duncan228
12-31-2008, 10:31 PM
Resolved: Some things must change for Dallas Mavericks (http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/nwsltr/sports/mavs/stories/010109dnspomavsnewsletter.3339018.html)
Eddie Sefko
This is the time when everybody makes New Year's resolutions. Why should the Mavericks be any different?
So here for your consideration are some resolutions that the Mavericks should make, although we doubt they'll listen to our suggestions.
For Dirk Nowitzki, resolve to get through the Feb. 5 visit to Utah without getting suspended for the following game.
For Mark Cuban, resolve to resist the inevitable temptation to make a jazzy trade before the February deadline. Moths might have a better chance of resisting a light bulb.
For Josh Howard, resolve to realize everybody in the world is not out to get him and remember that kid-like humility that made him so popular.
For Jason Kidd, resolve to keep doing what he does, knowing that his skills will be rewarded with another nice contract in the summer.
For Jason Terry, resolve to keep on being the best shooter on the team and let Kidd and J.J. Barea do the dribbling and passing.
For Rick Carlisle, resolve to find a nine-man rotation – but not until late March or early April. And then keep the other three players in the holster until you can spring them on unsuspecting playoff foes.
For D-Moore, resolve to avoid eating the next trendy dish. Honestly, if somebody served braised Christmas tree bark on a bed of twice-baked pine needles garnished with dandelions and charged $29.95 for it, D-Moore would wait in line an hour.
MAVERICKS Q&A
Q: Dirk's ejection is enough for me to give up my desire to watch the NBA. The game is not played the way it was in the early '60s. The refs just randomly make calls. The players need to suit up like football players. Dirk is forever recovering from some shot to the face. How does a 7-1 guy get banged in the face, nose, mouth so many times without a call? The Mavs were sloppy in Utah, for sure. But they needed Dirk, and the refs took care of that. Thanks for letting me vent.
Mavs' fan Eddie
SEFKO: Before all of you who think I'm too soft on the Mavericks start saying that I sent this letter in myself, let me assure you I did not. But if I were a die-hard fan, I could see where this sentiment would be prevalent.
The only thing I can tell you is that when the doors open to an NBA arena and 20,000 people file in, there's only about a half-dozen people in the whole house who genuinely don't give a darn who wins and who loses. The refs are three of them.
That's my way of saying that the NBA is also an NWA – No Whining Area.
Dirk gets hit in the face a lot. He gets conked on the head a lot. But so do other players. It's just one of those things that has to be more than incidental contact to get the ref's attention.
• • •
Q: Couldn't believe the article you wrote about Erick Dampier after the Memphis game. Give me a break. There's not another team in the West that would have him on its roster. Against Utah, two rookie centers ate his lunch. It's time for the media to call it like it is. He's too slow and has no defensive presence. There is no player in the league with worse hands. The next time Carlisle says Dampier is underrated, ask him where else Dampier could play.
SEFKO: No thanks. I'll let D-Moore ask that one.
Listen, I'm not here to say Dampier is in Yao Ming's or Tim Duncan's or Dwight Howard's class. But look around the league. Do you really want hurt-all-the-time Chris Kaman, backbone-challenged Tyson Chandler or some other middle-of-the-road center like Zaza Pachulia or Kendrick Perkins (the only one of the bunch I like, by the way)?
Take a look at this list: Rasho Nesterovic, Brad Miller, Pachulia, Matt Bonner, Ryan Hollins, Johan Petro, Nene, Brook Lopez, Andrey Blatche, Darko Milicic and Kosta Koufos.
Those are some of the centers who have started against the Mavericks in the last six weeks.
The point: There aren't enough centers in the league. If you don't have a great one, you're in the majority. And the last time I checked, the reigning NBA champion starts Perkins at center.
• • •
Q: I see where you have again extolled Howard for his wonderful expertise in Mavericks basketball. I have told you before that he won't play with Nowitzki in. He loves it when Nowitzki is out and he can be the big cheese. I say he dogs it otherwise.
I also think that Dampier is getting off his butt because he can see DeSagana Diop and Brandon Bass ruining his gravy train.
Tom S.
SEFKO: There wasn't really a question in there, but I liked the call on Howard playing his best when Nowitzki is out. That was the theme of the story after Howard's big game Sunday in LA.
My feeling is that Howard is a wonderful player, but not so wonderful that the Mavericks can lean on him to be "The Man" for long stretches. And his true value is more visible in the playoffs, where he has run hot and cold. Very cold, at times.
But take heart. If Howard gets on a roll, so will the Mavericks. And that rising tide will lift all ships – including Howard's trade value.
• • •
Q: Is this Jason Terry's contract year? I'm glad his production is up, but the last time I remember him being this good was the last time he was up for a new deal. Also, why do people talk about a lack of payroll cap space? I see that almost every team is over the cap. If Cuban is willing to pay the luxury tax, why do we talk about cap space at all?
Sean
SEFKO: Great questions. That's why the usually hard-butted question selector (me) allowed you two of them.
First, Terry is not in a contract season. In fact, he and Gana Diop are the only Mavericks with fully guaranteed contracts beyond 2010 that don't contain some sort of player or team option. Terry's goes through 2011-12 and is worth slightly over $9 million this season.
Terry had a predictable swoon after he signed his giant deal. But he has shown this season that he is not a player who simply collects a paycheck. He is working his tail off and shooting lights out. Where would the Mavericks be without him? They wouldn't be 19-12, that's for sure.
As for the salary cap, there is a reason it is so important and such a hot topic these days. Salary cap space allows a team to sign free agents. Without it, they are hamstrung. The only way they can sign free agents is with the mid-level exception (usually around $5 million), with the biannual exception (usually around $1.8 million) and through sign-and-trade deals, which are typically hard to consummate.
That's why everybody is eager to get under the cap for 2010. If you get below the cap, which let's guess will be around $60 million (this season's is $58.68 million). If your payroll is $40 million for the 2010-11 season, that means you have $20 million to spend on free agency, in addition to the exceptions listed above.
That's important because in my many years of covering the NBA, I've learned that free agents typically like to earn the most money they can.
So getting under the cap is a huge advantage, particularly in a free-agent market that could include LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki and others.
• • •
Q: It seems like those fragile Mavericks are running out of teams they would like to face in the playoffs. Let's see, first it was Golden State, then New Orleans, now Utah.
John B.
SEFKO: You're getting the right impression from the story I wrote after the Utah game. The Mavericks still seem to have problems with most of the top teams in the Western Conference.
In addition to those three, you can add the Lakers and Denver to the list.
I suppose playing Phoenix, Houston or San Antonio is a possibility that doesn't completely look like gloom and doom.
• • •
Q: What has happened to Steve Nash? He seems to be less involved in Phoenix. And give us more basketball and other sports and less football. Many of us don't care that much about football.
SEFKO: Nash is going through a rough spell. The coaching change hurt him more than anybody else in Phoenix. Rarely have a coach and player been so dialed in to one another as Nash was with Mike D'Antoni. When D'Antoni left for New York, it meant the Suns had to go in a different direction.
Terry Porter is a good coach. But he has a style that is much different than D'Antoni's.
Nash is suffering from the loss.
And let's not forget, he's getting older. That big falloff that the Mavericks predicted for him, may have finally happened – a mere five years after he left the Mavericks in free agency. For nothing in return, it should be reiterated.
And by the way, after a week or so of Cowboys burial, let's hope you'll get your wish about basketball.
• • •
Q: Does Josh Howard plan on getting any assists or doing any rebounding this season?
Aaron, Wisconsin
SEFKO: Doesn't appear like it, does it? In four of the last six games, he's had two rebounds or fewer and is averaging fewer than three per game in that stretch.
That's ridiculously bad. Howard seems intent on launching more shots these days. That's fine. He's a good scorer. But he has to do more than that. There's an old saying that goes: To whom much is given, much is expected.
That's the way the NBA works. When you pull down a $10 million salary, you have to perform. This season, Howard is behind the curve. But there remains plenty of time for him to catch up.
• • •
Q: Do the Mavericks follow the progress of Shan Foster and Ronnie Seibutis in Europe? If so, what do they think of the progress of these guys? I have the same question about Reyshawn Terry, although they no longer own his rights.
SEFKO: They absolutely keep close tabs on Foster and Seibutis. I have precious little info, however, other than raw stats. Foster is averaging 10.8 points in the Italian League with Juvecaserta. He's shooting just under 40 percent from the field and 33 percent from 3-point land.
The Mavericks still expect to have him in summer league next year – I guess now, it's this year – and in training camp.
As for Seibutis, he's playing for some indecipherable team in Spain and averaging about six points per game, although he did have a 21-point game in a Eurocup game a couple of weeks ago.
He continues to come back from back troubles, and because he is so young (23), the Mavericks believe the Lithuanian still has a shot to play in the league down the line.
Finally, Reyshawn Terry, I believe, is no longer on the Mavericks' radar. James Singleton and Shawne Williams have far more upside and are already contributing on the NBA level. Can't see the Mavericks going back to revisit Terry.
Eddie Sefko
This is the time when everybody makes New Year's resolutions. Why should the Mavericks be any different?
So here for your consideration are some resolutions that the Mavericks should make, although we doubt they'll listen to our suggestions.
For Dirk Nowitzki, resolve to get through the Feb. 5 visit to Utah without getting suspended for the following game.
For Mark Cuban, resolve to resist the inevitable temptation to make a jazzy trade before the February deadline. Moths might have a better chance of resisting a light bulb.
For Josh Howard, resolve to realize everybody in the world is not out to get him and remember that kid-like humility that made him so popular.
For Jason Kidd, resolve to keep doing what he does, knowing that his skills will be rewarded with another nice contract in the summer.
For Jason Terry, resolve to keep on being the best shooter on the team and let Kidd and J.J. Barea do the dribbling and passing.
For Rick Carlisle, resolve to find a nine-man rotation – but not until late March or early April. And then keep the other three players in the holster until you can spring them on unsuspecting playoff foes.
For D-Moore, resolve to avoid eating the next trendy dish. Honestly, if somebody served braised Christmas tree bark on a bed of twice-baked pine needles garnished with dandelions and charged $29.95 for it, D-Moore would wait in line an hour.
MAVERICKS Q&A
Q: Dirk's ejection is enough for me to give up my desire to watch the NBA. The game is not played the way it was in the early '60s. The refs just randomly make calls. The players need to suit up like football players. Dirk is forever recovering from some shot to the face. How does a 7-1 guy get banged in the face, nose, mouth so many times without a call? The Mavs were sloppy in Utah, for sure. But they needed Dirk, and the refs took care of that. Thanks for letting me vent.
Mavs' fan Eddie
SEFKO: Before all of you who think I'm too soft on the Mavericks start saying that I sent this letter in myself, let me assure you I did not. But if I were a die-hard fan, I could see where this sentiment would be prevalent.
The only thing I can tell you is that when the doors open to an NBA arena and 20,000 people file in, there's only about a half-dozen people in the whole house who genuinely don't give a darn who wins and who loses. The refs are three of them.
That's my way of saying that the NBA is also an NWA – No Whining Area.
Dirk gets hit in the face a lot. He gets conked on the head a lot. But so do other players. It's just one of those things that has to be more than incidental contact to get the ref's attention.
• • •
Q: Couldn't believe the article you wrote about Erick Dampier after the Memphis game. Give me a break. There's not another team in the West that would have him on its roster. Against Utah, two rookie centers ate his lunch. It's time for the media to call it like it is. He's too slow and has no defensive presence. There is no player in the league with worse hands. The next time Carlisle says Dampier is underrated, ask him where else Dampier could play.
SEFKO: No thanks. I'll let D-Moore ask that one.
Listen, I'm not here to say Dampier is in Yao Ming's or Tim Duncan's or Dwight Howard's class. But look around the league. Do you really want hurt-all-the-time Chris Kaman, backbone-challenged Tyson Chandler or some other middle-of-the-road center like Zaza Pachulia or Kendrick Perkins (the only one of the bunch I like, by the way)?
Take a look at this list: Rasho Nesterovic, Brad Miller, Pachulia, Matt Bonner, Ryan Hollins, Johan Petro, Nene, Brook Lopez, Andrey Blatche, Darko Milicic and Kosta Koufos.
Those are some of the centers who have started against the Mavericks in the last six weeks.
The point: There aren't enough centers in the league. If you don't have a great one, you're in the majority. And the last time I checked, the reigning NBA champion starts Perkins at center.
• • •
Q: I see where you have again extolled Howard for his wonderful expertise in Mavericks basketball. I have told you before that he won't play with Nowitzki in. He loves it when Nowitzki is out and he can be the big cheese. I say he dogs it otherwise.
I also think that Dampier is getting off his butt because he can see DeSagana Diop and Brandon Bass ruining his gravy train.
Tom S.
SEFKO: There wasn't really a question in there, but I liked the call on Howard playing his best when Nowitzki is out. That was the theme of the story after Howard's big game Sunday in LA.
My feeling is that Howard is a wonderful player, but not so wonderful that the Mavericks can lean on him to be "The Man" for long stretches. And his true value is more visible in the playoffs, where he has run hot and cold. Very cold, at times.
But take heart. If Howard gets on a roll, so will the Mavericks. And that rising tide will lift all ships – including Howard's trade value.
• • •
Q: Is this Jason Terry's contract year? I'm glad his production is up, but the last time I remember him being this good was the last time he was up for a new deal. Also, why do people talk about a lack of payroll cap space? I see that almost every team is over the cap. If Cuban is willing to pay the luxury tax, why do we talk about cap space at all?
Sean
SEFKO: Great questions. That's why the usually hard-butted question selector (me) allowed you two of them.
First, Terry is not in a contract season. In fact, he and Gana Diop are the only Mavericks with fully guaranteed contracts beyond 2010 that don't contain some sort of player or team option. Terry's goes through 2011-12 and is worth slightly over $9 million this season.
Terry had a predictable swoon after he signed his giant deal. But he has shown this season that he is not a player who simply collects a paycheck. He is working his tail off and shooting lights out. Where would the Mavericks be without him? They wouldn't be 19-12, that's for sure.
As for the salary cap, there is a reason it is so important and such a hot topic these days. Salary cap space allows a team to sign free agents. Without it, they are hamstrung. The only way they can sign free agents is with the mid-level exception (usually around $5 million), with the biannual exception (usually around $1.8 million) and through sign-and-trade deals, which are typically hard to consummate.
That's why everybody is eager to get under the cap for 2010. If you get below the cap, which let's guess will be around $60 million (this season's is $58.68 million). If your payroll is $40 million for the 2010-11 season, that means you have $20 million to spend on free agency, in addition to the exceptions listed above.
That's important because in my many years of covering the NBA, I've learned that free agents typically like to earn the most money they can.
So getting under the cap is a huge advantage, particularly in a free-agent market that could include LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki and others.
• • •
Q: It seems like those fragile Mavericks are running out of teams they would like to face in the playoffs. Let's see, first it was Golden State, then New Orleans, now Utah.
John B.
SEFKO: You're getting the right impression from the story I wrote after the Utah game. The Mavericks still seem to have problems with most of the top teams in the Western Conference.
In addition to those three, you can add the Lakers and Denver to the list.
I suppose playing Phoenix, Houston or San Antonio is a possibility that doesn't completely look like gloom and doom.
• • •
Q: What has happened to Steve Nash? He seems to be less involved in Phoenix. And give us more basketball and other sports and less football. Many of us don't care that much about football.
SEFKO: Nash is going through a rough spell. The coaching change hurt him more than anybody else in Phoenix. Rarely have a coach and player been so dialed in to one another as Nash was with Mike D'Antoni. When D'Antoni left for New York, it meant the Suns had to go in a different direction.
Terry Porter is a good coach. But he has a style that is much different than D'Antoni's.
Nash is suffering from the loss.
And let's not forget, he's getting older. That big falloff that the Mavericks predicted for him, may have finally happened – a mere five years after he left the Mavericks in free agency. For nothing in return, it should be reiterated.
And by the way, after a week or so of Cowboys burial, let's hope you'll get your wish about basketball.
• • •
Q: Does Josh Howard plan on getting any assists or doing any rebounding this season?
Aaron, Wisconsin
SEFKO: Doesn't appear like it, does it? In four of the last six games, he's had two rebounds or fewer and is averaging fewer than three per game in that stretch.
That's ridiculously bad. Howard seems intent on launching more shots these days. That's fine. He's a good scorer. But he has to do more than that. There's an old saying that goes: To whom much is given, much is expected.
That's the way the NBA works. When you pull down a $10 million salary, you have to perform. This season, Howard is behind the curve. But there remains plenty of time for him to catch up.
• • •
Q: Do the Mavericks follow the progress of Shan Foster and Ronnie Seibutis in Europe? If so, what do they think of the progress of these guys? I have the same question about Reyshawn Terry, although they no longer own his rights.
SEFKO: They absolutely keep close tabs on Foster and Seibutis. I have precious little info, however, other than raw stats. Foster is averaging 10.8 points in the Italian League with Juvecaserta. He's shooting just under 40 percent from the field and 33 percent from 3-point land.
The Mavericks still expect to have him in summer league next year – I guess now, it's this year – and in training camp.
As for Seibutis, he's playing for some indecipherable team in Spain and averaging about six points per game, although he did have a 21-point game in a Eurocup game a couple of weeks ago.
He continues to come back from back troubles, and because he is so young (23), the Mavericks believe the Lithuanian still has a shot to play in the league down the line.
Finally, Reyshawn Terry, I believe, is no longer on the Mavericks' radar. James Singleton and Shawne Williams have far more upside and are already contributing on the NBA level. Can't see the Mavericks going back to revisit Terry.