The Mavs Suck Right Now - Who Is To Blame?

[monosylab1k]

Is it Dirk for playing half-assed and tentative?

Devin Harris for thinking that being a "true PG" means jacking up 3's, flopping, and getting 4 assists a night? And being a pussy who can't suck it up and play through an injury if his life depended on it?

The Mavs Bench for being the definition of suckasses?

Or is Avery to blame? He has claimed that this year will be different, but other than him not ranting & raving nonstop and the Mavs playing like , is anything different?

He's still overcoaching. We've had like 9 different starting lineups this year. I realize Eddie Jones is "hurt" right now but just stick a guy in the starting SG spot and GO WITH HIM until Jones isn't "hurt" anymore. He found a perfect spot for Terry as the 6th man but can't stop ING TINKERING WITH THE LINEUP so he moves Jet all over the goddamn place. He says they're gonna give Ager a chance and plays him for exactly one half. He says Trenton Hassell is a guy he likes but he plays him for a grand total of 15 seconds last night.

This is why I think Avery is so overrated. Things have looked great while the championship-caliber team he inherited is running smoothly. We see him being the Little General out there and it seems so great. But EVERY SINGLE TIME this team has faced adversity, Avery has made more coaching blunders than Tim Floyd's entire career with the Bulls.

Can someone explain to me what the Avery is doing?

[stretch]

This is absolutely re ed to be posting this early in the season. For all we know, they could finish the season on an 18-0 run with over 60 wins and then dominate on their road to a championship. All that matters is that they finish the season strong. We all saw how great they started last year then how they finished. Compare it with how the Spurs started kinda slow, but finished VERY strong, and won another le (much like they did in their previous championships). Save the complaining for the end of the year if they are still playing this badly.

[ArgSpursFan.]

I don't think the Mavs are playing that bad.
they have a great team and bench
AJ is not Pop,but He's a very good coach.
I guess they're not closing games they way they should,that's all.
If they can manage to don't choke in 4rd quarters they'll be ok though(seriusly)
S.A
Phenix
Dallas
are the top 3 teams in the West and probably the NBA.

[stretch]

I don't think the Mavs are playing that bad.

Actually, they are playing quite bad. Compared to what they are capable of doing. We have seen times where they looked absolutely brillant, and no one could stop them no matter how hard they tried. And those times only came when the team actually was playing hard and like they cared. They have been VERY lazy so far this year, and it has shown. I think lack of care has been their biggest problem this year. They are not making shots they usually make. They have had all kinds of uncharacteristic mistakes and turnovers that they are not known for. And the reason has not been bad play, but lazy play. Usually someone will just jack a shot up without getting set like they should, or they throw a pass really lazily that gets picked off, when they could have EASILY made a perfect pass for an easy layup or dunk. They just look completely disinterested.

[ArgSpursFan.]

Actually, they are playing quite bad. Compared to what they are capable of doing. We have seen times where they looked absolutely brillant, and no one could stop them no matter how hard they tried. And those times only came when the team actually was playing hard and like they cared. They have been VERY lazy so far this year, and it has shown. I think lack of care has been their biggest problem this year. They are not making shots they usually make. They have had all kinds of uncharacteristic mistakes and turnovers that they are not known for. And the reason has not been bad play, but lazy play. Usually someone will just jack a shot up without getting set like they should, or they throw a pass really lazily that gets picked off, when they could have EASILY made a perfect pass for an easy layup or dunk. They just look completely disinterested.

they're just doing what they were supposed to do last year and the year before in the reg season.
You can't bring your best game night in and out on every single game in the reg season.That kills you in the long run.
It's just a matter of getting to the playoffs in good shape,mentally and physically.

[RonMexico]

Dirk only hits clutch shots v. Suns.

[stretch]

they're just doing what they were supposed to do last year and the year before in the reg season.
You can't bring your best game night in and out on every single game in the reg season.That kills you in the long run.
It's just a matter of getting to the playoffs in good shape,mentally and physically.

I agree. Although I think they should be showing at least a little more effort than this, I'm not worried at all. If they are still playing like this in another 2 or 3 months, then I will be worried.

[loveforthegame]

I think Avery Johnson.

He's trying to cut everyone's minutes but not getting them to play as intense. Stackhouse looks like he's done. The number of lineup changes doesn't help either.

The biggest problem is taking the ball out of Dirk's hands though. He likes to go to Howard early and Bass late in the game. There are stretches where Dirk doesn't even touch the ball.

[Cry Havoc]

Stack's production has tanked. I see no leader on this team at the moment. No guy just throws down and goes balls out except maybe Terry, who has control problems.

I think the Mavs are a very good, very dangerous team, but they need a "glue guy".

[Sweetey]

Mark Cuban is to blame.

[PoleSmoking]

Can someone explain to me what the Avery is doing?

I shortened it to for brevity.

Avery's problem is that he thinks he needs to be more calm and stable this year. The reason why it's a problem is that if you take away Avery's fire, he doesn't really have much else to offer as a coach. He was a motivator. He was a guy who could get his players fired up. He was a guy who could get results from players who weren't playing their best. Take away all that passion and fire and brimstone, and Avery's just not a very good coach --at least as far as strategy and game-planning. Most of Avery's strategy moves seem to backfire on him, like benching Damp against the Warriors after winning 67 games with him in the starting line-up.

[Cry Havoc]

I shortened it to for brevity.

Avery's problem is that he thinks he needs to be more calm and stable this year. The reason why it's a problem is that if you take away Avery's fire, he doesn't really have much else to offer as a coach. He was a motivator. He was a guy who could get his players fired up. He was a guy who could get results from players who weren't playing their best. Take away all that passion and fire and brimstone, and Avery's just not a very good coach --at least as far as strategy and game-planning. Most of Avery's strategy moves seem to backfire on him, like benching Damp against the Warriors after winning 67 games with him in the starting line-up.

But that might be necessary for the Mavs to win. They got so fired up for the regular season last year that they had nothing for GS in the playoffs.

This year, maybe he waits until the playoffs to really instill a sense of gravity to the games.

[RonMexico]

But that might be necessary for the Mavs to win. They got so fired up for the regular season last year that they had nothing for GS in the playoffs.

This year, maybe he waits until the playoffs to really instill a sense of gravity to the games.

By then, Josh Howard will have elbowed every player in the league in the head, JET will have gotten destroyed by an Elson/Obert double screen and Dirk will have stopped playing by March and just sit on the bench sucking his thumb.

[ludda]

I think Avery Johnson.

He's trying to cut everyone's minutes but not getting them to play as intense. Stackhouse looks like he's done. The number of lineup changes doesn't help either.

The biggest problem is taking the ball out of Dirk's hands though. He likes to go to Howard early and Bass late in the game. There are stretches where Dirk doesn't even touch the ball.

Add Dirk to the blame.
I agree with this post. I watched a couple mavs game and they look pretty ty. I find it funny that Dirk has suddenly become the 2nd or 3rd option for the team. He's shooting less than Brickhouse and the offense isn't run though him anymore. Then again, if he had any aggression like a superstar would...

[1Parker1]

^

[1Parker1]

The biggest problem is they are trying to turn Dirk into a player he's not. He's not your typical PF that can post up and he never will be. He's also not a very adept passer...especially out of double teams. What he is is a shooter and instead Avery and Mavs fans are calling for the ball to get out of his hands and he's getting the ball in positions/places outside of his comfort zone. It can't all fall on Dirk when the going gets tough. He's not a fundamentally sound player like Duncan, he's not an all around offensive guy like Kobe, and he's not powerful enough in the paint like a Howard or Amare. He's a 7 foot shooter who the Mavs are trying to turn into a PF and this season a PG by the looks of it.

[LEONARD]

SpursDynasty's absence here is to blame!!

[stretch]

SpursDynasty's absence here is to blame!!

Agreed. His jinxing predictions is the Mavs key to victory every game.

[RonMexico]

SpursDynasty jinx posts were just flukes.

[ThomasGranger]

He was just jinxing the posts he was supposed to jinx.

[thispego]

can you vote more than once?

[mavsfan1000]

STACKHOUSE STACKHOUSE STACKHOUSE. He is flat out horrible. It's Avery's fault to keep playing him so much despite how much he sucks. I picked bench but Avery is right underneath it.

[ATRAIN]

This is absolutely re ed to be posting this early in the season. For all we know, they could finish the season on an 18-0 run with over 60 wins and then dominate on their road to a championship. All that matters is that they finish the season strong. We all saw how great they started last year then how they finished. Compare it with how the Spurs started kinda slow, but finished VERY strong, and won another le (much like they did in their previous championships). Save the complaining for the end of the year if they are still playing this badly.

Don't you know Mono is already doing what he did to the cowboys. Left them and went to the Pats. Soon under his name you will see Celtics, Suns, or Spurs.

[atxrocker]

any team where dirk is the "go to guy" will always under achieve.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Some on Dirk, most on AJ. Clearly a good part of it is that the team is sleep walking right now, probably waiting to flip the switch come spring time. But I'm not convinced that Dirk becoming some sort of point-forward is the solution to their problems. I think it only encourages a passive streak that he has and if nothing else represents a coach trying to hammer a round peg into a square hole. Maybe Dirk is playing weak, but to do nothing about it falls on AJ's shoulders.

This might all be part of a master plan. AJ might have taken Dirk aside and said, "We both know you're a lights out shooter. The first half of the year we are going to work on your passing and by spring that dimension of your game will make it tougher for defenses to throw multiple defenders at you."

It's the same problem that they are going to face every year until they win it all. When a team coached by Riley or Pop gets off to a slow start everyone looks at it and figures they are waiting to spring the trap. If you do that without a championship pedigree everyone is just going to wonder what the is wrong with you.