Dallas Mavericks Roundtable: Week 11
Things aren't looking so good in MavsLand. With the games against bad teams slipping away from them, another Howard injury, and trade speculation aplenty, the month before the trading deadline will show how the rest of the season will unfold.
It's a dark week for the your roundtable commenters, as the buoyant optimism that followed the post-2-7 start resurgence is starting to fade. Can the Mavs step it up?
With the toughest week of their schedule thus far coming up, it's time for the Mavs to decide what kind of team they want to be.
Week 11 scores:
1. How did the Mavericks look to you this week?
Janet Kessler: They were looking good 'til Phoenix. Bad news the Mavs have a long way to go to be contenders. Good news we have a lot of season left.
Waleed Ershad: They let the Knicks get back in the game and got that one. And the Phoenix game...wow. I've basically lost all my faith in the Mavs. F
Alex McVeigh: Not good. The first back-to-back losses in two months. Bad starts and/or finishes. Losing to teams they shouldn't. Struggling to beat teams they should. It's the same old story, but the season is moving on without the Mavs. D.
2. What was a personal highlight for you?
Janet: There were highlights? Just my nightmares of Phoenix.
Waleed: There were none really. Josh Howard scoring 16 in the first quarter was a good sign. But him going down was just another blow.
Alex: Watching Terry get into that Kobe-esque "I'm going to hold the ball for twenty seconds, then I'm going to shoot it, then I'm going to make it. You know its coming, but you can't stop it" mode in crunch time. The Mavs definitely could use some more of that attitude.
3. What is the most immediate issue that needs to be fixed?
Janet: Beating winning teams.
Waleed: Winning, period.
Alex: Starting off well and finishing well in the same game. I know its a long game, but teams don't give up (well, teams that aren't the Mavs don't), and at the NBA level, you can't afford to take your foot off the gas.
4. The latest trade rumors according to the Boston Globe has Diop being involved in a three-way trade which would bring Charlotte guard Raymond Felton to the Mavs. What do you think about this trade?
Janet: Do we really need another guard? I like the idea of getting rid of Diop's contract, but let's get our money worth.
Waleed: Felton is a great player. That would definitely be an improvement. Diop doesn't really get good minutes. Felton would make us better but would it solve our problem at the two-guard and center? I don't know. And what about JJ?
Alex: While Felton is a welcome talent, I find it hard to believe that this will help any of their issues. Losing Diop will make the Mavs frightfully thin at center, which will hurt when Damp gets into foul trouble, which you know he will.
Where is Felton going to get minutes with Terry, Kidd and Barea playing well, and Green, Wright and George already fighting for minutes.
If they dump Diop's contract, they need to do so to upgrade his position.
5. The other hot rumor is that the Mavs are aggressively shopping Jo-Ho, as well as a Stack/Bass package. Should they be? If so, what would you like to see the Mavs get for Jo-Ho and/or Stack/Bass?
Janet: I heard teams talk trades everyday, so rumors are always going to fly. You never know who's serious. J-ho going to be hard to move after getting hurt for the third time this season. I still would like a big guy to come here. I'm holding out for Chris Kaman.
Waleed: J-Ho's my favorite player. I would really hate to see him leave, but at the same time we need a trade for any hope. I can deal with Stack/Bass since Stack is done with the Mavs and Singleton can sorta make up for Bass.
Don't get me wrong, I like Bass better but maybe we can use him to get someone we need. I dunno who we could get. I'm not really into the trade rumors. Maybe Chris Kaman? Brad Miller? Any solid center or two-guard.
Alex: Besides his tendency to get hurt, I like Howard, and I think it hurts the team when he's out, as last night's Kings game shows.
The only thing I would trade Jo-Ho for is a good to great big man, like a healthy Kaman.
As far as Stack and Bass, I'm not too keen on losing Bass, I like what he gives the Mavs off of the bench. I would only part with him for an upgrade, which I'm not sure is out there right now.
Package Stack and Diop together, and get back a big contract that expires in 2010.
Player of the week:
Janet: J-Kidd.
Alex: Jason Terry. He's starting to be a cold-blooded killer in crunch time. If the rest of the team can keep us close, I feel good about Terry making shots at the end.
Games for this week:
1/13: Mavs @ Nuggets:
Janet: Oh boy! Here go again. Nuggets over Mavs.
Waleed: J.R. Smith comes up big with Melo out and Mavs lose.
Alex: If the Mavs can't beat the Nuggets without 'Melo, then they have no chance of doing anything in the playoffs as currently constructed. I'm always the optimist, so I say the Mavs can pull one out. They were able to beat the Manu-less Spurs and the Yao-less Rockets, right?
1/14: Hornets @ Mavs:
Janet: We need some payback. Mavs over NO.
Waleed: CP3 does his thing and gets a near triple double as the Mavs lose.
Alex: Should be a good game, and hopefully the crowd gets behind them. I don't think the Mavs have an answer to the Paul/West combo, and if Damp can't lock Chandler down, we'll be in for a long night. Hornets win by five.
1/17: Jazz @ Mavs:
Janet: We need some revenge. Dirk has a monster game as a cherry on top of a sweet win. Mavs over Jazz.
Waleed: Millsap and Okur tear us up all night as the Mavs lose.
Alex: Sweet, sweet revenge. Though I don't expect much home cooking from the refs, I think the Mavs will take it to the Jazz and not let this one slip away. Against three playoff teams, two out of three ain't bad.
Picks as of 1/12:
Janet: 16-7 (2-2 this week)
Waleed: 16-7 (2-2 this week)
Alex: 16-7 (3-1 this week)
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