Free Agents

[Bayliss]

Many of yall are listing names.... but I'd love to put a pic with some of them or a profile.... could yall post some plase?

[MikeB]

Kelenna Azubuike
Eddie Basden
Keith Langford
Donell Taylor
Alan Anderson
Kennedy Winston
Chuck Hayes
Jawad Williams
Dwayne Jones
Randolph Morris

[V]

Kennedy Winston

A smooth and skilled athletic shooting guard who can score with the best of them. Winston has the type of game that looks tailor made for the NBA in terms of the moves he executes. Things that NBA rookies need to be taught or polished when they come into the league, like jab-steps, head and body fakes and triple threat scoring, have already been in his repertoire for a long time. Winston is a tremendously skilled player who makes very complicated moves look easy. He has solid athletic ability and is very fluid offensive player.

Winston has many tools he can go to to create space and get his shot off, and he uses them to score from all over the court.

He is a very tough player to guard because he can hurt you in so many different ways. His outside shot (48% for threes on the year) has become deadly this year and needs to be respected and even feared. He has a beautiful stroke now, with a quick release and does not need a lot of space to get his shot off. His improvement in all areas of shooting from his freshman to junior year speaks volumes about his work ethic. He went from shooting 37% from the field, 21% for three and 67% from the line as a freshman to 47% from the field, 48% for three and 77% from the line as a junior. What makes his numbers even more impressive is the fact that Winston doesn't take too many easy shots from a static, stand-still position. Many of them are of a high level of difficulty, off the dribble and/or fading away, but he still shoots an excellent percentage.

If Winston's man is guarding him too closely he will blow right by him with a very nice first step. Probably the best part of his game is his ball-handling skills. He dribbles the ball like it's attached to a string, and moves gorgeously with it in small areas to frustrate and confuse his man. He is very good at getting his man off balance, and his crossover dribble is deadly on the NCAA level. Alabama will regularly clear out the floor for him to take his man one on one, and Winston is very effective in this area. As mentioned above he has lots of moves he can go to, thanks to his outstanding footwork and how quickly he can change gears.

His mid-range game is solid as he likes to put the ball on the floor and elevate quickly for the pull-up jumpshot. He can also take the ball strong all the way to the hoop, slicing and spinning his way to the hoop, although (see weaknesses). Winston can also turn around quickly from the face up position and use his footwork to back his man down and score in the post

[dirno2000]

Randolph Morris


6'10 266 pounds
9 points
4 rebounds
1 block

Not that great but he was a high school All-American who only played one year at Kentucky. He shold have stayed in school but it couldn't hurt to take a chance on a big body.

[Bayliss]

Both of those guys sound pretty good to me. I like the shooting part of Winston. If Finley is cut it wouldn't surprise me if Dallas signs some like him who can fill it up from outside.

And Morris couldn't be any worse than DJ. And at least has played some college ball.

[grndmstr_c]

Edit - ah screw. it didn't look like the link was going to post.

Anyway, yahoo has a number of videos for draft prospects here:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/prospects

Winston and some others are there.

[dirno2000]

Matt Walsh


6'6 205 pounds
15 points
45 % from the field
43% from behind the line

Not extremly athletic, but he has good height and can shoot.

[V]

From DMN

An assortment of players who went undrafted could be on the Mavericks' radar to sign as free agents. The Mavericks hit a jackpot with Daniels, who went undrafted two years ago.

Less than an hour after the draft, the Mavs had signed Michael Harris from Rice and Rawle Marshall from Oakland (Mich.) University to their summer league team.

"There are no 'Marquis Daniels' promises, but we're hoping we can get a couple of guys into summer camp," Nelson said.

A few possibilities: Alabama's 6-6 Kennedy Winston, North Carolina's 6-9 Jawad Williams and Kansas' 6-4 Keith Langford, a North Crowley High alumnus.

[V]

Rawle Marshall

Marshall is an extremely long, lanky and athletic swingman from a small NCAA school who led his team into the NCAA tournament this year and gave his stock a tremendous boost in the process.

Physically, he has good size for the 2/3 position in the NBA at 6-7 and with a fantastic wingspan. He is a terrific athlete who possesses excellent quickness and body control and a very solid first step and vertical leap. In terms of raw tools, Marshall certainly fits the bill and has a big upside to improve.

Offensively, Marshall's team often relied almost exclusively on his ability to create his own shot from almost any situation. His ball-handling skills were good enough for the level he played at, and combined with his excellent first step he could get to the hole and finish strong simply by jumping off one foot and letting his length do the rest. He showed flashes of potential in terms of perimeter shooting as well, hitting 39 three pointers this year in 32 games and showing very nice elevation on his shot combined with a high release. He has shown a little bit of ability to hit shots off the dribble as well at times.

Marshall might be viewed by some teams as a potential hustle player who can bring a lot of energy off the bench with his raw athletic ability. He is a good rebounder because of his physical tools, and has the toughness and body control needed to take a hit at the basket and finish after contact.

He was somewhat of a positionless player at the NCAA level, roaming freely around the court (he is very quick off the ball) looking to create havoc and playing every position from the 1-4 for his team this year. The experience he received playing bringing the ball up the floor his Oakland at times undoubtedly helped his progression as a player.

Defensively, he has all the physical tools needed to lock down his man as a SG or SF, but wasn't allowed to fully show that this year because of the fact that his team played a lot of zone and they needed him to stay out of foul trouble at all costs. He still averaged just under 2 steals (he can be a terror in the passing lanes) and a block and a half per game.

[grndmstr_c]

I like the looks of Winston in that video. Looks like he could turn into a nice scoring 2/3 off the bench. Hope the Mavs get him into summer league.

[dirno2000]

Having Avery coach the summer league team may would work in our favor as we try to sign some of the big name FA's. They have the rare opportunity to make a direct impression on the head coach.

[MikeB]

I want Jawad Williams on this team. A big SF would allow us to play another style. KVH can play some 3 but not on D...Williams is faster and more athletic than Keith.

Kennedy Winston may be a good scorer but I didn't see him guard anybody in that video. I am not opposed to giving him the chance and finding out...but Azubuike, Alan Anderson, and Donell Taylor showed some defensive ability and we can use some more of that.

Give me Jawad, Kelenna, and Donell and I'd be happy.

[grndmstr_c]

The negatives on Winston are all about his defense, but if the Mavs are cutting Fin then they need to get somebody on their bench who can knock down a jumper. I'm all for looking at defensive specialists, too, of course; just don't see a reason to discriminate against one-dimensional offensive players any more than I see a reason to discriminate against one-dimensional defensive players.

[MikeB]

There is no reason to get a 1 dimensional player.
Azubuike is a better defender and score 3 less ppg.
Taylor was within 2 ppg but is a much better defender.

Oh and Azubuike's favorite team is the Dallas Mavericks.

[bcrav4]

Why aren't we bringing in any big men? Maybe Pavel and DJ have developed more than we all thought.

[dirno2000]

I'd prefer a guy who has had some success playing in a major conference so Taylor wouldn't interest me much. Plus I wouldn't exclude anybody just becasue they didn't defend in college. Defense is about effort and an undrafted FA is going to do whatever he can to make a team.

[grndmstr_c]

There is no reason to get a 1 dimensional player.

No reason to pass one up if he's strong enough in that one dimension, either. We're only talking about summer league, here.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally posted by: bcrav4
Why aren't we bringing in any big men? Maybe Pavel and DJ have developed more than we all thought.

Pavel, maybe. Don't get your hopes up about DJ though.

[MikeB]

Not many big men who are any less of a project than the two we already have are available.
We will probably try to address our athletic 4/5 from FA.
Of course Jawad Williams is 6-9 so thats not really small even though he is listed as a SF. If he could add 20 lbs of muscle and keep his athleticism(which is not out of the question) then we have our 3/4 at 6-9 240.

[The Miles]

I actually have more hope for DJ than Pavel. We all have our own opinions though, you just can't teach the type of athleticsm that DJ has. I would love to see his combine #s. I agree with Jawad Williams, get him in here now. We need athletes, guys that can defend.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally posted by: The Miles
I actually have more hope for DJ than Pavel. We all have our own opinions though, you just can't teach the type of athleticsm that DJ has.

This is of course debateable, but I don't think you can teach instinct either. From what little I've seen, DJ has terrible basketball instinct.

[The Miles]

It is a crapshoot, we just have favorites at this point, neither has proven jack in the NBA. I just like the "idea" of what DJ can do for us more than what Pavel can do for us. I can't wait for reality because if just one of them pans out we will be in good shape and will have two good Cs. I root for both, that is for sure, it is just a guessing game until we actually see something on the NBA hardwood.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally posted by: The Miles
I just like the "idea" of what DJ can do for us more than what Pavel can do for us.

I agree with you 100% on that one.

[FINtastic]

If we are looking for a point guard, we might want to take a shot at John Gilchrist. The guy has some attitude problems, but there was a lot of talent there. We might also want to take a look a Will Bynum, he's kind of a guy in the Nick Van Exel mode (small guard that can fill it up).

I'm hoping we pick up one of these three, though: Jawad Williams, Kelenna Azubuike, or Kennedy Winston.

[Thespiralgoeson]

I don't think we need anymore rookie point guards.

[dirk2003]

DJ looked like a superstar last summer against the Chinese.... Pavel looked like crap.

[alby]

DJ definitely has the athletiscm that an impact must have. It's just going to take time, we must be patient.

[The Crippler]

we should give Taylor Coppenrath a look.

[Evilmav2]

I say, screw all of the scrubs listed at the top of this thread, considering fellows like Jason 'White Chocolate' Williams and Chris 'Peg Legged' Webber will both be available as new-CBA-victim/cut-free-agents very soon, and I for one wouldn't imagine that it would be a particularly terrible thing if our Mavs were fortunate enough to procure the services of proven players like these by Summer's end, rather than those of relatively untalented, potential 14th men like the Kennedy Winston's or Eddie Basden's of the world. As Donnie Nelson might say, none of the above listed scrubs are likely capable of being able to help our Mavs win a playoff series next season....

[V]

You're right, Winston does not guard. But he didn't play for Avery Johnson either. He's very athletic so he should be able to keep his man in front of him. He has upside to Micheal Redd. Downside to Courtney Alexander.

[bo319]

Sure...lets get Webber and Jwill back together. I'm sure they have been missing those long nights smoking weed together from the Sac days.
Neither of these guys are AJ type players as the next time they play D could well be the first.
Adding Jawad Williams and Azubuike or Alan Anderson would help our athleticism and Defense.

[V]

"One thing I always liked about Winston, dating back to when I came to Mobile and watched him as a (young varsity player), he wants to win and he plays to win the game. He's a skilled player who has studied how to score." -Alabama coach Mark Gottfried.



"He's got the ability to put it down one or two dribbles, kind of play in a box, and get you off-balance where he can get the jumper off. He's been consistent with it all year. He knows how to get you off-balance, get you up in the air. When he's making that outside jump shot, boy, that makes them (Alabama) tough to defend." -Auburn coach Jeff Lebo.




"There are a lot of things that make him a good player. He can score a variety of ways. He can post you up and score. You have to guard him on the perimeter. He's got the ability to put it down and put you off balance. He has been consistent and knows how to play." -Auburn coach Jeff Lebo.



"Kennedy Winston is difficult to guard because he plays with a herky-jerky motion. He can create space. When he creates space between you and himself, it's over." -Florida coach Billy Donovan.

[Evilmav2]

Originally posted by: bo319
Sure...lets get Webber and Jwill back together. I'm sure they have been missing those long nights smoking weed together from the Sac days.
Neither of these guys are AJ type players as the next time they play D could well be the first.
Adding Jawad Williams and Azubuike or Alan Anderson would help our athleticism and Defense.

So, if I understand you correcly, you'd prefer that the Mavs braintrust augment our currently thin frontcourt rotation with the services of undrafted, under-talented chumps like Alan Anderson or Kelenna Azubuike rather than of Chris Webber? And furthermore, you believe that a man like Anderson might be better able to become a productive Dallas Maverick than Chris Webber, because you believe the good Mr. Anderson is an 'AJ type player', whereas Webber is not? Hahaha... I actually needed a good laugh this morning, so I have to thank you for providing me one, bo319...

[grndmstr_c]

I'm all for looking at veteran FA's and waivees, but I have zero interest in JWill unless one of our points goes in a trade - even then I'd much rather have Antonio Daniels - and have a hard time imagining that Webber would be a good fit. He's Walker all over again; thinks he's still a star but he's not worth more than 20 mpg.

[LRB]

Originally posted by: grndmstr_c
I'm all for looking at veteran FA's and waivees, but I have zero interest in JWill unless one of our points goes in a trade - even then I'd much rather have Antonio Daniels - and have a hard time imagining that Webber would be a good fit. He's Walker all over again; thinks he's still a star but he's not worth more than 20 mpg.

I'll have to agree with this. Those two have a great deal of talent, but they have every bit as much if not more so of cancer. We've been complaining about our basketball IQ, well they are 2 players who could do a great deal to lower it besides the incredible chemistry issues they'd bring with them.

I'm with you 100% on rather having Daniels than JWill and I'd rather bring back Henderson than get Webber. Hendu doesn't have near the talent, but his basketball IQ is through the roof compared to Webber and he knows his role and is perfectly content in playing it. Sure I'd like an upgrade, but I believe Webber would be a step back not forward.

[alby]

Henderson understands his role, we need players like that. Guys who sacrifice for the greater good of the team. Jwill or Cwebb are not those guys.

[bo319]

So I guess you guys "got my back" on this one..LOL.

Some people get enamored with offensive skill and while that is fun to watch it doesn't go well in the playoffs.

Give me someone young and athletic who with some BBall IQ and good feet...I think they can learn to shoot it a little bit if they work at it.
Heck, Bruce Bowen led the league in 3PT % when he couldn't hit the broadside of a barn for years.

[SeriousSummer]

Henderson is ok as an 11/12 man--he won't hurt you. He isn't athletic enough to play in the playoffs. He isn't especially tall, strong, quick or a good jumper.

You need 12 players, and if he's cheap than you might as well resign him. But if you need to use him in the play offs then you're in big trouble, because he'll be physically overmatched.

[jayC]

Big shot Bob. The one guy capable of guarding Amare in stretches and hitting big threes.

[grndmstr_c]

Been looking up some stuff on Michael Harris. He's an interesting one.

mvp
college stats

Shorter than what you'd like at the power forward position and thicker than you want at SF, but the stats are pretty dominant. Went for 22 and 9 in a loss to UConn, and 25 and 8 in a loss to Syracuse, just to give some context against better competition.