Cuban says "hell yes" his Mavericks can beat the Lakers

[duncan228]

Cuban says "hell yes" his Mavericks can beat the Lakers (http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/09/cuban-says-hell-yes-his-mavericks-can-beat-the-lakers.php)
By Kurt Helin

Things are going to be different this year for the Mavericks. No more of that "good but not quite good enough" stuff. Time to own the West, the NBA.

This is the year the Mavericks beat the Lakers.

That's not me saying that, I still have a shred of sanity left. It's Mark Cuban, owner of the Mavericks, on KRLD (http://krld.cbslocal.com/) in Dallas. Here's what he said (thanks Sports Radio Interviews (http://sportsradiointerviews.com/2010/09/16/can-the-mavs-beat-the-lakers-hell-yes/#more-25907)), when he was asked if Dallas could beat Los Angeles:


"Hell yes. That's it. Hell yes. We've got the size now. We've got the depth. We've got a lot more depth than the Lakers. It's not even close there...

"I'm excited about it. We're going to continue our streak [nine straight 50 win seasons]. We're going to have a great team. I think we have the depth, experience and are younger and more athletic to kind of fill some holes we had last year. We are going to be better... This is a really, really special opportunity for us. We're going to have the deepest team in the NBA by far. I think our second unit, J.J. (Barea), Jet (Rodigue Beaubois) and probably Shawn Marion or Caron Butler switching back and forth with the second unit with rookie Dominique Jones playing the three, Tyson Chandler playing the four and Brendan (Haywood) or Ian (Mahini) playing the five. Our second unit could beat a lot of first units. We're going to have so much depth that it's really going to give us an advantage this year. All our guys are coming in with one focus only and that's to win a championship. That's the goal."

I get what Cuban is saying. Dirk Nowtizki kind of is a wash with Pau Gasol. Jason Kidd, even at this point in his career, is better than Derek Fisher/Steve Blake. Shawn Marion is as good or better than Ron Artest. Brendan Haywood can hang right there with Andrew Bynum. Caron Butler can be Lamar Odom...

That's everyone right? Can't think of any other matchups that really tilt things toward the Lakers.

Oh, yea (http://kb24.com/).

[Sportstudi]

Cuban, what's going on with you? I respect that you don't mind spending money on this team. As much as people hate you, concerning your determination for your own team there is not much more fans can ask for. Don't get me wrong, this Mavs team is not bad, but IMO it's not on the level with the Lakers. I would like to see a Mavs team hanging on with them, but without any significant upgrades (especially on 2 and 3) I don't see that coming.

[Darrin]

Cuban is delusional. Shawn Marion is washed up, Haywood and Chandler are inconsistent options at center, Jason Kidd is to be 38 by the time they are "beating" the Lakers. Caron Butler is a good option. Jason Terry is not. Dirk needs to vary up his game and not just post-up off that elbow.

Who guards Kobe Bryant? Who takes over when Ron Artest locks down Butler?

It's that time of year where comments like this are front-page of the sports section. But he is wrong.

[Giuseppe]

That mind fuck he got in Miami 4 summers ago rotted out his gourd.

[TinTin]

FUCK I forgot about blake

[Phillip]

Cuban is delusional. Shawn Marion is washed up, Haywood and Chandler are inconsistent options at center, Jason Kidd is to be 38 by the time they are "beating" the Lakers. Caron Butler is a good option. Jason Terry is not. Dirk needs to vary up his game and not just post-up off that elbow.

Who guards Kobe Bryant? Who takes over when Ron Artest locks down Butler?

It's that time of year where comments like this are front-page of the sports section. But he is wrong.

what is he supposed to say? hell no? yeah, thats a great way to boost your teams confidence :rolleyes

[TheGreatest23]

they'll probably beat the Lakers a couple times in the regular season, then get eliminated in the 1st round by Houston or some other scrub team.

[TheGreatest23]

what is he supposed to say? hell no? yeah, thats a great way to boost your teams confidence :rolleyes

he can say "We'll give it our best shot. We have depth and bigs and I am confident that we are a good enough team to contend"

[redzero]

Okay, if the Mavericks beat the Lakers, what will happen if they meet Dwyane Wade again?

[Brazil]

I'd prefer seeing mavs winning than the lakers or Miami but ain't happening

[duhoh]

ya know, people like Mark Cuban and Otis Smith makes me appreciate the SA/LA FO so much.

spending large amounts of cash doesn't mean a good team if it's not done right.

[JamStone]

he can say "We'll give it our best shot. We have depth and bigs and I am confident that we are a good enough team to contend"

First, that doesn't sound like Mark Cuban. Second, that sounds like someone who is hiding the fact that they know they're going to lose. "We'll give it our best shot."

And it's not like Cuban was guaranteeing anything. I think he answered the question exactly how he should have. He was asked if the Mavs could beat the Lakers. He wasn't asked to put it in stone or anything. Maybe he'd have said the same thing if he were asked that. But, considering he wasn't, there's nothing wrong with what he said.

Doesn't matter if that's what will happen or not. That's how I'd expect him to answer the question and there was nothing wrong with it.

[D-Wade #3]

lol Cuban

[Phillip]

Okay, if the Mavericks beat the Lakers, what will happen if they meet Dwyane Wade again?

the heat would be the first team to ever score 100 points on freethrows alone

[D-Wade #3]

the heat would be the first team to ever score 100 points on freethrows alone

Still crying from the first ass raping :ihit

[lurker]

Mark should focus on his acting career. He dominated his scenes on Entourage.

[LoneStarState'sPride]

Okay, if the Mavericks beat the Lakers, what will happen if they meet Dwyane Wade again?

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww37/eddietheaggie2010/afreighttrain.jpg

[sefant77]

Shawn Marion is washed up

Who guards Kobe Bryant?

Wow, you must have seen plenty of Mavs games last season.

6-19
10-20
4-18
9-23
5-19
6-12
5-11
6-18
9-28
9-23
3-16
7-18

FG% of Bryant/Durant/James/Anthony last season in games against the Mavs

Hmmmm....washed up...

[D-Wade #3]

Wow, you must have seen plenty of Mavs games last season.

6-19
10-20
4-18
9-23
5-19
6-12
5-11
6-18
9-28
9-23
3-16
7-18

FG% of Bryant/Durant/James/Anthony last season in games against the Mavs

Hmmmm....washed up...

lol 5 year extension

[JamStone]

Caron Butler used to be a really good defender. I didn't really pay attention too much last year but I do remember reading some posts on here saying he wasn't any good defensively anymore. What happened to him on defense?

[DPG21920]

:lmao

[badfish22]

Cuban is delusional. Shawn Marion is washed up, Haywood and Chandler are inconsistent options at center, Jason Kidd is to be 38 by the time they are "beating" the Lakers. Caron Butler is a good option. Jason Terry is not. Dirk needs to vary up his game and not just post-up off that elbow.

Who guards Kobe Bryant? Who takes over when Ron Artest locks down Butler?

It's that time of year where comments like this are front-page of the sports section. But he is wrong.

[badfish22]

First, that doesn't sound like Mark Cuban. Second, that sounds like someone who is hiding the fact that they know they're going to lose. "We'll give it our best shot."

And it's not like Cuban was guaranteeing anything. I think he answered the question exactly how he should have. He was asked if the Mavs could beat the Lakers. He wasn't asked to put it in stone or anything. Maybe he'd have said the same thing if he were asked that. But, considering he wasn't, there's nothing wrong with what he said.

Doesn't matter if that's what will happen or not. That's how I'd expect him to answer the question and there was nothing wrong with it.

Jam, with the goods

[AlleyOopNazi]

Cuban is an emotional roller-coaster

[Phillip]

Caron Butler used to be a really good defender. I didn't really pay attention too much last year but I do remember reading some posts on here saying he wasn't any good defensively anymore. What happened to him on defense?

To me, looks like he put some weight on and lost a bit of his quickness. But I think hes trying to drop 15-20 lbs before the season starts, so we may see him improve.

His effort was still there, and he was quite good at creating turnovers and playing physical. He was just a step slower, but not nearly as bad as some people made it out to be.

[rjv]

when anyone includes ian mahimini as part of the answer that is when you know to stop listening to what they have to say

[JamStone]

The depth really won't matter anyway. Cuban fails to realize that Rick Carlisle is going to play Dirk, Kidd, Marion, and Butler all like 40 mpg. And all of the remaining minutes for the bench will be given to JJ Barea.

[badfish22]

when anyone includes ian mahimini as part of the answer that is when you know to stop listening to what they have to say

Funny how last year Mahimini was the next Garnett and now hes a scrub that will never get off the bench.

[DPG21920]

Hell yes. That's it. Hell yes. We've got the size now. We've got the depth. We've got a lot more depth than the Lakers. It's not even close there...

This sounds like a homer ST posters opinion when asked. It is something that is so dumb to say, even if you think it. The depth does not really matter, it comes down to the top 8 players in the playoffs.


"I'm excited about it. We're going to continue our streak [nine straight 50 win seasons]. We're going to have a great team. I think we have the depth, experience and are younger and more athletic to kind of fill some holes we had last year. We are going to be better... This is a really, really special opportunity for us. We're going to have the deepest team in the NBA by far. I think our second unit, J.J. (Barea), Jet (Rodigue Beaubois) and probably Shawn Marion or Caron Butler switching back and forth with the second unit with rookie Dominique Jones playing the three, Tyson Chandler playing the four and Brendan (Haywood) or Ian (Mahini) playing the five. Our second unit could beat a lot of first units. We're going to have so much depth that it's really going to give us an advantage this year. All our guys are coming in with one focus only and that's to win a championship. That's the goal.

He uses such stupid hyperbole that it makes his answer even dumber. It's great to show confidence, but don't' be a damn idiot. It is embarrassing.

[DPG21920]

Funny how last year Mahimini was the next Garnett and now hes a scrub that will never get off the bench.

Fail. I was one of the biggest Ian supporters and no one said that seriously. Most hated him. I was in the vasttttttttttttttttt minority.

I was mad because I thought he could be a serviceable player (like Elson).

[badfish22]

Fail. I was one of the biggest Ian supporters and no one said that seriously. Most hated him. I was in the vasttttttttttttttttt minority.

:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao bullshit

[badfish22]

"If Pop would only play Ian it would solve all our defensive problems! :madrun" - most spurfan last year

[Lukor]

Ofcourse Cuban is exagerating. He always is. But the Mavs(as always) have a shot at beating the Lakers. Maybe 15-20%. But first i'd like to get out of the first round,thanks.

[phxspurfan]

"If Pop would only play Ratliff it would solve some of our defensive problems! :madrun" - most spurfan last year

[DPG21920]

"If Pop would only play Ian it would solve all our defensive problems! :madrun" - most spurfan last year

No.

[TinTin]

No.

Because it seemed like Ian > Bonner

Meant to quote badfish

[j.dizzle]

LOL Cuban seems like a very upbeat guy but we'll hear his bitching & excuses when the Mavs get knocked out yet again. Oh well atleast he can enjoy his title from 06.

[TheGreatest23]

First, that doesn't sound like Mark Cuban. Second, that sounds like someone who is hiding the fact that they know they're going to lose. "We'll give it our best shot."

And it's not like Cuban was guaranteeing anything. I think he answered the question exactly how he should have. He was asked if the Mavs could beat the Lakers. He wasn't asked to put it in stone or anything. Maybe he'd have said the same thing if he were asked that. But, considering he wasn't, there's nothing wrong with what he said.

Doesn't matter if that's what will happen or not. That's how I'd expect him to answer the question and there was nothing wrong with it.

He may not put it in stone..but saying " Hell yes. We've got the size now. We've got the depth. We've got a lot more depth than the Lakers. It's not even close there... " is also "Overdoing" it. Then he claims to be the deepest team shortly after...etc.

Confident yes....but def overdoing it.

[Koolaid_Man]

The depth really won't matter anyway. Cuban fails to realize that Rick Carlisle is going to play Dirk, Kidd, Marion, and Butler all like 40 mpg. And all of the remaining minutes for the bench will be given to JJ Barea.


We've never met the Mavs in the play-offs at least during the Kobe era so there is no real history...but if you re-run the Jazz vs Lakers or Nuggets vs Lakers series the past 3-4 years then you already know the outcome...:toast


I think Cuban is still looking for that Artest meltdown prediction he delivered...He said he was so happy the Lakers got Ron Ron...and fuckig aye Ron delivered us a title...and didn't choke in the waning moments like Dirk...:lmao

[MavDynasty]

Cuban just trolling the shit out of people and getting them butthurt over his comments.

No one actually thinks the Mavs will do anything besides dumbass db.com posters.


lol at people saying Marion cant defend Kobe/Durant/Melo etc. He sucks chode on offense but if there is one thing No neck can do, it's defend.

[MavDynasty]

and imo Jason Kidd is too old. He beasted after the Caron trade but sucked dick and got ass raped for the 3rd straight year from the opposing pg(lol cp3,parker,billups,parker,hill) flu virus or not


lol playing chandler at the 4 and haywood at the 5 with the shitty backcourt of jj and jet

[Latarian Milton]

having seen JJB's impressive performances Turkey i firmly believe he will do big next season. TC will cause a lot matchup troubles with Pau gasol because the spanish homosexual is soft and always plays bad when encountering strong bodies like Chandler, Perkins etc....

[Koolaid_Man]

The depth really won't matter anyway. Cuban fails to realize that Rick Carlisle is going to play Dirk, Kidd, Marion, and Butler all like 40 mpg. And all of the remaining minutes for the bench will be given to JJ Barea.


I dunno but I think the Lakers just simply have more inches than ere one else:
TzrHadF_FUE

[Koolaid_Man]

We Inch by Inch all up in dat ass....lol

[MavDynasty]

having seen JJB's impressive performances Turkey i firmly believe he will do big next season. TC will cause a lot matchup troubles with Pau gasol because the spanish homosexual is soft and always plays bad when encountering strong bodies like Chandler, Perkins etc....

lol expecting 5'8 JJ beaner with t-rex arms to do big. I'm not one to drink the roddy koolaid but Roddy>JJ. Both are shitty defenders but Roddy is more athletic and can score without being a blackhole

[picc84]

Cuban must have snorted some of Vinnie Chase's coke.

[Koolaid_Man]

lol at people saying Marion cant defend Kobe/Durant/Melo etc. He sucks chode on offense but if there is one thing No neck can do, it's defend.



Yeah I'm with you my Nig...Dat Nigga Shawn...shit...he be locking Kobe the fuck up mane...Imma roll up and we gonna smoke to dat shit..Kobe can't fuck with dat dude...:lmao
YmAKVw1q1mw

[ohmwrecker]

If Ian Mahinmi becomes a playmaker for the Mavericks, I will drive to Dallas and shoot Mark Cuban in the face. I might just do it anyway.

[MavDynasty]

lol kobe shooting 40percent and 15.4 percent from 3 against the the mavs

[Lukor]

Yeah I'm with you my Nig...Dat Nigga Shawn...shit...he be locking Kobe the fuck up mane...Imma roll up and we gonna smoke to dat shit..Kobe can't fuck with dat dude...:lmao
YmAKVw1q1mw

If only Kobe still had those Moves. Today he would pull up for a contested jumper.

[Giuseppe]

lol kobe shooting 40percent and 15.4 percent from 3 against the the mavs

After Miami, you've no room, sassafras.

[Giuseppe]

If only Kobe still had those Moves. Today he would pull up for a contested jumper.

....or, shovel to the unimploded Artest.

tee, hee.

[MavDynasty]

After Miami, you've no room, sassafras.

Another great fuckin basketball take from a pedo who gets butthurt when a college kid doesn't meet up with him


:cry why did he ditch me :cry

[MavDynasty]

:cry i just wanted to eat with him :cry

[Findog]

Mavs are destined for 50-some wins and another first-round exit, so we'll never get a chance to test this hypothesis.

[Findog]

Also, I'm a little perturbed that Cuban listed JJB's presence on the second unit as one of our team's strengths...that guy is a 15 mpg changeup gimmick and nothing more. If he's anything more than somebody that exists on the margins on your eight-man rotation, you're in trouble.

[Giuseppe]

Another great fuckin basketball take from a pedo who gets butthurt when a college kid doesn't meet up with him

Gotcha!

[MavDynasty]

Also, I'm a little perturbed that Cuban listed JJB's presence on the second unit as one of our team's strengths...that guy is a 15 mpg changeup gimmick and nothing more. If he's anything more than somebody that exists on the margins on your eight-man rotation, you're in trouble.

Hey, our coach is Rick so anything is possible like Dampier starting over Haywood and playing JJ 25 minutes when Roddy is rotting on the bench.

[Giuseppe]

Scoreboard=Miami.

tee, hee.

[MavDynasty]

Gotcha!

:cry lakaluva, why is he so mean :cry

[Giuseppe]

And they made ya like it.

tee, hee.

[Findog]

I still for the life of me will never understand why Jason Terry doesn't get all the backup PG minutes.

[MavDynasty]

I still for the life of me will never understand why Jason Terry doesn't get all the backup PG minutes.

I guess it is better to play as a 6'2 shooting guard even though that one team in Dallas got to the Finals with Terry at PG

[Koolaid_Man]

If only Kobe still had those Moves. Today he would pull up for a contested jumper.

You know the wonderful thing about being a Laker fan is that we have material for all occasions...


As you requested maam...Kobe with the pull up contested jumper over Marion....

Go ahead I double dog dare you...say something else lil punk...:lmao... I gots material for decades...I bet I could find Kobe dunking Wilt...:lol

iSb6vM0WXsU

[Giuseppe]

I guess it is better to play as a 6'2 shooting guard even though that one team in Dallas got to the Finals with Terry at PG

Where you promptly ended up with the short & dirty end of the stick.:lmao

[D-Wade #3]

Where you promptly ended up with the short & dirty end of the stick.:lmao

Crucify em', send those butthurt shitstains to the tree of woe

[Giuseppe]

Crucify em', send those butthurt shitstains to the tree of woe

Fine, but, by God & Sunny Jesus yer next come next Spring.

You have a date with that exact same tree of woe.

[monosylab1k]

Cuban is delusional. Shawn Marion is washed up, Haywood and Chandler are inconsistent options at center, Jason Kidd is to be 38 by the time they are "beating" the Lakers. Caron Butler is a good option. Jason Terry is not. Dirk needs to vary up his game and not just post-up off that elbow.

Who guards Kobe Bryant? Who takes over when Ron Artest locks down Butler?

It's that time of year where comments like this are front-page of the sports section. But he is wrong.

I want Demarcus Cousins to play for the Pistons! I want the oil to stop gushing into the gulf! I want a President who has leadership skills during a crisis! I want Chauncey Billups to find the fountain of youth (he's starting to look old)! I want school funding! What do you want to rub the genie for?

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

I want Demarcus Cousins to play for the Pistons! I want the oil to stop gushing into the gulf! I want a President who has leadership skills during a crisis! I want Chauncey Billups to find the fountain of youth (he's starting to look old)! I want school funding! What do you want to rub the genie for?
Each Day Offers Potential

[D-Wade #3]

Fine, but, by God & Sunny Jesus yer next come next Spring.

You have a date with that exact same tree of woe.

When that time comes, you can personally deliver the vasoline that the Lakers will need when they spread their cheeks, all ripe for the taking by us

[Ace]

Crucify em', send those butthurt shitstains to the tree of woe
Spoken like someone who truly got their ass regulated by the regulation krew. Here this will help :tu
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/10959/preparation_h.jpg

[HarlemHeat37]

It's not a massive stretch, TBH, although I obviously wouldn't bet on the Mavs if they played LA..Lakers-Mavs would actually be a very entertaining series IMO..

Last year's Mavs were the 2nd best isolation team in the NBA, while the Lakers were the #1 team in the NBA at defending isolation plays..

The Mavs were the #2 post-up team in the NBA, while the Lakers were a top 10 team at defending post-up plays..

The Mavs were #6 in the NBA at scoring from spot-up shots, while the Lakers were #1 at defending it..

The Mavs were #3 at scoring off screens, while the Lakers were top 10 at defending it..

The Lakers main weakness on D was defending the p&r, but the Mavs were just an average p&r team last year, so they wouldn't be able to exploit that..

So it looks like the Lakers match all of the Mavs strengths for the most part, which makes it seem like LA would dominate, however, the Mavs defense seems to have a similar result..

The Lakers were the #12 iso team, while the Mavs were a top 10 iso defense..

Lakers were #9 from spot-up shots, the Mavs were top 10 at defending it..

Lakers were top 5 at scoring from offensive rebounds, the Mavs were top 5 at defending it..

The Mavs main weakness on D was defending screens, but the Lakers barely made the top 20 in screen offense..

The main advantage the Lakers have is that they were a top 5 post-up team, while the Mavs were barely a top 20 team at defending the post-up..this is obviously where the addition of Chandler has to be a key, he was still a good post defender last year, despite not being healthy..



The Mavs are going to have depth problems, in the sense that they have too much depth, with players that do so many different things, and have so many different flaws..

Marion was terrible from an offensive standpoint last year, but he was actually rated as one of the elite defenders in the entire NBA last year..opponents shot 32% in 1 on 1 situations against Marion last year, one of the lowest marks in the NBA..

While you get Marion's elite defense, you have to deal with his offense..he was rated in the lower tier of the NBA in team offense..he shot 33% from the field in spot-up opportunities, so that's something you have to deal with..the Lakers dealt with Artest in the same way though, so that might not be so bad against LA..

Caron Butler was also rated very good defensively last year, but he has the same problem offensively..he was one of the worst spot-up shooters in the entire league last year..so the Mavs SG and SF are 2 of the worst shooters in the NBA, and their C has no shooting ability either..it's kind of balanced out by Kidd and Nowitzki being 2 of the best spot-up shooters in the NBA, but it obviously hurts when 3/5 major players can't shoot..

The problem with Kidd is that he's an average overall defender now, and he wouldn't be able to exploit Derek Fisher on D..they have the same build, and Kidd doesn't have the strength advantage over Fisher..if they have him play more bench minutes against Blake, he would dominate though..


So the Mavs success comes down to:

-Chandler's post D..
-Beaubois's emergence/Finding penetration from the wing(they pretty much go together)..
-Carlisle somehow finding a proper rotation and properly utilizing matchups..

I think Chandler will be fine, but I don't think I believe they'll find penetration from the wing, and I don't believe in Carlisle..

This was a long post, but it actually really interested me, TBH..the Mavs are one of the most strangely built teams I've ever seen..they have a strange mix of so many different types of players with various strengths, and all have serious flaws..

[Giuseppe]

When that time comes, you can personally deliver the vasoline that the Lakers will need when they spread their cheeks, all ripe for the taking by us

You horny bastard, you.:lmao

[8FOR!3]

lol, let's be honest. Nobody not named Dirk on the Mavs is scoring on Ron Artest.

[sefant77]

So the Mavs success comes down to:

-Chandler's post D..
-Beaubois's emergence/Finding penetration from the wing(they pretty much go together)..
-Carlisle somehow finding a proper rotation and properly utilizing matchups..

I think Chandler will be fine, but I don't think I believe they'll find penetration from the wing, and I don't believe in Carlisle..

This was a long post, but it actually really interested me, TBH..the Mavs are one of the most strangely built teams I've ever seen..they have a strange mix of so many different types of players with various strengths, and all have serious flaws..

Finally a great posting :tu

Its true, the Mavs are lacking of "complete" players, resulting in weird lineups like the 3 guard lineup to try to make the best out of it (like plain outscoring the other team).

I think Mavs key success:
- Chandlers health and offensive game with Kidd (career year with Paul 11.8 points in 35min)

- Butler contract year with a full training camp and preseason. I believe there is a good chance that Butler has a strong bounce back year

- Roddys emerging as a solid 15PPG player, someone that can create his own shot beside Dirk)

I think a good mix would be as S5

Kidd
Roddy
Marion
Dirk
Haywood

Roddy covering Kidds weakness against quick guards, something Terry or Butler couldnt do. Marion taking the star SG/SF. At offensive you have Dirk and Roddy able to create self or Kidd delivering for Marion/Haywood.

And Barea-Terry-Butler-x-Chandler could really kill some weaker 2ns units.

[Venti Quattro]

They can. In fact anyone can. But the more pressing question is, will they?

[Killakobe81]

If Cuban doesnt believe then why whould the fans? I like Cuban as an owner he is no Jerry Buss ...but he cares and he is willing to take a loss onythis team, for them to win. He appears to be an annoying prick (anyone see him on Entourage?) but I would take him over 90% of owners ...

[Venti Quattro]

Yeah, it was the right mentality for the owner to say. I don't expect him to say anything less. He might be viewed as a prick on and off the court but I'd love to have Mark Cuban on the Lakers. His passion is unmatched and his pocket unabated.

[BUMP]

Mavs are destined for 50-some wins and another first-round exit, so we'll never get a chance to test this hypothesis.

The Lakers are one of only 3 Western Conference teams the Mavs haven't played since Cuban bought the team. I find that to be amazing considering how good both have been all decade, and the amount of times Dallas has matched up with SA and Phoenix in the similar timeframe.

The only other two teams are the Clippers and Thunder/Sonics.

[BUMP]

Like I said, since Cuban bought the team in 2000, Dallas has faced every team in the WC in the playoffs with the exception of the Clippers, Thunder/Sonics, and shockingly the Lakers.

Here's the list

-Utah once in 2001, Cuban's first full season

-Denver once in 2009

-Timberwolves once in 2002

-Blazers once in 2003, Dallas almost choked a 3-0 lead

-Sacramento 3 years in a row 2002-04

-Golden State (lol 8th seed)

-Phoenix two years in a row 2005-06

-San Antonio many times

-Houston once in 2005

-Memphis once in 2006

-New Orleans in 2008

[HarlemHeat37]

That Dallas-Portland series was epic..Sabonis seemed to spark them all series, until he fouled out in game 7 IIRC, then they were done..IIRC, he had one of the best passes I've ever seen too..

[Zelophehad]

Also, I'm a little perturbed that Cuban listed JJB's presence on the second unit as one of our team's strengths...that guy is a 15 mpg changeup gimmick and nothing more. If he's anything more than somebody that exists on the margins on your eight-man rotation, you're in trouble.

:tu

http://www.82games.com/0910/09DAL1.HTM#onoff

[Giuseppe]

Yeah, it was the right mentality for the owner to say. I don't expect him to say anything less. He might be viewed as a prick on and off the court but I'd love to have Mark Cuban on the Lakers. His passion is unmatched and his pocket unabated.

He's a waste of space.

[sefant77]

He's a waste of space.

Yes because he bought a dead lame ass franchise and turned it into a one of the better franchises.

He practically invented no guaranteed contracts as trade chips

He was never too shy to face Bullshit Stern or the NBA, of course in the expense that the Mavs are now the team with the most ridiculous suspensions....

[Giuseppe]

& yes, if for no other reason than playing grab ass with the Nelsons. For that reason alone he's a f'ing idiot.

[HeatBurn305]

& yes, if for no other reason than playing grab ass with the Nelsons. For that reason alone he's a f'ing idiot.

Not to mention he was on the receiving end when Wade shoveled it off to an unimploded Payton in game 3. The fat lady had all but sang after that one.

Yer adorable.

[sefant77]

All this new Heat kiddies are so annoying, they not even know how do a quality bashing

[SomeCallMeTim]

The Lakers are one of only 3 Western Conference teams the Mavs haven't played since Cuban bought the team. I find that to be amazing considering how good both have been all decade, and the amount of times Dallas has matched up with SA and Phoenix in the similar timeframe.

The only other two teams are the Clippers and Thunder/Sonics.

That is really strange. It's the main reason why it hasn't really felt like a full-on rivalry -- I think that requires playoff matchups. How these two teams have dodged one another is uncanny given how deep both have gone in the playoffs so many times.

I'd love to see a Mavs/Lakers series this year.

[Giuseppe]

Not to mention he was on the receiving end when Wade shoveled it off to an unimploded Payton in game 3. The fat lady had all but sang after that one.

Yer adorable.

lmcontrollinao!

[SomeCallMeTim]

Yes because he bought a dead lame ass franchise and turned it into a one of the better franchises.

He practically invented no guaranteed contracts as trade chips

He was never too shy to face Bullshit Stern or the NBA, of course in the expense that the Mavs are now the team with the most ridiculous suspensions....

About the only thing I can fault in Cuban is his courtside antics. But even that I can forgive as he's at heart just a really high profile fan of his own team. Everything else about the guy is pretty much what you'd want in an owner and he turned around a dead-end franchise and made it into a perennial contender.

[Giuseppe]

^He's been around umpteen years, and has never rung. WTF makes him so special?

F'k him.

Let Buss try that stunt and the rank & file hereabouts would frog march his ass to the Woe Tree.

[SomeCallMeTim]

^He's been around umpteen years, and has never rung. WTF makes him so special?

F'k him.

Let Buss try that stunt and the rank & file hereabouts would frog march his ass to the Woe Tree.

"Umpteen" years? Try 10.

In that time, only 5 owners have won titles. Of the ones who have not, his team is head and shoulders above, easily the best team during that time. Which is no mean feat because this franchise historically was terrible.

No owner can just wave a magic wand to win a title. Great owners put their teams in position to win again and again. That's what makes Buss great and Cuban definitely fits that bill, too.

[sefant77]

You should remember that its pretty "easy" to run the Lakers and attract players.

Put Buss as owner of the Bucks and no way in hell Shaq leaves Orlando to play there. Kobe would tell him before the draft that playing in Milwaukee was an "impossibility". Ron Artest wouldnt sign for the MLE.

[Giuseppe]

"Umpteen" years? Try 10.

In that time, only 5 owners have won titles. Of the ones who have not, his team is head and shoulders above, easily the best team during that time. Which is no mean feat because this franchise historically was terrible.

No owner can just wave a magic wand to win a title. Great owners put their teams in position to win again and again. That's what makes Buss great and Cuban definitely fits that bill, too.

Ok, 10. Aside from running after Stern like a crazed dog, making an ass of himself, he's accomplished nothing.

This shit with the Nelsons is extremely disturbing. C'mon, sure it's avant garde & quaint, but, it's reckless, needless and wrong-headed. He should act like somebody, gd it.

This last contract for Nowitski was personal. Had nothing to do with business.

And the Dallas franchise had a heyday as well (mid '80s). They gave us fits on more than one occasion.

[Giuseppe]

You should remember that its pretty "easy" to run the Lakers and attract players.

Everybody seemed to forget that, cept Kobe. Only after he took off after Buss with hammer & tong did he finally get his remember on.

[dickface]

Ok, 10. Aside from running after Stern like a crazed dog, making an ass of himself, he's accomplished nothing.

This shit with the Nelsons is extremely disturbing. C'mon, sure it's avant garde & quaint, but, it's reckless, needless and wrong-headed. He should act like somebody, gd it.

This last contract for Nowitski was personal. Had nothing to do with business.

And the Dallas franchise had a heyday as well (mid '80s). They gave us fits on more than one occasion.

I'm going to find you and kill you in your sleep. crofl jk

[Giuseppe]

^My father in-a-law said words to that affect as well. He now lives with Jesus full-time and I'm still gettin' some from his daughter--Katie-girl. Well, I'd be getting some if my f'in prostate wasn't the size of a grapefruit. But, at least the intention is still palpable.

[dbestpro]

The players for the Mavs and the coach are good enough to win a championship. The problem as in the past remains with the philosophy. When things go wrong, championship teams hold each other accountable. With Dallas, Cuban continues to enable the players to make excuses rather than being held accountable.

[Giuseppe]

The players for the Mavs and the coach are good enough to win a championship.

The coach, yes.

The players, no. They remain mentally wounded from the Miami Fiasco.

Dirk has crested & started down the other side. His lift has shortened. That's lethal for a player of his machinations.

[2Cleva]

dxBvUqLs_eU

[Giuseppe]

^Manoshevitz! It's gets better than that. But, I'll be damned if I can cite it.

[BUMP]

They remain mentally wounded from the Miami Fiasco.

Dirk has crested & started down the other side.

T5jKEsoCwi8

[sefant77]

The coach, yes.

The players, no. They remain mentally wounded from the Miami Fiasco.

Dirk has crested & started down the other side. His lift has shortened. That's lethal for a player of his machinations.

2005-06 (http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nowitdi01/gamelog/2006/) 27 DAL (http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DAL/2006.html) NBA (http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2006.html) 81 81 38.1 9.3 19.3 .480 1.4 3.3 .406 6.7 7.4 .901 1.4 7.6 9.0 2.8 0.7 1.0 1.9 2.0 26.6
2009-10 (http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nowitdi01/gamelog/2010/) 31 DAL (http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DAL/2010.html) NBA (http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2010.html) 81 80 37.5 8.9 18.5 .481 0.6 1.5 .421 6.6 7.2 .915 1.0 6.7 7.7 2.7 0.9 1.0 1.8 2.6 25.0
And watching his playoff stats against Hornets, Nuggets and 2x Spurs: No he didnt. The past years it was all about his choking inconsistent support cast (Terry, Howard, Butler).

[Ashy Larry]

Cubes > all

[JamStone]

dxBvUqLs_eU

I like Sadat a lot, Lord Jamal is decent.

But Brand Nubian just wasn't the same without Grand Puba.

[Darrin]

Wow, you must have seen plenty of Mavs games last season.

6-19
10-20
4-18
9-23
5-19
6-12
5-11
6-18
9-28
9-23
3-16
7-18

FG% of Bryant/Durant/James/Anthony last season in games against the Mavs

Hmmmm....washed up...

1. Lost in the first round.
2. The next time Marion gets 32 points, 19 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists to key his team to a 2-1 series lead, let me know.

[#41 Shoot Em Up]

1. Lost in the first round.
2. The next time Marion gets 32 points, 19 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists to key his team to a 2-1 series lead, let me know.

a Detroit F'n Pistons fan talking shit about a top team out West????? really?:lol
When the Pistons become RELEVANT again you let me know, till then let grown folks speak

[DPG21920]

a Detroit F'n Pistons fan talking shit about a top team out West????? really?:lol
When the Pistons become RELEVANT again you let me know, till then let grown folks speak

Titles, maggot.

[#41 Shoot Em Up]

As far as the thread goes, we can't make any conclusions to how a series between these two would go because they haven't met since Cuban bought the team right??? in the postseason i'm speaking about obviously. I wanna see them play in the WCF as bad as anyone and see how we stack up, but till that happens we all can just guess about how the series would go between the two.

[#41 Shoot Em Up]

Titles, maggot.

come up with something original and i'll play along

[DPG21920]

As far as the thread goes, we can't make any conclusions to how a series between these two would go because they haven't met since Cuban bought the team right??? in the postseason i'm speaking about obviously. I wanna see them play in the WCF as bad as anyone and see how we stack up, but till that happens we all can just guess about how the series would go between the two.

Well, get to the WCF and find out.

[duncan228]

Mavs Both Deep and Shallow (http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/09/17/the-works-mavs-both-deep-and-shallow-abolish-over-and-back/)
By Bethlehem Shoals and Tom Ziller

Plumbing the Depth: When asked if his Mavericks can defeat the two-time defending NBA champion L.A. Lakers, franchise owner Mark Cuban argued that the team's depth will allow Dallas to reign supreme (http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/09/mavericks-owner-mark-cuban-hell-yes-we-c.html). The actual quote, from a Q&A with SportsDayDFW, is a bit more rah-rah: "Hell yes. We've got the size now. We've got the depth. We've got a lot more depth than the Lakers. It's not even close there."

Uhh ...

Cuban is apparently arguing that having a better ninth or 10th man is a major factor in winning major games. To the contrary, research has repeatedly shown that a team's top three or so players account for much of the success or failure of a team. Sports economist David Berri, with whom I frequently disagree, has applied the Pareto Principle to the NBA, which has shown that using his (controversial) production metric, a team's top three players generally produce 80 percent of a team's wins. And while in basketball circles Berri is a divisive figure, this point is actually widely accepted. It makes intuitive sense -- your top players play more minutes, thus having a larger potential footprint (for better or worse) on a game. And the math seems to back it up.

So what about the Mavericks' depth?

What depth do they have, exactly? The team added Tyson Chandler via trade, losing the un-guaranteed contract of Erick Dampier. Chandler and Dampier, conveniently enough, aren't too different. They are rebounding post defenders with offensive skill-sets sitting on the border of troubling and non-existent. The Mavericks had Dampier and Brendan Haywood up front for the stretch run last season; this year, it will be Chandler and Haywood. On the edges, the team replaced Tim Thomas and Eduardo Najera with Alexis Ajinca and Ian Mahinmi, the latter of whom actually matters but won't see much playing time, in all likelihood, barring injury of course.

In the backcourt, the team added Dominique Jones. That is all.

If the clusterflock at the wing positions -- that'd be Shawn Marion, Caron Butler, Rodrigue Beaubois and Jason Terry, all of whom likely require a great deal of minutes and only one of whom (Marion) can realistically play another position (power forward) for extending minutes, a position which happens to be held by an All-World monster (Dirk Nowitzki) who plays tons of minutes and rarely misses game -- is depth, call me Georgia and hand me that fiddle. Sure, that's depth, better depth than the Lakers have on the wings. But does it matter?

And this ignores the possibly most important position on the floor: point guard. The Mavericks have Jason Kidd and J.J. Barea. In four playoff series with Dallas, Kidd has averaged 9.7 points and 6.4 assists in more than 38 minutes a game. The Mavericks are 1-3 in those series. Barea, who is fast, is not terribly good. Kidd will turn 38 before the '10-11 playoffs, and as noted has been largely terrible in the playoffs the last three seasons.

Where's the depth there?

The problem with the Mavericks isn't that they can't beat the Lakers in the second quarter. Great wing depth and a solid (or better) big man rotation will help there. But how important is that if the first unit falls behind by a dozen points, or if the Lakers have no problem defending 4/5ths of the Mavericks' line-up in crunch time? To me, any argument on depth comes down to the graphic at right: the Lakers' fifth best player is as good or better than the Mavericks' second best player. That's a problem! After all these post-Nash years, Dirk still doesn't have help. Butler's nice, Marion solid, Haywood adorable. But none of those sidekicks comes close to comparing to someone like Pau Gasol, or Duncan's Ginobili (or Parker, for that matter), or Garnett's Pierce (or Pierce's Garnett, or Pierce's Rondo, or Garnett's Rondo). And we'll just ignore the Heat for a second, because I'm already laughing hysterically at the thought.

The Mavericks are not lacking for depth. They never have!, lest we forget the halcyon days of Antawn Jamison, Sixth Man. It's top-line talent Dallas needs, as well as serious aid at point guard. No wonder those Chris Paul rumors never die.

(That said, if coach Rick Carlisle realizes what he has with Beaubois, we can rewrite this whole narrative. I'm just not convinced Carlisle will give Roddy minutes owed to the veterans like Butler and Terry, never mind Kidd.) (TZ)

http://www.blogcdn.com/nba.fanhouse.com/media/2010/09/lakersmavs-tz-350.jpg

[Killakobe81]

Mavs Both Deep and Shallow (http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/09/17/the-works-mavs-both-deep-and-shallow-abolish-over-and-back/)
By Bethlehem Shoals and Tom Ziller

Plumbing the Depth: When asked if his Mavericks can defeat the two-time defending NBA champion L.A. Lakers, franchise owner Mark Cuban argued that the team's depth will allow Dallas to reign supreme (http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/09/mavericks-owner-mark-cuban-hell-yes-we-c.html). The actual quote, from a Q&A with SportsDayDFW, is a bit more rah-rah: "Hell yes. We've got the size now. We've got the depth. We've got a lot more depth than the Lakers. It's not even close there."

Uhh ...

Cuban is apparently arguing that having a better ninth or 10th man is a major factor in winning major games. To the contrary, research has repeatedly shown that a team's top three or so players account for much of the success or failure of a team. Sports economist David Berri, with whom I frequently disagree, has applied the Pareto Principle to the NBA, which has shown that using his (controversial) production metric, a team's top three players generally produce 80 percent of a team's wins. And while in basketball circles Berri is a divisive figure, this point is actually widely accepted. It makes intuitive sense -- your top players play more minutes, thus having a larger potential footprint (for better or worse) on a game. And the math seems to back it up.

So what about the Mavericks' depth?

What depth do they have, exactly? The team added Tyson Chandler via trade, losing the un-guaranteed contract of Erick Dampier. Chandler and Dampier, conveniently enough, aren't too different. They are rebounding post defenders with offensive skill-sets sitting on the border of troubling and non-existent. The Mavericks had Dampier and Brendan Haywood up front for the stretch run last season; this year, it will be Chandler and Haywood. On the edges, the team replaced Tim Thomas and Eduardo Najera with Alexis Ajinca and Ian Mahinmi, the latter of whom actually matters but won't see much playing time, in all likelihood, barring injury of course.

In the backcourt, the team added Dominique Jones. That is all.

If the clusterflock at the wing positions -- that'd be Shawn Marion, Caron Butler, Rodrigue Beaubois and Jason Terry, all of whom likely require a great deal of minutes and only one of whom (Marion) can realistically play another position (power forward) for extending minutes, a position which happens to be held by an All-World monster (Dirk Nowitzki) who plays tons of minutes and rarely misses game -- is depth, call me Georgia and hand me that fiddle. Sure, that's depth, better depth than the Lakers have on the wings. But does it matter?

And this ignores the possibly most important position on the floor: point guard. The Mavericks have Jason Kidd and J.J. Barea. In four playoff series with Dallas, Kidd has averaged 9.7 points and 6.4 assists in more than 38 minutes a game. The Mavericks are 1-3 in those series. Barea, who is fast, is not terribly good. Kidd will turn 38 before the '10-11 playoffs, and as noted has been largely terrible in the playoffs the last three seasons.

Where's the depth there?

The problem with the Mavericks isn't that they can't beat the Lakers in the second quarter. Great wing depth and a solid (or better) big man rotation will help there. But how important is that if the first unit falls behind by a dozen points, or if the Lakers have no problem defending 4/5ths of the Mavericks' line-up in crunch time? To me, any argument on depth comes down to the graphic at right: the Lakers' fifth best player is as good or better than the Mavericks' second best player. That's a problem! After all these post-Nash years, Dirk still doesn't have help. Butler's nice, Marion solid, Haywood adorable. But none of those sidekicks comes close to comparing to someone like Pau Gasol, or Duncan's Ginobili (or Parker, for that matter), or Garnett's Pierce (or Pierce's Garnett, or Pierce's Rondo, or Garnett's Rondo). And we'll just ignore the Heat for a second, because I'm already laughing hysterically at the thought.

The Mavericks are not lacking for depth. They never have!, lest we forget the halcyon days of Antawn Jamison, Sixth Man. It's top-line talent Dallas needs, as well as serious aid at point guard. No wonder those Chris Paul rumors never die.

(That said, if coach Rick Carlisle realizes what he has with Beaubois, we can rewrite this whole narrative. I'm just not convinced Carlisle will give Roddy minutes owed to the veterans like Butler and Terry, never mind Kidd.) (TZ)

http://www.blogcdn.com/nba.fanhouse.com/media/2010/09/lakersmavs-tz-350.jpg

Solid article, thanks! But wait Pau is the real MVP of the Lakers ...this article is crap.

[Quit Hatin']

Mavs Both Deep and Shallow (http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/09/17/the-works-mavs-both-deep-and-shallow-abolish-over-and-back/)
By Bethlehem Shoals and Tom Ziller

Plumbing the Depth: When asked if his Mavericks can defeat the two-time defending NBA champion L.A. Lakers, franchise owner Mark Cuban argued that the team's depth will allow Dallas to reign supreme (http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/09/mavericks-owner-mark-cuban-hell-yes-we-c.html). The actual quote, from a Q&A with SportsDayDFW, is a bit more rah-rah: "Hell yes. We've got the size now. We've got the depth. We've got a lot more depth than the Lakers. It's not even close there."

Uhh ...

Cuban is apparently arguing that having a better ninth or 10th man is a major factor in winning major games. To the contrary, research has repeatedly shown that a team's top three or so players account for much of the success or failure of a team. Sports economist David Berri, with whom I frequently disagree, has applied the Pareto Principle to the NBA, which has shown that using his (controversial) production metric, a team's top three players generally produce 80 percent of a team's wins. And while in basketball circles Berri is a divisive figure, this point is actually widely accepted. It makes intuitive sense -- your top players play more minutes, thus having a larger potential footprint (for better or worse) on a game. And the math seems to back it up.

So what about the Mavericks' depth?

What depth do they have, exactly? The team added Tyson Chandler via trade, losing the un-guaranteed contract of Erick Dampier. Chandler and Dampier, conveniently enough, aren't too different. They are rebounding post defenders with offensive skill-sets sitting on the border of troubling and non-existent. The Mavericks had Dampier and Brendan Haywood up front for the stretch run last season; this year, it will be Chandler and Haywood. On the edges, the team replaced Tim Thomas and Eduardo Najera with Alexis Ajinca and Ian Mahinmi, the latter of whom actually matters but won't see much playing time, in all likelihood, barring injury of course.

In the backcourt, the team added Dominique Jones. That is all.

If the clusterflock at the wing positions -- that'd be Shawn Marion, Caron Butler, Rodrigue Beaubois and Jason Terry, all of whom likely require a great deal of minutes and only one of whom (Marion) can realistically play another position (power forward) for extending minutes, a position which happens to be held by an All-World monster (Dirk Nowitzki) who plays tons of minutes and rarely misses game -- is depth, call me Georgia and hand me that fiddle. Sure, that's depth, better depth than the Lakers have on the wings. But does it matter?

And this ignores the possibly most important position on the floor: point guard. The Mavericks have Jason Kidd and J.J. Barea. In four playoff series with Dallas, Kidd has averaged 9.7 points and 6.4 assists in more than 38 minutes a game. The Mavericks are 1-3 in those series. Barea, who is fast, is not terribly good. Kidd will turn 38 before the '10-11 playoffs, and as noted has been largely terrible in the playoffs the last three seasons.

Where's the depth there?

The problem with the Mavericks isn't that they can't beat the Lakers in the second quarter. Great wing depth and a solid (or better) big man rotation will help there. But how important is that if the first unit falls behind by a dozen points, or if the Lakers have no problem defending 4/5ths of the Mavericks' line-up in crunch time? To me, any argument on depth comes down to the graphic at right: the Lakers' fifth best player is as good or better than the Mavericks' second best player. That's a problem! After all these post-Nash years, Dirk still doesn't have help. Butler's nice, Marion solid, Haywood adorable. But none of those sidekicks comes close to comparing to someone like Pau Gasol, or Duncan's Ginobili (or Parker, for that matter), or Garnett's Pierce (or Pierce's Garnett, or Pierce's Rondo, or Garnett's Rondo). And we'll just ignore the Heat for a second, because I'm already laughing hysterically at the thought.

The Mavericks are not lacking for depth. They never have!, lest we forget the halcyon days of Antawn Jamison, Sixth Man. It's top-line talent Dallas needs, as well as serious aid at point guard. No wonder those Chris Paul rumors never die.

(That said, if coach Rick Carlisle realizes what he has with Beaubois, we can rewrite this whole narrative. I'm just not convinced Carlisle will give Roddy minutes owed to the veterans like Butler and Terry, never mind Kidd.) (TZ)

http://www.blogcdn.com/nba.fanhouse.com/media/2010/09/lakersmavs-tz-350.jpg

the writer did not include shannon brown, matt barnes, derek fisher, and jason kidd.

the real list should be like this

kobe
dirk
pau
odom
kidd
artest
butler
bynum
marion
roddy
fisher
terry
blake
haywood
barnes
chandler
brown
mahinimi

these are the top 9 from each team some can be switched around like kidd and odom, butler and bynum, barnes and haywood. but ya this how the hierarchy is.

Quit Hatin'

[SomeCallMeTim]

You should remember that its pretty "easy" to run the Lakers and attract players.

Put Buss as owner of the Bucks and no way in hell Shaq leaves Orlando to play there. Kobe would tell him before the draft that playing in Milwaukee was an "impossibility". Ron Artest wouldnt sign for the MLE.

Sure, it's a piece of cake to run the Lakers, after all they are in a huge market with millions and millions of people, desired spot for FAs, all teams in these huge markets have enormous advantages which is why the Clippers and Knicks are so dominant and---

--oh, wait.

Something tells me there's a little more to running a team than that. Buss gets it. Dolan and Sterling do not.

[Findog]

I think Chandler will be an upgrade over Dampier and that gives the Mavs the size and defensive acumen to compete with the Laker frontline, and they have enough solid wing defenders to induce Kobe into a few 9-27 shooting nights.

But I still can't believe that the Mavs didn't address PG in the offseason. To me Kidd is a Rolls Royce version of Derek Fisher. You need to hold his minutes to about 30 a game and give him the 2nd of a B2B off every once in awhile. He's done an amazing job of reinventing himself as a complementary player at this stage of his career, but I'm convinced that part of his poor playoff performances in Dallas is a result of having 70+ games of 35 mpg of wear and tear when the second season rolls around. I also thought the Spurs did a great job of taking away his three-point shot in the first-round series last year. That three-ball he's added helps with spacing and forces the other team to actually defend him instead of collapsing on Dirk or Butler. But the Spurs made a conscious effort to chase him off the line and take that shot away and it gummed up the works offensively. The Lakers and any other team would implement the exact same strategy.

The Mavs needed to go after a Steve Blake type, or something resembling competence to stick at PG for twenty minutes a game. JJB just won't cut it. This team gets outscored 110-109 per 100 possessions when he's on the floor and outscores opposing teams 111-104 when he's not. He's got a few skills, but he doesn't deserve regular rotation minutes or the backup PG role. Terry's skill is declining and he doesn't deserve 30-35 minutes anymore, but I think he could able fill the backup PG role. Not addressing backup PG is gonna bite us in the ass again.

[ALVAREZ6]

LOL when has anything Cuban has ever said became true?

Whatever positive cocky thing he says for the Mavs, does NOT happen.

[sefant77]

Sure, it's a piece of cake to run the Lakers, after all they are in a huge market with millions and millions of people, desired spot for FAs, all teams in these huge markets have enormous advantages which is why the Clippers and Knicks are so dominant and---

--oh, wait.

Something tells me there's a little more to running a team than that. Buss gets it. Dolan and Sterling do not.

lol what is this crap?

Sterling is not even trying to build a great team, he is trying to build up his $$$

Nolan is just too stupid to put the right people in charge

Im not taking anything away from Buss, im just saying being in L.A. and owning the Lakers is helping A LOT. Like i told, same owner Buss in another crappy small market city and there still Buss but no Shaq, Kobe or Artest...

[Ignorant Spurs fan]

:cry:cry Cuban's the worstest ickiest owner in sports history! He made fun of my Spurs!!:cry:cry

:madrun

[BUMP]

Sure, it's a piece of cake to run the Lakers, after all they are in a huge market with millions and millions of people, desired spot for FAs, all teams in these huge markets have enormous advantages which is why the Clippers and Knicks are so dominant and---

--oh, wait.

Something tells me there's a little more to running a team than that. Buss gets it. Dolan and Sterling do not.

It's pretty easy to run a team when you have the best player in the world, get Pau Gasol by trading away a lump of coal, and be able to sign the best defensive player in the league for the MLfreakingE

[Lukor]

the writer did not include shannon brown, matt barnes, derek fisher, and jason kidd.

the real list should be like this

kobe
dirk
pau
odom
kidd
artest
butler
bynum
marion
roddy
fisher
terry
blake
haywood
barnes
chandler
brown
mahinimi

these are the top 9 from each team some can be switched around like kidd and odom, butler and bynum, barnes and haywood. but ya this how the hierarchy is.

Quit Hatin'

That's actually a quite reasonable article. The bottom line isnt if your 9th/10th man is better, it's that Dirk still doesnt have a sidekick like Gasol.

[Giuseppe]

.......or, the guts to shoot a woodchuck.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Sure, it's a piece of cake to run the Lakers, after all they are in a huge market with millions and millions of people, desired spot for FAs, all teams in these huge markets have enormous advantages which is why the Clippers and Knicks are so dominant and---

--oh, wait.

Something tells me there's a little more to running a team than that. Buss gets it. Dolan and Sterling do not.
We'll never know if Sterling gets it or not because Sterling has no interest in building a winner. As much as Buss gets it, he's one of the few NBA owners who isn't a billionaire. If he owned a team that wasn't able to charge up the asshole for tickets, he wouldn't be able to spend like the multi-billionaires of the NBA.

He's still a great owner because he knows how the NBA works as well as any GM and IS willing to spend the money he makes, but he wouldn't be able to throw longterm contracts around left and right or give into Phil Jackson's financial demands the way he does if he owned the Minnesota Timberwolves. A year ago when he had Morrison, Vujacic, and Walton making almost $20,000,000 collectively as 3 players who never played, no fuckin way he'd be able to sign Artest and resign Odom if he owned a smaller market team. There's a lot more room for error when you can have a $95,000,000 roster payroll and still turn a profit.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

And ownership + front office executive + even coaches to a lesser extent are overrated as hell. It's a players league, and it's also a league largely based off luck. Sam Presti is considered a great GM while Chris Wallace is considered a terrible GM. If Chris Wallace gets the #2 pick in 07 and Presti gets the #4 pick, I doubt that's the case. Rick Pitino was a giant flop with the Celtics as president/GM and RC Buhford is considered one of the best GMs in the NBA. Lets say they flip picks in 1997, I doubt things unfold the way they did.

[Ashy Larry]

Cuban is a cool owner ..... and dude has bank. Living the ultimate dream as a fan.

[Quit Hatin']

That's actually a quite reasonable article. The bottom line isnt if your 9th/10th man is better, it's that Dirk still doesnt have a sidekick like Gasol.

are u kidding me he had nash and finley. he could have easliy won a championship if he developed a post game and post defense.

Quit Hatin'

[TinTin]

are u kidding me he had nash and finley. he could have easliy won a championship if he developed a post game and post defense.

Quit Hatin'

:rollin

[dirk4mvp]

are u kidding me he had nash and finley. he could have easliy won a championship if he developed a post game and post defense.

Quit Hatin'

Borderline allstar Steve Nash who can't stay in front of Mike Bibby and an aging Michael Finley aren't close to Pau Gasol.

Quit being a faggot

[TinTin]

Borderline allstar Steve Nash who can't stay in front of Mike Bibby and an aging Michael Finley aren't close to Pau Gasol.

Quit being a faggot

But if dirk developed a post game and post defence then he could have played all 5 positions

[DJ Mbenga]

Borderline allstar Steve Nash who can't stay in front of Mike Bibby and an aging Michael Finley aren't close to Pau Gasol.

Quit being a faggot

now i wont even bother watching dexter. breaing bad and mad men are good enough anyways

[Giuseppe]

he could have easliy won a championship if he developed a post game and post defense.

......& a backbone.

[#41 Shoot Em Up]

......& a backbone.

:lol Dude I know as a "fan" of the Lakers yoursupposed to suck the cum out of their dicks but even you don't belive that bullshit...........well you are an :idiot

[Giuseppe]

Shoot Em, Dirk is an admitted panty-waist.

[dirk4mvp]

now i wont even bother watching dexter. breaing bad and mad men are good enough anyways

sup iggypop

[crc21209]

:lmao Yeah the same Mavericks who were supposed to be the only real threat to the Lakers last year? What a joke...

[#41 Shoot Em Up]

I got my info on what a moron u are. Thank you

[#41 Shoot Em Up]

:lmao Yeah the same Mavericks who were supposed to be the only real threat to the Lakers last year? What a joke...

lol I smell butthurt

[dirk4mvp]

:lmao Yeah the same Mavericks who were supposed to be the only real threat to the Lakers last year? What a joke...

Ms. Vanilla, with another empty, plain ass post.

[crc21209]

Ms. Vanilla, with another empty, plain ass post.

Because your posts are so detailed right? For example.."crofl."

[Giuseppe]

I got my info on what a moron u are. Thank you

Too, too bad. Here I was thinkin' about you and your fellows and I gettin' together for an IM.

tee, hee.

[Veterinarian]

:lmao Yeah the same Mavericks who were supposed to be the only real threat to the Lakers last year? What a joke...

Have the Spurs wiped the Suns' semen off their faces yet? Cause they got jizzed on pretty bad.

[Giuseppe]

It was The Skunker, Vet.

[Halberto]

now i wont even bother watching dexter. breaing bad and mad men are good enough anyways

Dexter is the shit, it's by far my favorite show. Im actually letting it load as I type this. Breaking Bad is great also, I havent had a chance to get into mad men though... I hear good things.

[LkrFan]

LOL at Cuban.

[Quit Hatin']

a 7 footer shooting jumpers all day as their best player i would be butthurt too. but we been blessed with real 7 footers with real post games. now u tell me why mav fans worship dirk so much. if he was on the lakers he would be crucified by the media and the fans. he failed to deliver even when he had the best team and all mav fans could do is blame it on the supporting cast.

Quit Hatin'

[Giuseppe]

now u tell me why mav fans worship dirk so much. if he was on the lakers he would be crucified by the media and the fans.

F'in eh.

[alchemist]

Are team owners drug tested aswell? :lol

[HarlemHeat37]

Cuban is delusional. Shawn Marion is washed up, Haywood and Chandler are inconsistent options at center, Jason Kidd is to be 38 by the time they are "beating" the Lakers. Caron Butler is a good option. Jason Terry is not. Dirk needs to vary up his game and not just post-up off that elbow.

Who guards Kobe Bryant? Who takes over when Ron Artest locks down Butler?

It's that time of year where comments like this are front-page of the sports section. But he is wrong.


they'll probably beat the Lakers a couple times in the regular season, then get eliminated in the 1st round by Houston or some other scrub team.


Cuban must have snorted some of Vinnie Chase's coke.

[HarlemHeat37]

It's not a massive stretch, TBH, although I obviously wouldn't bet on the Mavs if they played LA..Lakers-Mavs would actually be a very entertaining series IMO..

Last year's Mavs were the 2nd best isolation team in the NBA, while the Lakers were the #1 team in the NBA at defending isolation plays..

The Mavs were the #2 post-up team in the NBA, while the Lakers were a top 10 team at defending post-up plays..

The Mavs were #6 in the NBA at scoring from spot-up shots, while the Lakers were #1 at defending it..

The Mavs were #3 at scoring off screens, while the Lakers were top 10 at defending it..

The Lakers main weakness on D was defending the p&r, but the Mavs were just an average p&r team last year, so they wouldn't be able to exploit that..

So it looks like the Lakers match all of the Mavs strengths for the most part, which makes it seem like LA would dominate, however, the Mavs defense seems to have a similar result..

The Lakers were the #12 iso team, while the Mavs were a top 10 iso defense..

Lakers were #9 from spot-up shots, the Mavs were top 10 at defending it..

Lakers were top 5 at scoring from offensive rebounds, the Mavs were top 5 at defending it..

The Mavs main weakness on D was defending screens, but the Lakers barely made the top 20 in screen offense..

The main advantage the Lakers have is that they were a top 5 post-up team, while the Mavs were barely a top 20 team at defending the post-up..this is obviously where the addition of Chandler has to be a key, he was still a good post defender last year, despite not being healthy..



The Mavs are going to have depth problems, in the sense that they have too much depth, with players that do so many different things, and have so many different flaws..

Marion was terrible from an offensive standpoint last year, but he was actually rated as one of the elite defenders in the entire NBA last year..opponents shot 32% in 1 on 1 situations against Marion last year, one of the lowest marks in the NBA..

While you get Marion's elite defense, you have to deal with his offense..he was rated in the lower tier of the NBA in team offense..he shot 33% from the field in spot-up opportunities, so that's something you have to deal with..the Lakers dealt with Artest in the same way though, so that might not be so bad against LA..

Caron Butler was also rated very good defensively last year, but he has the same problem offensively..he was one of the worst spot-up shooters in the entire league last year..so the Mavs SG and SF are 2 of the worst shooters in the NBA, and their C has no shooting ability either..it's kind of balanced out by Kidd and Nowitzki being 2 of the best spot-up shooters in the NBA, but it obviously hurts when 3/5 major players can't shoot..

The problem with Kidd is that he's an average overall defender now, and he wouldn't be able to exploit Derek Fisher on D..they have the same build, and Kidd doesn't have the strength advantage over Fisher..if they have him play more bench minutes against Blake, he would dominate though..


So the Mavs success comes down to:

-Chandler's post D..
-Beaubois's emergence/Finding penetration from the wing(they pretty much go together)..
-Carlisle somehow finding a proper rotation and properly utilizing matchups..

I think Chandler will be fine, but I don't think I believe they'll find penetration from the wing, and I don't believe in Carlisle..

This was a long post, but it actually really interested me, TBH..the Mavs are one of the most strangely built teams I've ever seen..they have a strange mix of so many different types of players with various strengths, and all have serious flaws..

Based Harlem..

[Greg Oden]

oh my god based harlem

you can fuck them lakerfans based harlem