Random Mavs News & Articles

[Underdog]

Bob Voulgaris hired as Mavs' director of quantitative research and development
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...ch-development

[j0Shi]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Bob Voulgaris hired as Mavs' director of quantitative research and development
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...ch-development

You wonder why this dude hasn't been picked up by somebody for so long. He did work with the Grizzlies (?) a couple years ago for a brief stint, but never since.

He legitimately developed software that did forecast betting outcomes (and player performance) more properly than Vegas.

[BPo001]

Originally Posted by j0Shi

You wonder why this dude hasn't been picked up by somebody for so long. He did work with the Grizzlies (?) a couple years ago for a brief stint, but never since.

He legitimately developed software that did forecast betting outcomes (and player performance) more properly than Vegas.

Probably because he is/was a professional gambler.

[j0Shi]

Originally Posted by BPo001

Probably because he is/was a professional gambler.

Gotta pay him more than he makes then

[Underdog]

Yeah, underrated move by the Mavs, no doubt.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Great breakdown of Dennis and Luka before the big game tonight...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oThtvDwzqqw

[Dolencd]

Probably should have posted this here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfWqQXZJyTw
Radio documentary of Luka Doncic, made by national Radio Slovenia.
Enjoy!

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Barnes said he was hopeful to play on Saturday and should go be able to do a full practice on Friday via Dwain Price.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Now Barnes unlikely vs Minny via Price. Ugh...

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Now Barnes unlikely vs Minny via Price. Ugh...

link? I don't see it

[j0Shi]

http://www.espn.com/nba/insider/stor...off-contenders

qSQ: quantified shot quality

During the first few games of this season, no team's results have been more removed from the quality of the shots they're getting and allowing than Dallas. The Mavericks' offensive qSQ (54.1 percent) ranks third in the league, but their actual 51.1 percent effective shooting is just 17th -- worse than league average. It's the reverse at the other end of the court, where Dallas' opponents have the ninth-worst shot quality (51.7 percent) but have actually posted a league-high 57.6 percent eFG.

[...]

When the shooting evens out, it should reveal the Mavericks playing above-average defense. They've allowed opponents 3-point attempts at a league-average rate and rank in the top 10 in preventing shots at the rim.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by j0Shi

http://www.espn.com/nba/insider/stor...off-contenders

qSQ: quantified shot quality

The team somehow always gets cursed with weird crap like that. I noticed too that the defense really hasn't been that bad. Somehow players just seem to play more confident against us and go at us. And make shots they shouldn't normally!

[EricaLubarsky]

Spalding
Kostas
Macon

All going to GLeague

[burner2014]

Question , are there any post game press conferences or interviews available anywhere as a video? Can't find them

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Wow, this guy is a true MFFL...

https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dal...llas-mavericks

[MavzMan]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Wow, this guy is a true MFFL...

https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dal...llas-mavericks

Can you post the article in here? I don't have paid sub and from the title of the article, it looks like a good one to read.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by MavzMan

Can you post the article in here? I don't have paid sub and from the title of the article, it looks like a good one to read.

Meet the newly honored UT Southwestern biochemist who named his breakthrough discovery after the Dallas Mavericks
https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dal...llas-mavericks


There are relatively few people about whom it genuinely can be said have changed the world. UT Southwestern biochemist Dr. Zhijian "James" Chen is one of them.

On Oct. 17, Dr. Chen was named winner of the prestigious 2019 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for his 2012 discovery of an enzyme (cGAS) that launches the body's immune defense against infections and cancers. During a televised ceremony on Nov. 4 in the Silicon Valley, Dr. Chen and three fellow winners each will receive $3 million prizes.

"Great," you're probably thinking at this point, "but why is this post on sportsdaydfw.com?"

It's because news of Chen's prestigious honor led to SportsDay's discovery that he is a Dallas Mavericks fan. And he's not just any ole fan who just happens to be a noted scientist.

Dr. Chen, with another groundbreaking discovery in 2005 that preceded cGAS, incorporated his basketball fandom and scientific prowess with a unique homage to his favorite team. He and one of his students, Rashu Seth, discovered a protein that is pivotal in immune defense against RNA viruses.

Please allow Dr. Chen to explain how this protein came to be, as far as anyone knows, the only one ever named after a basketball franchise:

"At the time we discovered this protein, we knew it's very important in immunity defense against viruses. But we didn't know how this protein works. So initially, it was a completely novel protein. Initially we had a different name.

"But then we found that this protein is localized on the mitochondrial surface. The mitochondrial is sort of the powerhouse of our cells. ... It's very important. A lot has been done in regard to mitochondrial. And then we discovered that this protein is sort of anchored to the mitochondrial surface. And we know that this mitochondrial localization is very important.

"So we wanted to have a name that reflects this mitochondrial connection, to start with 'M.' At the time, the Dallas Mavericks were playing the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. That's how we got the inspiration: How about we call it MAVS -- Mitochondrial Anti-Viral Signaling?"

Chen, 52, grew up in an isolated village of China's Fujian Province. A top score on an undergrad biochemistry exam earned him a grad school spot at the State University of New York in Buffalo, leading him, eventually, to UT Southwestern Medical Center in 1997.

Chen currently is UT Southwestern's Professor of Molecular Biology and Director of the Center for Inflammation Research, as well as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.

When I asked Chen to explain the most tangible benefits his MAVS discovery has produced in the past 13 years, he did so in a way even a sportswriter can understand.

"This discovery has led to a much better understanding of our immune defense against infections by viruses such as the influenza virus, such as Ebola virus, or Zika virus," he said. "In the past decade or so, we have understood a lot better about its pathway -- and MAVS is a central player in this pathway.

"People who work on anti-virus immunity know about this protein. Our paper has been cited more than 2,000 times by colleagues who have published in the past 13 years. So it has had a large impact in terms of understanding immunology.

"And also, this protein now has been linked to autoimmune diseases, as well. It's hoped that by targeting this pathway, we might be able to come up with better therapies for these autoimmune diseases."

I then asked Dr. Chen whether his discoveries might have sports ramifications.

"It's not an area that we are focusing on, sports medicine and injuries," he said. "But injuries can certainly trigger inflammation -- pain, swelling, sometimes fever. Those are all symptoms of tissue injuries, which can activate this inflammation. Through either MAVS or another protein we discovered called cGAS.

"I think they are certainly linked to inflammation. It's very important ... A lot of these are sort of acute injuries. People can recover from these injuries, but sometimes these injuries can lead to longer-term consequences. We hope that the better studies of mechanisms of inflammation will help alleviate long-term damage from sports injuries."

One might think that being so busy changing the world would not leave Dr. Chen much time for basketball-watching. But that would not be accurate, certainly not when it comes to his favorite team.

Chen said he has attended numerous Mavericks games over the years, and he of course was thrilled when they avenged their 2006 NBA Finals loss to the Heat by beating them in the 2011 Finals.

"It's fun," he said. "I was thinking about getting season tickets, but so far have not done it yet."

Perhaps Mavericks owner Mark Cuban can come up with a unique deal for one of his team's most unique fans. Call it "the discount for noted local scientists who name their breakthrough discovery after the Mavericks."

[j0Shi]

https://theathletic.com/631137/2018/...mal-2-7-start/

1. Play DFS > Wes
2. Play Kleber
3. Put ball in Luka's hands
4. Defense

Good to see others having the same opinions as us fans. His take about Wes largely matches what we have been saying. DFS is the better fit in the starting unit while Wes could bring his pseudo-playmaking to the second unit (until Dirk comes back).

Full article on the Mavs Sub: https://www.reddit.com/r/Mavericks/c..._will_fix_the/

[EricaLubarsky]

@bobbykaralla

Luka Doncic ranks 12th in the NBA in front court touches per game. More than LeBron, George, Leonard, Antetokounmpo, DeRozan, Beal, and all but 11 other players in the whole NBA.

Seems like Luka is getting touches. It’s just the rest of the team that is trash and not sure we can just go to Luka every single play and expect to win. I’m already worried that we’re wearing him down now.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Seems like Luka is getting touches. It’s just the rest of the team that is trash and not sure we can just go to Luka every single play and expect to win. I’m already worried that we’re wearing him down now.

As I mentioned in the other thread, it's the balance that isn't there. He'll get the ball off the break or heavily in certain quarters, mostly the end, but is largely ignored in half court sets early on. Luckily, this is easily remedied once the vets and the rest of the team recognize it.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

As I mentioned in the other thread, it's the balance that isn't there. He'll get the ball off the break or heavily in certain quarters, mostly the end, but is largely ignored in half court sets early on. Luckily, this is easily remedied once the vets and the rest of the team recognize it.

Bingo... Seems like we lean on Doncic the most once the game is already out of hand. I wouldn't be surprised if he sees his heaviest usage in garbage time.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Bingo... Seems like we lean on Doncic the most once the game is already out of hand. I wouldn't be surprised if he sees his heaviest usage in garbage time.

Well he creates the garbage time. He's part of a starting lineup that can't score or defend and finds itself replaced with a second unit that can. It's not like he's the victim of only going out there when the game is out of hand like a third/fourth string player. Dude starts both halves and is part of a first unit that digs those holes.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Well he creates the garbage time. He's part of a starting lineup that can't score or defend and finds itself replaced with a second unit that can. It's not like he's the victim of only going out there when the game is out of hand like a third/fourth string player. Dude starts both halves and is part of a first unit that digs those holes.

Guilt by association.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Which is why arrows are now pointed at the coaching. Rick just needs to make adjustments to the starting lineup, the way plays are run, and who needs the ball in their hands. You can't stay a course of losing against bad teams at home.

[Underdog]

wrong thread

[Underdog]

Can Luka and Dennis fit together?

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/1...c-dennis-smith

It might not be possible for the Mavs to prioritize Doncic and Smith at the same time. Doncic has a net rating of minus-5.5 in 405 minutes with Smith and plus-10.3 in 202 minutes without him. One solution that a lot of NBA teams use is staggering the minutes of their two lead ball handlers to give each time to run the offense unimpeded. The problem for Dallas is that giving Smith more time with the second unit would mean playing him next to another point guard (Barea) who needs the ball even more than Doncic. Smith and Barea were like oil and water last season, with a net rating of minus-7.7 in 395 minutes together.

The Mavs are caught in a dilemma. There’s no spot in the rotation for Smith if they play Doncic at point guard, but they can’t afford to give up on Smith, either. The long-term consequences are too high.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

"There’s no spot in the rotation for Smith if they play Doncic at point guard."

LMAO such drama! And so silly it is too...

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

"There’s no spot in the rotation for Smith if they play Doncic at point guard."

LMAO such drama! And so silly it is too...

Smith hit 6'4" and is hitting threes at 47% (70.8% of which are assisted).

Dude is going to be fine playing off-guard.

He just needs to not be terrible defensively.

[tap2390]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Smith hit 6'4" and is hitting threes at 47% (70.8% of which are assisted).

Dude is going to be fine playing off-guard.

He just needs to not be terrible defensively.

He’s hitting 39.3% of his threes (which is fine, but a far cry from 47% which would be Curry-like.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by tap2390

He’s hitting 39.3% of his threes (which is fine, but a far cry from 47% which would be Curry-like.

*In November

[Bryan_Wilson]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

*In November

Or that.

[Bryan_Wilson]

Originally Posted by tap2390

He’s hitting 39.3% of his threes (which is fine, but a far cry from 47% which would be Curry-like.

I think EL meant on catch and shoot 3's. So his off ball 3 shooting is nice. DSJ does need to move more when off ball, he kinda looks like Wall out there sometimes and doesn't move. He's still not used to it. Mavs need to find a way to make it work eventually. DSJ and Luka are hard workers I think they will figure it out. Luka is great off ball as well, so both can do it, it just hasn't materialized yet. Luka has had years to develop all areas. DSJ has had maybe a year. And that first year with JJ and him together was kind of extreme. JJ kinda dribbles the air out of the ball, he makes it work but Luka is much easier to share the court with I would think.

[Skywalker]

https://stats.nba.com/articles/luka-...ent-in-dallas/
Luka Leads Exciting Youth Movement In Dallas
12/13/2018 at 02:12pm

By Ian Levy
Nylon Calculus, brought to you by The Step Back

Dallas built its team with a mixture of both veterans and youth, which led to intrigue around how this blend would work. However, Luka Doncic has been absolutely as good as advertised and, as they prepare to play the Suns tonight on TNT, the Mavericks find themselves at 15-11 and in the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. Strong play from veterans like Wes Matthews, Harrison Barnes, J.J. Barea and DeAndre Jordan has helped support their surprising surge.

The Mavericks’ youth movement is about more than just Doncic’s breakout rookie season. Several other key young players are showing that they can be a key part of both the present and the future in Dallas.

Luka Doncic

Doncic has been sensational, immediately stepping into the role of primary ball-handler and shot-creator for the Mavericks, averaging 18.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 36.9 percent on 3-pointers. Any concern about Doncic’s ability to create offense against NBA-caliber athletes has been put to rest. He’s still developing his timing and finishing but Doncic is among the league-leaders in drives per game and has kept defenses on their toes by hitting 37.4 percent of his 3-pointers off the dribble.

You can see from his hot spots, how much of his effectiveness has been focused on the middle of the floor where he’s able to exploit defenses in the pick-and-roll.



As impressive as his offense has been in general, Doncic has been nearly untouchable in clutch situations. The Mavericks have an 8-5 record in games where the margin was five points or less at any time in the final five minutes. Doncic has played 33 clutch minutes in those games, essentially a single game’s worth of court time. In those minutes, he’s put up 40 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, shooting 63.6 percent from the field and hitting 3-of-7 3-pointers. Most incredibly, given the offensive load he’s shouldered in these situations, he has just a pair of turnovers.

Doncic has already proven he can lead this team’s offense from the beginning of a game all the way to its biggest moments. As the rest of the young cast develops around him, this team is just going to keep getting better and better.

Dorian Finney-Smith

With Doncic established as the team’s primary creator, surrounding him with shooters and versatile defenders is essential. Perhaps no Maverick has fit that mold better than Dorian Finney-Smith this season. Although the second-year wing has primarily defended shooting guards this season, his defensive matchup data classifies him as one of the few NBA players who has spent at least 10 percent of his defensive possessions matched up with every position from point guards through centers. His size, wingspan and athleticism have made him successful in a variety of matchups and unlock all sorts of lineup combinations.

Finney-Smith is also hitting 43.8 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3-pointers this season and finishing nearly 60 percent of his shots inside of 10 feet. There may not be much room for him to grow as a shot creator but as a low-usage role player, he has the potential to be incredibly effective.

Dennis Smith Jr.

Smith Jr. is still figuring out how to work in tandem with Doncic, functioning as an off-ball threat and secondary creator is largely new territory for him. However, he’s shown some encouraging signs of growth. The second-year guard is hitting 35.9 percent of his 3s this year, up from 31.3 percent last year. He’s been respectable on catch-and-shoot opportunities (36.6 percent) but also improving on the all-important pull-ups shots as well (34.3 percent).

It’s going to take some time for Smith Jr. to fully weaponize his skill set and athleticism to find and create space off the ball, but considering how new this all is, the Mavericks have to feel encouraged by his steady improvement.

Maxi Kleber

Kleber is another ideal role player for the roster the Mavericks are building. The second-year forward has great size -- listed at 6-foot-11 -- and the mobility to slide down and defend smaller players as well. Matchup data estimates he’s spent nearly 40 percent of his defensive possessions matched up with shooting guards or small forwards. Kleber has also been exceptional using his size to help protect the rim and his 46.9 defensive field goal percentage inside of six feet of the basket is the third-best in the league among the 140 players who defend at least three shots per game in that area.

Kleber looks the part of floor-spacer but so far his catch-and-shoot numbers are hovering around 30 percent. That number could come up but even if it doesn’t, his defensive versatility allows the Mavericks to build all sorts of interesting lineups, especially when they look to play small without a traditional center.

Jalen Brunson

Brunson, a second-round pick, is still growing into a role and his outside shooting, a crucial piece of his long-term potential as a backup point guard, has yet to come around. Still, he looks the part of a heady veteran, as you would expect from a three-year college starter and winner of two national titles.

He’s been very effective in picking his spots off the dribble and creating shots for himself, and his turnover ratio is a minuscule 8.2 percent. When his 3-point shot starts falling he’s going to be an even more important piece for the Mavericks in a potential playoff run.

[mac222b]

Good stuff Skywalker!

Feel like Brunson’s 3 ball bound to come around soon. But what’s up with his ft shooting?

[sefant77]

Youth movement with Kleber and DFS....okay....Kleber is 27 next month and DFS is 26 in may....

[thewizard]

.

[Underdog]

I don't ever promote products online, but The Athletic has their 1-year subscription on sale for a ridiculously-low $29.99 (2.49/mo). It's usually $59.99+... Bob Sturm, Shams Charania, Tim Cato (our own tcat075!), etc.: https://theathletic.com/checkout/?pc...SAAEgKc9PD_BwE

Get it while it's good! (and if you don't already know what it is, ask)

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by Underdog

I don't ever promote products online, but The Athletic has their 1-year subscription on sale for a ridiculously-low $29.99 (2.49/mo). It's usually $59.99+... Bob Sturm, Shams Charania, Tim Cato (our own tcat075!), etc.: https://theathletic.com/checkout/?pc...SAAEgKc9PD_BwE

Get it while it's good! (and if you don't already know what it is, ask)

What is it?

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

What is it?

It's where all the best sports writers have disappeared to... They do city-by-city coverage, so the writers happen to be hardcore fans of the teams they cover -- no phonies here, every article is a deep dive. They're stuffed full of statistics, video breakdown, and everything else a hardcore fan like you and I would appreciate. Frankly, if ESPN hadn't give a truckload of money to Zach Lowe, he probably would be working for the Athletic because his style fits exactly what they're doing.

Hell, they're also offering a free trial if you're interested in learning more: https://theathletic.com/benefits/

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by Underdog

I don't ever promote products online, but The Athletic has their 1-year subscription on sale for a ridiculously-low $29.99 (2.49/mo). It's usually $59.99+... Bob Sturm, Shams Charania, Tim Cato (our own tcat075!), etc.: https://theathletic.com/checkout/?pc...SAAEgKc9PD_BwE

Get it while it's good! (and if you don't already know what it is, ask)

Along with Jamey Newberg and Levi Weaver.... Levi Weaver might be the best sports writer the DFW area has to offer..