MajorMike
11-03-2006, 12:32 PM
Have the Mavs made the right moves?
Charley Rosen / Special to FOXSports.com
For an almost-championship team Dallas made several meaningful alterations in their roster: Adding Austin Croshere, Anthony Johnson, Greg Buckner, and Devean George (who's currently sidelined with a stomach ailment), while biding adios to Keith Van Horn and Darrell Armstrong.
Let's take a look at the Mavs 97-91 loss to San Antonio and explore whether or not these profound changes are sufficient to bring a championship to Big D.
AUSTIN CROSHERE held his ground and set numerous sturdy screens—whereas Van Hornless turned every potentially solid screen into a timid brush-screen. Croshere made a quick power-move in the low post for an easy bucket, bagged 2-3 treys, and scored 12 points in 12-plus minutes. He played earnest, if not particularly effective defense.
Overall, AC constitutes a huge improvement over Van Horn.
At age 32, ANTHONY JOHNSON has lost a half-step and wasn't exactly a speed-demon to begin with. Because he's too slow to contain point guards, AJ spent most of his 15 minutes at the two-spot--although he did function as a point on one play in the third quarter when he dropped a perfect entry pass into the low-posted Jerry Stackhouse. It's no surprise that power has become Johnson's game (he was even sent into the pivot, where he missed a turn-around-jumper). Normally, Johnson looks to score with a nifty spin-left to uncork his jumper.
Johnson actually did a barely passable job on defense: Although Manu Ginobili beat him to the hoop with his left hand, the ensuing layup was botched. Shortly thereafter, Johnson stayed with another of Ginobili's adventures in the paint and forced a turnover. Later on, Johnson chose to overplay Beno Udrih's right hand and was burned when the lefty went left, pulled, and buried a mid-range jumper.
But Johnson showed his true colors in the second period after Ginobili beat him to the ring with a left-handed drive: On the very next play, AJ dribbled the length of the court and forced a mid-range jumper that managed to split the net. The message here is that Johnson still has a scorer's mindset.
If Johnson still can't match strides with the departed Armstrong, he's six years younger, much stronger, capable of lighting up a scoreboard, and will undoubtedly get much more burn. Another plus for the Mavs bench.
GREG BUCKNER went scoreless (0-5) in 18 minutes. As always, he played hard on defense, yet the Spurs started the game by having Ginobili attacking him. It appears as though Buckner (at age 30) has also lost a step — one result being his inability to avoid getting nailed by several screens. If he can routinely knock down 3-balls, however, then Buckner might possibly evolve into a useful player. Don't bet on it.
Despite the influx of newcomers, the Mavs' season is in the same familiar hands that fumbled away the championship series last June.
JASON TERRY is virtually unstoppable when he can point his right hand at a screen/roll. He's also moving without the ball as never before: Snaking along a pair of baseline screens and winding up with an open 18-footer. Faking a cut, then stepping back, receiving a pass, and dropping another jumper.
It's only poetic justice that, at the other end of the court, Terry is helpless when trying to defend against S/Rs. Most of the time, he simply went under the screen — thereby allowing Tony Parker several open looks.
JOSH HOWARD was frustrated by Bruce Bowen's aggressive defense. After shooting blanks into two successive iso situations, Howard simply delivered a forearm shiver that knocked Bowen to the hardwood. (The refs tooted him for a flagrant foul, but the league should fine Howard big-time.)
Despite his awesome array of skills, Howard remains too immature and undisciplined to be a major cog in a championship team.
DEVIN HARRIS was invisible — 1-6, 3 assists, and five turnovers in 14 minutes. The word is that Harris took several thousand jumpers over the summer to try to refine his shot. One game doesn't make a season, but it just might be that Harris' summer wasn't long enough.
DESAGANA DIOP did what he was supposed to do: Menace every shot taken in his vicinity. Work the boards. And he even filled the wing on one fast break. Diop's long arms made lifer difficult for Tim Duncan, and the Spurs had no answer for the question posed by DD's fronting of TD in the pivot.
ERICK DAMPIER began his initial rotation by wheeling and dealing in the paint. In the second-half, Dampier seemed unstoppable on the receiving end of several S/Rs. He even drove and made a tasty dish to a cutting teammate.
Ah, but E-Damp's decision-making still leaves much to be desired. Right after Duncan banged his way past Dampier's defense and connected on a jump hook, Dampier set up in the low-post, faking, dribbling, and looking to force a retaliatory shot—until TD got his hands on the ball and created a turnover. And when defending high S/Rs, Dampier is still reluctant to step out and show his massive body to the ball-handler.
Whenever JERRY STACKHOUSE can bull his way into the paint, his pull-up and fadeaway jumpers are money. Otherwise, he's useless.
Despite his numbers — 9-20, 11 rebounds, 21 points--DIRK NOWITZKI didn't have a sterling performance. Whenever he posted (which he mostly did on the left box), the Spurs sent him baseline and doubled him with another big. This happened on six separate occasions with the following results: One missed shot (from the right box). One shot blocked. Two fouls (which translated into two points). And two stumbling, awkward moves that couldn't produce shots and eventuated in a pair of shot-clock violations.
When Nowitzki plays one-on-one, the Mavs offense is stagnant.
As before, the Mavs offense is based on a perpetual series of baseline screens and either high or high-post S/Rs (which are difficult to double). If shots are not immediately available to either the handler or the roller, the Mavs will take advantage of any resulting defensive switches with isos. Casual high-weaves also produce one-on-one setups.
On defense, the Mavs worked hard and looked to double Duncan on the move. But their perimeter rotations were often late. And their attempts to defend against S/Rs were atrocious.
And here's what transpired when the game was up for grabs in the last two minutes:
With the Mavs down by two points, Nowitzki bricked a wide-open 12-footer.
Still down by two, Terry's 3-pointer rimmed out.
Dahttp://spurstalk.com/forums/editpost.php?do=editpost&p=1264070mpier failed to box out Duncan, whose put-back doubled the Spurs lead.
Nowitzki misfired on another unobstructed short-range jumper.
Stackhouse tried to take Ginobili one-on-one but turned the ball over. Uh oh! The same core players making the same critical mistakes.
For sure, the Mavs are a serious contender, but in order to have Mark Cuban's dreams come true their big guys must come up big when big games strain toward the buzzer. Otherwise, the inverse of the old Brooklyn Dodgers' sad refrain just might become the Mavs' mantra:
Wait till last year.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6132620
Charley Rosen / Special to FOXSports.com
For an almost-championship team Dallas made several meaningful alterations in their roster: Adding Austin Croshere, Anthony Johnson, Greg Buckner, and Devean George (who's currently sidelined with a stomach ailment), while biding adios to Keith Van Horn and Darrell Armstrong.
Let's take a look at the Mavs 97-91 loss to San Antonio and explore whether or not these profound changes are sufficient to bring a championship to Big D.
AUSTIN CROSHERE held his ground and set numerous sturdy screens—whereas Van Hornless turned every potentially solid screen into a timid brush-screen. Croshere made a quick power-move in the low post for an easy bucket, bagged 2-3 treys, and scored 12 points in 12-plus minutes. He played earnest, if not particularly effective defense.
Overall, AC constitutes a huge improvement over Van Horn.
At age 32, ANTHONY JOHNSON has lost a half-step and wasn't exactly a speed-demon to begin with. Because he's too slow to contain point guards, AJ spent most of his 15 minutes at the two-spot--although he did function as a point on one play in the third quarter when he dropped a perfect entry pass into the low-posted Jerry Stackhouse. It's no surprise that power has become Johnson's game (he was even sent into the pivot, where he missed a turn-around-jumper). Normally, Johnson looks to score with a nifty spin-left to uncork his jumper.
Johnson actually did a barely passable job on defense: Although Manu Ginobili beat him to the hoop with his left hand, the ensuing layup was botched. Shortly thereafter, Johnson stayed with another of Ginobili's adventures in the paint and forced a turnover. Later on, Johnson chose to overplay Beno Udrih's right hand and was burned when the lefty went left, pulled, and buried a mid-range jumper.
But Johnson showed his true colors in the second period after Ginobili beat him to the ring with a left-handed drive: On the very next play, AJ dribbled the length of the court and forced a mid-range jumper that managed to split the net. The message here is that Johnson still has a scorer's mindset.
If Johnson still can't match strides with the departed Armstrong, he's six years younger, much stronger, capable of lighting up a scoreboard, and will undoubtedly get much more burn. Another plus for the Mavs bench.
GREG BUCKNER went scoreless (0-5) in 18 minutes. As always, he played hard on defense, yet the Spurs started the game by having Ginobili attacking him. It appears as though Buckner (at age 30) has also lost a step — one result being his inability to avoid getting nailed by several screens. If he can routinely knock down 3-balls, however, then Buckner might possibly evolve into a useful player. Don't bet on it.
Despite the influx of newcomers, the Mavs' season is in the same familiar hands that fumbled away the championship series last June.
JASON TERRY is virtually unstoppable when he can point his right hand at a screen/roll. He's also moving without the ball as never before: Snaking along a pair of baseline screens and winding up with an open 18-footer. Faking a cut, then stepping back, receiving a pass, and dropping another jumper.
It's only poetic justice that, at the other end of the court, Terry is helpless when trying to defend against S/Rs. Most of the time, he simply went under the screen — thereby allowing Tony Parker several open looks.
JOSH HOWARD was frustrated by Bruce Bowen's aggressive defense. After shooting blanks into two successive iso situations, Howard simply delivered a forearm shiver that knocked Bowen to the hardwood. (The refs tooted him for a flagrant foul, but the league should fine Howard big-time.)
Despite his awesome array of skills, Howard remains too immature and undisciplined to be a major cog in a championship team.
DEVIN HARRIS was invisible — 1-6, 3 assists, and five turnovers in 14 minutes. The word is that Harris took several thousand jumpers over the summer to try to refine his shot. One game doesn't make a season, but it just might be that Harris' summer wasn't long enough.
DESAGANA DIOP did what he was supposed to do: Menace every shot taken in his vicinity. Work the boards. And he even filled the wing on one fast break. Diop's long arms made lifer difficult for Tim Duncan, and the Spurs had no answer for the question posed by DD's fronting of TD in the pivot.
ERICK DAMPIER began his initial rotation by wheeling and dealing in the paint. In the second-half, Dampier seemed unstoppable on the receiving end of several S/Rs. He even drove and made a tasty dish to a cutting teammate.
Ah, but E-Damp's decision-making still leaves much to be desired. Right after Duncan banged his way past Dampier's defense and connected on a jump hook, Dampier set up in the low-post, faking, dribbling, and looking to force a retaliatory shot—until TD got his hands on the ball and created a turnover. And when defending high S/Rs, Dampier is still reluctant to step out and show his massive body to the ball-handler.
Whenever JERRY STACKHOUSE can bull his way into the paint, his pull-up and fadeaway jumpers are money. Otherwise, he's useless.
Despite his numbers — 9-20, 11 rebounds, 21 points--DIRK NOWITZKI didn't have a sterling performance. Whenever he posted (which he mostly did on the left box), the Spurs sent him baseline and doubled him with another big. This happened on six separate occasions with the following results: One missed shot (from the right box). One shot blocked. Two fouls (which translated into two points). And two stumbling, awkward moves that couldn't produce shots and eventuated in a pair of shot-clock violations.
When Nowitzki plays one-on-one, the Mavs offense is stagnant.
As before, the Mavs offense is based on a perpetual series of baseline screens and either high or high-post S/Rs (which are difficult to double). If shots are not immediately available to either the handler or the roller, the Mavs will take advantage of any resulting defensive switches with isos. Casual high-weaves also produce one-on-one setups.
On defense, the Mavs worked hard and looked to double Duncan on the move. But their perimeter rotations were often late. And their attempts to defend against S/Rs were atrocious.
And here's what transpired when the game was up for grabs in the last two minutes:
With the Mavs down by two points, Nowitzki bricked a wide-open 12-footer.
Still down by two, Terry's 3-pointer rimmed out.
Dahttp://spurstalk.com/forums/editpost.php?do=editpost&p=1264070mpier failed to box out Duncan, whose put-back doubled the Spurs lead.
Nowitzki misfired on another unobstructed short-range jumper.
Stackhouse tried to take Ginobili one-on-one but turned the ball over. Uh oh! The same core players making the same critical mistakes.
For sure, the Mavs are a serious contender, but in order to have Mark Cuban's dreams come true their big guys must come up big when big games strain toward the buzzer. Otherwise, the inverse of the old Brooklyn Dodgers' sad refrain just might become the Mavs' mantra:
Wait till last year.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6132620