<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>"Even when we were winning, we weren't great," the coach said. "We weren't a team that arrived just because there was a W. And it's the same thing now. All hell hasn't broken loose because we've lost two games in a row and haven't played our best. We'll address some of our issues and work on it."</div> Things started to be coming together during the 5 game win streak, Dallas was winning by 15+ points but since then we've lost to two other teams who've had funky seasons and it's been pretty pathetic. To sum it up, nothing is ever firing on all cylinders like the Mavericks of last year, they wanted to win and this team is content with average play. If they can float along the season like the Spurs do then pick it up at playoff time then I have no worries, but they've been appaling considering their past few seasons. Dirk Nowitzki is too passive, he's trying to find the open man too much, he's trying to be like Garnett when he should be like Nowitzki. In as many minutes as last year, all his stats have gone down FG%, 3PT FG (12% down), FT, Rebounds, Steals and Points - with only his assists and turnovers having gone up. He's had almost as many 30+ point games as (lessthan) 15 point games. Jerry Stackhouse has flung himself into mediocrity, terrible shooting percentages. DeSagana Diop has forgotten about his defense and Dallas has no intensity, we've let streaks of not losing to teams like Portland and New Orleans and Cleveland that have been going on for years just get snapped without heart. Jason Terry has shot 3-22 in the past two games, Dirk 14-36 and 3-12 from the 3PT line. The few bright spots have been Josh Howards increase of testicles and Devin Harris' more consistent play. But the real question is, is it Avery Johnson who's lack of plays and variety are leaving the Mavericks predictable and unreliable or do the Mavericks just need a change in chemistry. For years veterans like Adrian Griffin, Devean George, George Buckner have been brought in and whilst they are helpful we seem to be missing inside-players who will fight (which is why i LOVE Bass). What would you be willing to give up for Jason Kidd? Would you want him? Is Devin Harris ready to run a championship contender? Has Dallas missed it's window..so many questions We are 19-11 right now..we didnt have 11 losses until we were 61-11 last year The Mavericks are 19-11, it took the Mavericks 72 games last year to lose their 11th game (61-11)
The Golden State Warriors happened. They won 67 games last year only to lose in the first round, that would take the drive out of anyone to win as many games as possible during the regular season. IMO they could use a shake-up but thats just me.
Dirk really need to show everyone that he was actually an MVP last season. The way he's been playin shows no sign of that. The Mavericks as a whole are just looking terrible this year
Dallas needs to bring in some toughness. When I watch the Mavericks nowadays, I see every player on that roster other than Devin Harris, Jason Terry, and Brandon Bass just going through the motions. They don't play as tough and physical as they have over the past few years. They don't make tons of hustle plays anymore. They've lost their intimidation. Golden State stole their mojo, and they don't know how to mentally recoup. Dallas needs a little shake-up to bring in a passionate player to get the team going.
Jason Terry went ice cold going just 3/22 from the field and 1/12 from behind the arc. His shooting seems to be the measuring stick for this Mavs team. In games he shoots well the Mavs win and when he's having an off night the Mavs generally lose. All season long the Mavs have been criticized for turning into a jump shooting team and don't have a post presence to balance out their offense. Dirk isn't getting to the line as much and a player who really needs to step up and produce is Jerry Stackhouse. He set the pace for the second unit in the past and brought a toughness to the team. They don't really have a spark plug off the bench and their two free agent acquisitions (Jones, Hassell) haven't given them anything.
By breaking up the core? The way I see it; - Dirk Nowitzki will be kept in Dallas, because trading him would be giving up and Dallas isn't that desperate - Josh Howard is untouchable - Jason Terry and Erick Dampier will stay due to their contracts and they've been playing well this season - Devin Harris seems to be in their for the long-haul, but I'm not sure about his ability to run the point for our team? - Brandon Bass is a great backup, but Diop is not going as well this season; but I'd like to keep them both
A) The Warriors exposed them. Before that series no one knew how to beat the Mavs, everyone feared them and Nowitzki. Don Nelson obviously knows how to pwn that team since he built the whole damn thing. teams are reviewing that series and following the model. Refs call way less charges this year. This may sound like a joke, but its not. The Mavs are a horrible, HORRIBLE defensive team. All they do is flop. Devin Harris, Dirk, Stack, Jason Terry, Howard, all of these guys flop and flop and flop. Howard actually can play defense but he still flops a lot. The refs have made a concerted effort to not give the defensive players those flop calls and its hurting the Mavs. They still get a lot of BS flop calls going their way but for a team who relied on the flop so much it hurts to have it gone. C) IMO They overachieved last year. They dominated the regular season but were they really a top 5 team of all time like their record indicated? Hell no. Good team but not that good. They're still a good team too, just not playing out of their minds like they did last season. D) Stackhouse and Dampier are playing poorly. They're a pretty one dimensional offensive team. Lots and lots of isolation plays and they basically rely on their perimeter shooting and/or dribble penetration. To have Stack playing like crap really hurts them. Dampier makes a big difference on games when he wants to, he doesn't want to this year.
Whats wrong? simple... Dirk LOL But seriously, most of Dallas players are trigger happy and need the ball to succeed Terry, Dirk, Howard and Stack are all players that mainly 'score'. Kidd would really help the mavs
It's just time for a change, that simple. We've gone at it this way for 3 years, at least. I can't think of too many teams that've been second best for 3 years and then magically climbed the hump. Our main challenge is the Spurs, the Mavericks are too embarassed to ever let a slipup like GS happen again, but you're gonna need more than pride to get past Duncan. Our main problem is that we don't have much of an identity. What kind of team are we? The Spurs are a defensive, smart team that executes. The Suns are uptempo all day. What do we do when our back's against the wall? Whoever happens to step up and will us to a win will step up occasionally, but if that doesn't happen, we don't have any core strategy to keep us above water. I'm a bit scared that we're now just too settled with our roster to go back, but I don't see any foreseeable jolt to our system other than a possible trade. The place we most need help is on the perimeter. We need a guy to handle the ball in the clutch moments and either score or make the right decision. I'm hoping this Kidd thing is more than a rumor, personally.
