A little debate

[Richard]

What do you guys think of this proposition?

It seems some think we shouldn't hold the mavs braintrust "accountable" for not finding players who can win in the playoffs because for six years the mavs just haven't had the "good fortune" to have a top player fall in their laps with a high draft pick. First, it seems to me that is pretty much an insult to Dirk.

But, more importantly, it gives those in charge of such decisions way more room to fail than NBA reality supports. Probably the most successful team the last 5 years or so, though I haven't checked the record, is Sacramento. Did they have that great player/pick fall in their lap? No, they had a gm good enough to trade for Webber, when he was out of favor, then convinced him to stay in little ol Sactown.

Best team in the East of late? NJ. Does it have one of those great players you can only get by draft luck? Jason Kidd fits that bill, but he was acquired just like Webber. Out of favor in Pho and traded for by a good GM.

How about the greatest player of the last decade, Shaq. Sign and trade by the greatest gm of our time, Jerry West.

Reigning MVP? A "lowly" no. 5 pick in the draft. The mavs have had several that high without being smart or good enough to get an MVP. And, trading up to get a 5 is generally doable by any gm with the smarts and ammo our's has had over the last 6 years.

Best youing big man in the playoffs? Jermaine O'neal. A 17th pick and traded for. Best big man developing, perhahps Jonathan Bender, again, traded for.

Phoenix has added at least two good big men with midlevel picks recently.

To get a good big man you might sit around a wait for a draft pick to fall in your lap, or go out and get a good gm who knows one when he sees one and how to make the moves necessary to get one. Or, we can just keep picking up finesse big men like the best running big man in the NBA (drafted higher than J O'Neal), Laettner, Howard, Wang, Raef, Jamison, Walker.

With all the high school kids and foriegn players, there is less certainty and more room for smart gm's to do well than ever before.

So, when it comes to holding our braintrust accountable for not adding the talent the core needs to move to the next level - can the excuses.

Its simple. To be the best team in the league like we want, you have to have the best "gm". Or at least one that can beat his competitors for a few years together. Your talent guy has to be good enough to beat HIS competition year in and year out for awhile before you have the talent to beat the other teams on the court. Even Duncan would not be getting rings without the Ginoili's, and Parkers, and Rahso's who were added late first, second round and by trade by smart talent guys who knew what a balanced roster meant and what Duncan needed around him.

Forget the mythical big man or perimeter defender. The FIRST thing this team needs to get to the next level is a gm/talent guy/director of basketball operations/'whatever" that can beat our competition's gm. Until then, don't expect the players who go up against teams who have been loaded with better talent and better balance to pull rabbits out of their hats and beat better teams.

BTW, there is one player at the moment who has proven he has the skills necessary to carry a team to the NBA Finals that is out of favor with his team. What to do, what to do? Better yet, who to trust to do it?

[DubOverdose]

The team did draft Howard (last pick in the first round) and signed Marquis Daniels....both are on the second all-rookie team...that's pretty darn good for a 29th pick and signing someone who wasn't even picked in the draft

[grndmstr_c]

Richard, I'm with you on the importance of having a good GM, but let's be honest here. Overall, Nellie's record in Dallas is pretty good in that respect. There have been some mistakes, the Walker trade being the most recent example (though the jury is still out on just what effect that trade will have long term), but we did succeed in trading DOWN to get Dirk, we did get Nick and Raef for spare parts, we did get AJ for spare parts, and we did place two rookies on the all-rookie 2nd team this year despite getting one of them with the 29th pick in the draft and the other as an undrafted FA.

BTW, there is one player at the moment who has proven he has the skills necessary to carry a team to the NBA Finals that is out of favor with his team

I can only assume you're talking about Iverson here. No offense to his nickname, but he is not the answer.

[Stressboy]

Richard,

Wow, I'm stunned, but I'll get over it. Of all the things we bitch about here in Dallas, bringing in talent should not be one of them. Lets look at all your arguments.

You bring up Sacramento as if they have been much more successful than Dallas. They started their playoff run 2 years before the Mavs so in the sense of longevity, they have been more successful, but they have only been 1 game closer to the Finals than the Mavs. They might get to the Conference finals again, but unless Duncan gets hurt that is as far as Bibby will take them.

You bring up all these big men that were traded to their teams, but what you fail to realize is that when they were being traded, Dallas did not have the ammo to go get them as you say until recently. Why do they have ammo now?? Its because of the GM moves they have made.

Then you bash on the Mavs drafts you are just being silly. Once Cuban came on board and the Mavs were not constrained, they have made some great moves. Last years draft just shows how incredible they have been. To have gotten Dirk at #9 and trade their pick for Nash (Now of course in hindsight that pick became Marion) those were incredible picks. Najera in the second round. Etan Thomas has become a sought after man in the East, was it the Mavs fault he was hurt? He and Alexander were still used to get Howard's contract which got us NVE/Raef which garnered us Jamison and Walker which along with last years draft have given us the most talented group of players(ammo) that we have had since the late eighties Mavericks.

Last I will try to educate you on how to win an NBA title.

1) You have the best player in basketball that year
2) You have the best team during a time when there is no clear cut most dominant player.

Not since the last Detroit Championship has scenario #2 played out. Every championship since then has been won by the most dominant player on the court and every one of them except Shaq were gifts from heaven/Luck. Jordan at #3 (who knew), Duncan, Hakeem. There are no others on that list. Now badmouthing the Mavs for not getting Shaq is stupid because the Lakers will always get the top players over the Mavs in a free agent deal.

The Spurs did not have parker or Ginobli when they won their first championship and it is really easy to pull off what they did when they got two gifts in the form of Robinson and Duncan. (The timing of the two allowed them to clear cap which allowed them to reload). I will agree that not getting parker was a draft day mess-up on the Mavs part because they tried to move up to get him and could not. They should have paid the price. I will say that Danials and Howard this year almost make up for not getting those other two.

With the decline of Shaq, there are only 2 teams that should win the championship this year and it is the Spurs or the Wolves. Garnett has the potential to beat anyone, but I'm afraid his lack of experience and the wolves shattered depth will not make that possible.

Dallas almost reached the pinnacle last year because Dirk was the second best player in the league a year ago (argue if you must, but he was) and had he not gotten hurt, he might have negated Duncan enough to allow his team to win. We have all seen a drop off this year in his game and if we are ever to win a championship, Dirk has to surpass his play of a year ago or we have to get a McGrady/AI/Kobe like player that could have an MVP year. I will say that if you are talking about Kobe being the guy to take them to championships, you are smoking crack. Since Kobe has become the best player on the Lakers, the Lakers have become the second best team in the West. He is Shaq's Pippen, though he might grow up to be Jordan some day.

So in closing I guess you can say that I refute everything you said.

Stressboy

[Murphy3]

Stressboy, in your opinion, what's the best way for to surpass what he did in 2002-2003?

[madape]

I am completely on board with you Stressboy.

I have a few specific criticsms of Richard's post.

1) Shaq's story is irrelevant to the Mavericks situation. He muscled his way out of Orlando because he wanted to be an actor an a rapper. He couldn't pursue those avenues in Orlando, so he forced the Magic's hand. Dallas doesn't have that kind of draw, so we'll never get to luck into the kind of good fortune that fell into the Laker's laps. The trade also happened prior to the new CBA going into effect. The new rules have made it harder for teams to aquire elite players via sign and trades. This is why you can forget about ever trading for Duncan, Garnett, Yao, or even McGrady.

2) Jason Kidd has a reputation of being a player that mires his teams in mediocrity. He's the definition of a franchise player who's not good enough to win a title. Phoenix learned this the hard way. If he wasn't playing in the East, he'd still be leading some poor team to year after year of first or second round playoff exits. Yeah, you can get a player like this. But is that what you want? Is that better than what we have now?

3) Sacramento is the same team as the Mavericks. The exact same team! They have the same troubles that we have here. They will conistently be one of the top teams in the NBA, but they'll alwats be underdogs to win the championship because they don't have a dominant player. With all due respect to Webber, he just isn't on the same level as Duncan, Garnett, or Shaq. They are like Dallas in that respect. We have had similar success by following their model. But that success is limited by the fact that neither Dirk nor Webber is good enough to carry their teams to the NBA championships. I don't think that comparing the Mavericks to this team actually helps your argument.

4) Jermaine O'Neil and Kobe Bryant are two examples of how two teams have rolled the dice on an unproven player with tremendous upside and had the bets pay off. However, for every Kobe, there are ten Kwame Browns. But you are right, it is not just luck. You have to give credit to Walsh and West, who are without a doubt the two best GMs in the league. I like to think that we've had some of the same kind of success here in Dallas. Dirk is Don Nelson's Kobe Bryant. Our future depends on how much he can develop. If he elevates his game to the level of O'Neil and Kobe, we'll have a great shot at a championship. If Dirk is nothing more than what we saw this year, we'll be waiting for that ring for a long, long time.

[kg_veteran]

Our future depends on how much he can develop. If he elevates his game to the level of O'Neil and Kobe, we'll have a great shot at a championship. If Dirk is nothing more than what we saw this year, we'll be waiting for that ring for a long, long time.

There's a lot of truth in that statement.

[Murphy3]

Originally posted by: kg_veteran

There's a lot of truth in that statement.

So now we must examine why Dirk took a step back. I have no problem with saying that Dirk has been and will again be a better player than the player that J O'Neal was this year. How does he at least get back to to the 2002-2003 level? From that point, how does he take the next step? I honestly believe another coach needs to be in place for him to take the next step. There can't be any of this point forward crap with Antoine Walker. If it's not another coach, then Nellie better seriously change his offensive philosophies. The Mavs must also place a premium on defense. Plus, Dirk must gain confidence in his hook shot down in the low block OR develop another move that will force Nellie to use him down on the blocks. Also, it's unacceptable for Dirk to not be aggressive offensively AND to shoot 34-35% from beyond the arc.

In general Madape, I believe you're probably overrating the game of J O'Neal at this point. Yes, he has the chance to be a top 6-7 guy in the NBA or better but he isn't there yet.

[Richard]

Excellent comebacks, guys. Is that my blood and guts all over the walls?

But, just let me say that I agree Nellie and "co" (whoever made the calls) did a pretty nifty job of turning the franchise around. But, it seems to me they platued about three years ago. Is Walker really all that much more help than Howard or that much more useful than the guy we traded for Howard?

Did Jamison help us more in the playoffs than Van Exel? What did Josh do that Raja Bell didn't give us? Instead of giving the core, that has been here six years what it needed to pass the team ahead of us, we have been like a little gerbil on an exercise wheel... running hard and not getting anywhere. Worse, all the maneuvers probably just wound up with a lot less balance necessary to let the core do what it does best.

Running in place isn't getting us ahead of Sac (beat'em last year, lost to them with the new talent this), Minn gets to second round, we fall in first. Denver and Houston likely breathing down our necks if not passing us in the talent dept next year. SA and LA already ahead and unlikely to be outdone by our talent adding guys.

Just seems to me if we want to pass those teams on the court we have to have talent guys who beat them in the offseason and in trades. Booth, Wang, Redd, Wallace, Raef, Nick, Raja and Mourning... lots of adds and moves, but it doesn't seem to add up to more talent that Dirk and Steve and Fin can use to win games. After seveal years of "misses" in the offseason, I'm thinking maybe the problem isn't the on court talent but the front office talent that has to beat our competitors off the court before we stand a chance of doing it on the court.

[grndmstr_c]

All the press JO got as an MVP caliber guy this year was unjustified. I'd love to have the guy on my team, but he hasn't surpassed Dirk.

[Richard]

Originally posted by: madape
I am completely on board with you Stressboy.

I have a few specific criticsms of Richard's post.

1) Shaq's story is irrelevant to the Mavericks situation. He muscled his way out of Orlando because he wanted to be an actor an a rapper. He couldn't pursue those avenues in Orlando, so he forced the Magic's hand. Dallas doesn't have that kind of draw, so we'll never get to luck into the kind of good fortune that fell into the Laker's laps. The trade also happened prior to the new CBA going into effect. The new rules have made it harder for teams to aquire elite players via sign and trades. This is why you can forget about ever trading for Duncan, Garnett, Yao, or even McGrady.

Funny how the best gm's like West always find ways to add more talent than their competitor's regardless of what rule changes happen.

2) Jason Kidd has a reputation of being a player that mires his teams in mediocrity. He's the definition of a franchise player who's not good enough to win a title. Phoenix learned this the hard way. If he wasn't playing in the East, he'd still be leading some poor team to year after year of first or second round playoff exits. Yeah, you can get a player like this. But is that what you want? Is that better than what we have now?

To each his own Madape, but at the moment I'd be happy to pick up a guy so mediocre he could get us to two straight title games.

3) Sacramento is the same team as the Mavericks. The exact same team! They have the same troubles that we have here. They will conistently be one of the top teams in the NBA, but they'll alwats be underdogs to win the championship because they don't have a dominant player. With all due respect to Webber, he just isn't on the same level as Duncan, Garnett, or Shaq. They are like Dallas in that respect. We have had similar success by following their model. But that success is limited by the fact that neither Dirk nor Webber is good enough to carry their teams to the NBA championships. I don't think that comparing the Mavericks to this team actually helps your argument.

Again, personal preference, but I won't have too much argument if we can have the most regular season wins over a long stretch like Sac has. And, take out the refs one year and an injury to Webber last year and they would probably have been in 2 Finals. I would love to be that "bad".

4) Jermaine O'Neil and Kobe Bryant are two examples of how two teams have rolled the dice on an unproven player with tremendous upside and had the bets pay off. However, for every Kobe, there are ten Kwame Browns. But you are right, it is not just luck. You have to give credit to Walsh and West, who are without a doubt the two best GMs in the league. I like to think that we've had some of the same kind of success here in Dallas. Dirk is Don Nelson's Kobe Bryant. Our future depends on how much he can develop. If he elevates his game to the level of O'Neil and Kobe, we'll have a great shot at a championship. If Dirk is nothing more than what we saw this year, we'll be waiting for that ring for a long, long time.

Pretty much agree here. But, again, it seems to always be the good gm's who get "lucky" with those dice that way. And, it takes a smart gm to know when its time to hold the cards and bet a championship run on a guy or fold them and trade him for someone who might be able to help you make one. I have real reservations about whether four years of misses give indication that the guys we have now are smart and good enough to make that call successfully.

Text

[kg_veteran]

How does he at least get back to to the 2002-2003 level?

1. He has to play the PF spot.

In 2002-2003, Raef and Shawn ate up nearly all the center minutes. Dirk didn't have to serve as the last line of defense, and he was a better player for it. It's no surprise that he was free to grab a lot more defensive rebounds (8.9 per game vs. 7.5 per game this year) in 2002-2003 when he wasn't the only guy on the floor capable of challenging penetrators to the goal. Also, not so coincidentally, the Mavericks FG% defense was significantly better in 2002-2003.

2. He has to get more shot attempts.

I know that sounds like beating the same dead horse, but the stats bear it out. He's a very efficient offensive player (one of the most efficient in the league), and the more he touches (and shoots) the ball, the better off the Mavs are.

3. He has to get back to the line a bit more.

Dirk got to the line 6.8 times per game in 2002-2003. He only got there 5.5 times per game in 2003-2004. Part of that is fewer touches; part of that is Dirk not taking it to the hole as much. The two main statistical reasons that Dirk's PPS dropped just a bit in 2003-2004 were that he shot a lower percentage from three-point range (something that seemed to correct itself in the latter part of the season) and he didn't get to the line as much.

From that point, how does he take the next step?

1. Dirk has to continue to improve defensively.

Dirk improved his shotblocking numbers this year, mostly because he was challenging more shots. His defensive rebounding numbers went down significantly, mostly because he was challenging more shots.

I think his defensive play in the playoffs was actually pretty good, which is a step in the right direction.

For Dirk to really show improvement on the defensive end, it just has to be a matter of concentration. He should rarely be asked to guard a primary scorer on the opposing team (what top player is?), and he rarely is, but he needs to focus on playing solid man-to-man defense and excellent team defense. Sometimes I get the impression that he thinks he can get it back on the other end. Certainly, he can in most instances, but when he is focused on the defensive end, he can actually be an asset rather than a liability. He'll never be a "shutdown" guy. But he doesn't have to be. He just has to provide good help defense and not get consistently beaten by his man. I think that's something he can definitely do.

2. Dirk has to develop a "go-to" move.

While he's one of the most unguardable players in the game, Dirk really doesn't have one of these. Tim Duncan has his hook shot and his bank shot from the angle. Kobe Bryant can free himself for a jumpshot whenever he wants. Dirk needs to develop a move, preferably a post move, that allows him to get a good look against single coverage, regardless of who the defender is.

3. Dirk has to assume complete leadership of the team.

Rightly or wrongly, Dirk has deferred in some respects to Fin and perhaps even to Nash. That has to stop. When Dirk speaks and really means it, people will listen. If he steps up and demands something from the team, they're going to back him, especially if he demands it of himself.

Honestly, this is the one thing that I'm not certain he can or will develop. The others, I think will happen over time.

[Richard]

Originally posted by: grndmstr_c
All the press JO got as an MVP caliber guy this year was unjustified. I'd love to have the guy on my team, but he hasn't surpassed Dirk.

I agree in production. But, its kind of like they say about trading big for little sometimes. Big men who can operate effectively inside are the top commodity in the NBA and in that area I think JO has more than Dirk. So, if both put on the open market side by side, my guess is JO would "go faster", "bring more in return" or otherwise "pass" Dirk.

[grndmstr_c]

So, if both put on the open market side by side, my guess is JO would "go faster", "bring more in return" or otherwise "pass" Dirk.

You may or may not be right about that, but I can only respond by saying that I think it would be a mistake for any GM to pass on Dirk in favor of JO. As for operating inside, if you're talking offensively, I'll take Dirk over JO any day of the week. Here are their stats for this year:

.........jump shot efg%...............inside fg%
Dirk.......46.9%..............................65.4 %
JO.........37.8%..............................58.9 %

[Stressboy]

KG and Murph,

I like everything you guys said about what he needs to do with his game. I think 3 things could drive Dirk to a higher level next year and if it does not, then Dirk will probably be what he is from now on.

1. This will be Dirks first offseason in a while without International Play.
2. This will be the longest offseason for a while (I really think the big 3 were drained from the long playoff march and all the International play last year and it showed up significantly during the first part of the year.)
3. This is Dirks first time to take a step back. Will he rise to the challenge or be satisfied. I think he will see it as a challenge and take his game to the next level.

Dirk tends to float too much and does not concentrate away from the ball especially on D. Some of that can be fixed by changing offense schemes and simplifing the defensive schemes, but a lot of it has to do with getting the players attention. Hopefully, Dirk will wake up.

Richard,

JO would not be picked before Dirk. Not yet anyways. By the way, I think Artest is the heart of that team and I think he is becoming one of the top 10 players in the game. Duncan, Garnett, Kobe, McGrady, Shaq, AI, Dirk, and Kidd, are my top 8 just to give you an idea.

Stressboy

[Richard]

Seems to me the "answer" to this debate may have just shown up in what Del Harris said in an interview over on Fish' site:

He says:
“I think that’s the sensible way to look at it, as opposed to knee-jerk reactions. It's not that the organization hasn’t tried to fill in the gaps. You know Mark and Donnie worked last summer. ... It didn’t work out with Alonzo Mourning, and he fell sick and that didn’t work out anyway. Our next guy that we were aligned with was Brad Miller. Obviously if we had gotten Brad Miller, and it was down to us and Sacramento, instead of Sacramento getting Brad Miller, we get him, and they would be talking in Sacramento about what happened and we would be planning our next game and our next series.

>In simpe terms he says, perhaps more gently ( [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] ) the same thing I've been saying. The front office tried hard but got outdone. The Mavs need an inside presence [surprise] and missed out on getting one. The teams that got one are still playing and we aren't.

Now, I do notice he refers to the guys responsible for getting one as "Donnie and Mark" which is probably accurate too. But, until Mark quits saying Donnie is repsonsible and Donnie quits taking a mil a year to accept the hot seat, he out to be the one getting toasted buns when everyone but homers - even Del Harris - acknowledge our talent guys let us down last offseason and it caught up to us.

[Murphy3]

Good points, Stressboy, GMC, Richard and KG.

I've heard a couple of coaches mention on air that Dirk already has a nice left AND right handed jump hook, but he just hasn't used it much in games. This I believe has to fall mainly on the Mavs offensive schemes. Put him on the blocks and let him get experience and confidence early in the season using the hook shot. WHEN he gains confidence in that shot, he will be the most dominant offensive player in the game in my opinion.

Defensively...put him at the 4 spot and leave him there. He has played pretty decent defense at the four spot the past couple of years but struggles when bounced around from the 3 and the 5 spot. Plus, put a decent defender beside him at the 5 spot. If he doesn't improve his defense at that point, then he simply isn't going to improve beyond more than just an average defender. But, I see no reason for him not to average 10 boards, 1.5 steals, and 2+ blocks a game.

It's time for Nellie and Dirk to both step up.

[dirno2000]

I agree with everything on your list KG, I would just add one thing.

Over the past four years we’ve grown accustomed to watching the player affectionately known as playoff Dirk. To get to the next level, Dirk is going to have to bring that kind of effort consistently. I mean it’s nice that he can raise his game come playoff time, but if he has it in him, why does he have to wait until May? It’s like the guy who goes for 40 the night after being left off the All-Star team (I remember Mark Aguirre did it once)...my take has always been: if you brought it like that every night, you would have been on the team in the 1st place.

Dirk has the tendency to drift in and out of games at times. He’ll sleepwalk through a whole half, then maybe turn it on in the 3rd or 4th. the season is a grind, but he needs to develop the mental toughness bring his max effort 70-75 night. It’s pretty rare for a player to average 5 more points per game in the playoffs for his career, and I’m not sure that’s an absolute positive.

[dude1394]

Cool a nice thoughtful debate. On the hook-shot being that nice I haven't seen it at the arena. I watch dirk warm-up pretty closely and even late when he was trying to shoot it, it was still a pretty awkward thing. If it's a nice-looking one I haven't seen it.

I also think the NBA is driving by the best player in the league but I'm not exactly sure it HAS to be a dominant big-man, just that the last 5 years or so that's who has been the most dominant. Jordan, Magic,Bird were obviously most dominant in their day. Of course LA had Jabbar but without Magic the celtics probably reel off a record like chicago did.

And to madapes' comment he's correct. We are just like sacremento. This year has to be chalked up to the point-forward cluster. In some respects I think the team DID try to change their identity to less of a pure jump-shooting team and more of a motion, pass-oriented attack. I think they bought into some of the hype last year about only being a jump-shooting team, as dirk played much more mid-range stuff and they were effective.

The mavs have to focus this year on their go to play and stick to it, certainly not throw it all out at game 70. What a cluster.

I saw dirk fade in and out this year much,much more than last. I think that's the point-forward fiasco. He doesn't buy it, but isn't confident enought to speak out about it until game 70. That also has to change.

[Murphy3]

I think the NBA is driven by the best players in the league. It isn't always the best 1 player in the league. What often happens, the elite player that happens to be on the championship is often elevated in the minds of many to being the best player in the league because his team just won the title.

As for Dirk's hook shot. Well, I don't ever think it will be a thing of beauty to watch. But, I do believe that he can be effective with that shot. Hell, Kareem looked like a freaking side show with his sky hook. It was always awkward looking but it was one of the deadliest shots in the history of the game.

As for Dirk 'sleepwalking' or 'drifting'...well, it's much easier for him to drift or sleepwalk when he's playing second fiddle to the point forward Antoine Walker. It's much easier for him to not be involved whenever Nellie has him stuck beyond the three point arc for 90% of the game. Regardless, not being fully into the game is unacceptable. But, let's hope that Nellie has learned his lesson as well.

[dude1394]

Murph.. I wasn't comparing his hook shot to a thing of beauty. It was just looked uncomfortable to him and he didnt' make it very much. For something to be a money shot it was pennies, not dimes for sure.

[Murphy3]

Originally posted by: dude1394
Murph.. I wasn't comparing his hook shot to a thing of beauty. It was just looked uncomfortable to him and he didnt' make it very much. For something to be a money shot it was pennies, not dimes for sure.

Hmm, ok. I've never really gotten that impression from anything that I've seen or heard. But, obviously there's room for improvement. I believe it needs to begin with Nellie putting Dirk on the block and allowing him to shoot the shot 10 times a game in the pre season and several times a game early in the season to gain confidence and experience in using the shot in game situations.

[dude1394]

It looks pretty ugly to me. I'd like to see it more as well as I do agree with the premise that he needs some more moves around the basket that don't involve throwing himself at the rim and either getting it in there or getting hammered.

I think someone (maybe it was norm) mentioned that on the last shot of the season that he knew dirk was going to spin to his left for the jump shot. He knew it and Peja knew it. Being able to do something the other way needs to also be worked on. I hadn't noticed that but he's probably correct.

[Murphy3]

Originally posted by: dude1394
It looks pretty ugly to me. I'd like to see it more as well as I do agree with the premise that he needs some more moves around the basket that don't involve throwing himself at the rim and either getting it in there or getting hammered.

I think someone (maybe it was norm) mentioned that on the last shot of the season that he knew dirk was going to spin to his left for the jump shot. He knew it and Peja knew it. Being able to do something the other way needs to also be worked on. I hadn't noticed that but he's probably correct.

Well, if Peja knew it, he did a pretty poor job of getting a hand in his face. Dirk pretty much got a clear look. He was probably thrown off a bit by Peja swiping his arms to try and commit the foul that the Kings had to give. But, he got a clean look

[dirno2000]

In their last interview, Norm asked Nellie if Dirk needs to develope a hook shot. Nellie's response was that Dirk already has a hook shot, he just didn't shoot it much this year. Unfortunatly, Norm did'nt follow up by asking if he plans to use Dirk in the post more frequently next season.

I still feel the the Mavs need a better big man coach than Paul Mokeski