Why The Mavs Are The League's Deepest Team - And Why That May Be A Problem

[StackAttack]

An article I wrote discussing the Mavs' latest personnel moves and why that could mean trouble for Devin Harris, Maurice Ager, and Jerry Stackhouse. I'd appreciate any feedback.

Why The Mavs Are The League’s Deepest Team – And Why That May Be A Problem

If you knew nothing about the Dallas Mavericks and simply looked at the roster changes they have made (so far) this off-season, you’d think that they had below .500 record. Never in your wildest dreams would you imagine that they came two games within getting their paws on the Larry O’Brien Trophy. In fact, this may be the most event-filled off-season for a Western Conference Champion team ever. Despite this, the general consensus amongst Mavs fans is that they have improved at every position that needed it. While this may be true, the Mavs as a team may have actually gotten worse. First, let’s explore the events of the Mavericks’ off-season:

Drafted: Maurice Ager – The #28 draft pick of the 2006 NBA Draft, Ager is a very Avery Johnson-type player; extremely solid defensively and brings a mental toughness to the table that you can’t teach. Not to mention he can consistently shoot lights-out from the outside, something that would have come in extremely handy against Miami. The Mavs didn’t work him out though, because they – as did Ager himself – expected him to go much higher in the draft. The organization feels that they really got a Josh Howard-caliber steal with the pick, and it is beginning to look as if this may be the case. After averaging 20 points on a remarkable 44% FG and an even more amazing 47% 3P, the former Spartan was named to the Toshiba Vegas Summer League All-Star squad and looks to be a solid addition to the Mavs’ roster come next year.

Drafted, Traded: Danilo Pinnock for Lakers’ 2007 2nd Round Draft Pick – The #58 draft pick of the 2006 NBA Draft. Though he had strong showings in summer leagues, this was a good decision by Donnie Nelson; it opened up another roster spot to be occupied by a veteran player, something the Mavs lacked in the Finals. Not to mention, Pinnock wouldn’t have seen much playing time here anyway and that 2nd rounder may come in handy in what looks to be a strong 07 draft class. Good trade for both parties.

Re-Signed: Jason Terry – The starting Mavericks combo guard was re-signed to a six year, $57 million deal. Overpaid a little? Probably. Worth it? Definitely. The JET will remain in a Mavs uniform through 2012.

Re-Signed: DJ Mbenga – The raw center was reportedly re-signed to an undisclosed multiyear deal in mid-July. Though he was far from a core piece of the Mavericks’ personnel last season, the Mavs like his potential and athleticism. A good pickup – the big man, entering his third year in the NBA, showed flashes of potential greatness throughout his limited playing time this season.

Traded: Marquis Daniels for Austin Croshere – The first of two deals with the Pacers, the departure of Quisy could have been foreseen as early as in the regular season. The fact of the matter is the “point-forward” simply did not fit into Avery Johnson’s system. Add the Mavericks’ need for a backup PF with the departure of free agent Keith Van Horn and their desire for veteran leadership, and voila – you’ve got a trade. The Pacers, wanting to solidify their backcourt, gladly accepted Daniels and sent Finals veteran Austin Croshere to Dallas. Croshere provides a good locker-room presence as well as an explosive first-step and the ability to (inconsistently) knock down the three. He should serve the Mavs well in the few minutes that Dirk Nowitzki’s on the bench. Could we have gotten more for Quisy? Maybe. Did we rip off Indiana? Absolutely.

Signed: Greg Buckner – Buckner, originally drafted by the Mavs back in the days of Don Nelson, has a reputation of being one of the stickiest perimeter defenders in the league, fitting the bill for the now defensive-minded Mavericks perfectly. He returns to Dallas with a newly-developed long range jumpshot, a strong work ethic, and a lack of ego. The defensive specialist is expected to take newly-signed Chicago Bull Adrian Griffin’s spot in the starting lineup.

Traded: Darrel Armstrong, Josh Powell, and Rawle Marshall for Anthony Johnson – Indiana’s starting point guard opened many an eye against New Jersey in the first round of the 06 Playoffs. In a Game 6 loss, he absolutely lit it up, scoring 40 points in what would be his last game at a Pacer. His performance in the 06 Playoffs was enough to get the Mavs interested so they quickly put together this deal. Powell and Marshall, undrafted members of the 05 class, showed their potential in the D-League, in which they led Fort Worth to the Finals, and proved their worth as solid reserves when injuries forced the Mavs to recall them from Fort Worth. DA, though far, far past his prime, provides a solid locker room presence and has the makings of a great coach: Avery let him run several players-only practices and film sessions this past season and he often preached in timeouts. Though the young duo had potential and DA’s presence will be missed, it’s always a good deal when another team’s starting point guard is your third-stringer. Johnson’s got Finals experience, an above average jumpshot, is defensive-minded, and doesn’t mind coming off the bench. Plus, getting a 3-for-1 deal done allowed the Mavs to free up a couple roster spots to bring in more talent. Excellent move by the Mavericks.

Signed: Devean George – Long-time Mavericks fans remember their troubles in the past against the Lakers all too well. But it wasn’t Kobe or Shaq providing the heartbreakers; it was always somehow the relatively unknown small forward Devean George hitting the clutch three. The 29-year-old won three rings with the Lakers in his first three seasons and has an excellent, although inconsistent, shooting touch. He’s incredibly clutch and hustles for rebounds. He’s also a lock down defender and has great work ethic. His stats may not be extravagant but he will prove to be a solid backup to All-Star-in-the-making Josh Howard, something that the Mavericks lacked last season. The only Maverick other than Avery with a ring brings veteran leadership to the table and a spark off the bench. Great signing.

Signed: Pops Mensah-Bonsu – As if the George signing wasn’t enough to make Mavs fans happy, later that same day the Dallas Morning News reported that summer league star Pops Mensah-Bonsu had been offered a one-year contract with a team option for a second year. Big Pops was a man among boys on the summer league team. The George Washington star has amazing athleticism, namely his leaping ability, allowing him to block shots left and right and throw down monstrous dunks. He can play both forward positions and is an excellent rebounder. The Mavs thought that they got a steal with Ager at #28? This may be much, much larger.

Looking at the moves made by the Mavericks since their heartbreaking defeat in the Finals, the Mavs are undoubtedly the deepest team in the league and are absolutely stacked with talent. Donnie Nelson has definitely earned his paycheck this off-season and deserves a huge pay-raise. Let’s take a look at the 15-man rotation going into next season:

PG Jason Terry/Devin Harris/Anthony Johnson
SG Greg Buckner/Jason Terry/Jerry Stackhouse/Maurice Ager
SF Josh Howard/Devean George Jerry Stackhouse/Pops Mensah-Bonsu
PF Dirk Nowitzki/Austin Croshere/Pops Mensah-Bonsu
C DeSagana Diop/Erick Dampier/DJ Mbenga/Pavel Podkolzin

Looking at that roster, the Mavs from top to bottom are a talent-filled team and inarguably the favorites in the West. The “Avery’s Army” billing has never fit better. These Mavs should be able to handle any injury without problem – they’re three-four deep at every position. These Dallas Mavericks are stacked.

And that could be a big, big problem for the likes of Devin Harris, Maurice Ager, and Jerry Stackhouse.

Devin Harris proved his worth on the national stage these past playoffs in the Western Conference Semifinals against the then-defending champion San Antonio Spurs. His quickness and ability to manipulate his dribble allowed him to get to the rim at will and finish, and the Spurs had no answer for him. His quickness allowed him to defend and contain point guard counterpart Tony Parker with ease. But the fact is Harris is probably the most inconsistent member of our squad; he can put up 20 on one night and then put up 4 the next. He often gets called for completely unnecessary fouls. Though he has potential with his impressive skill-set, he simply has not lived up to the expectations of a #5 draft pick. Mavs fans were optimistic though; coming off a strong playoff run, fans expected Harris would work on his jumpshot this off-season and come into 06-07 firing. That may prove difficult with the added depth at both guard positions. Anthony Johnson is no Darrel Armstrong – he is not going to be content with cheering from the pine. He’s going to demand minutes, and rightfully so. After the acquisition of Johnson, analysts predicted that Jason Terry, who has an incredible shooting touch, would move to the starting SG position – but that proves difficult with the addition of defensive specialist Greg Buckner to the lineup. The added depth is a huge hindrance to the playing time, and incidentally the development, of Devin Harris. Frankly, he may never become the #5 pick player (for a point of reference, NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade was the #5 pick of the draft before Harris’s) he was expected to be coming out of Wisconsin.

Donnie Nelson and Avery Johnson both said after Draft Night that they were extremely pleased with how things went and that, despite statements made before the draft in Madison Square Garden, they expected that Maurice Ager could make a contribution immediately. They said that they felt that Ager could be a steal of the same magnitude as Josh Howard, the last pick of the first round of the 2003 draft. But there was a difference between Howard’s situation and Ager’s: Howard ended up starting by the end of the 03-04 season. Ager is playing at a position that’s four deep. And unless he puts up numbers that would indicate the second coming of Jordan, there’s no way he is starting over league veterans Jason Terry, Greg Buckner, and Jerry Stackhouse. In fact, he’ll struggle to see any time at all, considering where he’s probably headed – the NBA Developmental League. At the time of the draft, what Donnie and Avery said may have made sense; no trades had been made as of yet and, other than Keith Van Horn, the Mavericks expected to re-sign all expiring contracts. Plus, Ager brings something to the table that if the Mavs had possessed in the Finals, there may have had a different locker room drenched in champagne: the ability to shoot unconsciously from long range. But now, Austin Croshere, Anthony Johnson, Devean George, and Greg Buckner all possess above average shooting touches, and two of the aforementioned players are guards, just like Ager. And all of them bring something that Ager can’t possibly have: veteran presence – three of the four have played in the NBA Finals (Croshere with the Pacers, Johnson with the Nets, George with the Lakers). Ager may truly have developed into a Josh Howard-caliber steal if he was given the minutes to, but only 12 men are allowed on the active roster, and Ager is one of the few players who don’t exactly serve a necessary role for a championship-bound squad. Though he’ll be given the chance to play and shine in the D-League, he won’t have a true NBA rookie experience, and that could be a huge setback in his development.

While the newly-added depth to the Mavs’ roster is a hindrance to the development of Devin Harris and Maurice Ager, it poses a completely different problem for 31-year-old Jerry Stackhouse. Stackhouse, the Mavs’ sixth man and a leading candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year award last season, provided a spark off the bench at the shooting guard position behind Adrian Griffin. However, with the additions of Anthony Johnson and Greg Buckner this off-season, it appeared that Stackhouse would all of a sudden be the team’s third-string 2-guard, behind Buckner and Jason Terry. However, Stackhouse has the size and capability to play small forward behind Josh Howard, so there was no reason to be concerned about his playing time – until the Mavericks signed a true backup small forward in Devean George, making the league veteran Stackhouse both a third-string SG and a third-string SF. All of a sudden, the sixth man for a Finals-bound squad last season has turned into almost an unnecessary member of the team. And with all the talk about the Mavericks possibly wanting to trade for Kenyon Martin or Eduardo Najera, now may be a better time than any to put Stackhouse’s expiring contract on the trading block. And frankly, if Stackhouse – who’s probably not sleeping well lately – does manage to appear in blue and white come November 2, he certainly won’t be playing the 32 minutes he became used to in last year’s playoffs, or even the 27 he played in the regular season. And even assuming he does get his minutes this season, he almost certainly won’t be re-signed when he becomes a free agent after his 06-07 campaign. Say what you will about his strong relationship with Avery or his ability to create instant offense; with the Mavericks’ added depth, the future of Jerry Stackhouse as a Dallas Maverick does not look bright.

The front office trio of Donnie Nelson, Mark Cuban, and Avery Johnson has created an absolute army, with any given player having the ability to take over on any given night. But what on the surface looks like an extremely strong off-season actually has the future of three Mavericks in doubt. But you’ll never hear these Mavericks complain about being too deep – what a great problem to have. The Dallas Mavericks are absolutely stacked, from positions 1 through 15, and are poised to make their second straight run to the NBA Finals. They’ve improved their personnel and they’re undoubtedly working to get better from within. Tip-off comes November 2 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, and longtime fans couldn’t be more excited. For the first time in the franchise’s history, the Dallas Mavericks have to be the favorites to bring home the goods. - StackAttack

[mqywaaah]

Good form. Kudos to Stackattack, Good form.

We are stacked. Can't bear the anticipation for this coming season. Now let's all wait and see.

[Tokey41]

I can see your point about Harris developing but I still fully expect/hope that he will be starting along with Terry with Johnson and Buck coming off the bench. I really trust that Avery will give the kid his minutes to develop into the player we all want him to be. Good read, I enjoyed this article. I don't think theres any other word that describes the Mavericks better than stacked. As for Ager... i'm guessing the kid gets his time in the d-league and Stack gets packaged somewhere. You summed up the kinks in our depth pretty well none the less but I would be shocked if we didn't address Harris and Agers playing time needs... and didn't trade Stackhouse (hes just the odd man out).

[mavsfan1000]

I think Avery will make time for Stackhouse unfortunately in expense to Harris and Ager. I just think Avery is not willing to give the keys to a rookie and a 3rd year player. Avery likes veterans over young players so I expect the playing time in this order. Stackhouse, Harris, and than Ager.

[chumdawg]

Who did you write the article for?

Very, very nice job of collecting the information and making informed observations about it. I don't have any quibbles at all with your basketball observations. Mostly, I think you hit the nail square on the head.

If you are looking for another sort of critique, though, the Daniels paragraph was sloppy. In the interest of consistency, I'd have preferred to read this all the way through with you referring to the Mavericks as "they" instead of "we." This isn't the only instance where you spoke of the Mavs in the first person, but it was the first, and it was jarring. Up till then, I was appreciating your objective eye. But that rattled my ear.

There are a couple other minor things in that paragraph that could stand a closer look. I wouldn't mention it except for the (seemingly evident) fact that you are a strong writer and you pay attention to detail. I think you would benefit from editing this one. It's not near as good as the rest of it is.

But on the whole, this is really good stuff. It's a careful consideration of everything that has happened thus far, with an imaginative slant toward what the repercussions may be. I highly enjoyed reading it.

One thing I wondered about, though, was whether you were accurate in the first paragraph when you suggested that this may be the most active off-season ever for a WCF champ. What the Mavs have done is little more than churn the bottom of their roster. (At least so far.) Off the top of my head I cannot recall what others have done in similar situations--though one could probably make the case that a WCF champ that loses is not quite the same as a WCF champ that wins in the Finals--but I believe I remember the Spurs, at least, doing some roster churning even so. Some fact-checking would be in order, at least from my perspective.

[dirno2000]

Frankly, he may never become the #5 pick player (for a point of reference, NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade was the #5 pick of the draft before Harris’s) he was expected to be coming out of Wisconsin.

Is Dwayne Wade the exception or is he the rule? Nikoloz Tskitishvili was the #5 pick of the draft before Wade. That spot comes with no guarantees.

I don’t think the acquisition of Johnson affects Devin any more than the acquisition of Stackhouse affected Josh two years ago. It sounds strange now but in the summer of 04’ there were articles about how with Daniels, Stack and Fin in front of him, Josh wouldn’t see much court time.

If Devin puts in the work this summer and plays his game, Avery won’t be able to keep him on the bench.

I agree with your general premise though. We were deep last year but we had players like Daniels, Van Horn and Armstrong who wouldn’t complain about playing time. It remains to be seen weather this group is as selfless. You have to hope that Avery isn’t overestimating his ability to keep the peace in the room.

[Big Shot Rob]

I tend to agree with Chum--there were many moves by the Mavs--all apparently very sound ones at that--but both the Heat and the Spurs have tweaked their lineups after either losing in the playoffs (Heat) or winning a championship (Spurs in 2000 following NBA Title in 1999).

You have to suffer with Harris--only way he develops is with minutes, mistakes and coaching. Tony Parker was the same way--in fact he still is. Some nights he is great. Other nights he can't do anything right.

I expect that AJ will give him time to grow.

Is the FO shopping Stack? I know a lot of fans may favor this, but I haven't seen any evidence of this.

The Mavs have gotten tougher in the off-season--which is scary in itself.

(Chum--yes--I am still around

[EricaLubarsky]

Not to insult Ager-- he might be a cool guy and a baller, but he's our Darko.

PS when did Croshere get a quick anything, especially a quick first step?

[G-Man]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Not to insult Ager-- he might be a cool guy and a baller, but he's our Darko.

PS when did Croshere get a quick anything, especially a quick first step?

Very Funny EL.

What I'd like is for AJ to say to Stack "Look, its all about the Finals. I know what you can do. I need to get these other guys minutes, because we need to develop them. You have to sit so Devin can consistantly be the unstoppable force he can be only half the time now. Its a huge sacrifice, but I'm cutting your minutes in half. Rest your knees, support your team, and be my fresh finals assassin."

Mavs have 82 more practice games before the next real season. Lets use them wisely. Rest Damp some to develop Mbenga into our Amare Killer. Rest Cro and let George get some minutes at the 4.

Most teams cut their rotations to 8 in the playoffs...AJ benched his starting center and beat PHX in 6. I think he will get value out of all these guys. And if there are injuries, we're in good shape.

[Big Shot Rob]

No reason why Stack could not do this.

Harris needs all the minutes he can get for development. AJ should come out and proclaim Harris to be the startibng point guard and deal his minutes appropriately.

Stack is in the twilight of his career--its his time to step aside and make use of fewer minutes similiar to the way that Robert Horry does--come in and give relief and hopefully hit some big shots when necessary, but the bulk of the minutes go to the younger players.

Is there any reason to suspect that Stack would not accept that role?

[dirt_dobber]

The Path that G-Man laid out is exactly the one I hope the Mavs take.......Rest and player developement.

I really hope AJ follows this.

[StackAttack]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

Who did you write the article for?

Very, very nice job of collecting the information and making informed observations about it. I don't have any quibbles at all with your basketball observations. Mostly, I think you hit the nail square on the head.

If you are looking for another sort of critique, though, the Daniels paragraph was sloppy. In the interest of consistency, I'd have preferred to read this all the way through with you referring to the Mavericks as "they" instead of "we." This isn't the only instance where you spoke of the Mavs in the first person, but it was the first, and it was jarring. Up till then, I was appreciating your objective eye. But that rattled my ear.

There are a couple other minor things in that paragraph that could stand a closer look. I wouldn't mention it except for the (seemingly evident) fact that you are a strong writer and you pay attention to detail. I think you would benefit from editing this one. It's not near as good as the rest of it is.

But on the whole, this is really good stuff. It's a careful consideration of everything that has happened thus far, with an imaginative slant toward what the repercussions may be. I highly enjoyed reading it.

One thing I wondered about, though, was whether you were accurate in the first paragraph when you suggested that this may be the most active off-season ever for a WCF champ. What the Mavs have done is little more than churn the bottom of their roster. (At least so far.) Off the top of my head I cannot recall what others have done in similar situations--though one could probably make the case that a WCF champ that loses is not quite the same as a WCF champ that wins in the Finals--but I believe I remember the Spurs, at least, doing some roster churning even so. Some fact-checking would be in order, at least from my perspective.

Thanks for all the critiique chum. I'll go back and edit some. I didn't really write it FOR anybody, just something to do during a really boring summer break. May send it to RealGM. But yeah, sports journalism is what I want to do in my future, good to get an early start, even though I'm only 14.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

When you're two wins from a championship, then developing young players or worrying about an over-the-hill sixth man will become second tier. You don't get the vets that we got this summer unless that is the prime goal. If anyone on our roster, esp Stack, has a problem with that, peace. Plus, I could care less if Stackhouse played one minute next regular season. He is more valuable in the playoffs anyway. I care about Harris's development but not as much as winning a championship.

[fluid.forty.one]

Originally Posted by dirt_dobber

The Path that G-Man laid out is exactly the one I hope the Mavs take.......Rest and player developement.

I really hope AJ follows this.

I agree with him too, but I HIGHLY doubt avery will do this.

[sike]

Originally Posted by StackAttack

even though I'm only 14.

The bobby fisher of d-m.com?

well, I gotta call you "kid" now

I liked reading your thoughts on page...well layed out and reasoned. good job, kid!

[fluid.forty.one]

Originally Posted by sike

The bobby fisher of d-m.com?

well, I gotta call you "kid" now

I liked reading your thoughts on page...well layed out and reasoned. good job, kid!

Yeah, that was really well done for a 14 year old.

[craggmac]

Too long. Did not read.

[birdsanctuary]

First off, Stackattack you get an A in my class nice analysis, very well written...

Thought
This is the year that Stack needs to accept a downgraded role. This is akin to what Finley would not do two years ago. Two years ago Finley was clearly the 8th option. Both Quisy and Stack were playing better, and Devin was beginning to show signs of running the offense well, yet Fin insisted on a starting role and being "the man." This led to the infamous Avery chair kicking incident and Finley's subsequent being waived the following off season.

Will stack accept the role of being like Miami's Gary Payton, the 8th or maybe the 9th option? If so, the Mavs will be very, very good. I'm not going to speculate on the negative because I believe Avery has a good enough relationship with Stack to get him to accept a downgraded role.

Offensive Options as I see them:
1. Dirk
2. Terry
3. Howard
4. Buckner
5. Harris
6. George
7. Tony Johnson
8. Stackhouse

[fluid.forty.one]

Who's tony johnson?

[mkat]

Anthony Johnson....the backup PG from Indy.

[V2M]

StackAttack.... you're 14 and, I believe, you're already the 2nd best basketball writer in this town (after DLord, of course!). I think, you have a bright future in this field and I hope you pursue it seriously. Best Wishes!

[G-Man]

Originally Posted by StackAttack

Sports journalism is what I want to do in my future, good to get an early start, even though I'm only 14.

I've been a non sports journalist for 30 years, and I know a ton of people in the business who don't write or think as well as you. Fortunaltly, at my age, by the time you're ready to take my job, I'll be retired.

Keep up the good work. I am in awe.

[Five-ofan]

Extremely well written, you could very well have a future. That said, the mavs added Buckner who will play the 15-20 minutes a game that Adrian Griffin played last year. No net change. They added Croshere who will play the 10-15 minutes KVH played last year, No net change. They added Johnson who will play around 25 minutes a game which is actually less than Marquis did when healthy(i know i cant believe it either). Ager is a rookie who i doubt seriously sees much important time if any barring injuries. As a matter of fact, as far as his shooting goes, Harris' college shooting numbers are pretty similar to his. Considering that the mavs depth was vastly overstated last year due to them starting two backups(Diop and Griff) the team has added a little needed depth but they are most certainly not too deep. Plus, stack, Buck and Harris are injury prone which leads me to believe that we will be more worried about finding someone to play than how we can get everyone on the court. Remember when we started Rawle last year?

I do think the team has improved and I do expect a title but this team is most certainly not "Stacked" relative to a couple of other teams most notably the phoenix suns who actually are stacked. How this team performs will once again come down to how one big blonde German performs. If he is a top 3 player in the nba, the mavs are great. Anything less and they arent. I am completely fine with that since I have complete and utter faith in Dirk.

[StackAttack]

Thanks for all the feedback guys.

Five-ofan...in what way are the Suns stacked? They may very well be the LEAST deepest team in the league. Amare and Kurt go down and the only reason they get as far as they did is because they lucked out with Diaw, nobody's going to convince me they expected him to be the MIP.

[alexamenos]

Originally Posted by StackAttack

An article I wrote discussing the Mavs' latest personnel moves and why that could mean trouble for Devin Harris, Maurice Ager, and Jerry Stackhouse. I'd appreciate any feedback.

Why The Mavs Are The League’s Deepest Team – And Why That May Be A Problem
- StackAttack

nice...too deep....it's a great problem to have.

Cheers

[alexamenos]

Originally Posted by craggmac

Too long. Did not read.

You'll find that better reading comprehension skills make articles of this length easy to digest.

The foregoing was an insult, just in case you missed it.

Cheers

[Five-ofan]

The suns arent stacked in that their 11th and 12th men arent great but their useable depth is better than the mavs by a good bit.
1Dirk vs Nash Advantage Mavs

2.Marion vs JHO Advantage Suns

3. Diaw vs Terry Advantage Suns

4. Damp vs Amare Advantage Suns even if he is around 70%

5. Johnson vs Raja Advantage Suns

6. Devin vs Barbosa Advantage Mavs

7. Kt Diop Advantage Suns

8. Banks vs Stack Advantage Suns(i couldnt resist) Honestly most would obviously give this to the mavs but i am extremely scared of what banks could do in their system. He is as quick as devin is.

9. Jones Vs Buck Advantage Suns.

Behind that it doesnt really matter since no one else will get more than 10 minutes a game I think the mavs system works better and i think dirk is a good deal better than nash but dont kidd yourself, in individual talent the suns massacre dallas 2-9 with devin being the only winner and thats partially because i rigged it so he would win by putting him 6th instead of 4th or 5th. A couple of those are close especially james jones vs Buck and Stack vs Banks but There isnt a single clear cut win for the mavs if you go best player to 9th best player other than dirk.

[fluid.forty.one]

Good thing we have Dirk then. I'm still more scared of the spurs.. suns haven't proved anything except the ability to not get to the finals.

And nash is one year older.

[EricaLubarsky]

Basketball isnt a 1v1 matchup game, and calling it usable depth completely obliterates the very concept of depth at all.

[craggmac]

I fear no one. This roster is fantastic!

[GO DJ]

14? Wow thats amazing work for your age. Im that age but I would never take the time to that. Great article, and I do think minutes will cause a bit of a problem. Hopefully Avey will sort through it.

[craggmac]

my apologies. It was a great article. A friend actually typed that while I was away.

[Dirkenstien]

Stack,

Your article was solid for a 14-year-old without training but there are some things you may want to keep an eye out for. Just to name a few:

1) Show me don't tell me. When an author presents an idea to a reader he/she must remember to keep the reading audience in mind. For example, don't "say" someone had a good training camp, "show" they had a good camp through providing statistics and comparing those stats to how other players faired. To work on this you should try picking out a random object around the house and writing a five line description about. Then, one at a time, read each line to someone and let them try to figure out what it is. The less lines it takes for them to guess what it is, the better you're doing.

Also, remember that objectivity is the key to a successful journalist. I understand you may be very excited about this team (we all are), but it is important to see things from an unattached perspective when writing an article. An example of this, as Erica pointed out, is when you mentioned Croshere as having an explosive first step. These could be costly errors when trying to gain readership in the future.

Also, try to avoid using excessive amounts of adjectives. ("extremely" and "excellent" come to mind among others. Also, watch out for comma splices and keep up the hard work. Sports journalism is a competitive field and there will always be someone more talented than you are, but no one can deny the effort of a hard worker.

Keep working at it, and if you would like some more tips then feel free to PM me.

[Simon2]

Which game did Pops do well? I haven't seen him play.

[sike]

Originally Posted by birdsanctuary

First off, Stackattack you get an A in my class nice analysis, very well written...

Thought
This is the year that Stack needs to accept a downgraded role. This is akin to what Finley would not do two years ago. Two years ago Finley was clearly the 8th option. Both Quisy and Stack were playing better, and Devin was beginning to show signs of running the offense well, yet Fin insisted on a starting role and being "the man." This led to the infamous Avery chair kicking incident and Finley's subsequent being waived the following off season.

Will stack accept the role of being like Miami's Gary Payton, the 8th or maybe the 9th option? If so, the Mavs will be very, very good. I'm not going to speculate on the negative because I believe Avery has a good enough relationship with Stack to get him to accept a downgraded role.

Offensive Options as I see them:
1. Dirk
2. Terry
3. Howard
4. Buckner
5. Harris
6. George
7. Tony Johnson
8. Stackhouse

with the tiny ammount of pt AJ and George will be getting, I see no way they should be ranked higher than Stack...and Harris is a better offensive weapon than Buck.

[Five-ofan]

Useable depth is MUCH more important than what i guess you would call actual depth. If a team wins the 1-8or 9 battle barely but gets demolished on the 10-12, they are still the better team. As i have said many times, the mavs run a better system and dirk is better than nash but acting like having very good 10th 11th and 12th men makes us some unbeatable team is foolish.

[EricaLubarsky]

a team with 5 allstars is not "deeper" than a team that has 12 good players.

[Five-ofan]

I agree with that what i do think though is that a team whos 9 man rotation has 7 players that beat their opposite number is deeper than the opposing team. As for the 12 good players, i know you arent necesarrily saying the mavs have that but i think some people do think that. The thing is, I think we get into the habit of overrating a few players just because they are mavs. I used to do it too and i still do it to some extent like this year when i griped that josh wasnt an all star. The thing is, I would argue that the mavs have Dirk, Jet, JHO, Devin, Damp as the only guys who are above average nba players and half the board would laugh at Damp being included in that list. Next you have Diop, Stack, AJ, Crosher and Buck who are average to slightly below average. I would put stack lower but that would bother some people. Diop would be lower too if not for the pathetic center situation in the nba right now. George, Ager, Pavel, Benga, and Pops i would all wager will be well below average nba players this year with Benga the only one who really has any prayer of being better than well below average THIS year.

That means the mavs have 10 players who are better than well below average. Do you really want to argue that because my well below average 11th and 12th men are better than your well below average 11th and 12th men?

[johndacs]

Originally Posted by StackAttack

Drafted, Traded: Danilo Pinnock for Lakers’ 2007 2nd Round Draft Pick – The #58 draft pick of the 2006 NBA Draft. Though he had strong showings in summer leagues, this was a good decision by Donnie Nelson; it opened up another roster spot to be occupied by a veteran player, something the Mavs lacked in the Finals. Not to mention, Pinnock wouldn’t have seen much playing time here anyway and that 2nd rounder may come in handy in what looks to be a strong 07 draft class. Good trade for both parties.

They were picking for the Lakers at #58. If they had kept the pick, they would have selected 6-11 Damir Markota.

[StackAttack]

Originally Posted by johndacs

They were picking for the Lakers at #58. If they had kept the pick, they would have selected 6-11 Damir Markota.

Really? Didn't know that.

Thanks for all the feedback guys, chum and Dirkenstien especially. I'll edit the article a bit before I send it to wherever I'm going to send it.