“They don’t have no real big men"

[dirt_dobber]

Interesting take from Spothead...........

Rasheed Wallace on the Mavericks: “They don’t have no real big men"
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a.../1051/SPORTS01
February 2, 2008
By CHRIS SILVA
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

When discussing the Pistons’ 102-86 drubbing at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks last month, Rasheed Wallace didn’t mince words.

Then again, when does he ever?” We got our (butt) kicked,” Wallace said. “Ain’t no way to sugarcoat it.”

The Mavericks shot an impressive 56.8% from the floor in that game, made 10 of 16 three-pointers and lit it up out of the gate with a 32-point first quarter.

So when the Pistons face Dallas again tomorrow afternoon at the Palace, Wallace has an idea on how to combat the Mavs’ slash-and-shoot style of play.

“We’ve just got to put their (butt) in a hole on the other end, put their (butt) right down there on them chop blocks (the post),” Wallace said. “They don’t have no real big men, actually. The only real big man I’d say is Damp (Eric Dampier) because he fits that classic big man mold….but they’ve got a lot of slashers on their team. It’s a team full of slashers. I’m not saying they’re not good, but, hey, in order to hold their slashing down, put their (butt) ass on the chop blocks.”

It’s practically a given that forward Dirk Nowitzki will do his share of scoring. While it’s still imperative to contain him, it’s the Mavs’ other players who can inflict the same damage.

Dallas will have a thin bench without injured point guard Devin Harris, but guard Jason Terry, who’s primarily come off the bench this season, can also hold his own.

”They’re better with (Harris),” captain Chauncey Billups said. “He’s so good at pick and rolls. He’s so fast and quick, he can turn the corner giving other guys shots, but you know, Jason Terry, he’s just as good as anybody out there. He’s a scoring point guard. Good at pick and rolls and you’ve got to play him.”

[EricaLubarsky]

how literate and politic that gentleman is!

[wmbwinn]

Diop and Dampier can handle the low post defensively. I have to assume Rasheed is pointing to strategies like spread, tight defenses and zones that are best beat by offensively going to the low post. True, scoring in the low post is the weakness of Dallas. And, Bass is not the answer against teams with real centers...

[StackAttack]

Nice to see Chauncey showing some respect to Devin.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

We spank Detroit a lot. I'd be upset too.

[bcrav4]

Originally Posted by StackAttack

Nice to see Chauncey showing some respect to Devin.

I don't know if it's that Terry has fallen so far or that Devin has climbed so high, but it's strange that everyone around the league has come to the realization that Harris>Terry for the Mavs.

[mary]

So Rasheed thinks we do have real big men?

[Bathouse Bear]

Rasheed is exactly right.


I will always have respect for Rasheed for being one of the few players to speak out publicly about the Horrendus officiating and protection that Dwayne Wade got in the 2006 Finals.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by Bathouse Bear

Rasheed is exactly right.


I will always have respect for Rasheed for being one of the few players to speak out publicly about the Horrendus officiating and protection that Dwayne Wade got in the 2006 Finals.

Well it's not like he doesn't have a personal vested interest in those opinions. Refs did the exact same things for Wade in the round before where they beat the Pistons. I'd be pissed too.

The guy I really appreciate for speaking his mind about all that is T-Mac. He plays for a team that doesn't particularly care for the Mavs, yet he came out that summer and explicitly said that he thought the refs gifted it to Wade.

[skylive321]

where did we go wrong?

[Krazy]

In other news the sky is blue.

[bernardos70]

He sounds almost smart when compared to Bill Walton in the pregame show. I love him on occasion, but when he's not being funny........ he's being retarded.

[chumdawg]

Originally Posted by StackAttack

Nice to see Chauncey showing some respect to Devin.

Actually, when you consider what he also said about Terry...was he really being sincere?

[cjbcool]

Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?
No REAL big man? Like the Pistons got Vintage Shaq or something. No one on that team is a Center. They have PF and a big SF in Rasheed Wallace. He does have post moves, but Dirk can shoot threes it doesn't make him a shooting guard.

Hope Devin can return soon. After the All-Star game, we will have to take it up a notch.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by cjbcool

Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?
No REAL big man? Like the Pistons got Vintage Shaq or something. No one on that team is a Center. They have PF and a big SF in Rasheed Wallace. He does have post moves, but Dirk can shoot threes it doesn't make him a shooting guard.

Hope Devin can return soon. After the All-Star game, we will have to take it up a notch.

Yes, it is the pot calling the kettle black. If you look at shed's shot chart he shoots the same amount in the paint as dirk ~23%.

[Dtownsfinest]

I don't think Sheed is saying the Pistons have a big man either is he? The only reason he has never been recognized as a top tier in this league is because of his needs to stick to the jump shot when in the post he's one of the most dominant in the league.

[Usually Lurkin]

slashers? I thought our problem was we had too many jump shooters?

That we don't have any low post scorers is a huge revelation to anyone who's prone to surprise whenever the sun comes up. The blanket statement, "no real big men," though, reflects a national perspective, maybe, but not that of most Mavs fans.. Damp and Diop both are fine defenders, we like to believe.

But is the belief grounded in reality? Is there a website with good stats for where opponents are scoring from? Or even how many layups and dunks opponents get?

[kg_veteran]

Originally Posted by Usually Lurkin

slashers? I thought our problem was we had too many jump shooters?

That we don't have any low post scorers is a huge revelation to anyone who's prone to surprise whenever the sun comes up. The blanket statement, "no real big men," though, reflects a national perspective, maybe, but not that of most Mavs fans.. Damp and Diop both are fine defenders, we like to believe.

But is the belief grounded in reality? Is there a website with good stats for where opponents are scoring from? Or even how many layups and dunks opponents get?

According to 82games.com, our opponents take 35% of their shots close to the basket (this includes close shots, dunks, and tips). The Mavs take 28% of their shots close to the basket.

[Usually Lurkin]

Originally Posted by kg_veteran

According to 82games.com, our opponents take 35% of their shots close to the basket (this includes close shots, dunks, and tips). The Mavs take 28% of their shots close to the basket.

well, effective fg% for mavs v. opponents is about the same for close (.544 v. .545) and dunks (.951 v. .912) and block % is higher for mavs (6.7%) than opponents (5.1%), if I read that correctly. These, I guess speak more to defensive big-mannerisms, rather than offensive production, because anyone can score up close, but it more often falls to the big men to stop that scoring.

By position, Mavs centers have an effective FG% (.546) that's higher than opponents centers (.519). We can ignore the pf spot, I suppose, because we can concede that Dirk's not no real big man.

But from these, we might conclude that the Mavs big men are (or would be) as effective as their opponents, but aren't used as much.

What I'd really like to see is a site that says, "Mavs opponents shoot more than they normally do from the inside, and their inside scorers are more effective than they normally are"

oh, and thanks for pointing me back to 82games.com, kg.