Dallas Mavericks Roundtable: Week 13
Well, it's getting to be that time of the season. The time when contenders emerge, and the pretenders fade away into another disappointing season.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the Mavericks, it looks to be turning into one of the latter types of seasons.
Though the week began with a thrilling buzzer-beater from the Dirkster, the afterglow soon faded away.
While a win over a disintegrating Pistons team is nice, two blowouts are never a good thing, even if the opponents represent the spectrum of the Eastern Conference playoff teams.
While we might want to refrain from playing "Taps," it seems much closer than any sort of playoff win.
This week the Mavs play two franchises who have done a large part in getting us to where we are today? Will the thought of revenge spark the Mavs into getting better?
Ah, but we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Last week's scores
Uhh...I think that's all the games they played. What's that? No, I've never heard of the....the Keltics, is that what you call them? Okay, fine...
1/25: Mavs a little, Celtics a lot
Satisfied? No. Jeez, you people are monsters.
1/25: Mavs 100, Celtics 124
I guess we can all take consolation in the fact that the Celtics beat them by less than the Bucks. You'll excuse me if that doesn't make me want to celebrate. Drink heavily, yes. But no celebrating.
As usual, the first three questions deal are the same from week to week, with the last two about current issues.
1. How did the Mavericks look to you this week?
Janet Kessler: We all knew the Boston Massacre was going to happen. Milwaukee is historically a hard place, even for a good Maverick team, to win. Overall, 2-2 on what we knew was a hard trip through the East. I can't get the blowouts out of my head. Maybe we should do what Boston did two seasons ago, and play for the lottery.
Waleed Ershad: Crappy. The Detroit win was good, but the Bucks game was not right. And people say the Boston game wasn't a big deal, but it definitely was. No team should ever lose like that at this level. This isn't middle school. F.
Alex McVeigh: Hot and cold, like they always do. The defense is a joke, and aside from Bass's occasional amazing dunks, very little signs of life.
Robert Allred: They looked about par for the course for this season. They took care of a couple of weak teams, got blown out by a superior team, and just for good measure got blown out by another mediocre team. Sadly, this year, "par for the course" means bad.
2. What was a personal highlight for you?
Janet: Blowing away Detroit, sweet.
Waleed: Kidd's impossible reverse lay-up that he made possible in the Detroit game.
Alex: Can't be anything else but that buzzer beater. Usually, the Mavs fold like a deuce-seven poker hand on those situations, leading to the inevitable OT collapse, but Dirk did what a superstar is supposed to do.
Robert: Although I did not get to see it live because I was working on MLK day, I had my ESPN Gametracker going. Dirk's clutch shot to win the Sixers game was a big one this week. After letting them crawl back into the game, and even tie the score in the final seconds, Dirk did what Dirk does. He hit a big shot when it counted.
3. What is the most immediate issue that needs to be fixed?
Janet: Defense, defense, defense!
Waleed: consistency, especially defensively. It seems like our offense will come from somewhere whether it be from Nowitzki, Howard, Terry, Kidd, or even Bass. In the blowouts, we've had decent offensive efficiency.
But at the defensive end it's a totally different story. There were 133 points for Milwaukee and 124 for Boston. The thing is that we don't have enough offensive power to win on offense alone, like Phoenix or New York can. You can't win a ring running and gunning. Real, good, true basketball isn't meant to be played that way. You'd think the Mavs would've figured that out since they got to the finals one year being an efficient defensive team.
Alex: We're becoming a run-and-gun team that can't put up enough points. It's one thing to let a team score over 120 if you can score 130, but it's quite another to give up 120 and not break the century mark.
You can't run very effectively if no one is getting to the hoop except Brandon Bass.
Robert: Can I say personnel? It's not going to be fixed any time soon, but its the main problem. Every time I watch this team, I can tell they are trying. It isn't that they don't care. It isn't that they don't have leaders. They just don't have the talent around Dirk that they had a couple of years ago. Ultimately, they just aren't that great anymore.
4. While trade talk involving Dirk seems to be a moot point, which players besides the obvious (Kobe, LeBron), would you be willing to swap for Dirk, straight up?
Janet: If we trade away Dirk, we will be no better than Minnesota after Garnett. With Dirk we can attract bigger talent to come to Dallas. That's why Boston never traded away Pierce. No Pierce, no Garnett. Dirk is on record, saying he would take less money to help the team land a big player. Besides, who gonna come to the AAC and watch the Mavs without Dirk?
Waleed: We all pretty much know any trade like that is not going to happen, unless Cuban decides we can't win a ring and decides to start over. The chances of that happening are slim to none. With that said, I'd rather talk about the problems at hand like our defense. It wouldn't feel right if I talked about Dirk and who we could get for him.
Alex: I've found myself conflicted as to whether I'd want to see Dirk leave and win a championship somewhere else, a la Kevin Garnett, and I've yet to meet a T-Wolves fan that could enlighten me.
I'd hate to see him go, I think Dallas is an attractive enough destination (good fans, owner willing to spend, good climate) to bring a superstar through free agency rather than a trade.
I wouldn't get rid of him for anyone except: Kobe, Bron Bron, possibly Dwight Howard.
Robert: I would not be willing to swap any player straight-up for Dirk, and that includes Kobe and Lebron...Okay, maybe I'd consider Bron-Bron!
I think that, if we were to trade Dirk for a single superstar, this team would be no better than what they currently are, and even if they improved some, they certainly would still not be a major contender. We'd essentially be giving up our most beloved Mavs player ever, and would get nothing in return for it.
I know this answer is kind of a cop-out, but its the truth.
While I personally feel that we are coming eerily close to a time where we will have to consider trading Dirk, I would hope that Mavs' management would not pull the trigger unless they could get a lot of good, young talent, and then a couple of top draft picks for good measure.
5. Assuming Dallas is able to get into the playoffs as no higher than a 6 seed, which team would you like to see in the first round of the playoffs?
Janet: We will probably lose the series anyway. Let's go with the team that has the most drama, and history. I'd like to us against Utah.
Waleed: Hopefully the Mavs can get it together and move up in the rankings. I still believe they can.
As far as who I would like to see in the West in the first round that's a tough one any Mavs fan would agree. We've lost to a lot of Western Conference teams.
First of all, I'm assuming all the teams are healthy with Boozer, Yao, Carmelo, West, and everyone back.
I would think that we could handle Portland because of their lack of experience. Then maybe Phoenix. They don't play defense at all (just like us).
After that, maybe Denver, New Orleans, or Utah. Denver at times return to their old form. New Orleans sometimes runs out of offense when CP3 and David West struggle.
I honestly don't want to play Utah because I think they are better than any of these other teams with Sloan, D-Will, efficient offense, tough physical play, etc.
Also, San Antonio is old and aren't the same defensive juggernauts they used to be. LA showed last night that you can beat San Antonio with tough defense and closing out 3-point shooters.
Anyone in the West will be tough. I honestly want to match up with New Orleans because I want revenge and I don't think they can beat us again.
Alex: I think they could beat the Jazz, Rockets and Trailblazers in a seven game series. New Orleans and San Antonio would be tough, but it's possible if the Mavs live up to their talent, which they haven't done for a 48-minute game, let alone a seven game series.
Robert: I would love it if Oklahoma City could sneak their way into the mix, but something tells me that won't happen.
I would like to see the Spurs in the first round. I think the only way that the Mavs get out of the first round this year is if they get themselves into a rivalry situation, where anything can happen.
Even then, a first round series win is very unlikely for this team this year.
Player of the week:
Janet: Dirk.
Waleed: No one because they've all been inconsistent. I do appreciate Brandon Bass's occasional help.
Alex: The Dunking Deutchman.
Robert: Dirk was the best player in our only two wins of the week, so its got to be him. The guys around him need to step up and make this a harder question to answer.
Games for this week:
1/28: Warriors @ Mavs:
Janet: Yes it's on national TV, but us natives get the local feed. No Baron Davis, so we have a chance. Hopefully they spend the two days off finding their lost defense. Oh where, oh where did it go? I'll stick my neck out, Mavs over Warriors.
Waleed: Ahhh the Warriors. Who knows what we could've done in the playoffs that one year if the Warriors didn't have to ruin it all. Gosh I hate them. Dirk and the gang will be so disappointed with the Boston game and all the time to think about it that they will eat them alive.
Alex: It seems whenever the Mavs are on national TV, they get a blowou either way. Hopefully it's the good way, with no one except Stephen Jackson that can really torture the Mavs. Although I'm sure some nobody will have a career night. Mavs win though.
Robert: Despite the fact that I am trying to not be a homer this week, these are not the same Warriors that Baron Davis led. The Mavs should take care of them.
1/31: Mavs @ Heat:
Janet: Sorry, not in Miami Dallas. Even though D-Wade doesn't have Shaq to protect him, the Mavs lose on the road. Heat over Mavs.
Waleed: Ahhh the Heat. Who knows what we could've done if Wade didn't have to ruin it all. Oh, I do know. We could've gotten a championship. The Mavs will continue their onslaught with the Heat being the next victim.
Alex: Phase two of the Mavericks' revenge tour brings them into Miami. I think the Heat have the talent at the two to outplay the Mavs, but I think the Mavs are stronger at every other position. Mavs win a good one.
Robert: Dwyane Wade is always a tough match-up for the Mavs. I think that the Mavs are the better team, but Wade and Co. should handle them in Miami. Dallas loses this one.
Picks as of 1/27:
Janet: 19-11 (1-3 last week)
Waleed: 18-8 (0-0 last week)
Alex: 21-9 (3-1 last week)
Robert: 2-2 (0-0 last week)
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