blog: BrodyV

Happy Johnny Appleseed Day Roundup

BrodyV — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 06:22:05 -0000

Playing the Knicks is so much fun. You know it's a fun game for Mavs fans when even the media for the other team can't bear to watch. And with that, the winning streak goes up to two. Lets hope they can keep it going.

Before I get to the game recap, there’s some news that some of you guys are obviously stoked about. Dwayne Wade has opted for season-ending surgery on his left knee. I guess it’s now fall down 7, get up 6. No immediate word if a wheelchair was needed after the surgery.

Wade will miss the remainder of the season so he can further rehabilitate his surgically repaired left knee, which has bothered him for about a year. He will undergo a powerful shock-wave treatment later this week, and hopes he will be pain free in time for next season. Which makes me wonder- if the Knicks played the Heat, is it possible for both teams to lose? And it REALLY makes me wish that the NBA had relegation like the European soccer leagues do. I’m sure that the NBDL would love to get a new franchise in New York. Also, Dirk gets some national recognition about becoming the Mavs leading scorer. Here's a news flash: Dirk Nowitzki is the greatest player in Dallas Mavericks history. OK, so he's probably had that distinction for a while. But the big German cemented his status Saturday night by moving to No. 1 on the franchise's career scoring list. Lots more Dirk news out there. Jeff Caplan has an article about the trade taking some of the burden off Dirk, and basically putting him in his happy place. "[Dirk is] just happy right now," Johnson said. "He's in a happy place. He's playing really hard. Right now, he knows we, as a team, have a higher level to go to. There's a new dimension for us to go to, and he knows we're not there yet." Dirk also knows what the whole point of this is about. "I think in 10 or 20 years, I'm going to look back on my career and see what I did," Nowitzki said. "Hopefully there is a lot more to come, especially a championship. This will mean more to me when my career is over." In a blow to the dreams of Wes, Jake and I, Mark Cuban has officially banned bloggers from getting media credentials to enter the Mavs locker room. Of course, the _interesting_ part of this is that Tim MacMahon of the Dallas Morning News is the only person so credentialed, and the move came the day after MacMahon wrote an article critical of AJ. Cubes manages to say with a straight face that he’s not singling MacMahon out. "I don't care what Tim writes, then or now," Cuban wrote. "What I do care about is being fair to all bloggers." And now onto the game (if you can call a 29 point blowout a game). There were a couple heartening things from the box score and game action.

1) Josh Howard led all Mavs with only 31 minutes played. Stack and Dirk only played 23. With the stretch run upon us, any time that the starters can grab rest is good. Howard had a MUCH better game than the last few, shooting 50% from the field for 14 points, 5 boards, 2 assists, and 3 steals. It still isn’t where AJ wants it to be. "It hasn't happened the way we want it to happen, but it will happen." 2) Speaking of starters, Stack joined that group again. AJ said after the last game that he was going to do that for a while, and Brad Davis re-iterated it during the broadcast. AJ has been concerned that when he plays the all-Jason backcourt, Kidd has to expend too much energy on the defensive end to do what he needs to offensively. "We ran into some major issues with both Jet and Kidd starting together that we have to take a long look at," Johnson said. 3) Antonie Wright proved some pretty good minutes at the 2 spot himself- 18 mins, 3 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 6 points. Not too shabby. Count me as impressed. Davis also mentioned that AJ is rewarding him for the way he’s played in a couple losses, contesting everything. That is, after all the AJ way- for better or worse. I would expect him to continue to play some minutes if he keeps this up, and if Devean George is limited by back trouble. "[Wright] has defended on the ball pretty well," Johnson said. "That's what we need, good on-the-ball defenders." 4) Damp got in quick foul trouble, then found himself not really getting up off the bench again given the excellent play of Brandon Bass and Malik Allen. Even Jamal Magloire was productive with his time on the court, scoring 7 points and pulling down 2 boards in 6 minutes. He looked pretty good from what I saw, though it’s tough to judge given the level of competition. I’m still waiting to see him rotate through against the Spurs, Suns and Lakers to give any judgment.

Looking ahead: Tyronn Lue is expected to debut Wednesday.

Up Next: The streaking Bobcats, winners of 5 straight. Tipoff is 8:30, Wednesday the 12th, at the AAC.

Johnny Appleseed Day

Happy Daylight Savings Day Roundup

BrodyV — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:34:56 -0000

About a million noteworthy things happened last night, so forgive me if I leave your favorite one off. Consider this thread the place to talk about them. All I have to say is...

Whew.

That was one of those dammed if you do, damned if you don't sort of games. Lose it, and the freefall might begin. Win it, and well, you've won a game that you should have. Either way, Avery said afterwards that he wants no more excuses. I'm glad to hear that- it ought to start with AJ. However, Jan Hubbard writes that there's plenty more work to do.

But you know what? After the last week of games, I'll take it. Like JET said, you have to start a winning streak with a win.

Speaking of JET, he's gone from super-sub to 9th man. It's an interesting night when both George and Bass get off the bench before he does. JET only got 5 points and played only 17 minutes. George did worse, but Bass certainly proved his worth. He was largely responsible for the Mavs lead after the first quarter. Is AJ going to continue to tweak the starting lineup? AJ said last night that he was going to start Stack with Kidd for the foreseeable future. I think that's a wise choice. With Kidd providing some significant size at the PG spot, Stack apparently feeling much better after having tweaked his hammy, and Antonie Wright playing like a legitimate NBA SG the Mavs suddenly have an embarrassment of riches at the 2 spot. Quite a ways from Mo' Shots getting minutes, isn't it? I do think this is a situation that bears watching though- how long will JET be happy about this kind of role? In any event, I prefer him sitting on the bench playing overpaid cheerleader to Kidd.

The trade that made that possible put Devin Harris in a surely strange looking uniform. Fortunately, MMFL at the AAC remembered all the times he laid his body on the line for the team and gave him the standing ovation that he so deserved. I was glad to see that. I still have mixed feelings every time that Michael Finley gets booed. On one hand- it's Michael Finley. On the other hand, he's now a freaking Spur and we're still paying him to play for them. In the end, I would boo my own Momma if she was wearing a Spurs jersey.

David Moore has a good article about Harris coming back for the first time.

Our current shot-happy swingman J-Ho shot 50% last night. Of course, he did it on a total of 4 shots, but at least he's no longer trying to shoot his way out of his slump like a 12 year old playing Halo. Is his back still hurting? Is he still in a personal funk? I dunno, but I want to see him running the floor, darn it. And given the way that Brandon Bass and Malik Allen have completely buried Juwan Howard at the end of the bench, I think we can give J-Ho his nickname back without much confusion now.

Damp didn't put up spectacular numbers last night, but the Mavs got pretty good production from the 4/5 spot anyway. Brandon Bass scored a season high in points with 19, and Jamal Magloire made his first appearance. Malik Allen put in every shot he heaved towards the rim, scoring 6 points in the process, but managed to pull down 9 boards in 16 minutes.

In some playoff seeding news, the Rockets beat the Hornets for their 18th in a row, and the Jazz blew out the Nuggets. The Mavs are currently a 7 seed and matched up against the Spurs in round 1. They're a half game behind the Suns who were inactive, and having post-trade troubles of their own.

Gil Lebreton continues the barrage of "the future is now" articles.

Last, but certainly not least- Congrats to Dirk. With his fallaway jumper over a double team last night to score his 34th point he passed Rolando Blackman for #1 on the all-time Dallas Mavericks scoring list. He's gotten a lot of flack for not being the vocal leader the team has needed at times (much of it undeserved), but you can't deny that he's been the face of the franchise through thick and thin since he was a 19 year old kid with a bad haircut. Here's hoping we get another 16,644 points out of the Diggler.

Next up: The completely hapless New York Knicks. Monday, March 10 at the AAC. Tipoff is 7:30 Central on FSNSW. GO MAVS!

Do Over!

BrodyV — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 23:45:01 -0000

Apparently the Heat and the Hawks are going to do a little playground rules hoops. On December 19th, the Hawks official scorer ruled that Shaq had fouled out with 51.9 seconds left. One problem- he only had five fouls. Now the teams are going to have to replay the end of the game.

A couple weird things about this- first off, Wade had played 49 minutes (it was an overtime game), and Joe Johnson played 53. Will they each have to run stairs for an hour before the refs start the game again? Meanwhile, Jason Williams didn't play due to injury, but Alonzo Mourning did. Will Williams be prohibited from entering the game, even if he's healthy at the time? For that matter, the game will be resumed March 8, before the teams play their next game against each other. What if Shaq's injured at the time? Isn't that the exact same as if he had fouled out mistakenly? So much weirdness here. It nearly makes more sense for them to do the whole game over again, than just the last 52 seconds.

Some housekeeping strangeness about it too. Each team has had the game temporarily taken out of their standings- Miami has one fewer loss than they did yesterday, and Atlanta has one fewer win. Also, the ESPN box score for the game shows it "in progress," and presumably will for the next two months.

Anyone else here from DC/MD/NoVA?

BrodyV — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 19:23:54 -0000

I know that there's a pretty big ex-pat Mavs fan contingent on this site- are any of you in the Washington DC area? The Wizards play the Mavs on Jan 21 (a Monday) at 1 PM, and there's a presale for individual game tickets going on right now. I've picked up 2 upper level tickets, meaning I have an extra. I'd be more than happy to give first dibs to any Mavs fans in the area. Also, the Mavs play the Wizards on October 13th (a Saturday) for a preseason game at the Patriot Center at GMU. That's going to be a great chance to see them, as the tickets will be cheaper and the seats closer. Since it's preseason we may not be seeing Dirk, but who cares!

Let me know if you're interested in the ticket, or interested in getting together a group of people to see the Mavs a GMU...

Mavs scouting report

BrodyV — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 20:45:51 -0000

Here's a scouting report I put together to post over at GSOM. Mostly so they know what's about to hit them like a ton of bricks. I'd be interested to see you guys comment on it too. I really think that George and Buck are going to be the hidden keys to this series.

Jason Terry:
Scouting: Still more of a combo guard than a point guard, despite having much better assist numbers this year than last. Field goal and 3 point% are up over last year, and way up over his career average.

What he needs to do for the Mavs to win: Take care of the ball. Score 15-20 a game. Create penetration so that Dirk can get looks at the top of the lane. Get to the foul line.

What he can't do if the Mavs want to win: Fall in love with the 3. Go 3-12. Get in foul trouble trying to defend Baron Davis.

Devin Harris
Scouting: One word- Fast. Has really improved maturity wise this year. His late season numbers aren't much higher than early season, but he's doing it as a starter, and picking his spots much better. Most don't realize how good a defender he is. FT percentage up nearly 11 percent from last year.

What he needs to do: Continue his career high assist rate. Take charges. Contain Monta Ellis. Provide a change of pace from Terry. Score 6-10. Create turnovers.

What he can't do: Pick up early fouls. He's so fast that he picks up blocking fouls because refs don't believe he could actually get to the spot. His jump shot is much improved, but still not world class.

Josh Howard
Scouting: Tends to have very strong offensive first quarters, then concentrate on D the rest of the game. Long arms and active hands. Faster than expected. Shooting more 3s this year, and making a better percentage.

What he needs to do: Set the tone defensively. Pick up the offensive slack if Dirk or JET have an off night. Get in the passing lanes and disrupt the GSW flow on offense. Slash to the basket. Grab 5+ rebounds.

What he can't do: Try to be a volume shooter. Turn into a jump shooter. Make bad passes. Have an off night on both ends. Exercise poor judgment (his stupid foul against Nash at the end of regulation was the reason the Mavs lost the 2OT game against the Suns).

Dirk
Scouting: Likes to drive to his left as the result of breaking his right wrist as a kid. Has a deadly rock step move at the elbow that lets him shoot over the top of smaller defenders. Good pumpfake to draw contact. Hasn't been shooting the 3 nearly as much this year, but shooting a higher percentage all around. Gets the "hockey assist"- i.e. a pass that doesn't get credited with an assist because there's a dribble or another pass involved.

What he needs to do: Play his game. Shoot over 40%. Pass out of double teams. His rebounding can't be overlooked in a series that promises to be played faster than most.

What he can't do: Get frustrated. Has a tendency to get out of rhythm early if the shots don't fall, leading to forcing bad shots and picking up T's. Must hit his end game FTs- which he does, with only a few glaring exceptions.

Devean George
Scouting: Able to guard 4 positions, and can guard some centers for brief stretches. Strong base makes him effective against bigger players. Limited on the offensive end, but not a liability.

What he needs to do: Can really be a key to the series. Will be asked to defend multiple players. Will get clean looks at the basket if the ball rotation from Dirk is good. Must hit open shots to pull the defense out and create lanes. Keep his man in front of him.

What he can't do: Take shots when they aren't falling. Get in foul trouble. Let his man get past him, as he doesn't have the recovery speed necessary to catch back up. Eat seafood.

DeSagana Diop
Scouting: Been bounced around between starting and coming off the bench. RPG are significantly up this season, but so are turnovers. Long arms. In the best shape he's been in since getting to the NBA

What he needs to do: Grab boards, get some blocks, protect the rim. Play good help D.

What he can't do: Get drawn out away from the basket. His offensive moves are very, very rough. Must take better care of the ball, as he's a turnover machine.

Erick Dampier
Scouting: A much better defender away from the rim than Diop, even though he's not as quick. Gets low, wide, and plays as technical D as someone his size can. Leading the NBA in FG%, but not enough shots to qualify.

What he needs to do: Protect the rim. Finish strong when he's in position.

What he can't do: Get in foul trouble. Blow layups. Become a focal point offensively.

Jerry Stackhouse
Scouting: Far healthier this year than last. A real slasher. Has a scorers mentality. Hitting a far better 3pt% this year than his career average. Underrated defensively.

What he needs to do: Drive relentlessly. Create penetration, and either kick it out for an open 3, or take it to the rim himself. Bring a spark off the bench. Play physical D.

What he can't do: Get hurt. Get selfish- which has been a problem at times if Dirk isn't on the floor to create better spacing.

Greg Buckner
Scouting: A pitbull of a defender. Not really an offensive player, but far better than Adrian Griffin, who he replaced from last years team- managed to average over 12ppg in last years playoffs for Denver. Has been dinged up off and on, especially at the end of the year. Normally a good 3pt shooter, but % is down this year.

What he needs to do: Crawl inside Baron Davis' shorts, and stay there. Use his fouls, but wisely. Hit open shots when the ball rotates around to him.

What he can't do: Draw stupid fouls. Turn the ball over.

Austin Croshere
Scouting: His disappointment level has ranged from "Mild" to "Fiery Habanero" throughout the season. And then he scored 34 against the Sonics. Can you say "outlier?" I knew you could.

What he needs to do: Play 2-6 minutes a game to spell Dirk at the end of quarters.

What he can't do: Play more than 6 minutes a game.

Kevin Willis
Scouting: He's 44 and hasn't played in 2 years. What do you want me to say?

What he needs to do: Keep the bench warm.

What he can't do: Take off the sweats.

Maurice "Mo shots please" Ager
Scouting: May eventually be a player. Volume shooter. Never saw a shot he didn't like.

What he needs to do: Keep Kevin company. He gets lonely.

What he can't do: Jack up ill advised shots at the rate he did whenever he saw the floor this year.

Pops Mensa-Bonsu
Scouting: Undersized, but plays with lots of intensity. Was the NBDL All-Star Game MVP. Best name in basketball.

What he needs to do: Sit between Ager and Croshere. Those two don't get along.

What he can't do: Get his sweet kicks dirty.

JJ Barea
Scouting: Did you know he averaged 20+ a game for Northeastern? Now you do.

What he needs to do: His best Monta Ellis impression in practice.

What he can't do: Tell Devean George where the seafood restaurants are.

DJ Mbenga
Scouting: Can make the word "Tacos" sound absolutely hilarious.

What he needs to do: Invite me over to watch on the HDTV.

What he can't do: Play basketball until his knee heals.

A scounting report from the other side

BrodyV — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 20:43:53 -0000

I know most of you guys haven't gotten the chance to watch as much of the Mavs this year as I have (and the prior games haven't been exactly indicative of this team, ya know?), so I wanted to give a quick run down. I always find having this sort of scouting report helpful because it lets you really see what's going on in the game. Otherwise, I feel like I'm lost for a few games until I can get into the feel of the series. Maybe one of you guys can do a similar scouting report for your players, so I know what to look for?

Not trying to start anything, other than a good bball discussion. I can't wait for the game to tip off tonight.