Great article on DB.com Here are the best parts <font face="times roman"><font size="3"> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">ERICK DAMPIER: There were times last year when Damp was trapped inside Nellie's doghouse. No, not just "trapped'' in the sense that Nellie didn't use him; "trapped'' in the sense that Nellie probably spent a lot of time scribbling Dampier trade scenarios on bar napkins. The sometimes sensitive Damp needs to be handled just so, and that will be the job of his mentor and friend Avery Johnson. And what can Erick do? Catch the friggin' ball. The Mavs don't suddenly expect him to turn into Steve Largent here, and they are unlikely to run even as many plays for his as last year, prefering he chase his 10/10's by being a garbage man. But remember when you were a kid, throwing a baseball into that springy net that shot back at you an assortment of grounders, liners and popups? That's been Damp's "good hands'' exercise this year. Seriously. The pitchback net. Hey, it couldn't hurt. </div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> MARQUIS DANIELS: 'Quis went home to Florida. But he did not go alone. The Mavs still think so highly of him that his offseason assignments were a staff focal point. So joining Daniels in Florida at assorted times: a video camera and shooting coach Gary Boren. Daniels was ordered to work on his jumper, and especially the sloppy mechanics of it. Boren worked to fix that, and every single day, Daniels had to FedEx back to Dallas a video tape of that day's shooting practice. It oughta help. It's intense. ... and it's all right there on tape. </div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> JERRY STACKHOUSE: Mark Cuban's research people discovered an interesting thing about 3-point shooters: By charting players' shooting percentages at different points on the floor, Dallas can plan how to better defend the most dangerous areas, and deny the ball from certain people in certain spots. An offshoot of this: Turns out Stack is one of those guys who is much better in certain spots. Rounding off numbers, it seems Stack shoots 40 percent from behind the arc in the corners. But by the time he circles out to the top of the key to launch 'em, his percentage dips nearer 20. Stack's focus is to figure out how to be efficient from 23 feet away, no matter the angle. Fix that, and you've got one of the best 3-point shooters ever. </div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> JASON TERRY: Nellie, somewhat understandably, wanted to make him Steve Nash II. Nellie, not so understandably, was so high on his selection of rookie point Devin Harris that at the beginning of last year, he started Harris ahead of the clearly-more-game-ready JET. Jason Terry was another guy who had a tough time pleasing the former coach. This year, look for more of a "he-is-what-he-is'' approach with Terry, who is thought of as the guy who ought to be the team's second-leading scorer. He can be set up to do that not just by being teammed in the backcourt with the unselfish Doug Christie; it goes beyond that: There is thought that when Christie and Terry are in the game together, Christie will literally be the 1 and Terry the 2. And if all goes well, next thing you know, Jason Terry is putting up frequent 30-point nights and being compared favorably to Detroit's Chauncy Billups. </div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> SAGANA DIOP: Turns out Donnie Nelson has always loved Diop, has tried to get him in the past, and sincerely believes, as you read recently on DB.com, that Diop can grow into a player thanks to a Dallas change of scenery the same way Stephen Hunter just did in Phoenix. The Mavs decided they liked Diop even more this summer when they asked free agents to work out in a practice setting. First, Diop showed up 22 pounds lighter than when last seen. And second, when he worked out against NBA veteran center Mikki Moore, he schooled him. Maybe there are those in the Mavs braintrust who are crossing fingers here; you can almost sense the cogs churning in case a midseason swap for a more proven center is needed. But give Diop credit for selling Mavs officials beyond Donnie on this one. He's done all the right things so far. </div> This is great news, it looks as if everything is pointing towards a big season. I especially like the bit I italisiczied in Diops, and I think Daniels' is looking great </font></font>
