Enough with the preseason

[mcsluggo]

A week from today your Mavs open the season hosting my Kings.

(the preseason game between the two teams is meaningless)



Who is gonna win this game? Who is gonna be better overall? why?

Both teams are going to limp into the season this year. I know y'all are missing Dainiels and prob Finley (anyone else significant?) Kings will be missing Christie and Ostertag, and Courtney Alexander, who I had penciled in to back-up Christie, is out as well. Webber's status is unclear, he's missed games here and there throughout the preseason, bt then he has looked much more mobile than he did last year when hes been in. Webber and Peja supposedly are in each other's shithouse, and Vlade isn't there to smooth things over any more.

For the first time in a while, depth is a real problem for the King's. Whoever they have after the top 8 is going to be a real question. Dallas on the other hand seems to be three deep at every position.



My questions/criticisms of the Mavs:

You're gonna miss little stevie bad hair more than most of you seem willing to admit, at least early on. He really was the computer that was at the hreart of your system. You have so many potential scorers, but I don't know who is going to be the fulcrum of it all. Almost every shot that any one but Dirk takes is a minus for your team, but nash was the one that got him the ball where and when he needed it. Is Terry a gunner? will he be able to keep the other dogs happy?

I hate stackhouse. It seems like every team he leaves miraculously gets much better simply by his subtraction. I think he is going to fill the role that (in my opinion) NVE used to admirably hold for the MAVS, keeping the team down. Lets keep an eye on the Wiz, and see what they do this year.

Too much of a logjam. Other than Dirk, too many of Dallas' players are just about on par with each other. When you are sitting behind MJ or Shaq, its hard for even talented players to gripe too much about minutes they think they "earned". When you have 10 players that are all about as good as each other... well we'll see. Obviously Depth is a huge asset in many regards, so we'll see which effect dominates in the end.

Dampier: I'm not convinced. He is a step up, no matter what. But lets see what he does this year. I used to live in No-Cal, and he always struck me as a chump. The most irritating kind of chump: the kind that gives you periodic glimpses of "what could be", but that is all. Frustrating periodic glimpses, as he habitually underperforms. I think of Derick Coleman and Billy Owens.

Finally: Defense. The Mavs have players that can D now. But it takes more. Will Nellie ever give more than lip-service to D?



Anyway, Fire away.
I'd like answers. Or denials. Or counterattacks at the King's glaring weaknesses. Or glaring Mavs holes that I missed. Or obvious mav super-powers that I ignored. Whatever.


(Oh yeah, the game. I think both teams are going to sputter and cough into the season this year. So this game will be decided by whichever team is less awful. The monumental: Clash Of The Weenies.)
(but being the homer I am, I say Kings by 2 in a sloppy pathetic game. Both teams are under .500 after 5 games)