Random Mavs News & Articles

[Underdog]

@_Isaac_Harris_: In building the new Mavs practice facility, @mcuban says he asked the city, state, & county for ZERO money...impressive

[Murphy3]

Personally, I don't care. If you can get it, then ask....

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

Personally, I don't care. If you can get it, then ask....

He's buying goodwill by turning down public funds -- "giving back to the community" and whatnot... That can be worth more than money, depending on his long term goals (like, >gag< if he got into politics).

[spreedom]

That's awesome and nearly unprecedented by Cubes. He might act like a spoiled rich dude a lot, but this was very cool.

[Skywalker]

Interesting post on realgm:

I'm not sure how often you check other boards, but I've been at the Orlando Summer League all week. As I've talked to people from the team, I've hit up the other forums and let people know what I've learned. Not all of it is earth shattering or maybe even newsworthy, but feels like it is worth sharing.

One note, if you have questions about anything I shared, please quote me or I won't be able to guarantee I see your question.

1. The team is pretty high on Justin Anderson. High enough that there was no thought of him playing Summer League in Orlando, just in Las Vegas. They think he has the potential to be a rotation guy this year as a backup wing.

2. Satnam Singh looks like he has no NBA future. He's massive. I mean ridiculously big even by NBA standards. But he's so slow. Each time he plays, the other team puts him in P&R and he fouls or they go right by him. The Mavs have hope, but not nearly as much as a year ago.

3. Don't be surprised to see Vander Blue go to camp and pre-season. They really like his game and ability. All the PGs on the roster probably hurt his chances of making the team, but they'd like him in their D-League system.

4. Everyone is beyond excited to have Harrison Barnes. They feel like he'll be a 20 PPG guy as more of a primary weapon. And look for a lot of Dallas' version of the "Death Lineup" with Nowitzki, Barnes, Matthews, Curry/Anderson and Williams. They are really excited for that grouping.

5. They think Bogut will be very good for them. They love his passing and feel like the entire likely starting group can pass.

6. Curry was a targeted signing and they considered giving him an Offer Sheet. Once Sacramento pulled his Qualifying Offer, they were all over him. They think he'll be a weapon for them and they intend to use him a lot.

7. I talked to them before the Evans trade was announced, but they said they like his athleticism a lot and feel like he deserves a spot at the end of someone's bench. On the flip side, they feel like he'll never be more than that because his game hasn't developed at all.

8. McGee will be gone before his guarantee date. The exact quote was "There is a reason everyone else gave up on this guy too. He's just never going to get it." And this one "He is a far superior athlete to Tyson Chandler and should be a borderline HoF talent, but he has the mindset of a child and doesn't seem to care. We told him he's lost on so much money and his response was 'But I made more than anyone ever needs.' The dude just doesn't care."

9. I knew Nowitzki was beloved, but the team said they hope he will be a huge part of the franchise after he retires. And they said they would have supported him going anywhere if he wanted to win another ring, but that he said the thought was never in his mind and he would rather retire than play anywhere else.

10. They feel like last year's team had some chemistry issues. Nothing huge, but just messy at times and it all stemmed from the DeAndre Jordan situation. They openly owned that situation screwed up all their plans for the summer and that everyone in the organization let it drag on way too far. It was a topic in the locker room until Christmas when Carlisle said the next guy to bring it up would never play for him again. That was the last time anyone talked about it in season.

11. Everyone feels re-charged this year. They think if the Spurs slip, they could win the division. Not just goal setting either. It is legit belief.

[hayth.james.g]

20 ppg seems high for him, but I'll take it. IMO if he is going to take THAT large of a next step he must greatly improves his ball handling.

[EastTxMFFL]

Originally Posted by hayth.james.g

20 ppg seems high for him, but I'll take it. IMO if he is going to take THAT large of a next step he must greatly improves his ball handling.

Yea his skillset is strange. He's not a good enough pure shooter while also struggling with his dribbling. He is a ferocious slasher but he's got a long way to go. I'm still not sure why Dallas went after him. I really wanted them to go after Allen Crabbe. Oh well...hopefully Barnes can make huge strides this season with more opportunities.

[mac222b]

Thanks for the share Skywalker, good stuff. Don't know about winning the division though. It would mean everything breaking Mavs way health-wise. Wes regaining close to old form. And Anderson/Powell/Curry/Meijiri taking the next step.

[Underdog]

@ESPNSteinLine: The Suns, league sources say, will soon announce they're hosting regular-season games in Mexico City in January against Dallas & San Antonio

[Melonhead]

RealGM guy had a little more write up on the Mavs. Thanks Skywalker for the link...

On who impressed the most here in Orlando:

"Vander Blue for sure. And Honey (Honeycutt) the last few days after he got his head out of his ass."

I asked if either could go to camp:

"Good possibility. We'll see. We have a lot of guys we like on the Vegas squad."

I asked about Hammons:

"Excited to see what he does in Vegas. He can't be worse than the idiot we just cut." - I wasn't even aware McGee had been waived at that point, but it was pretty easy to guess!

I asked what is left for the roster:

"We need another athletic big. Someone who can go up and get the ball since dumb dumb got cut." - This was from a different guy entirely who wasn't part of the first conversation! :lol:

More on the roster:

"Maybe another shooter, but there isn't much out there. Probably just take some fliers on young guys who impress in Vegas."

So nothing too big, but a couple of little nuggets.


(while in Vegas)
Dallas

1. A.J. Hammons has some potential, but they are glad they don't have to play him early.

2. Justin Anderson has really packed on some muscle. They are excited about his improvement. They think he'll be in the rotation for sure.

3. Jonathan Gibson has really stood out and will probably make the team out of camp as a 3rd PG.

4. Keep an eye on Nicolas Brussino. He wasn't in Las Vegas, but they love him. They think they have an absolute steal.

Man I hope he sneaks into the roster. He looks really fluid, although we have a ton of 2 and 3 guards.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by Melonhead

RealGM guy had a little more write up on the Mavs. Thanks Skywalker for the link...

On who impressed the most here in Orlando:

"Vander Blue for sure. And Honey (Honeycutt) the last few days after he got his head out of his ass."

I asked if either could go to camp:

"Good possibility. We'll see. We have a lot of guys we like on the Vegas squad."

I asked about Hammons:

"Excited to see what he does in Vegas. He can't be worse than the idiot we just cut." - I wasn't even aware McGee had been waived at that point, but it was pretty easy to guess!

I asked what is left for the roster:

"We need another athletic big. Someone who can go up and get the ball since dumb dumb got cut." - This was from a different guy entirely who wasn't part of the first conversation! :lol:

More on the roster:

"Maybe another shooter, but there isn't much out there. Probably just take some fliers on young guys who impress in Vegas."

So nothing too big, but a couple of little nuggets.


(while in Vegas)
Dallas

1. A.J. Hammons has some potential, but they are glad they don't have to play him early.

2. Justin Anderson has really packed on some muscle. They are excited about his improvement. They think he'll be in the rotation for sure.

3. Jonathan Gibson has really stood out and will probably make the team out of camp as a 3rd PG.

4. Keep an eye on Nicolas Brussino. He wasn't in Las Vegas, but they love him. They think they have an absolute steal.

Man I hope he sneaks into the roster. He looks really fluid, although we have a ton of 2 and 3 guards.

Younger hopefully less-douchey Chandler Parsons

[EricaLubarsky]

Really cheering for Brussino. Really talented kid. 6'8", mobile, can hit the three, creative offensively, and only 23.

However, I'm going to be hesitant to be excited until he proves anything. Remember the hype for Rigadeau?

[BPo001]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Really cheering for Brussino. Really talented kid. 6'8", mobile, cannot the three, creative offensively, and only 23.

However, I'm going to be hesitant to be excited until he proves anything. Remember the hype for Rigadeau?

http://www.mavs.com/nicolas-brussino...make-leap-nba/

A little write up on the guy. Sounds promising if he keeps working.

[Underdog]

Looks like Brussino is going to be representing Argentina in Rio along with Manu and Scola, so that should be a good experience for the kid... Mavs also have Barnes with Team USA and Bogut repping Australia, not to mention Barea trying to push Puerto Rico into the qualifier.

That's 3-4 Mavericks in the Summer Olympics, non of them Dirk... Looks like Mavs fans are heading back into uncharted territory.

[dirt_dobber]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Looks like Brussino is going to be representing Argentina in Rio along with Manu and Scola, so that should be a good experience for the kid... Mavs also have Barnes with Team USA and Bogut repping Australia, not to mention Barea trying to push Puerto Rico into the qualifier.

That's 3-4 Mavericks in the Summer Olympics, non of them Dirk... Looks like Mavs fans are heading back into uncharted territory.

I'm very excited about this -
It is great that the Mavs have so many players involved with the Olympics - beats the alternative of having none....
bottom line - Dallas is better now that it was a year ago.

[Underdog]

@jga41agher: DeShawn Stevenson uploaded a personal highlight video that includes multiple angles of him shoving Chris Paul.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIUl19EB5i7/?hl=en

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by Underdog

@jga41agher: DeShawn Stevenson uploaded a personal highlight video that includes multiple angles of him shoving Chris Paul.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIUl19EB5i7/?hl=en

CP does his patent bullshit stick his ass out to knock Kidd over. Deshawn says no sir and pushes him. Such a crucial part of the champ team

[NorwegianMavsFan]

I loved Deshawn when he played with us!

[Bryan_Wilson]

http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dall...andler-parsons

Matt Mosley: Wes Matthews was supposed to be that guy though, Mark. You bring him in and give him great money. What could we expect from him after having another year to recover from the injury. Do you expect to see a different Wes Matthews on the floor this season?

Mark Cuban: Oh yeah. Look: we had two guys we knew would be hurt last year. To be honest, we outperformed my expectations going into the season. They both came back a lot faster than I expected. Wes in particular, if you watch him play, I don't think he was even able to dunk the ball at 6-5 until towards the end of the season. Now he's doing 45-inch-plus box jumps and dunking with either hand, both hands, one foot, two feet. The guy is on a mission. He's in the gym every day with Dwight [Powell] and Justin [Anderson] and our other young guys who are starting to filter in. When Wes finally got back he was still more of a catch-and-shoot and our offense really didn't suit him as well. He started to add a lot of shot creation for himself. By the end of the season he had a nice little step-back. He had a better post game than when he started with. And he's been working on that all summer. He is really coming back with something to prove because he hears everybody saying, 'Well he hasn't earned his contract.' He's here to prove everybody wrong. I think he's going to be a lot better from behind the 3-point line and creating his own shots.

[MavzMan]

I really hope Wes comes back in force next year. He was one of the few guys on the court that you could just see give everything he had and truly wanted to win every game. If he can be a second scoring option behind Dirk, that will be a huge improvement.

[Underdog]

@AlexKennedyNBA: When DAL cut John Jenkins, Rick Carlisle called the Suns and helped Jenkins land in PHX: http://www.basketballinsiders.com/jo...uns-direction/

[DevinHarriswillstart]

So much for players not wanting to play for Rick...

Great story.

[BPo001]

I really thought Jenkins was going to work out here. Unfortunately he got stuck in our logjam of guards. Best of luck to him. Sounds like he's a good guy.

[Underdog]

Former NBA Player Josh Howard Hired As Piedmont University Head Coach

[Bryan_Wilson]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Former NBA Player Josh Howard Hired As Piedmont University Head Coach

A. Technical Foul
Section I--Excessive Timeouts
a. Requests for a timeout in excess of the authorized number shall be granted and a technical foul shall be assessed. Following the timeout and free throw attempt, the ball will be awarded to the team which shot the free throw and play shall resume with a throw-in nearest the spot where play was interrupted.
b. If the excessive timeout is granted prior to free throw attempt(s), there will be no lineup for the remaining free throws and play shall resume with a throw-in at the point of interruption by the team which shot the technical foul.
c. If the excessive timeout is granted prior to a jump ball, the ball shall be awarded to the team shooting the technical foul at the point of interruption.

Too soon still?

On a serious note, I hope he does well. When I see him though, coach is not the first thing that comes to mind for his post-playing career.

[Underdog]

‏@bobbykaralla: Former Mav Shane Larkin is teaming up with Roddy Beaubois for Baskonia in Spain.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by Underdog

‏@bobbykaralla: Former Mav Shane Larkin is teaming up with Roddy Beaubois for Baskonia in Spain.

Throw in some Ager and you have an all-Mavs-guard bust team.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by Underdog

‏@bobbykaralla: Former Mav Shane Larkin is teaming up with Roddy Beaubois for Baskonia in Spain.

Wow, and there are actually some Mavs fans that exist who think Larkin was getting it together. Derp.

[BPo001]

SiriusXM: .@tysonchandler tells @jasonterry31 & @hoopscritic that if the @dallasmavs championship team stayed together they would’ve won back to back – via Twitter SiriusXMNBA

[Thebo]

Coming from Tyson Chandler it doesn't surprise me. I think that the Mavs would've been title contenders but not clear to win it. You can make a case for healthy Caron Butler but his production somewhat dropped off after the injury. At the same time LeBron really did improve for the 2012 season.

It's easier to agree that Mavs would've made it to the Finals. I mean, Thunder got there, although they had to beat Spurs for it. Still, I think Finals would've been realistic outlook.

At the same time I think Mavs road to the title was helped by easy matchups. Portland? Lakers? Mavs were lucky to avoid Spurs and Grizzlies. Lakers played then like they didn't even deserve to be in the playoffs. Even Chris Paul gave them a run for their money. OKC was also still rather young that time.

It is kind of weird that Tyson Chandler still brings this up after so many years. Was he asked about it?

[MavzMan]

Originally Posted by Thebo

At the same time I think Mavs road to the title was helped by easy matchups. Portland? Lakers? Mavs were lucky to avoid Spurs and Grizzlies. Lakers played then like they didn't even deserve to be in the playoffs. Even Chris Paul gave them a run for their money. OKC was also still rather young that time.

Easy matchups? Really???

First Round Portland: LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Miller, Gerald Wallace, Wes Matthews, Nic Batum, Brandon Roy. Sure that's not last year's Golden State Warriors, but seriously that is a very solid team that easily make it to the Finals.

Second Round Lakers: Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, Fisher, Odom, Artest, Barnes, Luke Walton. The Lakers were #2 seed and well on their way to another post-Shaq dynasty. Yes the Mavs dismantled them but I give that credit to the Mavs (Carlisle?) rather than discredit to the Lakers. And the Lakers handled New Orleans pretty easily 4-2 in the previous round.

Third Round #4 seed OKC: They were young? Yeah, and? They still had their Big 3 1/2 of Durant, Westbrook, Harde, and Ibaka. That was a stacked, young, athletic team. That team beat Memphis 4-3 in a tough series.

Yes, we "avoided" the Spurs, but we also defeated the #2, #4, and #6 seed teams. We beat the team that beat the Spurs. Period. The Mavs put everything together at just the right time (Carlisle?), stepped up at key moments when needed (Terry? Stevenson? Peja?), had quality leadership at key positions (Kidd? Tyson?), and had a Hall of Fame player to carry us through to a championship over a much favored team/players (LeBron/Wade/Bosh).

I may be a homer to some extent, but that was one of the best playoffs I've ever seen. I can go on and on with examples. That was a true team of Destiny if I've ever seen one.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

You know it's the low point of the offseason when the "what would have happen if we kept the team 2011 team together" talk rears its ugly head.

Repeat number 29485: Tyson Chandler was the only player worth keeping from that team, and Kidd wasn't the same player the next season. So bringing back Chandler and a lesser Kidd wasn't going to get you a repeat. It was really all about Kidd though who gave it his all during that run. He just simply wasn't the same player after that.

[sefant77]

B2B in a lockout season? with all the old guys? Not happening. We probably beat the Thunder but then...

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by BPo001

SiriusXM: .@tysonchandler tells @jasonterry31 & @hoopscritic that if the @dallasmavs championship team stayed together they would’ve won back to back – via Twitter SiriusXMNBA

No chance. Title hangover is real especially for vets and The Heat hit the ground running as if the previous season had never ended. Throw in the lockout and the mavs wouldn't be repeating. And I still have a soft spot for tyson.

[FreshJive]

The strike shortened season would have been a benefit. More rest from the previous season. Less of a regular season grind before the playoffs.

[sefant77]

Originally Posted by FreshJive

The strike shortened season would have been a benefit. More rest from the previous season. Less of a regular season grind before the playoffs.

Lockout season is even a heavier grind. Games/days relatio worse and some b2b2b...

I remember Dirk and Kidd telling that the schedule of the lockout season killed their legs

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by sefant77

Lockout season is even a heavier grind. Games/days relatio worse and some b2b2b...

I remember Dirk and Kidd telling that the schedule of the lockout season killed their legs

Exactly. If that was the case, then Dirk and Kidd would have been fresh to go. Instead, Kidd was never the same player that was he was in 2011. He was basically done by the time he got to the Knicks.

People just like to live in some grandiose la la land that keeping everyone together mean't a ring. It was a great and emotional high that people just didn't want to leave. I get it, I was there too, but Chandler was the only player that was even remotely worth keeping even hindsight being 20/20.

It is clear that Cuban didn't properly anticipate the new at that time CBA, but just keeping the whole team together money and cap space be damned wouldn't have been the right move.

[MavzMan]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

It is clear that Cuban didn't properly anticipate the new at that time CBA, but just keeping the whole team together money and cap space be damned wouldn't have been the right move.

Looking back, the right move would have been to go into hard rebuild mode. But holy crap, how can you possibly do that after winning a championship? So in reality, there were no right moves ... which is how we got to where we are now.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by MavzMan

Looking back, the right move would have been to go into hard rebuild mode. But holy crap, how can you possibly do that after winning a championship? So in reality, there were no right moves ... which is how we got to where we are now.

Completely agree. It was a crappy situation for the FO and fans. And Dirk wouldn't have agreed to a hard rebuild anyway.

[Skywalker]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

You know it's the low point of the offseason when the "what would have happen if we kept the team 2011 team together" talk rears its ugly head.

I always look forward to this moment tbh. It's great stuff.