GDT: game 55 - Spurs (11-43) at Mavs (31-23) 7:30

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

I really don't like living in the past. I know it's for giggles, but I do think the FO often tries to emulate what we had way back when. Hopefully that changes now that Cuban isn't in charge.

I want them to win it all in a new and different way. And I really want them to win it all with prime defense and rebounding. So far, so good.

Are you sure the FO actually does that, and it's not just us fans connecting mental dots?

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

Are you sure the FO actually does that, and it's not just us fans connecting mental dots?

Comparing the players is fans. But the FO brought back Kidd to coach and have Tyson as a player development coach. Dirk is an "advisor". Maybe its not that much of a stretch.

How far are we really, from having Brian Cardinal as an actual custodian and Deshawn Stevenson working in a custom t shirt booth?

[DevinHarriswillstart]

It's interesting that PJ was a +19 this game. And someone posted the defensive stats on X where the team is drastically better at defense with him on the court.

I'm still deer in headlights about it. Like, I seriously never thought we'd get guys that actually helped what we needed.

And if PJ starts nailing shots, then it's basically game over.

[dirt_dobber]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

It's interesting that PJ was a +19 this game. And someone posted the defensive stats on X where the team is drastically better at defense with him on the court.

I'm still deer in headlights about it. Like, I seriously never thought we'd get guys that actually helped what we needed.

And if PJ starts nailing shots, then it's basically game over.

Agree. Only remaining question mark is Coach Kidd.
I feel like some of his coaching "impact" is offset by the high BBall IQ of Irving and Luka.
I am very impressed by our roster and excited for the next few years. It really looks like
a complete overhaul of where we were just a year ago.
So glad we will only see Powell for 3 minutes here and there and Maxi playing at his better position of PF and also only for 3 min spurts as well.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Comparing the players is fans. But the FO brought back Kidd to coach and have Tyson as a player development coach. Dirk is an "advisor". Maybe its not that much of a stretch.

How far are we really, from having Brian Cardinal as an actual custodian and Deshawn Stevenson working in a custom t shirt booth?

It's not far fetched...maybe they're finally realizing the only defensive dominant Mavs team in the Cuban era with legit sized defensive-oriented centers got them a championship.

Luka/Kyrie as an offensive duo are far better than Dirk/JET so surrounding them with defensive studs makes a lot of sense to me.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by saclare

Agree with those first two

Luka is more just Kidd/Dirk and maybe some Brewer in him but Marion is tough to compare to lol

Kyrie is Kidd/Jet/Barea and more

Washington, Green, and DJJ are a mix of Marion/Stevenson

THJ is a discount Peja/Jet mix

Hardy is Jet in the making

Maxi is Cardinal

Powell close to what Mahinmi provided

Exum is on his way to being the Caron Butler of this team

I see Hardy as Roddy B. and Morris as Cardinal.
We are a Marion away from from being top tier imo.

[saclare]

Originally Posted by rimrocker

I see Hardy as Roddy B. and Morris as Cardinal.
We are a Marion away from from being top tier imo.

I thought about Roddy but then thought again about impact. I think Hardy has been closer to Jet than Roddy for that particular year. Either one kinda fits, though.

I gotta say I was going more for the white on white comparison haha but amount of PT says Morris. But Cardinal's younger game is essentially Maxi

[Scoobay]

Originally Posted by saclare

I thought about Roddy but then thought again about impact. I think Hardy has been closer to Jet than Roddy for that particular year. Either one kinda fits, though.

I gotta say I was going more for the white on white comparison haha but amount of PT says Morris. But Cardinal's younger game is essentially Maxi

let's not undersell Maxi... they're both bigs that can shoot the 3. they're both white?

Maxi when on is an above average defender and shot blocker. Cardinal i remember since college days and in terms of defense the best i could say about him is scrappy and annoying and the type to try to get under your skin or draw a charge but not by any means a good defender and definitely not a shot blocker.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by Scoobay

let's not undersell Maxi... they're both bigs that can shoot the 3. they're both white?

Maxi when on is an above average defender and shot blocker. Cardinal i remember since college days and in terms of defense the best i could say about him is scrappy and annoying and the type to try to get under your skin or draw a charge but not by any means a good defender and definitely not a shot blocker.

Back in the day there were players labeled as "Garbage Men".
Those were the blue collar guys who did the dirty work and rarely scored but seemed to have a critical role.

Kurt Rambis was the ultimate "Garbage Man".
AC Green and Popeye Jones were those types of players as well.

Cardinal to me was one of the last of those type of players.
I'm not sure Maxi fits that label because those are becoming, or have become extinct.

[saclare]

Originally Posted by Scoobay

let's not undersell Maxi... they're both bigs that can shoot the 3. they're both white?

Maxi when on is an above average defender and shot blocker. Cardinal i remember since college days and in terms of defense the best i could say about him is scrappy and annoying and the type to try to get under your skin or draw a charge but not by any means a good defender and definitely not a shot blocker.

It's a joke and meant to make fun of the lazy "analysts" -- us Mavs fans have certainly had to endure as much through Dirk and now Luka.

[saclare]

Originally Posted by rimrocker

Back in the day there were players labeled as "Garbage Men".
Those were the blue collar guys who did the dirty work and rarely scored but seemed to have a critical role.

Kurt Rambis was the ultimate "Garbage Man".
AC Green and Popeye Jones were those types of players as well.

Cardinal to me was one of the last of those type of players.
I'm not sure Maxi fits that label because those are becoming, or have become extinct.

Exactly, I think Maxi is the new age role as they're asked to do a bit more. And Scoobay is right, it probably undersells Maxi a bit but we are comparing two rosters a decade apart, not gonna be perfect lol

[dirt_dobber]

favorite Brian Cardinal story of all time...
During the Mavs 2011 vs Heat series -
(from Sefko)
The story can now be told of exactly what happened at halftime of Game 6 during the 2011 NBA finals.

Brian Cardinal, the comic relief and official pulse-checker for the Mavericks during that season, had seen Dirk Nowitzki go 1-for-12 from the field in the first half of that game at Miami?s American Airlines Arena.

The Mavericks were up 3-2 in the series and actually led 53-51 at halftime despite Nowitzki?s pitiful performance through the first 24 minutes.

Halftime was Cardinal time, as he explained Tuesday night before the Mavericks? home finale against Phoenix, which served as a tribute to Nowitzki.

?I think the biggest thing I was trying to do is just break the ice,? Cardinal said. ?There was so much tension and frustration across the board. He was mad. We felt kind of good.

?But the biggest thing I think I said to him was that: I love it, you got them right where you want them. He was like, ?what the hell are you talking about??

?I said, you haven?t made a shot yet. And to get him to chuckle and call me nuts, to break it up a little, that?s what it was all about and what I was trying to do.?

Mavericks? coach Rick Carlisle remembered the scene, too.

?He had a really rough first half,? Carlisle said of Nowitzki. ?And Brian Cardinal stepped in and had some words of wisdom for Dirk at halftime.

?We were able to get Dirk the first shot of the second half and he hit it. And then he had a brilliant second half to bring home a championship. It was a brilliant example of a time when the goal was there, but there was going to be an obstacle. He had a lousy shooting half and he was able to erase all that stuff and kick ass in the second half. It was a beautiful moment.?

Cardinal was one of many friends of Nowitzki and fellow competitors through the years who were at Tuesday?s game. He also was reluctant to take any credit for the moment.

?We were just trying to screw around and it was the perfect moment to take a little edge off of him and hopefully help him relax a little,? said Cardinal, who now works with the Purdue athletic department. ?I guess it worked to the extent that he played a lot better and led us to a championship.?
Most people would agree that the ploy worked pretty well.