Official offseason 2013-2014 thread - Page 68 - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

BGMaverick9 · 08-16-2013, 01:30 PM

http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/b...as&src=desktop

spreedom · 08-16-2013, 01:55 PM

Not sure if Monta knows that our best player isn't named Dirt.

Ninkobei · 08-16-2013, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spreedom

Not sure if Monta knows that our best player isn't named Dirt.

Maybe its a nickname. Dirk is older than dirt. Old man of the sea

Underdog · 08-16-2013, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ninkobei

Maybe its a nickname.

Dirty... Of the Dirty, Filthy and Nasty days?

Vinsanity · 08-17-2013, 05:32 PM

Does anyone know if there's any video footage of the press conference introducing the new free agents? If there is, I'd appreciate it if someone linked me with it

Kante · 08-17-2013, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinsanity

Does anyone know if there's any video footage of the press conference introducing the new free agents? If there is, I'd appreciate it if someone linked me with it

I found http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NROUmOnwbUI

Vinsanity · 08-17-2013, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kante

I found http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NROUmOnwbUI

Thanks bro

BGMaverick9 · 08-19-2013, 11:34 AM

http://es.pn/16WTUSM

EricaLubarsky · 08-19-2013, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BGMaverick9

http://es.pn/16WTUSM

Well written. Would read again.

I definitely dig the style. Some good stats snuck in for good measure and the quotes make me salivate.

Calderon scares me defensively, but when you look at what Kidd contributed on offense (timely passes and three point shooting for the championship team, Calderon matches (passing) or surpasses (3pters) everything that Kidd did on offense. Ellis/Harris will also be nice and should add something we haven't had since Harris was traded-- a guy that can drive on any defense.

It does make me worry a bit, because Calderon and Ellis both need the ball to be successful. If Ellis is driving and handling the ball at all times, then it turns Calderon into merely a shooter and circuit passer (although a great one with amazing A/TO and 3pt%)-- which is great, but it doesn't use both players to the best of their ability.

If anyone can make it work, Carlisle can and it could mean that defenders need to not only guard the man with the ball, but the second, third and sometimes fourth guy.

SMC0007 · 08-19-2013, 02:54 PM

It isn't gonna be a championship team, mostly because there are better teams than when we won it all a few years ago. But, it will be an exciting team to watch no doubt. I can't wait and I hope we stay injury free all season.

LonghornDub · 08-19-2013, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMC0007

It isn't gonna be a championship team, mostly because there are better teams than when we won it all a few years ago. But, it will be an exciting team to watch no doubt. I can't wait and I hope we stay injury free all season.

Preach.

markus1234 · 08-19-2013, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMC0007

It isn't gonna be a championship team, mostly because there are better teams than when we won it all a few years ago. But, it will be an exciting team to watch no doubt. I can't wait and I hope we stay injury free all season.

Our conf. is deeper now, but I am not sure if it is better than 2011.

Many promising teams and players hit a wall in the last 2 yrs. MEM, DEN, POR, LAL, MIN, LAC, OKC won't be as scary as it seemed 1-2yrs ago...

sinsin · 08-19-2013, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMC0007

It isn't gonna be a championship team, mostly because there are better teams than when we won it all a few years ago. But, it will be an exciting team to watch no doubt. I can't wait and I hope we stay injury free all season.

I beg to differ.
The run the mavs had in 2011 was absolutely incredible. The only weak opponent has to be a at that time fed up and washed up lakers team which didn t get better the last two seasons (to their defense: they had huge injury problems in 2012/13). Portland had its strongest season, and i do not think that OKC actually played that much better in 2012 than in 2011. (I am not taking last season into account because of westbrooks injury)
Miami was the only team that actually became better over the last two seasons, although i still can not believe that OKC (mainly harden) sucked so bad against them. And they for sure looked vulnerable in both championship runs.
So to sum it up: the Mavs beat a red hot Portland, a washed up LA, an awesome talented OKC and MIA the team that won it all the following two seasons. The way to the mountaintop was as hard as it can get, imho.

What teams do we have now, that are actually considered to be really good let alone title contenders?
Houston - really good; probably contender
LA Clippers - really good; contender??
Nets - really good; contender??
GSW - really good; contender??
OKC - really good; contender
MIA - really good; contender
SA - really good; contender?
CHI - really good; probably contender
MEM - really good; contender??

I think i am already using a wide definition of "contender", but if you think i missed some mentionable team, please feel free to add it to the list. : )

EricaLubarsky · 08-19-2013, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markus1234

Our conf. is deeper now, but I am not sure if it is better than 2011.

Many promising teams and players hit a wall in the last 2 yrs. MEM, DEN, POR, LAL, MIN, LAC, OKC won't be as scary as it seemed 1-2yrs ago...

I think "deeper but not better" is a good analysis. There are literally 8-9 teams in the West that can compete. I don''t think that we'll have a single playoff matchup that we'll be heavily favored (or favored at all) to win, because every one of the top 8 teams in the West will be competitive teams. On the other hand, there aren't a lot of teams that we can't beat if we can stay healthy and the chemistry clicks.

Teams like San Antonio are getting old, and the younger guys are a big question mark.
Teams like Denver and OKC are worse this year because of the off-season they had. OKC drafted well and got healthy, but they also lost some significant talent.
Teams like Houston and GSW still have to prove that they can keep momentum going and learn to win in the clutch.

DavidDaMonkey · 08-19-2013, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

getting old, and the younger guys are a big question mark.

Don't you realize that every time someone somewhere doubts the Spurs, they only gain strength?

Personally I think the Spurs are looking better than ever and are going to win it all this year. And next year. Every year really.

EricaLubarsky · 08-19-2013, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidDaMonkey

Don't you realize that every time someone somewhere doubts the Spurs, they only gain strength?

Personally I think the Spurs are looking better than ever and are going to win it all this year. And next year. Every year really.

If the Spurs could rise to any challenge put in front of them, they'd be the most recent team to have beaten the Miami Heat.

As it stands, only one Western team has beaten the new-look Heat. It's a Texas team, but it's not the Spurs.

CanadianMavsFan · 08-20-2013, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidDaMonkey

Don't you realize that every time someone somewhere doubts the Spurs, they only gain strength?

Personally I think the Spurs are looking better than ever and are going to win it all this year. And next year. Every year really.

Ah, the reverse jinx. I like it.

Oh wait, if I mentioned it does that cancel it out? Damn it. Forget I said anything.

FreshJive · 08-20-2013, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

You do know that I wasn't comparing them as players but just comparing early numbers, right? And your numbers from season 2 emphasize MY point.

Rookie seasons are a terrible place to evaluate talent, particularly on efficiency. Even Dirk-- who is a legend and HoFer only shot 40.5% his rookie season. Even Nash shot 36.3% (worst than Crowder) his first year in Dallas.

Would you have told me after Dirk's rookie season that he was terrible? Would you have traded Nash away for being inefficient?

I don't think the season 2 numbers emphasize your point. Nash was a poor shooter from the field in season one, but it was evident that he could shoot from his three point and free throw shooting percentages. In year two he started figuring out what to do when you start driving. Threes and free throws are more about ability than experience.

Dirk was barely twenty in his rookie season. He barely spoke the language. He was a blue chip prospect with a much higher ceiling than Crowder. I was not too concerned about his numbers in his rookie season. I was a bit skeptical about Nash after his first Mavs season, but at least he had shown that it might be an aberration. The problem with Crowder is that he must be a good shooter. He doesn't do anything else on offense.

Vinsanity · 08-20-2013, 01:50 AM

The way I see it, the teams that would give us the most trouble in the Western conference (assuming we stay healthy, Dirk returns back to form, Monta goes back to GSW Monta, and we don't have chemistry issues) are the Warriors, Rockets, and Clippers. The Spurs will still be good, but I think they take a step back this season, mostly because of Manu and Timmy's age and the fact that they're probably completely demoralized about how they lost the finals, and they finish somewhere in the middle of the West. Then OKC, obviously any team with Westbrook + Durant will be good but losing Kevin Martin was a pretty big deal. They have no other scoring option. I think they take a step back this year as well. We certainly won't be favored if we match up with OKC or SA, but we could definitely compete and would have a decent chance. But those teams I listed above are just so much younger and more talented, and I wouldn't like our chances against either of them in a 7 game series, assuming Iggy and Dwight mesh well with their new teams. But you never know, if things go well we can always shock the world like we did in 2011. There honestly is enough talent on our roster, but everyone has to mesh perfectly and stay healthy. No matter what happens I'm definitely expecting a better season than last year though

SMC0007 · 08-20-2013, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sinsin

I beg to differ.
The run the mavs had in 2011 was absolutely incredible. The only weak opponent has to be a at that time fed up and washed up lakers team which didn t get better the last two seasons (to their defense: they had huge injury problems in 2012/13). Portland had its strongest season, and i do not think that OKC actually played that much better in 2012 than in 2011. (I am not taking last season into account because of westbrooks injury)
Miami was the only team that actually became better over the last two seasons, although i still can not believe that OKC (mainly harden) sucked so bad against them. And they for sure looked vulnerable in both championship runs.
So to sum it up: the Mavs beat a red hot Portland, a washed up LA, an awesome talented OKC and MIA the team that won it all the following two seasons. The way to the mountaintop was as hard as it can get, imho.

What teams do we have now, that are actually considered to be really good let alone title contenders?
Houston - really good; probably contender
LA Clippers - really good; contender??
Nets - really good; contender??
GSW - really good; contender??
OKC - really good; contender
MIA - really good; contender
SA - really good; contender?
CHI - really good; probably contender
MEM - really good; contender??

I think i am already using a wide definition of "contender", but if you think i missed some mentionable team, please feel free to add it to the list. : )

The West alone is deeper.

Younger teams have chemistry now and boosted and tweaked their roster in the last few years.

GSW, LAC especially. They are most definitely championship ready. Houston, Memphis, Minnesota are way better.

Dirk's Knee · 08-20-2013, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sinsin

...Houston - really good; probably contender

I just don't understand the high Houston projections. I mean, I guess the chemistry was a big part of the Lakers collapse, but I just don't see how Howard plus Harden is a lock for the the finals when Howard plus Kobe was a bust. In my mind, Asik is a fairly similar (albeit slightly lesser) player to Howard in a few key areas and they just barely squeaked into the playoffs. Asik is unhappy with the acquisition and wants to be traded which will certainly affect his productivity off the bench (I bet he won't make it to the all-star break a Rocket). So now you still have a Rocket team with a huge free throw liability in the low post who will get hacked early and often by any team who needs to put him on the line. Is the ~7 PPG+ you get from Howard over Asik enough to propel the Rockets into the finals especially since they lost depth at G by not re-signing Delfino?

If Howard returns to the way he was playing in Orlando, then certainly the Rockets will be very strong. However Orlando's offense was built to flow through Howard while the Rockets to flow through Harden. We'll see, but right now, just not all that concerned with them. Maybe I'll be dead wrong...

SMC0007 · 08-20-2013, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirk's Knee

I just don't understand the high Houston projections. I mean, I guess the chemistry was a big part of the Lakers collapse, but I just don't see how Howard plus Harden is a lock for the the finals when Howard plus Kobe was a bust. In my mind, Asik is a fairly similar (albeit slightly lesser) player to Howard in a few key areas and they just barely squeaked into the playoffs. Asik is unhappy with the acquisition and wants to be traded which will certainly affect his productivity off the bench (I bet he won't make it to the all-star break a Rocket). So now you still have a Rocket team with a huge free throw liability in the low post who will get hacked early and often by any team who needs to put him on the line. Is the ~7 PPG+ you get from Howard over Asik enough to propel the Rockets into the finals especially since they lost depth at G by not re-signing Delfino?

If Howard returns to the way he was playing in Orlando, then certainly the Rockets will be very strong. However Orlando's offense was built to flow through Howard while the Rockets to flow through Harden. We'll see, but right now, just not all that concerned with them. Maybe I'll be dead wrong...

Yea, it's too early to tell what they can do especially with the Asik wildcard. Hard to really buy in that his talent will come off the bench when being a skilled quality bigman is so damn valuable. They could move him for another nice piece and be a contender but I'd wait till after trade deadline at best to judge what they are.

spreedom · 08-20-2013, 11:19 AM

I don't think the Rockets are a Finals shoo-in or anything, but I'd be very surprised if they didn't push for 60 wins this season. Anything less than 55 would be a pretty big surprise to me.

tap2390 · 08-20-2013, 01:34 PM

Dwight was definitely scoring more consistently towards the end of last season. Unfortunately, I think Dwight's biggest problem was not being comfortable on or off the court (the Lakers lineup was always changing, Kobe was a pain in the ass, etc). With less pressure on him, I expect him to play extremely well. That being said, how the Rockets respond to the first major hurdle thrown their way (injury, internal discord, etc.) will be extremely interesting. Personally, I hope they implode

. Luckily for us, the Rockets don't really have a good 4 on the roster. That means we'll prob see a lot of Dwight sliding down to the 4 (& Asik to the 5), or Parsons up to the 4 to guard Dirk... either is a good matchup.

Dirk's Knee · 08-20-2013, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spreedom

I don't think the Rockets are a Finals shoo-in or anything, but I'd be very surprised if they didn't push for 60 wins this season. Anything less than 55 would be a pretty big surprise to me.

You really think adding Dwight and losing Delfino will result in 15 more wins this season than last? Just for some perspective, Dwight contributing 15 wins would've rank him 3rd in the league last season behind Lebron James and Kevin Durant in win shares. His highest career win share to date was 14.4 and the last 2 seasons he had WS ratings of 7.6 and 7.7. I think a 60 win season out of the Rockets is highly optimistic. I think ~50 would be a reasonable expectation if everything works as expected and there are no injuries.

sinsin · 08-20-2013, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirk's Knee

You really think adding Dwight and losing Delfino will result in 15 more wins this season than last? Just for some perspective, Dwight contributing 15 wins would've rank him 3rd in the league last season behind Lebron James and Kevin Durant in win shares. His highest career win share to date was 14.4 and the last 2 seasons he had WS ratings of 7.6 and 7.7. I think a 60 win season out of the Rockets is highly optimistic. I think ~50 would be a reasonable expectation if everything works as expected and there are no injuries.

Chandler Parsons hasn't been mentioned when talking about their strength. I think he is pretty good and will continue to improve.

spreedom · 08-20-2013, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirk's Knee

You really think adding Dwight and losing Delfino will result in 15 more wins this season than last? Just for some perspective, Dwight contributing 15 wins would've rank him 3rd in the league last season behind Lebron James and Kevin Durant in win shares. His highest career win share to date was 14.4 and the last 2 seasons he had WS ratings of 7.6 and 7.7. I think a 60 win season out of the Rockets is highly optimistic. I think ~50 would be a reasonable expectation if everything works as expected and there are no injuries.

I don't think that's unreasonable... you're subtracting Delfino from the bench but you're adding Asik to it, and getting a full season of Francisco Garcia and further development from their stable of young players. Also keep in mind that they traded for Harden just days before the season and therefore didn't have an entire training camp with him. They're adding Howard, who will get a lot more defensive attention than Asik did. This Rockets team is going to be really good.

SMC0007 · 08-20-2013, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spreedom

I don't think that's unreasonable... you're subtracting Delfino from the bench but you're adding Asik to it, and getting a full season of Francisco Garcia and further development from their stable of young players. Also keep in mind that they traded for Harden just days before the season and therefore didn't have an entire training camp with him. They're adding Howard, who will get a lot more defensive attention than Asik did. This Rockets team is going to be really good.

Carlos Delfino and Fransisco Garcia are moot points IMO. Losing Delfino might be addition by subtraction actually. Garcia is what he is at this point in his career most likely, I don't see him getting any better all the sudden.

grndmstr_c · 08-20-2013, 09:18 PM

Houston's tough for me to get a read on. Yes they got Dwight, and yes the Howard/Harden pairing is the most buzz-worthy development of the offseason league-wide. But at the same time I think you have to acknowledge that they weren't an 8th seeded first round loser to the Westbrook-less Thunder last season because they had a hole at starting center. Successful as their offseason was, anybody who's betting that they'll make the jump to contender status better have a lot of confidence in the on-court abilities of Lin, Beverley, Garcia, and Parsons, plus Omer Asik's trade value. For my part, I'm not yet sold on them being anything more a team that can compete for a top 4 seed (which, to be sure, wouldn't be a trivial accomplishment in next season's West).

EricaLubarsky · 08-20-2013, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grndmstr_c

Houston's tough for me to get a read on. Yes they got Dwight, and yes the Howard/Harden pairing is the most buzz-worthy development of the offseason league-wide. But at the same time I think you have to acknowledge that they weren't an 8th seeded first round loser to the Westbrook-less Thunder last season because they had a hole at starting center. Successful as their offseason was, anybody who's betting that they'll make the jump to contender status better have a lot of confidence in the on-court abilities of Lin, Beverley, Garcia, and Parsons, plus Omer Asik's trade value. For my part, I'm not yet sold on them being anything more a team that can compete for a top 4 seed (which, to be sure, wouldn't be a trivial accomplishment in next season's West).

Houston didn't improve as much as people think. Asik was solid and averaged 5.5 win shares. Howard only averaged 7.6. That's not to say that they'l only win 47 games this year (because that's not how win shares work AND I'd say they're more set to win 48-52 IF they stay healthy), but I just doubt that going from a good to a great center is that big of an improvement.

I don't doubt Howard's skill at all, but there are a lot of blue collar guys our there that are getting darn close to that kind of production (Peko, Asik, etc.)

spreedom · 08-21-2013, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Carlos Delfino and Fransisco Garcia are moot points IMO. Losing Delfino might be addition by subtraction actually. Garcia is what he is at this point in his career most likely, I don't see him getting any better all the sudden.

I don't really mean Garcia as a prospect, I mean that they'll have a full training camp to integrate all of the new players. And he looked pretty good for the Rockets last season.

And I don't get the Delfino hate... he's a good shooter and a pesky defender. Not a game-changer or anything but he played a pretty big role for them last season.

SMC0007 · 08-21-2013, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spreedom

I don't really mean Garcia as a prospect, I mean that they'll have a full training camp to integrate all of the new players. And he looked pretty good for the Rockets last season.

And I don't get the Delfino hate... he's a good shooter and a pesky defender. Not a game-changer or anything but he played a pretty big role for them last season.

I'm not hating on either of them. I'm just saying they are moot, regardless. Neither player is going to move the meter when your talking about a legit playoff team. They aren't pushing you over the edge no matter how close you are. Not hurting the team when they're out there is different than making a markable difference.

spreedom · 08-21-2013, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMC0007

I'm not hating on either of them. I'm just saying they are moot, regardless. Neither player is going to move the meter when your talking about a legit playoff team. They aren't pushing you over the edge no matter how close you are. Not hurting the team when they're out there is different than making a markable difference.

Fair enough. I still think the Rockets comfortably win 55+ if healthy.

marc9211 · 08-22-2013, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spreedom

Fair enough. I still think the Rockets comfortably win 55+ if healthy.

My issue with the rockets is obviously at the point guard position. Dwight is an improvement over Asik but it's not huge. If I were them I would trade Asik for a distributing pg that can run an offense. I know Lin can't run an offense that Dwight howard needs and also feel Beverley can't either. That's my only question is how Dwight is going to get the ball. It's also going to be weird seeing Parsons at the four with Dwight at center. Dwight's going to have a lot of responsibility in the paint this year.

spreedom · 08-22-2013, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marc9211

My issue with the rockets is obviously at the point guard position. Dwight is an improvement over Asik but it's not huge. If I were them I would trade Asik for a distributing pg that can run an offense. I know Lin can't run an offense that Dwight howard needs and also feel Beverley can't either. That's my only question is how Dwight is going to get the ball. It's also going to be weird seeing Parsons at the four with Dwight at center. Dwight's going to have a lot of responsibility in the paint this year.

I think the Rockets can go with a more unconventional, scoring/shooting PG because the offense is still going to run through Harden. Lin throws a good entry pass, so he can play the two-man game with Dwight -- who really should want to pick and roll opponents to death with Harden, but alas...

marc9211 · 08-22-2013, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spreedom

I think the Rockets can go with a more unconventional, scoring/shooting PG because the offense is still going to run through Harden. Lin throws a good entry pass, so he can play the two-man game with Dwight -- who really should want to pick and roll opponents to death with Harden, but alas...

Sounds similar to supposed to be running the pick n roll with Nash. I don't know if it was coaching or Dwight just not wanting to do it, but I rarely saw them try it and when they did It lacked execution. The majority of the time he wpuld just demand the ball in the post, pretty lazy when you have steve nash and kobe on the wing. Maybe Mchale will make him and Lin run it taking attention from harden and giving him space. If ran correctly, that's when your looking at 55+ wins in my opinion.

EricaLubarsky · 08-23-2013, 09:21 AM

35 days to Media Day.
39 days to practice

SMC0007 · 08-23-2013, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

35 days to Media Day.
39 days to practice

Ya, lets not do this.

DirkFTW · 08-23-2013, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

35 days to Media Day.
39 days to practice

SMC0007 · 08-28-2013, 02:40 PM