Stop becoming more and more like Avery.

Let’s forget the crazy rotations for now.

Is it so far fetched to say, that since the start of the season, Rick has the Mavs ever so gradually playing more like they did offensively last year under Avery?

Anyone noticing the increasingly number of ISO-Dirk, ISO—Josh plays than we want to admit?  How many times a game is Kidd really “running the show” on offense, and how many times is Rick calling plays from the bench?

I honestly don’t have any sort of data to back any of this up, but after watching that performance last night, it has me wondering if it’s any coincidence that it happened when Rick left the game, and Kidd was REALLY allowed to run things.  The show that we saw last night offensively, is what I expected to see from day one of this season, but really haven’t.  Sure we have seen it at times… but never for a full game… nor a full half I’d argue prior to last night. 

Has anyone else noticed this?  Am I reading too much into last night, or do I have something here?

While we do run at times under Rick, we run the motion offense as well, and we FINALLY run some pick and roll plays, is what we have seen thus far this season offensively really the Jason Kidd Show?  I think at the start of the season I thought because it wasn’t the Avery show, it was such a welcomed change and upgrade I assumed that it must be the Jason Kidd show.  But watching the team over the past few weeks, it had me thinking that we still looked pretty stagnant and slow at times on offense. Then last night happened, and my eyes were opened to what I had hoped to see since the Kidd trade… vintage Nellie ball offense.  

I’m now thinking that what we have been looking at so far this year on the offensive end is not necessarily the Avery show, just the Rick show.   It’s definitely been an upgrade, I think we can all agree on that… but is it what Kidd was brought here for/what we were lead to believe was going to be the offensive game plan heading into this season?

Yeah the pick and roll is good, the ISO can be good a few times at the end of close games, and the motion stuff seems to works well when defenses fall asleep… but would someone outside of our Maverick circle here really call us a run and gun offensive powerhouse?  We don’t even rank in the top 10 in points in the league.

I know defense wins championships, but offensively, I still feel Rick is holding us back like Avery did… same way in dictating the offense, though not as severely. 

So, Rick, your new year's resolution: loosen the reigns on Kidd.  Stop trying to run the Rick show, like Avery ran his, and just let that 20 million dollar floor leader do what he was brought here to do.   

Do that, then we’ll talk about consistent rotations…

 

Tim is reporting live from camp on somethings he noticing...

But Rick Carlisle's Mavs have the bar set high. There's still a championship-or-bust tone coming from Mark Cuban's employees at the AAC.

"You know, everybody's writing us off," Dirk Nowitzki said, "but I think we're a lot closer than everybody thinks."

"We've got a training camp with everybody together," Dirk said. "That's definitely something we missed last season - getting everybody on the same page with Jason [Kidd], him knowing all the plays by heart and the defensive calls. I don't think all the time we were on the same page. If you want to be one of the best, everybody has to pull on the same string."

Nothing really new here, as this stuff was being spit out by the Mavs FO even before the playoffs started last year.  They still are stuck on that theory though heading into camp, which is good given that no major moves were made this off-season.

My question is though, if things dont turn out as planned, how long before they realize we are a still a SG short of a championship contender, and if that move is made how long before we see a repeat of the "well, we need a full training camp together" statements again should the Mavs get knocked out in the first round?

Poll

Will a full training camp cure the Mavs of their first round exit woes?

56%

Yes

95 votes

43%

No

73 votes

168 votes | Poll has closed

Um... hell no.

New York Daily seems to think differnt though...

The Heat seems to have the most interest, although Dwyane Wade needs to dominate the ball as much as Marbury does. The Spurs might not see Manu Ginobili until late December as he recovers from foot surgery, so if Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich think they can get Marbury to buy into their system, San Antonio is a possible destination.

Then there's Dallas, which is already worried about when Jason Kidd is going to wear down.

The Warriors might be another fit since Monta Ellis was stupid enough to ride and crash his moped, meaning the team is stuck with Nets reject Marcus Williams as a starter.

I'm not even gonna say anything, but just the thought of this has made me upset.

Poll

Marbury to the Mavs a good idea?

15%

Yes

16 votes

84%

No

85 votes

101 votes | Poll has closed

Well, better late than never I guess, Josh comes out and says he is sorry for pretty much everything that has gone south with him over the past 7 months...

I love this country and I appreciate this country and if it wasn't for this country, I wouldn't be playing basketball and wouldn't be talking to you,'' Howard told the overflow media crowd. "I'm sorry. ... I'm sorry. ... I'd like to state that I truly and really am sorry for everything that's happened in the past five months with me. This is not the way I carry myself. This is not how I want to be portrayed, and I really and truly am sorry to everybody that I offended. I'm upset with myself and the way I've acted the past months. I truly and really am sorry."

 The Mavs really have a lot riding on this. Its amazing how persistent they have been in thinking that a training camp together will get Josh and Jason on the same page to push us over the top.

This statement will probably get some of his critics off his back through camp until he starts playing meaningful games again.

Kevin Sherrington from the DMNews has pointed out that Josh is the only one to not fully benefit from the Kidd trade, and this seems to be what the Mavs organization is resting the season on...

Most members of the media who favored the Kidd trade - guilty - figured no one would benefit more than Howard.

And why not? He's the most athletic player on the roster, an energetic, opportunistic talent...

Here's why: Instead of filling a lane and looking for a signature Kidd pass, Howard seemed content to drift on the ripples of a break. Maybe he was simply used to his role as an innocent bystander while Harris took off on another mad one-man dash.

The Mavs really have a lot riding on this. Its amazing how persistent they have been in thinking that a training camp together will get Josh and Jason on the same page to push us over the top.

 Cuban has now come out and said that about half the team was asking to be traded last year because of Avery...

"I knew after I had so many people asking to be traded," Cuban said. "I mean, I had to deal with either the players and moving them or the coach and moving him."

 "As you started looking deeper and deeper and deeper into things, we didn't have a choice," Cuban said. "I didn't want to fire him. That wasn't my goal."

via blogmaverick.com...

As much as I felt posting my "Thanks for the Advice on Josh Howard" post was the right thing to do, I have had an upset stomach all day because of it.

I thought it was important to point out the hatred and ignorance of so many who quickly judge people they have never met, based purely on soundbites and headlines. If you think you know any public figure based on what you see on TV or read on the internet or in newspapers, you are sadly mistaken.

I wanted to point out the irony of them experiencing the onslaught of attention from suddenly and unexpectedly being placed in the media spotlight from a throwaway comment.

Try being in a position of always having to be "on" and checking for cameras, because if you let down your guard, any soundbite, even one as short as 11 seconds, can turn into headline news across the country, no matter what the context. Its not always easy. Nor is it easy to just accept that its part of being a "public figure" .

I also knew that because of the email addresses being included, they would be receiving the same level of hate, ignorance and judgment that Josh and I had. They would get the same type of ignorant email threats of "I wont do business with your company again", from people who have never done business with their company. The "I’m going to email your boss and all your sponsors" threats, because that’s the way people try to shout down other people these days.

That’s what bothered me all day. So I have removed the post.

Hopefully something good came from it being posted.

Hat tip to DerekSTheRed, in the comments of Ron's two cents.

 

via sacbee...

"I think josh howards comment is a reflection on education. I think the schools need to teach deeper in the history classes and make the students aware of racism but also teach them that all people are not bad. "I can relate to not feeling wanted by my own country at times but as I dug deeper I realized that America is divided and we need leaders to bring America closer together. An example where I felt unwanted by my country was when I didn't get a chance to tryout for my national team. I believed it was because of my history.

I hope he overcomes this.

Family 1st"

Such an inspiration...

Even the guy WHO NEVER SEEMS TO STOP YELLING weighs in...

But what Howard doesn't seem to get -- and he's joined in this by some members of the hip-hop and entertainment community, or anyone black willing to disseminate and perpetuate perspectives devoid of facts -- is the damage their moments of exasperating expression ultimately costs the very people they believe they're looking out for.

It has to stop now.

Speaking of which, all you SAS lovers out there, make sure to check this out!

 

I know most of us around here are pretty upset with what is arguably the last straw for Josh here in Dallas, but some have chosen to take at look at it from a different perspective.

Freedarko.com lists 10 points to defend Josh. Here are 3 of the 10 points...

-I am not suprised that some African-Americans have some animosity toward the United States of America. Are you?

-Millions of dollars doesn't change certain feelings, at least in people who cared deeply about them beforehand. If Howard had been angry, and wasn't now, we'd call him a sell-out.

-There are some things that you say among your own, that you wouldn't necessarily say in mixed, or more formal, company. Are we all non-stop liars and deceivers, hiding our true selves and living under frost?

Mike Fisher responds to each one of those points.

 

Add your other suggestions in the comments below...

Poll

What would you like to see Josh Howard do at this point?

11%

An explination as to why he said that

23 votes

17%

Publically apologize

36 votes

32%

both

65 votes

38%

none of the above

78 votes

202 votes | Poll has closed

Apparently, the Mavs FO have been well aware of the incident for some time now... and they have already dealt with it some time ago.  According to the Dallas Morning News this morning...

Owner Mark Cuban said the Mavericks dealt with Howard's flag football episode after it happened in July.

"That said, we will be going through some advanced communication-skill sessions together this training camp," Cuban said Tuesday. "I have explained to him that cellphone cameras are not your friend and that what you think you said on camera is never what people will hear when it shows up on YouTube or TV.

So Cuban continues to say the right thing, which for all intensive purposes is good for the Mavs in that they are not adding water to an all ready sinking ship.  I think they most likely are looking to move him a little more so than what we are lead to believe, but in no way, shape or form do I see them desperate to "get rid" of him.

"Josh really is a good guy with a great heart," Cuban said. "He just doesn't do a good job of showing that side of himself publicly. We will work on that."

Cuban is smart, and I truly believe they are going to continue to try to work with him and bring him up to par with the rest of the team.  At the same time though, he realizes that should Josh return to his 2007-2008 form at the start of this season, which would essentially embarrass Cuban for backing him this off-season, plan on the Mavs sending him packing by Feburary.  But if Howard comes out with his All-Star swagger early on, look for everyone to pretty much forget what has gone on this summer.

Poll

Will Josh Howard end up in Europe after his contract is up?

37%

Yes

40 votes

62%

No

67 votes

107 votes | Poll has closed

To help us through these slow times, I have decided to ho start up some previews of guys who will be playing significant minutes this year.  (If your interested in helping me out with some of these, email me and let me know!)

First up will be Josh Howard.  He to me is the biggest question heading into this season, even moreso than Kidd.  After his poor performance at the end of the season and into the playoffs this year, many wonder if Josh can be the consistent 2nd go-to option on this team we all thought he would be after his All-Star season.

The Mavs FO have continually supported him, and are willing to roll the dice on him again this season, in hopes that he will put last season behind him and pick up where he left off in the 2006-07 season.  Much is riding on his play this year, as many have pointed out, that it takes a "big 3" to even think about competing for a title in the league today.  Josh of course is the logical choice to fill that role, along side of Kidd and Dirk. 

Bill Ingram has listed Josh as one of his top 5 players who must step up this year.

Two years ago Josh was the long bright spot for the Mavericks in the playoffs. While everyone else got that deer-in-headlights look when Don Nelson and the Warriors went small, Howard simply took it to them game after game. The following year he was a driving force behind the team's historic 67-win season, and was named to the All-Star team as a result. Last year . . .a HUGE step backwards for Josh. Whether it was the drug habit he wouldn't shut up about, dreams of drag racing down Winston-Salem streets during the summer, or something else, Josh disappeared on the Mavericks when they needed him most.

Don't blame it on Jason Kidd, either. Josh had his best scoring month of the season in March, when Kidd was just starting to run the show. But for whatever reason, when April and the playoffs rolled around his shooting touch went south and he turned in the worst playoff showing of his career: 12.6 points per game on 29% shooting. It's that killer defense from Peja Stojakovic, right? Yeah . . . .riiiiiiiiiiiiight. Despite tons of speculation that the Mavs would trade Josh, new head coach Rick Carlisle is committed to a vision of the Josh Howard who was so good over the previous two seasons. If we don't see that Josh, the Mavericks are going to be a very, very bad team this year.

 

Poll

Will Josh Howard step up this year and return to his All-Star level of play again?

55%

Yes

82 votes

44%

No

65 votes

147 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

Via hoopsworld.com from Billy-boy, in response to Rick Carlise's suggestion in the DMNews article that commented on yesterday, that Stackhouse might start...

While it might be overly optimistic to think that Stackhouse could start, it would solve the Mavericks' biggest issue. As good as Jason Terry is, he's undersized to defend the two. The Mavericks got far with him in that position - all the way to the NBA Finals - but more recently they've struggled to guard opposing twos. Perhaps starting Stackhouse might also ease the strain on his groin, the injury that has made him somewhat of a cameo actor in the Mavericks' rotation over the last two seasons. As a starter he wouldn't go through warm-ups and then have to sit and cool off before entering the game. Stack's heart and fire would be a welcome addition to the starting lineup, but his inconsistent shooting might make it hard for Carlisle to keep him there. Jet Terry's lights-out shooting is what's kept him starting despite being undersized at the two.

 

That's an interesting point Ingram makes about Stackhouse cooling off when he has to come off the bench.  I know he has complained about that before, but its still an excuse.  The guy will either show up and play, or he wont.  If starting him is what will give us the best production from him, and not effect JET in anyway... I'm all for it.  But no more 32% 3pt shooting.

And on the centers?  Bill enlightens us more...

Carlisle also praised Erick Dampier and said he feels Gana Diop is also a guy who could start on a lot of teams, which is something we've been talking about in numerous conversations over the summer. It came up in my recent NBA Chat, and it will continue to come up as people question the reasoning behind the Mavs perhaps over-paying Diop. The truth is that together Diop and Dampier make a pretty good center, but apart neither is as effective. Dampier needs motivation and some uncertainty about his playing time. Diop, with his instant energy and shot-blocking, provides that motivation.

He said it better than I did yesterday.  Basically apart they suck, and together they're decent.

Poll

Will Rick Carlise have Stackhouse starting in the opening regular season game this year?

55%

Yes

16 votes

44%

No

13 votes

29 votes | Poll has closed

The following is from yahoo's balldontlie.com, which has nominated MMB as one of the best Mavericks blogs around...

Can you really count Mark Cuban's groundbreaking blog in this instance? Or how about Amanda's consistently funny and engaging reads from You Go Live In Utah?

Copping out, in order to try and list five blogs where three would do? You bet! Don't bet on the Mavs, they'll struggle to win 50 this year, but bet on these blogs.

3. SPORTSDAY — Tim McMahon's blog, he was the guy who Mark Cuban wanted to ban from the Dallas locker room, and for good reason. Tim's good at his job. All the best are banish-o-ble.

2. Dallas Basketball — These guys have been around forever, actin' all mainstream, asking smart questions, getting it right, covering the team properly. Ban 'em!

1. Mavs Moneyball — Speaking of getting it right, well, you guessed it. Wes knows what he's doing, doesn't overreact (that's significant, and especially rare among team bloggers), and covers the Mavericks expertly.

Now I speak for myself on this in that I really appreciate Kelly acknowledging us over here at MMB.  But both Mike and Tim at the other two sites do an OUTSTANDING job of covering and reporting on the Mavs.  They are able to get inside information that neither Wes (I think) nor myself have access too and can report on.  Their analysis and break downs of everything Mavs is something that I have followed for years, and we quite often quote them here at MMB.  I highly recommend that anyone who visits us over here at MMB, to also drop in on those guys from time to time as well.

Anyway, enough of the flattering remarks for those two...  Now if we could only get J.E. to finally get our link up on his site!

That is all for now from me. Read the following at your own risk...

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Erick Blasco from bleacherreport.com ranks the following...

Top PF's Dirk ranks... 10th behind Tim, Garnett, Brand, West, STAT, Bosh, Gasol, Boozer and Artest... wait... what?

10) Dirk Nowitzki—Dallas Mavericks

Slightly tougher now than a couple of years ago (but only at home), and a much more willing rebounder, Nowitzki is still, essentially, an oversized jump shooter.

Defenders who can get up in Dirk’s grill and move their feet neutralize Dirk’s ability to pull and shoot going left, and only the weakest of post defenders have difficulty pushing Dirk around near the shadow of the basket. Combined with the inability to rouse his troops when all the chips are on the table, and a complete lack of defense, Dirk barely cracks the Top Ten.

Wow.  Just unbelievablyfreakingwow. 

On to the top Euros now.  He has Yao, Gasol, Manu all ahead of Dirk. 

4. Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks/Germany)

By all means, Dirk should really be number one on this list. However, despite being the best player in the history of the Dallas Mavericks, Dallas is one of the most inconsistent teams in the NBA.

Dallas has been a mainstay in the playoffs for the last eight years, and they have one Western Conference title and no rings to show for it. They usually end up with one of the best win totals in the league, and yet they are consistently sent out in the first round or the Western Finals.

Dirk is one of the best-shooting big men in NBA history. It is not surprising that he totals 100 blocks and 100 three-pointers in the same season, all while averaging 23 points and eight rebounds.

Dirk's high scoring average, along with other stats, tends to stay the same during the playoffs—yet somehow, he is virtually invisible. He also seems to lack confidence in his teammates.

Dirk was the first foreign-born player in the NBA to win the MVP award, in 2007. The seven-footer accepted the award after the 67-win Mavericks lost in the first round to the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors.

I guess 7 seasons of 50+ wins and 8 seasons of playoffs would seem a bit inconsistent.... what a joke.

K, I'm holding back more thoughts and frustrations til later today when I've cooled down. 

My rankings after the break.  Feel free to re-rank as well in the comments.

 

Poll

Is Dirk a top 3 PF in the league still?

77%

Yes

228 votes

22%

No

66 votes

294 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

Big Ed over at DMNews interviews Rick Carlise.  Following the break are  some highlights of that interview with some of my thoughts about Rick's answers.  I also am interested to know what you guys think of Rick and his approach to this season so far.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Check out what Hollinger's review of this Summer's transactions were. 

Under the "I don't get it" section...

I'm still waiting to find out who in the Mavs' organization Devean George has pictures of. He signed a third contract with Dallas, even after providing abundantly mediocre production in the first two, and it wasn't just a token minimum-wage gig either -- he got a two-year deal worth $3.2 million. Or maybe it was a belated reward for his efforts to try to save Dallas from making the Jason Kidd trade.

While the Mavs were busy locking up unproductive swingmen, they re-upped Antoine Wright for two years and $3.6 million, too. This announcement was a bit of a surprise to me, given that it came right after I talked to an exec who was on the fence about whether to offer Wright a deal for the minimum.

I don't really get it either John, but if you have followed the Mavs closely the past few summers, these moves don't really come to much of a surprise.  Filling a roster of really old or "a lot of upside with no risk" spare parts for the SG/SF spot is something the Mavs deserve an A+ in.  Though the George signing is still baffling.

 

Continue reading this post »

This is quite possibly the worst time of the year if you're solely a NBA fan.  The Finals, draft and summer league are distant (disappointing perhaps?) memories, the Rangers are struggling, but if you're a Cowboys fan, or just a football fan in general, you have a lot to be excited about.  Thoughts of anything Mavericks related have probably been tucked away for some time now, and should probably stay there until further notice.

Just to catch up with things you probably already knew, but were never officially disclosed here at MMB:

• The Mavs will open training camp on September 30th at SMU at their new facility.
  
• Carlise has officially completed his staff.
• Hoopsworld.com has their preview of the SW Division and compares and contrasts the Mavs to the Suns.
• Brandon Bass and Adam Jones are having their beach volleyball deal this Saturday from 4-8 pm at the Yucatan Beach club in Coppell.  (Go Coppell Cowboys!)

Not too much going on right now with the Mavs.  Everyone though pretty much has their roster more or less set to start the season with, so the predictions and pre-season power rankings are starting to flood in.  First up though, lets start with an outlook on our own Southwest Division.

Art Garcia and other team bloggers from their respective teams websites have completed a three part series of looking at the major moves, summer league, and a final outlook as to what to expect from each team in the SW.

The Mavs are looking to return to elite status in the Western Conference. Those who run the show believe the window for a championship is still open because of former MVP Dirk Nowitzki and fellow Olympian Jason Kidd.

The trick is getting consistent contributions from the supporting cast, namely Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Erick Dampier, Gana Diop, Jerry Stackhouse and Brandon Bass. Charged with the task of getting it back together is Rick Carlisle, a veteran coach with an even-handed approach who led playoff teams in Detroit and Indiana.

-----------------------------------------------------------

SI.com has also broken down the SW division team by team, stating what went right and what went wrong this off season.  Suprisingly they say that keeping Howard this summer was something the Mavs did right, along with hiring Howard, and that the resigning of Diop about Kidd's age.

Grade: C

Clearly this team had tuned out Johnson. But will the hard-driving Carlisle have its ears for very long? Of course, he may not need very long with Kidd sliding toward the end of his career. For a team that boasted one of the youngest and talented cores only two years ago, the title window appears to be closing. It will be hard to keep it propped open with the more balanced Lakers and Hornets emerging as the dominant Western powers. If Carlisle can't get this club past the first round in the spring, a housecleaning could be next.

-------------------------------------------------------------

ESPN makes some VERY conservative picks as to how the West will end up, with the Lakers only winning 55 games and Dallas coming in at 7th behind Phx and ahead of Portland and winning 45.

More links and news following the break....

Poll

Would a starting lineup with Bass at the SF and Josh at the SG, and JET coming off the bench be effective?

66%

Yes

88 votes

33%

No

45 votes

133 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »