Cupcake gets some revenge on Minnesota!! 1-1

November 1st 2008-

9 points, 2 rebounds doesn't really blow anybody away on a stat sheet, until you look a little further to the left and see that those numbers came in only 16 minutes of gameplay for Gerald Green.

Green who played for the T-Wolves for 8 months had no problem sparking a 7-0 run against his former teammates to put the Mavs up 78-69, from that point on the Mavs were able to comfortably coast this one into the win column.

Dirk Nowitzki led all scorers with 21, Jason Terry followed with 19.
Rashad Mccants led the Wolves with 18 as the Mavs get their first win of the season,
on the road.

Mavs 95-85

Rockets close out the Mavs at the opener. 0-1

October 30th 2008

The Rockets were treated to a "W" by the Mavericks after three close quarters.
Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard combined for 61 points, but that was not enough
to fight off Ron Artest and company.

Artest finished the night with 29 points, a steal and 7 rebounds.
Yao Ming was a usual suspect with 30 points. 13 boards and a couple of blocks
Tracy Mcgrady and Aaron Brooks also helped out the big guys scoring wise finishing with
16 and 14 respectively, Jason Terry was the only other Maverick in double digits with 15.

Rockets 112-102

Dallas Mavericks Annual Fan Jam

As they do every year, the Dallas Mavericks invited fans and friends from around the metroplex to come and watch their favorite NBA team scrimmage against themselves, last year fans got an early of Brandon "Animal" Bass, Trenton Hassell, Darvin Ham before the regular season began.

This year the new faces are already fan favorite Reyshawn Terry, Jajuan Smith, Charles Rhodes, Gerald Green, Cheyne Gadson, James Singleton and Keith Mcleod.. that is a lot of new faces, but no worries, these guys are going to be in good hands, and with a new face by the name of Rick Carlisle as coach, things should be interesting.

VS The Pistons Starters... (Notes)

Oh Yeah, I went there...

Anyway, these are just my notes from the game so they may be complete gibberish,
but yet and still here is what I've gathered.

Mavs Vs Pistons 10-16-08

Dallas Mavericks are still on the road and with a record of 3-1,
they head into Detroit ready to get the job done, road games where
unbelievably challenging for the Mavs last season, however though
it is only the preseason the Mavs are looking much more confident on
the road winning 2-3 dropping one last night in Indiana.

One of the Mavericks toughest losses last season was handed out by
Detroit when the Mavs lost 67-90.

So what makes tonight so different? let's try Jerry Stackhouse!
yes, Stack was on the roster last season and the season before, but
this season under Rick Carlisle, Stackhouse has been forced/ or forced
himself to get into shape and in the first half of this game it's showing.

with 5.5 left on the timer, thanks to Richard Hamilton for not being
able to keep his cool and getting a technical called on him, followed
by Stack's free throw a beautiful alley oop inbound pass attempt from
Kidd to Stack sends him to the line for two, the Mavs are up 39-27
at the half led by Stack and Bass with 9 a piece.

Mavericks
Field Goals Rebounds
pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba pts
D. Nowitzki F 09:48 3-6 0-0 1-2 -2 0 2 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 7
J. Howard F 16:18 3-5 0-1 0-0 +9 0 4 4 0 1 1 1 0 0 6
E. Dampier C 09:18 0-0 0-0 0-0 +7 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
J. Kidd G 18:12 2-3 2-2 0-0 +15 0 1 1 2 2 0 4 1 0 6
J. Stackhouse G 16:35 2-4 0-0 5-7 +13 2 1 3 2 0 0 1 0 1 9
B. Bass 14:12 3-9 0-0 3-4 +14 1 6 7 0 0 1 0 0 1 9
D. Diop 13:16 0-2 0-0 0-0 +2 1 4 5 1 2 0 0 0 1 0
A. Wright 08:55 0-3 0-0 0-0 +2 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 1 0
G. Green 06:12 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 2 0 0 2
J. Barea 05:48 0-2 0-1 0-0 -3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
J. Singleton 01:26 0-0 0-0 0-0 +3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


Starting the 2nd half there was a turnover on Dirk that turned into a FB
for Detroit, but a technical foul was called due to delay of time and Stack drained the foul shot,
followed by a Dampier turn around jumper, Stack with a corner 3. Mavs 44-31

Rasheed Wallace still hates officials, on a Dirk shot attempt Rasheed was called
for a foul to which he responded to the ref
"You're never going to make the playoffs with calls like that"
after Dirk drained both shots, Rasheed was called again on the offensive end
for a loose ball foul, after getting tangled with Dirk again, however it's been a slow night for Dirk, who is fouled again by Amir Johnson with 5:34 in the 3rd Mavs 50-41.

Dirk with a nice fadeaway shot mavs 52-44, kidd for 3 at 3:50 mavs 55-44
3 barrage! Howard with the 3! Dirk with the 3, but he misses.

Dirk to the line 1:30 mavs 62-46 Kidd out Barea in

end of 3rd Mavs 62-49

dallas shooting over 40% while holding Detroit to 27%

JJ took a hard foul from Stuckey and couldn't keep his balance, later collapsing in midcourt Dallas time out taken.

Jajuan Smith, Brandon Bass and Diop enter the game.
Shawne Williams enters the game.

Jajuan Smith with a long range 3 after a backcourt inbounds pass
another long ball 3 from Sith to beat the shot clock
Bass is sent to the line 9:03 Mavs 70-55

*JJ has suffered a right leg injury and will not return.

Another nice move by Wright rolling to the basket for two.

uh oh, Jajuan Smith is starting to panic, chucking up 3's and fouling left and right.

-Gadson in for Smith

Pistons getting too much momentum, Mavericks 75-71
3:30 remaining

Detroit brings in their Starters to compete against Dallas' secondary team.
Wright nails a three 78-73 Mavs.

3 by Pistons Mavs 78-76 2:14 wright wants the ball splitting two defenders
and drawing the foul on what could've been a goal tend, 1-2 from the line.

Prince scores, mavs 79-78

Detroit scores 80-79

Pistons fans are going crazy despite the fact that their star players are
ganging up on a group of kids that might not even make the team.
they're cheering hard, this will be a disappointing loss for them. :)

Detroit 80-79 1:08 left
Mavs ball

Detroit 82-79

Gadson fouled by Wallace (5 pf)

28.7
Gadson misses the 1st, misses the 2nd, Diop rebounds, Gadson turns over the ball

18.1 Pistons 82-79

Jajuan Smith, Bass, Gadson, Green, wright
Bass is fouled on what could've been three point play, Sheed is fouled out.
Makes both baskets.

10.8 left
84-81 Pistons

Billups fouled, hits 1-2.

missed 3 by Wright, Pistons rebound and run out the clock.

85-81 Pistons final.

Mavs 2-4 on the road, 3-5 in the preseason

Still there were smiles from most of the players headed to the locker room,
why you ask? what does it say about this years Mavs team if 4/5 of the
Pistons starters had to play the entire 4th quarter to win against our
secondary and Tertiary players to win by 4 points? way to go Carlisle,
we might not have won, but for those of us that can read between the lines
we learned something tonight, this team has depth again. GO MAVS!

See Ya at the Fan Jam tomorrow!
-B


Mavericks
Field Goals Rebounds
pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba pts
D. Nowitzki F 22:38 5-13 0-3 5-6 -3 0 2 2 0 3 0 1 0 0 15
J. Howard F 29:46 4-7 1-2 2-2 +6 0 7 7 1 3 2 1 0 0 11
E. Dampier C 22:08 1-1 0-0 0-0 +6 0 5 5 0 2 0 0 1 0 2
J. Kidd G 28:42 4-6 3-3 0-0 +19 0 3 3 4 3 0 6 1 0 11
J. Stackhouse G 28:35 3-7 0-1 6-8 +14 2 2 4 4 0 0 2 0 1 12
B. Bass 25:22 3-12 0-0 7-8 -1 2 7 9 1 0 1 0 0 3 13
D. Diop 24:08 0-3 0-0 0-0 -12 2 6 8 1 4 0 0 0 1 0
A. Wright 20:55 3-9 1-1 2-4 -15 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 0 2 9
J. Smith 11:33 2-6 2-5 0-0 -15 0 1 1 0 3 0 1 0 0 6
J. Barea 07:45 0-3 0-1 0-0 -8 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 0
G. Green 06:30 1-1 0-0 0-0 -1 0 1 1 0 2 0 2 0 0 2
S. Williams 06:26 0-0 0-0 0-0 -2 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
C. Gadson 04:06 0-0 0-0 0-2 -11 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0
J. Singleton 01:26 0-0 0-0 0-0 +3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
J. Terry Reason : DND
D. George Reason : DND
K. McLeod Reason : NWT
C. Rhodes Reason : DNP
R. Terry Reason : DNP

Total 240 26-68 7-16 22-30 7 34 41 13 27 3 17 2 81
38.2% 43.8% 73.3% Team Rebs: 9 Total TO: 17

Pistons
Field Goals Rebounds
pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba pts
A. Johnson F 19:11 4-8 0-0 2-4 -7 3 4 7 2 1 2 1 1 1 10
T. Prince F 33:09 2-8 1-2 7-8 +18 0 4 4 2 4 0 1 0 0 12
R. Wallace C 28:11 2-9 0-1 4-4 +4 5 4 9 1 6 2 0 1 0 8
C. Billups G 30:51 5-14 2-5 4-5 +5 0 2 2 7 2 1 2 0 0 16
R. Hamilton G 37:32 6-15 1-3 4-5 +1 1 4 5 1 2 0 3 0 0 17
A. McDyess 22:17 1-6 0-0 2-2 -2 3 5 8 1 4 1 2 0 0 4
R. Stuckey 21:34 3-9 0-1 6-7 +2 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 12
A. Afflalo 21:25 2-8 0-1 0-0 -10 0 4 4 2 0 2 1 0 1 4
J. Maxiell 19:56 1-4 0-0 0-0 +13 4 4 8 0 2 0 0 5 0 2
K. Brown 05:54 0-1 0-0 0-0 -4 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0
A. Acker Reason : DNP
W. Bynum Reason : DNP
C. Samb Reason : DNP
W. Sharpe Reason : DNP
W. Herrmann Reason : DND





Total 240 26-82 4-13 29-35 16 32 48 16 23 9 12 8 85
31.7% 30.8% 82.9% Team Rebs: 14 Total TO: 13

Technical Fouls
DET 2nd Qtr:2 Richard Hamilton

Scoring
Lead Changes : 4
Times Tied : 2

A Deer in the Headlights pt 5: UberMan

Sitting outside of the door marked "TNT" I sat and talked to JJ Barea for a while, he was also sitting on the floor outside the door waiting for whatever was going on behind the door to finish, it kind of reminded me of sitting in the hallway at school talking to my friends, waiting for the morning bell to sound off, and as the bell rang the most popular kid in school steps out and looks dead at me, of course in this case the most popular kid at school is German Uberman, and Dallas MVP Dirk Nowitzki, the man that I've raved on about, and cheered for many years now is standing in front me, and I managed to ask for a quick interview, to which he gracefully responded "Sure"

He was being led by two women who were ushering him off to another room, I could tell by the look on their faces that I had just interrupted "The Schedule" one of them asked if I was able to "Walk and talk" with them, is she kidding? this is Dirk Nowitzki I would skateboard alongside his car going 90 on 75! "absolutely" was my answer.

After Dirk spent a few minutes speaking with someone from ESPN we were on our way.
I had to get the "fan girl" out of my system, I told him how tall he was, asked him to give a German shout out to my younger brother, then it was business! -_- <= Business Face

Bathory: Ok Dirk, real quick I just wanted to talk about one of my favorite moments this season, which was the only game I was able to make it to, the game versus the Utah Jazz back in April, 2-3 seconds left on the clock, you managed to get the ball from Eddie Jones and hit that major 3, right after Deron Williams.

DIRK: Right, to win it!

Bathory: How good was that feeling?

DIRK: You know I haven't really had a lot of those over my career so, that was a special moment, you know that game, was a great game, we went back and forth, and they had tied it right before, and we were able to come down and win on the last second, it was definitely a fun moment, you know everytime the ball or the game is down the wire, and you're able to come through for your team and win with the last second shot it's a good feeling.

Bathory: And then you know we have to talk about the MVP trophy, how great was that?

DIRK: Well, you know it was definitely one of the proudest moments of my NBA career, I was obviously really sad that we lost that year in the first round, but looking back in whatever twenty or thirty years it's still going to be one of the greatest things I accomplished, and nobody can take that away from me. My mom actually has it at home, I gave her the trophy, so I saw it all summer at home, at my parents place, so it was definitely a great accomplishment.

Bathory: And of course the competing in the olympics this year?

DIRK: Yeah, that was my dream, I've worked on it for ten or eleven years now and we were never able to make it, we always fell short, and being able to make this year was a dream come true, I had a blast, I got to know so many other athletes, and hangout, and the opening ceremony was amazing you know, me walking down with the flag, I was leading my nation into the stadium, so it was amazing, I was so happy.

Bathory: And can we expect more triple doubles this year?

DIRK: Oh wow, well you know I only have one for my career, I'm definitely going to work on it, but you know since we have Kidd, he's such a great basketball player you know, he needs to have the ball in his hands most of the time so he's going to be doing most of the passing, and I'm going to do most of the scoring.

Bathory: Absolutely, that's what you're great at!

Triple Doubles or not for Dirk there is no denying that he's the main piece for this team, the glue that holds the team together, despite what many critics say, Dirk Nowitzki is an MVP, a National Leader and an inspiration and no one can take that away from him!

A Deer in the Headlights pt 4: JJ Barea

Just Friday I got a chance to see JJ Barea outside of this Mavs uniform, but he was still playing ball (VolleyBall) but today was all Mavs business so I wanted to ask JJ a few question to see what he's been up to, and get his opinion on a few things.

Bathory: Hey J.J., I don't know if you remember me or not, but I met you Friday at the Brandon Bass volleyball tournament on Friday.

JJB: Oh yeah, I thought I recognized you.

Bathory: Yeah, so how fun was that for you? playing in the tournament?

JJB: It was a good time, it was better than what I thought it was going to be, it was a lot of fun, and I think even the players had fun so, it was good.

Bathory: Had you ever played volleyball before?

JJB: Yeah, I played volleyball throughout highschool and stuff.

Bathory: Yeah, you were pretty good.

JJB: Thank you.

Bathory: So what are you looking forward to this year?

JJB: It's my third year here with Dallas, and I think it's going to be a really good year for us, we're more relaxed, and we're going to have a lot more fun, and try to make the best out of it.

Bathory: So what does Coach Carlisle bring to the table that Avery Johnson didn't?

JJB: I think he's more like a player's coach, he's going to let us play a little more freely, and we're going to run a little bit more, and I think he's better for the team.

Bathory: Well one of the things being said, is that a lot of the players stopped listening to Avery, that he couldn't get through to anyone anymore, why do you think that is?

JJB: Avery is an intense coach, he's really intense, he wants to get the best out of the players, and I think he just got tired, towards me he was a great coach, he was always good to me.

One argument of mine concerning Avery and JJ was that Barea was rarely brought into a game when he could have been a difference maker, JJ has the talent and makings of an all star player, but hasn't really been given the chance to show it, there were times when Devin Harris was hurt mainly that JJB was able to show a glimpse of what he could, maybe now that only he and Jason Terry are on the roster as backups for JKIDD, JJ can start to flourish, if that's the case, Carlisle really is what the doctor ordered.

-B

Josh Howard: Too Late to Apologize?

Bandwagon fans, sports critics, patriots and "Couch Potato" sports critics have had enough of Josh Howard, over the past year his on and off the court antics have washed away his one time all star status, they'd heard enough of the excuses, his ways were no longer acceptable despite losing his Grandmother that raised him, his coach that taught him, and his good friend and team mate Devin Harris due to the Jason Kidd trade, Josh Howard's bad actions had/have begun to outweigh the good a ton to one, but during media day Josh grabbed the shovel and gloves and once the season starts he's going to dig his way back into the hearts of all of those that believed in him and repay those who have never stopped.

How does he plan to do that? you might ask.

Well first off Josh apologized to his fans, team, and everyone else, referring to himself as an "Idiot" for his youtube hit video on which he said some less than flattering things about the National Anthem.

JHO: I know that's not me
I love this country. If it wasn't for this country, I wouldn't be out here playing basketball. For me to have that opportunity is the greatest.

"That's not me. That's not Josh Howard. That was an idiot."

I wouldn't call him an idiot so much as a young kid who maybe a bit lost, money an fame doesn't not make a immature person mature, they still have to go through that process as you and I, and by owning up to his mistakes (whether by force of Cuban, and Carlisle or not) Howard has taken a step in the right direction.

JHO: I apologize to everybody I've offended.
I'm upset with myself and the way I've acted. It was just me joking around. I just wasn't using my head. I learned that words really do hurt and you are held accountable for what you said.

I went to military school. I have friends that serve in the military. I know how it is to wake up and salute the flag. In the national anthem every game, I have my hand over my heart. It was just me not thinking.

Howard plans to "Do whatever it takes" to win his fans back one at a time, if he goes back to being the Josh Howard that attacked the basket relentlessly instead of taking jump shots, then there is no reason Josh can't win those fans back just as quickly as they turned on him.

Apparently J-HO knows that we are tired of seeing his stepback jumpers, let's see what he does to alleviate the situation... all of it.

Deer in the Headlights pt 3: Gerald "Cupcake" Green.

Before even meeting Jason Kidd, Gerald Green was one of the first Mavericks that I came across, and at first he looked just as lost and nervous as I did, after my interview with Kidd I figured I'd ask him a few questions and try to get acquainted with one of the newest Mavericks.

Bathory: Ok, so Gerald Green, this is going to be your first season here with Dallas, but you were actually born here, or near by?

GGREEN: Yeah, I was born in Houston, Texas.

Bathory: How does it feel to be back in Texas?

GGREEN: It feels good, I was here in Texas with the Rockets last season, but here in Dallas is a great opportunity for my family and friends to see me play.

Bathory: I know there are a lot of fans that were excited to here you had signed here, and they're really excited to see you play partly due to your success in the Slam Dunk Competition, a lot of us, myself included have been waiting a while to see someone in Mavs uniform compete in the SlamDunk competitons, do you think you'll participate this year?

GGREEN: I don't really know at the moment, my biggest thing is to try to bring a championship here, I'm not saying that I'm the answer or anything, but I know if i go out there and do what I can, do what I know I can do, and listen to the coach, and listen to the veterans of the team, play my role, I think I'll be okay.

Bathory: How did you like playing in the Summer League this year?

GGREEN: It was great, I loved it, I feel like we did pretty good as a team, we could've done a lot better, but there's always room for improvement, the coaches helped me out a lot, I loved playing with the young guys on the team, it was real fun.

Bathory: So who of your new team mates are you looking forward to playing with?

GGREEN: Aw man, I'm looking forward to playing with everybody, Dirk, J Kidd, Josh Howard, Jet, Damp, Gana, I'm looking forward to playing with everybody, Stack, I can't wait to play with everybody.

Bathory: Can we expect a lot of high flying maneuvers this season?

GGREEN: Oh you can expect a lot of that, a lot of that!

You can start expecting to see Cupcake's high flying act starting October 7th when the Mavs play their season opener against the Washington Wizards.

A Deer in the Headlights pt 2: Jason Kidd

So here I am standing next to Jason Kidd trying to hold the tape recorder close enough to his mouth.

Bathory: Alright Jason, so you were only here for two or three months with the Mavericks before the playoffs started, so how was that experience for you?

JKIDD: It was an experience that I could learn from, unfortunately we didn't get out of the playoffs, or the first round, but it's something that we can build on, and hopefully we can be better.

Bathory: Would you say it was a good experience?

JKIDD: It was a great experience, I love to play the game, no matter where it's at, this is what I enjoy doing, and I am with a great group of guys here in Dallas.

Bathory: So how have the fans in Dallas received you?

JKIDD: They're big sports fans, they love their Mavs, and I am happy to that I am on their side, this is one of the toughest places to win at so, when they support their Mavs, it makes it easy for me to play.

Bathory: How about having another olympic gold medal, how great is that?

JKIDD: I'm very honored to be wanted to represent my country, and to play with a great group of guys, so to have my second gold medal, it's a dream come true.

Bathory: But I heard you're not going to keep it?

JKIDD: I am keeping it, it's just on loan.

Bathory: Ah, okay, so you're just loaning it out, that's pretty nice of you.

JKIDD: Yeah, Thank You.

Bathory: So whom of your new team mates are you looking forward to playing with this season?

JKIDD: Well, I'm always excited to play with Dirk, he makes the game so much easier for everybody, and the big thing is Jason Terry and Josh, we have a great group of guys here.

Bathory: Alright, I think that's it for now.

JKIDD: Alright, great job!

Bathory: Thanks, you too!

It appears as though Jason is comfortable and settled in with his new team and city, hopefully that will translate onto the scoreboard this season.

-Bathory

A Deer In the Headlights.

I never considered myself to be a cool person, but lately I've realized how big of a dork I truly was, standing before Jerry Stackhouse watching him shoot a commercial promo I felt like I'd just swallowed a bowl of worms, but there was no time to be shy and not interact, Josh Howard is walking around with an ear to ear smile on his face, wanting to know why I was "So quiet" I could only smile and laugh like he made a Richard Pryor worthy joke, before I thought of a good or "cool" enough answer he had already been shuffled off to another room to do some more media coverage.

Desagana Diop and Jason Terry are walking around, Jet whom I had recently met on Friday seemed more intimidating in his white and blue uniform and headband, I only smiled and waved.
"quit bombing and ask some questions!" I say to myself.

So I decide to ask the woman standing in front of me if it would be alright for me to interview a few of the guys and ask a couple of questions, after speaking to another lady, the second lady rolls out the big guns with a smile. "Sure" she says and then she points at Jason Kidd.

"Jason, will you do an interview?" she asks.
"Sure" Jason answers

"Holy crap I'm going to vomit." is the first thing that comes to my mind.

I love making first impressions, so I thought I'd say something clever to start.

Bathory: Bear with me, I'm really bad at this.
JKIDD: That's ok, I'm bad with these myself.
Bathory: Great, we can be bad together.

Check out my next blog for my interview with Jason Kidd., it felt longer than it actually was I'm sure.

Mavericks Media Day.

So today your Dallas Mavericks will be hosting their annual Media Day, and for the very first time ever, yours truly will participate as a member of the media gathering. so wish me luck as I run into this shindig full speed!

stay tuned.
-Bathory

Brandon Bass Beach Tournament

Saturday September 26th hundreds gathered around the red carpeted v.i.p. entrance of the Yucatan Beach Club in Coppell, Texas, sports celebrities came in two's leaving just enough time for the crowd to cheer and ask for an autograph in between them.

Move over Dirk, because once the man of the hour arrived (around 7:30) it was official that tonight was all about Brandon Bass, besides the obvious signing autographs or doing interviews, Bass, and team mates Jason "Jet" Terry, and J.J. Barea didn't have to try too hard to blend in with the crowd. The Dallas Mavericks Maniaacs made a special appearance and danced to a few tunes that were dejayed by Ro Parrish the Mavericks AAC wax man.

The event was well put together by Linda Luna from Lunachic PR
who created a laid back vacationesque atmosphere for all the fans and celebs, unfortunately Adam Jones from the Cowboys did not make it out to the event as promised, but team mates Isaiah Stanback, Anthony Henry, and Patrick Crayton came out for a little volleyball madness.

In the end it was Jason Terry's team who won the "championship" trophy, and they celebrated like crazy. around 12 or 1 am the place started to clear out a bit, although if you were still hanging around you could've walked right up to Brandon Bass and talked to him, as he was still hanging out, also you could've hung out with me since I wasn't doing a whole lot, or more interestingly Dallas Rapper Lil' Will (known for "My Dougie") who was also making an appearance, all in all it was a great night, for a great cause, thanks Brandon.

-B

Josh Howard Ladies and Gents!

Josh Howard is in the news again, again its not with good reason, this time at a Flag Football game held for Charity by Nuggets star Allen Iverson, Howard was caught on camera phone during the singing of the national anthem saying,
'The Star-Spangled Banner' is going on. I don't celebrate this [expletive]. I'm black."

Unfortunately this video has became an overnight debate all across the internet, even following Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to his personal blog page
http://blogmaverick.com/

Cuban has been receiving some not so kind words from hundreds of fans, and non fans complaining about Howard's latest antics, and Cuban's inability to keep Howard under his thumb, what many have failed to realize is that while Josh Howard does work for Mark Cuban, he is still a human being, without the nice cars, and large contracts, and professional sports jerseys, Josh Howard is a lot like you and I, and a lot like you and I, Josh says and does things that can be taken either way, some will agree, some will disagree, it doesn't help that Josh's public displays have been so close together like a long thread that's being unraveled from a sweater, the sweater being his performance in the playoffs . to make matters worse, Howard went on to say something about Barack Obama later on in the video, which unfortunately doesn't shine too greatly on Obama.

The video has created an uproar of responses, many of which are racial slurs and arguements, on Cuban's blog and even on youtube.
Mark Cuban and Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle have both stated that Josh will be confronted and disciplined outside of the media's eye, which is definitely the last place Howard should be at the moment.


-B

Ike ruins the beach party.

Due to Hurricane Ike, The Brandon Bass Beach Volleyball Tournament for charity has been postponed indefinitely, the event has been re-scheduled for Fri. September 26th, same place, same time, see you there!

Brandon Bass Charity Event This Weekend!

See Ya There!

Olympic run is over for Dirk and Team Germany.

It was a blowout, normally when this happens and I blog about it, Dirk is on the good side, unfortunately today that is not the case, Dirk who managed 14 points in the 106-57 loss to Team USA sending Dirk, Newest German Chris Kaman and the rest of Team Germany home with a 1-4 Olympic run, after sweeping Angola 95-66, Germany lost it's last three games.


After the loss Nowitzki said he's "Ready to focus on winning a championship now." hopefully that's a goal he can accomplish sooner than later.

The Big Bang!!

I'd rather not get MFFLers riled up by telling them about the journalists who thinks that the Mavericks are "declining" and have "Fallen from Championship status" those opinions do not matter to a real Maverick, nor a true Maverick
fan, and so they do not belong in this blog, in this blog, what we will talk about the Olympics, Dirk's new haircut, Foster going to Europe, Josh Smith going to the Grizz and of course as always trade rumors.


I have been getting tons of emails about Dirk's new hair cut, I decided to see it for myself, and... it's NOT THAT BAD!! of course, it's not that good either, but it's hair, it grows back, let Dirk and team Germany have some fun looking like Ron Artest!




In an unsurprising and unmotivating move the Dallas Mavericks have sent their 2008 draft pick over to Europe, so uh,... why didn't we trade up for a higher spot in the draft, oh.. that's right!
because Foster was a steal at 58, well I guess not.

I guess Shan Foster wasn't all he was cracked up to be, at least not yet.
"This gives him valuable playing experience in one of the top leagues in Europe," Nelson said. "He performed well in summer league but ... this gives him a chance to improve. His future is very bright, and we're excited about him rejoining us next summer. This also gives the Mavs roster flexibility, which may prove valuable in the current free-agent market."
(which the Mavericks have been completely inactive in.)
well if anything hopefully this leaves the door open for Reyshawn Terry to join the team this year, he has showed a lot during the Summer League and could prove to be very impressive.

Kiss your Josh Smith to Dallas dreams away, Smith had been signed to a $58 million dollar deal with the Grizzlies until Atlanta matched the offer, they played it the smart way, they wanted to see how much Smith would go for in the market so they wouldn't over pay him, and by matching the offer they show Smith that they are "dedicated" to keeping him, win-win for Atlanta.

For the time being it seems as if the Mavericks camp are quite content with their team, although Andre Iguodala trades were drawn up and argued about across many websites and chat rooms, no such name has come out of the mouth with the money, Mavs Owner Mark Cuban, so this looks like another big N.O. for all of the guys that spent their day configuring sweet deals in ESPN's trade machine, sorry guys, no big bang trades yet.

-Bathory

Chris Kaman to Dallas rumors are dead, Josh Smith to Dallas rumors are fizzing out, Andre Iguodala to Dallas rumors are piping hot!!

That's right, Big Iggy to Dallas is a possibility, an unlikely one with Donnie Nelson in China, but a possibility all the same.

What we're being led to believe is that Iguodala and the 76ers can't seem to get it together and
a trade is imminent, something along the lines of Howard for Iguodala and SG Willie Green, I say if this is true, and I were in office (Mavs HQ that is) this many days wouldn't have gone by without the deal getting done.

This of course is not so much of a rumor as it is an idea purposed by Kelly Dwyer who writes for Yahoo Sports, I say "Hey Kelly go take a vacation or something and stop making me have a heart attack thinking of how great of a trade this would be will ya?"

J-Ho makes himself look bad again.. is that possible?

Oh yes my friend, yes it is possible, in a time when seventy-five percent of Dallas is egging on a trade for Josh Smith or Andre Iguodala to get rid of Josh Howard, Josh gets himself arrested for drag racing in his hometown of Winston-Salem, North Carolina...

Taken from MYFOXDFW.COM

Last Edited: Friday, 01 Aug 2008, 2:53 PM CDT

Created: Friday, 01 Aug 2008, 2:31 PM CDT

Josh Howard Josh Howard's NBA Page Mavericks guard Josh Howard was arrested in Winston-Salem, N.C. Thursday night for street racing, according to police. Howard is facing charges of speeding, reckless driving, and speed competition, according to myFOXdfw's sister station myFOXwghp.com. The website says an officer spotted Howard driving a black Lexus with a passenger on the city's west side. Howard was taken to the Forsyth County magistrate's office and released on a written promise to appear in court on Sept. 23. Howard graduated from Wake Forest and is a Winston-Salem native. He was selected by the Mavericks in the first round of the 2003 draft.

The only word that comes to mind for me is.. "Wow"

Rhodes and Company close out the Rocky Mountain Review with a win over the Jazz!

You can't stop Chucky! Charles Rhodes had 15 points, 1 block, 1 assist, 4 rebounds, 2-2 from the line, 1-1 from downtown and had an overall pct of 6-8.

Gerald "Cupcake" Green, 11 points,1 block, 1 steal, 3 assists, 4 rebounds, 1-2 from downtown, perfect from the line hitting all 4 of his attempts, with an overall 3-11 pct.

Aaron Miles, determined to leave his mark had 10 points, 2 steals, 7 assists, 2 rebounds, 2-2 free throws, and an overall night with 4-5 shooting.

Reyshawn Terry ended the summer league with my vote for a spot in the big boys club, solid as always Terry had 9 points, 3 blocks, 2 steals, 1 assist, 6 rebounds, 4-5 from the line, 1-2 behind the arc, and 2-6 overall.

Shan Foster rolled over his game from last time and had 9 points as well, 1 steal, 2 assists, 8 rebounds, 4-4 from the stripe, 1-4 from downtown, and 2-7 overall.

Jajuan Smith finished his summer league experience off nicely, with 8 points, 1 steal, 5 assists, 2-3 with the long ball, and 3-9 overall.

5 points from Reggie Williams, and 4 a piece from Derrick Low and Courtney Sims, congrats Mavs Summer Boys for finishing up an overall impressive Summer League Showdown.

Good Luck finding your way to the big leagues!

Not time to cry, Mavs put a hurting on NJ summer squad.

Woo hoo!
Did you see Charles Rhodes?!
Chucky came off the bench with 21 points, 2 steals, 5 rebounds, 5-6 on free throws and an overall 8-10 night of shooting, very nice!

Of course if he is not the leader of the pack Cupcake Green is always somewhere near by, and tonight was no exception, Gerald had 16 points, 1 assist, 4 rebounds, 4-4 from the line, 2-4 from behind the arc and 5-12 shooting.

Reyshawn Terry, every game this guy plays hard, following close behind "Cupcake", Reyshawn had 12 points, and 12 rebounds! you read it right! a double-double for I.R. Terry, he was also 1-1 at the line and behind the arc, with an overall 5-10 shooting night.

Can D. Low come out and play? Evidently! Low had 9 points, 1 rebound, 1-1 from downtown and shot a nearly perfect 4-5 overall, maybe there is more to come from him?

The limelight has faded slightly around Shan Foster, but he had a decent game, with 7 points, 3 steals, 1 assist, 2 rebounds, 1-1 from long range, but a hideous 2-7 was his overall.

The battle to decide the difference between Aaron Miles, and Jajuan Smith continues, as they both had decent games, Miles finished with 6 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3 for 5 shooting.

Smith also finished with 6 points, only his was on a wreckless night of shooting (2 for 12)
but he did top Miles with 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 2-5 from the arc... not bad.

Watkins had 6 rebounds, 1 block and missed both of his shots.
Williams had a turnover and missed his only shot..
and Courtney Sims rounded it out for the Mavs with 4 points, 1 assist, on 2-5 shooting.

The Nets had 4 guys in double digits, the infamous guy that Cuban slept on Chris Douglas-Roberts (16 points.) Brook Lopez (12 points) Ryan Anderson and Jaycee Carroll with 10 points a piece.

Post no 50! unfortunate circumstances follow.

Dallas Mavericks Summer Boys lose out to Golden State with a devastating 90-73 game.

"The Green Cupcake" led the way for the guys once again, taking charge with 17 points with 5-12 shooting, 1 blk, 3 turnovers, 1 stl, 2 asst, 2 rebs, 5-6 ft, 2-4 from downtown.

Reyshawn Terry has been solid all summer long with this game being no exception.
He had 14 points with 5-11 shooting, 2 blks, 3 turnovers, 8 rebs, 4-5 ft.

Darryl Watkins had a impressive game, defensively with 2 pts, 4 blks, 2 stl, 1 asst, 8 rebs, 2-2 fts, 0-3 overall

As did Reggie Williams with 11 pts, 1 stl, 1 asst, 4 rebs, 6-8 ft, 1-3 downtown, 2-5 overall

Others-
A Miles 7 pts, 3 asst, 2 rebs, 1-3 ft, 3-7 overall
R Frahm 6 pts, 2 turnover, 2 asst, 4 rebs, 2-5 downtown, 2-6 overall
C Rhodes 6 pts, 1 stl, 5rebs, 2-2 ft, 2-5 overall
C Sims, 3 pts, 4 rebs, 1-2 ft, 1-4 overall
D Low, 3 points, 1 reb, 1-2 downtown, 1-4 overall
S Foster 2 pts, 2 to, 2 asst, 1 reb, 0-1 downtown, 1-7 overall
JJ Smith, 2 pts, 1 asst, 0-3 downtown, 1-4 overall



Unfortunately it was not enough to stop the Warriors, GSW had three players not named Marco Bellinelli (did not play) that were just on fire, mostly from the free throw line and second chance points 20-8.

Anthony Randolph 20 pts, 7 turnovers 2 stls, 5 asst, 6 rebs, 14-17 ft, 3-11 overall
Anthony Morrow, 27 pts, 5 asst, 10 rebs, 5-6 ft, 4-5 downtown, 9-16 overall
Jamont Gordon 20 pts, 5 t.o., 2 asst, 5 rebs, 4-7 fts, 2-4 downtown, 7-14 overall

Thus with numbers like that overcoming the Mavericks, but fear not there is still more Mavs action to come in the Rocky Mountain Review!

The Ghost of Christmas Past!

Mavericks summer league team loses out to the Warriors 90-73.
Gerald Green was his usual self with 17 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal, 2 assists, 2-4 from long range, and 5-6 from the line.

Reyshawn Terry proved to be one of the best players without ( or with for that matter) a contract from the Mavs yet again.
with 14 points, 2 blocks. 8 rebounds, 4-5 from the line and an overall 5-11 shooting pct.

There was life in Reggie Williams, he had an impressive game with 11 points, 1 steal, 1 assist, 6-8 on free throws, and even making 1 out of 3 from downtown.

Miles was the fourth highest scorer with 7 points, followed by Rhodes and Frahm with 6 a piece, Low and Sims each had 3, and Jajuan Smith and Darryl Watkins had 2 a piece.

Watkins was more impressive in other areas with 4 blocks, and 8 rebounds however.

Unfortunately this was not enough for that damn GS team.
Anthony Morrow has 27 points, Jamont Gordon and Anthony Randolph pitched in 20 a piece as well.

Next time gadget, next time.

The Dirk Petition.

The latest and greatest news out of the Dallas HQ does not come in the form of a trade or amazing free agent signing, but it does represent the dedication of Mavericks, and Team Germany fans a like.

A petition has been started to encourage those with the power to allow Dirk Nowitzki to carry the
German flag at the opening Olympic ceremonies in Bejing on August 8th, for those of you that would like to sign the petition

of course I signed it, but as I was signing I was thinking to myself, who else would do it?!
Dirk deserves this, not saying that any of the other German athletes don't deserve the honor, but I think Dirk deserves a tad bit more...

GO TEAM DIRK!!

The Green Man Gerald "Cupcake" Green does it again this time to San Antonio!

That's right, live it up Dallas!
Gerald Green and the Mavs summer league team ripped San Antonio a new one with a 84-77 game today, Green exploded on San Antonio shooting 5-9 from down town and 8-15, topping it off with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, 6-7 from the line.

Reyshawn Terry is dead set on stringing together some nice performances ending the game with 14 points, 4-9 downtown, 3 assists and 2 rebounds.

Singleton was the next highest scorer with 10 points, followed by new comer Darryl Watkins who had 9 points, and 3 blocks, and 7 rebounds, 1 steal!
Fellow new comer Courtney Sims had 8 points, 1 block, 1 assist and 2 rebounds, 1 steal.

Impressive game for Aaron Miles with 7 points and 8 assists, 1 rebound, and 1 steal.
Shan Foster had 6 points, 1 block and 5 rebounds.
Derrick Low finally got on the score board hitting his only shot which was a long ball, he finished his 11 minute stint with 3 points, and 2 assists.
Frahm had 2 assists and 5 fouls.

Jajuan Smith, Charles Rhodes, and Reggie Williams were inactive... but only Williams did not play.

Mavericks face GSW again tomorrow at 5:30 PM.

Out goes Seibutis, Sow welcome Darryl Watkins and Courtney Sims.

Seibutis unfortunately is just not NBA ready, having only played a handful of games over in Greece last year due to a injury, Ronnie still has plenty to learn before he his ready for the big boys, hopefully next off season when he is ready the Mavs will be ready for him.

Pape Sow also was not ready to be a Maverick, Dallas send him packing as well to make room for Centers Darryl Watkins and Courtney Sims.

And for those of you who are getting giddy, Keith Mcleod is simply on a vacation that is offered for veteran point guards.

Cheers!

Mavs take down Iran.

Not the way you think,
Yes, it's a tad bit late, but I am willing to make up for it with some amazing journalism, you ready?

The Rocky Mountain Revue started Saturday with the Mavericks and the Iranian National team.
Both teams exchanged gifts at half court as part of a cultural exchange.

And boy did they get a bit of culturing! Things started off slow for the Mavs being outscored in the 1st and 4th quarter 18-20 in the 1st and then 10-21 in the 4th.
However it was the two quarters in between that made the difference.

The Mavs outscored Iran 26-13 in the 2nd quarter, and then a ridiculous 25-8 in the 3rd!
Dallas was once again led by Super Dunker Gerald Green with 15 points and 1 assist, Aaron Miles had another impressive outing with 12 points and 6 assists, and another solid game for Reyshawn Terry with 11 points, for Iran Hamed Ehadadi was a monster with 19 points and 16 rebounds, where can the Mavericks find a gem like that? also Mohammad Nikkhah Ba finished with 16 points.

Singleton managed 6 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks and Frahm was 2-3 from downtown.. impressed?

Congratulations to Dirk, Chris Kaman and Team Germany.

By JENNIFER FLOYD ENGEL

jenfloyd@star-telegram.com

Related Content

AFP/LOUISA GOULIAMAKI via Getty Images

Dirk Nowitzki scored 32 points in a 96-82 victory over Puerto Rico on Sunday that gave Germany the final spot in men’s basketball at the Beijing Games. AFP/LOUISA GOULIAMAKI via Getty Images

Dirk Nowitzki did not do any interviews immediately after propelling Germany to its first Olympic berth since 1992. He couldn’t.

The Dallas Mavericks’ best player was in the locker room in Greece bawling Sunday, like a baby or newlywed or player who has finally delivered on a promise to his country, his coach and himself.

I unfortunately had to move this past weekend so I missed all of it, but congratulations to Dirk, there is not a person in the world that deserves more than this guy, Go Germany!

Dirk, Kaman, and team Germany close but no cigar against Croatia.

Nowitzki, Germans fall to Croatia

12:46 PM Sat, Jul 19, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Brad Townsend E-mail News tips

They staged a late rally, but Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki and Germany lost today to Croatia, 76-70, in the semifinals of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Greece.

The Germans have one last opportunity to qualify for the Olympics. They must win Sunday's third-place game against the loser of tonight's Greece-Puerto Rico game. If it's Puerto Rico, guess what? It would be Dirk vying against Mavs teammate Jose Barea for an Olympic berth.

At age 30, this is Nowitzki's best, and perhaps last, chance to qualify his country for the Olympics. Nowitzki scored 30 points today, but only two teammates reached double figures in scoring.

Well this is an unfortunate situation, how nice would it have been to have JJ and Dirk representing Dallas in the Olympics? in any case it feels wrong to choose sides, but I am pulling for Team Germany, not just because I am in love with the duo of Dirk and Kaman, but because Dirk won't have very many Olympic adventures in him after this, and he's been at it longer.

With that said, best of luck to both teams!

Kaman and Dirk are an unstoppable train!

In Germany that is, Just today the two combined for 32 points, and 21 rebounds to lead
team Germany to a 78-65 victory over Brazil.

Team Germany is now in the semi finals where they will face Croatia, making Dirk/Kaman one step closer to representing Germany for their very first time in the Olympics, which is a life long dream for Dirk, and realistic possibility for them both.

Good Luck Boys!

Malik Allen also signs with Bucks.

Allen of course was brought to Dallas in the controversial Jason Kidd trade, and averaged 4.6 points and 2.7 rebounds last season, good luck in Milwaukee Malik.

Mavericks have made an offer for Artest.

Yes, Yes they did.

Unsurprisingly enough, Brandon Bass was offered along with Jerry Stackhouse for Ron Artest, no one has publicly admitted this is true, but.. you know it is.
Apparently the Kings aren't going to consider the deal without Dallas taking Kenny Thomas's contract... oh, and did I mention they want Josh Howard or no deal as well?

Well then, now you are in the know. I say play it your way Sacramento, keep Artest.. he'll whine and whimper for the rest of the season, or you can take what we offer and not get greedy.

You can find the original post here: http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/sports/kings/archives/013902.html

-B

Tyrron Lue signs with Bucks..

Bit of a step down from his original assumption that he'd go to the Suns, Heat or Celtics... oh well, Bucks offered him more money I guess, good luck Lue.

Gerald "Cupcake" Green Leads Mavs Boys of Summer to victory.

Gerald Green was having a rocky game Wednesday afternoon, until he turned into Batman, scoring 18 points. shooting 5 of 12.

Once again Charles "Chuckie" Rhodes was a solid player getting a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, oh yeah!

Rough game for Ronnie Seibutis who got to start again today, his line wasn't as impressive as Monday's game however, he finished with 2 points and 2 rebounds.

Quiet game yet again from James Singleton and Keith Mcleod the veterans that were offered roster spots Singleton getting just 8 points and 2 rebounds.

Mcleod's number not much better with 5 points, 2 assists, and 2 rebounds.

Reyshawn Terry was still pretty reliable coming off the bench with 7 points and a beastly 9 rebounds.

Shan Foster didn't have his best game with 6 points, 2 assists, and 2 rebounds but it was a nice contribution coming off the bench.

Aaron Miles came off the bench with 4 points, and 4 assists in 13 minutes of game play.

Richie Frahm proved he can shoot with 9 points, 2-3 from downtown and 2 rebounds... no assists however which is kind of a requirement for a point guard.

Pape Sow also looking better with 9 points, 6 rebounds.

The Jajuan Smith Saga continues, Jajuan came off the bench racking up 10 points on 2-5 shooting from downtown and 2 rebounds in 11 minutes.

Not too much of an impressive night for Reggie Williams and Derrick Low.

Williams playing just 4:50 and getting 2 pts and 1 reb.
Low once again didn't get on the score board shooting 0-2 with no assists and 1 steal in 7:18 minutes... perhaps they still have a chance to dazzle us if they can ever get anything more than garbage time.

Anyway the bottom line is, Mavs get it done again 93-71 and they have split their first 4 games of the summer 2-2.

Germany Duo do it again!

Today was a bad day for New Zealand... why? Because Dirk Nowitzki and his new sidekick Chris Kaman made it rain on them like no other, Dirk and C.K. combined for a total of 55 of the teams 89 points! are you kidding me?! that's incredible!

The teams third highest scorer would be Pascal Roller with 10 points.

Oh and another little tidbit, Marcus Camby was traded to The Clippers yesterday, this has true MFFL buzzing about the possibility of Kaman being traded, however it is rumored that the Clips plan to use either Kaman or Camby at the PF position in an attempt to replace Elton Brand...
Neither side of this is written in stone, but perhaps Cuban is now giving Mike Dunleavy a ring, and the two are having a little talk about getting the two Germans together in Dallas...

Too soon to dream?

Dirk and Kaman and Team Germany crush Cape Verde!

I guess it sounds mean when I put it that way.. good!
man I would love to this duo happen in Dallas!!!
Dirk only needed to bring 16 pts and 5 rebs to the table, and was able to sit out most of the second half, while Kaman had his usual double double 10 pts 10 rebounds.... hardly an explosion right?
wrong! Germany Hulk-Smashed Cape Verde 104-68... now that's not right!

Go Team Germany!

Mavs Boys of the summer give Wolves the business!

You might've noticed that I skipped the first two games of the Mavs Summer League and started with the 3rd game, this is simply because the first two games made me cry, that is an exaggeration, sort of.

First off the Boys 88-74 win over the Wolves doesn't sound too impressive, but the game wasn't always that close. especially not in the 1st half, The Mavs outscored the Wolves 48 to 30.
All of the guys are looked much more relaxed on the court, but this game was won mainly by the bench scoring over more than 50 points!

Reyshawn Terry put doubts about his performance to bed Monday night, stepping in from the bench and drilling in 15 pts and 4 rebounds, pales in comparison to Eric Gordon's performance the other day, but this was no one man show!

The biggest, and best unexpected surprise came from Jajuan (pronounced Joo-Wan) Smith, Exploding for 19 pts in 18 minutes, shooting 4-6 from downtown!

By the way, Shan Foster has game! before we were stuck having to just take Carlisle, Cuban, and Nelson on their word about Foster, but Monday he made me a believer.
when I describe him, the name Brandon Bass usually comes up, but this kid is making a name for himself, scoring 17 pts, and looking good doing it! no one is for certain what's going to happen with the last 1 or 2 spots left on the Mavs squad, but there is no way that Foster doesn't get one of those, having been pretty consistent thus far, hopefully he keeps it up, and carries it into the big boy league.

"Chuckie" Rhodes, I won't lie, I want to see this guy on the court with J-Kidd and The Big German! Rhodes is a beast, with a large body. for the past 3 games he has been a real eye opener.
Currently the Mavs roster is set at 14, but the Mavs (just like the defenders.) better make some room for the big nightmare himself Charles Rhodes.
That's right Shaq, move out the way, or Chuckie will dunk your hand off!!...
That too is an exaggeration, but with his ability to play back up for Dirk and Bass or even Damp and Diop (in special cases) Rhodes is a keeper averaging around 13 pts a game.

Ronnie Seibutis got a chance to start and had a solid game with 9 points, 2 rebs, 2 assists, and a steal which is better than Keith Mcleod did. I wish the Mavs would find some room for this guy and Reyshawn Terry already, whatever their doing overseas can be done here, and they can't be any worse than some of the dead weight that the Mavericks had on the roster last season.

Honorable Mentions: Pape Sow, Derrick Low , Aaron Miles, and Reggie Williams.

Dishonorable Mentions: Keith Mcleod and James Singleton.

More on these 6 guys next time.

-Cheers!

Trade with the Clippers in the mix?

Well I'm sure there are more than a few fingers in Dallas and maybe even in L.A. that are crossed on that one... there haven't been any rumors spreading around, but everyone has to wonder what Rick Carlisle and Mike Dunleavy were talking about yesterday during the SL game, whatever the conversation was pertaining to looked extremely interesting, and looked like Dunleavy was leading the conversation with some serious concerns, hey maybe I'm just reading something into nothing, but let's hope this has something to do with a certain "new" German and him coming to Dallas to join the Mavs squad.

Time for the game! notes on the SL thus far coming later.

Good Lord Man!

I am getting Psyched about the start of the Summer League, I cannot wait...
expect to see coverage and more updates from me.




-B

You will be missed Lue!

Well.. not really,
Nothing personal against Tyronn, but his decision to go with the Suns is in no way
making or breaking the Mavs, pretty much like his signing.
he was a nice enough guy though, so good luck in Phoenix, and don't let Shaq intimidate you!

An Interesting combination.

Even though I had already heard that Chris Kaman was going to be teaming up with Dirk Nowitzki and team Germany for the Olympics, I hadn't considered what a presence he would be on the Mavericks roster, and frankly I was too full of beer and barbecue to think about it.
but that didn't stop some other MFFL from suggesting a trade for him, keep your eyes peeled,
maybe something can bring the big man to Dallas.



Cheers!

Dallas- Where welcome back Desagana Diop, we're sorry we traded you happens.

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
esefko@dallasnews.com

The Mavericks have addressed a need and a want in the early stages of free agency.

They needed a big man and they got him Wednesday, agreeing to terms with former Maverick DeSagana Diop on a multiyear deal that starts at whatever salary the full mid-level exception is, an NBA source said. Most NBA executives expect it to be around $5.5 million

That is a spot of great news, we all love Diop.. unfortunately that MLE is gone now! so what do the Mavs do? They've got a real center now, they've got a solid back up for Dirk, they've got a pretty decent SG lineup now, only a few more pieces, and I might be back excited about this new season.

Old Faces, new faces.

So apparently JJ Barea, Eddie Jones and Desagana Diop and possibly even Eduardo Najera are currently in discussions regarding playing for the Mavs again, unfortunately getting Diop back will most likely involve our entire MLE, but the great thing is its the first step in Cuban fixing the boo boos in his ridiculous dream trade from earlier in the season, the immediate firing of Avery Johnson and then the refusal to change the lineup clearly states, that none of this was any fault of the players and all Avery's fault... or so Cuban thinks.

In any case Gerald Green or as I like to call him "the poor guy that didn't stand a chance against Dwight "Superman" Howard in the Dunk Competition" (its just a little pet name.) has verbally agreed to sign a 1-year deal with the Mavs, this could be interesting as I am pretty sure this would make him the youngest SG on the Mavs roster, maybe he'll become a starter and show true potential, the way I see it, he likes to dunk, Kidd loves alley oop passes, Howard could be great again, Dirk will alway be Dirk, Diop is going to be back, we've got ourselves an Ok starting line up.

New month, no significant changes yet.

So free agency officially begins, there's is all kinds of crazy rumors surrounding teams not named the Mavs, players opting out having people calling them left and right, every team going after guys like Baron Davis, Josh Smith, Andre Igoudala, Corey Maggette, Josh childress, Ben Gordon, Gilbert Arenas and Beno Udrih, everyone except the mavs, maybe because we are too content with are ever aging roster, I'm just saying make a push for Chris Andersen, Sebastian Telfair, and Matt Barnes.. doesn't sound like much.. but it's better than a group of old guys that tried to ride the pine to a ring... we can't all be Sam Cassell. :0

2 New Mavs.... well kind of.

Ok, so maybe everyone isn't as excited our recent additions as they would be if we had bigger names, but you never know what good things you got until you give em a chance, or worse until you trade them for an aged up point guard.. oh yeah, went there.

Anyway, a day after drafting Shan Foster, The Mavericks have signed a fellow by the name of Derrick Low to their summer league team, from what I've been reading up on this guy (seeing as how I'd never heard of him.) he could be useful if he were to make himself a permanent spot on the roster, the most important asset that he would bring would be youth, because right the boys in blue are looking bone dry old, also he's not bad on the eyes, oh don't worry... that's perfectly ok for me to say... Didn't I mention I was a girl?

Anyway, I can't say that a lot is going to be riding on the shoulders of Low or Foster, but it would be nice for once if the Mavs struck gold at the bottom of the pot, well there was that time that we found that Brandon Bass fellow, every dog has its day I guess!

Oh Boy.

So I don't how many other people in Dallas are going to bed disappointed in tonight's draft, after hearing all of this Jazz about the Mavericks trying to buy their way into the first round it never happened, Portland and Seattle got a billion picks a piece, and now all of these crazy trades are going on and once again the Mavericks aren't doing squat about it! I mean what the hell is the deal here?! The Spurs sent out an e-mail announcing that they wanted to sell their number 26 draft pick, also apparently the Nuggets didn't want their pick, and the Wizards were looking for a deal to, I guess everybody knew that but Dallas!

Memphis and Minnesota pulled off a huge trade after the draft was over, Toronto and Indiana had one earlier today, everybody's wheels are spinning and the Mavs are sitting in 30+ year old stagnant water, perhaps getting ready to make another ridiculous knee jerk trade once the season starts (when its too late again!)

It doesn't need to be said but I'll note it, "Fire Donnie Nelson" threads and sites are growing by the minute now, I can't help but admit that I am on the bandwagon, a couple more weeks of this kind inactivity and we're going to have ourselves a good ol fashion witch hunt in Dallas!

All About Brandon Bass!

While we're on the subject of Brandon Bass, I figured I'd go ahead and point all of the amazing things that he's done on the court in his short tenure with the Mavericks, and why he'd better be in a Mavs jersey at the start of the season.

On July 26, 2007 Bass agreed to sign with the Mavs, but terms of the deal were not disclosed. He is signed through the 08-09 season with a $1.59 million contract.

After spending the beginning of his career sitting on a bench in New Orleans Bass was looking to show what he could do, and man did he!

Brandon quickly came along and begin to breathe a fresh breath of youth into the Dallas roster.
of course he had games where he didn't play his best, mostly when he started for Dirk Nowtizki, but when he came off the bench he gave all of himself to every play whether it was huge blocks, rebounds, an insane free throw percentage, or his out of this world dunking strength Bass proved to the world that he was going to be a force to be reckoned with.

I am looking forward to seeing him get more playing time to see what he can really do, what we have seen up to this point is just a taste, Bass seemed to always be in Avery's dog house or be taken out of the game by Avery right when he was on a roll (Avery did that to everybody.)

In any case, Brandon Bass Dallas appreciates your 8.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, and 0.7 apg, and though it doesn't sound like much, we know it is only the beginning!

Brandon Bass needs a new nickname!

On the court "The Animal" is a perfect moniker for 22 year old Brandon Bass, I mean have you seen him dunk?! off the court is a different story, its a bit difficult to call a man with a heart bigger than his bulky frame an animal.

The Brandon Bass Basketball Camp has opened its doors for 40 kids at the Martin Boys and Girls Club in Fort Worth.

Bass picked the participants based on essays they wrote about the challenges in their lives. Hawk Electronics covered the costs for the camp, which was organized by North Texas alum/publicist Linda Luna, by paying $50 per Bass bucket during a portion of the season.

And Bass plans to invite the same kids back each summer.

"My plan is to keep up with all of them and make them a part of me," Bass said during a break in the camp Saturday.

Bass will have another camp opened in Baton Rouge (his home town) next month.

"When I was growing up, I never went to a basketball camp," said Bass

"I Couldn't afford it. I wanted to make sure these kids could."

what an "Animal"!!

Glücklicher Geburtstag!

It's Dirk "Dagger Knife" Nowitzki's 30th birthday, it would've been great to see him leading a parade down the streets of Dallas today hoisting the championship high above his head, but it didn't happen, that doesn't take away from the fact that this guy has been nothing short of amazing in his time here, you can't keep a good guy down forever, Happy Birthday Dirk, kick back at home in Wurzburg for a few hours (Which is the only break he'll take with his work ethic.) you deserve it!
we'll see you in the Bejing Olympics!

Salut!

Finally over.

I would have been fine if both the Lakers and Boston both lost, but Boston finally put the playoffs to bed, and through all of Kevin Garnett's crying and spitting, and Paul Pierce's cockiness, I did my best to look past the green and white jerseys, past Garnett's spitting speech, and see Dirk spitting and crying and thanking everybody for being so patient with him for so long..

What the heck is it going to take to accomplish that though? a whole lot more than what Jason Kidd and the rest of the gang had to offer, that's for certain..
rumor has it that the Maverick's are looking to buy their way into the first round, that's a good start, but from there, you're going to need a whole lot more.. however I am interested in seeing Renaldas Seibutis and Reyshawn Terry representing Dallas, though I'm not sure what to think seeing as how Nick Fazekas was given a spot on the roster over both of them.

So what's going to be Donnie Nelson, Mark Cuban? we need a change.. nothing as drastic as changing a point guard in the middle of the season, but something.. we need an answer.

Dream on MFFL!

Long live the dream! So rumor has it that Mavericks are trying to trade their way into the first round of the upcoming draft. not that it can't happen, but it probably won't.. I'd hate to sound less than optimistic, but less face it, situations like these are infamous for not working in the Mavericks' favor.

But what if it did for once? what if all these crazy rumors flirting around the internet turned out to work out for our Dallas boys in blue?

What a sweet dream it is, imagine a starting line up of J Kidd, A.I., Josh Howard, Dirk Nowitzki and Diop at the center! coming off the bench you'd have guys like Sasha Vujacic, Mike Miller, Antoine Wright, Brandon Bass, Marc Gasol (or even Chris Andersen), JJB, Tyronn Lue.

On paper it all looks great, it also looks like a long shot... but hey, back in January I didn't see Kidd in a Mavs Jersey happening either... Dream on, it's the only place where everything works out right!

Cuban needs to get Memphis on the horn.

I thought I'd wait for a while for something exciting to happen... it didn't...
BUT! it has been officially announced that Memphis is considering shopping around their #5 draft pick!

what sweet deal could the Mavs come up with?
it's already been proposed that Mike Miller would be a great fit for Dallas, and that Marc Gasol would be a HUGE throw in... so if Dallas could manage to come up with a formula that would those two, and the number #5 pick, well, that's just the right way to kick off a season after failing in the first round of the play offs two times in a row.

So, who could the Mavericks cross their fingers to add to the list of Miller and Gasol?

1.Brook Lopez ( if Gasol deal doesn't work.)
2.Danilo Gallinari
3.O.J. Mayo ( not likely.)
4. Kevin Love
5.D.j. Augustin (would be another perfect fit.)

Though unlikely, its always fun to dream right?

All About Jason "Jet" Terry.

The Jet, his performance suffered more ups and downs than a roller coaster this season.
First there was Avery's experiment to make Jet the sixth man for the Mavs, which fell through.

But, just as there were games where Terry couldn't get anything to drop, there were also
a plethora of games where Jet was the difference maker, the "X" factor if you will.

one problem that has caught the attention of everyone but Avery Johnson, would be when Johnson would let Kidd sit and have Terry run the point, bad idea!
Jet is not a point guard by any means, we need this guy to shoot!
we're all clueless as to what Johnson was thinking when he attempted to change everyone's game this season, but what makes Jet key for this team is his ability to score, his passing game comes as a bonus.

And though we have heard and witnessed some negative things from Jet on the defensive end, I think the short time he spent guarding Chris Paul was a success, however consistency with successful strategies was not the Mavericks strongest point.

plain and simple Jason Terry is a scorer, he has been with the Mavs for a while now and can be a miracle worker in a jersey when he brings his "A" game.
no one knows for sure yet if Jet is going to be back on the Mavs squad when the new season begins, but I hope so.

So here's to hoping that the Jet won't be taking off from the AAC too soon, although his 15.5 ppg, 2.5 rbg, and 3.2 apg may not sound like anything special, it is no secret the man that produced those numbers couldn't be called anything less.

All About Josh Howard..

What is there to say? this guy was once considered an All-star an up until few months ago he was playing like it.
But Josh Howard fell apart right when the team needed him, well maybe not right away, when Dirk first went down with his injury I knew the season was over for the Mavs, because no one else would be able to step up, and Josh Howard broke a record! by performing like a true all-star Josh made me happy for the first time that I was wrong about something, perhaps not a credible enough record for some, but for me, good enough.

Josh Howard put the team on his bad back in the absence of Dirk and delivered like a champ, fans were getting excited finally about this Kidd trade, because things were starting to look up, Dirk was walking around without the boot, Jason Kidd was actually proving himself worthy in Dirk's absence, Eddie Jones started playing again, and with FIRE!! and Josh Howard was back to his old self, driving the ball and dunking on everybody!

sadly, it was short lived. once Dirk came back, J-ho disappeared again.

Sure, he's had a tough season, all the guys have.
Josh lost his mentor earlier this year, his grandmother who raised him, and his best friend and team mate Devin Harris in the second coming of Jason Kidd, but whoever told Josh that playing in the NBA would be a breeze lied, and he's finding out the hard way, unfortunately the team is suffering as he learns.

So Josh Howard if you can bring back the real J-ho, who averaged 19.9 ppg 7.0 reb 2.2 apg, stop talking about marijuana, stop partying during the play offs and concentrate on playing on another level, than I can't think of a reason why you shouldn't be back in the number 5 jersey in October.

The Holger Geschwinder effect.

Only real MFFL know this guy, mainly because this is the man responsible for making Dirk what he is and bringing him where he is today.

Every summer Dirk returns to Germany to train under Holger who has
been mentoring Dirk since he was a teen.

Before every team in the NBA had a big man shooting 3-pointers, Geschwinder had the idea to move Dirk straight to the 3-point line, instead of starting him off in the obvious position (the paint).
of course that became a weapon against Dirk when it was time for him to get the ball inside and bang it..

but you have to wonder, if Holger were on the Mavs coaching staff, what kind of effect would he have on the team as a whole? offensively, could he use some of those great things he taught Dirk to Josh Howard, or Jet, or even Dampier?
has this ever been considered by Cuban?

If Dirk constantly goes back to learn from this guy, maybe there is something the team could learn as a whole?

Here Dirk comes to save the day!!!!

By becoming Larry Bird...

evidently the main appeal behind Carlisle taking over in Dallas is his experience playing alongside Larry Bird, and his belief that Dirk can become the next Larry Bird.

I don't know how likely that is, but between Avery wanting to turn Dirk into a pass the ball/ create your own shot kind of guy, and Carlisle wanting to turn Dirk into Bird, I figured I'd be the one to stand up and ask
"Why can't Dirk just play as Dirk?"

Avery tried to change him and Dirk started the season off rough, and didn't get his game back until the 2nd half of the season (and boy did he ever, from the wobbly shot in Phx to the dagger 3 vs Utah)
what's going to happen when Carlisle tries to change Dirk again?

we're being told that he's just trying to add more depth to his game, I think a great place to start would be
adding more depth to his supporting cast.

Ron Artest and Dirk?

So it is has been proposed many times over the past few years that the Mavs should try and get Ron Artest,
and now it seems like it has been given a chance of actually happening with his former coach Rick Carlisle taking over Avery Johnson's old gig as Mavericks head coach.

Well if we were going by Artest's stats, I can't really say that I see a reason why he'd be a better fit than Josh Howard at the starting position (assuming that we'd have to lose J-Ho for him) what could he do better that
would help Dirk and Kidd turn this club around?

Of course Josh Howard didn't help his case with his on and off court performances toward the end of the year,
so I guess when it all comes down to it we're stuck with one question..

"Should we try to give Josh Howard another chance at regaining his all-star potential, or do we take yet another chance on mixing things up and bring in Ron Artest professional NBA brawler?"

Carlisle now holds the reigns.

It has officially been announced this Mother's Day weekend, Rick Carlisle is the new coach of Dirk Nowitzki, Brandon Bass, Jason Kidd, and Jason Terry (I leave everybody else out, because they might not get the chance to play for him, Stackhouse aside, because he played for Carlisle in Detroit.

All of the niceties have been exchanged.. "blah, blah, he's a great coach."
"blah, this is a great new start for Dallas."

Carlisle's presence won't provide a Celticesque summer for the Mavs, no new suit is going to do that, only a few new supporting jerseys will.

also, "blah, blah, D'antoni agreed to coach the Knicks.."

Now, go take your Mother out for Breakfast.

Help is on the way?!

Well, maybe not.. but Desagana Diop has said that he wouldn't mind returning to this Mavs,
his former team this offseason, I'm sure I am not the only one psyched about this!
one good thing about Avery Johnson being gone is that Diop could possibly get more playing AND
even take Dampier's place as a starter! Diop has everything that Dampier doesn't, youth, aggression, skill, and heart.

Now, if we could just unload Dampier onto some poor team that is in desperate need of a center.. oh, that's right, Memphis... Memphis needs a center Dampier would be the next best thing, and we'd just still Miller and Gasol... it's simple really.

*sigh* only May.

MFFL we are in store for a LONG summer, I told myself that I wasn't going to pounce
around from message board to message board, from one sport web site to another,
but apparently I lied to myself, I like the rest of you, have to know what's going to happen next
for this team.

I'm waiting to see what big name we can persuade to come to Dallas this summer (come on A.I.!)
I'm waiting to see what this new coach can do for Dallas.
I'm waiting to see the Mavs win it all!
but I guess I'll just be waiting, because while its game 2 of the second round for
some other sports fans, for MFFL it's just a Monday...

Looks like its all settled.

Nothing is written in blood just yet, but it looks like Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban
might have found his new cheer leader for the "Jason Kidd Can Still Play Team" and by this,
I mean a new coach for the Dallas Mavericks.

According to MSN Fox Sports, Cuban has reached an agreement deal with Rick Carlisle
the former coach of the Pacers and Pistons.

The 49-year-old Carlisle ran the Pistons from 2001-03, going 100-64 in the regular season and 12-15 in the playoffs. He also was named the 2001-02 NBA Coach of the Year.

After Carlisle was fired by Detroit and replaced by Larry Brown following the 2002-03 season, he was hired by Walsh to coach the Pacers. In four seasons with Indiana, Carlisle was 181-147 in the regular season and 18-17 in the playoffs.

Carlisle was fired by Indiana after the team went 35-47 in 2006-07, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 1996-97 season.

oh boy, I hope this works out.. maybe the plan here is to get a pushover coach that will allow Jason Kidd to continuously control each play even after several turnovers? but what about on the defensive end? just wondering.. I guess we'll be waiting some more.

btw.. I know this isn't going to be considered nice, I just wanted to add how great it was to see the Rockets get knocked out in the first round again, and I pray that the Hawks can pull out this game 7, how great would that be?!

A little snippet for the weekend.

There is a good chance that Avery Johnson goes on to coach the Chicago Bulls,
growing up in Chicago, I was a huge Bulls fan, so I'd love nothing more than to see this great legendary team name restored.

Of course I can't help but wonder, what are the chances of Avery Johnson turning the Bulls into a championship caliber team? and just because irony seems to love the Mavs, I could only dream of these two teams meeting in the Finals... who'd win that one?

All About Devean George.

So you're probably wondering why on God's green earth would I make a blog dedicated
solely to Devean George, if I've been hanging out with Josh Howard, and if I do anything other than blog!

The answers are yes I work 40 hours a week. no but I wish I could, however substance abuse isn't my cup of tea, and I'll explain that in a second... but probably not in that order.

But seriously, I decided to dedicate a blog to each of the 15 guys in Mavs jerseys and break down
stats and basically point out why 12 of those guys got the Mavs eliminated and need to be replaced or upgraded, starting with Devean George, you ready? because I'm not! ... let's Go!

Ok, so Devean George.

this guy could be one of the main reasons Avery got fired! while I will give him credit on the defensive end, when it came to offense Devean George was apparently the only person that didn't know that he couldn't shoot.... as I typed it, let me retract that last statement, because there were way too many times to count where the Mavs would swing the ball over to Devean George allowing him to take a shot.. if Devean George remains in a Mavs Jersey this upcoming season which is doubtful whomever becomes the new coach needs to instruct Devean to do four things and four things only, play defense, rebound, pass the ball, don't take a shot...
this sounds harsh seeing as how he did hit some pretty big three's during that last game in N.O. but a couple of good shots over his entire tenure with the Mavs, just isn't enough.... also he tried to stop Cuban from acquiring Jason Kidd.. bad move.

so, farewell Devean George.. may your 3.7 ppg 2.6 rpg 0.7 apg and 35% field goal percentage bring you
all the happiness of riding the pine somewhere else.

Van Gundy doesn't want the Mavs.

According to the Dallas Morning News website, Jeff Van Gundy turned down the oppurtunity to coach
the Mavs, which is fine by me, and most MFFL, since no one really likes him.

Also, apparently Paul Westphal and Del Harris have turned down the job, in regards to Westphal his explanation was simple "I'm not a candidate," Westphal said. "I came here to help Avery."
and as for Del Harris, well nobody wants him to be the coach either, so....

Hey Cuban, Call Scottie Pippen!!

Who's ready for a FIRE SALE?

After canning Avery Johnson, Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson have a LONG summer ahead of them, so do MFFL's that can't wait to see what comes out of all of this, all of us are hoping that these guys manage to pull some huge stuff off not unlike the Celtics did last summer.

So I took the liberty to check a couple of sites that MFFL's love to post their thoughts, frustrations, and ideas on, and I compiled an interesting list of some of the most popular suggestions for the Mavs owner and GM.

1.Get rid of Devean George! I personally have been screaming this for years, although he made more of an impact in 5 minutes of game 5 than Josh Howard made the entire series, but we need guys that can do that consistently, so..

2. find a way to get Allen Iverson! I like the sound of that, if (and that's a pretty big if) Iverson decided to leave the Nuggets this summer, it's pretty much a given that the Mavericks put some effort into picking him up, he won't come here and dominate, BUT he does drive the ball and gets some inside scoring which is a HUGE part of what we lost when Devin Harris was traded. also I'd put a Dirk, Kidd, A.I. trio up against the "Boston Three Party" any day.

3.Get rid of Josh Howard! I have mixed feelings on this one, I like Josh Howard, but he has this ability to disappoint at the worst of times http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVAJRgLWMF0
and since his latest debacles are fresh in everyone's mind, I don't think we need to recap those.
one of the most proposed deals was trading him to Memphis for Mike Miller, not a bad idea, if you're going to have a guy shoot 3's and jumpshots all day, why not get someone that can convert them into points. however I don't think the money would work out right for this trade, so perhaps after completing number 4, we could give Memphis Dampier in exchange for Mike Miller and ... I don't know, how about their unsigned pick Marc Gasol, we'd all love to have a Gasol wearing a Mavs Jersey after all, bonus because he is a center.

4.Bring Diop back! I really like this one, I miss that guy, I think Diop is something else the Mavs lacked in the play offs, a center, signing Jamaal Magloire was a bust.. a huge bust.. seriously. did he ever suit up for a game? I will follow that up with number 5.

5. Find a way to get rid of Dampier! amen! this dude hasn't earned the jersey he wears, which is why I've only seen one fan wearing it. he's a nice enough guy, but we don't need nice, we need aggression, we need a blocker, a presence in the paint, someone who prefers to dunk instead of unsucessful layups, someone who gets rebounds, someone who is a taller version of Brandon Bass, basically a center! I mean, watching this guy play, his facial expression never changes, he seems like he's never really into the game.. show some emotion damn you!

6.pick up Sasha Vujacic-this could be a bit on the impossible side, especially if the Lakers go all the way, but I think we've all learned to never put anything past Mark Cuban... so imagine that Vujacic does come to Dallas, he'd be coming off the bench behind Jason Kidd, that sounds good to me.

7.new contracts for JJB, Antoine Wright and Tyrron Lue- Lue hasn't been over the top impressive... none of these guys have really, but after a training camp together they can be pretty effective reserve players, and that's something Dallas needs. effectiveness all around, not just the starters, not just the bench.

8.Matt Barnes- all MFFL probably still hate this guy, he started a lot of confrontation during the Mavs/GS series, but when it all comes down to it, he could help the Mavs do great things.

so in a MFFL fantasy world you'd have a Mavs line up that looked like this

PG Jason Kidd/Sasha Vujacic/Tyronn Lue/JJB
SG Allen Iverson/ Jason "JET" Terry
SF Josh Howard/ Mike Miller/ Matt Barnes/ Antoine Wright
PF Dirk Nowitzki/ Brandon Bass/ Malik Allen?
C Desagana Diop/ Marc Gasol

that sounds good to me, now lets see if any of this happens, GO MAVS!

Avery hit the nail on the head!

year in and year out I've said it, but no one can say it like ex- mavs coach, Avery Johnson.
check out this little snippet from the Dallas Morning News:

Avery Johnson had extremely high praise for Dirk during today's press conference.

"Put it this way: He's the hardest-working player I've ever been around," Avery said. "All right?"

Avery believes that Dirk is the kind of player that can lead a team to a title. He just doesn't have the team to do it right now.

"At the end of the day, he needs some help," Avery said. "Any great player needs help."

This has been "another wasted year" for Dirk, in his words. But the public perception of him is completely different than it was a year ago.

my sentiments exactly! if the star of your team comes back from a high ankle sprain (or any injury really) weeks before anybody thinks its possible! the least you could do is try your best to play at a higher level (anybody not named Jason Terry, or Brandon Bass), that means, driving the ball all day long to dunk if you have to ( Josh Howard) and if your back hurts so bad that you can't dunk, maybe you should've sat out as long as you needed to so that you could've healed properly. I mean the guy was out there on one leg trying to carry this team, so I need everyone who says that Dirk isn't a leader to tell me why he would do that?

All Dirk wanted was for everyone else wearing a Mavs uniform to step it up, because he did, Chris Paul definitely did, but the help never came.......... like always.

last season Dirk was bad at holding his own against double teams, this season it looked like 5 on 1.

Who Needs a Coach?!

The Mavs do!

again, I won't lie and say that I didn't see Avery Johnson being fired this off season,
there were several things that led up to this including but not limited to the "Fire Avery" chants and signs, and websites that seemed to start over night, there were several things done by Avery over the course of the season that had us sit back and ask "does he want to get fired?"
while we'll never get a straight answer to that, we can always assume that the answer is "probably"

so now the Mavericks need a coach, and while the idea of Mike D'antoni coming to Dallas to
coach seems promising, we have to keep in mind that not all general managers are anxious to blow
up their teams.

well then, who should the Mavs consider? a lot of talk has been circulating around Jeff Van Gundy, Paul Westphal, and Del Harris, I say forget all of those suckers and call the man,
Scottie Pippen! just let that marinate, the guy already wanted to play here, but for whatever reason that didn't work out, and now he wants to coach.


come on Cuban, I saw Pippen sitting court side during one of our games this season, This was your plan all along right? I mean, you do have a plan right?

I can't seem to shake this feeling that the answer to that question is "No!"

Let's go Mavs!

So another first round exit.

No matter how hard I try I can't act shocked by the Hornets beating the Mavs,
every time there is a new dominant team in the NBA the Mavs aren't ready for them,
The Hornets seemed like they were impossible to beat, so did Golden State before that,
we won't even talk about the travesty that happened the year before that.

my point is, if the Mavericks had been playing with the mind set that they were playing with last
season, there is no way that the Hornets or the Lakers, Celtics, Suns, anybody, could stop them.

but we'll just have to wait and see what happens, we've got a long summer ahead of us,
at least the Stars are getting it done!