State of the Mavs: Article By The Nash - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

Nash13 · 12-23-2004, 02:34 AM

There are three main problems with this current Mavs team, and as i like to call them, the three "NOs." There's NO good coaching, NO good point guard, and NO good offensive positioning.

To my first NO, is NO good point guard. As long as i've been a Mavs fan, i've never had a favorite player, but i think that i like Jason Terry the most out of anybody on the team. With that said, i don't think Dallas will ever win with Terry as their starting point guard. I'm not saying let's trade the guy, because down the line he could have Van Exel like performances in the playoff. While i'm on the subject of Nick the Quick, i want to compare him to Jason Terry. When you look at the numbers, he and Jason Terry are virtually the same player; that's because they are. Both are players who can pass, but find it easier to shoot. They're not a point guard, but not really a shooting guard. Now the difference with the two is that Van Exel was the Mavs no. 2 option at point and Terry is the best Dallas has.

With all of the above said, Dallas needs to trade for a pure, solid, starting point guard. Again, i'm not saying trade Terry, because when you look at the top teams in the West, their best bench players are combo guards such as Manu Ginobli, Troy Hudson, Bobby Jackson, Luke Ridnour, L. Barbosa. The top available guards as of now are Payton and Snow, and depending on future team development, Baron Davis and Raef Alston could be open as well. Any of the four would be a good point guard for this Dallas team.

As for those who are against trading for another point guard because of Harris, their are two things to consider. One by the time Harris turns into the star we all know he'll be, Dirk will be 29-31, Dampier 31-33 and Finley will be 34-36. Also, having him as backup maybe good long term, it's killing the Mavs short term. And other teams would kill to have what the Mavs have, a legit star, a second option, and a good center. And they are so close now to have to save up for later, because the future is not guaranteed.

Congradulations for reading this far.

Now the NO good point guard leads to NO good offensive positioning. I never realized how bad a team needs a point guard to be successful until now. And the Mavs lack for good offensive positioning is who the Mavs are. They have too much talent not to be just average, but they don't have the ball movement and positioning to be the best. I've seen all but one Mavs game this season, and i can pin every win on good ball movement, and can pin every loss on bad ball movement. When Harris was the starter, the other four guys would stand still until they got the ball, so they could take matters unto their own hands. When Armstrong was the starter the same happens. When Terry starts, the same happens. I believe the lack of positioning is what make our Point Guards look bad, and what makes Dampier look like a bust.

Dallas cannot just throw the ball to Dampier and expect him to consistently hit that quick hook and to average 12ppg like last year, because that will not happen. And there's been too many times where i've seen Howard and Daniels stand at the perimeter like they're Steve Kerr or Reggie Miller. That's also a reason why Finley is struggling on his shot these past couple of games. This Dallas team does not space the opposing defense out which makes it easier to double up on Dirk and Finley. So to conclude, if our players would move around more, it would make everyone look better.

Congradulations for making it this far.

Now the two NOs mentioned so far doesn't even compare to the importance of NO good coach. Because as inconsistent as this Dallas team is, they could still have a better record, maybe not as good as Pheonix, who history says will cool down soon, but good enough to be second or third.

And when you look back at past champions, each teams has discipline. I credit Nelson for getting this team to play defense, but that's all the credit he deserves. He has said that if you don't play up to his standards, you will be benched. I don't agree with that method because he favors two people, you don't need me to tell you which two, and it ironically is only used on Dampier and Bradley, the Mavs two best centers. It seems as though Nelson is using this as an exuse to play small ball, which is the big point.

Let's suppose Dallas trades Terry/Hendu/Daniels for Kidd. Think to yourself, will we see a lot of this: Kidd/Finley/Howard/Dirk/Dampier or a lot of this: Kidd/Stackhouse/Finley/Howard/Dirk. History says even if Nelson still has a good point guard, he will still find a way to make Dallas bad on defense. I'm starting to believe Nash wasn't good defensively because of the small lineups.

Nelson knows that if Dallas gets a starting point guard, he'd have to play a traditional lineup. Scary thought. And still, if you look back at Dallas' best team in the 02-03 season, Nelson found a way to go small in the playoffs which almost blew a 3-0 lead, should've lost the Kings series, and ultimately lost in the Finals. And in Nellie's eyes, this is a poor man's version of the 03-04 Mavs and Mark Cuban has been bamboozled. Fortunately, Cuban is a smart business man and will quickly realize, if he hasn't already, that his biggest liability is his coach and gm.

Congradulation for reading this far.

So if the Mavs improve on the three NOs, they will be more consistent which will lead to more success.

Simon2 · 12-23-2004, 11:53 AM

I have to disagree with your "No good pg" analysis. I think Terry is a good PG. Marquis Daniels is NOT a pg. Terry has been screwed by Nellie. Asking a guy to come in after a rookie or a has-been player is just crazy. Terry has been the point guard of Atlanta and he had been putting up good numbers. Some will say, he had good numbers on a bad team. So what? Now that he is on a good team, his assists will go up because the players will hit those assists. To me, we are in the "Duncan-Shaq" mystique with point guards. What I'm saying is people were saying "There's no one like Duncan or Shaq. We can't win without them." Today, its the pg mystique of "Kidd-Nash". There's no one like those two and we can't win without them. We had Nash and we let him walk. Please make up your minds. I really like Terry over Nash in one aspect and I think its much needed. His defense. Did you see how he put the clamps on Starbury the other night? If that was Nash, Starbury would have scored 30 pts. easily. I really like Terry's game, especially the way he plays defense. The guy is fast and athletic and can shoot the basketball. Its really hard to shine coming off the bench. No matter how good you are, you are always behind the 8 ball if you are coming off the bench. You know why Jamison got the sixth man award last year? Because he isn't a sixth man, he's a proven starter. Take Dirk and put him off the bench he'll also become the sixth man of the year. There's no genius to that. Take a Ferrari and race it against Mini Coopers and it will win everytime. The Mavs have good point guards. Terry should start. Harris will back him up and Armstrong only comes in during garbage time. Its simple.

Nash13 · 12-23-2004, 12:58 PM

Simon, i'm not denying that Terry is good, i'm saying at this point Dallas needs a pure point guard to get everyone involved on offense. And it's clear to me that Harris is not ready to even be a backup point for a good team as of now. That's why i suggested getting a second-tier point like Snow/Payton/Alston so that when our chemistry is better, we could always go back and start Terry.

Ninkobei · 12-23-2004, 01:07 PM

What Dallas NEEDS can't be traded or bought. It can only be aquired through time. Do you really think adding *laugh* Kidd to the roster would make the team that much better? It would only cause more problems with chemistry because he doesn't know a single person on our team or how they move. Give this team time to get to know each other and they will be great.

bcrav4 · 12-23-2004, 01:08 PM

Terry is a good point guard, he just needs more than 3 Starts!!! He is 2-1, so what, it's a long season and the Mavs will rebound. All the Mavs need to work on is less turnovers and more rebounds/boxing people out.....NO MORE PUT BACK SLAMS FOR THE OPPONENTS!!!!

dude1394 · 12-23-2004, 01:11 PM

I still think it's debateable whether terry is a "good" point guard. We will see, he's the best we have at the moment although he seemed to stink it up last night.

It's also debateable whether dirk can carry the team. He can score a lot but so can Tracy McGrady... I love dirk, but this is the year to see if he can elevate the rest of the team, it's not proven yet for sure.

Ninkobei · 12-23-2004, 01:25 PM

I don't think Dirk should have to carry the team. He is such a better player when everything isn't depending on his shot. Look at all the teams who have one person carry their team: T-Wolves, Garnett. Rockets, T-Mac. 76ers, Iverson. LA, Kobe. Now, any time one of these guys has a bad day, their team is doomed. I do not wish this of the Mavs.

dude1394 · 12-23-2004, 01:30 PM

I'm not talking about "carrying" the team ala iverson. But carry the team to a championship level, (garnett is a good, shaq, duncan). Detroit showed that it could be done by committee, we'll see if that was an anomaly or a new trend.

We might find that little stevie was more important than thought.

Ninkobei · 12-23-2004, 01:37 PM

Agreed. It's a shame we couldn't have Nash for just one more year to show Harris the ropes and such. No looking back now, its much too late for that.

Simon2 · 12-23-2004, 01:44 PM

How did you come to this conclusion that Dirk is a better player if everything isn't depedning on his shot. Wasn't he and Nash on the most clutch list according to stats in the last two minutes. I can't find that but I read that sometime ago.

Quote:

Originally posted by: Ninkobei
I don't think Dirk should have to carry the team. He is such a better player when everything isn't depending on his shot. Look at all the teams who have one person carry their team: T-Wolves, Garnett. Rockets, T-Mac. 76ers, Iverson. LA, Kobe. Now, any time one of these guys has a bad day, their team is doomed. I do not wish this of the Mavs.

Ninkobei · 12-23-2004, 04:20 PM

I have no idea Simon, it just came out. Dirk is a fantastic shooter and can make clutch after clutch plays. BUT, if all we do every time we get the ball is go to Dirk, it isn't going to work out. What I am trying to say is when we have other guys who can take the pressure off of Dirk it makes him much better, as it would any super star in the NBA.

Simon2 · 12-23-2004, 05:01 PM

I don't think Dirk should always take the last shot. Jordan gave it to Paxson and Kerr several times. The play must start with Dirk. Why? Because he is the closest thing the Mavs have to someone unstoppable. He doesn't have to make the shot. My thought is the more you put a person in that situation, the more comfortable he becomes and the more he will like it. Who wouldn't want to be in that position? You can be the hero or the goat.

I don't think the Mavs are paying him millions and millions of dollars to defer to anyone else. If Dirk doesn't understand that he's the franchise, Nellie has to make him understand. In this case, pressure is good.

Quote:

Originally posted by: Ninkobei
I have no idea Simon, it just came out. Dirk is a fantastic shooter and can make clutch after clutch plays. BUT, if all we do every time we get the ball is go to Dirk, it isn't going to work out. What I am trying to say is when we have other guys who can take the pressure off of Dirk it makes him much better, as it would any super star in the NBA.