The Mavs Suck Right Now - Who Is To Blame?

[clambake]

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.

, at least he's not afraid to take the responsiblility.

i don't know if dirk can make it back. the slightest hint of pressure and he folds.

[fitzgerald]

An earlier poster mentioned that Avery is a good motivator but weak coach. I think he hit it right on the head. Avery trying to change now and not be so hard is not working. True sign of an inexperienced coach that we are wasting time with. You can't just change after two years and expect it to work with the same players. This team needs a shakeup to get their attention. Send Stackhouse away and give Ager more time. Dampier is a waste. This could let them know that they need to produce to stick around. I prefer they send Dirk packing. He is done. See what you can get. If it is not better then replace players around him. I like Bass and Josh. The rest are all suspect. (including Devin Harris)

[Nashfan]

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.

Yeah, I know, he is a bandwagon fan.

[1Parker1]

I'm surprised at all the anger towards Dirk....he's a virtual mismatch for every team (minus the Warriors ) in the league. Why fans would want to trade him or put more than 50% of the blame on him is beyond me.

[clambake]

i'm not angry at dirk, i'm sympathetic toward his tentative approach to the game. last year really screwed him up.

[Extra Stout]

I didn't see an option marked, "It's only December. Go change your underwear and be quiet, Mav fan."

[fitzgerald]

I'm surprised at all the anger towards Dirk....he's a virtual mismatch for every team (minus the Warriors ) in the league. Why fans would want to trade him or put more than 50% of the blame on him is beyond me.

He is a mismatch that can help and hurt you. When his shot is on he will put a lot of pressure on the opposing teams. What happens when he suddenly loses it? He becomes a passive 7ft jumpshooter that can't play defense. His defense is terrible. When teams see him they go right at him with much success. Might as well sit him because he is a liability. We already know he does not have a killer instinct in him. Remember, you trade players when their value is still high. Then you might get a few players in exchange or another star. (Kobe) I would do it in a heart beat.

[SRJ]

They don't look very sharp, that's for damn sure. They looked careless with their passing, and they lost the effort battle last night. In the first meeting with the Spurs they established a lead and kept their foot on the gas. Last night they seemed to relax after they established their ten point lead.

Mav fans - I have a question: Is Dirk's footwork on his jumpshot different than it used to be? To me, his feet look all splayed and crazy after a jumper, but maybe he's always done it like that but I'm only noticing this year because he's not as automatic with that shot as he used to be.

[dirk4mvp]

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

He led the team to a finals appearance. No go to guy on the Kings can ever say they did that.

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

dont worry. They will blowout the Nuggets and get back on track. The Rockets looked horrible until they played the Nuggets and then BAM they are winning again

[v2freak]

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...

Sound familiar?

[PoleSmoking]

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.

Maybe. But maybe this year the Mavs can't afford to save it for the playoffs, as strong as the Western Conference is now. I can name 8 teams that will probably have good enough records to make the post-season this year, NOT INCLUDING the Mavs (Spurs, Suns, Jazz, Rockets, Nuggets, Lakers, Warriors, and now the Hornets). If they continue to lose, the playoffs are not guaranteed at all.

[BonnerDynasty]

They are trying to not get a top seed this year.

[easjer]

I think most of the blame lies with Avery. I'm becoming inclined to agree that he may just not be a good coach. His playbook seems to be to try and do things the Spurs have done. But then mess with it some so he doesn't get accused of simply copying Pop. It would explain why he keeps trying to shoehorn Dirk into a role he had not and never will play. It also explains why he goes with putting Terry as 6th man and then s with it.

He doesn't seem to have the patience to just leave things be and see how it works out. We know Pop likes to tinker in the early season, so maybe that's why AJ does it too, but he goes too far. Too many lineups, not enough to see what's happening, you know? Also, things seemed to go better for them when he kept their old offensive schemes in place and simply added killer D. Now that he's ing with the offensive schemes, it's falling apart.

Yeah, it's December, and no, they don't need to go balls out to win. But the difference I see between the Spurs and Mavs is that the Spurs are still held accountable for lazy play. A bad pass or failure to cover your man will get you pulled in the early season. You will see playing time cut back if you sleep walk through the game (ok, admittedly Duncan has slept through a few games, but he turns it on when needed and has proven he can turn it on). The Mavs don't seem to have that accountability right now. They seem to have no motivation to win - simply trying to rest up doesn't mean you don't play hard or efficiently - it means you play fewer minutes. Additionally, Avery doesn't seem to have given them a leader or someone to believe in, and further is giving them conflicting messages (It's ok to play lazy ball, because we are resting. Wait, no, we are trying to win every game and play hard. Which is it?).

The Mavs haven't really proven that they have another level that they can simply flip on when needed. That would concern me if I were a Mavs fan. Too early to jump ship on the team or call them out or anything, but I'd be watching to see how the development comes along. Spurs are developing and getting better, albeit slowly. Can the same be said of the Mavs?

[m33p0]

nuggets currently leads the game against the markcubanites right now 77-66 with 6:48 to go in the third.

they can't hide anymore behind that "we're just cruising" excuse. there is something really wrong with the mavs.

*for the past 3 years, they've been amongst the worst in assist pointing to a lack of ball movement.
*they have no premiere post player like duncan.
*they have no primetime scorer ala kobe or manu.
*they are currently experimenting with the spurs way where duncan becomes the third option. problem for them is that dirk needs to shoot to be effective.
*lack of any clear offensive flow. or is that the point?

to me, the mavs are having an iden y crisis.

[td4mvp21]

I think most of the blame lies with Avery. I'm becoming inclined to agree that he may just not be a good coach. His playbook seems to be to try and do things the Spurs have done. But then mess with it some so he doesn't get accused of simply copying Pop. It would explain why he keeps trying to shoehorn Dirk into a role he had not and never will play. It also explains why he goes with putting Terry as 6th man and then s with it.

He doesn't seem to have the patience to just leave things be and see how it works out. We know Pop likes to tinker in the early season, so maybe that's why AJ does it too, but he goes too far. Too many lineups, not enough to see what's happening, you know? Also, things seemed to go better for them when he kept their old offensive schemes in place and simply added killer D. Now that he's ing with the offensive schemes, it's falling apart.

Yeah, it's December, and no, they don't need to go balls out to win. But the difference I see between the Spurs and Mavs is that the Spurs are still held accountable for lazy play. A bad pass or failure to cover your man will get you pulled in the early season. You will see playing time cut back if you sleep walk through the game (ok, admittedly Duncan has slept through a few games, but he turns it on when needed and has proven he can turn it on). The Mavs don't seem to have that accountability right now. They seem to have no motivation to win - simply trying to rest up doesn't mean you don't play hard or efficiently - it means you play fewer minutes. Additionally, Avery doesn't seem to have given them a leader or someone to believe in, and further is giving them conflicting messages (It's ok to play lazy ball, because we are resting. Wait, no, we are trying to win every game and play hard. Which is it?).

The Mavs haven't really proven that they have another level that they can simply flip on when needed. That would concern me if I were a Mavs fan. Too early to jump ship on the team or call them out or anything, but I'd be watching to see how the development comes along. Spurs are developing and getting better, albeit slowly. Can the same be said of the Mavs?

Very good analysis. I agree.

[Capt Bringdown]

Ain't it the case that Avery got on some people's nerves when he was a player? Namely Tim Duncan?
His is the kind of act that would seem to get old after a while. OK when you're winning, but I wouldn't want to listen to his high-pitched screeching when the chips are down.

[SAtown]

Where is the Mavs community? Basketball News Central just isn't the same without them

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

wow they do suck at the moment. Nuggets blowing them out at home. AI is a freak

[milkyway21]

Manu(37 pts) & AI(35 pts 10 asst..), I guess

two nights in a row. you're looking to a 2 game losing streak guys.

[SAtown]

Why is that Asshole George Karl playing all his starters until that last 1 minute of the game..especially since they were up by 15?

Why not? They're playing one of the top teams at their house...

Expecting an opponent to "take it easy" on you is weak and classless.

Seriously. How pathetic.

You're SO BAD that you EXPECT the opposing offense to "take it easy" on you???

Your ego is SO FRAGILE that you require your opponent to STOP TRYING?

You are so unable to handle a large loss that you have to turn the blame away from your own incompetence?? How anti-American. How piss weak. Be men.

Giving up in such a manner is the epitome of lacking self-respect and class.

It is FAR MORE CLASSLESS to complain about an opponent running up the score than it is to play the game how it is supposed to be played as an offense or defense.

These people crying about us scoring points are beyond pathetic. They are completely classless. That goes for the accusing opponents and media members alike.

Jealousy is an ugly emotion.

[ludda]

Mavs are really ty now. I don't see how anything will spark them up. I think other teams got better, the mavs got worse and they didn't address any of their holes this offseason. Dirk is mentally weaker, and his teammates are not consistent enough to win. Sucks to be a mavs fan!

[ShoogarBear]

Ah, didn't see this new thread before I posted in the old one.

I think it's a combination of Avery making changes, including de-emphasizing Dirk, and Dirk allowing that to happen. They are only going to go as far as he takes them. He needs to shake last year off and step up his game.

[Dirk Nowitzki]

Nothing is wrong with the Mavs. I like what Avery is doing. This team is pacing themselves. They are fine. They will turn it on eventually. They are a great team and Im not worried just yet. Spurs were 14-11 and even 9-10 at one point in the season and they managed to get it going. The Mavs will too. They are conserving alot of their energy. I know this will pay off in the end. I feel something VERY good is going to come out of this. This is a blessing in disguise.

[Sweetey]

Nowitzki still NOWINSKI !

LOVE it !!