Mayo to Dallas!

[Kante]

Originally Posted by howdoesmydirktaste

Forgot to mention Collison-Jones = chemistry. They played together in a deep playoff run last year.

I think he just listed the "new" ones, else we could also write down Dirk-Wright, Dirk-Marion, Marion-Wright and the same with Roddy and Do. Jones.

[Erod]

Oh, goody. We have a series of 41-game-win seasons to look forward to.

[Simple_Like_That]

Originally Posted by tron#1

yeah being around basketball all my life and playing some college ball height is overrated. if you are 6-4(look at dwayne wade) you are tall enough to play very good defense and have your way on the offensive end. during draft it was stated he was 6-4 bare foot and 6-5 in game shoes.

The problem that OJ dont have the elite athleticism that Wade has and neither his freak wingspan... but unless he is guarding a Paul George or Joe Johnson type of guards.... he will have no problem...he learned a lot from TA and playing in a starting role you guys will a different type of OJ... I hope this year is his brakout year... and the 20-5-5 that someone post before is not a crazy line at all for OJ but he will demand the ball in his hands and a lot of shots to make those type of stats. Now that the offense is Dirk and the rest OJ will be fine here. He will be the 2nd option and will flourish as a Mavs.

[Underdog]

O.J. Mayo wants to become a point guard

DALLAS -- What if Delonte West doesn’t re-sign with the Mavericks?

The Mavs remain interested in bringing West back at the right price -- likely the “room” exception of a little more than $2.5 million -- but a team source says the guard has “lots of options.” West has made his desire to stay in Dallas clear, but he also wants a deal that provides as much financial security as possible.

If West isn’t in the mix, the Mavs will have a major question mark at point guard behind Darren Collison. They’ll have plenty of options, but none of them have proven they can be productive NBA point guards.

O.J. Mayo, who is expected to start at shooting guard, hopes to get a lot of the point guard minutes when Collison rests.

“It's going to take work,” Mayo said after signing his two-year contract that includes a player option for the second season. “Can I play the position John Stockton perfect? No. But I can get better at it. That's part of the reason why I wanted to get this contract out the way and get back in the gym and get to work.”

Mayo hasn’t played much point in the NBA, but he said he discussed the opportunity to develop at the position during recruiting dinners with coach Rick Carlisle in Las Vegas.

“He likes tall point guards and big guards, and he views me as that big guard for this team to help in the backcourt,” Mayo said. “And as a player who wants to become a point guard one day, that's what you like to hear. I believe he'll definitely set up the way for me to get better at that position and I'll go 100 percent to get it done.”

Mayo playing significant minutes at point guard might not be the ideal situation, but neither would be handing the keys to Rodrigue Beaubois, Dominique Jones or Jared Cunningham when Collison sits. If West moves on, Mayo might be the Mavs’ best option for a backup point guard.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/maver...-a-point-guard

[Simple_Like_That]

Originally Posted by Underdog

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/maver...-a-point-guard

I said it before... OJ want to be a point... and the best foir his career is to devolop as a pg. He is a combo... can play both but like Billips he should mold his game to move to the pg. By the way, OJ is by far more talented than Billips...but he is TO prone like Westbrook when he start to learn the position and he still has a lot work on his ball handling to play against the down D pressure he will face there.

He has to work a lot in his game...but if Carlisle be pacient with him he will pay off. Just like Brook, D Rose and others not true pg that are dominating the Nba now.

[roadrunner]

What is with this team trying to convert guards to point guards? Im not sure I like the idea that our backup pg is being handed over to the inexperienced Mayo, Dojo, or Cunningham...2 of which have not ever proven to be proficient in the NBA at that spot and the other a rookie altogether. Mayo would have the best shot at doing it since he has proven he can start in the NBA, but that is a big gamble. Im hoping they sign Delonte or bring in another proven vet via a trade that can play pg.

[Male30Dan]

I'll echo the obvious BG - great article and interview. Helluva job!

[tron#1]

Originally Posted by Simple_Like_That

The problem that OJ dont have the elite athleticism that Wade has and neither his freak wingspan... but unless he is guarding a Paul George or Joe Johnson type of guards.... he will have no problem...he learned a lot from TA and playing in a starting role you guys will a different type of OJ... I hope this year is his brakout year... and the 20-5-5 that someone post before is not a crazy line at all for OJ but he will demand the ball in his hands and a lot of shots to make those type of stats. Now that the offense is Dirk and the rest OJ will be fine here. He will be the 2nd option and will flourish as a Mavs.

i just believe he is a lot better on both sides of the ball than what has been shown. memphis did him a diservice(coach hollins). i think he has that quiet confidence/killer in him . he can be a leader he has swag and aggressivness. i like his all around game and believe he can be as effect as a starter as a michael redd and gilber arenas in their prime before injuries.

[tron#1]

Originally Posted by Simple_Like_That

I said it before... OJ want to be a point... and the best foir his career is to devolop as a pg. He is a combo... can play both but like Billips he should mold his game to move to the pg. By the way, OJ is by far more talented than Billips...but he is TO prone like Westbrook when he start to learn the position and he still has a lot work on his ball handling to play against the down D pressure he will face there.

He has to work a lot in his game...but if Carlisle be pacient with him he will pay off. Just like Brook, D Rose and others not true pg that are dominating the Nba now.

yeah i always said that was the difference between mayo and those guys. they were given the chance(and red light) to go out and play their game and learn on the fly. mayo didnt have that opportunity in memphis. sad but true coach hollins almost ruin this guys career.

[QSA]

Was there any formal conference and media photos in his new uni?

Also, what are some good radio shows for Mavs talk?

[sike]

I tend to think that if Mayo's got a big time player buried in him...that playing for Carlisle and alongside Dirk will help bring it out of him.

I have placed my complete basketball trust in RC and Dirk.

Originally Posted by tron#1

i just believe he is a lot better on both sides of the ball than what has been shown. memphis did him a diservice(coach hollins). i think he has that quiet confidence/killer in him . he can be a leader he has swag and aggressivness. i like his all around game and believe he can be as effect as a starter as a michael redd and gilber arenas in their prime before injuries.

[tron#1]

Originally Posted by sike

I tend to think that if Mayo's got a big time player buried in him...that playing for Carlisle and alongside Dirk will help bring it out of him.

I have placed my complete basketball trust in RC and Dirk.

well i watched 85% of memphis games last year(because of oj) and he has it. sportscenter only shows flashy plays but oj was so clutch last year(during regular season fell off after game 2 of first round of playoffs). like i said the way memphis operated wasnt a team way of playing most people(looking at you mike conley) wanted to get their numbers. thats the difference from mayo coming off the bench and say harden or terry. those guys teammates knew where to get them the ball and WHEN to get them the ball. mayo would be hot hit like two straight 3's and conley would come down and jack up a brick... just to try and get his(not doing what was best for te team). when terry was hot everyone knew feed him the ball and let him operate.

[dirt_dobber]

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was interviewed during Friday night’s NBA-TV broadcast of Dallas’ summer league victory over New Orleans.
http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/2012/...-changes.html/

Here is Cuban’s take on various topics, mostly related to the Mavericks’ roster overhaul this off-season.

On the acquisition of point guard Darren Collison and the signings of free agent center Chris Kaman and forward Elton Brand:

“You can’t replace Jason Kidd. There’s just no way. But at the same time, there’s going to be a lot of things we couldn’t do. You know, ‘J’ could take over a game defensively and he could help us get where we needed to go, but he was just a spot-up shooter. Now, we’ve got a lot of people who are going to force people to really defend us.

“(Kaman and Brand) takes a lot of pressure off of Dirk. ”Last year, you didn’t really have to defend our 5 position. You didn’t have to defend our point guard position. Now you’re going to have to defend all five, and that’s going to make life a little bit easier.”

The signing of guard O.J. Mayo:

“He can play. He knows how to impact a game. We were looking at players and one of the things Michael Finley, who’s now kind of an assistant assistant general manager, said, you want to get somebody that the other team has got to game plan for, that the other team is afraid of at the end of the game, that they can make something happen. We didn’t really have someone who could really just create off the dribble, who we could just give the ball. Jet was a great shooter, Jet did a lot of amazing things, but we needed somebody who could get a lot younger and do a lot of the same things and then some.”

The off-season, which began with the Mavericks falling short in their effort to sign free-agent Deron Williams:

“We knew with the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) that there was going to be a little bit of a rush early on, but then there were going to be a lot of really good players falling through the cracks. When there were, we were ready to pounce. And we think we put together a really nice team.

“We think we’ve positioned ourselves so that we have a young nucleus. We can keep these guys, let them jell and play together, build around Dirk and have room for hopefully someone to come or to trade or whatever happens.”

You can watch the interview on this link: 20120720_mark_cuban_intv.nba

[QSA]

When/where is the press conference?

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by QSA

When/where is the press conference?

Where? You gonna show up and start firing away with hard-hitting questions?

[iella]

Originally Posted by dirt_dobber

The signing of guard O.J. Mayo:

“He can play. He knows how to impact a game. We were looking at players and one of the things Michael Finley, who’s now kind of an assistant assistant general manager, said, you want to get somebody that the other team has got to game plan for, that the other team is afraid of at the end of the game, that they can make something happen.

This is interesting.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by iella

This is interesting.

It's great to hear. I'd love to see him ascend the managerial ranks with time (assuming he proves he has the chops).

[GermanStandard]

I think Mayo could be a great fit for the Mavs. He seems to be highly motivated to compete alongside Dirk and Marion etc.
If Carlisle gives him the right role he can easily drop 15 PPG like the JET but with more size and more drive.

[sike]

Originally Posted by GermanStandard

I think Mayo could be a great fit for the Mavs. He seems to be highly motivated to compete alongside Dirk and Marion etc.
If Carlisle gives him the right role he can easily drop 15 PPG like the JET but with more size and more drive.

Great 1st post! Rep +. Welcome!

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by GermanStandard

I think Mayo could be a great fit for the Mavs. He seems to be highly motivated to compete alongside Dirk and Marion etc.
If Carlisle gives him the right role he can easily drop 15 PPG like the JET but with more size and more drive.

Without looking like an idiot with his arms spread out acting like a jet.

[howdoesmydirktaste]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

Without looking like an idiot with his arms spread out acting like a jet.

Couldn't agree more. And had Terry not won a championship with the Mavs, we would be ripping him ten fold more. It's so cheesy. Not to mention that Kenny "The Jet" Smith already has that name.

[GermanStandard]

Originally Posted by sike

Great 1st post! Rep +. Welcome!

Thank you I wanted to join this Board earlier, but somehow you couldn't create an Account.

Im really pleased with Mayo. He may have a rough start but i think he will be fine and helpful for the Mavs. After the DWill Collapse the FO really made the best out of the Situation and got atleast Players that are willing to work to get better. Im not sure if Mayo should start or be sixth man. I would like to start him for the first games to see how he fits in this role.
Rotation should look something like this.

Collison / Roddy / OJ
OJ / (West) / Cunningham / DoJo
Marion / Crowder (was really good in Summer League) / D. Jones
Dirk / Brand / Wright
Kaman / Brand / Wright

Not sure if they sign James. Could be a solid Backup, but i cant see him getting Minutes behind Dirk, Brand, Kaman and Wright.

[saclare]

Originally Posted by GermanStandard

Thank you I wanted to join this Board earlier, but somehow you couldn't create an Account.

Im really pleased with Mayo. He may have a rough start but i think he will be fine and helpful for the Mavs. After the DWill Collapse the FO really made the best out of the Situation and got atleast Players that are willing to work to get better. Im not sure if Mayo should start or be sixth man. I would like to start him for the first games to see how he fits in this role.
Rotation should look something like this.

Collison / Roddy / OJ
OJ / (West) / Cunningham / DoJo
Marion / Crowder (was really good in Summer League) / D. Jones
Dirk / Brand / Wright
Kaman / Brand / Wright

Not sure if they sign James. Could be a solid Backup, but i cant see him getting Minutes behind Dirk, Brand, Kaman and Wright.

Left out VC. I think Mayo does start and VC takes over the 6th man role.

DC / Roddy / OJ / DoJo
OJ / VC / Dahntay / Cunningham
Marion / Crowder / VC / Dahntay
Dirk / Brand / Wright
Kaman / Brand / Wright

Obviously there is room for others. James, possibly West or another signing. Still going to be some roster shake-ups.

[Kidd Karma]

Mayo is a major pick up for us, he is thrust into the role as 2nd option. The guy has 4 years in the league, he knows what it was like to be a major recruit. In addition he's young enough to give you 35-40 quality minutes a night. The benching has probably made him hungry to show the league what he can do.

[QSA]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

Without looking like an idiot with his arms spread out acting like a jet.

No, but he does this 3 guns thing that annoys me.

[lilojmayo]

I Rather have OJ Mayo running PG than Collison,

[Kante]

Originally Posted by lilojmayo

I Rather have OJ Mayo running PG than Collison,

That's a surprise looking at your username.

[Henz0]

Huge OJ Mayo fan so i've been brought to this board..

I think he will excel in a pick & roll with Dirk. Cant wait to see it

[sike]

Originally Posted by Henz0

Huge OJ Mayo fan so i've been brought to this board..

I think he will excel in a pick & roll with Dirk. Cant wait to see it

Welcome aboard!

[CapitanObvious]

Don't you know? Mayo goes nicely with everything.

[lilojmayo]

Originally Posted by Kante

That's a surprise looking at your username.

not a fan of small backcourts. oj allows the mavs to be bigger if he is at pg

[tron#1]

im so excited you guys dont even know. i hope he drops 30 opening night against the lakers. like ive said before ive watched a LOT of oj basketball from high school up until now. "IMO" he has the it factor and will excel next year. no fear in his game. clutch! he isnt afraid of the big moment. ask any coachalive and thats one of the biggest things a player can have in his game.

[Simple_Like_That]

Originally Posted by Simple_Like_That

Can I give my simple scout on OJ...

OJ is a starter material, but he struggle to put it all together. He is a scorer that excel in the pick and roll situations. Oj need the ball in his hand to play the best he can scoring and also creating for the others. He is not a 3pt specialist and not the best catch and shoot player but he has a nice stroke... he is capable to get in fire and win a game for you, but he is also capable to get really cold (in those cases he must grow and realize that he should attack the basketball). The problem is that Oj don't have the quickest 1st step in the league, but even not being the best athlete he is able to drive and make some basket or draw some fouls. OJ is a clutch player and it's not afraid to take the last shot in a game... to tell the truth he likes that. Oj D improved a lot last year (give a lot of effort out there) and he is really good guarding guys around his size (but you can't count on him to guard 6'7'' Johnson type of guys), by the way he is also a good defender against pg, he only have problem against the quick ones like (Collison and Ty Lawson). But he was able to guard really well CP3, Parker and Westbrook in some of our playoff games...

After all the 4 years he spent I'm able to say, OJ is not Kobe or Lebron type of guy...but he woulbe be a beast if he could devolop into a pg... the better comparasion of what OJ should mold his game for me is C Billips... for OJ is just that. A combo guard who is capable to become a "Mister Big Shoot" 2.0.

The best roles for OJ in my opinion... I believe he can start at the 2, but against big guys like Johnson, George... he is in trouble. So for me, the best fit for OJ is play him as a sixthman or devolop him in the pg position... the problem with OJ in the pg is that he is TO prone (like Westbrook in the beginning of his career) he is a combo that should be molded into a pg.

I just watched a old game and find funny that I didn't compare Oj to him... I made this comparasion a time ago on Grizzlies boards and actually by the time I expressed that for me that was the best Oj comparasion... AI!

So now I have to add this to my previous post... I know that Oj is Oj and doesn't matter who I'm comparing him with but at the end of the they he is his on legacy, but he has that type of talent... I know I said different before but I just watched some old Oj games in his 1st 2 seasons and also the Philly vs Lakers game 1 and now I can say Oj is capable to put this kind of performance. Oj is a volume scorer... a scoring combo guard... he is more a 2 than a 1 right now, but I still believe he is capable to devolop that area too.

I just quoted my previous post because I want to bring this comparasion to update my high expectations about Oj this year with the Mavs... let this guy be a 2nd option and more important a volume shooter and he will win game for you guys... just one last thing I have to say... Oj is a good defender... like I said before he has trouble against guys 6'6" or taller but he played some nice D on Kobe a lot of times also. The Joe Johnson type of guys that are quite impossible for him to handle.

[mac222b]

Originally Posted by Simple_Like_That

I just watched a old game and find funny that I didn't compare Oj to him... I made this comparasion a time ago on Grizzlies boards and actually by the time I expressed that for me that was the best Oj comparasion... AI!

So now I have to add this to my previous post... I know that Oj is Oj and doesn't matter who I'm comparing him with but at the end of the they he is his on legacy, but he has that type of talent... I know I said different before but I just watched some old Oj games in his 1st 2 seasons and also the Philly vs Lakers game 1 and now I can say Oj is capable to put this kind of performance. Oj is a volume scorer... a scoring combo guard... he is more a 2 than a 1 right now, but I still believe he is capable to devolop that area too.

I just quoted my previous post because I want to bring this comparasion to update my high expectations about Oj this year with the Mavs... let this guy be a 2nd option and more important a volume shooter and he will win game for you guys... just one last thing I have to say... Oj is a good defender... like I said before he has trouble against guys 6'6" or taller but he played some nice D on Kobe a lot of times also. The Joe Johnson type of guys that are quite impossible for him to handle.

i can see the Billups comparison but not AI. OJ is sort of a tweener/combo guard type. Billups at least to my memory was always a better ball handler and more of a natural point than OJ, even in his early years in the league. He also developed a pretty good post-up game to punish smaller defenders. OJ is a better athlete and hopefully he'll continue to add little things to refine his game each off season.

Not sure whether or not MAyo has the requisite "feel" for the game to ever be a true point. Similar to the situation with Roddy- you can screw up a players mojo by forcing them into a role they aren't suited for and stunt their
natural gifts.

I do like Mayo's versatilty, esp. on the defensive end where he can guard PG's and smaller SG's. Carlisle covets lineup flexibilty so we may see a bit of Mayo at PG. But i have a feeling it'll be mostly Collison, West and a dash of Roddy.

[lilojmayo]

Originally Posted by mac222b

i can see the Billups comparison but not AI. OJ is sort of a tweener/combo guard type. Billups at least to my memory was always a better ball handler and more of a natural point than OJ, even in his early years in the league. He also developed a pretty good post-up game to punish smaller defenders. OJ is a better athlete and hopefully he'll continue to add little things to refine his game each off season.

Not sure whether or not MAyo has the requisite "feel" for the game to ever be a true point. Similar to the situation with Roddy- you can screw up a players mojo by forcing them into a role they aren't suited for and stunt their
natural gifts.

I do like Mayo's versatilty, esp. on the defensive end where he can guard PG's and smaller SG's. Carlisle covets lineup flexibilty so we may see a bit of Mayo at PG. But i have a feeling it'll be mostly Collison, West and a dash of Roddy.

The thing about the Juice Mayo vs Chauncey Billups comparison. Is Juice doesn't have the Billups ball handling ability in terms of taking care of the basketball. Billups at PG, due took care of the rock and limited his turnovers.

Juice you give him a little pressure like Eric Bledsoe did in the playoffs he turning the rock over like no other as a PG. He really needs to protect and take care of the ball better


With all that being said Billups neverr had the basketall talent Juice Mayo. Mayo could be a top 3 SG this year, if he explodes.

[tron#1]

Originally Posted by lilojmayo

The thing about the Juice Mayo vs Chauncey Billups comparison. Is Juice doesn't have the Billups ball handling ability in terms of taking care of the basketball. Billups at PG, due took care of the rock and limited his turnovers.

Juice you give him a little pressure like Eric Bledsoe did in the playoffs he turning the rock over like no other as a PG. He really needs to protect and take care of the ball better


With all that being said Billups neverr had the basketall talent Juice Mayo. Mayo could be a top 3 SG this year, if he explodes.

totally agree! im expecting BIG things from Mayo this year. i just believe he has the talent. like ive said IMO he has elite level shooting for a guard... thin gilbert arenas micheal reed in their prime. it wouldnt surprise me if he exploded and average between 20-25ppg this season.

[SMC0007]

Pahaha. I'd be happy if he produced what Jet did. Surprised if he gave us more. 20-25 is crazy.

[tron#1]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Pahaha. I'd be happy if he produced what Jet did. Surprised if he gave us more. 20-25 is crazy.

not even a little bit. if he starts and coach gives him true 2nd scoring option behind dirk i put money he will average 20. 25 is on the high side. like i said he has ELITE level shooting. both michael redd and gilbert arenas averaged that in their prime(obviously they were number 1 options) but they did this without the crazy athleticism some believe you have to possess to be elite 2 guard in this league.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by tron#1

not even a little bit. if he starts and coach gives him true 2nd scoring option behind dirk i put money he will average 20. 25 is on the high side. like i said he has ELITE level shooting. both michael redd and gilbert arenas averaged that in their prime(obviously they were number 1 options) but they did this without the crazy athleticism some believe you have to possess to be elite 2 guard in this league.

I'll take that money! 20 is a long shot with this team with Dirk , Kaman, Collison. 25 is laughable.

[lilojmayo]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

I'll take that money! 20 is a long shot with this team with Dirk , Kaman, Collison. 25 is laughable.

Never bet against OJ Mayo