Mark: Players who don't give effort will be gone next season

[alby]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Effort! Sure we don't have the talent to win it all probably, but there have been games where the entire team plays together like they want it and have to have it and I said well wait a second, if somehow they could bottle this for the playoffs sure we could win it all. Problem is effort, we don't see the defense from our key guys, we don't see enough of the little things, it's like they leave that for our role players.

To somewhat go along with what you wrote, here's a Rick Carlisle quote after the other night's humiliating loss to the Thunder's backups:

"I just thought that the first three quarters were just a pitiful display for a team that has aspirations to be in the playoffs and try to move up in the standings. We've seen this before, too many times.
"We (mess) around for two to three quarters and then we want Jason Kidd to bail us out with steals and hustle plays and fast-break opportunities. It's just too much to ask.''

It must suck for Kidd knowing that he's the only one playing defense. I mean, he can't defend 5 guys at once.

[Zki41]

Originally Posted by Stranger

It seems to me like he can't admit that he and Donnie have made some major mistakes in assembling the team, so he has to blame the players' effort.

The effort that they showcased against Oklahoma City?

[alby]

So I've been laying low the last few days, just reading some of the posts, and the replies in this thread are just more examples of why it's tiring being a member here... too much knee-jerking to deal with =]

This is the disheartening thing about "fandom". People are always only sitting at the far extremes when it comes to the Mavericks, which is similar to our political system here in this country, and don't get me wrong I'm guilty of this too so please don't take this offensively, I'm not trying to call anyone out. People either hate how so and so is playing or they love what the owner is doing or whatever the case may be, but there is never any middle ground. The truth of the matter is, the owner just proposed a stipulation to his players because he thinks it would help improve the product that he and and his paying customers are currently seeing out there on the basketball court. Of course, most of everything that was said can be deemed as just merely smoke and fire, but what can the owner do at this point? He's unhappy just like the rest of us and he's trying to fire up his team. We know Mark would never cut a guy like Dirk Nowitzki and the reasons there are obvious, but I'm sure this statement woke up guys like Devean George, Antoine Wright, Gerald Green, Shawne Wright, Matt Carroll, Brandon Bass, Erick Dampier, JJ Barea, and even Josh Howard when they got up this morning. Most of them will now have a little notion in their heads reminding them that if they don't dive for this ball, then maybe they won't look like their giving full effort, and if it doesn't look like their giving full effort then there "might" be repercussions. That little ounce of fear can go a long way. This was what made Bill Parcells and Bill Bellicek so great, even when they had their 53-man roster set, they would still bring in guys every single week during the year to try out for spots that were already taken by curren members of the team. Parcells knew that he wasn't truly going to find anyone, but he just wanted to scare the crap out of the players that were already a part of the squad because it would keep them on their toes.

Our team, ultimately, is lacking athleticism. Most of this blame can be put on the rise and fall of Josh Howard as a basketball player in the NBA. If you don't understand my disappointment with him, I suggest you find a tape of a Mavericks' game from 4 years ago and watch how differently Josh Howard is moving around the court. To put it simply, he is a completely different player; the way he defends, the way he runs the break, etc. This is one of the reasons why James Singleton has done so well recently, he's just faster than the other people and he actually runs the court. He has a high energy level so he doesn't mind making a dive cut to the rim when Dirk is being doubled or there's a pick and roll on the strong side of the floor (something Josh used to do). Our player movement on offense is horrendous, it's like watching a pick up game at the local gym to be honest with you; and not until that is fixed will Dirk have to work less to get off his shot.

I really thought Antoine Wright was more athletic than he has shown this year. I was really pulling for this guy heading into the year because I've watched him since college and I know what he can do with the basketball and the way he defends. However, is it me or can he not finish at the rim; it seems like he has no lift on his layup attempts and he's trying to make the shots more difficult than they should be by shooting them at weird angles. He just needs to learn how to go into the defender like Barea, draw the contact, and kiss it off the glass. Maybe he doesn't have the body control that I thought he did but he's been very inconsistent this year for us.

Did Dirk forget how to drive it to the hoop? He's always settled a little with his jumper, mainly because he's so good at shooting the basketball, but he's been doing it with more frequency this year than any other year I can remember in the past. I just looked it up and his 6.5 free throws attempts per game is the lowest its been in 5 years, and his 19.7 field goals attempts per game is the highest in his career. So, he's not as efficient as we've been accustomed to this season. I think a part of that is due to the refs not calling as many fouls as they used to when Dirk pump fakes and gets the guy in the air drawing contact on his fadeaway, but a lot of that is Dirk not taking it hard to the rim as well. The refs usually reward the aggressor. And we all have already talked about the threes that he doesn't shoot anymore, so I won't get into that. I will say that in his heyday, he averaged close to 5 three pointers attempted a game and now it's a little under 2.

I'm just ranting at this point so I will spare you guys the pain soon. I will say that finishing as the #2 seed isn't that crazy to talk about IMO. March is a hell of a month, teams in the Western Conference play each other on a nightly basis so the standings will be moving around a lot. But, at the same time, we can end up as the #9 seed, and be on the outside looking in. So, let's hope for the best. We finished February with an 8-4 record (I thought we would go 9-3), and we are 1-1 in March so far with 14 games still left to go. We have home games against the Spurs, Wizards, Pistons, Warriors, and the Nuggets and road games against the Hornets, Suns, Blazers, Warriors, Lakers, Hawks, Pacers, Cavs, and Timberwolves. So, we control our own destiny since so much of our competition is against the teams that are in the playoff hunt as well. I will be more than happy with a 10-6 month, especially when there are other teams that have tougher March's than we do (Houston, Utah, and Portland especially).

Go Mavericks! They need our support now more than ever. Cheer up everyone, we're in a playoff race! This should be fun remember?

[TheMaverick]

Originally Posted by alby

So I've been laying low the last few days, just reading some of the posts, and the replies in this thread are just more examples of why it's tiring being a member here... too much knee-jerking to deal with =]

This is the disheartening thing about "fandom". People are always only sitting at the far extremes when it comes to the Mavericks, which is similar to our political system here in this country, and don't get me wrong I'm guilty of this too so please don't take this offensively, I'm not trying to call anyone out. People either hate how so and so is playing or they love what the owner is doing or whatever the case may be, but there is never any middle ground. The truth of the matter is, the owner just proposed a stipulation to his players because he thinks it would help improve the product that he and and his paying customers are currently seeing out there on the basketball court. Of course, most of everything that was said can be deemed as just merely smoke and fire, but what can the owner do at this point? He's unhappy just like the rest of us and he's trying to fire up his team. We know Mark would never cut a guy like Dirk Nowitzki and the reasons there are obvious, but I'm sure this statement woke up guys like Devean George, Antoine Wright, Gerald Green, Shawne Wright, Matt Carroll, Brandon Bass, Erick Dampier, JJ Barea, and even Josh Howard when they got up this morning. Most of them will now have a little notion in their heads reminding them that if they don't dive for this ball, then maybe they won't look like their giving full effort, and if it doesn't look like their giving full effort then there "might" be repercussions. That little ounce of fear can go a long way. This was what made Bill Parcells and Bill Bellicek so great, even when they had their 53-man roster set, they would still bring in guys every single week during the year to try out for spots that were already taken by curren members of the team. Parcells knew that he wasn't truly going to find anyone, but he just wanted to scare the crap out of the players that were already a part of the squad because it would keep them on their toes.

Our team, ultimately, is lacking athleticism. Most of this blame can be put on the rise and fall of Josh Howard as a basketball player in the NBA. If you don't understand my disappointment with him, I suggest you find a tape of a Mavericks' game from 4 years ago and watch how differently Josh Howard is moving around the court. To put it simply, he is a completely different player; the way he defends, the way he runs the break, etc. This is one of the reasons why James Singleton has done so well recently, he's just faster than the other people and he actually runs the court. He has a high energy level so he doesn't mind making a dive cut to the rim when Dirk is being doubled or there's a pick and roll on the strong side of the floor (something Josh used to do). Our player movement on offense is horrendous, it's like watching a pick up game at the local gym to be honest with you; and not until that is fixed will Dirk have to work less to get off his shot.

I really thought Antoine Wright was more athletic than he has shown this year. I was really pulling for this guy heading into the year because I've watched him since college and I know what he can do with the basketball and the way he defends. However, is it me or can he not finish at the rim; it seems like he has no lift on his layup attempts and he's trying to make the shots more difficult than they should be by shooting them at weird angles. He just needs to learn how to go into the defender like Barea, draw the contact, and kiss it off the glass. Maybe he doesn't have the body control that I thought he did but he's been very inconsistent this year for us.

Did Dirk forget how to drive it to the hoop? He's always settled a little with his jumper, mainly because he's so good at shooting the basketball, but he's been doing it with more frequency this year than any other year I can remember in the past. I just looked it up and his 6.5 free throws attempts per game is the lowest its been in 5 years, and his 19.7 field goals attempts per game is the highest in his career. So, he's not as efficient as we've been accustomed to this season. I think a part of that is due to the refs not calling as many fouls as they used to when Dirk pump fakes and gets the guy in the air drawing contact on his fadeaway, but a lot of that is Dirk not taking it hard to the rim as well. The refs usually reward the aggressor. And we all have already talked about the threes that he doesn't shoot anymore, so I won't get into that. I will say that in his heyday, he averaged close to 5 three pointers attempted a game and now it's a little under 2.

I'm just ranting at this point so I will spare you guys the pain soon. I will say that finishing as the #2 seed isn't that crazy to talk about IMO. March is a hell of a month, teams in the Western Conference play each other on a nightly basis so the standings will be moving around a lot. But, at the same time, we can end up as the #9 seed, and be on the outside looking in. So, let's hope for the best. We finished February with an 8-4 record (I thought we would go 9-3), and we are 1-1 in March so far with 14 games still left to go. We have home games against the Spurs, Wizards, Pistons, Warriors, and the Nuggets and road games against the Hornets, Suns, Blazers, Warriors, Lakers, Hawks, Pacers, Cavs, and Timberwolves. So, we control our own destiny since so much of our competition is against the teams that are in the playoff hunt as well. I will be more than happy with a 10-6 month, especially when there are other teams that have tougher March's than we do (Houston, Utah, and Portland especially).

Go Mavericks! They need our support now more than ever. Cheer up everyone, we're in a playoff race! This should be fun remember?

great post!
+rep

[ghazi]

Good stuff Alby, good stuff.

I too am amazed when I Youtube our beloved Josh from 3-4 years ago. The body movement from him was so much more... "aesthetically pleasing"... it's not even the same Josh, it really isn't.

Oh how I miss the days where beloved Josh was a knockdown 3-PT shooter, would draw charges, grab steals and blocks, and get easy points off layups and dunks.

Oh how I miss them!

[chumdawg]

Great post, alby. I wish I could rep you.

[Sportstudi]

Very good stuff Alby!
+ rep

[Thomas86]

Avery lit a fire under all these guys like Damp, Josh, Stack, Diop, Devin, Terry and even Dirk at times and now that fire is gone, Maybe getting rid of Avery was a bad idea?....I bet if Cuban called Avery and asked if he wanted his job back he would take it, The Mavs should just let Kidd walk after this season and sign a young quick PG because I'm sick of seeing Kidd getting burned by Paul, Parker ect

[Kidd Karma]

About time Cuban publicized this garbage....the way this team has played has been true garbage. It's inexcusable. I bet Cuban's been saying it all year, it's just one game......the Spurs, Celtics and Lakers never say that it's just one game. They fix the problem and nothing like that ever happens again.

[slowmo]

Josh now thinks he is on par with Dirk and he doesn't have to defend etc. all he has to do is make some shots in the first half and coast the rest of the way. I hate watching him after he takes a shot. He just turns and jogs back with a stupid look on his face instead of looking around to see where the ball is. It is like he just wants to get to his spot and then see what happens. Dirk makes me crazy on defense also. He stands 5-6 ft away from the other player and just puts his hand up. He does not try to get in their grill like everyone has been doing to him. On his pick and roll defense he runs up takes a half hearted swipe and then immediately turns around and runs back under the basket without even knowing where the ball is. For a 7 fter he also sucks for shot blocking. It has to be a very easy block for him to get one. He is our best offensive player but one of the worst defensive players. I think the other guys are feeding off that as well. Ericka is a total waste period. Too lumbering to be effective. If he needs prescription goggles to see the ball then get him some. He can't catch the ball worth spit. Even Kidd has pretty much stopped lobbing him balls because he always catches it (when he catches it) and then immediately droppes the ball down to his waist and then tries to go up with it and gets blocked! Or he shuffles his feet and gets called for traveling. He needs to get mean and just grabb the ball and stuff it and knock down anyone trying to oppose him like Shaq does. He is big enough to do it. The list goes on by player. This team really needs to be broken up and fresh players brought it that don't have the mindset of let someone else do the work etc. The problem is if we don't make the playoffs the whole teams value will be down and we won't get much for what we have. As it stands I highly doubt the mav's will make the playoffs. To much bad stuff ingrained in the team for them to get serious beyound a couple of the remaining games. Makes me sick to see them be that way. I dread watching them now instead of looking forward to watching them. I hate to see people hurt expecially myself! LOL

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by Kidd Karma

About time Cuban publicized this garbage....the way this team has played has been true garbage. It's inexcusable. I bet Cuban's been saying it all year, it's just one game......the Spurs, Celtics and Lakers never say that it's just one game. They fix the problem and nothing like that ever happens again.

The problem is that is HIS fault the team is in such pathetic shape. I understand that we're all unhappy with the way some particular players are performing, but good god, it really is incredible the way Cuban and Donnie ripped apart a team was so close to a championship. So naturally it pisses me off when he screws the pooch and then has the balls to blame it on the players. That's the kind of shit Avery used to pull, and it turned people against him. "This team has the talent to win in the playoffs..." What a f**king joke.

So I'm sorry, but nobody, especially not the owner, has the right to call foul now. Anyone with common basketball sense knew this team was going absolutely nowhere this season. Until Cuban makes a deal that actually improves the team (for once) he needs to keep his friggin mouth shut.

[spreedom]

Honestly, if this team was gelling and giving 100% night in and night out, they could VERY easily be a WCF team.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by spreedom

Honestly, if this team was gelling and giving 100% night in and night out, they could VERY easily be a WCF team.

I don't buy it. The team just isn't that good. As I've said many times before, all we've got is a nice pair of forwards, and that's it. We're weak in just about every other facet of the game. Utah, San Anontio, Phoenix (yes, Phoenix), Denver, and of course the Lakers are all better teams.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

The problem is that is HIS fault the team is in such pathetic shape. I understand that we're all unhappy with the way some particular players are performing, but good god, it really is incredible the way Cuban and Donnie ripped apart a team was so close to a championship. So naturally it pisses me off when he screws the pooch and then has the balls to blame it on the players. That's the kind of shit Avery used to pull, and it turned people against him. "This team has the talent to win in the playoffs..." What a f**king joke.

So I'm sorry, but nobody, especially not the owner, has the right to call foul now. Anyone with common basketball sense knew this team was going absolutely nowhere this season. Until Cuban makes a deal that actually improves the team (for once) he needs to keep his friggin mouth shut.

No sir, the last part here is just too much. The effort is NOT there from the players. Just because the talent is probably not as good as the very top teams DOES NOT mean they can't give it their all. Also definitely does not mean Cuban can't make the statements he did! I would have said it earlier, but still it's better late than never. You can look around to quite a few teams that aren't as good as we are but they will out work us and have outworked us, there are even teams that are as good as we are that won't win it all that outwork us.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

No sir, the last part here is just too much. The effort is NOT there from the players. Just because the talent is probably not as good as the very top teams DOES NOT mean they can't give it their all.

Not as good as the very top teams? That's a bit of an understatement isn't it? THEY FRIGGIN SUCK!

Also definitely does not mean Cuban can't make the statements he did! I would have said it earlier, but still it's better late than never. You can look around to quite a few teams that aren't as good as we are but they will out work us and have outworked us, there are even teams that are as good as we are that won't win it all that outwork us.

When it's HIS FAULT that this team's championship window has closed, then yeah, I've got a problem with him calling out the team.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by spreedom

Honestly, if this team was gelling and giving 100% night in and night out, they could VERY easily be a WCF team.

Effort is the number one flaw right now but don't kid yourself over the WCF. The team is flat out not talented enough for that. Damp can't hold the 5 anymore so you're left with absolutely 0 inside production. The lane is wide open when he goes to the bench early and opposing bigs would kill us down-low as well. No way that will get you far in the playoffs. Second round, maybe if a little luck went our way (primarily who we play). WCF, no way.

Sorry for a little pessimism, but I'm trying to be as realistic as possible with the team's current standards.

[AxdemxO]

mavs will go all the way : )

Hhaha yee the team is having a tough time, good call by Cuban...Hes the owner he can call them out whenever he wants. People need to pick it up, should have traded Josh tho.

But now we are stuck with what we have and honestly if things stat flowing smoothly we can go far, but like Cuban said they need to pick it up and show the effort.

[destroy ALL]

its about time someone in the organization said something about the mavs to the mavs. i HIGHLY applaud what Cuban had to say! He's the bossman and he made some bold bossman statements.

[Dtownsfinest]

Originally Posted by TheMaverick

here are some of the comments to this Cuban article

Honest question, do you guys feel that the issue is one of effort? or one of talent?

Talent. I look at every team in the West and we're about where we should be if we're basing rankings on talent. Actually we belong in the 9th spot because the Suns have some of the most talent in the West. Sure a couple of years ago due to age we had probably the 3rd or 4th most talented team in the West. But that was when the Blazers were the Trailblazers, Phoenix made some key free agent signings and trades, Lakers drafted Bynum and traded for Gasol and New Orleans and Utah drafted the two best point guards in the league. While the Mavs were standing pat the rest of the West was building up talent.

[Dtownsfinest]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

No sir, the last part here is just too much. The effort is NOT there from the players. Just because the talent is probably not as good as the very top teams DOES NOT mean they can't give it their all. Also definitely does not mean Cuban can't make the statements he did! I would have said it earlier, but still it's better late than never. You can look around to quite a few teams that aren't as good as we are but they will out work us and have outworked us, there are even teams that are as good as we are that won't win it all that outwork us.

You can only blame effort so much. Kings don't give effort most nights but even if they did they'd still have 14 wins. Effort doesn't win you games. You need it to stay in the game but if this team gave effort 82 games this season they'd probably be 6th or 7th in the West right now. They'd have a few more wins but the majority of the losses this season have come from the the fact that the Mavs just aren't that good.

[Dtownsfinest]

Originally Posted by AxdemxO

mavs will go all the way : )

Hhaha yee the team is having a tough time, good call by Cuban...Hes the owner he can call them out whenever he wants. People need to pick it up, should have traded Josh tho.

But now we are stuck with what we have and honestly if things stat flowing smoothly we can go far, but like Cuban said they need to pick it up and show the effort.

Trade Josh for what?? What's the market for a guy we don't even want and who's MIA in the 4th quarter? Who wants that? I'd like to think a contender who can afford for Josh to be MIA like maybe the Spurs or the Suns but the teams with actual trade bait like the Blazers or some other young team won't waste time on Josh. I just think when it comes to Josh we're overrating his value. We can't get equal value for Josh so what's the point of trading him? I won't fault Cuban and Donnie for that. I'll fault them for a lot but I can't fault them for not making teams accept Josh. Not with his trade value.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

Not as good as the very top teams? That's a bit of an understatement isn't it? THEY FRIGGIN SUCK!


When it's HIS FAULT that this team's championship window has closed, then yeah, I've got a problem with him calling out the team.

Post #43 in this very thread is a good read!

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by Dtownsfinest

You can only blame effort so much. Kings don't give effort most nights but even if they did they'd still have 14 wins. Effort doesn't win you games. You need it to stay in the game but if this team gave effort 82 games this season they'd probably be 6th or 7th in the West right now. They'd have a few more wins but the majority of the losses this season have come from the the fact that the Mavs just aren't that good.

Bah, there's alot of assuming in this post. There were too many losses that have flat out been a result of WTF where was the effort and will to win, they should beat that team. How many times have you said "that was pathetic"? I can tell you that it wasn't because you thought we didn't have the talent to win, it was because you thought we had a chance to win or were expected to win.

I can't determine exactly where they should be or will end up because of the inconsistent play. The level they play at is IMO more of a reflection of their will and effort, not the talent. Again, I don't think they are with the top tier teams. I don't think they can win it all as currently constructed, but more games have been determined from lack of effort not lack of talent.

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by TheMaverick

Why do people include Josh when they are talking about JET/Kidd/Dirk

Why do people include Jet and Kidd when they're talking about Dirk?

[Dtownsfinest]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Bah, there's alot of assuming in this post. There were too many losses that have flat out been a result of WTF where was the effort and will to win, they should beat that team. How many times have you said "that was pathetic"? I can tell you that it wasn't because you thought we didn't have the talent to win, it was because you thought we had a chance to win or were expected to win.

I can't determine exactly where they should be or will end up because of the inconsistent play. The level they play at is IMO more of a reflection of their will and effort, not the talent. Again, I don't think they are with the top tier teams. I don't think they can win it all as currently constructed, but more games have been determined from lack of effort not lack of talent.

Well when you lose to teams like the Bucks and the Thunder i'd be willing to credit that to preparation and effort. But look at the losses to playoff teams this season. Lose to the Cavs by 19, lose to the Lakers by 7 points twice, loss to the Nuggets by 10, losses to the Spurs by 9 and 17, loss to the Jazz by 9, loss to the Celtics by 28, loss to the Suns by 28, loss to the Jazz by 28.......there's a trend going on here and its that the Mavs are simply losing to teams better than them by heavy margins. I think you can use the excuse of effort for some games this season but for a whole season? With a new coach? It just doesn't make sense.

[MX425]

Ok, I will agree that the front office has dropped the ball on drafting quality players, they simply cannot evaluate talent at that level. When it comes to building the team I think I can see where some of the problems came. I mean I remember honestly saying and thinking 3 yrs ago Josh was 2 years away from becoming Dallas primary star with Dirk playing to his strengths. honestly who saw bone-head lazy ass josh coming? I do recall some issues with his family during the Avery era and it seems to me kind of like Avery took some of the wind out of his sails.

But back to topic, Cuban can call out whoever he wants and I truthfully believe he will stick to this promise. Cuban is nothing if not a businessman and his business is entertainment. He knows fans dont go to fgames, watch games, buy shirts for a team they dont enojy supporting and noe can support a team that mails it in.

We will find a taker for josh. He has one year left and if he goes to a team and mails it in they can just let him walk.

Also, I am excited about tonights game, but for the first time in my Mavericks fan life I am scared of turing it on tonight. This really makes me sad.

[antoinewalker]

LOL, mark cuban is MAD!

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by MX425

I mean I remember honestly saying and thinking 3 yrs ago Josh was 2 years away from becoming Dallas primary star with Dirk playing to his strengths.

If you ever actually thought that, then you don't know much about the game. Josh is nowhere near the talent or skill that Dirk doesn't.

honestly who saw bone-head lazy ass josh coming? I do recall some issues with his family during the Avery era and it seems to me kind of like Avery took some of the wind out of his sails.

Actually, I wasn't very surprised. I never imagined that it would get as bad as it did, but I could see in early 07 that he was falling in love with the jumper and would shoot himself out of a good game routinely.

But back to topic, Cuban can call out whoever he wants and I truthfully believe he will stick to this promise. Cuban is nothing if not a businessman and his business is entertainment. He knows fans dont go to fgames, watch games, buy shirts for a team they dont enojy supporting and noe can support a team that mails it in.

Yeah, he can call out whoever he wants. Doesn't mean a damn thing to me. I wish someone could call his stupid ass out. When an owner makes a trade that ruins a franchise's title hopes, someone should be able to call him out.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Post #43 in this very thread is a good read!

It is a good post. Doesn't address my concerns though. Honestly, I'm not mad at anyone on the team for coasting. Why the hell shouldn't they? I mean, I don't think I have the right to get mad at them for giving upon the season when I gave up on it before it started.

[ghazi]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

It is a good post. Doesn't address my concerns though. Honestly, I'm not mad at anyone on the team for coasting. Why the hell shouldn't they? I mean, I don't think I have the right to get mad at them for giving upon the season when I gave up on it before it started.

They're gettin paid gettin laid!

[ghazi]

I remember Dirk after the 6th game of the year said something along the lines of "we're not good enough to coast through games".

In other words, we're just not good enough really. The effort comes and goes but do we give less effort than the typical NBA team? I wouldn't say so.

I see the Lakers coast all the time and get away with it. Why? Cause they're that damn good. They coast and coast and coast and then have a 5 minute stretch where they turn it on, pass the ball beautifully, score at will, defend tenaciously, etc. We've seen it many times this year, including twice against our beloved Mavs.

The Spurs don't "coast" I'd say, but they manage minutes and even went as far as to rest all their starters for the Denver game earlier this year. They're coasting to some extent, but get away with it because of their roster.

Coasting is a luxury the great teams have. If coasting costs you, if the Mavs are even coasting (still can't tell if it's mediocre basketball or lack of effort) then it means you're not a great team to begin with.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

It is a good post. Doesn't address my concerns though. Honestly, I'm not mad at anyone on the team for coasting. Why the hell shouldn't they? I mean, I don't think I have the right to get mad at them for giving upon the season when I gave up on it before it started.

Well I'm talking specifically about where he mentioned people basically being extreme. You're post I thought was along those lines, saying they friggen suck. I understand being upset with the team and get the frustration.

Why shouldn't the team coast? There are many ways to answer this, for one the get paid a lot of money to play and compete not do whatever the F they want. They can't just sulk because refs and other teams don't give them games because of who they are.

[Triple T's]

ive seen lesser talented teams make it with a couple star players and far less talent. What the team lacks in skill, they can make up with hustle and tenacity! Its a shame when the league now awards huge contracts for guys that specialize in doing the little things that the so called "talented guys" wont do. It's sickening. And the fact is that this team does have a shot to make some noise in the playoffs. Are they as talend as the teams above? No. But effort can most definetly close the talent gap

You think bringing in more players with change the situation? It's a culture a "lack of effort" that been the thing with the mavs for a few years now. They seem to think they have that "switch". And anyone you bring in is going to take that path of least resistence and then we will all be here talking about how the team didnt make a "better" deal. It starts from the top of your rotation on down. A 48 minute bag of cat claws and needle and if they are not conditioned enough for that haul, then what we believed to be a well conditioned team, apparently is not so.

It's all about defense; through and through. They need to bring that 4th quarter mentality on the team bus. Effort wise, it may start by changing the starting lineup. Damp is just a huge energy drain when he misses layups and dunks and gets his chippies blocked, and we know this teams defense is fueled by its offense; always has been the case. So maybe it'll take inserting green and singleton sooner than expected. But it'll also take a tremendous sense of pride in your work.

[MaVs 41 BaLler]

Why can't we just play those 5 min in the 4th quarter where we play so beautiful when we are down all the fkn time!

When they play they should picture a scenario of being down 10 and playing behind every single minute they play. Even if we are up by 20.

[Triple T's]

Originally Posted by MaVs 41 BaLler

Why can't we just play those 5 min in the 4th quarter where we play so beautiful when we are down all the fkn time!

When they play they should picture a scenario of being down 10 and playing behind every single minute they play. Even if we are up by 20.

down by 10? pretty much happens all the time

[Murphy3]

Cuban needs to call himself and little whistle out for so many poor decisions over the past few years... So, Josh is a dumb player when his head is in the game...but his head isn't even there a good part of the time? Didn't we already know that coming into the season? Haven't we known that for years?

[Dtownsfinest]

Originally Posted by Triple T's

ive seen lesser talented teams make it with a couple star players and far less talent. What the team lacks in skill, they can make up with hustle and tenacity! Its a shame when the league now awards huge contracts for guys that specialize in doing the little things that the so called "talented guys" wont do. It's sickening. And the fact is that this team does have a shot to make some noise in the playoffs. Are they as talend as the teams above? No. But effort can most definetly close the talent gap

You think bringing in more players with change the situation? It's a culture a "lack of effort" that been the thing with the mavs for a few years now. They seem to think they have that "switch". And anyone you bring in is going to take that path of least resistence and then we will all be here talking about how the team didnt make a "better" deal. It starts from the top of your rotation on down. A 48 minute bag of cat claws and needle and if they are not conditioned enough for that haul, then what we believed to be a well conditioned team, apparently is not so.

It's all about defense; through and through. They need to bring that 4th quarter mentality on the team bus. Effort wise, it may start by changing the starting lineup. Damp is just a huge energy drain when he misses layups and dunks and gets his chippies blocked, and we know this teams defense is fueled by its offense; always has been the case. So maybe it'll take inserting green and singleton sooner than expected. But it'll also take a tremendous sense of pride in your work.

Who are those lesser teams you've seen with a couple of star players and less talent? And a couple of star players is more than this team has. I see Dirk but aside from him there aren't any star players.

[Triple T's]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

Cuban needs to call himself and little whistle out for so many poor decisions over the past few years... So, Josh is a dumb player when his head is in the game...but his head isn't even there a good part of the time? Didn't we already know that coming into the season? Haven't we known that for years?

i wouldnt nessesarily call him dumb; but i would call him a classic "give up" player. Taking the easiest option most of the time. Then again, that explanation typifies the team as a whole with only a couple exceptions. This team doesnt have that workman attitude, and you cant say that it wasnt here because we had avery johnson. and now rick. This team has no "answer to" guy to hold everyone accountable out of the floor. Dirk's a lousy version of that persona.

Sounds similar??


(ahem ... cowboys ...)

[antoinewalker]

mark cuban has no one to blame but himself for making that moronic trade that brought in jason kidd for devin harris.

[spreedom]

We wouldn't be a single inch closer to the championship if we still had Devin... the guy simply wasn't a good fit here.