SBNation.com User Blog: KirkHenderson

Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride

KirkHenderson — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:54:55 -0000

Last night news broke that Dwight Howard was not a lock to resign Los Angeles. I don't really know how this is news or how it broke, considering this is what we've been hearing for well over a year now. But because we inch closer to free agency every day and we have little else to talk about in Mavsland, it's worth looking into. Again.

As much as we don't want to hear this, that Dallas is listed as a secondary option for Howard matters. That we're on his radar is fantastic; with all the work Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson have done over the years to make Dallas a first class operation, the Mavericks should be on any free agent's wish list. This is just the first time in the Cuban era that Dallas has had money to burn, so for once it actually matters. But that Dallas is on his list can't matter more than the other facts at hand.

Let's start with his current club. The Lakers, as much as I am pained to admit, are the single best professional basketball franchise. Between the location and the rich history of the organization, the Lakers often act like they are on a different plane of existence because they ARE. Everyone in the basketball blogosphere used to make jokes about Dwight going to LA until it freaking happened. Try to think back about how you felt when you heard about the trade. It was probably some variation of "They did it AGAIN?" Despite the fact that the Lakers will have some sort term obstacles to get over, from 2014 and on the Lakers have nearly a blank slate. Toss in the additional money Howard is going to make from his contract and endorsements (I hope he signs a lucrative deal with Passages; I'm just sure they treat narcissism) it's so hard for me to imagine him walking away.

Next, let's consider his probably number one location on his wish list. The opportunity to play with James Harden, Chandler Parsons, and Omer Asik while being coached by Kevin McHale sounds incredible. Until Asik and Jeremy Lin's back-loaded deals ring up on the salary cap, Houston is going to be a force (Heck, I'm sure GM Darryl Morey will figure something out to get Lin's contract off their books). They play the kind of basketball that the league is trending towards. A strong guard in Harden who can both get to the rim and facilitate an offense is something Howard craves. Houston is on an upward trajectory and this is a huge selling point for any young free agent.

Finally, let's talk Dallas. In order to make room for the big man, the Maverick front office would have to strip the team down, giving up rights to all of the free agents currently on the team. That would leave Dirk Nowitizki, Shawn Marion, and Vince Carter. I love all three of these guys. But that's not a team on the rise. That's a team in need of youth. And a point guard. We all saw what happened when a talented team is guided by a hapless point guard this season. Would Dwight be willing to play out another year until Dirk takes his paycut and Dallas can sign more talent? I don't know. Given his tendency to vocalize his complaints with the media, I certainly don't think another frustrating season is something he'd be willing to undergo.

From a basketball point of view only, Howard's options in order of preference should be Houston, Los Angeles, then Dallas. Including money, it's probably Los Angeles, Houston, and then Dallas. Unless Dwight values an aging Dirk over a young Harden, I don't see how or why Howard would choose the Mavericks.

This is not to say it won't happen. Dwight is not really an astute judge of anything, so I certainly think it's in the realm of possibilities. The Dallas front office knows all this though, which is partially why Chris Paul is the number one option. In the days and weeks ahead you'll probably see more and more about why and how Howard might make his way into a Maverick uniform, mainly because it's fun to talk about. The reasons why it's unlikely are less fun and less covered. Just because something can happen doesn't mean that it will. Unfortunately, we're likely to end up very disappointed by the end of this off season.

"So you're saying there's a chance!"

KirkHenderson — Tue, 07 May 2013 13:49:19 -0000

It seems Chris Paul has won the title of number one off season target, ahead of Laker center Dwight Howard

Yesterday, Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas wrote an interesting piece, where he suggests that the Mavericks need to frame the discussion in choosing between Mark Cuban and Clipper owner Donald Sterling. Read the whole thing, as it's worth your time.

This prompted a day long discussion with the Mavs Moneyball crew and I wanted to share our thoughts with the rest of you. What follows is an edited transcript of our thoughts.

Kirk: I don't know how to feel about the line of reasoning MacMahon suggests. The pessimist in me doesn't care for it; it feels like the Mavericks are placing too much value in Cuban's appeal, if that makes sense.

Jonathan: It seems to me like the front office believes a lot of their own hype.

Lisa: My problem is there's only one line in the entire article about how the front office has gambled and lost the last two seasons. That has to matter.

Andrew: I don't know about you guys, but I get nervous any time Cuban starts tweeting about a new TV show he's working on.

Kirk: There's a difference between hoping Chris Paul can come here and pandering to our fan base. We did this last year with Deron Williams. $20 million extra dollars and a major media market are not things we can just wave our hands at and discount. Those things might matter more than whether Sterling is a terrible person and owner.

Lisa: Would I murder in cold blood to have CP3? No question. Do I think CP3 gives a crap about what a horrible human being Sterling is? As long as he's getting paid and gets to throw lob passes to his big boys, I don't think Paul cares. I think it'll take more than good vs. evil to attract someone as driven and borderline psychotic as CP3.

Kirk: Right, and CP3 can always use the tried and true method of "Well I don't like it here anymore, time to pout till I get traded to a team of my choosing" if Sterling doesn't invest in the Clippers.

Andrew: As someone who often studies faith, stepping outside of faith, whether towards a deity or a front office, is often too world shattering and fraught to be attempted. Even the mind shies away.

Tim: I do agree in a sort of tangential sense that if we have even a marginal hope of CP3, our best pitch is Cuban. Independent of good versus evil stuff, Cuban has a better historical track record than Sterling. Of course, the last few years that hasn't been true at all, but if Cuban is as good a salesman as he seems to think he is, that won't matter.

But I'm sure in the middle of negotiations he'll run off to film Shark Tank again, so whatever.

Kirk: It's one thing to point out that we are a possible destination for CP3 or Howard. Its another entirely to make the leap from "because we are a destination, we actually have a shot".

Andrew: Things happen all the time that make me wish there were an NBA PhD program somewhere. If there were, there would be five studies, at least, on whether entrepreneurial owners do better than old money owners like Jim Dolan or owners who made their money on a product like Larry Ellison. Sometimes I feel all of Cuban's faults as an owner have to do with how much he loves deal-making---you know, if we had signed some FAs that WEREN'T deals last year, we probably wouldn't have sucked as much, though he could still turn out to be right in the long run.

Of course, it's hard not to feel like Cubes is secretly the GM, which I suspect we'll ever know the truth of.

PS: If you're wondering when the obligatory "Texas has no income tax so FAs will want to sign there" argument, that has never once worked on a marquee free agent, ever, would crop up, Mr. MacMahon covered it Sunday here.

Josh: I mean, it's still a decent advantage the Mavs have. Cuban does carry a lot of weight within the league. Whether or not we care about that doesn't matter. Remember, players aren't always the best evaluators (Deron choosing Joe Johnson instead of Dirk, for instance).

Also, Paul will be driven by dollars, but winning is going to factor in more since he's not a young pup anymore. He just turned 28. This next deal will be for the rest of his MVP-level prime. This is essentially his last chance at picking a place where he wants to win. That will factor in a smidgen.

There's also a clear disconnect between Blake and Paul. There's been a lot of stories detailing how Griffin just wants to lob city and make Kia commercials while Paul just wants to win and it's pissing each one of them off.

Jonathan: Bill Simmons called it the "worst kept secret in the NBA" in one of his columns.

I actually think Blake would be a better player without Paul. He's a really good passer, but he needs the ball in his hands to do that and that's not going to happen with CP3 boss-hogging it. He was flirting with triple-doubles when Paul was out.

Kirk: It's probably just a language thing with me here, but I think these sorts of stories are creating a misperception.

Dallas *should* be a prime free agent destination. It is not, though, by virtue of history.

Josh: We don't know if Dallas is a prime destination for free agents because they've only had one summer with cap space where they tried to sign one star. And should it be noted, his hometown, which historically, stars don't do.

If Dallas fails to sign guys for the next couple of summers, then we can say it isn't a destination.

Kirk: That's a fair point and probably true. I just can't shake the feeling that we talk ourselves first into why it's possible and the leap from possible to likely isn't far when you're dealing with this kind of hope. I would prefer to be wrong here. I'd really rather have to write an apology for not believing in the front office. That would be much more bearable than dealing with another season of slow decline.

A Retirement and a New Hire

KirkHenderson — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:11:54 -0000

A little after 1pm central, news out of Dallas suggests that there are some changes underway with the Maverick coaching staff.

Per Rick Carlisle, @dallasmavs assistant coach and offensive coordinator Jim O'Brien is retiring from coaching.
— Earl K. Sneed (@EKS_MavsNBA) May 3, 2013

Followed by

Mavs source confirms @jwquick report that ex-Blazers interim coach Kaleb Canales joining Rick Carlisle's staff. es.pn/ZsPL4Q
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 3, 2013

O'Brien had spent the last season away from his family while helping to coach the Mavericks. Anyone who has ever had to spend time away from loved ones can understand how much of a challenge that had to have been particularly with a demanding job during a tough season. We here at Mavs Moneyball thank him for his work, and wish him well.

On the heels of the O'Brien departure came word of the hiring of Kaleb Canales. Coach Canales will be taking over the "offensive coordinator" role O'Brien filled this last season. He's spent the past nine years working his way up the coaching ranks after having joined the Blazers in 2004 in the role of a video intern.

To go from intern to offensive coordinator in a professional sports league in mere nine years is impressive. I look forward to hearing more about what Coach Canales hopes to bring to the 2013-2014 Mavericks

Earl Sneed has more on the announcement from Rick Carlisle here.

Speculation Season

KirkHenderson — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:25:55 -0000

One of the best things about being a writer for this site is our email chains. They are often bizarre and funny. They also tend to be very educational. It's so easy to live in a fan bubble where I'm convinced that my line of thinking around a particular topic is the only way of looking at something. Then Alan, Andy, Josh, one of the Tims, Jonathan, or Lisa puts out a thought which really forces me to reconsider whatever I thought I knew.

One of the things I'm most excited about, now that we've had time to lick our wounds, is the draft and the ensuing off season. So much is up in the air and despite some limitations, Dallas has so many options it's hard to know where to begin. I, for one, love this kind of reckless speculation. As the summer marches on, some ideas will take root and we'll start to see the same strategies promoted in a variety of places. I urge everyone to not get to attached to any one plan because no matter what happens, I can guarantee we won't see it coming.

With that said, I want to give some thoughts on some recent pieces involving potential Dallas picks. This morning, ESPN's Chad Ford posted a story about Dario Saric, the consensus top European in the draft who should be available when Dallas selects a player. The title alone, "Dario Saric - The Next Magic Johnson" is enough to raise an eye brow...

"I think he is one of the three or four top talents in this draft," said a GM.

An NBA scout said Saric would stack up well with the best U.S. college players.

"If he played college ball this year, he would've been one of the top five players in America," said the scout. "He was in a bad situation there [Croatia]. His talent didn't go away."

The skinny forward may have all the talent in the world, but I'm unsure how a player like Saric fits into the plans of Dallas for 2013-2014. Ford is rather insistent that Dallas considers Saric a top prospect on their board at the moment, considering their number 13 draft spot. In fact, he has him as his number 12 over all prospect on his "Big Board"

Whether Saric can reach his potential is the key. While at times he can look brilliant, other times he struggles. He's been excellent in the recent Croatian playoffs, averaging 15.1 points on 67 percent shooting to go with 7.4 rebounds. While the Mavericks look like the most obvious choice for him in the lottery, don't count out the Pelicans or 76ers as lottery destinations.

Obviously, we're far off from the draft and lots of things can and will change. This is something I'd consider mildly alarming at the moment.

Much more alarming is this post from Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas:

They don't want to use the 13th overall pick, assuming they don't luck out in the lottery, on a project to develop during Dirk Nowitzki's golden years. They need a player who can be plugged into the rotation right away.

I suggest reading the whole thing if you haven't, because it takes mainly about how Dallas is looking for an established player to fit in right away if they can't luck out with a wildly talented prospect at 13. The players mentioned are, to say the least, unappealing. As we saw from Jae Crowder and Bernard James this year, no rookie, no matter how seasoned as a college player, is ready to fit in right away on a veteran team with high expectations.

At this point, a trade may be the most likely option. Of course, 13 is not a particularly appealing draft pick. At that point in the draft most teams are simply looking for a rotation player, so any sort of returned value is probably marginal.

We're going to have much to talk about in the coming weeks and months. I'm currently not married to any idea or plan (real plan, I mean. I'd love to get CP3 or Dwight, but as of now I don't consider those real options. I can't get my hopes up again).

What I am down for though, is rampant speculation. Between the draft and free agency, things are going to get really, really interesting.

The Worst Game I Ever Watched

KirkHenderson — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:54:51 -0000

April of 2006 was one of those blurry months for me, upon reflection. I had finals for college, graduated, went to my engagement party, drove across the country and found a job in Washington DC. Specific moments are all wrapped up in this whirl wind of life changing events.

But one moment, or rather one game, stands out in my mind seven years later. It's a game I'll never forget. But first, a little more back story. While I was in school at Pepperdine, I wasn't able to see a ton of Maverick games. I lived on campus and I don't even remember if League Pass was a thing then, but I was probably too cheap to purchase it. As a result, I had to live on box scores, nationally televised games, and locally televised games whenever a Los Angeles team would play the Mavericks.

Which brings us back to April 19th, 2006. It was the final game of the regular season, against the Clippers, which meant I'd get to see the Clippers broadcast on local TV. My wife (then fiancee) and I would always try to find a place on campus where we could watch the game without anyone else complaining. I remember the line up announcements clearly; it had not occurred to me that since it was the season finale and playoff position was already established (Dallas would be a 4 seed and the Clippers would be a 6 seed), the stars would get rest. Take look at these line ups and rosters:

CLIPPERS

	Basic Box Score Stats
Starters	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	FT	FTA	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS	+/-
James Singleton	41:30	1	4	.250	0	2	.000	0	0		3	3	6	1	2	1	2	3	2	+1
Chris Kaman	27:09	6	9	.667	0	0		2	2	1.000	1	5	6	0	0	1	2	2	14	+2
Boniface N'Dong	22:38	2	8	.250	0	0		0	0		2	5	7	0	0	0	1	2	4	-4
Cuttino Mobley	21:15	5	13	.385	0	1	.000	0	0		2	1	3	2	3	1	1	1	10	-2
Shaun Livingston	18:31	2	7	.286	0	0		0	0		0	2	2	2	0	0	1	1	4	-4
Reserves	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	FT	FTA	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS	+/-
Daniel Ewing	29:29	4	5	.800	0	0		3	4	.750	0	3	3	6	1	0	3	2	11	+18
Corey Maggette	26:45	6	13	.462	0	3	.000	6	8	.750	0	11	11	1	0	0	3	2	18	+16
Vin Baker	25:22	3	5	.600	0	0		4	5	.800	0	4	4	1	1	2	1	6	10	+18
Walter McCarty	20:51	5	7	.714	2	4	.500	0	0		0	3	3	0	0	0	0	4	12	+12
Quinton Ross	6:30	0	1	.000	0	0		0	0		0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	+13
Team Totals	240	34	72	.472	2	10	.200	15	19	.789	8	38	46	13	7	5	14	24	85

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/30/2013.

MAVERICKS

	Basic Box Score Stats
Starters	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	FT	FTA	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS	+/-
Josh Powell	43:24	2	12	.167	0	0		7	10	.700	2	7	9	2	0	0	1	2	11	-2
DeSagana Diop	38:42	3	6	.500	1	1	1.000	0	0		3	6	9	0	5	3	1	2	7	-7
Adrian Griffin	25:13	2	5	.400	0	0		1	2	.500	1	1	2	2	0	1	2	1	5	-1
Jason Terry	11:42	6	9	.667	0	2	.000	0	1	.000	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	1	12	+1
Josh Howard	11:42	3	3	1.000	0	0		1	2	.500	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	7	+1
Reserves	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	FT	FTA	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS	+/-
Rawle Marshall	36:18	5	17	.294	0	0		3	6	.500	1	5	6	1	2	1	3	3	13	-15
Didier Ilunga-Mbenga	21:38	1	6	.167	0	1	.000	2	2	1.000	1	3	4	0	1	1	0	5	4	-11
Pavel Podkolzin	18:04	0	2	.000	0	0		3	6	.500	0	7	7	0	0	1	2	0	3	+2
Erick Dampier	15:17	0	2	.000	0	0		1	4	.250	1	1	2	1	0	0	0	3	1	-12
Jerry Stackhouse	11:59	4	8	.500	0	1	.000	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	-11
Darrell Armstrong	6:01	0	0		0	0		0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	-15
Team Totals	240	26	70	.371	1	5	.200	18	33	.545	10	31	41	6	8	8	10	19	71

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/30/2013.

As you can see, the box scores cut off due to some formatting issues. Please check out the original tables and the original box score page here, it's really quite incredible.

To say that I remember every detail of this game would be a lie. In fact, I remember very little about the actual game itself. I know that it happened and I know that I will never forget this. I remember my wife asking if we actually had to watch that mess of a game. I also know that at one point Dallas featured a line up boasting Rawle Marshal at point guard, Josh Powell at shooting guard, DJ Mbenga at small forward, DeSagana Diop at power forward, and that legendary 7'6" behemoth Pavel Podkolzin. It was breathtakingly bad basketball.

There are some real nuggets in this box score once you comb through it. For the Clippers, Boniface N'Dong PLAYED IN A REAL GAME. He only played in 23 games his entire career, so in a way I was watching history. Vin Baker also played and was pretty effective. By this point in my life, Vin Baker feels more like a myth than an actual player.

For Dallas we see that Josh Powell hit 2 of 12. Rawle Marshall shot 17 times, which finished as his career high (he took 9 shots once with the Pacers the next season). Diop had 7 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 blocks. He also hit a three pointer.

DID YOU READ THAT, EVERYONE? DESAGNA DIOP TOOK AND HIT A THREE POINTER. IN A GAME. THAT I SAW. IT WAS A DESIGNED PLAY. A DESIGNED PLAY I SAY! Sadly, no video is available of this momentous event.

I wasn't around for much of the mid 90's disaster seasons, so this game on the eve of our second favorite playoff run of all time takes the cake for me as far as worst games ever. What about you all? Some of you have been Mavs fans for longer than some of our writers have been alive. What's the worst game you've ever seen from the Mavericks?

Worst Case Scenario: 2013 Off-Season

KirkHenderson — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:27:52 -0000

Mavs fans! I hope you've recovered from finishing the season early. What's that? You haven't recovered at all? You're still annoyed with the way things turned out? Well me too. Unfortunately, we still have weeks before anything of substance happens. That means it's time for everyone's favorite past time: pointless speculation!

But you aren't going to get puppies and sunshine from me, no, no, no! I decided to take a look at the draft and free agent class and determine the worst possible fits for the Dallas Mavericks. What players don't fit at all? It could be play style, attitude, off court issues, anything. We've been blessed for years with players who've more or less adhered to the culture established by the Mavericks (it's why Lamar Odom acting like Lamar Odom was so upsetting). So even though we were treated to gems like THIS during the season it's important to remember that things can get much more frustrating. First we'll take a look at who would be a horrible draft pick for Dallas and then go position by position in free agency, looking at why a player wouldn't fit in Dallas, and occasionally why it might be secretly hilarious if the front office signs him. All of this is my extremely biased take the situation.

DRAFT

Kelly Olynyk, F/C Gonzaga - Only one mock draft really floored me. DraftExpress has Dallas taking him at pick 13. My thoughts: No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no.

POINT GUARD

Nate Robinson - I assume Darren Collison will be leaving us since he's convinced he can start for half the teams in the league. I'm not sure what league he's referring to but it's time to find another back up point guard. Anyway, Robinson would be a riot in Dallas. He plays hard, but he also has very little idea of his limitations on a basketball court. Watching him try to run the Carlisle offense would be incredible, but we were treated to such bleh point guard play this season it can't possibly get worse. Or maybe it can.

Chauncey Billups - Remember those times Mike James took the game winning shot? Imagine that times 1000. He'd be a fine guy off the bench, heck, he is right now in Los Angeles, but with Dallas he'd have to assume a bigger role than his current level of play would provide. A bad match for all parties.

Mike James - Too soon? It's never too soon for a Mike James joke. Never forget.

SHOOTING GUARD

J.R. Smith - I need this to happen, purely for the sake of comedy. Make no mistake, the current 6th man of the year is immensely talented. He's also insane. I actually think Carlisle might be able to build on the excellent work Knick's coach Mike Woodson did with Smith this year, but still, the thought of angry Carlisle after a baffling shot attempt might be too much for our coach to handle. I mean, he was boggled by Collison, so I assume J.R. might be too complex a puzzle for our man Rick.

Still though, the "Who shot? J.R.!" joke possibilities intrigue me.

Nick Young - Anyone that is able to do this might cause heart attacks in Dallas. I was at this game. It was amazing in person.

SMALL FORWARD

Josh Smith - If you noticed this season, a large portion of the Maverick offense was geared towards getting mid range shots for Dirk Nowitzki and O.J. Mayo. You know who the worst mid range shooter in the league is? Josh Smith. He's also a tad mercurial in terms of attitude. So he'd be a terrible fit. I can't wait for Dallas to sign him.

Luke Babbitt - I just really wanted to type his name. If Dallas signs him and his silly socks I will protest. Someone did give him a DPOY vote though. So maybe we are all wrong.

POWER FORWARD

Andray Blatche - He's grown up some during his year with the Nets. He is also planning on repeatedly signing cheap contracts so the Wizards have to pay the entirety of his deal he signed prior getting amnestied by those same Wizards. So he's not exactly a mature guy. Uber talented, but the fit wouldn't be there.

J.J. Hickson - Imagine a smaller, worse Chris Kaman, and there you are. Please do not throw his stats at me. There's a reason he bounces from team to team to team. His stats are good, he actively hurts his team while playing. So no thank you.

CENTER

Andrew Bynum - It's annoying to have him here because I actually want Dallas to sign him (and J.R. Smith). When healthy he's the best two way center in the game if he feels like playing basketball. But even if you can move past his health, it's hard to get behind signing a guy who doesn't seem to like to play the game very much. The comedic potential of him and Smith being on the same team is off the charts though, so I am not so secretly endorsing this move.

Byron Mullins - This is the guy we traded away for Roddy B. And he turned out to be the better player. AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH. Anyway, he sees himself as a much better player than he is. Again, we dealt with that this year with Kaman. Pass.

Samuel Dalembert - I suppose I could live with this for a season, but defensive minded centers over the age of 30 scare me. We all remember what happened to Dampier as he got older. It wasn't pretty.

Tiago Splitter - I'm torn here. I love his play, but I can't help but wonder how much of his offense is due to Tony Parker. Defensively he's been sharing a front court with an all time best defensive player in Tim Duncan. It's a big risk.

Where am I dead wrong? Did I leave anyone off the list? Give me your thoughts!

See the Future: Mavericks vs Hornets, Game 82

KirkHenderson — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:11:02 -0000

At the moment, I'm trying not to have a meltdown. The Marcus Smart decision to return to school hurts Dallas in ways we have yet to imagine. Michael Carter Williams will no longer be available when Dallas drafts, giving the front office another opportunity to draft a shooting guard who isn't very good at basketball or a center who is big.

Instead, let's focus on the last game of the season, against the Hornets of New Orleans. Due to one of those weird, late season scheduling quirks, The Mavericks play the same team they played Sunday night, simply in a different location. This will be their final game as the Hornets; next year they morph into the Pelicans.

So what is there to play for? Well, it's fan appreciation night, so above all else the Dallas Mavericks should be expected to play hard. Dallas area fans are a notoriously fickle lot, but the folks who go to the games, the die hard MFFL, deserve a great show to end a maddening season.

I also expect to see some of our younger players have very good games. O.J. Mayo in particular is in need of a strong finish after a tepid March and April. To say there are questions surrounding Mayo is a mild understatement. Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo's Ball Don't Lie summed up the Mayo saga brilliantly yesterday, saying "He's good, not great, and good-but-not-great players can't afford to disappear as often as O.J. does."

Meanwhile, Darren Collison should continue a string of solid games to close out the season. Who knows what will happen with Collison; he's one of the few restricted free agents on the Dallas roster. I've been mostly pleased with his running of the offense but have resigned myself that he will never be very good defensively.

The other under-30 Dallas players, Brandan Wright, Jae Crowder, Anthony Morrow, and Bernard James, should see at least some time on the floor. Wright isonly Dallas free-agent-to-be to make a strong case to be resigned and his exciting style of play is what fans come to see.

There will obviously be a steady does of Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, and Vince Carter to start the night. The Dallas veterans have played with a steely resolve all season and each would love to finish the season on a strong note.

The Hornets, meanwhile, are not to be underestimated. The hot shooting of Dallas covered up their terrible rebounding effort; the Hornets snagged 20 offensive rebounds. Don't expect another poor shooting night around the rim for New Orleans either. Sunday saw an absurd number of shots go in an out for the Hornets, and the managed to convert only 40% of their attempts at the rim. I could try to attribute this to fierce Dallas defense, but that wouldn't be true.

I fully expect the Hornets to come out firing on all cylinders and the Mavericks should be ready to take a few body blows early. Though I'd love to predict a blow out, the more likely outcome is a grind of a game where Dallas comes out ahead late in the fourth.

See you all later tonight at the game thread!

Chris Kaman Interested in Returning to Dallas

KirkHenderson — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:36:17 -0000

With four games left in a decided season, we at Mavs Moneyball are turning our thoughts to the off season, to hope. With that in mind, we hear the news that Chris Kaman is interested in returning to Dallas. Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star Telegram has more:

Kaman has been in and out of the starting lineup this season because of his inconsistency, and is averaging 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Despite all of that, Kaman believes he and the Mavs are a perfect match.

"I'd love to be back, but I don't know what's going to happen with the organization,'' Kaman said after Friday morning's shoot around at American Airlines Center. "I don't know what's going to happen with the team -- I have no idea.

This isn't exactly shocking. He's been paid exceedingly well and Dallas is a top notch organization.

However, it really has been an up and down season for Kaman and he still believes he's a starter. Despite not being fond of his contributions, I've been pleased with his professionalism despite the uncertainty of his minutes and role. Compare his reactions to that of a Dwight Howard and there's a night and day difference.

I really wouldn't mind having Kaman back under the right circumstances. This is obviously a bit at odds with my thoughts on him this season, but that has more to do with his role within the team which is not entirely on him.

Would you want Kaman back under the right circumstances or do you want him gone regardless?

Poll

Do you want Chris Kaman back next season?

Yes

82 votes

No

109 votes

Unsure

41 votes

232 votes | Poll has closed

Aging Off The Cliff

KirkHenderson — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:19:58 -0000

Aging Off The Cliff

A look at the Suns and Mavs as they trend south

All Things Mavericks vs. Suns

KirkHenderson — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:17:39 -0000

The Dallas Mavericks failed in yet another attempt to reach .500 and shave their now Norse-like beards, losing to the lowly Phoenix Suns, 102-91.

For the third time, the Dallas Mavericks had a chance to even their season record and shave the beards they had pledged to grow.

For the third time, the Dallas Mavericks would come up short.

Of course, at this point, being emotionally invested in an achievement like a .500 record is somewhere between mildly strange and just straight-up pitiful. So, really, I guess the story should be that this team lost, again, against an ostensibly inferior opponent, and that whatever pride this team seemed to be playing with a few weeks ago was not evident tonight.

The Suns entered tonight's contest with the worst record in the Western Conference, having lost 10 in a row, and 14 out of 15. They had not recorded a road win since February.

Phoenix wasted no time looking like the better, fresher, hungrier team. They jumped out to a 28-14 lead, with Dallas scoring one field goal over a six minute stretch. The offensive woes were concerning, with several shots from Dirk and Wright seemingly hitting every part of the rim without going down, but the bigger issue was the defense, which allowed Goran Dragic to drive at will and get whatever shot he wanted on the floor.

With a minute left in the first, Vince Carter would fuel a mini-run, with a putback dunk to get the crowd engaged. The lead would be cut in half at 28-21 at the first buzzer. Beginning the second, Carter would keep the Dallas momentum going, hitting a three, and Dallas would finally get hot shooting the ball, briefly taking the lead on a Dirk jumper and some back-and-forth keeping the margin within one possession until the halfway point of the second quarter.

Then, Phoenix would return most of their starters to the floor, and much like the first quarter, they would run around, above, and through the Maverick defense, building back a double-digit advantage largely on the efforts of Wesley Johnson, who looked less like the bust he was in previously in Minnesota and a lot more like the sweet-shooting Syracuse swingman(pardon my alliteration) who earned a top five selection a few years ago. Johnson would score 13 points in a little over five minutes, hitting very nearly everything he threw at the rim, and Phoenix would leave the stunned/apathetic home team behind as he and his teammates headed to the locker room back up by 10, at 61-51.

In the third, Dallas would fight their way back to a tie one more time, with a 12-2 run to start the period punctuated by a Shawn Marion basket to even things at 63-63. One might have thought that this third run would prove to be the charm, and that the Mavericks would finally take control. But, it was the visiting Suns who had all the answers, responding to that run with a 12-0 stretch of their own, and this would essentially prove to be the knockout, even if it technically took another 15 minutes of game action for the referee to count to "10".

Tonight's loss probably didn't end the Mavericks postseason hopes. Those ended some time ago. But, for a squad with so many free agents and players theoretically making their case to stick around(or at least earn a nice paycheck somewhere else), it was pretty damning.

Let's start with the good: Shawn Marion and Vince Carter, two of the few with what might be considered "job security", looked like about the only guys who cared. Marion had a game-high 22 points, along with 9 rebounds, and 3 steals. Vince Carter recorded 18 points on 6-12 shooting. Dirk Nowitzki had a decent if inconsistent game, and although his shot was curiously off in the early going, he still managed to score 21 points on 18 shots, registering 8 boards and 3 dimes.

The rest...yuck. Chris Kaman, fresh off arguably his best game of the year, went 1-6 for 2 points. Darren Collison also went 1-6. O.J. Mayo shot just 2-10 and continued his disappearing act in the month of April, with just 6 points and 4 turnovers. His last 15 games, with a postseason birth on the line, Mayo is averaging 9.3 points a contest.

Mike James shot the ball decently enough, but was absolutely embarrassed by Goran Dragic on defense. Brandan Wright did block 5 shots, but he was not able to be quite the X factor you'd have liked against a small Suns frontcourt(without Marcin Gortat), as he and Dirk allowed backbreaking second chance points at key moments in the second half. Though Jermaine O'Neal went 2-12 from the field, he was not exactly slowed down by Wright, and missed a hilarious number of layups and easy shots at the rim. In related news, Jermaine O'Neal needs to retire.

Rick Carlisle was clearly looking for any kind of spark, going to the deepest regions of his bench. Bernard James got a early look, as did Anthony Morrow, and 10-day-contract signee Josh Akognon made his NBA debut, and even hit his first and only shot. Unfortunately, he was a little overly aggressive defending Goran Dragic full-court, and picked up two quick fouls, banishing him to the bench.

How do you not overreact to this game? It's the sort of sad outcome that makes me feel like everyone but Dirk, Carter, Marion and the rooks should be jettisoned and the roster rebuilt. At the very least, major, major changes need to occur, and perhaps some changes need to happen in the front office. By that I'm not suggesting firings, necessarily, but a reevaluation of the approach to building a winning organization, top to bottom. I'm sure we'll have a long offseason to talk about what all those changes might be.

Final - 4.10.2013	1	2	3	4	Total
Phoenix Suns	28	33	20	21	102
Dallas Mavericks	21	30	20	20	91

Complete Coverage >

For more, check out Bright Side of the Sun.

In Their Defense: The Problematic Dallas Defenders

KirkHenderson — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:18:15 -0000

This morning I was listening to the CBS Eye On Basketball podcast, more commonly known as the Pick and Troll podcast, hosted by Zach Harper (@talkhoops) and Ethan Sherwood Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss), and it's a podcast I highly recommend. In the second half of the podcast Ethan makes some assertions about Dirk Nowitzki, mainly about him being a bad defender on a team that struggles with defense.

I can see how he'd come to that conclusion. Dirk's had trouble moving for nearly two years now, with a few small exceptions, and he's a liability in one on one match ups. However, his help defense has always been underrated. But that got me to wondering: who is the worst defensive player in the Dallas rotation?

This is a mainly subjective question, because basketball is a team game and I'm sure we could all find stats and data to back up a particular assertion. In fact, I encourage this in the comments because while I have my opinions, and I'm going to share them shortly, I'm not convinced I'm right. So let's go player by player, and I'll share my thoughts and you all can vote below and discuss in the comments.

Chris Kaman - Mr. Kaman has taken a great deal of criticism for his game as of late, but his defense has been a much larger problem for Dallas than his shot selection. It's not that he doesn't try, in fact I believe Kaman plays very hard. Rather, it's that his athleticism and lift are non existent and in a pick and roll league, he's been unable to hedge screens, recover, or protect the rim with consistency. His defensive rebounding and shot blocking comes and goes, because he's had a number of fine games. Other games though, particularly against teams with offensively talented bigs, Kaman has had a lot of trouble on the defensive end, to the point where Carlisle has not played him for stretches of games.

Darren Collison - He is actually my vote for worst defensive player for Dallas. Collison may seem like a decent defender just because he manages to get a good number of steals, but if you focus on his defense for stretches of games you'll see why I feel this way. When covering the ball handler he usually has no idea where a screen is coming from, which is odd considering his teammates announce them. Even without screens Collison has trouble staying in front of offensive players, getting taken to the paint with annoying regularity. In terms of help defense, he makes the wrong rotation A LOT. I've seen instances of Shawn Marion pushing him towards the correct rotation after making the wrong one. That sort of thing shows a misunderstanding of the Dallas defensive scheme as well as a lack of faith in the rotations of his teammates. Some of this poor defense is related to not having a solid rim protector, because as I've stated defense is a team effort. He should still be much better than he is, considering his speed and quickness.

Mike James - James is a tough call, because he's 37 so what should we expect? Then again, he got caught trying to block Jared Dudley last night so I feel he has a spot on this list. Similar to Collison, James has trouble staying in front of guys, but unlike Collison I believe it has more to do with age and waning athleticism than confusion. Paired with front court players who aren't great defensively only exacerbates his defensive short comings. He's honestly down on the list of problem guys, in my opinion, which probably isn't fair to Collison since James is the starter.

Dirk Nowitzki - Dirk's always been an underrated defender. His hands are quick and his timing is top notch. For a guy who occasionally has problems jumping over a phone book, he really understands what he can and can't do. Unfortunately these past two seasons we've seen the impact of age, injury, and reliance on teammates who are also sub-par defensively. In one on one situations, Dirk has problems with virtually all of today's smaller, quicker stretch fours. Dallas can survive a bit with Dirk on larger centers, but that also tends to cause rebounding issues.

Remember, I could be very wrong on all of these players, so let me know. One thing that isn't in question is the defensive prowess of Dallas, which is bordering on terrible. Heading into the off season Dallas has so many problems it's hard to know where to start, but an anchor big man on defense has to be a top priority.

Poll

In your opinion, who has the most problems playing defense for Dallas?

Chris Kaman

50 votes

Darren Collison

66 votes

Mike James

5 votes

Dirk Nowitzki

7 votes

128 votes | Poll has closed

All Things Mavericks vs Nuggets

KirkHenderson — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:30:50 -0000

Dallas loses after yet another late game collapse.

The Dallas Mavericks lost to the Denver Nuggets 95-94, in Denver, despite the fact that Denver was missing Ty Lawson and lost Danilo Gallinari at halftime. Ex-Mav Corey Brewer led the Nuggets with 23, and Andre Miller added 22, including some clutch buckets down the stretch. For the Mavericks, Brandan Wright led with 16.

This was the most "Mavs" Mavs game to date, as even a decent 4th quarter effort would have been enough to steal a win. Instead, in the last few minutes, these things happened:

1) Ignored Dirk three times running for crucial possessions, spotting him up in the corner for some reason

2) When Dirk finally took the shot, clinging to a one point lead with 45 seconds left, he missed horribly, then, next trip down, got picked. Could be a rhythm thing?

3) The Mavs almost re-intercepted the interception but instead (of course) it bounced directly to Wilson Chandler for a jumper that he, magically, missed, but

4) Instead of getting the rebound, Faried grabbed it and was fouled, but

4) He missed two free throws that would have won it, but

5) Corey Brewer got the rebound, and then

6) Iguodala scored with 2.8 seconds left, resulting in

7) The Mavs last second play, which was apparently, "A contested three by someone who has played 40 minutes since the beginning of March". Probably not what was called. Still. So

8) Those are a few of my favorite things.

On twitter, just before Faried's second miss, which would have tied it, someone tweeted that he'd definitely make it, because Mavs. I replied that he certainly wouldn't, rather he would miss again, but they would get the rebound.It has come to this.

I don't know. I don't have much to say, there's not much to say. This may not be fair, but it certainly seems like the Mavs have been winning the games where the coaching decisions are normal. Mike James aside, in the two games the Mavs have won in the last five, they've started the guys who should be starting--Dirk, Marion, Mayo, Brand, or Dirk, Mayo, Marion, Wright with Brand getting the bulk of the backup minutes.

Against the Lakers and Nuggets, they've started Kaman and ignored Brand and lost.

Against the Lakers and the Nuggets, Dirk has gotten 10 and 13 shots. Against the Bulls and the Clippers he got 17 and 21.

Then again, Dirk got 20, Wright started and Brand backed up against the Pacers and the Mavs got slaughtttttterrreeed. So what do I know.

I spent the game thinking about Kirk's column about roles--the Mavs did this Frankenstein style tonight, combining super weird choices with old standbys (three Vince/Collison shots with Dirk standing in the corner in the last three minutes, followed by two Dirk back-downs), and it just didn't make sense to me. On the other hand ,one more board and they'd have beaten the Nuggets at home, something only three other teams have done this season.

Rest now. It will be over soon.

Fair or not, I've decided to blame all games in which the Mavericks lose and Rick goes to the small lineup late on Rick's choice to go to the small lineup late.

The Roles We Play

KirkHenderson — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:06:40 -0000

The Laker game was one of the more frustrating basketball experiences I've had in a year full of them. Starting Chris Kaman after a successful series of games with Brandan Wright made me crazy. His role within the team structure is so poorly defined that he hurts the team when he plays. Roles matter, and people knowing and understanding their roles are what helps define a successful organization.

Take the good staff here at Mavs Moneyball. Our fearless leader, LJ, is fantastic at dealing with a myriad of personalities, schedules, writing styles, and ridiculous emails. She is the link between the important people at SB Nation, us writers, and the community of MMB commentors. She keeps us together Each of us writers fills a different role, helping keep all of you with content from different points of view. Andy is a brilliant critical thinker, Josh a passionate analyst, Alan is great at explaining data within the context of the game; I could keep going. The point is, we work because we recognize one another's strengths and that helps this site put together fantastic content.

The reason we have positional designations in basketball is partly to identify the job of a particular player. A point guard takes the lead with the ball, a shooting guard should score, a center is usually the largest player for a team, and so on and so forth. Knowing and understanding the role of a position or player is key if a team hopes to succeed. When I used to play a million years ago, my role was simple: move the ball on offense, take charges on defense, rebound. I was able to play at a much higher level than my over all skill set because I filled needs on a team.

To bring this back to the Mavericks, as the season has progressed, we've seen no clearly defined roles for Maverick players, and it's led to a great deal of confusion, which has ultimately led to losses. Some of this is due to the Dirk Nowitzki knee injury. Another issue is the lack of talent; Dallas has a roster of players who have gaping holes in their games. Then we have the front office shipping old, bad veterans in and out of the locker room. That coach Carlisle hasn't been unable to settle on a line up doesn't help things much at all.

One would figure when Dirk came back, players would settle into a hierarchy with Dirk at the top. His slow return to form prevented that and by the time he was feeling truly healthy, the team was scrambling to win games for a playoff spot, so establishing Dirk at the top of the food chain took a back seat. I'd like to think that winning and getting Dirk established as the alpha in the offense are things that aren't mutually exclusive. But, given the make up of the team and the rotation, things did not come together in a timely fashion.

We've seen games with Mike James taking huge numbers of shots, O.J. Mayo falling off of the radar after a brilliant start, and Vince Carter hero ball. There was that one stretch of games where Dirk only shot 10 times a game despite shooting insane percentages. Darren Collison has been in and out of both the starting and crunch time line ups. Jae Crowder has no discernible substitution pattern. There have been no shortage of confusing situations this season.

Which brings us back to Chris Kaman and the Laker game. The four games prior he had seen an average of three minutes per game, with two "DNP-Coach's Decision". Those games came against teams with good post players, yet Dallas only lost one of those games. Why turn to Kaman now? He started and shot 5 times in the first six minutes, effectively icing Dirk Nowitzki (Dirk usually plays the first six minutes and gets a rest). If Chris Kaman's role in the offense is to establish himself offensively, then the team has a whole other host of problems.

So what do they do now? The season is all but lost. Considering I am not the best judge of a player's value, what Dallas does with these remaining games is hard to say. The potential free agents have had 74 games to make a case as to why they should remain Mavericks. Eight more games isn't going to change a thing.

Instead, the Dallas front office and coach Rick Carlisle have to determine what they want from next year's team. Obviously, you can't predict injuries, but it is possible using data to put together a team that has established roles for each player.

If Dirk is still to be the Maverick focal point, the front office must try to put together a team that supports his strengths and minimizes his weaknesses. This season was a long, maddening tryout for far too many players in an attempt to buy time until the 2013 off season. I guess it nearly worked, but it certainly hasn't been fun to watch.

We all should be concerned about what the front office does next. So much of the last decade has been built upon the back of Dirk Nowitzki making up for the short falls of both the front office and his teammates. Andy wrote yesterday:

The Mavs do not make "good" moves. They do not pick up "good" players, not unless they come with expiring contracts, or take a weird player option (OJ Mayo) or come via a one-time salary cap saver like the amnesty (Elton Brand), or an attitude dump (Odom). That's the truth about them. They are permanently waiting.

The front office has to learn its role as well. Draft with a purpose. Sign free agents that make the team better. Make trades that will impact the rotation. Far too many decisions have been made over the last 3 years that feel like they were throwing things at a wall in an attempt to see what sticks. Bad process rarely gets rewarded.

Roles matter. Decisions matter. Basketball isn't played in a vacuum away from coaching and front office decisions. If Dallas wants to avoid the slow downward slope they've been on since June of 2011, things must change immediately.

Wright is Might? Moneyball Roundtable

KirkHenderson — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:23:11 -0000

Brandan Wright has become a hot topic of discussion around Mavsland, provoking a variety of opinions. The MMB post game email Tuesday was one long lament of opportunity lost, much of it surrounding Mr. Wright. Some questions were posed to the staff about Wright, and here's what everyone had to say.

What is Brandan Wright's role on the current Dallas squad?

Andy: Here's the thing about Wright: no one will ever convince me that there isn't a way to play a guy who makes basically every shot he shoots, basically all the time. He averaged 61% in both Feb and March and he did it with finesse moves against skilled defenders. I think if everyone looked into their souls they'd find they were being pretty inconsistent with which players they decided could or could not be played because they weren't two way players. Play him. Play him with Dirk, they play great together. Play him 25-30 minutes a night, he's one of the only talented young players on a team that has none. You want to whine about how bad the defense is with him? Yeah, great, the Mavs ranking at #27 in points allowed is probably all his fault. Cool.

Josh: Offensive savant. Shooting around or above 60 percent is nothing new for Wright, who compliments Dirk Nowitzki perfectly from an offensive standpoint. As I detailed in my post earlier this week about Wright, he's a monster in the paint, has mastered the area of the floor most NBA players miss shots and has extended his range to 15-19 feet. His improvement over one year on the offensive end has been substantial and he was a pretty damn good offensive player last year. Wright sucks up space in the middle on his pick and rolls like no other big man on the roster, freeing up Dirk for spot up looks and giving teammates open corner threes and clearer driving angles. When Wright and Dirk share the floor, according the NBA.com, they score at a pace greater than the Miami Heat, OKC Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. Now, about that defense and rebounding...

Hal: Wright blitzes opposing defenses. End of story. That's his job and he does it BRILLIANTLY. We've already talked about his extraordinary efficiency and astronomical offensive numbers with Dirk on the floor. While he and Dirk are on the court together, the offense runs so perfectly it almost sings. But with everyone else? He does fine, but I don't know if he's the offensive virtuoso that everyone seems to be claiming he is: per this awesome chart from the Two Man Game he's been both hot and cold in high minutes with all our non-Dirk major pieces (OJ Mayo, Vince, DC, even Mike James). He scores a rather ho-hum (by Dallas' measure anyway) 105 points per 100 possessions when he's not playing with Dirk on the floor. He's good, but he's not going to score us into a game by himself.

Jonathan: My favorite Wright stat is this: when he plays 20+ minutes, the Mavs are 16-8. When he doesn't, 20-30. He gives Dallas a 5 that can move his feet, catch the ball, finish above the rim and knock down free throws. Doesn't sound like much, but it actually is. Wright can just murder small-ball teams. The problem is he has a hard time matching up with legitimate big men who can punish him for being 6'10 210. If you can get away with a front-line of Wright and Dirk defensively, you're going to score a lot of points.

Tim: B-Wright is athletic, mobile, a great finisher at the rim -- basically the exact opposite than the rest of the aging Mavs front court. He's not a great fit on this team, but the Mavericks are so desperate for the qualities he brings that Carlisle really has no choice but play him. His perfect situation is next to a strong defending, above average rebounding post player, but the Mavericks don't have one of those players. The only option the Mavericks really have is to play him next to Dirk, an average post defender who, at this point of his career, is a below average rebounder. As of late, Carlisle's been able to get away against this lineup, but then you'll have games where Carlos Boozer has a career night and there's nothing you can do about it.

Kirk: I see his role as basic - hit shots, play excellent help defense, and basically don't hurt the Mavericks while he's on the floor. I've enjoyed seeing him improve on defense, because it means Rick Carlisle will keep him out there more for offense. I understand and tend to agree with Andy's point about him making all of his shots, because it means he is a net positive no matter how bad his defense is, but it's going to be hard to convince any coach to keep a guy out there who hurts the team defensive structure.

What is Wright's value, both now and moving forward?

Tim: He definitely has value for the Mavs because they're still not going to have an athletic, mobile center who can finish at the rim next year, either. However, it's possible other teams who have that big, rebounding forward to pair with him would value him even more than the Mavericks would.

Hal: Wright and Dirk could totally play at least 25 minutes a game together, and even if their defense together is bad, that pairing has outscored opponents by a whopping 18 points per 100 possessions over the last 12 games. That sounds, to me, like the perfect off-the-bench combo. Forget Vince as the sixth man we know and love, make it Wright. He still has lots of value as someone who can just a beat another team into submission.

The problem with that plan is that Wright needs a really specific set of circumstances to be valuable. He needs a superstar (Dirk style) to suck in help defense away from the ball to allow Wright more or less a clear path to the basket on the pick and roll. Even when someone makes the mistake of helping off of Dirk, Wright is a good enough elbow facilitator to make them pay. But take Dirk out of the equation and Wright doesn't know how to respond to the help defense, and he flounders. The other thing that has to happen to really take advantage of Wright's skill set is we need to run. Thanks to Collison and Mayo, The Mavs can do that plenty, but neither has had the presence of mind to actually take advantage of Wright's athleticism in that context, and running like that really takes Dirk out of his comfort zone.

So I think his value next season depends on who else we pick up. He played such limited minutes in the beginning of the season that I can't confirm this, but I think that if the Mavs can build a pseudo-small-ball type bench squad, Wright could be a really, really valuable bench piece. But if they don't, they end up with a solid contributor who will forever be just slightly out of place, and a great asset to dangle in front of a team that could use him perfectly (think Rockets, Nuggets, Heat). And that's not bad either.

Kirk: For the past month, he's been the most important non-Dirk big man Dallas has had. Every post player in Dallas has had their day in the sun; Kaman started the year brilliantly, Brand had a fantastic January and December, Wright has been the guy for part of February and March. I just can't figure out where he fits long term. He IS young, and big men develop late, but his frame limits his ceiling, no matter how small the NBA trends. I see him being a rotation big man, probably not a starter, but a guy who grabs 20-25 minutes a game for most of his career. Dallas uses him in space around the dead zone of 5-15 feet and he excels. I'm not sure where else he gets these sorts of chances.

Jonathan: Wright's best used as a backup 4/5 whose minutes vary depending on the match-up. He's only 25 years old and he's a 6'10 guy who can play, so you might as well keep him around if you can. Not like there are too many other great front-court options on this team right now.

Andy: If the Mavs aren't going to commit to playing and developing Wright, they shouldn't keep him. If they're serious about him being a big part of what they do, they should. Keep him and Mayo and have some young talent for once, for god's sake. Think about all the Dwight Howards you won't be getting because of that otherwise committed money, then get over it because it wasn't ever going to happen anyway. Don't think he's a good center? Cool, play him at PF and get a good center. Stop bothering me.

Josh: This is the toughest question. How do you value a player who is elite in the pick and roll and finishing around the rim and in the paint, but that's about it? Wright can't shoulder an offensive load, you can't throw the ball to him in the post or on the wing and let him work --- almost all of his offense is from kick outs, dive cuts, rolling hard on picks and offensive rebounds. Actually, that's exactly what Dwight Howard and Tyson Chandler have done to become elite centers and garner fat paychecks. The problem: Wright isn't even close to being on their level defensively. It's hard to guess how much teams will pay for such a one-trick pony like Wright, but damn, that one trick is pretty solid. In today's spread attack and drive-and-kick NBA landscape, Wright has an extremely valuable skill. If team's feel he can get better on the other end (improve his defensive and rebounding techniques, bulk up) and he could, since he's 25, I'd imagine a team will overpay the 3-years, $10 million I feel is an acceptable amount. But who knows in this new luxury tax-driven NBA world.

Do you offer him a contract? If so for how long? What about a sign and trade?

Josh: As mentioned before, Wright has a fit on the team, is 25 and one of the only youthful pieces that have shown some actual progression from the start of his Mavericks tenure. Is he the starting center next to Dirk for the next 5 years? Of course not. But he can be a valuable weapon off the bench or in certain starting matchups in the regular season and playoffs. If the years and money are relatively low (I think the Mavs would jump at another two-year deal) I think they take it when the free agent class dries up. But Wright's played his way into a longer deal and the Mavs won't have none of that with the free agent class of 2014 looming.

Kirk: This is a dicey question because it relates back to what you think his ceiling is as a player. I appreciate his growth, but he's not a starting center long term. Dallas can and has stolen minutes for him and I love how he and Dirk play together. But I also think that's something other teams can game plan against. We saw in 2011 how well Dirk played with a true rim defender, and Wright isn't that. I don't know how to determine his market value and I honestly think using him as an asset in a sign and trade is the best move for Dallas. Then again, what do I know?

Jonathan: If you look around at the salaries of backup big men in the NBA, Wright probably fits in somewhere between what Darrell Arthur got from the Grizzlies (3 years, $10 million) and what Joel Anthony (5 years, $18 million) got from the Heat. I'd be comfortable w/any contract in that range. As for the trading angle, I'm not sure you're going to get much out of a sign-and-trade on an unrestricted free agent. At the time, it seemed like the Mavs got a decent deal for Ian Mahinmi in Darren Collison, but we all know how that turned out.

Andy: I offer him a 3 year, 12 million dollar contract. Someone might offer him more than that, based on potential, but I have a feeling that the days when people overpaid for moderate potential rather than overwhelming potential or realized talent, are over. Has Wright ever even made a million? He's had a PER north of 21 for two years. Teams need all kinds of things, Wright can provide some of them.

Tim: Not my area of expertise. I can't imagine the Mavericks wouldn't offer him a contract, but what matters is how much other teams offer him. It all goes back to what his value is

Hal: I offer him 2 year, 7 million. Sign and trade if the offer is appealing, but the only reasonable offer that I see the Mavs getting for Wright would be MAYBE Andre Miller, and that's a LONG SHOT to say the least (though it's a hell of a pipe dream). But if the Nuggets wanted to clear the cap sheet a little bit and pack another running big into the lineup, Wright would make sense. Otherwise I say hang on and keep using him with Dirk to blitz defenses and hope he develops to be a guy who can respectively defend and hold his own without a superstar.

Any parting thoughts on Wright?

Jonathan: Wright has got a 7'4 wingspan, a 30+ inch vertical and a really soft touch around the rim. That 21.3 PER is no accident. He can play basketball. And if you look back at the season, it's no coincidence the Mavs best two stretches (the start and the last 2-3 weeks) have coincided with him in the starting line-up. I remember the game when Carlisle first started playing Troy Murphy over him and I told my friend, next press conference, I'm going to make my shoes off and chuck them at his head like he's George Bush.

Tim: I really like Wright, and honestly, who wouldn't? He can sky for alley-oops and his mid-range jumper developed into a weapon out of nowhere this season. He has some glaring weaknesses, yes, but he's absolutely an 20+ minutes per game player in the NBA for the next several years, at least. I'm not sure the Mavericks are the right team for him and my gut says he'll leave to go somewhere else where he does fit better and is assured more consistency in his usage. If the team feels he'd be able to bulk up and improve his strength and rebounding over the next few years, then they gotta keep him here in Dallas, especially with Dirk's minutes decreasing at the 4 spot. Otherwise, as much as I love him, he's not crucial to this team moving forwards. I'd love to hold onto him and the Mavericks definitely still could, but it's not crucial.

Andy: Every single Mavs fan everywhere, apparently, believes the Mavs should only invest in complete players who are amazing, apparently failing to notice that they haven't managed to get basically anybody at all for two years. You've got a good thing here, Mavs fans. Don't overthink it.

Hal: I really like him, but the fact that he's been almost the most prolific in Mike James pick and rolls worries me. I think this is an indication that he has a hard time figuring out offense without the guidance of a veteran, and just having a real point guard might fix this completely, but just the sentence "most prolific in Mike James..." gives me the heebie jeebies. We'll have to see how his development goes.

Kirk: I'm grateful he got a second chance after a disastrous rookie contract run. That he took full advantage of it in Dallas is a testament to his growth as a player and his character as a person. Unless Dallas can lock him up for something reasonable, I'm afraid his time as a Maverick may be drawing to a close. Wright has been a bright spot in a season that has been challenging to watch. I look forward to watching him play, even if that means him not being in a Maverick uniform.

Josh: He's a unique and fascinating player that the Mavs haven't had in quite some time -- a combination of youth and athleticism materialized in the way all fans wished Rodrigue Beabuois would develop. Wright has been one of the few youth success stories this Mavericks franchise has had in some time. I'll always remember that. And the oops. The wonderful, ridiculous oops.

See the Future: Show Down In Los Angeles

KirkHenderson — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:21:24 -0000

It all comes down to Los Angeles. Of course it does. After a brutal 11 game stretch, the Mavericks head out on the road for their final trip of the season to LA, Denver, Sacramento and Portland.

For weeks, every game Dallas has played has felt like a must win. On March 11th I wrote:

This is the schedule of Dallas over the next 13 games: the Bucks, Cavaliers, Spurs, Thunder, Hawks, Nets, Celtics, Jazz, Clippers, Pacers, Bulls, Lakers, Nuggets. One team under .500 with only two of the thirteen opponents not making the playoffs. The Mavs have some hope as only five of these 13 are on the road, but I can only see five to eight games Dallas has a real chance of winning.

The Mavericks were on fire the month of March, having the franchise's third best shooting month in the history of the organization. 11 games into this brutal stretch, Dallas is 7-4, ready to tie and surpass my prediction from 3 weeks ago.

So what do we say about this game against the Lakers in Los Angeles? If they don't win, it would take a miracle for Dallas to make the playoffs. Despite the Lakers having a tough road to finish the season, it's actually Utah who has the best chance to head to the post season, with tie breakers over both LA and Dallas and the easiest schedule.

A must win, on the road, against the Lakers after a week with two of the most exciting wins of the season for the Mavericks against the Clippers and Bulls. The Lakers have dealt with injuries all season; now that Pau Gasol is back, former Maverick Steve Nash is considered doubtful with a hamstring issue. Metta World Peace is effectively out for the season after tearing his meniscus. That leaves coach Mike D'Antoni with an even thinner bench than usual.

However, the Lakers still boast the aforementioned Gasol, all universe shooting guard Kobe Bryant, who is playing his best basketball in years, and Dwight Howard, who finally, finally looks like a dominating center after a mostly futile year.

The Mavericks handled LA on opening day, but have lost the two most recent match ups. Dirk Nowitzki is playing like a man possessed, and his teammates are feeding off his play (imagine that). Heck, even the mighty Mike James is talking about playing two more years (with Dallas. Oh God no. Why? Let's hope that was an April Fool's Joke).

In order to win tonight, the Mavericks must contain Howard on the boards, force Bryant into tough shots, and take advantage of times when the Lakers do not have all three super stars on the floor. A big game from Mayo would be nice, but is not needed. The ball must go to Dirk early and often. Dallas can win this game. Heck, Dallas should win this game.

They still might not make the playoffs. That's okay. These last few weeks have been fun. A lot of fun, actually. And fun wasn't a word we associated with last season or the first half of this one. Maybe things won't turn out like we want them to, but you can count on the fact that this team will not go quietly.

See you all tonight in the game thread!

Dallas and Cents: Dirk Will Save Us

KirkHenderson — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:18:47 -0000

Before getting to the links, I awoke this morning to the above photo-shopped picture of everyone's favorite German, Dirk Nowitzki. The picture was made by a college friend of mine and Blazer fan, Jeffrey Rozman. He actually sent me this gem as well, but it didn't look as sharp on as the main photo...

Dirk Easter (via crazykirk35)

So thanks Jeff, this was a fun photo. And it's also the perfect transition into our first link.

1.) The fantastic folks at Deadspin put together a picture history of Dirk's beard here. I keep expecting something to jump out of it, like a hawk or something.

2.) Kelly Dwyer over at Yahoo's Ball Don't Lie with a good take on Lamar Odom's confused position on apologies and responsibility.

3. This

Point fingers & talk shit, I can handle it!!
— Matt Barnes (@Matt_Barnes22) March 27, 2013

We WILL sir. We will.

via assets.sbnation.com

4. The comments from Blake Griffin and the Clippers regarding the offensive foul Griffin committed at the end of regulation are absurd. Let's chat more about all the terrible calls that went against Dallas and were either missed or incorrectly called throughout the game. Dallas beat the Clippers.

via assets0.ordienetworks.com

5. Grantland has another little bit about Dallas worth checking out.

6. Want a Mavs Moneyball shirt? Of course you do. Hit us up in the comments for any suggestions about item designs if you have any

7. Ron Artest is out indefinitely with a knee injury. I hate to see anyone get hurt, but I'd be lying if I said this was anything but good for the Dallas playoff hopes. The Lakers can't defend anyone and having a solid defender go down only makes them worse.

Lamar Odom Returns to Dallas

KirkHenderson — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:58:29 -0000

Last season was a frustrating one for every person associated with the Dallas Mavericks. There was the lockout, Tyson Chandler going to New York, an out of shape Dirk Nowitzki, and eventually losing to the Thunder in four playoff games in humiliating fashion. Oh, and there was the season long debacle involving one Lamar Joseph Odom.

You remember him, right? The Lakers sent him to Dallas in exchange for a future first round draft pick (now owned by the Thunder) and an $8.9 million trade exception. During 50 games with Dallas he posted new career lows across nearly every statistical measure: 6.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 35% shooting and only 20 minutes per game.

I remember being actively excited, because Lamar Odom had been a heck of a basketball player for the Lakers for a number of years and was the reigning sixth man of the year. He wasn't Tyson Chandler, but he was a brilliant basketball player who might help push the Mavericks towards position-less basketball. Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, and Lamar Odom had me drooling in anticipation. Pick and rolls for everyone, everywhere.

Then the games started. It took him until the fifth game of the season to shoot above 20% from the field. He was clearly out of shape but with the lockout schedule the only solution was for him to play his way into shape. He'd have flashes every now and again, where we saw the player he used to be. Then, just before the All Star break, he got permission from the team to go take care of his father who was supposedly on his death bed. The only problem was, his father wasn't dying.

After the All Star Break, Odom returned to Dallas and resumed his mediocre play. Then on March 23rd, Odom received his first ever "Did Not Play: Coach's Decision" in a double digit loss to the Spurs. From there, everything spiraled out of control quickly. The Khloe and Lamar show resumed on E! and it detailed just how unhappy Odom was about his trade to Dallas and clearly indicated how little respect he was giving his opportunity in Dallas, despite the semi-scripted nature of the show.

On April 7th, he had an argument with owner Mark Cuban during halftime; apparently Cuban challenged his commitment to the team and Lamar did not respond in a manner that befit a paid professional. Odom was sent home for the remainder of the season. ESPN's Tim MacMahon called him "one of the biggest disgraces in Dallas sports history". The players later voted to NOT give Lamar Odom any share of the player's playoff money, a move which spoke volumes about how his teammates felt about his effort despite playing 50 games that season.

There were questions as to whether fans being upset with Odom's clear lack of effort was even fair. He'd lost a cousin in the off season and a SUV he was riding in took the life of a teenage cyclist. There's also the question as to whether our anger was even fairly directed; after all, it was the front office who brought Odom to Dallas despite being aware of his mental frame of mine. We had also just seen first hand that previous spring the decline of Odom's physical skills as Peja Stojakovic was able to successfully guard Odom during the Mavericks four game sweep of the Lakers.

He returns to Dallas Tuesday evening as part of the high flying Los Angeles Clippers. He's been a middling performer at best, but with a team as stack as the Clippers they mainly need him to not be horrible. Chances are he won't see significant playing time, but as we all know this is a game the Mavericks cannot afford to lose (that basically applies to every game from here until the end of the season).

Few things get me more riled up that a professional athlete's entitlement. Odom had the chance to contribute to a special team, but chose to be part of the problem instead of part of the solution. Does it matter that "Lam Lam" is coming back to Dallas? Probably not. But a year later, I still get irrationally angry thinking about his time in a Maverick uniform.

Dallas Final Score: Mavericks Beat the Jazz in Rout/Nailbiter,113-108

KirkHenderson — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:45:38 -0000

The Dallas Mavericks (34-36) pulled out a big win Sunday night against the Utah Jazz (34-36), winning 113 to 108. Mike James, of all people, led the Mavericks with 19 points and five assists. Paul Millsap lead the way for the Jazz in defeat, stuffing the box score with 15 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

This was an enormous win for the Mavericks, who are still two games under .500, but more importantly, are also two games out from the elusive eighth seed in the west. With just 12 games remaining, this was not a game the Mavericks could afford to lose.

The first quarter was a back and forth affair. Maverick coach Rick Carlisle opted to start Brandan Wright at center, despite the potential match up problems that a big and versatile Utah front court could cause. Al Jefferson got off to a hot start early, using his superior strength and footwork to score over Wright. O.J. Mayo kept Dallas alive early, hitting two long threes from the top of the key. Mike James, getting his eleventh start of the year, scored twice on drives in the paint and also found Shawn Marion for a sweet dime after getting his own rebound on a short three point attempt.

After a timeout and some substitutions, Wright had a ridiculous follow dunk from a Vince Carter shot that hung on the rim just a bit too long for the Jazz to grab it. Elton Brand, coming in off his first "Did Not Play - Coach's Decision" of the year, entered the game looking spry and became the first Dallas defender to challenge Jefferson on post position. Dirk Nowitzki ended the quarter for Dallas with a nasty fade away over an attempted Jazz double team. The Jazz led after one period, 27 to 24 with All Jefferson scoring 11.

The Mavericks saw their offense dry up for parts of the second quarter before rallying back to take a lead into half time. Darren Collison was able to dish two fantastic assists as a result of his own penetration. Each time Brand made a late cut from the baseline behind the backboard to the low block, making a big target Collison was able to find with ease. Dirk was finally able to tie the game at 33 a piece before Mo Williams answered back with five straight points. Utah built a 42-35 lead when Chris Kaman made a bad in bounds that lead to a Marvin Williams dunk attempt. Somehow Kaman was able to bother Williams just enough so that he missed the dunk. Collison took Kaman's outlet pass and fed Vince Carter who hit an open three to give Dallas some life.

After trading buckets for a few possessions, a Mike James corner three and a Dirk fade away near the free throw line gave Dallas a 49-48 lead. Paul Milsap answered immediately to retake the lead. Following Brand and Millsap trading buckets, Dirk hit another tough fall away, this time from the left baseline to give Dallas a 53-52 lead going into the break. Dallas managed to hold Al Jefferson scoreless for the period while Dirk lead Dallas with 11 points and 5 rebounds for the half.

The second half opened with some incredibly exciting back and forth basketball. Gordan Hayward started with a tough shot over Shawn Marion, but Dirk answered with a trailing three. Millsap looked to make up for not closing out on Dirk and immediately took back the lead with a lay up and free throw. Mayo and Millsap then traded buckets before Millsap helped the Jazz retake the lead again with a put back lay up. The next possession Dirk was doubled on the left short corner baseline area, and was able to find a cutting Marion along the right baseline for a dunk. Randy Foye answered with a three to give the Jazz a 64-62 lead. Threes from Mike Jams and Shawn Marion helped keep the game tight when the Jazz were able to keep scoring. Al Jefferson tied the game at 69 all, when Rick Carlisle called a timeout.

During the timeout, Carlisle clearly challenged Brand to make an impact defensively. Lead by Brand's defense (two huge blocks), the Mavericks only allowed two points over an eight minute stretch, starting at the 5:35 mark of the third and ending 9:37 mark of the fourth. Over that time, the Mavericks poured in 20 points, taking a decisive lead that the Jazz weren't able to recover from. With just under six minutes in the fourth, Dallas eased off a bit offensively with the score 100-80. With Dirk and most of the starters resting, the Jazz did their best to make Dallas very uncomfortable, closing to as close as three points before simply running out of time. Dallas won 113-108.

Some notes:

-Carlisle stuck with the same group over the final two minutes, despite that group letting the lead whittle away as they were unable to make even the most basic basketball decision. Breaking a press is not something NBA players have to do often, but come on guys, you're still NBA players.The ending to the game shouldn't take away from how well the team played for 42 of the 48 minutes, but yeesh, that was a terrible way to end a game. Still a win is a win.

-We're hard on Mike James here, so I feel it's important to note he's played back to back good games. On Friday he was a floor general, looking to get everyone involved. Against the Jazz he looked more to score. As long as he isn't shot hunting, I'm good with Mike James (famous last words, I know).

-The first time Dallas played Utah this season, the Mavericks were out rebounded by 20. Tonight, they lost the battle by just four rebounds, though I assume that comes from the fact that Dallas couldn't score or defend the final six minutes of the game.

-Coming off a monster performance, Brandan Wright struggled in a big way, going 3 for 11 from the field. In days gone by, when Wright couldn't score, he actively hurt Dallas because he couldn't contribute anywhere else. However, against the Jazz, his help defense was crucial and his offensive presence opened things up for other players.

-Ah Dirk fall away jumpers. I love you.

-Is O.J. Mayo still on the team? I haven't seen him in weeks.

See you all Tuesday!

0:18 remaining in the 4th	1	2	3	4	Total
Utah Jazz	27	25	19	29	100
Dallas Mavericks	24	29	30	24	107

Join the Game Thread

The Point, Foward

KirkHenderson — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 17:06:57 -0000

This was the question tossed out by Jonathan Tjarks in an email to the staff of MavsMoneyball after the Sunday night debacle against the Thunder, when Dallas wouldn't or couldn't get the ball to Dirk Nowitzki. Who has it worse than Dallas? How do they fix it? Can they?

Josh Bowe: Chicago (although that's a cheap response, not their fault), Milwaukee? Brandon Jennings isn't even playing in crunch time anymore. Kyle Lowry hasn't been the same in Toronto...that's about it. And I still think Dallas is behind all of them.

The four worst teams in the NBA (New Orleans, Charlotte, Orlando and Phoenix) all have better point guard situations than the Mavericks and that's pretty damn depressing. Unless you don't like Kemba Walker.

Andy Tobolowsky: In many ways, the only thing surprising about the Mavericks point guard situation is that it's not significantly worse. Their only point guards of note, at this point, are a guy whose last meaningful minutes were in 2007 and a guy who the Pacers valued so highly they thought they had to throw in Dahntay Jones with him to get Ian Mahinmi, third-string center extraordinaire (I know, I know, salary matching, shut up). The fact that the position is only figuratively a wasteland is almost an achievement.

That being said, some of the onus for what's going on has to fall on Rick Carlisle. Without Kidd, Carlisle obviously trust his point guards so little that he's constructed the biggest possible fences against their success. That Mike James is starting is a travesty. You can make the argument that at times James is no more crappy than Darren Collison, but Collison is approximately 40 years younger than James and a has a future and it's almost sociopathic to ignore that. The greater side effect of this stuff, though, is that Carlisle has apparently constructed an offensive system so rigid, so as to reduce the choices his point guards have to make, that they only get to look for Dirk if he's in the right place at the right time which, on this team, is insane.

Lead guard has to be on the Maverick shopping list this season. Collison, who I believe is an restricted free agent, would make a perfectly serviceable backup point or even a second guard as they sometimes do with James. But the Mavs have to get somebody they trust to QB if only so that Rick Carlisle might feel comfortable telling somebody to look for Dirk.

Kirk Henderson: I can't think of a better team with a worse situation at point guard. It's frustrating because it's the kind of thing we all saw in the pre-season but couldn't do anything about. We all wanted to believe that things could get better, mainly because Rick Carlisle is a hell of a basketball coach.

I disagree with Andy, to a point, about how Carlisle has handled the whole situation with the point guards. One would reasonably assume that a young player, particularly Collison and to a lesser extent, Rodrigue Beaubois, would get better as they played more games and learned under the tutelage of Carlisle. O.J. Mayo, who has developed some this season, came to Dallas for that very reason. But Collison is literally no better than he was to start the season. He still disappears after contact. He still can't see the big white guy at the three point line regularly. His passes are often wildly off target. I rip on Mike James a lot, but we can't really blame him for Carlisle electing to go with him more often recently. Collison is woefully inconsistent. Just check out his game log.

I have no idea what Dallas can do. Any point guard I'd like to see Dallas take will probably be gone by 13-16, which is where Dallas is most likely to draft, and fans reasonably don't want to wait for a guy to develop. I also don't like any of the free agents, though there's a strong argument to be made for Brandon Jennings. An athletic lead guard who can defend and pass the ball is a prerequisite for competing in today's NBA. We might be in for a frustrating couple of years.

Jonathan Tjarks: As Kirk was saying, if you go over the depth charts around the NBA, one thing that stands out is how deep the PG position is in terms of young and talented players. That doesn't necessarily have to be depressing for Mavs fans, because it indicates that promising young PG's come into the league all the time. Check out the last four years: 2009 (Rubio, Lawson, Holiday, Curry, Teague), 2010 (Wall, Bledsoe) and 2011 (Irving, Knight, Kemba Walker, Reggie Jackson). 2012 has already produced ROY Damian Lillard.

This year, there are two PG's in the late-lottery range: Trey Burke of Michigan and Michael Carter-Williams of Syracuse. Neither is a perfect prospect, but then again, neither was Lillard or really anyone on that list outside of Kyrie. Burke is a little small (6'0 175) and Carter-Williams can't shoot, but I think both could step in tomorrow on this Mavs roster and dramatically upgrade this team's present and future. They've both got NBA-caliber athleticism and a great feel for the game. Those are the two guys the Mavs should be watching very closely in the Tournament.

What do you think? Who has it worse in the point guard department than the Mavericks? What can they do to improve? Any and all suggestions welcome.

Poll

Is point guard the most pressing issue for the Dallas Mavericks?

Yes

94 votes

No

20 votes

114 votes | Poll has closed

For Vince Carter, Happiness as a Sixth Man

KirkHenderson — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 19:12:41 -0000

For Vince Carter, Happiness as a Sixth Man

Vince chats with the NYT about his new role

Mavs to Sign D-League Guard Chris Wright

KirkHenderson — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:32:45 -0000

According to reports Sunday night from ESPN's Marc Stein, the Mavericks are likely to sign point guard Chris Wright to a 10-day contract, filling the open roster spot created by waiving Dominique Jones:

The 6-foot-1, 210 pounder averaged 15.5 points, 7.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 37.0 minutes per game for Iowa, earning a spot in last month's D-League All-Star game in Houston.

It's also very interesting to note that Wright will be making NBA history, becoming the first player to play with multiple sclerosis:

In March 2012, Wright was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but he has continued to play in the wake of the M.S. findings and was widely considered overdue for an NBA callup based on his development at the point.

Now I don't know much, if anything about MS. Yahoo's Dan Devine provides some back ground about how Wright discovered he had the disease in rather terrifying fashion.

I'd be interested if one of our commenters can illuminate us more, first one what the diseases is and does, and second, how it might limit Wright, if at all.

In basketball terms, I doubt Wright sees a minute of game action unless Dallas is mathematically eliminated from the playoff hunt. Heck, Carlisle didn't even play his bench guys despite a 20 point lead with 6 minutes left against the Wolves.

Cutting Jones and signing Wright is an instance of hoping for the best, but planning for the worst. I don't know much about Wright, but many seem to think his call up is well past it's due date. Perhaps he can find a way to get floor time and show his worth.

Update 3:25pm Mark Followill shared this story on twitter and I wanted everyone to see it

Assuming the Mavs will sign D-League PG Chris Wright, so here's a good read about his battle w/ multiple sclerosis usat.ly/VBROqx
— Mark Followill (@MFollowill) March 11, 2013

The Fourth Quarter

KirkHenderson — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:51:05 -0000

I have been a season long negative Nancy and it's irritated more than a few of our loyal readers. To a degree, this is more or less how I am with sports. I remember feeling broken after the 2011 playoff game in Portland when Brandon Roy went nuts. I probably felt relief more than joy when Dallas finally won in Miami later that year. I got into writing after having day long melt downs during Odomgate in 2012.

But I can also get swept up in the moment. A three game win streak! I've been delighted as anyone over these past three games. They're four games back from both the final playoff spot and from getting to .500. Utah is free falling and so are the Warriors! The Mavs have some momentum on their side! They can make the playoffs!

Can't they? Can't they?

Well. I suppose they can. Most of the experts will tell you that if this situation were to play out 10 times, the Mavericks would not make the playoffs 9 out of those times. But to that many of us will respond, "So what? I believe. This team just needs to get a little run going. It IS possible. I was around for 2011, you know."

I commend this response, and I wish I were the type of person who could get on board with this. But I can't, mainly due to the upcoming slate of games.

This is the schedule of Dallas over the next 13 games: the Bucks, Cavaliers, Spurs, Thunder, Hawks, Nets, Celtics, Jazz, Clippers, Pacers, Bulls, Lakers, Nuggets. One team under .500 with only two of the thirteen opponents not making the playoffs. The Mavs have some hope as only five of these 13 are on the road, but I can only see five to eight games Dallas has a real chance of winning. Given how far back they are in the standings, this is not enough.

After that, Dallas closes out the season playing five of seven games against lottery bound teams, though both Portland and New Orleans, who Dallas faces twice, play the Mavericks very well. I suspect Dallas finishes the season between 38 to 41 wins, just a hair under .500.

They are obviously going to keep fighting, but the last two wins feel like a bit of fool's gold. The Pistons and Wolves are not good basketball teams, terrible in ways that we Dallas fans should be thankful we do not have to experience. Our Mavericks have problems that lie in execution and cohesion. They have the talent, but the pieces don't work well together just frequently enough to hurt the bottom line.

I think the most likely outcome is Dallas going .500 over the remainder of the year. They'll win some, they'll lose more, and Dallas will miss the playoffs for the first time since I was a sophomore in high school.

Am I wrong? What do you think happens?

Mavericks Final Score: Mavs Punish Wolves,100-77

KirkHenderson — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 18:03:34 -0000

The Dallas Mavericks (29-33) traveled north Sunday night to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves (21-39) where they won in convincing fashion, 100-77. Vince Carter lead Dallas, putting up 22 points and 9 rebounds off of the bench. Derrick Williams lead the Wolves, scoring 18 and grabbing 9 rebounds.

The Mavericks now boast a three game win streak and have won two road games in a row for the first time since December 6th and 8th where they beat the Suns and Rockets. Dallas is still hoping to reach the playoffs with 20 games remaining.

The game began ugly, with the teams scoring a combined 13 points in the first six minutes of game action. The Maverick starters took and missed a number of long jumpers, with only Chris Kaman able to find the bottom of the rim in the first few minutes of game action. At the four minute mark, Carlisle went with a mass substitution, bringing out four of the five starters, leaving only O.J. Mayo on the court. Vince Carter and Darren Collison helped bring the Mavericks to life, Carter with two jump shots and a sweet assist to Brandan Wright for a dunk and Collison through increasing the tempo and helping bring the Mavericks to life. Dallas ended the quarter up 21 to 20, boosted by strong defensive play around the rim and excellent ball control, posting no turnovers in the period.

The Mavericks exploded in the first half of the second quarter with a 14-0 run. Tempo from Collison and shot making from Vince Carter and Dirk Nowitzki were the themes of the period. Though Dallas kept up the pace offensively, Dallas let the Wolves back in the game after pushing the lead to 18 points. After not turning the ball over once in the first 17 minutes of the game, the Mavericks turned it over four times in the final seven minutes of the second quarter. Though the Wolves were not able to get the Dallas lead back to single digits, mental lapses by Dallas gave Minnesota some hope as Dallas took a 56-44 lead into half time. Dallas shot 54% for the half, including 6 of 12 from deep.

The third began like the first: ugly shots from Dallas with Chris Kaman the only Maverick able to hit a shot. Minnesota was not able to put together any sort of run and slowly but surely Dallas re-extended the lead. Every player chipped in throughout the period, but the offensive rebounding from Elton Brand and Vince Carter really stood out. With the exception of a few broken plays resulting in points, the Timberwolves were simply unable to find the bottom of the net, scoring only 17 in the quarter as Dallas pushed its lead from 12 to 17, finishing the quarter 78-61.

The fourth quarter was simply a matter of getting to the final buzzer. The Wolves were unable to get any shots to fall, only scoring 16 in the period. Meanwhile, the Mavericks continued to score at will. The final margin of 100-77 could have been much worse, but the Mavericks were unable to convert some fast break chances and missed a shocking number of attempts at the rim, particularly in the final few minutes of the quarter.

Some notes:

-I miss J.J. Barea. Don't you?

-O.J. Mayo is playing fine basketball, so it was scary when he turned his ankle in the 3rd quarter. Luckily he was able to return, though he'll likely be sore for days.

-Be weary of taking too much away from this game. Minnesota has experience some horrible luck this year when it comes to injuries.

-That said, I have to praise Darren Collison. I don't much care for his game, mainly due to how inconsistent he is. When he's locked in, as he was tonight. he's a game changer for Dallas. His 8 assists help break this game open.

-Oh Vince Carter, what would we do with out you?

-Dirk fade away sighting in the third! Did you see it? He was curling up towards the elbow, got the pass, immediately spun shifting his momentum, and fired off a fantastic fade away that left Derrick Williams guffawing.

Final - 3.10.2013	1	2	3	4	Total
Dallas Mavericks	21	35	22	22	100
Minnesota Timberwolves	20	24	17	16	77

Complete Coverage >

See the Future: Dallas at Detroit, Game 61

KirkHenderson — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:05:35 -0000

Our Dallas Mavericks (27-33) start their second to last road trip of the season by heading to Detroit to face the lottery bound Pistons (24-30). It's odd to think that our once mighty Mavs are a mere three games ahead of the Pistons but here we are.

The Pistons are without star rookie big man Andre Drummond, who is out for the rest of the year dealing with back issues. The Mavs won the first match up way back on December 1st, 92-77. O.J. Mayo scored 27 and Elton Brand chipped in 17, while Brandon Knight put up 20 points in the loss.

The Mavericks are still technically in the playoff conversation, having not yet been mathematically eliminated, but they are still six games under .500 with only 21 games remaining. Ten of those 21 games are on the road, where Dallas has only won 10 out of 31 games.

However, they start this road trip against a struggling Pistons team, which has won only twice since the All-Star break. Though many of us are in disagreement about the route Dallas should take moving forward, we all agree the team is much better than it's record and should win against a less talented Detroit team.

My attention against the Pistons will be focused on the back court match ups. Assuming Carlisle sticks with what worked Wednesday, Mike James should begin on former Raptor Jose Calderon. Though not as spry as many of the Western conference guards the Mavericks have seen as of late, Calderon is an adept manager of the offense and could cause Dallas problems with his ability to see the floor. Neither he nor James has much defensive ability, though, so as long as James handles the ball well, he should have a fine game.

Brandon Knight has shifted from the primary ball handler to sharing the role with Caulderon. As a result, O.J. Mayo will probably see most of his time guarding Knight. Mayo is coming off his best performance of the year, an understated game where his impact was felt throughout the box score. Mayo should expect more of a challenge defensively against the Pistons though, as his man will be handling the ball more often. Another solid performance would go a long way towards assuaging my fears that Dallas will be forced into overpaying a player reaching his ceiling.

"Rookie" Kyle Singler will see a heavy dose of Shawn Marion. Singler is a multi-position player who is capable of hurting an opponent in a variety of ways. But with Shawn Marion playing all universe defense recently, I expect Singler to remain under wraps for most of the game. Offensively, I expect we'll see a running Marion, similar to his performance against the Rockets. His baskets in transition were huge in terms of keeping the Dallas offense humming.

The Pistons have a variety of power forward options to try out against Dirk Nowitzki, none of whom should be very effective. Carrolton Newman Smith product Jason Maxiell (this guy was terrifying in high school) has been getting the start as of late, but he's been relatively in effective. Swedish product (and personal favorite of Mr. Seriousface) Jonas Jerebko and Charlie Villanueva should also get a shot at keeping Dirk in check. Mr. Nowitzki may have problems keeping up laterally with any of these giys, but none pose a devastating threat to Dallas.

With Drummond out, that leaves talented big man Greg Monroe patrolling the paint. Though he's a bit tentative as a defender, he possesses the post skills to cause Dallas major problems. In the previous match up he scored 15 points yet only shot 4 of 17 from the floor, missing a ridiculous number of chippies in the paint. Don't expect that sort of performance again against a Dallas defense that is prone to defensive lapses. Despite his solid performance against the Rockets, I suspect Rick Carlisle may turn to other options to keep Monroe from getting comfortable early.

The battle of the benches is no contest, with Vince Carter, Elton Brand and Darren Collison trumping the talent of the struggling Rodney Stuckey or the plucky Will Bynum. I am interested in seeing former Missouri product Kim English, who was selected in the second round this last summer. Darren Collison should play with a little more awareness. His defensive effort Wednesday was quite terrible; every time he went into the game Houston went on a run. He might not like coming off the bench, but that's too bad. He needs to show he's worth committing to long term and his wildly inconsistent play this season has done nothing of the sort.

I expect Dallas should come out with a victory, but given their road woes this season, it will probably be closer than will be comfortable.

Join us tonight for the game thread!

See the Future: Dallas vs Houston, Game 60

KirkHenderson — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 02:36:22 -0000

Though Uncle Ricky insists Dallas isn't out of the playoff race, I think most of us have resigned to the inevitable. So what does Dallas have to play for? Tanking is out of the question (as much as I support the concept)... which leaves pride, as Tim MacMahon wrote on Monday for ESPN Dallas.

Which got me thinking about this classic scene from Cool Runnings

I see pride. I see jump shooting. I see a bad &#$ German who won't take nothing off of no body.

But where does that leave Dallas against a team with seriously amazing offensive fire power?

Frankly I don't know. But I can tell you what we won't see: lay-up drills, a three point barrage, and an opposing score above 110 points. I expect we'll see hard fouls, a slower game, and Dirk playing like he has something to prove.

Carlisle's mentioned that all of the Dallas players are essentially auditioning for consideration by the front office to return to Dallas. And frankly, with only two players definitely under contract in 2013-2014 the younger players like O.J. Mayo and Darren Collison have much to prove.

Limiting the free throw attempts by Houston will be key if Dallas hopes to keep it close. Jeremy Lin and James Harden scored 42 points on 24 shots on the strength of solid three point shooting and 14 free throws. Second, Dallas has to find ways to ensure the role players of Houston don't kill them. Chandler Parsons shooting 12 for 13 from the field is inexcusable.

Offensively, Dallas has to limit the turnovers, which is not a new issue. Mayo and Collison played nearly turnover free games on Sunday, yet nearly everyone else on the roster found ways to turn the ball over. Other than the turnovers, the Mavericks played well, particularly shooting the ball.

I don't know if Dallas can win, or if they should, but they will certainly try. I expect a close game Wednesday.

Poll

Which factor is key for a Dallas victory?

Limiting turnovers

6 votes

Dirk shooting well

4 votes

Preventing a parade to the free throw line

8 votes

Less Mike James

11 votes

James Harden not playing

36 votes

65 votes | Poll has closed

What Free Agent Ranks Highest on Your Wist List?

KirkHenderson — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 21:05:21 -0000

This has been a hard week for all of us. Let's revisit some of the reasons why...

1.) I wrote an article on tanking, which made some of you folks very, very angry.

2.) Mike James played basketball

3.) Darren Collison forgot how to play basketbal

4.) Dallas has now lost three games in a row, each in a new and different way, all painful.

With that said, I got to talking on the internet... we need to look forward not back. I was going to post a poll asking "Which of you have been personally victimized by a Mike James jump shot?" but I didn't want to break SB Nation. So I've changed my idea to a poll about free agents.

I know everyone wants Dwight Howard and Chris Paul. Due to logic, let's not include them because if it does happen, we're all going to be very excited. But it probably won't happen, so everyone needs to adjust their expectations accordingly.

So, here are my possible picks. Since you can only just pick one, please let me know in the comments if you have a ranking in mind or if I missed someone entirely.

Poll

Which free agent do you most want Dallas to consider this off-season?

Brandon Jennings

81 votes

Tyreke Evans

65 votes

Nikola Pekovic

96 votes

J.J. Redick

10 votes

Paul Milsap

19 votes

Jeff Teague

18 votes

Josh Smith

49 votes

David West

8 votes

Andrew Bynum

69 votes

415 votes | Poll has closed

10 Seconds or Less: How a Change in Tempo Has Kept the Mavericks' Offense Afloat

KirkHenderson — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 21:58:24 -0000

10 Seconds or Less: How a Change in Tempo Has Kept the Mavericks' Offense Afloat

Brett Koremenos takes a look at the pace of the Maverick offense

All Things Mavs. Vs Bucks

KirkHenderson — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:40:55 -0000

Dallas loses again, this time wasting huge performances from Dirk and Elton Brand

+ With a 95-90 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, your Dallas Mavericks are now 26-31 on the season. Here's their next four games: at Memphis, at Brooklyn, at Houston, vs. Houston. It's probably time to table the playoff discussion. At this point, are they even going to be able to shave their .500 beards? Of their 16 games in March, only 3 are against non-playoff teams. That's why all this tanking talk is a bit premature, by the end of the month, I'm not sure anyone's going to be able to tell the difference.

+ If there's a positive to take out of this game, it's Dirk. We'll see how he responds on the second night of a back-to-back tomorrow, but that's two straight games where he's looked like the All-NBA player we all remember. This was his first 20/20 game since 2003! He was active, attacking the glass and hitting some of his customary one-legged fade-aways. At the very least, it will be fun to watch one of the greatest players of all-time get back to work over the rest of the season. Enjoy it while you can Mavs fans.

+ While Darren Collison had a decent 8 assist to 3 turnover ratio tonight, this game is exactly why I've pretty much given up on him. He just doesn't seem to have a great feel for the action, in terms of when to slow it down and run the offense to get the right guys shots. Dirk was 8/16 and Collison was 5/15 ... that should never happen. If you've got 100% Dirk on the floor, there's really no excuse for getting a bad shot in a half-court set, yet Collison sure seems to find himself taking a lot of them. He's also an inconsistent perimeter shooter and a sub-par defender. How many starting PG's in the NBA is Collison better than? That's an honest question.

+ If you enjoy small guards with questionable shot selection, than you were in paradise on Tuesday night. Milwaukee check-raised the Collison/James duo with Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis. The Jennings/Ellis experiment really hasn't gone all that well, which isn't exactly the most shocking development in the world. If I was the Bucks, I would start JJ Redick tomorrow and stagger Jennings and Ellis minutes as much as possible. They desperately need Redick on the floor because the floor spacing for their starters is terrible. I'm really not surprised the Mavs got out to an 11-0 start because the Bucks had Jennings (iffy shooter), Ellis (terrible shooter) and Mbah A Moute (terrible shooter) on the perimeter.

+ Not exactly a showcase performance for Jennings, huh? I'd still take him over Ellis, who might have the worst shot selection in the NBA, but Jennings sure doesn't look like a guy you need to break the bank for in free agency. Watching Jennings and Collison go head-to-head really makes you appreciate Tony Parker, because speed isn't enough to be an efficient player in the NBA. Parker is just automatic on those floaters while the two PG's we watched tonight ... are not.

+ If Dallas had won the game, the story would have been the dominating rebounding performance from Elton Brand and Dirk. Those two looked like they got hooked up to a Hot Tub Time Machine tonight. Brand matched Dirk's 20/20 with a 12/14 night of his own. I'm kind of ambivalent about keeping a 33-year old on the downside of his career around long-term, but I guess I could live with Brand coming back next season on a minimum salary contract.

+Going in the opposite direction is Chris Kaman, who really doesn't look like he has a place on this team. The Mavs rotation at the 5 makes sense to me: Sarge James starts and provides a defensive presence, Brand is your all-around guy and Wright is someone you can bring off the bench for an instant offensive boost. Kaman might be useful to bang around with someone like Marc Gasol tomorrow, but for the most part, I think he's best used as a seat warmer going forward. Josh Bowe had some good thoughts on his role on the team today.

+I've been a huge Wright proponent for most of the season, and while he had his customary hyper-efficient offensive night (4-6 for 10 points in 11 minutes) on Tuesday, I can see why he exasperates Carlisle so much. The guy just cannot play solid individual defense. Whenever he's isolated, you can just tell he's hoping his man bails him out by passing. He let Mbah A Moute take him off the dribble and get an and-1 at the end of the first half. That's impressive. I don't feel like looking up his Synergy stats, but I don't imagine Mbah A Moute's 1-on-1 offense rates very highly.

+ Anthony Morrow played only 4 minutes tonight and looked pretty lost out there. I love his shooting, but he's a SG on a team with OJ Mayo and Vince Carter, so I don't know if they'll be able to find him minutes. Maybe he can take Jae Crowder's, but at some point, Dallas has to play their young players.

+ Looking back at it now, maybe they should have held on to Dahntay Jones. He's a guy you could have thrown on Ellis when he got hot in the fourth quarter; the Mavs don't really have perimeter stopper. Now, if a PG or a SG goes off, Marion is the only guy who might be able to slow them down and you really need his defense in the front-court. I just saw a replay of Monta's game-winning shot with less than a minute left; he shot over Collison like he was a chair. Ugh.

Dallas Tank Commander 2: Return of the Tank Master

KirkHenderson — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:08:38 -0000

Around the start of 2013, Andy and I had a lively discussion on the value of tanking (you can reacquaint yourself with my old argument here, if you desire). At the time, Dallas was 7 games below .500 at 13-20, Dirk was looking like crap, and the team was a steaming pile of boring. They were the kind of bad that isn't even fun to watch or talk about. They were irrelevant.

Fast forward nearly two months. Dallas is 5 games under .500 at 25-30. They've played twenty-two games and made up 2 games. With 27 remaining, the likelihood of making up anymore ground is ridiculously small. In fact, the good people here at SB Nation took a look at the chances of everyone in the West...

It's as if the Basketball Gods want us to fully expunge the Blazers and Mavericks from our concern. Dallas has 14 home games remaining... and 11 come against playoff teams or the Lakers. We project the Mavericks to go 13-14 on the way out for a 38-44 record.

19 of the next 27 Dallas opponents have records above .500. Even factoring in Dirk's quality play as of late, Dallas doesn't have what it takes to make the playoffs. Hollinger's playoff odds have Dallas at 10%. This isn't me being a jerk, this is me looking at the probabilities and saying it's not worth winning games anymore.

A 38-44 record puts Dallas out of the lottery. It's no-man's land for drafting. What is the point of that?

I listened to the arguments last time I posted this when Dallas had a chance. They made sense; there nearly two thirds of the season remained. Tanking was stupid then. It's not stupid now. But, in case you disagree with me, let's go one by one, with all the arguments I've heard.

1. Dallas has built a culture of success. Tanking sends a bad message to any potential free agents.

Dallas has made the playoffs every year since 2001. They've been to two finals, winning one. One bad year does not erase all of the excellent brand recognition that Dallas has built up since Mark Cuban purchased the team.

2. The team should keep trying to win games so certain players can continue to build up trade value.

This specifically has to do with Darren Collison, O.J. Mayo and any other younger talent that Dallas has. Let's just put it this way, if these guys were worth a bounty in free agency, Dallas would have played better and won more games than they currently have. I like all of these younger players, but each is really limited. Collison is not a top 15 point guard. O.J. Mayo has tons of talent, but he's regressed to the mean as the year has progressed. Brendan Wright is a lot of fun, but can't play more than 20 minutes a night. Any value they have isn't going to disappear if Dallas loses 20 games instead of the 14 they are predicted to.

3. This draft is historically weak.

Ugh, I hate this argument so much. It's a reflexive one made by people because they hear it on TV or read stories about it. There is always value in a draft. What I predict happening, if Dallas keeps on this current course of mediocre, is that the player the front office targets during pre-draft scouting goes off the board 2-3 picks before Dallas selects. Now you tell me, is winning 2-5 games now more worth potentially losing out on a player that could help for years? Michael Carter-Williams, Alex Poythress, Trey Burke... these are guys that could help Dallas right now.

4. Dallas needs a veteran star though, not a draft pick.

Valid argeument. But as I explained in January, Dallas does not have to keep it's pick. A trade to another team for a veteran is always a possibility. Draft selections are incredibly valuable under the new collective bargaining agreement. And, due to math, the 12th selection is more valuable than the 15th selection when talking trades. This front office drives me crazy, but it certainly is creative. I'd like them to have assets to work with.

5. Tanking destroys the competitive nature of players.

What? That is not a thing. Sorry.

6. Dallas can't draft well.

So true. I think if we look critically at the Dallas draft history since the 90's they started well with Jim Jackson, Jamal Mashburn, and Jason Kidd. Then came Dirk via trade in 1998. Then after that the next decent choice was Josh Howard in 2003. In 2004 the Mavs swung Antawn Jamison for Devin Harris, and after that... well... it's been ugly. That's close to a decade of futility (sorry Rodrigue Beaubois). The other side to this argument is that they've had bad luck since anything in the 20's is a crap shoot. That's true too. Simply put, I'd like the Mavs front office to have a chance with players of value still on the board.

7. It's important that the Mavericks continue to sell tickets right now.

This is short term thinking. Mark Cuban doesn't need the money. But if Dallas continues this slow slide to terrible, they are going to have a lot harder time filling seats down the road than right now.

8. The team won't quit, it's not who they are. (edited, added post publication)

Long-time community member BeachDrifter makes this point below. I need to clarify. I'm saying this is what Dallas SHOULD do, not what they will do. He's right in that Dallas will continue to struggle till they are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson are unable to admit failure in the short term, the team is going to suffer in the long term. The Dallas Mavericks have become know for taking chances that have low probabilities of success recently. Letting Tyson Chandler walk in an attempt to sign a mega-star is one example. Continuing to play as if they have a real chance to make the playoffs is another. Trying to win now will be destructive to the franchise in the long term. There is no debate on this. Having a "Goonies Never Say Die!" approach here is just stupid. This isn't a fairly tale.

The Dallas Mavericks have absolutely nothing to play for.

Bad luck (Dirk's injuries) and poor returns on free agent signings (hey there, every move since the title run) have resulted in two piss poor seasons in a row for Dallas. They have cap room this summer. They still have Dirk Nowitzki. A good draft pick, no matter how they use it, stands a better chance of helping the team long term than winning a few more games right now.

Poll

Should Dallas tank?

Yes

51 votes

No

24 votes

No, shut up Kirk stop trolling me.

25 votes

100 votes | Poll has closed

Cuban Reportedly Upset About Derek Fisher Signing With OKC Thunder

KirkHenderson — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:21:02 -0000

Cuban Reportedly Upset About Derek Fisher Signing With OKC Thunder

The Mavs front office is reportedly irritated by Fisher signing with the Thunder after being let go at his own request.