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!