Nelson gambling on small lineup change

[MavsFanFinley]

Nelson gambling on small lineup change

BY ART GARCIA
Knight Ridder Newspapers

ORLANDO, Fla. - (KRT) - Dirk Nowitzki had seen enough Friday night and took the entire organization to task. Apparently, Don Nelson has seen enough, too.

On the heels of three consecutive losses, and eight in the past 13 games, Nelson decided to retool the starting lineup. When Michael Finley comes back from his right calf strain, perhaps Sunday against the Magic, he'll be starting at small forward instead of shooting guard. Rookie guard Marquis Daniels, coming off a season-high 31-point effort at Miami, will remain in Finley's old spot.

Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Antoine Walker also will remain in the starting lineup. Nelson, obviously dissatisfied with the production of the four players he has used recently at center, wants to use Walker in the middle.

Nelson said the shakeup is a last-ditch effort.

"I'm taking a gamble," Nelson acknowledged Saturday. "We haven't been playing up to our capabilities. The team is reaching out for help from the coach. I'm trying to give it to them. If this doesn't work, I don't know where to go, to be quite honest."

Nash probably said it best not too long ago. Maybe the Mavericks are just a "good" team. Despite the expectations coming off last season's run to the Western Conference Finals, they're just not a "great" team.

The Mavs would be hard-pressed to call themselves even a good team right now. Only 10 games are left before the real season starts. Instead of hitting overdrive going into the playoffs, the wheels are coming off.

After the 119-118 overtime loss in Miami on Friday, Nowitzki alluded to a rift within the organization, from owner Mark Cuban to Nelson to the players. Nelson and Cuban's issues have been well-documented the past two seasons, and, though they've publicly attempted to skirt the issue lately of another divide, Nowitzki plainly said both aren't on the "same page."

"When things aren't going well, it's natural to look for answers," Cuban said. "I don't have any problems with my relationship with Nellie at all. I still have confidence we are going to turn it around. When I look around the West, I only see two teams playing at the top of their game - the Lakers and Grizzlies. Everyone else is still working to get to the top of their game.

"I hate to lose, and so does everyone on this team, and I know everyone is focused on getting where we need to be. Ten games is a long time, and a lot can happen."

Said Nelson: "It's the same ol', same ol'. We don't communicate as much anymore because he's not around as much anymore. He talks more with Donnie (Nelson), and that's fine."

But Nowitzki's frustration wasn't reserved for the hierarchy. Some players haven't bought into Nelson's system and pout after being taken out of games, Nowitzki said. Though Nowitzki wouldn't say which players, Walker's outburst this month regarding playing time didn't sit too well with teammates.

The Mavs are 44-28 and two games behind fifth-place Memphis in the West. Not only are their hopes of a top-four seed and home-court advantage in the first round slipping away, but they could easily slide into seventh. Houston, which hosts the Mavs in the season finale, is only two back in the loss column.

The confidence of a Mavericks team that last season went into every game believing it could win, especially on the road, has taken a hit.

"When things aren't clicking, things have a tendency to compound themselves," said Donnie Nelson, president of basketball operations and assistant coach. "Confidence is down, and you end up digging a deeper hole. Things were clicking earlier in the year for whatever reason. That's why you see Nellie juggling lineups."

Though Don Nelson praised the effort in losses at Miami and Indiana, he hasn't found harmony. The rotation changes nightly, and, with Finley out the past two games, Nelson has relied even more on rookies Daniels and Josh Howard. The four centers of late - Scott Williams, Shawn Bradley, Eduardo Najera and Danny Fortson - have had their moments but not enough to warrant consistent minutes.

Walker and Antawn Jamison have struggled adjusting to new roles and expectations. And the Big Three - Nowitzki, Finley and Nash - aren't without fault; each has suffered a drop in production in at least one major area.

"I don't think there are any players that can look in the mirror and say, `I've played consistently good basketball,"" Donnie Nelson said. "That's the issue. Everyone has had a hand in this from the top on down."

Can everyone get on the same page - on and off the court - in only 10 games? Some say yes. Other aren't so sure.

"Ten games can jump-start you one or two spots," Jamison said. "It's definitely enough time. Our problem has just been on the road. Once you look at these road games with the exception of the Philadelphia game, we were pretty much in every game.

"We just have to find a way to get it done. I don't think we're thinking negative or `here we go again' when we're on the road. We just got a couple bad breaks."

Added Bradley: "We have to make it enough time to get the momentum going in a different way than where it's going right now. We need to go into the playoffs on as positive of a note as we possibly can. We have to figure out a way to do that. It's not a starting over."

The Mavs won 19 of 23 games before the recent swoon. The younger Nelson believes that's reason enough for optimism.

"It's rekindling something we know we're capable of doing," he said. "When you fall off a bike, your confidence might be down, but you don't forget how to push the pedals."

[dude1394]

Good god. I'm done, get rid of him.

[Drbio]

Fire Nellie and take away his whiskey. Walker starting? What the hell is wrong with Nellie?

Last ticket I buy until that assmunch Walker is gone. I'll catch the first round exit on cable. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img]

[Rhylan]

What I wanna know is, how is this a "shakeup?" Rather than not starting a center some games, and not playing them enough whether or not one starts.. he'll just NOT start a center every game, and not play them enough, ever?

What a shakeup.

[kg_veteran]

Nelson, obviously dissatisfied with the production of the four players he has used recently at center, wants to use Walker in the middle.

The four centers of late - Scott Williams, Shawn Bradley, Eduardo Najera and Danny Fortson - have had their moments but not enough to warrant consistent minutes.

In the last 5 games, Walker has averaged 30.8 mpg, 10.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 1.0 spg, 2.4 TO/game, and 45.8 FG%.

If you simply take the season averages of Williams, Bradley, and Fortson, you find that in 33.9 mpg combined, they average 10.9 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 0.9 spg, 1.2 TO/game, and 48.2 FG%.

Seems to me that they don't have to play "well" to outproduce Walker. They just have to play to their averages.

But this is typical Nellie. Shawn has two great games, Fortson has a great game on Friday. Yet, somehow it's the centers that aren't producing enough. Let's stick Walker out there instead.

Oh and by the way, Dirk, go stand down by the basket and wait for the opponents to start sprinting to the rim again.

[OutletPass]

Nellie is absolutely insane...just insane.

[MavsFanFinley]

I know Dude. When I found this I was so sure I'd be reading about Bradley and/or Howard being in the starting lineup. First thing I saw was Finley at small forward and just skimmed the rest.

I love Daniels, but has he really earned a starting spot on this team? No.

[MavsFanatik33]

Originally posted by: MavsFanFinley
I love Daniels, but has he really earned a starting spot on this team? No.

You bet he has, not over Finley; but he has definately played just as well as anyone else. 31 points last night whe Finley is injured? Thats' ridiculous for anybody, especially an undrafted rookie......

[MavsFanFinley]

You bet he has, not over Finley; but he has definately played just as well as anyone else. 31 points last night whe Finley is injured? Thats' ridiculous for anybody, especially an undrafted rookie......

I love the rookie, but he hasn't earned a starting spot yet. Especially when it places two players out of position. Walker at center and Finley at small forward does not address the gaps.

If Nelson wants to experiment and put Walker at center, then one of our small forwards MUST start.

[dude1394]

So he goes back to what he loves, small ball. And he's saying that the "problem" is our lack of someone to cover a small forward!!!!! What the heck was AJ but a small forward. good grief...

[FreshJive]

The four centers of late - Scott Williams, Shawn Bradley, Eduardo Najera and Danny Fortson - have had their moments but not enough to warrant consistent minutes.

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[Max Power]

Originally posted by: FreshJive

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I agree with you on this. It seems like at least ONE of the centers has an effective night every game. Last game both Bradley and Fortson were having great games and now they get rewarded by seeing WALKER at center?

Frigging insane.

[FreshJive]

Originally posted by: Max Power

I agree with you on this. It seems like at least ONE of the centers has an effective night every game. Last game both Bradley and Fortson were having great games and now they get rewarded by seeing WALKER at center?

Frigging insane.

Garcia ought to have wrote: Walker has had his moments, but not enough to start at center. The title ought to have been Nellie Gambling on small ball again?

My latest hope is that Nellie is trying to motivate Walker one last time before he benches him for the playoffs.

[MightyToine]

Originally posted by: FreshJive

Garcia ought to have wrote: Walker has had his moments, but not enough to start at center. The title ought to have been Nellie Gambling on small ball again?

My latest hope is that Nellie is trying to motivate Walker one last time before he benches him for the playoffs.

IF *this* doesn't work to motivate AW, then NOTHING Will....

[MavKikiNYC]

"When things aren't going well, it's natural to look for answers," Cuban said. "I don't have any problems with my relationship with Nellie at all. I still have confidence we are going to turn it around. When I look around the West, I only see two teams playing at the top of their game - the Lakers and Grizzlies. Everyone else is still working to get to the top of their game.

"I hate to lose, and so does everyone on this team, and I know everyone is focused on getting where we need to be. Ten games is a long time, and a lot can happen."

<Punch mouth. Kick face. Karate chopt-to-larynx. Knee-to-groin. Head-butt. Bite ear off. Gouge eyes. Bend fingers backward. Twist nipples. >

Mark? Mark? Are you awake?

[Bookit]

FWIW, I think Nellie is seizing upon recent losses and Dirk's coming out of the closet to do a little power grab. He is taking back some "power" over the overall direction of the team from Cuban. My guess is that mark, being a knowledgeable basketball person (aren't we all/) said what most of us did. To succeed in the playoffs, Nellie, play more conventionally, get better rebounding, play a more conventional half court game. If we had gotten the right personnel in the offseason, say a healthy Mourning or Malone, maybe that would have worked out. But, with the off balance talent we added, what mark, I am speculating did, was basically try to have this team fit into a round hole when it was a square peg.

PUSH THE BALL. Almost all the time. The one thing that worries me about going back to the future and outscoring folks to win is the absence of three point shooters who can hit with enough frequency. For the rest of this season, I suspect that will decide this team's fate. If we can't get back to being at least a good three point shooting team, we can't have enough scoring pressure to win with PTTM. Maybe putting Dirk at PF and Walker at center will let him be rested enough to regain his outside touch? Maybe we can talk Steve Kerr out of retirement? Ha.



Richard, I think you have figured it out. Nellie will NEVER feel comfortable losing with a big linup on the floor. Never. He is going back to what has worked in the past for him. Up and down the court like a gazelle is what Nellie craves and the team will go back that direction starting today. Uhgg. I guess Nellie already forgot that the game slows down in the playoffs and a half court game and defense usually wins.

Come to think of it, has Nellie ever had a good relationship with a center? Ever? I guess Paul Mokeski and Jack Sikma?(both outside shooters)

I have always believed that if Nellie really had a true center that he would move to a more conventional linup. I was wrong. It will never happen. Detroit goes and gets Ben Wallace who can't shoot and make free throws. Nellie goes after Wang Zhu Zhu.

But the one thing I can't understand is why Nellie likes Walker so much. I just don't get it. He can't shoot, make free throws, and turns the ball over and the worst times. He is the opposite of clutch. What is it about Walker?

[kg_veteran]

But, I read the thread and my ears and eyes began bleeding uncontrollably.

Same here, Murph.

Charlie Brown - Great post.

Poindexter - You make very legitimate points, but I refuse to give up on a season until the last bitter loss.

[Rhylan]

Originally posted by: BookitiBut the one thing I can't understand is why Nellie likes Walker so much. I just don't get it. He can't shoot, make free throws, and turns the ball over and the worst times. He is the opposite of clutch. What is it about Walker?

Walker is under 6'9 1/2", so he doesn't fall under the criteria necessary for Nellie to dislike him.

[kg_veteran]

Originally posted by: dude1394
So he goes back to what he loves, small ball. And he's saying that the "problem" is our lack of someone to cover a small forward!!!!! What the heck was AJ but a small forward. good grief...

Which begs the question -- if Jamison isn't a small forward, why did you acquire him in the first place? You told us in August (before the albatross known as Walker was thrown over the collective neck of the franchise) that Jamison was the small forward that would be paired with Dirk for years to come. Were you lying then or are you lying now?

Also, Underdog Ball may mutate, but it will never die with Nellie at the helm.

[mavsfanforever]

Nellie is blaming the centres again. We would have blown out last night if it was not for Bradley or Forston. Ofcourse Daniels played great and deserves to be in the starting lineup.

I cannot understand why Nellie cannot see the obvious:

BENCH WALKER
BENCH WALKER

[dude1394]

He's either:
- A chicken-****
- Believes the season is over anyway and wants to get as much for him as possible.

I'm banking on 1.

[dude1394]

So this would say that they will play man all game now since they can cover the 3 spot. what a load-of-crap.

[dude1394]

Right KG.. I would bet that we can find a whole bunch of quotes that proclaims the mavs have now found their sf in AJ. This team is losing credibility by the minute. He wants to be seattle.

[kg_veteran]

Originally posted by: dude1394
Right KG.. I would bet that we can find a whole bunch of quotes that proclaims the mavs have now found their sf in AJ. This team is losing credibility by the minute. He wants to be seattle.

Here's one from Nellie I dug up:

"Jamison can play small forward and also play the big forward, the same as Dirk can," Nelson said. "I know one thing: We'll be a hard cover at the forward positions, that's for sure."

[kg_veteran]

I guess what he meant to say was, "We'll have a hard time covering anybody at the forward position."

[dude1394]

I have to wonder how long the big 3 will "buy" into what nellie is selling if this is his "answer". You know when you talk to highly motivated people the one thing they cannot stand is management that will NOT demote or promote based on merit. Continuing to coddle walker is going to be a disaster.

[kg_veteran]

Just emailed Cuban again:

Mark,

I'm dumbfounded. Shawn Bradley plays two great games in a row and is a big reason that the Mavs were in either game, yet Nellie tells Art Garcia he's going to "shake things up" by putting Fin back at SF and starting Daniels? How is that "shaking things up"? That's just sticking his head in the sand and going with the same failed strategy that hasn't worked all year! It's as if he can't make the basic "cause and effect" connection here.

Dirk is not a center. He's not equipped to guard the rim or be the last line of defense. It'd be one thing if there were no better alternatives. But there are. As I mentioned to you in an email earlier this week, Nellie simply refuses to go with and/or stick with the most obvious change that could help:

Play Shawn Bradley.

Walker is posting 9.5 ppg and 7.2 rpg on 39% shooting in the month of March. He's getting WORSE as the season goes along. How Nellie can think he's the answer to any question other than, "Who's the first guy we should trade in the offseason?" is beyond me.

[Mavs Rule]

Nellie doesn't want the headache that he would have to face if he benched Walker. Also since Nellie believes he will be on his way out of town after the first round, he may as well make it as easy on himself as he can.

[grndmstr_c]

C's silver linings (because any further depression about this team could be detrimental to my health):

1) maybe the perimeter defense will pick up a bit.
2) Walker's been a liability at starting SF, and he will apparently not be starting at SF anymore.
3) It will be harder for the opposing team to cover Dirk with their SF.
4) As much as most of us want Walker benched, it would be unwise to discount the possibility that such a move _could_ do more harm than good. The worst that could happen with the move that Nellie has chosen to make is that the status quo is maintained (which would, admittedly, still be pretty $#!tty).

[dude1394]

I don't believe that nelson is scared of anything. Stupid it seems so, but not scared.

[ddh33]

This is hard to figure out.

I have only one theory. Let's hope it's true...

Maybe Nellie is trying to maintain Walker's trade value for this summer. If he gets benched (like he needs to), his value goes down and every NBA team automatically assumes that Walker is a cancer and THE reason this team has taken a step back.

Now, all of those things might be true. Some teams might assume that anyway.

But to bench Walker like that and let him look like the scapegoat kills what little value he has.

Like I said, let's just hope that this is true. I do believe Nellie realizes Walker has been hurting this team, thus the limited minutes. Maybe he's thinking more longterm than he is being credited for. Kind of ironic though since he may not be around longterm...

[FreshJive]

4) As much as most of us want Walker benched, it would be unwise to discount the possibility that such a move _could_ do more harm than good

Yes, but as Nellie has stated he is at the end of his rope. Shouldn't benching Walker at least be an option sometime? Even if its the last?

[Charlie Brown]

Mav fans,

this is truly a low point in Mavericks history. following a day where I thought Nowitzki may finally make some strides in becoming a vocal leader and force Nellie's hand into benching Walker and playing Bradley more, instead the worst case scenario happens. Nellie is truly an idiot. I hate the guy so much that he singlehandedly has made me lose interest in my beloved Mavs. Why the hell are we going back to small ball???!!! This will kill us on both offensive and defensive ends. The negative impact on defense is obvious, but offensively, a starting Marquis Daniels who has now seen the green light will further take shots away from our best player in Dirk. Nelson is so freakin dumb. You don't produce more offense by simply adding more offense. You produce more offense by being more efficient. Why can't he get this through his thick skull? I wouldn't mind Daniels starting if Walker was benched but now the priority of touches will probably be Nash (naturally as the point guard), Walker, Daniels, Dirk, Fin. Goddammit I hate Nellie.

Honestly, if we have true blue fans here, we should all go to the Mavs games and start booing the starting lineup when they are called, especially when Walker's name is called, and starting holding up HUGE signs with "Start Bradley", "No more small ball", "Bench Walker", or whatever else will relay the message to the Mavs organization that Nelson is the biggest freakin idiot in the NBA. I can't believe I was actually a bigger Mavs fan during the Mike Izzolino-Donald Hodge days . . . these group of Mavs are overpaid, lazy, play like they're in a scrimmage, and poorly coached. I don't think Mavs fans truly understand how selfish and egotistical Nelson is. He so wants to be right about his small ball, point forward, offense mentality, and zone defense ideas that he'll stick to it no matter, even going to lengths to criticizing players (Bradley, Fortson) who actually give a damn and hustle out there.

I've only credited Nellie with giving us Dirk and Nash, but beyond that, I've hated him since the Golden State Run TMC (another all offense, no defense) days.

I think what Nick Van Exel meant to say was F*ck Nellie.

[dude1394]

Unfortunately he is now willing to throw donnie, cubes and the rest of the team under the bus to try and salvage walker and his grand rep.

I agree ddh33 that this is the only thing that makes sense but it's bs as well. He can just as easily have walker come off the bench, bust rear end against the second team and salvage both his team and walkers rep. If walker CANNOT do this for the team then he is a cancer and everyone will know it anyway. He didn't seem to have a problem with having AJ come off the bench and I don't think it's lowered his value that much. If nellie feels that it DOES lower his value that much then he's a mealy-mouth sob as he's been feeding that line to aj and nve.

[kg_veteran]

Originally posted by: dude1394
Unfortunately he is now willing to throw donnie, cubes and the rest of the team under the bus to try and salvage walker and his grand rep.

I agree ddh33 that this is the only thing that makes sense but it's bs as well. He can just as easily have walker come off the bench, bust rear end against the second team and salvage both his team and walkers rep. If walker CANNOT do this for the team then he is a cancer and everyone will know it anyway. He didn't seem to have a problem with having AJ come off the bench and I don't think it's lowered his value that much. If nellie feels that it DOES lower his value that much then he's a mealy-mouth sob as he's been feeding that line to aj and nve.

Exactly.

[FreshJive]

Walker's trade value got Raef a spare and a sorry draft pick. The only reason he has value next year is because of his expiring contract, not because he is a good player. I think what little rep he had before has already been destroyed.

[OutletPass]

Originally posted by DDH33:

Maybe Nellie is trying to maintain Walker's trade value for this summer. If he gets benched (like he needs to), his value goes down and every NBA team automatically assumes that Walker is a cancer and THE reason this team has taken a step back.

--And Chris Mills , who had a $6 mil contract and never played one damn minute for any team, was traded, as salary cap relief, how many times in ONE season ?

Answer: 3 Times without playing on damn minute on the floor for anyone.

[ddh33]

Originally posted by: OutletPass
Originally posted by DDH33:

--And Chris Mills , who had a $6 mil contract and never played one damn minute for any team, was traded, as salary cap relief, how many times in ONE season ?

Answer: 3 Times without playing on damn minute on the floor for anyone.

Yep...

I'm just trying hard to rationalize this.

Doesn't make the most sense, does it? I'm just hoping that there is something to this...

[MightyToine]

Oh my god....

May I, being the soon-to-be-MavsFan4Life(not the poster but the real thing), add my two cents?



When I first read the title of the article, I figured 'okay...Nellie is finally going to "experiment" by bringing Walker off the bench and starting Jamison or something like that..'

When I read that Walker would still start, I was a bit taken aback....

When I read that Walker would start at Center......I was like "HUH??"


NELLIE....What are you thinking?? (besides Maui....)

Oh wait....YOU *AREN'T* THINKING, ARE YOU???


I still like the "Person" that is Antoine BUT I think Nellie's Man-Love for the Point-Forward Idea(not Walker) is really DESTROYING this team. He may not use the Point-forward thing anymore but he is still of the mindset that Walker must start.....And THAT is a big mistake.


Oh well....Should be "interesting" to see what happens tomorrow(or tonight as it is currently 2 am here in the Lovely CESSPOOL OF SCUM Named New Jersey)....


And I'm sure the ABC Crew of Dumbfuks will be talking about Dallas....No defense...blah..blah...Walker....controversy...bla h..blah....Dirk....talk.....blah..blah....

I wish there was this talk :


Nellie.....Fired.....Blah..blah..... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[samoan-maverick]

Chemistry........Basically its all about Chemistry.

Don Nelson screwed up when he started switching the line-ups when ever he had a "feeling" that it might work. I have'nt seen someone switch the line-up so much because he has no confidence in that line-up, besides the Los Angeles Lakers(due to injuries). He is the only coach who makes his line-up 5 minutes before tip-off. If he would of ran the "Fantasy Line-up" every time, I bet we would'nt be doing this horrible. I bet my line-up will work more than his.....

PG-Nash
SG-Dirk
SF-Fortson
PF-Williams
C-Bradley

We run a zone the whole time their on the court and we should be up. Bring in Jamison and Finley for some more offense and when the 3 headed center gets tired bring back Dirk, along with Howard and Daniels. Then repeat. Don Nelson U.......SUCK!!!! so do you Walker.