The Mavericks Report

[#1MavsFan]

The Mavericks Report By "Maven" Dawn Santoianni
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Sep 15, 2002, 11:38am

All summer the Mavericks have patiently waited for Rashard Lewis, holding their mid-level exception like a child clutches its security blanket. While Lewis plays his ridiculous game of chicken with the Sonics, the Mavericks have watched the Kings sign Keon Clark, the Heat sign Travis Best and the Wizards sign Bryon Russell. While none of those players, or any currently on the market would single-handedly propel the Mavs to the NBA finals, certainly all three could have helped on some level. Instead, the Mavericks seem to be delaying the Najera signing and any progress on trading or resigning Wang Zhizhi until they have a decision from Lewis. While most fans believe that Dallas gets a steal if Rashard signs for the $4.5 million exception, questions remain as to how he would fit in and exactly what he brings to Dallas other than more offense.

Dallas has apparently chosen to build the team around the core of Finley, Nash, Nowitzki and now LaFrentz, which has resulted in very little fiscal flexibility. Dallas will be ridiculously over the cap next summer, when the free agent crop boasts the likes of Tim Duncan, Elton Brand and Jermaine O’Neal - the type of players who could make a difference for the post-weak Mavs. The Mavericks have over $46 million in committed salary next season just for 5 main players – Finley, Nowitzki, Nash, Van Exel and LaFrentz. That $46 mil doesn’t include the bloated contracts of Tariq Abdul-Wahad, Shawn Bradley, Avery Johnson and Evan Eschmeyer. If they sign Lewis, add another $5 to the total, although the long-term implication is that he’d get an overpaid contract down the line.

If Lewis were to sign, the Mavericks could start five guys who collectively average over 90 ppg. That number doesn’t include Van Exel, who can also be an explosive scorer. The Mavericks don’t have trouble on the offensive end though. In this case, it seems Don Nelson is trying to put his theory of having so much firepower on the floor that the opposition can’t afford to come off anyone to test. But the problem may not be whether or not that is true, or whether you can outscore your opponent on a nightly basis. The issue is minutes and shots.

If Nash, Nowitzki and Finley continue to be on the floor as much as last season (and despite Nelson’s redundant claims he will cut down their PT, there is no reason to believe it will happen) and Lewis slips into the starting SF spot, those four players will account for nearly 150 of the 240 minutes per game. Add another 30 or so minutes for both Van Exel and LaFrentz (what they averaged in Dallas), and that leaves only 30 total minutes of playing time for everyone else. Can the Mavericks afford to only give 30 minutes to hustle guys like Griffin and Najera? If Shawn Bradley is ever going to have a chance at making an impact again, can he find enough time on the court within those 30 minutes? And what if the Mavericks can convince Popeye Jones to sign? Are they going to divvy up 30 minutes among 4 players?

The answer, obviously, is not to simply play the big 3 less (although it would benefit Nash to be on the floor less). They could play Nick Van Exel less and risk him resorting to his malcontent personality. But even if Nellie is able to hold Finley on the bench for more than 8 minutes a game, save Nash for the playoffs and can keep Van Exel happy with his minutes, there is still a problem with shots and touches.

Last season, the Big Three accounted for over half the shot attempts. Given Nowitzki’s breakout play in the postseason and the World Championships, it is apparent he should get even more touches and shots this season. Often last season the Mavericks would not get the ball to their hot player, and more often than not that player was Nowitzki. Compared with other top forwards in the league, Dirk doesn’t get the ball enough. Last season he had 250 less shot attempts than Tim Duncan, 140 less than Kevin Garnett, 430 less than Antoine Walker, less than Vince Carter, etc etc. And while Dirk’s shots should probably increase, there is no reason that Nash’s or Finley’s should decrease to compensate (hang in with me here a minute, I’m getting to a point...). Of course Lewis will need his touches, Van Exel his, and the Mavericks certainly want LaFrentz more involved in the offense than he was last season with Dallas. With LaFrentz’ and Van Exel’s combined stats for last season (Denver and Dallas), and assuming Lewis’ involvement on offense doesn’t change with his zip code, the main six Dallas players would account for 97% of the shot attempts. Whether or not that is a problem, one thing is clear - it will be quite crowded for shots and playing time, and it is likely someone ends up unhappy. And there is little room for the Mavericks best player to be more involved in the offense.

If Lewis signs with Dallas, they will have stockpiled an intimidating lineup full of talent – one molded in the Portland cement fashion. The problem with having not one or two star players, but a roster of potentially 5 all stars is that none have the opportunity to really shine. And with no clear hierarchy among several players that deserve a spotlight, chemistry may become an issue. But, if the Mavs do get Lewis, there is a terrific opportunity in front of them, and that is by trade. With Nick Van Exel packaged with either Finley or Lewis (likely Lewis because of salary), the Mavericks could acquire a real talent to man the post. And THAT would be a stellar move

[Drbio]

Maven's articles are usually dead on and really good.

[MavKikiNYC]

Can somebody sketch out how Dallas would be able to trade Lewis after signing him to the mid-level this year? (For some reason, I'm not sure they can.) How long would they have to wait? Would this not kinda damage them credibility-wise in the eyes of potential FAs? And supposing they do decide to make a trade--who is the big man available out there NOW who fills their needs?

The problem may not be so much one of having 5 'star' players, as it is having 5 high-dollar starters, at least four of whose strength is scoring.

Maybe not so much an issue of chemistry as it is complementary skills--they still don't have a first-tier defender, either frontcourt or backcourt; and don't even talk about LaF's anomalous shot-blocking stat; he isn't and won't ever be a dominant defender or rebounder. Mavs will be lucky if he doesn't devolve into some sort of Bradleyan basket case on the bench.

And for all of his hustle and contribution as a 'glue' player, Eddie is highly unlikely to become more than a fan favorite. I really enjoy watching him play, but the talent-level just isn't going to allow him to be a dominant defender/rebounder.

So will signing Lewis address these deficits? No. They may have a Master Plan, but more and more I'm beginning to doubt if it's the right one.

[pepperfletch]

You know continued articles that imply that Lewis should be used as TRADE bait after we sign could hurt Mavs signing him. Lewis has the upside and talent to be one of any teams top 3...not just top 5. If Lewis signs here he gets a LARGE role and rightly so IMO. I think Finley and Nash simply have to play less minutesto rest them through out the season and provide the minutes which will allow the rest of the rotation to contribute.

Maven did not really really get into the issue of Wang and his playing time, but her reveiw of the minutes does make me think if Lewis signs - that Wang is sign&traded, I think that move will come back to bite the Mavs in a few years, but you know you can not play everyone.

Still I think Don has the skill to use everyone and keep them happy as he is the master of the daily roster change. We might see many games where some of our top sarters do not play at all which will only help us come playoffs...

[seelenjaeger]

hints to me into the finley + vanE for ...

[MavKikiNYC]

If they could sign Lewis, then Raef could go to the bench and become a sixth man. That would allow them to start a 5th player like Eddie or Mantis or whoever, based on matchups.

I don't think a lineup of Nash, Fin, Lewis, Dirk and LaF is getting the most out of the talent there.

[Dirk77]

"I don't think a lineup of Nash, Fin, Lewis, Dirk and LaF is getting the most out of the talent there."


WHAT? That lineuop would be THE most talented in the NBA.

[MavKikiNYC]

Individually, maybe. Collectively, almost certainly not.

[Rhylan]

it's hard to say, but I hope we get a chance to find out!

[miles berg]

Raef LaFrentz is a definite starter, the guy fits perfect with this team. He gets 7 boards a game, Dirk gets 10, and Lewis gets 7. Thatis 24 boards a game from your starting frontcourt. That is great. Look around the league, how many teams get this production?

I think that if we do get Lewis that it is the aging Michael Finley that should be packaged with Nick Van Exel in a trade to get a big man.

The problem is that there are not any out there. So, keep them all, up the tempo even more, and try to get 125 ppg out of the team. It would certainly be entertaining for us fans.

[jacktruth]

From a business perspective, Mark Cuban's plan is this: I can't get specifically what I need (Shaq clone), so I will collect the best commodities that I can find and work out the details later. I am loaded up with talent to trade without worrying about who is/isn't a free agent. If I can't get what I want through trades, and sign and trades, I have a highly talented group on the floor and I bring in fans and revenue anyway.

From a basketball perspective, I have a coach that believes in collecting the best talent available and using situational subsititution to get an advantage. My coach is happy, my fans get to see some exciting basketball, and I get to strategically rebel against traditional NBA thinking, which has got to burn Stern and that is worth a few million any day.

[Epitome22]

<< Raef LaFrentz is a definite starter, the guy fits perfect with this team. He gets 7 boards a game, Dirk gets 10, and Lewis gets 7. Thatis 24 boards a game from your starting frontcourt. That is great. Look around the league, how many teams get this production? >>



That isn't quite true. You mean to tell me if you hard a starting Front Court of Shaq, Tim Duncan and Ben Wallace that they would collectivly average 30 rebounds between them all. Don't you think it would thin out a little?

[pepperfletch]

NO

[#1MavsFan]

The Mavericks Report By &quot;Maven&quot; Dawn Santoianni
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Sep 22, 2002, 11:06am

Sometime last week I was watching the movie Jerry Maguire – the one with Cuba Gooding Jr. as the petulant football player and Tom Cruise as the sleazy sports agent who develops a conscience and decides to be honest with clients. Maguire, played by Cruise, loses all of his clients and is left with Gooding as his only chance. The best scene is hilarious – Gooding is on the phone with Cruise demanding him to “show me the money...show me the money!” Cruise is screaming it into the phone over and over – Gooding even prompts Cruise to yell, “I love the black man!” It’s a classic. And watching it, I couldn’t help but get a mental image of Mark Cuban on the phone with Rashard Lewis, screaming “I WILL SHOW YOU THE MONEY...I LOVE BLACK PEOPLE!” Of course, in the end, Cuban and the Mavs couldn’t show Lewis much money and he resigned in Seattle for exactly the reason everyone speculated he would.

Whether or not signing Lewis would have been a gamble that paid off, no one will know. But the movie also provided a striking metaphor for how the Mavericks had all their plans pinned to one player. By reserving the mid level exception for Lewis, the Mavs have forgone other free agent signings. No one but Lewis was worth the full exception in the Mavericks’ eyes, so they focused on one player. For Jerry Maguire, it worked out. For Dallas, it didn’t.

Maybe I’m being a bit harsh here. After all, the Mavericks made a highly rated move in bringing back the all-hustle, no-air Popeye Jones. They will hopefully resign fire spark Eduardo Najera in the next week or so, and seem to have something brewing via sign-and-trade with Wang Zhizhi. The Mavericks want to stay put and not make any major offseason changes. That wouldn’t be a bad thing if you look at the roster that includes All-Stars Finley, Nash and Nowitzki, an explosive starter quality point guard that comes off the bench, and three seven-footers. But the defensive woes of the Mavericks are well documented, and while Don Nelson identified the lack of defensive muscle as a key area to address in the offseason, the Mavericks have basically done nothing. The lack of summer movement prompted the well-respected Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram to wonder “Has Nelson suddenly become gun-shy? Has he lost the touch that helped him acquire Christian Laettner, Howard Eisley, Adrian Griffin, Tim Hardaway, Danny Manning and Evan Eschmeyer the past two off-seasons?” I kind of laughed when I read that statement. I think Dwain might have been ironic without realizing it – after all, 4 of those 6 players are no longer with the team, and you could forget Eschmeyer was even on the roster as he rotted on the bench last season.

I wouldn’t think staying put was a huge problem if Nelson was going to use the talent on the bench properly. But his love of small ball, his lack of focus on defense throughout the season, and the constant changes to quirky defensive schemes (supposedly to confuse the opposition) left the Maverick players confused and without proper instruction on how to play decent defense. If you look at the minutes he has played his big men (with the exception of Dirk Nowitzki), it is dismally small. In 2000-01, big men played only 18% of the total game time, in 2001-02 it shrunk to 15%. Add in Dirk, and big men were on the floor only 30% of the time last season. That’s right – 70% of the time, the players on the floor were under 6’10”. Conversely, the small guys (under 6’5”, which doesn’t include Finley) were on the floor 37% of the time. The Mavericks have quite a few tweeners on the roster, who got significant playing time when Nellie went with small ball. If you figure a typical lineup features three frontcourt players taller than 6’10” (which the Mavericks could put on the floor), big men should at a minimum play 60% of the time, right? The idea of staying with the current group is not a bad idea if the big men are utilized and Dallas gets serious about defense. Unfortunately, the players who could make the most impact on the defensive end are often the ones sitting on the bench.

I am actually quite relieved that Lewis signed in Seattle. I think he’s a fine player, but an offensively gifted one – the last thing the Mavs need. With Nelson likely starting training camp with the current group, he may be forced to give more minutes to hustle players like Najera and Jones, and defensive-minded types like Griffin and hopefully Bradley. With no Lewis in the SF spot, 38 minutes of playing time just became available. The void left by Lewis is not a void. It is an opportunity for the Mavericks to get serious about defense. Lets hope they seize that opportunity.