[nowhereman]

Originally Posted by nowhereman

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The double is almost always coming when Dirk catches the ball with his back to the basket, or when he spins. Dirk has been a very effective passer and scorer this year when he is face up on the elbow. This is something they should go to more, because:

1 - it forces a defender out of the paint, and Dirk has excellent court vision to hit someone cutting through the middle or going baseline off a back screen. Dirk has made great strides as a passer from the top of the key this year, and as others get more familiar with the offense, this can become a staple of the offense. This can work very well with guys like Howard/Terry/Harris off the curl, or Bass working the post.

2- it is much easier to pass out of the double team when you are facing the basket and have 4 teammates in your field of vision, than if your back is turned and you have a release man in the corner that is covered. That is why the mavs really haven't been able to exploit double teams with passing - because Dirk only really has one guy to go to.

3- Dirk has frequently shown an effective jab-step from this position. He can use this to either drive and take bigger defenders to the rim, or pop up and shoot over smaller guys - and since it will be in single coverage, he can score with ease like this. If the double doesn't come until he turns his back, why turn his back?

The mavs would do better to also have someone cutting to the rim when dirk catches the ball in the high-post. this will give him a much easier pass out off the double, and exploit a slasher matched up with a center. initiate contact + get to the line, or slip another pass to the open man.

thoughts?