Concerns with this year's team

[Dirkadirkastan]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

None of the other games--yes, even Cleveland--were near as interesting a matchup.

I think holding Lebron to zero points in the first half for the first time in his career with our new acquisitions speaks tons about what we changed in the summer. Especially considering what Wade did to us two years ago. I know you emphasize the "fast teams" problem, but we have struggled in the past with one-man teams too.

Originally Posted by chumdawg

You occasionally struggle to make a consistent argument even in one post, or article as it were. Here you say that the Mavs "have made tremendous changes" and that you can name "a ton of significant changes" yourself. Yet at the same time you cover all the bases by suggesting that a 67-win team doesn't want "to change everything" and has "a lot of things they should rightfully retain." Which is it? Tremendous and significant changes, or retaining a lot of what they are?

I think DLord was emphasizing "ton of positive" more so than "ton of changes", even if he phrased it that way at one point. We've seen positive defensive efforts from Jones and Hassell, and Bass has contributed as well. I think those are the kinds of changes he's talking about.

[DLord]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

David, your enthusiasm is admirable...but no one ever mistook you for being objective when it comes to the Mavs.

Nor you, of course. :-)

Maybe I didn't say it well, but I stand by what I tried to say: there has been a lot of change made to try to improve this team, and I optimistically expect that to continue and increase as the season plays out, but seeing them still do things that they did well last year is a positive and not a negative.

Silk already did a great job of noting some of these things I'm already seeing.

1. Dirk is making a concerted and repeated effort to attack the basket and even operate in the low post. Spin moves, up-and-unders, and drop steps starting at 8-10' feet from the basket rather than 15 or so. He's also trying to finish at the rim, rather than playing for the foul.
2. The center is being used as an offensive factor.
3. The passing and ball movement is better. In part this is seen in the drive-and-drop to Diop, but it's evident elsewhere as well.
4. I see less of the iso game and more movement off the ball. Lots of curl and slash cuts to open spots in the middle, with a pass delivered and a free shot. ("Lots" is relative, but we say virtually none of this last year.)
5. Far less of the 2-man pick-and-iso between Dirk and JET, in fact so much less that I notice it now when it happens like recognizing a lost friend.
6. Lineup changes to have a bigger SG on the floor with some regularity (Jones, Hassell), allowing more consistent defense on bigger guards.
7. Use of younger players like Bass and Berea and (semi-related) what seems like more overall athleticism.
8. Harris starting every game when healthy. A conscious attempt with Harris and Berea to push tempo.

That's a real quick list off the top of my head. I'm sure there are more I'm forgetting. And I look at this as a work in progress, with more developments to be added during the year alongside these. That's an assumption on my part, but I have to believe that this is only the tip of the iceberg in developing added ability to win games. I'm an Avery guy, but I think Westphal's addition is having a significant and positive influence on this team.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

David, your enthusiasm is admirable...but no one ever mistook you for being objective when it comes to the Mavs.

You occasionally struggle to make a consistent argument even in one post, or article as it were. Here you say that the Mavs "have made tremendous changes" and that you can name "a ton of significant changes" yourself. Yet at the same time you cover all the bases by suggesting that a 67-win team doesn't want "to change everything" and has "a lot of things they should rightfully retain." Which is it? Tremendous and significant changes, or retaining a lot of what they are?

You can debate his use of the word "tremendous", but 1) "significant" changes and 2) "retaining a lot of what they are" are NOT mutually exclusive propositions.

Let's say, for argument sake, the Mavs have changed the makeup of their team by 25% this year. I'd say that's a "significant change". Yet, that means the team is still 75% the same, meaning that it has retained a lot of what it is.

Originally Posted by chumdawg

David, your enthusiasm is admirable...but no one ever mistook you for being objective when it comes to the Mavs.

No offense, chum, as I really think you're an intelligent guy and admire your opinion....but no one ever mistook you for being objective either.

[chumdawg]

I'm glad to know that I'm the same camp as you guys when it comes to lacking a bone of objectivity about the Mavs. I suppose that is the cross we all have to bear...though some of us may bear it differently.

David, thank you for spelling out your observations. Those are all fertile ground for discussion. I will give some thought to how they compare to last year.

[bcrav4]

I think we can also argue that the Mavs have gotten much more athletic this year too. By adding Devin, Diop, and possibly Hassel to the starting lineup, we should be able to hang much tougher with the athletic teams than we did last season.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

I'm glad to know that I'm the same camp as you guys when it comes to lacking a bone of objectivity about the Mavs. I suppose that is the cross we all have to bear...though some of us may bear it differently.

David, thank you for spelling out your observations. Those are all fertile ground for discussion. I will give some thought to how they compare to last year.

Agreed on all counts. This is part of the fun.

[Dirkadirkastan]

How is it even possible to be objective? Those who aren't fans of the team don't watch enough games.

[chumdawg]

Just a quick hit on David's first point. The next time Dirk posts from the elbow will be one time too many for me! I am much appreciative of the Mavs getting away from this ill-fated strategy and letting Dirk both attack the basket from lower and face up to the basket from higher. Of the changes I have seen from Dirk this year, I like not only the closer proximity to the hoop when he posts but also the face-up 18-footer he has dropped with reckless abandon.

[robz]

I want to agree with you on how Dirk is still venerable when it comes to a more athletic defender on him But I think Avery's decisision of letting Devin become full time pg will play huge dividends. Devin is able to push the ball and drive at will. When a more athletic defender is hurting Dirks game, the ability of Devin driving at will will open it up for dirk.

Also from the first couple of games, it seems like Drik's really tried to improve down low. As much as i hate him being down there and think he should stay outside where his game is best, its this commitment of going down low that will hopefully payoff on those games where he's struggling against a faster defender on the outside.

I think we improved overall in many areas. Defense, we picked up some key guys that will be able to shut down the opponents no 1 guy. We no longer will have a player against us who will light it up for 40-50-60 points (kobe, kobe, kobe).

[Silk Smoov]

Originally Posted by robz

I want to agree with you on how Dirk is still venerable when it comes to a more athletic defender on him But I think Avery's decisision of letting Devin become full time pg will play huge dividends. Devin is able to push the ball and drive at will. When a more athletic defender is hurting Dirks game, the ability of Devin driving at will will open it up for dirk.

Also from the first couple of games, it seems like Drik's really tried to improve down low. As much as i hate him being down there and think he should stay outside where his game is best, its this commitment of going down low that will hopefully payoff on those games where he's struggling against a faster defender on the outside.

I think we improved overall in many areas. Defense, we picked up some key guys that will be able to shut down the opponents no 1 guy. We no longer will have a player against us who will light it up for 40-50-60 points (kobe, kobe, kobe).

Lets not go overboard on talking about holding the Kobe type of players down, because truly they are the only ones who can stop themselves. The key is lock down the rest of the players. What I mean by that is punish those teams that have the Kobe type of players, but even if Kobe type of players score 40,then we need to still win by 24 pts. I think that is the best way to go at it about those type of players. If we focus on stopping those type of players, you can 4get it most of the time. The key is punishing the Robin types of players

[alby]

As long as we hold the Kobe's of the NBA to under 81 in a game or 62 through three quarters, we will be fine--just focus on stopping the Luke Walton's and Jordan Farmar's of the teams.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Now that it seems everyone's done pouncing down my throat, let me say that my concerns still stand. On the positive, it does seem that the offense is a bit more fluid this year, and I'm really loving Bass actually giving us an inside offensive presence, even if it's only a minor one, as opposed to throwing Croshere or Van Horn out there. Once again I'm really loving Jet as the sixth man, and yes, Devin is playing well. I'm still reluctant to pull the trigger on the "significantly improved" debate, because throughout his young career, the guy has looked unstoppable at times, and then seems to fade whenever a team "figures him out." But yes, so far he's looked damn good this year.

But once again, I don't know that we've really fixed the problems we had last year. Someone mentioned the added defensive depth of Jones and Hassell. I agree that this is an improvement, I'm just not supremely confident that those guys are gonna be the difference makers against the star swingmen of the league, but I could be very wrong. At the very least, we definitely have more bodies to throw at the Wades of the league. I guess my biggest concern is still Dirk. In the past, teams have found a way to make him virtually a non-factor. It always seemed to me that the problem was that the guards just couldn't get him the ball to save their lives. I know Devin is apparently supposed to be that guy, but I'm still not sure. If he is, great, or if the new and improved coaching staff can figure out other ways to get Dirk involved in games when the defense seemingly has him figured out, then we're sitting pretty.

Long story short, the teams that play small, namely Phoenix, still worry me. And of course the D-Wades and Baron Davis' of the league still worry me too. But I will say I think the team does seem to have improved on both sides of the ball, the extent to which can be debated.

[Pirate]

Spiral, I agree with you that the team seems to have improved "somewhat."

But I also firmly am in the camp that believes (or hopes) that the improvements now will be added to and refined all season long. In other words, if they already have noticeable improvement and it's only game 5, then it isn't a stretch to think, "Wow, I wonder how much more we'll see over the next 75 games or so?"

That was actually something they didn't seem to do last year. But they could have. So right now, I'm cautiously optimistic they have recognized the error of their ways and we will see "ongoing and added development and improvement" all season. If so, I think they have the exciting potential to be realllllllllllllly good (even in ways they aren't right now) by the time they hit the playoffs. As you noted, they have pieces to work with they've lacked in the past.

[Janett_Reno]

Barea now can play and not against scrubs. He started last night and Avery was not afraid to start or play him.

Bass, we have never had a low post player like him or in along time. It is scarry how good we can be if this guy develops and get's smart to the game. He is also a very good shot blocker and rebounder.

We do not have to be forced to play George and Croshere all the time. George will help us and give us more depth but we have so many options now and not stuck.

Eddie Jones is known for having good defense and good offense and so far he has loked really bad but what if he gets going, this will help us.

We are 4 and 1 without Dampier and he is a big force on our team. We get very big, wide and deep when he gets back. In the mean time, i can't even explain how impressed i am with Diop. Play the whole game against Ming and have a very good game and not even foul. It is scarry how good Diop might get and develop into.

Faz is 6'11" and can shoot but i agree is slow. Hassell is 6'5" and is a guy like James Posey playing defense. He can score a little sometimes but a good defender and better than Buckner. If i could change one thing, i would have Reyshawn Terry before Ager.

Terry and Harris look so good. Stackhouse is doing good. I feel we are much better. Bass is very agressive and wants to score everytime he touches the ball, he has alot of power but he must learn when to pass, when to shoot and to play smart but i am proud of him being agressive. Bass could be huge to this team and we are alot better team than last year. On how good we are is measured in the playoffs. We need to win in the playoffs.

The announcers are right, Dirk must take over a game in the playoffs or being mvp but if he is afraid to, can't or whatever the reason what i am seeing in Harris and Terry, i think both can take a game over as if Dirk doesn't want to. I won't go into detail last night but Terry was amazing, on some things he took upon himself to do and he did them. Stackhouse isn't afraid either. He is streaky but not afraid. Avery has so many more choices than Croshere, George and Kevin Willis. The only bad thing is Houston and SA is very good also but i feel we can beat both.

[ty]

I didn't know Bass was only 22. As if he just stepped out of college...

[TheBlueVan]

While its been said a number of times, this really is the season that Harris needs to step up. He's played well so far, but I want to see him maintain the intensity and intelligence throughout the season. Honestly, while it does seem like a smaller thing, his ability to hit open shots has been huge so far, because its going to force teams to close out on him, and when that happens he should be able to create some offense.

We know what we're going to get from Dirk. He's not going to create off the dribble, but the improved guard play and ball movement should do that for him. I don't know whether its Westphal's influence, or maybe Avery just sat down and looked objectively at his offense, but our ball movement has been downright nasty at times.

Also, I can not say how excited I am to have Bass. Yes, he makes some mistakes. Yes, he really needs to hit those shots in the paint, but man, when have we ever had a rebounder and shot blocker who can move on the court like that... AND still be a legitimate weapon on the offensive end. If he brings it every night, he's going to be the key to beating small, fast teams.

[dude1394]

I believe this is the year that dirk sort of steps back and lets both josh/avery/jet lead like the spurs do. He doesn't need to carry the team all year. In fact I'll be surprised if Josh/Jason/Dirk aren't the team leaders. Jason's iffy but I expect Josh will for sure.

[rabbitproof]

Agreed. Dirk is still the MVP but like we saw Mike step back a half step so Steve and Dirk could help him reach new heights - Dirk, at 29, is letting Josh, Jason and Devin to help carry the mantle some more. He'll be big time when it counts but this is the cycle of outstanding professionals.

It's quite beautiful actually.

[Thespiralgoeson]

After reading this whole debate, I feel a lot better about the team's chances this year. No sarcasm. I seriously do.