What Happened to the Mavs???? - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

BigDog63 · 03-27-2016, 08:02 PM

Will say up front that I was super busy the past few weeks, so only actually watched some of the Mavs games in that stretch. I did keep up with the scores, though, and .... wtf happened? The Mavs had a stretch of home games, against lesser opponents, where they needed to make up some ground, and they fell apart. Why? Yes, have had a couple injuries lately, but they were losing prior to those, too. Zaza getting a DNP/CD? He was probably their most consistent player. Seems to suddenly be a lack of defense? But...why? The Mavs should be better than this. Parsons was playing perhaps the best ball of his career...and the Mavs were losing. Dirk was definitely playing his best ball in a couple years..and the Mavs were losing. Why? What happened? Inquiring minds want to know! :-)

Perhaps the scarier question (depending on the answers) is...what can the Mavs do to fix it? If the answer is just 'they aren't good enough'...that's going to be tough to correct, this year, or the next couple years.

turin · 03-27-2016, 08:06 PM

small ball-itis, coupled with Carlisle's mind-boggling refusal to play Mejri and McGee major minutes, especially in light of the fact that he ran Zaza into the ground overplaying him the first 2/3 of the season. SMH

EricaLubarsky · 03-27-2016, 08:17 PM

Bad coaching, limited roster

Melonhead · 03-27-2016, 08:52 PM

They peaked in the early part of the season. Zaza ran into the ground. Horrible small ball. Injuries. Stubborn coach. Nobody really stepping up as a leader on the team.

rimrocker · 03-27-2016, 08:58 PM

I hate to see the roster get overhauled every season but it appears we'll have to make many changes again one way or another. No matter what, we need to desperately get younger because this team looks completely worn out.
The only ones with any energy are the ones that Rick refused to play earlier in the season but is now forced to due to injury to key players.

Bryan_Wilson · 03-27-2016, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rimrocker

I hate to see the roster get overhauled every season but it appears we'll have to make many changes again one way or another. No matter what, we need to desperately get younger because this team looks completely worn out.
The only ones with any energy are the ones that Rick refused to play earlier in the season but is now forced to due to injury to key players.

I honestly don't even know what direction Mavs should go this off season. In past off season's we could pinpoint the key need and just hope for the chips to fall where they may but we have so many issues... If Dwill opts out and wants more do we really pay him more with his constant series of little bumps and bruise injuries? Who do we get on the cheap to replace him? Do we chase Conley? Why would Conley come here? Would he even make a big enough difference to warrant it? If we keep Parsons do we rly need a "true" full time pg like Conley? Do we chase a mental midget roll man in Dwight when the league is going small? Does he make enough difference to warrant his huge salary? We didn't trade Powell but he seems to not have a jumpshot or post moves so he's just an undersized 5 for now to RC obviously. Who will backup Dirk at the 4? Because as good as Parsons was offensively at the 4 without the right kind of 5 we can't rebound or defend the paint. And we have to hope that last years pick Simba, really works on his game because we need depth on the wing and his athleticism on the cheap. In the past teams could buy late round picks or early 2nds but with the cap going up there is rly no reason to sell a pick to us in the Draft so it's hard to add youth with no pick this year and the young RFA's would all likely be matched with cap going up.

DevinHarriswillstart · 03-27-2016, 11:56 PM

Rick would be a great coach for a team like the Cavaliers or Thunder because he would have 100% confidence in the vet stars. He is the type of guy who could insert his genius playmaking and x's and o's to really maximize talent when he has it.

Having 100% confidence in guys like Felton, Williams, and Matthews isn't going to work.

spreedom · 03-28-2016, 12:07 AM

I really want this season to be over so everyone will get off Rick's case. He hasn't done a perfect job this season, that's for sure, but we could do SO MUCH worse. Aside from some beefs about guys like Justin, I think he has done the best he can with what he has. This roster is a mess.

And please, next time you're thinking of posting "I think Rick's trying to get himself fired", please consider deleting your account instead. He signed his extension after the season started... He knew what he was getting into, and quite frankly, this team is overachieving by virtue of being in the playoff hunt at all.

Underdog · 03-28-2016, 12:35 AM

turin · 03-28-2016, 01:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spreedom

And please, next time you're thinking of posting "I think Rick's trying to get himself fired", please consider deleting your account instead. He signed his extension after the season started... He knew what he was getting into, and quite frankly, this team is overachieving by virtue of being in the playoff hunt at all.

Overachieving? Really? Rick has done a horrible job. Outside of GS and SA, the west is an inconsistent mess. Half of the teams in playoff spots now have been tripping all over themselves trying to gift a playoff spot to the Mavericks. The main problem ALL season has been lack of DEFENSE, specifically at the center position. Dirk at the 5 or Powell earlier in the year with 3-4 guards didn't cut it, and nothing changed putting Lee in there after aquiring him. The weak-arse, modified small ball line-up has absolutely killed the Mavericks ALL SEASON. What were Rick's adjustments? Play CV some more? Try Lee at center after Powell flamed out? Give me a friggin break. There is/was no excuse for that. McGee is as healthy as he has been in years and has contributed when he was given minutes. Does he make mistakes? Yes, but for his reputation as a bonehead, I've not seen him come close to making a mistake like Parsons' late game inbounds pass that gave the game away. Matthews has been absolutely pathetic 90% of the time and is logging the most minutes on the team. WTH? No doghouse for him. Mejri has been a solid contributor when given the chance, but he only got a chance to get on the court after Zaza had been run into the ground, and still it's anybody's guess game to game whether or not he'll get more than a few minutes of playing time. Yet you think Rick has done a commendable job? The Mavs have lost 10 of their last 12 and 16 of their last 23. We could be doing so much worse? Yeah, that's funny. SMH

TheSportyChannel · 03-28-2016, 03:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spreedom

I really want this season to be over so everyone will get off Rick's case. He hasn't done a perfect job this season, that's for sure, but we could do SO MUCH worse. Aside from some beefs about guys like Justin, I think he has done the best he can with what he has. This roster is a mess.

And please, next time you're thinking of posting "I think Rick's trying to get himself fired", please consider deleting your account instead. He signed his extension after the season started... He knew what he was getting into, and quite frankly, this team is overachieving by virtue of being in the playoff hunt at all.

A team that is 3 games under 500 is Overachieving? LMAO. Only reason we are in the playoff race is because this is one of the worst years in a very long time for the Western Conference. Rick has cost us many games this season by not calling timeouts at the right time and playing players out of their position. He has also been resting players for no reason on a team that isn't even locked to make the playoffs. Does that even make sense? This is the same team that started 9-4 and now 3 games under 500. Those timeout mistakes earlier in the season by Rick alone might be the reason we miss the playoffs in the end by 1 or 2 games. No more praising Rick for his awful coaching this season.

Oberon · 03-28-2016, 06:45 AM

I don't think our roster is that limited. I mean a lineup with Dirk, DWill, Wes, Parsons and Zaza is pretty solid and should make the top6 with good coaching, especially now that the West is on the decline. In the beginning of the season, things looked quite promising and I thought we could actually improve as the season progresses. But now it seems the chemistry is completely gone and this is not just due to injuries. I just don't see a real game plan and more often than not we look pretty helpless against well organized and talented units. There was a time when we could beat any team in the NBA and now we're happy when we're not blown out by the GSW. I think Dallas deserves better than that, Dirk deserves better than that.

Next year, I want to see major changes. I assume we're not making the playoffs so we have a bit more time to plan everything out. Rick needs to be seriously questioned. He hasn't done anything spectacular since the 2011 championship. His best effort was the 2014 first round against SA. Other than that, he was solid, not more or less. I just don't see the genius that many people associate with him. Popovic is a genius, not him. However, as a person I really like Rick and I want him to be treated respectfully. Why can we not thank him for the good moments we had and then go on to start a new chapter? The Warriors have done that with Jackson and while everybody was a bit surprised in the first place, it turned out to be one of the best decisions they've ever done. Our organization needs a breath of fresh air.

turin · 03-28-2016, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oberon

I don't think our roster is that limited. I mean a lineup with Dirk, DWill, Wes, Parsons and Zaza is pretty solid and should make the top6 with good coaching, especially now that the West is on the decline.

Agree. 6th is my assessment exactly, heck maybe even 5th. It's not like Houston and Utah are just ripping off clutch victories and running away.

MavzMan · 03-28-2016, 09:13 AM

I'm not sure that I agree our starting lineup was "pretty solid". Not only has today's NBA gone small, but they've got fast and athletic. If you aren't fast and athletic, you damn sure better be stacked in skill. Dirk has the skill and Parsons sometimes. However, Wes, Zaza, and DWill do not have it which makes our entire starting lineup slow and under-the-basket.

And I've come to the realization that we are not playing "small ball" like Golden State and some other teams but actually "tiny ball" when we have Dirk (5), either Wes or Parsons (4) and then three PGs. We drive and kick to death because that is all we have (under-the-basket) and teams know that now so they overplay our passing lanes for easy steals.

Underdog · 03-28-2016, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MavzMan

I'm not sure that I agree our starting lineup was "pretty solid". Not only has today's NBA gone small, but they've got fast and athletic. If you aren't fast and athletic, you damn sure better be stacked in skill. Dirk has the skill and Parsons sometimes. However, Wes, Zaza, and DWill do not have it which makes our entire starting lineup slow and under-the-basket.

And I've come to the realization that we are not playing "small ball" like Golden State and some other teams but actually "tiny ball" when we have Dirk (5), either Wes or Parsons (4) and then three PGs. We drive and kick to death because that is all we have (under-the-basket) and teams know that now so they overplay our passing lanes for easy steals.

Yeah, you know your roster is a mess when the fanbase harps on Rick for not playing a 29-year-old rookie or a journeyman who has a reputation for being the biggest knucklehead in the league... As if Rick would be rolling out these tiny lineups if we had DeAndre Jordan or Tyson Chandler??

Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson need to bring their A-game this summer or else we're going to be looking at more of the same until Dirk retires (and much, much worse after he's gone).

turin · 03-28-2016, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Underdog

As if Rick would be rolling out these tiny lineups if we had DeAndre Jordan or Tyson Chandler??

Rick would still be rolling out the tiny lineups even if he had Jordan or Chandler. He's an imitator, and GS are the model du jour. He's also decided to sprinkle in a bit of Popovic by resting starters throughout the year. I'm not impressed with his attempt to make his roster conform to a system. I'm much more impressed with a coach who can change his coaching and system to maximize the production of his roster. That's why I've been so annoyed with the small ball lineup. Why bother signing Mejri and McGee just to have them sit and waste valuable spots on the roster? If GS small ball is what he wants, then he should've gone with even more guards... let me rephrase that "even more older, veteran guards". Let's face it, younger guys are just another wasted spot on a Carlisle roster.

DevinHarriswillstart · 03-28-2016, 10:40 AM

I like be be level headed when criticizing Rick because he is a very good coach. I'm objective enough though to question some of the things he has done this season. I think running Zaza into the ground is on him. I'm not saying the team had much of a choice because I agree that Mejri and McGee probably aren't saving the day. At the same time, why even have Mejri and McGee on the roster if you can't use them? Because you simply cannot have both small ball and no defensive center and expect success.

You also set yourself up for disappointment when the FO knowingly put older, veteran injury-ridden players and expect it to all work out. And then coach won't play the younger or end of bench guys when needed. The whole recipe for what they were trying to do just didn't make sense.

But hey, everything looks bad when you're losing, and it's easy to pick apart. I just hope we aren't going to just re-tool and keep most of the guys we already have. THAT would be a big failure because you are doing the exact same thing over and over again.

dirt_dobber · 03-28-2016, 10:59 AM

sad to see where we are...
Remember when we were the happy Mavs just fighting for a chance at the playoff opportunity and upset a good Jazz team in the 2000-01 season.
Would have loved for Dirk to have his "nearer retirement seasons" that Timmy is having.

DGM · 03-28-2016, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

I like be be level headed when criticizing Rick because he is a very good coach. I'm objective enough though to question some of the things he has done this season. I think running Zaza into the ground is on him. I'm not saying the team had much of a choice because I agree that Mejri and McGee probably aren't saving the day. At the same time, why even have Mejri and McGee on the roster if you can't use them? Because you simply cannot have both small ball and no defensive center and expect success.

You also set yourself up for disappointment when the FO knowingly put older, veteran injury-ridden players and expect it to all work out. And then coach won't play the younger or end of bench guys when needed. The whole recipe for what they were trying to do just didn't make sense.

But hey, everything looks bad when you're losing, and it's easy to pick apart. I just hope we aren't going to just re-tool and keep most of the guys we already have. THAT would be a big failure because you are doing the exact same thing over and over again.

You are correct. We are looking at everything under a cloud of losing. Let's hope for a couple of wins.
Note to RC: Do not roll out Zaza with Faried on the floor.

rimrocker · 03-28-2016, 12:54 PM

Rick is a championship caliber coach but doesn't have a championship caliber team. He's a bit out of his realm with this squad.

I'd like to see this organization give him a chance to rebuild this team with his system from the ground up. Rick plays to win every game without much regard for the long-term future so if the FO would fill the roster with 25 yo players and under (+Dirk) he'd have no choice but to try to win with them and they could grow into his system.

It's more about the organization's strategy as a whole than it is about bad coaching. Naturally Rick is going to play the guys he's most comfortable with.

Murphy3 · 03-28-2016, 03:04 PM

Cuban and Nelson have failed this franchise the past few off seasons..

j0Shi · 03-28-2016, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rimrocker

Rick is a championship caliber coach but doesn't have a championship caliber team. He's a bit out of his realm with this squad.

Couldn't agree more. Rick's a top 5 coach in the league, but he's best maximizing a squad that's already decent and veteran-savvy. Most analysts said it already would be a great accomplishment to make the playoffs with the personnel we have and now it's minus Parsons and a few others on and off.

BigDog63 · 03-28-2016, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spreedom

..quite frankly, this team is overachieving by virtue of being in the playoff hunt at all.

It it? I never bought into that. Certainly not one of the top tier teams in the West, but I wouldn't say in the bottom tier, either. It lacks elite talent, but has solid players through all the positions, and several deep into the bench. I thought when the Mavs were hovering around the 5th seed that that was about where they should be.

For the other posts...old and tired seems to be a theme. Can't argue, but that's scary. Old, yes, but would hope they could play a season without looking worn out. If that is the problem...how to you fix it? Longer term deals on several players, plus you would need to not just get younger, but replace their talent level, too, and at about their current price. Not an easy task.

Bottom line, I think, is that this is the end product of sucking at the draft consistently. That's how you get younger. The Mavs have only had 1 solid NBA player in the last...10 drafts? That's pathetic. Worse, I think it was intentional...they didn't want any young players taking up roster spots or cap room (draft salary slots).

rimrocker · 03-28-2016, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigDog63

Bottom line, I think, is that this is the end product of sucking at the draft consistently. That's how you get younger. The Mavs have only had 1 solid NBA player in the last...10 drafts? That's pathetic. Worse, I think it was intentional...they didn't want any young players taking up roster spots or cap room (draft salary slots).

The FO seems to value draft picks more as trade pieces to acquire vets than opportunities for youth development. I think it is time to change that philosophy and no draft picks should be traded for several years.
Trading draft picks only seems to make sense when a team is a piece away from becoming a serious contender. We are several major pieces away from being anywhere near contention level.

This organization wants to plug vets into Rick's system instead of bringing in players that can grow into his system. I think the latter fosters a better environment for building a championship caliber team in the long-term. The FO simply needs to become more patient.

beatLA · 03-28-2016, 07:43 PM

Mavs wouldn't have a chance in the playoffs anyway.

Melonhead · 03-28-2016, 11:39 PM

I said all year I thought the Mavs were a 7 seed. However, I thought it would be a comfortable 7 seed and not clawing to be in the race at all. I dont think the Mavs are overachieving but Vegas had the Mavs total at 39 wins before the season started. Vegas usually knows what theyre doing...

Bryan_Wilson · 03-29-2016, 12:00 AM

Bryan_Wilson · 03-29-2016, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melonhead

I said all year I thought the Mavs were a 7 seed. However, I thought it would be a comfortable 7 seed and not clawing to be in the race at all. I dont think the Mavs are overachieving but Vegas had the Mavs total at 39 wins before the season started. Vegas usually knows what theyre doing...

I would agree with the 7 seed thought process except Houston and Memphis were much worse than originally thought. Even a team like Portland was able to capitalize, although their roster with heavy guard play is much more suited to get things done in today's game than the mavs small lineup. Either way this season is a disappointment for sure. Injuries play their role but this team was bad before the Parsons injury so I can't use that as an excuse for them not being in a better position closing this season out.

I just hope RC keeps playing Powell and Simba in the regular rotation. If we are going to miss the playoffs I'd at least like to get a look at them as players before the off season begins.

BigDog63 · 03-29-2016, 06:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melonhead

I said all year I thought the Mavs were a 7 seed. However, I thought it would be a comfortable 7 seed and not clawing to be in the race at all. I dont think the Mavs are overachieving but Vegas had the Mavs total at 39 wins before the season started. Vegas usually knows what theyre doing...

Vegas does...BUT the Mavs seem to consistently outperform preseason prognostications. This year they aren't, even though they have one of the more solid group of players they've had in a while.

One role they desperately miss, I think, is the one DeJuan Blair played.

Jack.Kerr · 03-29-2016, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melonhead

I said all year I thought the Mavs were a 7 seed. However, I thought it would be a comfortable 7 seed and not clawing to be in the race at all. I dont think the Mavs are overachieving but Vegas had the Mavs total at 39 wins before the season started. Vegas usually knows what theyre doing...

I had the Mavs +/-3 .500, a 38 to 44 win team, and thought that they could realistically play for an 8th seed.

For most of the season they played toward the top or even slightly above that range. At that point, I'd have said that they were over-achieving. But even back in January, given Dirk's age, Zaza's overuse (and the lack of viable depth at the 5), and the ever-present concern about injury-prone players (Williams, Parsons) and players recovering from injury (Matthews, Parsons), it looked like they were ripe for a late-season fade. Which is exactly what has happened.

Mavs may be able to limp to the finish line with 38 wins, but I would not bet on them taking the final playoff spot. They were over-achieving early in the season, but they are playing down to form.

Mavericks have atrophied into a roster of grossly overpaid 2nd and 3rd-tier talent, anchored by a 37-year old player who can be productive (and a thing of beauty) in isolated games, but can no longer carry the team sucessfully, and shouldn't be asked to.

Carlisle did a great job back in 2011 of scheming with a team of veterans to defeat physically superior teams in an epic playoff run. Tip of the hat to him for that. He's playing micro-ball as a gimmick because the roster doesn't have enough talent to compete straight-up. (Talent + Gimmick = Warriors Championship. Gimmick Alone = 38 wins.) But as the Mavericks dissipate into the need for a full-on rebuild, there is legitimate question as to whether Carlisle is the right talent to develop young players. I'd say not. And a contract extension is more of an insurance policy than a commitment to him.

Cuban and Nelson have played the game of reload instead of rebuild, and in so doing have turned the last 4 years into a protracted Dirk Farewell Tour, as for the most part he has been the only thing worth watching. They have gambled and lost on free agent signings (Parsons: FAIL, Jordan: FAIL, Matthews: FAIL) and trades (Rondo:FAIL). Give them credit for trying, but at some point all those FAILS have to be acknowledged, and they have to take a new course. Cuban owns the team, so realistically that would mean Nelson's role needs to be diminished, or he needs to be let go.

I don't know if Cuban's basketball acumen is bigger than his business acumen, but I'm pretty sure that neither is bigger than his ego. He enjoys pretending to be one of the guys too much to step back and put in place more competent management. Mavericks will continue to devolve into a Rich Man's Toy a la Davis' Raiders, Jones' Cowboys, and Dolan's Knicks.

If you were too young to experience the Mavericks of the 90s, just pull out your paperbags and sit back. Gonna be a long decade. DÃ©jÃ* vu all over again.

REEKO_HTOWN · 03-29-2016, 10:50 AM

Please keep winning guys. I really don't want to see my Rockets curb stomped by GS.

Thanks in advance

BigDog63 · 03-29-2016, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack.Kerr

I had the Mavs +/-3 .500, a 38 to 44 win team, and thought that they could realistically play for an 8th seed.

For most of the season they played toward the top or even slightly above that range. At that point, I'd have said that they were over-achieving.

That was around what I had expected, given the Mavs tendency to overachieve expectations.

Quote:

it looked like they were ripe for a late-season fade. Which is exactly what has happened.

I wouldn't have been surprised by a fade against a run of good teams. But have been surprised at the Mavs inability lately to even play .500 against mediocre to bad teams.

Quote:

They were over-achieving early in the season, but they are playing down to form.

I see more playing to form earlier (given how well players like Zaza was playing), and below that lately.

Quote:

Mavericks have atrophied into a roster of grossly overpaid 2nd and 3rd-tier talent

Parsons (maybe, he was playing very well before the meniscus injury) and Matthews (I never saw how that could ever be a good contract)...but the others are all pretty good contracts.

Quote:

But as the Mavericks dissipate into the need for a full-on rebuild, there is legitimate question as to whether Carlisle is the right talent to develop young players. I'd say not. And a contract extension is more of an insurance policy than a commitment to him

.

Forget about Carlisle...is the FO capable of doing a rebuild? That would have to happen through the draft, and they draft abysmally. Perhaps the worst drafting team in all of sports....maybe ever? Remember how long ago Josh Howard was? The best player they've drafted since then is Jae Crowder, a good 7th man or so. In over a decade...that's it.

Quote:

They have gambled and lost on free agent signings (Parsons: FAIL, Jordan: FAIL, Matthews: FAIL) and trades (Rondo:FAIL).

I wonder put Parsons in the FAIL category, and there have certainly been quite a few hits. Carter, Tyson Chandler, DeJuan Blair...they have actually been pretty good bottom feeders in the FA market. This is why, I think, they eschew draft picks. Better to pick up bargain veterans is their thinking. I disagree, at least as a sole choice, but pretty sure that is their mindset.

Quote:

If you were too young to experience the Mavericks of the 90s, just pull out your paperbags and sit back. Gonna be a long decade. DÃ©jÃ* vu all over again.

Could be. I posted earlier this year, given all the questions the Mavs had going into the season, that if the answers weren't good the Mavs were in for a long bad stretch. They have no young core to build around. I don't think acquiring the type of veterans they have been will work absent Dirk. They draft terribly. So, HOW do they rebuild? That's a really big unknown, much less how quickly. Expecting a few bad years in there is very reasonable, and could well be more than that. Look how long Philly has stayed bad, even though most think they have drafted well, and had top picks to do it. I don't think the Mavs will ever do a bottom out rebuild from scatch...Cuban wouldn't buy into it.

Bryan_Wilson · 03-29-2016, 05:25 PM

Well up until last season the mavs traded a lot of their draft picks because of the "piece away" philosophy. The whole Greek freak thing of course was bad by Cuban but the fact Donnie was so in love with him at least says had it not of been for cuban chasing a free agent instead of drafting a player we would have had a nice young player in greek. I'll wait to hold off judgment of how they can rebuild post Dirk really starting with this last draft and going forward. Because we are nowhere near one piece away so I'm interested to see how they accumulate assets while trying to remain competitive for Dirk.

EricaLubarsky · 03-29-2016, 10:03 PM

Were now on the outside looking in. Rick really likes using the shovel that dug him the hole to dig his way out. The only thing that got us ahead was high-speed ball with young guys. Instead, we just got slower and slower. We replaced young guys with old guys like Lee. Now we've lost a lot more than we've won over the last few months and missing the playoffs is a real reality, but hey, Rick finally admitted that he was going to play youth-- until One of those guys had one bad game and then gets DNPs

DGM · 03-30-2016, 07:29 AM

I was listening to Ben and Skin yesterday talking about the Mavs season. Skin talked about Zaza having problems with his Achilles. That was the first that I heard of such an injury. It does explain the increased problems that he has with lateral movement. Anyone else hear about a Zaza injury?

rimrocker · 03-30-2016, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DGM

I was listening to Ben and Skin yesterday talking about the Mavs season. Skin talked about Zaza having problems with his Achilles. That was the first that I heard of such an injury. It does explain the increased problems that he has with lateral movement. Anyone else hear about a Zaza injury?

When we traded for him I remember hearing about Achilles issues either last season or the season before. Must be a nagging problem for him and the overuse of playing him early on this season is probably now taking its toll.

DevinHarriswillstart · 03-30-2016, 01:46 PM

I have no problem with the record or the fact that the Mavs are what they are. I have more of an issue with the fact that team started playing progressively worse from the mid point of the season on. That's very curious as it doesn't usually happen that way...especially with an experienced coach like Rick.

But let's face it, the season ended when Jordan reneged. There was no way to construct a truly competitive roster at that point.

Vinsanity · 03-30-2016, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Rick would be a great coach for a team like the Cavaliers or Thunder because he would have 100% confidence in the vet stars. He is the type of guy who could insert his genius playmaking and x's and o's to really maximize talent when he has it.

Having 100% confidence in guys like Felton, Williams, and Matthews isn't going to work.

You nailed it

EricaLubarsky · 03-30-2016, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

I have no problem with the record or the fact that the Mavs are what they are. I have more of an issue with the fact that team started playing progressively worse from the mid point of the season on. That's very curious as it doesn't usually happen that way...especially with an experienced coach like Rick.

But let's face it, the season ended when Jordan reneged. There was no way to construct a truly competitive roster at that point.

End of discussion. Dude could take the Cavs or even the Heat to the finals. He can (and did) also take a talented young squad like the Mavs and drive them (almost?) out of the playoffs.

rimrocker · 03-30-2016, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

But let's face it, the season ended when Jordan reneged. There was no way to construct a truly competitive roster at that point.

Yeah, I think the strategy was pretty good up to that point. Signing Parsons 2 years ago, Matthews and DJ last off-season and then use the extra cap space this coming off-season to acquire the final piece....Conley???

I'm just curious how the FO will adjust to all of that this off-season after they've had some time to plan.