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 »