Welcome back, JJ Barea! - Page 2 - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

mavs777 · 10-27-2014, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dude1394

I wonder if deep down Carlisle doesn't think Felton is really bought in weight wise or rehab wise. It would have been a great benefit if felton could have gotten back on the court in a limited capacity to serve his 4 game penalty. Now they have to hang onto mekel until they see if Felton is worth a durn. At least what, 15 games from now?

I think the front office and Carlisle are not high on Felton, but he's making what? Like 4 million a year and they had to take him on to get Tyson, at least they were able to dump a contract for a player that never saw time (Ellington). I don't think they'll release him but I do expect him dealt by deadline.

As for JJB, he's a PG and better than Mekel so I'd be fine with that move.

NeedlesKane · 10-27-2014, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Underdog

Welcome back, little man?

Interesting how when that blow was landed by Bynum to J.J. I thought it could be an end to J.J. for the postseason. Instead, it seemed to premedicate his bowling injury and a lack of a career since then. I wonder if stopping J.J.'s drive is what really hurt his bowling arm.

NeedlesKane · 10-27-2014, 07:12 PM

Who would have thought that the Mavericks roster would include Charlie Villanueva and J.J. Barea a month ago? This is crazy. The depth chart is out of control. We have guys who can really play on the IR now. Ricky Ledo should instantly be shipped out to Frisco. Might as well also send Greg Smith.

For now we actually do have an injured player. In order to serve his suspension I wonder if he must be on the active roster, hence also penalizing the team. That'd kinda suck.

Depth chart (ignoring the fact that some can play multiple positions):

PG Jameer Nelson, Raymond Felton, J.J. Barea
SG Monta Ellis, Devin Harris, Ricky Ledo
SF Chandler Parsons, Richard Jefferson, Jae Crowder
PF Dirk Nowitzki, Al-Farouq Aminu, Charlie Villanueva
C Tyson Chandler, Brandan Wright, Greg Smith

To begin the season against the Spurs we will see Devin Harris playing minutes at PG. That's for sure with Gal Mekel waived and Raymond Felton injured. Ricky Ledo, Raymond Felton, and I am guessing Greg Smith will be sitting out. I feel that all 12 guys deserve an opportunity to play against the defending champs. In fact, I think it's a shame that Greg Smith will likely not have an opportunity to play.

DevinHarriswillstart · 10-27-2014, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dude1394

I wonder if deep down Carlisle doesn't think Felton is really bought in weight wise or rehab wise. It would have been a great benefit if felton could have gotten back on the court in a limited capacity to serve his 4 game penalty. Now they have to hang onto mekel until they see if Felton is worth a durn. At least what, 15 games from now?

The hurdle of being bad on a terrible Knicks team is a big one. Chandler wasn't great, but he still averaged a reasonably decent 9/10 for them in a wasted season. Felton has videos that document his terribleness last season...fair or not. Not too many NBA players have that.

I just don't think his game fits the rotation at all. Maybe we all eat crow, but I doubt it.

mavs777 · 10-27-2014, 07:31 PM

Greg Smith will be needed and should dress for every game, no need to send him to d league

NeedlesKane · 10-27-2014, 07:36 PM

I am SO pumped that J.J. Barea is (soon to be) back on the Mavs! How awesome is that?!!!

I wonder if ANY team is interested in a package that includes Raymond Felton, Greg Smith, Ricky Ledo, and some draft picks for some quality player in return. I'd like for the team to get a higher quality big man. Maybe they can also include Richard Jefferson or Jae Crowder. I'd stop there. I like everyone else on the team. Some of these guys just look like trade bait though.

NeedlesKane · 10-27-2014, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mavs777

Greg Smith will be needed and should dress for every game, no need to send him to d league

Who do you suggest should be left off the 12 man roster then aside from Ricky Ledo and Raymond Felton for now? And when Raymond Felton is healthy and has served his suspension whose place should he take?

iella · 10-27-2014, 08:01 PM

Honestly, there probably wasn't room for both Mekel and Parsons on this team.

Underdog · 10-27-2014, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iella

Honestly, there probably wasn't room for both Mekel and Parsons on this team.

Mavs knew they had to get rid of Mekel as soon as they signed Parsons - dudes look too much alike... Gal should've grown his hair out to keep a roster spot.

Underdog · 10-27-2014, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeedlesKane

And when Raymond Felton is healthy and has served his suspension whose place should he take?

Champ's?

dude1394 · 10-27-2014, 08:26 PM

It's pretty obvious to me that if jjb comes, mekel has to go. I expect he was going to go anyway once Felton was back.

There is NO WAY Smith is let go. I still expect him to be the first center off the bench.

NeedlesKane · 10-27-2014, 09:01 PM

First center off the bench? I laugh at that. Brandan Wright will have that, and I'll be surprised if Greg Smith gets many minutes at all.

Also I'd love to see this lineup:

Jameer Nelson, J.J. Barea, Monta Ellis, Devin Harris, and Dirk Nowitzki. That'd just be a frustrating team to play against. haha

rimrocker · 10-27-2014, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeedlesKane

Also I'd love to see this lineup:

Jameer Nelson, J.J. Barea, Monta Ellis, Devin Harris, and Dirk Nowitzki. That'd just be a frustrating team to play against. haha

And the opposing team would be licking their chops at the opportunity to play offense against that team.
I understand your point but that would be ugly on the other side of the ball.

Skywalker · 10-27-2014, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Underdog

Champ's?

lmao. must spread

sig · 10-27-2014, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rimrocker

And unless Ajinca has gained about 50lbs Withey would be the better for what we need.
.

OK but Ajinca showed well down the stretch last year and was a rotation guy. He is 2 inches taller, 20+ lbs heavier than Withey, more mobile and better offensively. Speaking of the Bucks, Henson would be a nice get as unlikely as it is they would part with him.

NeedlesKane · 10-27-2014, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rimrocker

And the opposing team would be licking their chops at the opportunity to play offense against that team.
I understand your point but that would be ugly on the other side of the ball.

I'd actually like to see them do this like in the 2nd half of the 3rd quarter or something like that. You wouldn't want to do this when both teams are fresh.

mavs777 · 10-28-2014, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeedlesKane

Who do you suggest should be left off the 12 man roster then aside from Ricky Ledo and Raymond Felton for now? And when Raymond Felton is healthy and has served his suspension whose place should he take?

Ledo and Charlie V

Kante · 10-28-2014, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeedlesKane

Also I'd love to see this lineup:

Jameer Nelson, J.J. Barea, Monta Ellis, Devin Harris, and Dirk Nowitzki. That'd just be a frustrating team to play against. haha

Ugh... That would be a very very bad lineup.

DavidDaMonkey · 10-28-2014, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeedlesKane

First center off the bench? I laugh at that. Brandan Wright will have that, and I'll be surprised if Greg Smith gets many minutes at all.

Also I'd love to see this lineup:

Jameer Nelson, J.J. Barea, Monta Ellis, Devin Harris, and Dirk Nowitzki. That'd just be a frustrating team to play against. haha

That would be like an all star game without the all stars.

rimrocker · 10-28-2014, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sig

OK but Ajinca showed well down the stretch last year and was a rotation guy. He is 2 inches taller, 20+ lbs heavier than Withey, more mobile and better offensively. Speaking of the Bucks, Henson would be a nice get as unlikely as it is they would part with him.

I guess Ajinca has improved a great deal since being a Mav. I just remember him as tall skinny guy who got shoved around in the paint much like Wright.

The reason I like Withey is more of his upside. One of the best shot blockers ever in college and has a great touch from 15ft in. Has great hands and a really good FT shooter. Seems to improving quickly as a pro.

EricaLubarsky · 10-28-2014, 11:55 AM

Ajinca is still one of the worst rebounders and defenders in the league. He's like a homeless person's Raef LaFrentz. He's tall, but provides nothing we need from the center position. We have our offense coming from the 2/3/4. We don't need (another) center who can score/shoot. We need aggressive defense and rebounding.

sig · 10-28-2014, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Ajinca is still one of the worst rebounders and defenders in the league. He's like a homeless person's Raef LaFrentz. He's tall, but provides nothing we need from the center position. We have our offense coming from the 2/3/4. We don't need (another) center who can score/shoot. We need aggressive defense and rebounding.

Here's a real scouting report albeit from ESPN advanced stats page.

Scouting report
+ Giant center who doesn't move fluidly
+ Size, improved strength made him major presence on offensive glass
+ Capable shot-blocker. Ineffective when pulled away from basket.

Analysis
Early in the 2013-14 season, New Orleans went overseas to bring Alexis Ajinca back to the NBA after two full seasons out of the league. Ajinca was 20 when he was drafted and not yet 23 when he last appeared in the league, and he spent the two years back in his native France improving his body and gaining valuable experience. The improved Ajinca started 30 games for the Pelicans and provided valuable minutes at center.

Ajinca literally grew between NBA stints. Listed at 7-foot when he previously played the league, he's now officially 7-2 and looks every inch of it. The size might be most useful on the offensive glass. Ajinca can literally go over opponents to secure second chances, and according to Synergy Sports putbacks accounted for nearly a quarter of his scoring. New Orleans also had success lobbing the ball up to Ajinca around the rim. One skill he developed overseas was a midrange game. Per Basketball-Reference.com, Ajinca shot an impressive 48.7 percent from beyond 10 feet.

Thanks to his size, Ajinca is an above-average shot-blocker. His defensive value decreases exponentially the farther he is away from the basket. Out on the perimeter, pick-and-rolls can expose Ajinca's limited footspeed and quickness. Developing his core strength did help Ajinca defend one-on-one in the post.

I think if you check out his game logs from last year you can see he has improved his game since his last stint in Dallas. When playing 20+ minutes per game he was pushing or exceeding 10 rebounds per game and providing some blocks. Right now he is probably an improvement over Greg Smith.

I'm not opposed to Withey but just don't think he is ready to contribute much of anything yet anymore than Sarge was. LOngterm, he may turn out OK as a backup but the goal here is to get some insurance to Tyson being out this year for extended games if it comes to that.

I also think that Faverani guy could be nice pickup though he is coming off injury. Boston is probably open to dealing him though. I can go name a bunch of centers that I'd rather have than Ajinca or Faverani but striking a deal now is probably not that realistic. So maybe you just wait and hope that Tyson stays healthy. At least it appears the Mavs are taking that approach.

dude1394 · 10-28-2014, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeedlesKane

First center off the bench? I laugh at that. Brandan Wright will have that, and I'll be surprised if Greg Smith gets many minutes at all.

Also I'd love to see this lineup:

Jameer Nelson, J.J. Barea, Monta Ellis, Devin Harris, and Dirk Nowitzki. That'd just be a frustrating team to play against. haha

Quoted so I can find it again.

dude1394 · 10-28-2014, 04:20 PM

Let's pick this Minnesota guy up. Had a PER of 12 and can be had for a song after his slander.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articl...reer-j-delgado
"A startling report last week by the AP’s Jon Krawczynski sheds needed light on the harrowing story of Dante Cunningham, a victim of a false domestic-violence accusation and a baseless restraining order.

Last season, Cunningham was a forward playing for the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, completing his second year with the team. A tall (6′8″), willowy man with a kind face and a broad smile, Cunningham was raised in a military family in Maryland, where he developed the work ethic and grounded nature that helped propel his successful basketball career. As a college student at Villanova, he was the team’s top scorer. He was then drafted into the NBA, where he played for five years and led a relatively quiet life — a dog lover who was well liked by the fans for his cheerful disposition and generosity. "

EricaLubarsky · 10-28-2014, 05:23 PM

Do we need an 8th forward? If those charges were false, i'd love to help him out, but the SF position is DEEP and we have no roster spots-- particularly for a combo-forward who can't shoot from longrange

Also, 50th among PFs in PER, 59th in rebounding rate, 55th in Wins Added. I know he fell off-- I would have been distracted after all that, but even before that he wasn't stellar.

mavs777 · 10-28-2014, 05:27 PM

Cunningham is a PF whose strength is he is a good mid range shooter but he kind of declined last year so no thanks

CGM · 10-29-2014, 04:06 PM

Quote:

DALLAS -- J.J. Barea, a fan favorite from Dallas' 2011 championship team, has agreed to rejoin the Mavericks.

After clearing waivers Wednesday afternoon, Barea will sign a veteran's-minimum deal with the Mavs, who intend to release second-year guard Gal Mekel to make room on the roster.

J.J. Barea has rejoined the Mavericks after agreeing to a contract buyout with the Timberwolves.

Barea finalized a buyout Monday with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who signed him to a four-year, $18 million deal following the Mavs' title run.

The 6-foot Barea spent the first five seasons of his career with the Mavericks. He primarily served as a sparkplug off the bench but started the last three games of the 2011 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, a move that helped the Mavs win each of those games.

Barea, who has career averages of 8.3 points and 3.4 assists, will join a deep guard rotation in Dallas with Jameer Nelson and Monta Ellis as starters and Devin Harris and Raymond Felton coming off the bench.

The Mavs owe $1.76 million to Mekel, whose contract was guaranteed through the 2015-16 season. He played in 31 games as a rookie, averaging 2.4 points and 2.0 assists.

"I have a lot of respect for Gal," said Mavs owner Mark Cuban, who informed Mekel of the team's plans on Monday. "He is easily the most improved player in training camp, so he earned it. He busted his ass. We were completely transparent with everything that's going on."

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/...n-minimum-deal

Budapest Maverick · 10-29-2014, 04:11 PM

Oh, boy. I love Jose and will always be grateful for him for his undeniable contributions to our championship run, but the truth is, that season (2010/2011) was his only season when he was an above average/good, impactful bench player, and he is clearly a worse player now than he was back then. I hope Carlisle won't get sentimental, Jose should not see minutes unless there is an injury.

EricaLubarsky · 10-29-2014, 04:12 PM

Tme for a Mekel appreciation thread?

LonghornDub · 10-29-2014, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Budapest Maverick

Oh, boy. I love Jose and will always be grateful for him for his undeniable contributions to our championship run, but the truth is, that season (2010/2011) was his only season when he was an above average/good, impactful bench player, and he is clearly a worse player now than he was back then. I hope Carlisle won't get sentimental, Jose should not see minutes unless there is an injury.

Good luck with that. JJB's gonna play a fair amount.

mac222b · 10-29-2014, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Budapest Maverick

Oh, boy. I love Jose and will always be grateful for him for his undeniable contributions to our championship run, but the truth is, that season (2010/2011) was his only season when he was an above average/good, impactful bench player, and he is clearly a worse player now than he was back then. I hope Carlisle won't get sentimental, Jose should not see minutes unless there is an injury.

Lets see how he looks surrounded by better players with a winning culture. t-wolves have been a mess

sefant77 · 10-29-2014, 05:40 PM

So the great Kevin Love, one of the now so called best three PF in the game couldnt run the PnR with Barea, even if he has the skillset and range to play it similar to Dirk...

Talk about overrated...

EricaLubarsky · 10-29-2014, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sefant77

So the great Kevin Love, one of the now so called best three PF in the game couldnt run the PnR with Barea, even if he has the skillset and range to play it similar to Dirk...

Talk about overrated...

JJB or Love?

NeedlesKane · 10-29-2014, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dude1394

Quoted so I can find it again.

I must ask this... I missed the first 3 quarters of the game because of school. I see that Greg Smith only played 2 minutes 11 seconds. However, was he the first player off the bench? I have a feeling that he was due to Tyson Chandler's foul trouble during the first half. All he racked up was a single personal foul. It must have been an ugly one since he must have been pulled from the game after committing it.

EricaLubarsky · 10-29-2014, 07:14 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Est9V44mhA
remember this? (Carving up the Lakers in the 2011 playoffs)

or this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TgfjCZONvE
Triple double with Minn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV9z8czMTLg
Crazy second half in second half against the Heat

NeedlesKane · 10-29-2014, 07:18 PM

This still seems unreal to me. I thought we were without JJ for good, much like Steve Nash. Same case with Tyson Chandler. I am thrilled to have them both back.

Let's consider the rest of the NBA Finals roster. Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood are in Cleveland, Ian Mahinmi is in Indiana, Jason Terry is in Houston, Caron Butler is in Detroit, Corey Brewer is in Minnesota, Rodrigue Beaubois plays for Le Mans Sarthe Basket of the LNB Pro A, Dominique Jones is playing for the Springfield Armor, Shawn Stevenson did not play last season, Jason Kidd is coaching the Milwaukee Bucks, and Peja Stojakovic and Brian Cardinal are retired.

We now have 3 starters from our NBA Finals winning team. We're missing Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion. Old or not, Jason Kidd was still a great presence for us on the floor, and Shawn Marion was a terrific defender. Also JET was a fantastic guy to have coming off the bench. We're dearly missing those aspects from our championship team. Also JET wasn't alone. Brian Cardinal and Ian Mahinmi also showed a bunch of enthusiasm on a regular basis. When looking at the bottom of the lineups this is certainly a deeper team this year. The only player I am not totally excited about is Ricky Ledo. That year we had Dominique Jones and Rodrigue Beaubois. Aside from Roddy B's speed he just wasn't consistent. He was ready to disappoint me it seemed on a fairly regular basis.

DavidDaMonkey · 10-29-2014, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeedlesKane

Rodrigue Beaubois plays for Le Mans Sarthe Basket of the LNB Pro ADe,

Did your cat just jump on the keyboard?

NeedlesKane · 10-29-2014, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidDaMonkey

Did your cat just jump on the keyboard?

Thanks for the laugh, and how did you know that I have a cat? hahaha

I don't quite know what I did there. Since I don't speak French I did copy and paste that from Wiki.

GermanStandard · 10-30-2014, 02:10 AM

http://www.nba.com/2014/news/10/29/m...s=iref:nbahpts

So we have Mekel, Nelson, Felton, Barea and Harris on the Roster as PGs and Ellis can play the 1 aswell.

Looks like we will send Mekel packing. I would like to get sth. for him. Maybe a 2nd Rounder or send Wright with him for another interior defender.

Budapest Maverick · 10-30-2014, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

Good luck with that. JJB's gonna play a fair amount.

Hopefully Felton will knock him back on the depth once he returns. Although, in an ideal scenario neither would see playing time. Too bad we don't have a quality backup SG so Carlisle kind of have to play a small guard there.