Trouble in Mav land?

[Duff McCartney]

Not sure how accurate this is but read on a Mavs board that Dirk called out Dampier after the Mavs lost to the suns. Saying he was getting into too much foul trouble. Now I read this response.


Avery Johnson was surprised to hear that Erick Dampier had said Dirk Nowitzki was "totally stupid" to suggest that Dampier's performance was the reason the Mavericks played so poorly in Game 1.

He obviously didn't agree with the assessment.

"You know what's stupid?" Johnson said. "The way the Mavericks played the last game. That's stupid."

Not sure how accurate this is, but like I said in the beginning of the season. Dampier is a scrub, the Mavs will regret the day they ever signed him to a $70 million+ contract.

[Obstructed_View]

The self-proclaimed "second best center in the NBA" just laid a big fat egg against a guy who isn't big enough to be a legitimate center. He's Jerome James South.

[Duff McCartney]

Mavs bickering after Game 1 loss

PHOENIX (AP) -- A prominent pair of Dallas Mavericks are bickering in the wake of the team's blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of the Western Conference playoffs.

That's just one of the problems rookie coach Avery Johnson has to rectify before the teams meet again on Wednesday night.

Team leader Dirk Nowitzki criticized Erick Dampier after Amare Stoudemire outscored the Dallas center 40-0 in Monday night's 127-102 Phoenix victory.

"He's a step slow on everything," Nowitzki said after the game. "He never got involved in the game. He has always been in foul trouble. The first series was the same thing. He gets a quick two fouls in the first two or three minutes, and we can't be aggressive any more. Then he gets the third foul and has to sit."

Nowitzki didn't stop there.

"The bottom line is we've got to get something out of our center position," he said. "We really haven't gotten anything out of it."

Nowitzki also shouted at Dampier as the two ran down the court following a three-point play by Stoudemire over the Dallas center's back.

Dampier lashed back before the team's workout on Tuesday.

"He can say what he wants," Dampier said. "We really didn't get a lot from anyone. This is not a one individual game. It's a team concept. We didn't play the way we are capable of playing, so for him to say something like that is totally stupid."

Told of Dampier's remarks, Johnson said, "You know what's stupid? The way the Mavericks played the last game, that was stupid."

Nowitzki, meanwhile, stood by his post-game comments.

"I'm not going to change what I said, and I don't think I need to talk to him," he said.

Johnson said he would take care of the rift.

"We're OK. We trust each other," the coach said. "We have strong character and strong fiber on this team. We just didn't play like the team you guys saw in the first round. We're embarrassed, we're bitter, we're disappointed. Obviously we know we're up against a very tough team, but our best team didn't show up last night."

The squabble stems from Dallas' inability to slow Stoudemire in Game 1, a problem that the Mavs never solved in three regular-season meetings either, when he averaged 32 points.

"He's a great player. He's going to get his numbers," Nowitzki said, "but we can't give him 40 and send him to the line 17 to 20 times."

There are problems against Stoudemire regardless of whether the defender is Dampier, Alan Henderson or Nowitzki.

"He's going to out-quick the bigger guys," Phoenix's Quentin Richardson said, "and if they try to put Dirk or a smaller guy on him, he's going to overpower him, so it's a dilemma."

The ever-confident Stoudemire wonders if there's anything the Mavericks can do effectively against him.

"It's going to be tough for them. They're not exactly Memphis," he said, referring to the team Phoenix swept in the first round. "Memphis had more scrappy players and more defensive players. I'm not sure. They might just polish up their offensive and defensive games."

The Mavericks may decide to double-team Stoudemire, but that opens up the Suns' array of outside shooters, and Stoudemire still could get his points.

"Obviously, one-on-one he's a handful," the Suns' Steve Nash said, "but he becomes more dangerous out of a pick and roll because you have to kind of pick your poison. Are they going to leave me? Are they going to leave someone from the weak side with the tremendous shooters we have. At the same time, we've got people moving to get the ball. I think our team has a lot of balance, and that highlights his superior ability."

After watching video of Monday night's horror show, Dallas' players knew that their main problem was a lack of effort and energy. Two days after their 40-point blowout of Houston in Game 7 of their first-round series, the Mavericks sleepwalked while the Suns sped over, around and through them.

"We were just flat in all areas," Nowitzki said. "We were a step slow on offense and defense. We were jogging around."

The Suns said they know that Game 2 will be far more difficult.

"Last night we had a great game, we played well, we had a lot of fun, but you know that game's over," Richardson said. "We don't expect to win by 20. I've been saying all the time, I expect this to be a dogfight. We don't get any extra wins by winning by 20 or more points. It counts as one win."

[dcole50]

everything dirk said is correct ... but i would suggest keeping that kind of stuff "in house." i don't see dampier a the type of guy who would be inspired by this. i see him as the type who would become a bitter malcontent.

[Obstructed_View]

He'd better suck it up. Dirk shouldn't have to score 40 every night in order to lead the team. Dampier has no excuse for playing such uninspired ball. He needs a manhood check.

[Duff McCartney]

Dampier is nothing but a scrub. What kinda weak ass GM would ever pay a guy who has a 9 and 9 average as his best year for being in the league for 9 years.

Simply terrible. I figured the front office would be smarting up, but that's just stupid shit.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

There were a lot of guys on the Mavs playing matador defense last night, it's just that Dampier got singled out because he was guarding the Freak.

[exstatic]

Dampier is not a scrub, but he's also not worth that contract. He's a Nazr-type player: a banger who can grab some boards and get some putbacks.

[Obstructed_View]

Dampier is a Nazr type player in a contract year. When have the Mavericks ever not overpaid a center? The Mavs will be able to move him in the offseason for someone else with a big name and no game.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Any GM watching the Phoenix series would have to be stupid to pay Dampier big money, or help _allas out.

Well, looks like he'll get traded to the Knicks. :lol

[Obstructed_View]

Cuban is always able to move players because he picks up other bloated contracts in return. It's amazing what people will take in order to make the salaries match. Personally, I hope Dampier, Stackhouse and Van Horn are the death blow for the Mavs

[ChumpDumper]

"The bottom line is we've got to get something out of our center position," he said. "We really haven't gotten anything out of it."Damn Dirk, you're 7 feet, 250 -- YOU PLAY CENTER!

[FilSpursFan]

OMG are they beginning to implode?

[travis2]

Anybody else see this in the article?


"It's going to be tough for them. They're not exactly Memphis," he said, referring to the team Phoenix swept in the first round. "Memphis had more scrappy players and more defensive players..."

Is he asking for an elbow to the grill??? :wow

[johnny00]

Mavs bickering after Game 1 loss

PHOENIX (AP) -- .....Nowitzki said

......Dampier said

...... Johnson said

......Nowitzki, meanwhile, stood by his post-game comments.

"I'm not going to change what I said......


......Johnson said




Doesn't sound as if they're beginning to implode, they have imploded.

[Useruser666]

Dallas is done. I heard this quote from watching the game the other day. Phoenix does what Dallas does, but only better. And that is totally true. I don't think there is a single team in the NBA that can outrun the Suns. The only way to beat them is to make them slow down and grind out a victory. Run when you can on them, and make sure you get back. Dallas is trying to go halfcourt on them but they don't have the players to use that system. A tiger can't change his stripes.

[sickdsm]

Like charles said last night. Your both PF's Dirk. If your supposed to be the leader of the team, nut up and guard him yourself.

[mouse]

Dallas is done.


That will come back to bite your ass.






A tiger can't change his stripes.

you don't have that problem your a Lion

trust me ,after game 3? you will see ,and you will know,
then you will have to eat your crow.

http://www.boomspeed.com/woaimouse/sprurs-eat-crow1.jpg

[duncan2k5]

the suns are too cocky for their own good. i cant wait...

[Useruser666]

That will come back to bite your ass.







you don't have that problem your a Lion

trust me ,after game 3? you will see ,and you will know,
then you will have to eat your crow.

http://www.boomspeed.com/woaimouse/sprurs-eat-crow1.jpg

The only way the Mavs could beat Phoenix is if they traded Nash back to Dallas for Van Horn. Dallas might win a game at home, but they are being beaten over the head with their own game plan.

[DDS4]

Like charles said last night. Your both PF's Dirk. If your supposed to be the leader of the team, nut up and guard him yourself.

Exactly. It's one thing for a guard to call out a big man. But for a big man to call out another? Dirk needs to shut up and play both ends. If Damp sucks, then put on a helmet and guard Amare yourself.

[MadDog73]

So, who wins tonight - Mavs or Suns?

[Inbred]

The only way the Mavs could beat Phoenix is if they traded Nash back to Dallas for Van Horn. Dallas might win a game at home, but they are being beaten over the head with their own game plan.

You tell all that from just one game? You must be related to Bill Walton :lmao

[Useruser666]

You must be related to Mouse?

[mouse]

So, who wins tonight - Mavs or Suns?


good question.


let's see here... if your a suns fan? The Suns . If your a mavs fan? the mavs,

If your a Spurs fan that wants a free pass to the semi finals? The Mavs

If your a Spurs fan that does not like mouse? The suns.

if your like T park and sequ spur? then you wait till the game is over and act like you knew who would win all along. :lmao

trust me if your a betting man? bet the over and under for game two..
take the Mavs in game 3

[BigVee]

Over AND under??

[mouse]

Over AND under??


It's the best way to bet when you like both teams , or if your not sure who might win.

[BigVee]

hard to win betting both, no? will it go over or will it go under? I think the O/U is 225.

[Spurminator]

Dirk should be calling out no one. He has completely sucked throughout the Playoffs. The Mavericks' success does not hinge on how well Dampier plays. Dirk has to raise his game above role-player level.

[mouse]

hard to win betting both, no? will it go over or will it go under? I think the O/U is 225.

Bet the Under. Both teams will be trying to play defence tonight.

[Smackie Chan]

Dirk should be calling out no one. He has completely sucked throughout the Playoffs.

True ...but maybe this will be the spark they need to prove Dirk wrong.


The Mavericks' success does not hinge on how well Dampier plays.

So if he has a 25 point game tonight the Mavs still lose?


Dirk has to raise his game above role-player level.

Dampier has 0ver 60 million reasons to do the same also.

[MadDog73]

good question.


let's see here... if your a suns fan? The Suns . If your a mavs fan? the mavs,

If your a Spurs fan that wants a free pass to the semi finals? The Mavs

If your a Spurs fan that does not like mouse? The suns.

if your like T park and sequ spur? then you wait till the game is over and act like you knew who would win all along. :lmao

trust me if your a betting man? bet the over and under for game two..
take the Mavs in game 3


:lol I hope the Mavs win - just so it's a long series. I really have no preference who wins the series, as long as it goes 7 games and they only have one day before playing a rested Spurs team.

[Smackie Chan]

The Spurs will get all the reat they need when they are fishing next week. :lmao

[Duff McCartney]

Dampier has 0ver 60 million reasons to do the same also.

And he doesn't listen to any of them. The guy is just a waste period. Dallas moved down to a half-step above Golden State in the FO department.

[Spurminator]

So if he has a 25 point game tonight the Mavs still lose?

If Damp scores 25 points, I'm guessing it's because nobody else on the Mavs is doing jack shit... or he's getting plenty of putback opportunities. Maybe both. Either way, the Mavs can beat the Suns with Damp scoring 5 points or 25 points, but they can't beat the Suns if Dirk plays the way he has played in the Playoffs. He didn't do much of anything in Game One either until the game was basically over.

[Obstructed_View]

good question.


let's see here... if your a suns fan? The Suns . If your a mavs fan? the mavs,

If your a Spurs fan that wants a free pass to the semi finals? The Mavs

If your a Spurs fan that does not like mouse? The suns.

if your like T park and sequ spur? then you wait till the game is over and act like you knew who would win all along. :lmao

trust me if your a betting man? bet the over and under for game two..
take the Mavs in game 3
LMAO. Excellent post.

[Obstructed_View]

Dampier deserves to be called out by anyone on the team. If he's going to score zero points in a game where the Mavs play like crap and still score over a hundred then the least he could do is be in position once in a while. Dirk is the leader of the team. It's about damn time he started making an attempt at leading, even if he doesn't do it the right way yet.

[nkdlunch]

Don't mess with Dampier
http://marca.recoletos.es/ficheros/marca/fotos03/NBA/golden_state_warriors/dampier030801.jpg

http://sixshot.com/images/images/suge_knight(courtroom-blues).jpg

http://www.dvd-galaxis.de/dvd-shop-film-filme/128456.jpg

[Dingle Barry]

you're

[Troll]

Dampier deserves to be called out by anyone on the team. If he's going to score zero points in a game where the Mavs play like crap and still score over a hundred then the least he could do is be in position once in a while. Dirk is the leader of the team. It's about damn time he started making an attempt at leading, even if he doesn't do it the right way yet.

Dude you sound kinda upset, are you sure your not a closet Maverick fan? :smokin

But you make good points. I feel the same, But I rather not say anything until we are down by 3 games, I think he might wake up in time for the when we play the Heat

[Charlie]

And he doesn't listen to any of them.

Wow Duff said something I agree with :smokin

[50 cent]

Dampier has 0ver 60 million reasons to do the same also.
That's the whole thing you Mavs fans don't seem to get. He's guaranteed that and now doesn't have to do a damn thing. The only time this scrub has ever played was in his contract year when he was trying to fool some idiot like Cuban into giving him $70 Million. It worked and now you're stuck with a very overpaid (toilet) scrub!

[mouse]

Don't mess with Dampier
http://marca.recoletos.es/ficheros/marca/fotos03/NBA/golden_state_warriors/dampier030801.jpg

http://sixshot.com/images/images/suge_knight(courtroom-blues).jpg

http://www.dvd-galaxis.de/dvd-shop-film-filme/128456.jpg


^RACK^ :lmao

[mouse]

That's the whole thing you Mavs fans don't seem to get. He's guaranteed that and now doesn't have to do a damn thing. The only time this scrub has ever played was in his contract year when he was trying to fool some idiot like Cuban into giving him $70 Million. It worked and now you're stuck with a very overpaid (toilet) scrub!

^ Good point ^

It's ok at least we got Horn

[Rynospursfan]

Got to love it when your $15million Man is playing 11 min a game.

[Obstructed_View]

Dude you sound kinda upset, are you sure your not a closet Maverick fan? :smokin

But you make good points. I feel the same, But I rather not say anything until we are down by 3 games, I think he might wake up in time for the when we play the Heat

I live in Dallas, and I watched the assembly and development of the Mavericks, and I always rooted for them to improve and play well until Cuban turned the organization into such classless trash that throws money in all the wrong places, complains about every whistle, makes excuses, and runs up the score on teams for the benefit of their (mostly) idiot bandwagon fans. Cuban is a basketball ignoramus and he markets his team to appeal to people just like him. It's been successful, but I don't have to like it.

The only way the Mavs start to play well is if Dirk leads them vocally and by example. That means he'd better have a monster game tonight, win or lose.

[bigbendbruisebrother]

Dampier deserves to be called out by anyone on the team. If he's going to score zero points in a game where the Mavs play like crap and still score over a hundred then the least he could do is be in position once in a while. Dirk is the leader of the team. It's about damn time he started making an attempt at leading, even if he doesn't do it the right way yet.

There is a way, a time and place to call out your teamates. When you haven't done jack shit in the playoffs as Dirk has, you've got no standing. And the way to do it isn't through the media. Can you imagine Tim doing such a thing to Rasho or Tony or Manu? AJ has no control of his players.

The only guy Dirk should call out is Mark Cuban for letting Nash go so he could save enough cap space for Dampier. If the Mavs couldn't win it all with Nash, they never will.

[MadDog73]

I live in Dallas, and I watched the assembly and development of the Mavericks, and I always rooted for them to improve and play well until Cuban turned the organization into such classless trash that throws money in all the wrong places, complains about every whistle, makes excuses, and runs up the score on teams for the benefit of their (mostly) idiot bandwagon fans. Cuban is a basketball ignoramus and he markets his team to appeal to people just like him. It's been successful, but I don't have to like it.

The only way the Mavs start to play well is if Dirk leads them vocally and by example. That means he'd better have a monster game tonight, win or lose.

Is Obstructed View the Anti-Mouse?!?

:lol

[Obstructed_View]

There is a way, a time and place to call out your teamates. When you haven't done jack shit in the playoffs as Dirk has, you've got no standing. And the way to do it isn't through the media. Can you imagine Tim doing such a thing to Rasho or Tony or Manu? AJ has no control of his players.

The only guy Dirk should call out is Mark Cuban for letting Nash go so he could save enough cap space for Dampier. If the Mavs couldn't win it all with Nash, they never will.
I very much agree. However I wouldn't exactly say Dirk hasn't done shit, but he's definitely not playing the way people expect, which is why I suggest that he'd better play his ass off after calling out a teammate, because Damp isn't the only disappointment.

Look, Dirk is absolutely the leader of the Mavericks, no matter what happens. You sure don't see the morons on TNT comparing Michael Finley to Larry Bird. Dirk's never taken a leadership role and if he finally does it out of frustration, even if it's not the right way to do it, it's a step in the right direction. Nobody is born knowing how to lead, so it's encouraging to see some sign of life from Dirk when it's not immediately following a whistle.

[MadDog73]

Hey, this brings up an interesting point.

Can anyone pinpoint a particular moment when Timmy D became a Leader?

[Obstructed_View]

He's always led by example. The numbers he's put up in really big games proves that, but I know what you mean.

He's done it this year more than ever before. In my mind it happened sometime last year against the Lakers. I really feel like the shot he made over Shaq was a big moment, even though the Spurs lost. What confirmed it for me was when he fouled out against Denver and huddled the team up. Last night, from the domination, to defending his guards, all the way to the backhand at George Karl in the presser, was a huge display of leadership.

[MadDog73]

Yeah, that huddle after he fouled out in Denver was Huge.

Another player would've have yelled at the ref, then huffed off to the Showers.

Not Tim. He believes in this Team, and rightly so.

[picnroll]

Somebody explain to Dirk that Damp's not in a contract year.

[mouse]

Is Obstructed View the Anti-Mouse?!?

:lol


^RACK^ :lmao

I think the topic starter needs to take the word Mav out of the subject.