[ReDirkulous Tyme]

As of late, I've witnessed a plethora of members expressing notions, rooted in shortsighted pessimism, which paint an extremely bleak picture of how this season will/should/could play out. This post is basically to refute the ill-conceived notions that seem rampant on this forum lately.

First, let me state that this team (in case you didn't know) is without the backbone/cornerstone/face of the franchise, the Big German. In case you don't remember, our championship season, during the games he was down with an injury, we went 2-7. Even when we got him back we were pretty terrible for awhile, and extremely inconsistent, due to his lack of health and the loss of Caron Butler. But alas, I digress, I merely point this out to illustrate the fact that a championship team, when assembled the way Cuban and Co. have elected to do so over the last several years, will still suck when missing the foundation that team was built on: The Dirk. Granted, this is a COMPLETELY different team, but the team's reliance on Dirk has never been higher. TO be honest, I'm surprised we've even stayed close to .500. Dirk is the backbone of the Mavericks, and has been for over a decade. Without him this team is simply going to be mediocre at best.

Having said that, I maintain that this is one of, if not the most talented Mavs team I've seen, when healthy. And yes, that includes our championship team. We have a TON of upside here, and it simply doesn't function at the same level when everyone's responsibility is elevated, as it has been without Dirk in the lineup. Neither OJ nor Kaman can consistently be a #1 option, however, having both of them as #2 options is quite sexy in my opinion. But thats just 1 example.

OJ Mayo - I've been extremely impressed so far. His work ethic, insatiable desire to improve, and relentless work ethic are outstanding. However, he hasn't yet improved to the point where he can be THE GUY on a consistent basis, and in my opinion that is something that is still to be determined. As such, he is going to have down games like he has had this season where he simply doesn't have the impact we need him to have. Unfortunately, the result of this is typically an embarrassing defeat. He has so much responsibility with Dirk out, and in my opinion has done an admirable job of shouldering that responsibility. At times it is simply too much. However, the upside I HAVE seen leads me to believe that once he has a bit of time to mesh with Dirk, we'll see a 2 man game that surpasses in effectiveness even the one displayed by Dirk and Terry over the years.

Chris Kayman - Has anyone else ever seen a center who could shoot the ball as many times per minute as this guy? Quite amusing in my opinion, but understandable due to his limited minutes because of injury. I've been loving his offensive game, although his defense is extremely lackluster, and leaves me thinking it might not be best to play him and Dirk at the same time, unless he improves substantially. I think Kaman, at times, is a bit too assertive and takes some shots that are somewhat forced, but I think this is simply due to the fact that he understands we are in DIRE need of consistent scoring, so I can't really fault him for this. In my opinion, Kaman could be a deadly and potent offensive force for us off the bench, and used as a main option when the German is getting breathers.

Elton Brand - This guy has been somewhat of a head-scratcher to me. I love his passion and enthusiasm, and I feel as if he brings it every night, but he simply CAN NOT find a consistent offensive groove. I think he is just extremely hesitant right now and lacks confidence. Hopefully with the return of Dirk he'll start getting more wide open looks, which hopefully will lead to some of that confidence returning and him producing at the level that I'm sure he's still capable of, given the ease of the types of shots he's been missing. I just have to feel like he's going to get it going because its not a Lamar type situation where he doesn't seem to be bringing the effort/intensity. He just seems out of a groove, hopefully he finds it. Love the hustle he gives on the defensive end and his willingness to go toe-to-toe with anyone, regardless of size. I think he will end up being an extremely potent/useful weapon for us as the season progresses. But in my opinion he's kind of a wild card in this respect.

Darren Collison - can you say inconsistent? He seems to be having issues knowing when to be aggressive and play as a scoring point guard, as opposed to when to create shots for others and act as a distributor. I've seen enough upside to believe that, if he can find a comfortable niche in Carlisle's offensive scheme, he could be an extremely potent weapon off the bench, or potentially in a starting role if he can find some damn consistency. However, he's the player that I'm the most sketchy on, just can't really put my finger on it.

Brandan Wright - this man needs to play more often. I feel like he CONSISTENTLY has a positive effect on the game, and his offensive game is truly quite polished. I understand that Carlisle has issues with his rebounding, but the threat he brings when it comes to blocking shots I feel also should be accounted for. In my opinion this guy deserves playing time. He simply doesn't make the bone-headed decisions that I think plague this team on a daily basis. Would love to see if I'm correct in my high regard of him, because I think he could be an EXTREMELY valuable weapon for this team if correctly utilized. Not talking about 30 min/game by the way, just correctly utilized with the right lineups

Honestly, this is just a start, and given the fact that I still haven't studied for my Civil Liberties final that is tomorrow, I should prolly get started on that. I'll prolly edit this and include some other players that honestly deserve to be mentioned as well, I simply don't have time to do so right now. Enjoy, and all you fickle pessimists, feel free to voice your disagreement. I'm curious to see if any of you can invalidate any of my claims.