Well, another NBA season is upon us. Outside of Jeff Hurst and San Antonio fans, I imagine it will be really tough to find anyone else all that excited about it. Especially from a Mavs fan (hopefully most of my readers) perspective, the start of the NBA season means very little. This team certainly has enough talent to make the playoffs and most Mavs fans will start caring once the playoffs roll around. Me, I am going to try and get behind the Mavs team better than I did last season(girlfriend permitting of course).
I had a tough time with last year's team probably because of the turmoil with Don Nelson and knowing that Avery was going to be overmatched trying to coach a team to a championship when taking over midseason. It was a doomed proposition last year. You have to admit the Dallas franchise has come a long way from the misery that was the early 90s Mavericks. We used to just think the playoffs were a pipe dream, pie in the sky type proposition back in the dark ages of the Mavericks. Now, we just expect to make the playoffs and only seem interested if the team has enough to make a run for the champoionship. I really like Avery Johnson, and I think he is going to do a good job with this team. I am going to really miss the Fin-dog, but we have enough talent place to make a run in the West, which is loaded as usual.
Here is a quick rundown of the roster from the DMN
Below is additional analysis of the Mavs roster from Ticket personality Bob Sturm's blog today
Since I'm too lazy and don't really have much to add, this anlaysis should suffice:
Dirk: For the 27th season in a row, let us ask Dirk to impress us with his new approach to his craft. Clearly, being outplayed by his opponents in the playoffs and then turning on his teammates a time or two during the Phoenix series did not encourage many. He may be what we have always known him to be. Bordering on great, but not as great as we have always hoped. If he finds another level, we can resume discussions about his place amongst the top 10 players in the sport, but I am done talking about that for now.
Josh Howard: During those playoffs last year, he demonstrated that he is continuing to improve to a point where you now clearly know who is the 2nd best player on this team. Added responsibility and soon added cash will raise the bar for Howard, but I think he is surely up for it. I am a big fan.
Jason Terry: Surely not a point guard, but the closest thing that the Mavs have right now. Made huge shot after huge shot but never found the assist to be his strength. Is a free agent next summer, so the team would be wise to decide quickly where he fits (if he does) in the big picture. Look for him to play the point, but not to play on the ball with Doug Christie in the game. Christie will distribute and Terry will basically play the #2 guard.
Erick Dampier: I am not nearly as down on him as most are. Yes, he annoys me, but he is being compared by most to top centers in this league. Those teams build everything around their center, and can afford to do so. The Mavs are built around Dirk, and in doing so, Dampier’s job is to be a presence on defense, and rebound. I have a bar that is not very high for him, and in that setting, I find his play acceptable more often than not. I base this on looking around the league. Sure you can do a lot better, but you can also do worse. He is what he is.
Doug Christie: I have no idea what to expect. But, I do remember two things about his days in Sacto besides his wife. #1 his defense, which certainly is in decline. #2 is his ability to not need shots for long stretches, and then he would stick a dagger in your heart. He has a knack for the big moment, and I think will be a valuable piece if he can stay healthy.
Devin Harris: Sadly, in a season of injuries, I am not optimistic that he took the necessary strides in his development. I hope he gets his minutes, and I hope he looks more comfortable with the ball, but honestly, I am wondering if his upside is a decent back-up point guard with a small body that could not hold up to more work than 20 minutes a night.
Jerry Stackhouse: I say let him play as long as he wants and take any shots he needs. He has proven to not be selfish, and he has proven to have that “F-em” attitude that is so rare in this organization. His knees may not be ready to roll, but his spirit is important to this team.
Marquis Daniels: No one has milked 2 good months as well as Marquis has milked March and April of 2004. To call his play in 2004-05 awful is unfair to other awful things in this world. I was ready to cut him loose in a trade, but the Mavs want to roll with him again, blaming all of his poor play on that August 2004 ankle sprain. Much like the $5 milk shake in Pulp Fiction, while that sprain may have been good, I am just not sure it was THAT good that it would render an otherwise fine player worthless. Amputation? OK. But not a sprain, right? Anyway, they think he is great, and are convinced that I will be sorry I ever said anything bad about the kid. All I know is he is a shooting guard that can’t shoot or pass. Count me among the doubters, but his preseason accolades are numerous.
Desagana Diop: Hearing he lost 30 pounds would really mean something to me if I had ever seen him do anything that qualified as a memory. Sadly, despite 4 years in the NBA, he has not made even the slightest impression on me. The good news is that the Mavericks center position has been so un-athletic over the years that he cannot help but be a shot-blocking upgrade. But, shooting 28% from the field in the preseason for a 7-footer was previously thought impossible, and therefore he should not shoot for any reason.
Keith Van Horn: The other member of the team who is a free agent next summer (Jason Terry), Van Horn is the player most likely to be traded at mid-season if things are not going well. But, he is quite an insurance policy for the inevitable Dirk Ankle sprain that causes him to miss 10 days. Does nothing to help the defense, but certainly provides instant offense.
Others; Mbenga, Pavel, Josh Powell, Erick Strickland all will be wearing warm-ups. And, just in case you think my opinion of him has changed, Pavel remains the biggest waste of a roster spot since Shawn Bradley. Of course, that is a huge insult to Bradley, because Pavel will never be 10% of the player Shawn was. Digest that for a moment.
In closing, Mavericks season is here, and I am ready to roll. This is a very cluttered sports season with football, football, football, hockey and now, hoops, but there is always room for Mark Cuban and his fighting Mavericks.
That's all for today. My picks for this week (if anyone cares anymore) will be up later this week.
2 comments:
Wow. I'm at a loss for words. I've always taken the high road when it comes to picking on Trampe, but this is ......... Sarah you should feel awfully important. I never thought I'd see the day that Trampe would put a girl before his Sports, and you are the lead story today. That is amazing. Pods, I'll take it easy on you, but not sure what cuyler and Z are going to think about this. Good luck.
Glad to see that Sarah is on the sports blog. I back any woman that can demise her man's profession or hobbies. I see that Chris' football picks have slowly go down the shitter. As you may have seen, Doug was shut out and only had 2 rebounds last night, continuing the downfall of his career as I have stepped in and conflicted. Along with his his "sports writing", sara please make sure to slowly break down his manhood in every way imaginable.
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