Bleacher Report - Articles by Waleed Ershad

The NBA's Top 10 Power Forwards for 09-10

Waleed Ershad — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:06:23 -0400

The Power Forward position in the NBA is one with a lot of depth and skill. This position is evolving as a lot of PFs can shoot, handle the ball, play inside, rebound, block shots, and much more. This is a list of the top 10 players expected to do these tasks the best in the upcoming 2009-2010 NBA season.

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The Top 10 NBA Small Forwards for 2009-2010

Waleed Ershad — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:20:50 -0400

The small forward is usually the most versatile player on the team. He should be able to shoot threes, have a mid-range game, handle the ball, make plays for teammates, have a post up game, post up, rebound and other tasks to be able to be the best small forward he can be. Here is a list of the 10 guys that are expected to do it the best in the upcoming 09-10 NBA season.

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The (Likely) Top 10 Shooting Guards for the Upcoming 09-10 NBA Season

Waleed Ershad — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:32:58 -0400

The 08-09 NBA season is over and the shooting guard position proved its importance on the game. A two-guard was the Finals MVP, 6th Man of the Year, and two of them made the All-NBA First Team. They are often the three-point specialists and take some playmaking responsibility off the point guards (sometimes all of it). The "2" is also expected help somewhat with the boards. Here are the projected best shooting guards for the 09-10 NBA season.

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The (Likely) Top 10 Point Guards for the Upcoming 09-10 NBA Season

Waleed Ershad — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:49:31 -0400

The point guard position has been considered the most important in basketball. Point guards have several responsibilities such as distributing the ball, calling the plays, managing touches, among other things. An increasing number of point guards have also taken scoring into their hands. A few even take pride in their excellent rebounding. This is a list of these point guards and who is expected to be great in the upcoming 09-10 NBA season. Since team records and playoff positioning can never be correctly predicted, players that play for teams that are expected to be bad are not hindered. Interestingly, when a team has an elite point guard his team usually follows suit. As always, there will be some debate and controversy; but that is the fun part.

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What Shawn Marion Brings to the Dallas Mavericks

Waleed Ershad — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:41:28 -0400

As the possible trade for Shawn Marion comes closer and closer, let's examine what exactly Marion, a long-time nemesis of the Mavs, can now assist the Mavs with:

1. Versatility

The guy might just be the most versatile guy in the NBA. His length and speed allows him to effectively play as many as four positions. He is a decent balll handler, can shoot the outside jumper (despite his horrid shooting form), attack the rim, and play around the basket. We saw just how versatile he was during his days in Phoenix, where he was one of the key reasons the Suns were able to play the way they did.

2. Defensive capabilities

Marion is a coach's dream defender. Impressively, he is one of the most versatile defenders in the game. He always finds himself as one of the league leaders for blocks and steals. During his time in Phoenix he was asked to guard everyone from Dirk Nowitzki to Tony Parker in the playoffs.

3. Rebounding

Marion is an excellent rebounder, as shown by his 9.9 career rebounds per game average. With a possible lineup of Kidd-Howard-Marion-Nowitzki-Dampier/Gortat the Mavs will have excellent rebounders at every position. Opposing teams are going to find it hard to get second-chance points and stop second-chance points.

4. Up-tempo playing style

The Mavs have made it obvious that they want to "Run! Run! Run!" with Kidd at the helm. Marion will undoubtedly help with the running game. Marion loves to play with transition point guards, as evident by his stats when he was in Phoenix with our very own Steve Nash. Jason Kidd is just as dangerous in the open court as Nash, despite his advanced age.

Since "small-ball" is often popular when running, Marion can help with the lineup by playing the four. A lineup of Kidd-Terry-Howard-Marion-Nowitzki is packed with speed and shooting. I can already imagine the alley-oops that Kidd will be throwing to Marion.

5. Nicknames

The Mavs already have great nicknames like "The German Sensation," "The Animal" (if Bass stays) and "JET." "The Matrix" will be a great addition.

Surprise, Here is Another Western Conference First Round Prediction

Waleed Ershad — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:19:18 -0400

The NBA Western Conference playoffs are going to be extremely entertaining. Everyone is making their own predictions so I though why shouldn't I? If they come true maybe I will get some respect around here. I tried to keep them unbiased as possible but I love the Dallas Mavericks and have a little crush on the Utah Jazz.

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Dirk Nowitzki's Suspension may Prove to be Beneficial

Waleed Ershad — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 12:53:13 -0500

The Dallas Mavericks got news about three hours before their game against the Clippers that Dirk Nowitzki would not be playing.

Nowitzki is averaging 37.6 mpg, 25.8 PPG, 8.9 RPG, and 2.5 APG. With him gone, someone had to make up for that.

The Dallas Mavericks did just that against the Clippers. They held Los Angeles to 38 percent shooting and pounded the Clippers 53-38 on the boards.

Now granted, the Clippers were missing some of their key players such as Zach Randolph, Chris Kaman, and Ricky Davis. But this was still a quality win for the Mavs concerning how they did against the depleted Jazz.

Dirk's absence may have been beneficiary for a couple reasons:

Josh Howard Stepping Up To The Challenge

Lately, Josh Howard had been struggling to figure out his role on the team. Returning from his injury, he saw Jason Terry take his spot as the No. 2 option and the team having success with it. He knew he had to come back and contribute in other ways.

Against the Clippers he dropped 29 points, snatched nine boards, and seven assists. We know he can score and jack up shots. We also know he can rebound the ball relatively well for his position. But now we know he has the ability to dish the ball.

Jason Kidd hinted this in his comment, "I thought what was big for Josh today was that he found the open guy and made all the right plays," Kidd said. "It was a big game mentally that he could get under his belt. It showed him he doesn't always have to shoot it." The seven assists were a career best which surprised me.

Maybe this will get Josh Howard back on track.

Jason Terry Having a Less Than Spectacular Game

If you told me Dirk was out for a game and Jason Terry only had 12 points on five of 17 shooting in his absence, I would be expecting a loss. The Jet has been downright amazing this year, but him struggling tonight may have been a positive. It allowed Josh Howard to run the offense and get himself on track and also made way for other guys to step up such as the following...

James Singleton and Others Showing Up To Play

James Singleton has been working his butt off in practice according to Rick Carlisle and Rick's rewarding him for it. The past couple of games he has been a real positive sight. He replaced Dirk Nowitzki in the starting line up and scored 11 points on five of nine shooting and grabbed eight rebounds.

Brandon Bass also helped out with nine rebounds and 14 points, but on three of 13 shooting. But he attempted nine free throws and made eight of them.

JJ Barea also chipped in 17 points along with four assists and four rebounds, continuing his spectacular year.

This win will give the other players some confidence. Hopefully, when Dirk returns the Mavericks can start a little winning streak.

Mavs Show Potential with Win in Toronto

Waleed Ershad — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:14:07 -0500

The Dallas Mavericks beat the Toronto Raptors 96-86 on Wednesday night. In no way was this game a great win by the Mavs. They trailed most of the first part of the game, and allowed Toronto to score 33 in the first quarter. And in no way was this a game to get overly excited about and label them as contenders.

But it was a good win and showed some good signs.

The Defense

I should say the defense for the latter part of the game. Toronto got off to a scorching start on a 16-2 run. The Mavs later turned it on and held them to 30 points in the second and third quarters combined. Chris Bosh finished the game with 12 points on 6-20 shooting thanks to Devean George who got that assignment.

Jason Terry's Role as the Second Option

Jason Terry took over the role as the second option when Josh Howard was out. Now, even though Josh Howard has returned, the "Jet" keeps shooting and scoring. Tonight he looked like the first option because of his 27 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists line.

Whew!

Jason Terry is doing a much better job of being aggressive, and dishing the ball this year. Maybe he learned some stuff from Jason Kidd.

Josh Howard's Back

Josh Howard did chip in with an excellent 20 points in 22 minutes on 8-15 shooting, as he is easing his way back into the lineup. I'm glad to see Jason Terry, Dirk Nowitzki, and Josh Howard co-existing, and scoring at least 20 points each.

Bench & Role-Players

Let's face the facts; Nowitzki, Terry, and Howard are not all gonna drop 20 each night. One of them is gonna have an off-game. The bench and the rest of the starters played decent against Toronto, but not up to their expectations. None of them scored in double digits. Kidd finished with seven points, four assists, and two rebounds, not needing to have a big night. Bass had eight points and five rebounds.

When one of our big three scorers has an off-game, we can usually count on at least one other player to step in. Whether it be Kidd dishing out dimes and making his open three balls, Bass with his power dunks and snatching down boards, Gerald Green shooting the lights out of it and high-flying dunks, or most recently JJ Barea slashing through the lane and making plays.

Let's hope the Mavs can keep it up!

Jason Terry's Worth to the Mavs

Waleed Ershad — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:04:29 -0500

Whenever someone talks about the Dallas Mavericks you always hear about Nowitzki, Howard, and Kidd. You hardly ever hear the name "Terry" come up.

Antagonists of the Dallas Mavericks like to talk about Dirk Nowitzki's softness, his no inside game, him being a seven-foot jump shooter, or him being a choker. Or they talk about Josh Howard's jump-shot happiness, calling a time-out at the wrong time, marijuana, drag racing, or unpatriotic remarks. Or they talk about Jason Kidd's wife abusing or his old age.

Protagonists of the Dallas Mavericks like to talk about Nowitzki being one of the greatest power forwards ever to play the game (certainly the best Maverick), the best big-man shooter of all-time, and the player that revolutionized the game of basketball forever. Or Howard's heart for the game, rebounding prowess, and defensive skills. Or Kidd's leadership skills, rebounding talent, and passing ability.

But a player that nobody seems to mention is Jason Terry. Nobody likes to talk about his lack of passing skills and floor leadership for the one-guard, but the lack of height and defense for the two-guard and his erratic streakiness. Then there is his shooting flair, passion for the game, and optimistic attitude.

It's about time he got his respect.

The "Jet" has been a key component of the Dallas Mavericks' attack ever since he was traded there in 2004.

He averaged 12.4, 17.1, 16.7, and 15.5 points per game during his four-year run with the Mavs. This lack in scoring can mainly be attributed to the rise of Josh Howard's game.

But Terry seems to make the Mavs go. People forget that during their run to the 2006 NBA Finals, Terry was the second option behind Dirk. While people may criticize him for not playing his position right, the same can be said about Dirk, and he is definitely one of the best power forwards ever to play the game. A great player is a great player and people will always try to find a flaw in his game.

The Mavs beat Indiana yesterday to increase their win streak to five. During this run, he has averaged 21.5 points per game. He has increased his level of play during the absence of Josh Howard.

He has adjusted to his bench role and wants to contribute in any way the team needs him to. In fact, he has always been loyal to the Mavs. In the free agency summer of 2006, he waited just 12 hours to re-sign with Cuban and the Mavericks. That is what makes him so valuable to this team. He is always there to show his enthusiasm and optimism, even when the going gets tough.

This is what he had to say about the Mavs' recent struggles:

"Priceless," he said Monday. "Adversity at the beginning of the season is very priceless. You'd rather have that now than at the end of the season.

"We're happy with where we're at. We'd like more wins, but as far as learning and developing, we're moving along."

Well, Jason Terry, you are "priceless" to the Mavs' team, staff, and fans!

Dallas Mavericks Still Have Plenty Of Youth

Waleed Ershad — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:25:14 -0400

The Mavs have recently been tagged with the “old” label, which is cited as one of the main reasons their championship window has supposedly closed. But the Mavs have plenty of young playes developing:

Josh Howard

Howard is one of the key players for the Mavs. Despite his recent controversial actions, no one can argue his talent and his developing skills.

Even though he has only played for five years, he is 28 years old, because he spent four years at Wake Forest University (he wanted to be the first in his family to graduate from college). So he is not that young, but he may hit the peak of his career this year and break the 20-point mark this year (he averaged 19.9 ppg last year).

The addition of Jason Kidd and his passing ability will no doubt help Howard. Also, Rick Carlisle has stated that Josh Howard will have to show up this year and will play a very important role. He said Josh will not only be vital offensively, but also defensively.

Hopefully, Josh Howard’s offseason stupidity will not be a factor in his play this season.

Brandon Bass

In a season filled with drama and disappointment, Brandon Bass may have been the only positive sign last year. You can say what you want about Mark Cuban, but his pick-up of Bass was genius.

In the regular season he popped up out of nowhere and started contributing right away. He is a hustle player who can grab rebounds and play defense. He can throw down dunks and even shoot the little jumper. He will no doubt improve with Jason Kidd at the point and the tutelage of Dirk’s offense and Dampier/Diop’s defense.

Look for Bass to have a breakout year as his minutes increase substantially.

DeSagana Diop

The Mavs lost Diop in the Kidd-Harris trade, but signed him back this offseason. He doesn’t contribute very much on offense, but he has said he was focusing on “post moves and conditioning” this summer.

However, we all know he can defend and rebound. He gives Dampier some well-deserved rest—and we might see a little increase in offensive output, since Kidd likes to reward his centers for running.

Antoine Wright

Wright was sent to Dallas along with Jason Kidd and Malik Allen. He was the 15th-overall pick in 2005 and is 24 years old. He is 6'7" and can play the two or the three.

Many besides the Dallas faithful don’t know anything about Wrigh,t but he looks to contribute this year. He has started a couple preseason games for Carlisle and he could be the starting two-guard.

He doesn’t do anything extremely well but is a well-rounded player. He can defend and that is what may get him the nod over Terry since the Jet can’t guard taller two-guards well.

Gerald Green

We all know his name from the Dunk Contest. Green was signed by Dallas this offseason after wandering around in the NBA. He is 6'8" and can play the two or the three.

The kid has hops but his basketball IQ isn’t very high. But he is only 22, and he was drafted straight out of high school. Maybe the veterans at Dallas can shape him up to be a star in the league. Once deemed the next “T-Mac”, he certainly has the potential.

Shawne Williams

Willaims is a new Maverick. He was traded for Eddie Jones by the Indiana Pacers, and Carlisle was interested in him because he had coached him there. He stands 6'9" and is able to play the three or the four.

Despite his rocky start, he has talent and is still young. He can get together with Howard and attend “Life Lessons 101” taught by Mark Cuban.

How Come the Rockets Aren't Getting the Hype the Celtics Did?

Waleed Ershad — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 07:48:18 -0400

When we first heard that Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett had been traded to the Boston Celtics, it was chaos. Photo shoots of them and Paul Pierce were being organized everywhere. They were on the cover of every sports magazine. Nicknames were being thought of. Commercials of them could be seen everywhere. They were being named the Eastern Conference champs before one ball had been tipped.

In this offseason, the Houston Rockets traded for Ron Artest. The Rockets now have a trio of Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, and Artest. Does the Rocket’s trio not match the talent level of the Celtic’s trio? I’d say in a game of three-on-three, they’d be pretty well matched...on the offensive end as well as the defensive end.

Garnett and Ming are the two big men. Garnett may be more versatile because he is at the 4 position, but Yao can also hit outside shots and extend his range. Yao perhaps scores more than Garnett, but Yao’s scoring will go down with the addition of Artest. In rebounding, they are about the same. Garnett’s defense may be better, but Yao can block some shots. I’d say these two are about equal.

Pierce and Artest are the small forwards. I’d say Pierce is better offensively, but Ron Artest is better defensively (although Pierce did play excellent defense during the playoffs). So the advantage goes to Pierce by a little.

Allen and McGrady are the shooting guards. Allen may be a better shooter, but that is all he has on T-Mac. T-Mac has the complete package. He can shoot, drive, defend, pass, and rebound. The advantage goes to McGrady, and it makes up for the Pierce-Artest matchup.

The supporting cast is pretty well-matched, in my opinion. James Posey can be compared to Shane Battier...Rajon Rondo to Rafer Alston, Kendrick Perkins to Luis Scola, etc. The Rockets are also an excellent defensive team, just like the Celtics.

Perhaps the only advantage Boston really has over Houston is that they are in the Eastern Conference.

But besides that...how come the Rockets aren’t getting the same love that the Celtics got?

The answer is heart.

No one can question the heart of Garnett. Yao, on the other hand, has been considered soft and a “pushover.”

Pierce has longed to play for a contender. If Boston hadn’t gone out and got Garnett and Allen, he would’ve demanded a trade. Artest, on the other hand, has been causing trouble all his life. Artest once ruined his chance of getting a championship in Indiana.

Allen may not have the same amount of publicized heart as the previous two, but it’s there. He has longed to play alongside stars of his own caliber. McGrady has often been criticized for never getting out of the first round of the playoffs. But for me to say that McGrady doesn’t have heart would be a lie. I remember after the loss to the Utah Jazz in the 2007 playoffs he was in tears.

But it would seem that the Celtics have more heart than the Rockets. That is what separates the contenders from the champions.

Why You Shouldn't Count the Jason Kidd Trade a Failure Yet

Waleed Ershad — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 07:15:26 -0400

The Dallas Mavericks have had a series of disappointing playoff loses in a row now. First it was the loss to the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals. Holding a 2-0 lead they lost it all when Dwayne Wade torched them the next 4 games. Second it was the first round loss to the Golden State Warriors in the 2007 playoffs.

Holding one of the best records in NBA history (67-15), they were the first one-seed to lose to an eight-seed in a best-of-7 playoff series. And third was the first round loss in the 2008 playoffs to the New Orleans Hornets. Despite being the lower seed many expected them to win because of the lack of playoff experience the New Orleans Hornets had.

But they lost in 5 getting torched by Chris Paul and his gang. That was also the year they traded for Jason Kidd. Mark Cuban and Avery Johnson sensed desperation in the middle of the season and decided to trade their future (Devin Harris) for now-or-never (Jason Kidd). Everyone remarked on how Jason Kidd was outplayed by Chris Paul and that Jason Kidd no longer had “it.”

But in my opinion maybe J-Kidd is being unfairly targeted. Kidd was traded to the Mavs with 29 games left in the regular season. Now if you watch Kidd play you know he is one of the best passers in the game. He really knows his teammates well and knows exactly where they want the ball.

29 games is not a lot of time to get used to all of his teammates. And vice-versa. 29 games is not a lot of time to get used to Kidd. I say when Kidd gets a training camp with the Mavs they will gel together better. Another big story is the firing of Coach Avery Johnson and the hiring of Coach Rick Carlisle.

Avery Johnson has done some great things for the Dallas Mavericks organization and he is a great coach and I respect him very well. He established a very good defensive team…something Coach Don Nelson was not capable off. But quite frankly…he did not know how to use Kidd.

His offense was stagnant and all he called were isolation plays. He did not let Kidd run the offense and they never got a chance to gel. Instead, he tried to make Kidd a scorer and a spot-up shooter…something he is NOT. Even Dirk said this in an interview. The hiring of Carlisle will help very much.

He is not a Don Nelson/Mike D’Antoni run-and-gun coach but he’s not a control freak like Avery Johnson. Carlisle understands that he needs to let Kidd run the show but at the same time keep up the defensive mentality that has been established in Dallas. Also…Josh Howard is a key player for the Dallas Mavericks.

When he goes…the Mavs go. And during the Kidd stretch last year he didn’t play particularly well. His grandmother passed away during the playoffs. This was the lady that raised him as a baby. And he also had all that marijuana drama going…and now he’s got this arrest and anti-patriotism deal going.

Although his decisions may be questioned, I don’t think anyone can call him a bad person. He loves his teammates, loves the game, plays hard, and likes to win. He is an incredible defensive player (when he feels like it). He has a lot of things going for him and I don’t think he’ll throw it away. He has the chance to do some great things with Kidd.

The Dallas Mavericks have a lot of weapons on the team. They have the possibility of being very dangerous after a training camp and a new coach and a new system. Don’t start singing “rebuild” and “bust” just yet!