Chad Ford - 1 true point guard away?

[birdsanctuary]

Anybody get that article, please post here?

Must say that I believe Terry is developing into a soild point with a deft shooting touch, ala NVE. When he slashes and drops off or kicks out he gets a lot of assists. Terry's numbers are misleading given all the time Nellie benched him for not learning what he wanted him to learn at the 1.

[HexNBA]

Mavericks: Dallas is a point guard away from being in position to win an NBA title this year. I'll give Mavs fans a second to savor the irony.

Mark Cuban has to be kicking himself as he watches Nash put up MVP numbers in Phoenix. Put all the actuarial tables aside for a minute: There was something that Nash brought to the table that formulas don't take into account. Cuban blew it, and he knows it.

While Cuban spent most of the summer obsessing over the team's lack of a big man, teams like the Suns were fine-tuning a style of play (one employed less radically by Don Nelson over the years) that maximized Nash's ability and let the Suns take advantage of the growing weakness of the Western Conference's front lines.

Cuban spent nearly the same amount of money on Dampier that he refused to pay Nash. Dampier is just one year younger and has so far been a major disappointment for the Mavs, averaging 8.7 ppg and 7.4 rpg.

The silver lining is that the Mavs are winning despite Cuban's bumbling. Dirk Nowitzki is having a career year (and, in a bit of revisionist history, the Mavs are claiming that he's playing at this level because he no longer has Nash to lean on. … yeah, right). Reserve Jerry Stackhouse is a strong contender for the Sixth Man honor. Second-year forward Josh Howard has been great, and Terry, Nash's replacement, has been on a tear in January, averaging 16.6 ppg and 6.1 apg while shooting more than 60 percent from the field and the three-point line.

Despite Terry's recent production, the Mavs are still looking to upgrade the point guard position. The Mavs believe Terry is better as a sixth man, a Nick Van Exel-esque scorer. Rookie Devin Harris will be the eventual heir to the position, but he isn't ready yet. While Cuban claims he no longer has interest in Jason Kidd, that isn't entirely true, according to sources close to Kidd. Other point guards on the block that the Mavs might consider include Gary Payton and Andre Miller.

Andre Miller, what?

[grndmstr_c]

What a worthless pile of wasted bandwidth that article is. It's been (rightfully) shredded over at db.com.

While Cuban claims he no longer has interest in Jason Kidd, that isn't entirely true, according to sources close to Kidd.

Give me a break.

[Simon2]

This is a stupid article based on speculation.

[Max Power]

I would have to disagree. The ONLY point guard who could help the Mavs right now would be Nash. The other PGs would need an extended period of time to learn Nellie's system. Terry is just NOW getting it and he's had a coupld of months of the regular season PLUS a training camp.

I'd be against trading anything of value for a PG right now. If we could get a Kidd for cheap (TAW and Booth, etc) then OK. But I wouldn't trade Terry for him.

[Pirate]

This looks like Chad Ford talking out of his ass. Nothing of any substance in what he says here, and his supposed facts look to be his opinion from afar.

[Eman]

Interesting Timing, Jason Terry was just named Western Conference player of the WEEK!!!!!!

[dirno2000]

and, in a bit of revisionist history, the Mavs are claiming that he's playing at this level because he no longer has Nash to lean on

Revisionists history? The organization (and a number of posters on this board) has been saying that all summer...and it's not just the company line, Magic Johnson and the TNT crew made the same observation last month.

[seal614]

boy do people love to rip Mark Cuban. Garbage article.

- Brian

[HexNBA]

Cuban likes to rip back

There is another writer that I dont correspond with , or talk to, that has taken upon himself to write what he thinks Im thinking. The new moron in town is Chad Ford of ESPN.com

To think that ESPN let David Aldridge go for this. David Aldridge checked his facts. David Aldridge would email me in the middle of the night asking one last time if he had his facts correct, or if it was something that couldnt be commented on, to let you know what he was going with to make sure he got it right.

I remember one time David and I got into a disagreement about what fans thought about the game,its players and costs. I told him that I thought fans loved the game, and all he had to do was talk to them to find out. He did. He went and sat in the stands and talked to the customers of the NBA and asked them what they thought. When they told him they thought the game was fun and affordable, he wrote just that. With quotes from the fans.

So instead of a Aldridge, a reporter with great relationships around the NBA and access to information, they go with a guy,who at least in my case doesnt take the time to email me and ask. Its not like he cant find my email.

Its not a suprise. Like Sam Smith, he is just one of the guys who would rather not let facts get in the way.

The irony of it all, is that he writes for the ESPN Insider section of the website.The sad part is that ESPN.com charges for access to what he writes. This guy is so far from the inside of whats going on , that ESPN should be embarrased to take subscription money from its members.

I wonder if ESPN.com is kicking themselves for the one they let get away

[jthig32]

I wrote a very long email to Chad about that article today. Wish I'd copied it before I sent it. I basically used a few facts to debunk pretty much everything he said, including his statements that the Mavs needed a better point guard and that Dampier had been a disappointment. I don't care what anyone nationally says, if you've been watching the Mavs night in and night out for the past four years, you can SEE, with your own two eyes, the affect that Dampier being on the court has on this team. It's real, it's substancial, and it can't always be explained by stats.

Not to mention the fact that having Dampier allows Dirk to play mostly at PF, where he belongs, which very well could be the most important factor in how Dirk is playing this year.

I also told him to wait until the playoffs are over and then give a report on how valuable Nash was. He's always broken down in the playoffs, and gets abused defensively.

[kg_veteran]

Originally posted by: grndmstr_c
What a worthless pile of wasted bandwidth that article is. It's been (rightfully) shredded over at db.com.

Give me a break.

No kidding. Cuban has ripped Ford as worthless a number of times, and there's absolutely NO reason to believe that Ford (one of the laziest "reporters" going) has access to ANY inside Mavs information.

The Mavs have no interest in Kidd at this point.

[mary]

High Five

[mary]

Its silly to get upset about what Chad Ford writes. OTH, if I were a current PG for the Mavs, I wouldn't be too thrilled to read this quote in the upcoming SLAM. Guess who?

“I would love Steve to be here to take us to the other level. We need to find someone to do that.”

Chad Ford isn't the only one lamenting over Nash's absence. I'm officially annoyed with the big German.

[Murphy3]

Dirk knows that that someone is him. He's just not going to say it in the media.

[FilthyFinMavs]

Well I think when Dirk said that it was before Terry was playing this well. Regardless of what he said I don't believe Dirk believes that especially after the quote I read from him the other day referring to Terry never missing.

[fin4life]

First of all... terrible article by Ford.

Second.... Great rebuttle by Cuban. Aldridge was much better and I enjoyed Insider much more back then. Now I take the "inside" information with a grain of salt.

Third.... Terry is doing just fine. Give the guy a break, he is improving. He is playing as good as any point gaurd in the league right now and has had almost no problem since being made a starter.

[Dirkenstien]

I've gotten a chance to watch several of his games this season and feel that if we can get him for cheap, Gary Payton would be a nice addition in the back court. Cheap meaning Booth and possibly TAW

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally posted by: Pirate
This looks like Chad Ford talking out of his ass. Nothing of any substance in what he says here, and his supposed facts look to be his opinion from afar.

Same with Marc Stein when he recently said we get bashed unfairly. Yet he and Ford do nothing to stop the bashing. Anyways, ford wrote the true point guard away from a 'ship the same day Terry got player of the week.

[V2M]

What's totally funny and ironical to me is that Ford comments that Dampier has been a major disappointment and that Terry has been on a tear lately quoting his stellar statistics. I do not agree with his views on Dampier but if that's how he truly feels about our starting Center and starting PG, how could he even begin to write an article on how the Mavs are just a true point guard away from a title??

[mary]

Originally posted by: Murphy3
Dirk knows that that someone is him. He's just not going to say it in the media.

That wasn't the part that annoyed me Murph. People respect what Dirk says, and it wouldn't have killed him to be a bit more supportive of Terry, instead of telling the reporter that they still need to find someone to fill Nash's shoes. The writer thought Nowitzki was talking about a "leader", but I really thought Dirk was referencing the team's PG production. Just a minor gripe.

Chad Ford's premise that the Mavs still need a point guard and Dirk's assertion that they "need to find someone", don't really seem all that different to me. I think people are being a little too harsh on Chad Ford.

[endtroducing]

that Slam article was put together in November-December...before we had good point play. I'm sure Dirk wouldn't say that now.

[grndmstr_c]

Chad Ford's premise that the Mavs still need a point guard and Dirk's assertion that they "need to find someone", don't really seem all that different to me. I think people are being a little too harsh on Chad Ford.

For my part it's not the "basketball opinion" Ford espouses regarding Terry that earns my contempt, even if I do disagree with him. It's the rumor-mongering that gets me. It carries with it the marks of irresponsible journalism and I think he deserves to be slammed for it.

[birdsanctuary]

[quote]
The Mavs believe Terry is better as a sixth man, a Nick Van Exel-esque scorer.[quote]


I'll give him the NVE comparision, but Terry is developing into a quality starter. Chad Ford, you are a clown!

DUDE WATCH THE FRICKIN GAMES, YOU BOX SCORE ROTISERIE JUNKIE!