Hov's Mavs (21-27): All-Star starters / Around the league

[kibaxx7]

Ah, too bad

[hova-]

Has some highlight dunks in his repertoire: Mavs rookie Jared Cunningham flies high against Minnesota

Injuries keep Mavs season rocky

Posted on January 17th 2012 3:11PM

With key players still being injured (Vince Carter, Brandan Wright, Jae Crowder), the Dallas Mavericks have not been able to get an edge in January and are seeing themselves in an up-and-down season so far. The last four games were nothing but prime examples for the iconsistency of Dallas as the Mavs split them and went 2-2.

On a positive note, Dirk Nowitzki has started to really chip in offensively as he averaged 22.0 points and 7.5 rebounds over the last four games, dishing out at least 2 assists in each of them. With Jae Crowder and Vince Carter out, Rick Carisle has also been forced to dig deep into his rotation and brought out rookie Jared Cunningham, who has been rock-solid for Dallas. After playing only six games before January, Cunningham has been part of the team in every match in January so far and even started against Memphis and Minnesota. He averaged 4.0 points and 4.0 rebounds hitting 2/5 from downtown and giving the Mavericks a great defensive perimetre option, logging in almost 20 minutes per game.

At 17-23, the Mavericks are ranked 10th in the West right now and only 2.5 games behind Houston.

Dallas Mavericks (15-21) @ Sacramento Kings (14-21) 92-95

Following a road loss to the Clippers, the Mavs came back strong at Sacramento as the team withstood a late surge by the Kings to avoid the second consecutive loss. Dirk Nowitzki and OJ Mayo had 25 points each and were looking comfortable running that pick&pop together. Nowitzki, coming of knee surgery, had his first dunk of the season as he drove past the defender after the headfake.
The Kings had five players in double figures led by Isaiah Thomas' 19 points but could not make the best out of their rebounding (50-40) as they turned the ball over 16 times.

Mavs Key Performers:
Dirk Nowitzki: 25 points - 7 rebounds - 2 assists - 11/22 FG - 1/4 3PT
OJ Mayo: 25 points - 5 rebounds - 2 assists - 10/15 FG - 1/3 3PT

Kings Key Performers:
Isaiah Thomas: 19 points - 4 assists - 8/18 FG
Thomas Robinson: 16 points - 10 rebounds - 1 block



Jerryd Bayless soars to two of his 15 points against the Mavericks.

Dallas Mavericks (16-21) @ Memphis Grizzlies (17-17) 97-98

Against one of the biggest rivals in the Western playoff race the Mavericks suffered a close loss despite starting a huge comeback in the fourth. Dallas outscored it's opponent 34-19 in the fourth and saw Dirk Nowitzki putting up a season-high 29 points but the Grizzlies had six players in double figures in scoring led by Mareese Speight's 18 off the bench to outlast Dallas.
Down by one and with the possession of the game it was OJ Mayo's costly turnover that sealed the win for the Grizzlies, who were still without injured Rudy Gay.

Mavs Key Performers:
Dirk Nowitzki: 29 points - 2 rebounds - 13/23 FG - 1/1 3PT
Chris Kaman: 21 points - 13 rebounds - 2 blocks - 10/14 FG

Grizzlies Key Performers:
Mareese Speights: 18 points - 3 rebounds - 8/13 FG
Zach Randolph: 15 points - 7 rebounds - 5/8 FG - 5/6 FT




Dirk's first dunk of the season came against the Sacramento Kings.

Minnesota Timberwolves (13-21) @ Dallas Mavericks (16-22) 91-98


Another tough setback for the Mavericks as the team could not use Dirk Nowitzki's vintage performance (26 points, 12 rebounds) to steal a game from the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime.
Elton Brand added 20 points as a starter for the shorthanded Mavericks and OJ Mayo added 11 but the Timberwolves outplayed Dallas 5-11 in overtime thanks to a career game by Chase Budinger who scored 30 points and shot 6/11 from beyond the arc. The Timberwolves are still missing Kevin Love and Brandon Roy but found with Ricky Rubio dishing out 9 assists and chipping in 12 points the team found it's way to defeat Western competitor Dallas.

Mavs Key Performers:
Dirk Nowitzki: 26 points - 12 rebounds - 10/22 FG - 2/3 3PT
Elton Brand: 20 points - 7 rebounds - 9/12 FG

Timberwolves Key Performers:
Chase Budinger: 30 points - 9 rebounds - 11/23 FG
Nikola Pekovic: 20 points - 10 rebounds - 7/13 FG - 6/6 FT


O.J. Mayo's solid play helped keepin the Mavericks in the Playoff race.

Houston Rockets (20-20) @ Dallas Mavericks (16-23) 81-94

After three consecutive losses the Mavericks were able to bounce back against Texas foes Houston Rockets despite an underwhelming shooting performance by Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk only had 8 points on 2/13 shooting but managed to grab 9 boards and dish out 6 assists as the Mavericks held Houston to only 81 points. Dallas forced 20 Rockets turnovers and limited James Harden to 23 points on 5/22 shooting from the field, whilst OJ Mayo also scored 23 points but only hit 3/11 from downtown. With Vince Carter and Brandan Wright still out due to injuries, Roddy Beaubois chipped in 10 off the bench as the Mavs beat the Rockets in their first meeting of the season with Jeremy Lin still out because of a plantar fasciitis.

Mavs Key Performers:
OJ Mayo: 23 points - 5 steals - 7/19 FG - 3/11 3PT
Chris Kaman: 14 points - 10 rebounds - 4 blocks - 6/11 FG

Rockets Key Performers:
James Harden: 23 points - 4 rebounds - 5/23 FG
Patrick Patterson: 10 points - 14 rebounds - 5/12 FG




James Harden erupts for a career-high 47 against Timberwolves read more
Andrew Bynum reinjures knee while riding horse race read more
Rondo strains MCL, Celtics keep losing read more
Grizzlies Randolph out with concussion read more
Highschool star Antoine Walker still placed in coma read more

[Valor]

Andrew Bynum reinjures knee while riding horse race read more

Great stuff from Dirk, but what's with that 2 rebound game? Thats

[hova-]

Mavs halt Thunder's six game winning streak
DALLAS (AP) Behind Dirk's 19 points, the Mavericks beat Oklahoma City at home

Pushed by the great play of their german frontcourt with Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman, the Dallas Mavericks were able to pull off an upset and beat the Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas 93-98.
Dallas used a 23-8 third quarter to pull away and the Thunder were not able to come back despite Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combining for 55 points. It was the Thunder's first loss after six straight wins.

Chris Kaman had 16 points and 10 boards and Dirk Nowitzki was the Mavericks' topscorer with 19 points adding 7 rebounds and 4 assists as OJ Mayo struggled with his shot (5/20) en route to 17 points.
The Thunder had problems containing the Mavericks in the paint with Kendrick Perkins still out after knee surgery, but Kevin Durant did not want to let this be an excuse. "We won six straight without Perk', so we should have made it seven. The Mavericks were also missing key players."

Dallas will move on to Orlando before having four days off as the Spurs will come to Dallas later.

[hova-]

Looking at Terraill Brown in a exaggerated overly positive way, one might come up with the opinion that the 7-0 power forward out of Louisville could be one of those “few in a decade” players like Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki or even Tim Duncan. “TB” can do a little bit of everything and fascinates experts with the way he moves despite his height, even after players like Garnett, Durant or Nowitzki seemed to have deleted all the prejudices about big men being poor ball handlers, athletes or shooters.

Writing in a overly positive manner about Brown and his talents makes it tough to not pick him first in the upcoming draft, as he has already stated that he will declare for it. Brown is 7-0 tall, has the ball handling of a guard, can pass, rebound and block shots as well as jump out of the building. His touch from the inside is great, his mid range game solid and every now and then he might end up as a trailer on the break and hit a shot from beyond the arc.

On defense he has enough foot speed to stay in front of his opponent and the lenght to make every shot a tough one.

Now let’s switch into a different mode: the exaggerated overly negative writing about Terraill Brown. The 21-year old has exactly the body you want a big man in the NBA to have. But why does he not use it properly? Too often “TB” ends up collecting silly fouls just because he jumps too high, is too quick and does not hesitate to go for shot fakes. He does not show enough patience and gets a lot of unnecessary foul calls.

On offense, where is the killer instinct? Brown is averaging 12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for a balanced Cardinals team, but many say he could average twice these numbers if he just went for his own shot more often. His work ethic in the weight room is undisputable but his coaches have been moaning about his lack of basketball understanding and his laziness when it comes to learning plays and improving his basketball skills.
There have been too many players who were said to be the real next thing because of their physics and ended up out of the league in a hurry.

The question is: Does Brown really care? Despite his nation-wide fame as the potential number one pick, there have not been many interviews as Terraill is said to be quite shy. Teammates say he is very grounded, some coaches don’t know if he is really interested in being a basketball pro. “He could do almost every sport and sometimes I am not sure if he really wants to be a basketball player”, said a former coach of the Cardinals star. “He has to improve his basketball IQ or he will be nothing but an athletic bruiser in this league”, another former coach adds.

There is a small span in the early years of an NBA pro between becoming Kevin Garnett, Chris Webber, Joe Smith or Kwame Brown – but there will definitely be an NBA franchise who’d like to take the risk with Terraill Brown and hope that he turns into the first two rather then the latter.

Strenghts: very athletic ... long arms ... very good anticipating rebounds ... good lateral quickness ... very strong ... decent handling for a big ... a solid finisher around the rim ... shows flashes of post game ... good shooting form ... very unselfish player ... tons of potential ...

Weaknesses: doesn't take over games ... no leader on and off the court ... questionable basketball IQ ... still needs to improve his shot ... doubts on his work ethic ... defense needs improvement ...

[Axel The Great]

Solid win against the Thunder, nice job taking advantage of Perkins's absence.

TB seems like an interesting prospect. Depending on what other talent there is in the upcoming draft, taking him #1 would be a gamble. If put under a good coach and situation, I think he's got what it takes to live up to his full potential.

[Durant35]

Nice win. The prospect got my attention though. The second KG, I like that.

[Ball_Hawk]

Good win against the Thunder, that should be a confidence-booster for your team.

[hova-]

Valor, sad to say that this is the RL counterpart Dirk. His rebounding has dropped significantly over the last few years. He is averaging like 7 a game IRL. You can defend him not getting offensive boards being the number one option and a jumpshooter, but he has also become worse on the defensive glass.

Axel., gonna post more prospects to give you an overview during the season. It's a rather weak draft though.

Durant35, maybe the second KG, maybe a fluke, but I doubt that he is in my heights anyway as I don't think we will end up with a top ten pick.

Ball_Hawk, thanks, ye, sometimes you need to bail out by overachieving a bit. Injuries are definitely tough to overcome as Wright and Carter are too key rotation guys for me.

[hova-]

Boston Celtics, Stephen Curry, Tony Parker, Miami Heat, Claudio Sosa

███ E'twaun Moore leads Magic to win over Mavericks
ORLANDO (AP)

The 18-22 Orlando Magic were able to beat the 18-24 Dallas Mavericks at home 91-96 thanks to sophomore E'twaun Moore putting up 24 points.

The Mavericks suffered from an off night by Dirk Nowitzki who only had 15 points on 5-16 shooting. OJ Mayo had a team-high 21 as Dallas never trailed by more than four, but could not come away with the victory.

E'twaun Moore, who has started in 8 of his 30 games this season, is averaging 13.4 points per game and shooting 44% from down town, being a candidate for sixth man of the year and most improved player. Moore had played 38 games with the Celtics last year and was picked up by Orlando during offseason.

For the Mavericks, Darren Collison had 7 turnovers forcing coach Carisle to sit him late in the game. Collison is said to be on the trading block if offers allure. The Mavericks will have four days off before hosting the San Antonio Spurs.

███ Durant erupts as Thunder storm past Clippers
LOS ANGELES(AP)

As if there were any doubters in the leagur about who is the best scorer, Kevin Durant showed once again that despite Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James, his name should be dropped first.

Durant almost single-handedly destroyed the Clippers in OKC's 117-69 win as he dropped 51 points on 19/28 (9/13 3PT) shooting. KD also added 14 rebounds and 6 assists. The 6-10 forward now holds the records for the two highest scoring outbursts of the season, as he had already lit up the Lakers for 56 in December.

For the Clippers, who were playing without Chris Paul (knee problems), Blake Griffin had a team-high 12 points. L.A. now stands at 22-21 and might miss Paul for at least one more week. The Thunder have fought back to Western Conference heights at 26-16 winning six of their last seven games.

███ Injuries keep haunting teams at half of the season
NEW YORK (AP)

Injuries are part of the game and can definitely have an huge impact on team's season. Let's take a look at the worst current injuries in the league:

Andrew Bynum - reinjured his surgically repaired knee while riding a horse race. Docs say he will be out for the season.

Spencer Hawes - as if Bynum is not enough, the 76ers will miss Spencer Hawes for at least two more months with a broken ankle.

Ersan Ilyasova - Ilyasova, who is playing a rock-solid season so far, will be out until the All-Star break with a stress fracture in his right foot.

Derrick Rose - Rose is still rehabbing from his torn MCL he suffered in last year's Playoffs. The Bulls don't want to talk any comeback date right now.

Chris Paul - Paul's experiencing some trouble with his knees lately. He might come back soon but is definitely not at 100%.

Zach Randolph - Randolph will have to pause for this week due to the league's concussion policy, which does not allow players who suffered a concussion grade 3 to play for a good amount of games.

Al Horford - the Hawks are really missing Al Horford who is dealing with a broken spinal cord in his back and won't be back before March.

Dwyane Wade - Wade suffered a torn meniscus early on in January and will definitely miss the All-Star game.

Robin Lopez - the Hornets' big man is currently out with a strained oblique which could require surgery. He might miss four more weeks.

Marcus Camby - the Knick's elder statesman has a sever ankle sprain and since he is 39 years old it is questionable wether or not he can recover before the Playoffs.

Dwight Howard - Howard has severly sprained his left middle-finger and might miss a week or two. You better don't ask Kobe about it.

Hedo Turkoglu - official statement is that Turkoglu has "broken his back", which sounds pretty disgusting and tough. He will be out until March at least. Rumours are that the Magic hope they can somehow get rid of Turkoglu if the injury is severe enough.

Greg Oden - the Net's latest acquisition will be back next week after breaking his left hand in his third game for the franchise. Let's hope kharma will be good for Oden, who looked in fantastic shape before the injury.

Kris Humphries - tough luck for the Nets, who are missing two key contributors downlow with Oden and Humphries. Good to know that Humphries is also recovering quickly after a strained hamstring.
Danny Granger - back, knee, toe, Granger has it all. The Pacers hope he will be back by March to help them out of their slump.

Luis Scola, Jermaine O'Neal, Channing Frye: let's package the three Suns big men as they are all out for the season. Scola and O'Neal ruptured their achilles tendon, whilst Frye had heart surgery before the season. Let's wish the best to all three.

Kendrick Perkins - the Thunder have managed to bounce back despite the absence of their defensive anchor in Perkins. His torn meniscus is taking longer to recover than expected. Estimated comeback date: March.

Kevin Love, Brandon Roy, Malcolm Lee - Neither of these three has played a game this season and it's quesitonable wether or not they will for the T-Wolves this season. Roy's knees are simply wasted, Love has broken his arm twice this season and Lee had knee surgery before the season.

Lamarcus Aldridge - shock for the Blazers! Lamarcus Aldridge suffered a dislocated patella which required surgery and will be out for the season. Then again, the Blazers are probably having a transition year anyway and aren't in postseason heights.

Brandon Rush - the Warriors' swingman suffered a torn MCL before the season and won't return before next season.

John Wall - has not yet made one game this season due to knee problems. Might be back in March.

███ Knicks 9-1 run leads them to second in the East
NEW YORK (AP)

After a tough start to the season, the New York Knicks were able to pick up the slack and won nine of their last ten games, giving them a 23-16 record, good enough for second in the East behind Miami.

Carmelo Anthony is averaging 27.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game in January so far, shooting 54% from the field. But the main factor for the Knick's success was the comeback of Amar'e Stoudemire in January, who is averaging 19.1 points on 64% shooting after not playing one game in this season before.

The Knicks were able to beat Conference rivals Chicago, Brooklyn, Boston as well as Western foes San Antonio during their run.

███ High school star Miller wakes up from coma
NEW YORK(AP)

Basketball All-American and high school wonderkid Antoine Miller has reportedly woken up from coma. Miller was shot during a night club incident a month ago. Reports say that he cannot speak and move, but his condition is stable right now.

Antoine Miller is said to be the best high school player in the States right now as he put up 20.1ppg, 8.9rpg, 3.0apg and 4.1spg this season so far. He was set to leave highschool after this season and already declared to play for North Carolina next season. It's not clear wether he will be able to play basketball again.

[Fresh8]

Will Miller be a Mav in 2 years?

[hova-]

Mavs split last four games, go 6-9 in January

Posted on January 31st 2013 3:21PM

The end of January, with the All-Star game just ahead, is one of the key time spans during an NBA season. Teams who are already really good, try to turn into Playoff mode already against top-notch competition and try to rest players against cellar dwellars without losing any ground record-wise. Teams that are on the edge of making the Playoffs, try to push harder and get themselves into a good position to notch home-court advantage. And then there are teams who are on the outside looking in, just like the Mavericks this season, try to finally pick up the slack, maybe improve on the trade deadline and get that eight spot to make the postseasn where everything can happen.

At 20-26, Dallas is currently eleventh in the West, two games behind the 25-23 Houston Rockets who sit at the eigth spot. With Brandan Wright, Vince Carter and Jae Crowder all back in the lineup, Dallas will try to finally get a winning record in February and maybe get that one or two players via trading deadline who can put the team over the hump to prevent this season from being a lost one.

Let's have a look at the last four games of January.

San Antonio Spurs (24-22) @ Dallas Mavericks (18-24) 89-94

There have not been much constant notes for the Mavericks this season, but if there is one, then it is that Dallas just can't lose against texas rival San Antonio this season. The Mavericks are 3-0 this season against the Spurs, winning the third game again in close fashion. After two back to back clutch buckets by Dirk that sealed the deal in the last two outings, it was an O.J. Mayo three late in the fourth that brought Dallas the win in the third meeting. The Spurs, who saw Tim Duncan out with a strained hamstring, struggled on offense as Tony Parker was their best scorer with 33 points on 12-27 shooting. For Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki recorded his second double double of the season as he and O.J. Mayo combined for 43 points.

Mavs Key Performers:
Dirk Nowitzki: 21 points - 12 rebounds - 2 assists - 9/19 FG - 1/3 3PT
OJ Mayo: 22 points - 6 rebounds - 4 assists - 6/13 FG - 3/8 3PT

Kings Key Performers:
Tony Parker: 33 points - 4 assists - 12/27 FG
Manu Ginobili: 15 points - 6 rebounds - 5/15 FG



Had his comeback after three weeks: Jae Crowder dunks vs Phoenix.

Phoenix Suns (18-26) @ Dallas Mavericks (19-24) 93-88

The Mavericks had a big chance to create some separation to an apparentely worse team by beating the Suns, but Dallas only shot 2/16 from three point range and the Suns used a balanced offensive outing to outplay Dirk Nowitzki, OJ Mayo and Darren Collison, the sole three Mavs in double-figures in scoring. The Mavs shot better from the floor and from the free throw line, won the rebound battle 44-45 but still lost the game in what was somehow a head scratcher. Darren Collison, who leads the league with 3.8 turnovers in 32.7 minutes per game, scored 21 points, but coach Carisle did not have kind words for the lack of ball security by the speed guard.

Mavs Key Performers:
Dirk Nowitzki: 25 points - 3 rebounds - 10/17 FG - 0/3 3PT
O.J. Mayo: 18 points - 4 rebounds - 5 assists - 7/17 FG

Suns Key Performers:
Shannon Brown: 19 points - 5 rebounds - 7/17 FG
Goran Dragic: 12 points - 11 assists - 5/9 FG - 1/1 3PT




Didn't like Darren Collison's seven turnovers in Portland: Mavs coach Rick Carisle.

Dallas Mavericks (19-25) @ Portland Trail Blazers (22-22) 77-91


Playing against a team that has won six in a row, in one of the loudest arenas of the league, coming off a loss to the Suns? Dallas had no chance visiting Portland as the Blazers seemed to not miss LaMarcus Aldridge at all, who will be out for two months after suffering a dislocated patella. At 23-22 the Blazers are now right in the mix of the Western Playoff race. Dirk Nowitzki was once again the best Mavs scorer with 18 points and Brandan Wright chipped in 13 in his first game since early January, but the Blazers shot 10/26 from downtown and forced 18 Mavericks turnovers to grab the home win. Mavs point guard Darren Collison, said to be on the trade block after less convincing outings recently, had 3 points, 3 assists and a game-high 7 turnovers in 19 minutes of game action. Wesley Matthews was on fire for Portland, as he did a little bit of everything, 28 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals to replace the scoring of Lamarcus Aldridge.

Mavs Key Performers:
Dirk Nowitzki: 18 points - 4 rebounds - 8/12 FG - 2/2 3PT
Shawn Marion: 9 points - 9 rebounds - 3/4 FG

Blazers Key Performers:
Wesley Matthews: 28 points - 7 rebounds - 7 assists
Damian Lillard: 21 points - 5 assists - 9/11 FG - 2/3 3PT

phpBB [video]

Dirk's clutch drives gave the Mavericks a one point lead with 12 seconds left on the clock.

Dallas Mavericks (19-26) @ Golden State Warriors (22-23) 89-86

You cannot argue the importance of winning against straight Playoff rivals and the Mavericks' adamant win against the Warriors showed that this team has the guts to take tight games thanks to one of the best closers in the NBA in Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk had 22 points in 26 minutes of gameplay and scored the Mavericks' last four points after being down 85-86 in the last twenty seconds of the game. Shawn Marion and O.J. Mayo had 15 apiece and Chris Kaman added 13 to give the Mavs a lift despite their 20 turnovers (5 of them by Darren Collison making it 6-5-7 in his last three games). The Warriors were missing services of star point guard Stephen Curry who was again out with ankle problems. Curry has already missed eleven games this season. Klay Thompson and David Lee filled in the void, but it was not enough for the Warriors.

Mavs Key Performers:
Dirk Nowitzki: 22 points - 2 rebounds - 8/10 FG - 5/6 FT
Shawn Marion: 15 points - 5 rebounds - 1 blocks - 6/9 FG

Warriors Key Performers:
Klay Thompson: 21 points - 3 rebounds - 6/18 FG
David Lee: 14 points - 6 rebounds - 5/7 FG


If you want to see how the Mavericks fare in the league and what else is going on, stay tuned for the monthly recap!
Mavs fans, do you think Darren Collison will get traded?



James Harden and LeBron James take home Player of the months honors read more
After 24.2 ppg in December, Durant scores 32.4 ppg in January read more
Barnes, Kidd-Gilchrist named rookies of the month read more
Bradley Beal tops career-high in back-to-back games (33,35 points) read more
Blockbuster trade: Gay to Raptors, Prince to Grizzlies, Calderon to Pistons read more

[Valor]

Good stuff with the fiveliners as usual, tough month but that's kind of the way it is for the Mavs IRL also I guess

[hova-]

Sit, he will definitely have an upcoming role in this D - so much to say.

Valor, thanks, mate. Yes, it's up an down but I will try to change things a bit in February. Will write about it soon

[Martti.]

Dirk needs to rebound more, 12 against the Spurs but only 9 combined in 3 other games...

[hova-]

Race 2 The MVP January


Still up there in the Race. Russ Welluable says Kyrie Irving will be one of the league's top stars in the future.
Recent struggles of NBA powerhouses raise new MVP question
By Russ Welluable, NBA.com
Posted on January 30th 2013 9:11


Another month gone, another Race 2 the MVP - and in a way - a special edition. Whilst there have not been any doubts in the recent Races of who should be the MVP of the NBA (for the second straight and fourth time in his career), the recent losing strecht by the Miami Heat (lost six of their last ten - three in a row at a time) raised some doubts about how valuable LeBron James is to the Heat and how much the current Champs are relying on Dwyane Wade. Since they lost their star shooting guard in early January, the Heat had a significant drop-off from 24-4 to 30-12. The only reason why I still rank LeBron at number one is the fact that 30-12 is still good enough for this Heat team to have the best record in the league.

Kevin Durant closing in

But it is getting closer up there. The Thunder have been on a nice winning run recently and Kevin Durant has emerged as the main factor for their stellar offensive play. Not only is he first in the league at scoring, he is also one of the best three point shooters in the NBA right now and recent outburst contained numbers like 7-11 and 9-12 from downtown. At 29-17 the Thunder are nearing the 66% mark despite Kendrick Perkins still being out - one of the major factor why the team couldn't get it done early in the season.

Like fine wine - call me "Vino"

The only reason why Kobe Bryant does not rank higher than third in the Race is his decent supporting cast. When you have three guys behind you who are close to averaging a double-double (with Dwight Howard doing so), it is a strong statement to consider you the only reason for your team's success. Still it is important to show some love for Kobe's season, that is just simple and plain sick for a almost 35-year old guard who has well over 1000 games on his tacho. Kobe is by the way playing more minutes than Kevin Durant or LeBron (although LeBron is getting closer with his recent stretch of 40+ minutes game)

A good scorer - but what else?

It's funny to see that three of the leagues top five scorers are amongst the top four in the Race since scoring does definitely not equal value in the NBA. But all of these top-notch scorers in the list have been valuable in other dimensions for their team, too. Carmelo Anthony is maybe the best example as he has been considered a scoring-only guy for his whole career. With the Knicks climbing up the ranks, Carmelo has shown that sharing the ball is something he is understanding better and better. And he also shows more assertiveness on the boards and on defense, which helped the Knicks get past the limping Celtics for second in the East.

Oh my - uncle Drew is about to take over

If you ask me for my favorite player in the Race right now, it has to be Kyrie Irving. "Uncle Drew", as we all know him from his endorsement clip, is putting up the numbers. The Cavaliers are eight in the East which is more than surprising given their young, rebuilding roster since the department of LeBron. I listed below what Kyrie can do, but I have to say that he also does all this with style, style I have not seen for a while and which makes him maybe one of the league's first name superstars in the future (you know, Kobe, LeBron, Melo, Dirk ... Kyrie). He will be one of the league's upcoming faces for sure.







Close, but no cigar: Tony Parker, Kemba Walker, Chris Paul, Paul Pierce, Marc Gasol

[Valor]

Loving the R2MVP as usual, agree with Irving's placement at #5, he's the only reason why the Cavs are even over .500

[Lamrock]

I love the in-game player mugshots. The Cavs will be a compelling storyline if Irving doesn't break down.

[kibaxx7]

Man, those faces look incredible

[hova-]

Cheers, guys. Just for your information, I'm having exams right now until early August, so I doubt I will update this since I try to stay away from my PC as good as it gets. Have a lot of learning to do and need to focus on that.

[hova-]

„So how’s his conditioning? Have you guys been able to work out together recently“, Rick Carisle asked me.
“We’ve been doing a lot of stuff. He’s feeling good, best since he has arrived, that what he told me”, I answered.
“Okay, Chris, I trust in you. He’ll be in for the next game. You’r doing a great job, you know, so I will take your advice in this case.
“Thanks, Rick. Just doing what is best for the team. That’s it.”
I knew that Carisle did not like to give away a lot of his responsibilities. A good Coach has everything under control, that’s what he thought and pretty much what I had done wrong during my latest shots as a Coach in the NBA. I had learnt a lot from Carisle during my time as an Assistant Coach – and it actually was the first time that I had come up with an idea and shared it with him as I felt that we were coming along better and better. I was just hoping this line-up change could really help us.

Two days later I was at the Mavs gym working on the game with the guards. Dahntay Jones was taking shot after shot, hitting most of them. He had really improved his shooting ability over time, I thought, but Rick Carisle barely gave him playing time. He did not like to lose too much playmaking and thus rather preferred playing Mayo and Carter at the two. But Jones was a pro’s pro. He just kept working.
But we had other guys on our team as well. Rodrigue Beaubois and Jared Cunningham were joking around just while I was turning around from observing Jones.
“Hey, fellas! You’re here to work on your shot today! We have to use the rare time we have between the games. It’s a tough schedule, you know!
“Yee, yee”, Cunningham answered as Beaubois turned away from me and it looked like he was imitating me.
I took a few steps off the court and asked them to come with me to the corner of the gym.
Both were walking into my direction reluctantly.
“Okay, guys. What the fuck is wrong with you?”, I tried to find out why they were completely ran out of motivation.
“It’s okay, Hov, it’s okay. We’re just having some fun. Why working on our shot when all we do is pressing our asses on the bench every game?”, Cunningham looked on the floor.
“Yeah, we want to play and show what we can do. Coach won’t give us minutes anyway so fuck this”, Beaubois nodded.
“Hey, hey, stop this shit. You’re pros. Listen to me. You are talented, you are young, you just have to be patient. Not working on your game won’t help you because we might ship your ass out of here then and you won’t play when you are not ready for it – even on other teams”, I explained.
Both starred at the floor. Cunningham then pumped his fist and kind of exploded.
“Fuck this shit, then trade me away. I am done with this franchise anyway!”, he said. “My agent is already trying to get me out, Hov. I am out for today. Just tell them I reinjured my knee. Fuck this”, Cunningham threw his towel on the floor and kicked a ball before leaving.
“Okay, Roddy, anything left?”, I looked at Beaubois severely.
“No, no. It’s okay. I will get used to it I guess. I keep on shooting”, he took a ball and started shooting drills. I reported to Donnie Nelson just a few minutes later. Cunningham was definitely on his way out.

Two days later the team was heading to Phoenix to prepare to play the Suns, who had beaten us just two weeks before despite being one of the worst teams in the league.
Before the early shootaround, Rick Carisle visited the locker room. I was sitting in the corner drawing up the shootaround schedule.
“Okay guys, get out and do your best to be prepared for tonight’s game. We have to start winning now. There will be two lineup changes tonight: DC, you will be out, J-Will is going to start tonight. We cannot lose the ball so much. Second change: Brandan, you’ll be starting at Center, Chris will come off the bench”, Carisle said and quickly disappeared.
I could see that Darren Collison was not really happy about the change, but he was just such a bad factor with all his turnovers lately. He simply was not a playmaker. We were hoping he could help us with some scoring off the bench. The Wright-Kaman swap was not my idea, but I loved it immediately when I heard about it. With his athleticism, Brandan could help Dirk Nowitzki in the frontcourt as they were a great fit. I was eager to see how these changes would help us as we all knew there would not be big changes before the trading deadline as Cuban did not want to take big contracts.

...

[Axel The Great]

That starting lineup change might seem a bit impulsive, but I think it's the right move given the situation the team is in. I too like the Wright-Kaman swap. Hopefully things work out for you guys.

[hova-]

January 30th

Darren Collison has been a catastrophe with the ball lately and is third in turnovers in the league (3.8), just too much for the Mavs as they struggle to grab enough wins to lock in eigth seed in the West.

OJ Mayo might be the surprise of the season as he managed to make his off-year last season disappear with a decent scoring effort for the Mavs. Mayo upped his scoring, rebounding and shooting from the field as well as from distance and also cut down his turnovers. His numbers have taken a dip since the arrival of Dirk Nowitzki, but that was expected with the big German taking over franchise player duties.

Shawn Marion is once again playing a season that shows why he is so well-respected within the Mavs organization. Despite seeing a huge dip in taken shots, Marion keeps being effective, scoring 9.6 points per game mostly on cuts and offensive boards or from the line, at times posting up. He is rebounding quite well as always, never complains about his role and is still the best one-on-one defender of the Mavs at the tender age of 34.

Dirk Nowitzki is 34 years old as well and had missed over twenty games after knee surgery, but his comeback has been huge for the Mavericks as Dirk is still a prolific scorer in this league. 18.9 points in only 24.7 minutes per game tell the whole story, add his so far 50%+, 40%+, 90%+ numbers to it and you see how efficient Dirk has been. Teams are closing in on the big German though as the Mavericks' opponents have noticed that they not only still have to guard Dirk with two defenders, but he is also still very vulnerable on the defensive end of the floor. A negative trend has been the degressive rebounding by Nowitzki.

Chris Kaman is putting up solid numbers all over the board for the Mavs, but since the comeback of Dirk, he seems to be out of place offensively too often and the duo is not really tolerable on defense, which costs Kaman minutes. 10ppg/6rpg/1bpg are very good role-player numbers, but for 8M$ a year maybe too much. The Mavs are glad they have a offensive weapon in the post when Dirk is not on the floor, but this is maybe the safest one-year commitment since a long time.

Vince Carter is struggling big time since he has broken his index finger on his right hand. Being one of the better sixth man in the league and helping the Mavs filling the void as long as Dirk had been out, Carter has been off since his comeback. His shooting has dipped to 38% from the field and 28% from downtown - he was still shooting in the mid-forties and mid-thirties before his injury. Carter is very important as the Mavericks lack scoring power off the bench. Let's hope he can shake off his injury woes soon and find his touch again.

What a great pickup has Elton Brand been for the Mavericks. Although rumours are spreading that "EB" is not really satisfied with his low minutes, the 33-year old veteran has been a pro's pro, leading the Mavs in offensive rebounds per game and giving them solid action on both ends of the court. Brand has managed to stay effective after all his injury problems because of his decent mid-range jumpshot and his long arms. H

Brandan Wright might be the surprise of the year for Dallas, giving the Mavs a decent backup center and bringing athleticism into the old men's frontcourt. Wright is doing what he can on the court, grabbing offensive boards, throwing down dunks after cuts and occasionally bringing in a left hook over smaller defenders. Rick Carisle wants Wright's role to increase as he sees his athletic play as a great complement to Dirk Nowitzki's jump shooting game. If Wright manages to defend stronger opponents, he can be a decent C/PF in this league.

Jae Crowder's rookie season has been plagued by several minor injuries and made it tough for the young forward to adept to the NBA. Although Carilse is giving him a lot of trust (also because of the thin forward rotation the Mavs have), Crowder has not played well for most stretches of the season. He can be a three point threat at times, but is too inconsistent. The Mavs like his defensive attitude and hustle though, as he hopefully will make progress over the time and stay injury free.

Jason Williams has gotten more and more playing time as Coach Rick Carisle was really looking for a playmaker to help the Mavs cut down their turnovers. Williams is doing well setting up teammates so far with 3.8 assist in 13.9 minutes per game compared to only one turnovers per game. His defensive struggles have not been as tough as the Mavs themselves might have thought, so the important factor for Williams will be to increase his very weak shooting and his poor conditioning.

Rodrigue Beaubois simply does not find his niche in the NBA. Despite being obviously talented, the Guadeloupe native is not able to crack the rotation of the Mavs and is mostly used in garbage time by Rick Carisle. Reports say, the Mavs don't plan with Beaubois for the future and he might just sit out his contract or maybe even get waived come Playofftime if Dallas makes the postseason.

Jared Cunningham and the Dallas Mavericks are breaking ties soon an insider of the Mavs' situation has reported recently. The problem: Rick Carisle does not like rookies very much, especially athletic guys who have problems with the fundamentals of the game. Although Cunningham has been used more often because of his decent perimetre defense in the last games, the youngster is not satisfied with his minor role on the team and is seeking a change of scenery.

Dahntay Jones still has to miss a freethrow this season and is shooting very well from the three point line, but he rarely sees court time because of his poor ball handling and decision making.

Bernard James is a rock-solid rookie who comes onto the court and plays hard, handing out fouls, grabbing boards and earning garbage points. The Mavericks like what they have seen from "Serge" as he is part of their inside rotation.

Eduardo Najera is rather a coach than a player on this squad. His locker room presence and his ability to teach players (he has been a D-league Coach before coming back to the Mavs) have helped the Mavericks' young players. When he is on the court, he sets hard screens and gives the team fouls as well as decent three point stroke.

[hova-]

Axel., upped the stats and they prove that Collison is hurting the team. We have to make some changes to stay into Playoff contention. Dirk and Kaman don't fit together. Just like IRL. Kaman is taking away exactly the possessions you want Dirk to have. I hope Wright will have the same impact he has off the bench.

[hova-]

It’s questionable wether or not Vaheem Bridges will ever mature, change his lifestyle or even become a pro’s pro if he makes it to the NBA, but the talent package the young guard is offering is just too intriguing for franchises picking in the mid-to-late first round.

Bridges, a light-headed and bubbly scoring point guard out of Syracuse, was born and raised in Brownsville, NY, one of the roughest neighbourhoods in the city that never sleeps.

“In the hood, we were praying everyday to survive”, Bridges said in a recent ESPN documentation about ballers growing up under difficult circumstands. “I saw people getting shot on the streets, one of my best friends was shot on a streetball courts just around the corner of my home”, he adds.

Somehow Bridges was able to evade the biggest trouble and basketball can be definitely seen as a factor for the oldest of six silblings making it out of the “hood” as he talks about his home.

Still, Bridges has been in trouble with the law every now and then, be it thievery in his younger days and possession and use of drugs even during his days at Syracuse.

“I don’t want to repeat my mistakes and this won’t happen again”, Bridges said after being suspended for one complete College season after being convicted of using drugs in his freshman season with the Orangemen. Since then, Bridges has stayed out of trouble but is still attracting attention with his look and talk on and off the court.

“I’ve never seen someone talking trash like that in college basketball”, his teammate Luol Johnson told ESPN. “But he is backing it up with his fierce style”, the forward added.
His fierce, competitive style is what makes Bridges a special player. He always thinks he is the best out on the floor and he tells you.

With 19.7 points per game, the left-handed Bridges is one of the topscorers in the Big East and the best scoring point guard in the NCAA next to Jules Harper, who is also seeing a lot of minutes at the two.

While Bridges’ jumpshot has improved during his timeout from the NCAA, the young New York native is still struggling with his decisionmaking on the court. He’s forcing things way too often and his shooting percentages suffer from it (42% FG).

Bridges’ ability to penetrate and draw fouls is at an NBA-ready level despite his light body (6-1). He just knows angles and has some very soft hands. While his character makes it unlikely to see him getting drafted in the top five, there will definitely an NBA team to take the risk and pick Bridges with a lottery pick. He could be everything, from team cancer to your number one scorer, from a kid out of the hood to a pro’s pro.

Strenghts: quick and agile player ... long arms ... very aggressive finisher ... good lateral quickness ... decent defender when he wants ... good at playing passing lanes ... known for circus shots ... streaky shooter ... when focussed he can get under your skin ... good basketball IQ ...

Weaknesses: a typical tweener ... has to improve his passing and decisionmaking ... too egoistic at times ... tends to try to do too much ... needs to work on his three point shot ... has been a headcase for most of his college career ... questionable how he comes along with his teammates ... a lazy defender ...