GDT: Preseason game 1 Pelicans at Mavericks (7:30) - Page 2 - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

samoan-maverickII · 10-07-2013, 09:09 PM

Monta Ellis knows he can score as opposed to OJ last year who thought he could score. Monta will give us some headache games but I'll take it, he looks great.

Dirk's Knee · 10-07-2013, 09:32 PM

Wow. This stream kinda sucks. Better than nothing I guess. Wright looks good. Missed the first half but the box score looks like Dirk didn't get many shots...

Rick41 · 10-07-2013, 09:37 PM

See ya Balkman. thanks for the extra camp body.

Rick41 · 10-07-2013, 09:39 PM

Woooo Jaeggie Miller!

Rick41 · 10-07-2013, 09:56 PM

God Brian Roberts was annoying in the 4th.

Vinsanity · 10-07-2013, 10:02 PM

Who the hell is number 32? I was at the Mavericks scrimmage on Friday and he threw me his shirt when they were done...

sig · 10-07-2013, 10:17 PM

Remember back in the day of the official offseason thread when we were making fun of those who claimed the Pelicans were better than the Mavs.

Dirk's Knee · 10-07-2013, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sig

Remember back in the day of the official offseason thread when we were making fun of those who claimed the Pelicans were better than the Mavs.

I wouldn't worry too much about preseason losses.

SMC0007 · 10-07-2013, 11:40 PM

fn season over.

yahyes · 10-08-2013, 02:51 AM

In pre-season you look at players more than the win/losses. I saw that Blair and Wright paired together interestingly so far.

G-Man · 10-08-2013, 04:09 AM

Lots of good stuff in this game.

Dirk got to play decoy for a while. Setting him up outside the 3 point line gave Monta all kinds of room to maneuver inside. He made several crisp passes off his drives. For a guy with a reputation as a "chucker", he sure did a fine job of sharing the ball. Dalembert dropped a couple, but Wright had a field day. Then there was Dirk wide open for a 3. Beautiful.

I read that Brandon Wright had put on from 20 to 30 pounds. I took that with a grain of salt, since it seems NBA players routinely lie about what they did in the off season. But with the crappy video feed, I could not even recognize Wright. Its like they put him in a basketball players body. Last year he looked more like a pole vaulter. If he is big enough to body up at least some of the centers in this league, I can see him getting starter minutes.

A shout out to Mekel. Basically the 4th string point guard gets the start in the first NBA game he's ever played. He turned it over a lot, but he made a nifty pass or two, and was decent on defense against one of the more dangerous point guards in the NBA.

Blair looked like the hustle guy I hoped he would be. very active body in limited minutes. I got the impression the coaches did not need to see him play...they already know what they have there, and that's a good thing.

Overall I was impressed with the attitude these Mavs brought the court. Everybody's body language said "fired up, ready to go." The vets stepped back to let the young guns try to prove they belong. To play this well with a 4th string rookie at PG is pretty impressive. The defense had to be good to give up 17 turnovers in the 1st half without getting blown out. This team, after 1 preseason game, could easily beat last years team that had been together for a full season. And that's with Mekel starting at the point.

Its the kind of pre-season game that can get one's hopes up. We'll see soon just how well they can keep it up.

sike · 10-08-2013, 09:05 AM

just a reminder to all of those touting Ellis' ability to dish the ball: He averaged 6 assists a game last season. The dude can pass.

sike · 10-08-2013, 09:08 AM

I'm looking for Monta/Dirk P&R coming soon to a preseason game near you.

I NEED to see it.

twelli · 10-08-2013, 09:18 AM

I am really looking forward to this season. Watching Ellis should be so much more fun than watching OJ Mayo. And in Calderon we have someone who can get the ball to Dirk. The regular season should be fun to watch.

sike · 10-08-2013, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twelli

I am really looking forward to this season. Watching Ellis should be so much more fun than watching OJ Mayo. And in Calderon we have someone who can get the ball to Dirk. The regular season should be fun to watch.

Totally agree. Ellis should be some very nice "sizzle" & Calderon should bring some much needed stability.

Maringa · 10-08-2013, 09:30 AM

One think that I noticed about Mekel....

He definitely is not going to be leading any fast breaks...Strictly half-court game.

I think the turn over issues can be resolved...

Suggestion to Mekel - look at plenty of Barea video's....learn how to take shots inside the paint. Work on fade-aways from Dirk...

Keep working on open, set shots...because Mekel is making Dominique Jones shooting look good right now...

But again, unfair to be too harsh right now...We'll see some improvement by end of camp.

Dirk's Knee · 10-08-2013, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sike

just a reminder to all of those touting Ellis' ability to dish the ball: He averaged 6 assists a game last season. The dude can pass.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sike

I'm looking for Monta/Dirk P&R coming soon to a preseason game near you.

I NEED to see it.

Fingers crossed. Ellis taking 10+ shots to Dirk's 5 is exactly what I didn't want to see. However, I missed the first half and it sounds like they were focused more on working on Dirk decoy plays with Monta driving. I'm OK with this in preseason, but it won't fly when the real games start. Wright looked fantastic in the minutes I saw him. Crowder actually looked decent too.

EricaLubarsky · 10-08-2013, 11:04 AM

Interesting game. I just wish that they tried to win it. The fourth quarter was almost completely played by 3/4 stringers and camp fodder (Ledo/McConnell/Balkman/Kennedy).

I know that it's just preseason, but winning is always good. Still, we got a good look at a lot of guys.

Mekel - knows how to pass, but I'm worried about his jumper and his dribble. Late in the game, his jitters wore off and was much better with the ball, but he had some UGLY TOs, and many of them were lazy (getting picked at the top of the key without trying to make a move).

Ellis - looked amazing. He took some ill-advised shots (what else is new) but made some amazing passes and passes really well on dump-offs. He had a couple of amazing passes to Marion and Wright in the paint after drawing a man. He wasn't quite as effective kicking it back out to the three point line, but was quick and efficient.

Dirk - Dirk. Still a little slow, but nice to see him.

Marion - hasn't lost a step. Some good defense and pogo-stick legs. Some good slashes.

Carter- still Carter

Ellington- really nice defense. Long arms. Hit the three well and actually has decent handles. He was asked to do a lot more than he could late in the game and actually played combo guard well. I'm really excited.

Dalembert - about the only true flop last night. Dude just looked wooden. Little mobility. No shot blocking. Not impressively strong on the boards. After last night, I'd pencil him in behind Wright and Blair on the depth chart

Wright - very impressive. He's mobile and now looks built more like Dirk than Manute Bol now. Went harder for rebounds and now has wider shoulders to box out. He was still incredibly quick to exploit openings down low and has a soft touch. Not incredible defending the ball, but a good help defender. The extra 15-25 pounds may have really helped him take it to the next level. Just missed both FTs (badly).

Ledo- rough but incredibly quick and does have an offensive game. He may be 2-3 years.

Blair - looked ok. Musles up well, but played against a finesse team last night.

Crowder- still has big balls. Sometimes can affect games in big ways. Other times disappears. Still a strong player with an improved jumper.

James- still rough

Balkman - played really hard. Looked better than Dalembert, honestly.

SMC0007 · 10-08-2013, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirk's Knee

Fingers crossed. Ellis taking 10+ shots to Dirk's 5 is exactly what I didn't want to see. However, I missed the first half and it sounds like they were focused more on working on Dirk decoy plays with Monta driving. I'm OK with this in preseason, but it won't fly when the real games start. Wright looked fantastic in the minutes I saw him. Crowder actually looked decent too.

I'm not against Monta shooting more than Dirk. Not outrageously lopsided, but Monta has much more ability to get where he wants to go and as long as he is making the right plays I'm completely comfortable with him having the larger share. Dirk is not the player he was and will never be. SO having someone like Monta help set him up and get better looks will be great. I' don't believe Monta has had this type of shooter to dish to off the carnage he creates with the dribble. This season is going to be unmeasurably more fun to watch that last... at least!

Wright is bigger and still improving.

Crowder is a player for sure.

Underdog · 10-08-2013, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Dalembert - about the only true flop last night. Dude just looked wooden. Little mobility. No shot blocking. Not impressively strong on the boards. After last night, I'd pencil him in behind Wright and Blair on the depth chart.

Carlisle calls out Dalembert's conditioning

DevinHarriswillstart · 10-08-2013, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Underdog

Carlisle calls out Dalembert's conditioning

I just can't see any excuse for coming into camp out of shape.

Although, really, nobody looked overly sharp last night besides maybe Ellis, Blair, and Wright. I like Blair and think he'll be very necessary for rebounding. He seems to be a pretty smart player.

Dirk's Knee · 10-08-2013, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMC0007

I'm not against Monta shooting more than Dirk. Not outrageously lopsided, but Monta has much more ability to get where he wants to go and as long as he is making the right plays I'm completely comfortable with him having the larger share. Dirk is not the player he was and will never be. SO having someone like Monta help set him up and get better looks will be great. I' don't believe Monta has had this type of shooter to dish to off the carnage he creates with the dribble. This season is going to be unmeasurably more fun to watch that last... at least!

Wright is bigger and still improving.

Crowder is a player for sure.

I'm not against him shooting more than Dirk especially when that's the flow of the game and what the defensive is giving them. But I'm totally against him taking double the amount of shots in roughly the same playing time. I don't expect Dirk to be having a bunch of 30 minute games with 25+ points. I do expect him to get more than 5 shots. Consider this: of all the players who played more than 10 minutes, only D.J. Kennedy took fewer shots than Dirk. Again, I know this is just preseason and already I'm seeing some promise with the new squad...and I know the big boys don't bring their A game until the season starts. Its just one thing I was looking for this game was the number of Ellis shots vs the number of Dirk shots...

G-Man · 10-08-2013, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirk's Knee

I'm not against him shooting more than Dirk especially when that's the flow of the game and what the defensive is giving them. But I'm totally against him taking double the amount of shots in roughly the same playing time. ...Its just one thing I was looking for this game was the number of Ellis shots vs the number of Dirk shots...

Its way too early to be worried about this in the 1st pre-season game. Coaches learn nothing about the team by watching Dirk shoot, and that is what is most important in the early stages of camp...figuring out who can contribute and who deserves a roster spot. I liked seeing Dirk hanging out on the perimeter. Teams will have to put someone pretty big out there with him, or risk watching him rain 3's all night. When they do that, it opens up the middle for Monta to slash, and for him to dish to guys like Brandon. This can add a year to Dirk's career, and leave him fresh to destroy defenders when needed. As long as Ellis avoids taking bad shots, I'm okay with him taking more shots. He just need to realize that there are plenty of other scorers on this team. If he passes effectively, he's a Most Improved player candidate. wouldn't that be sweet?

twelli · 10-08-2013, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

I just can't see any excuse for coming into camp out of shape.

Me neither, unless he has injury problems. I hope he feels the wrath of Dirk too, who has been getting in shape for probably the last two months or so.

sike · 10-08-2013, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMC0007

I'm not against Monta shooting more than Dirk. Not outrageously lopsided, but Monta has much more ability to get where he wants to go and as long as he is making the right plays I'm completely comfortable with him having the larger share.

I fully expect Ellis to shoot more than Dirk this season. If he isn't putting it up at least 17 times a game on average, I'll be a little disappointed. The Mavs need Ellis to be extremely aggressive. It is time for Dirk to be a great second option.

SMC0007 · 10-08-2013, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by G-Man

Its way too early to be worried about this in the 1st pre-season game. Coaches learn nothing about the team by watching Dirk shoot, and that is what is most important in the early stages of camp...figuring out who can contribute and who deserves a roster spot. I liked seeing Dirk hanging out on the perimeter. Teams will have to put someone pretty big out there with him, or risk watching him rain 3's all night. When they do that, it opens up the middle for Monta to slash, and for him to dish to guys like Brandon. This can add a year to Dirk's career, and leave him fresh to destroy defenders when needed. As long as Ellis avoids taking bad shots, I'm okay with him taking more shots. He just need to realize that there are plenty of other scorers on this team. If he passes effectively, he's a Most Improved player candidate. wouldn't that be sweet?

I honestly expect Dirk to have a decent shooting % until he retires, but IMO, he's about done dominating and destroying defenders as he pleases, or as he used to. He doesn't have the legs and mobility anymore. Obviously he is gonna have many games that he plays well but less and less he will be able to take over like the old, hungry Dirk did. It's a sad fact of life and age, but I believe it's upon us already as opposed to those who think it's a cpl years down the road.

LonghornDub · 10-08-2013, 11:02 PM

Prediction:

If Wright consistently gets 25-30 mpg (I don't know that he will), he will be somewhere in between the Mavs' 3rd and 5th best overall player this year.

SMC0007 · 10-09-2013, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

Prediction:

If Wright consistently gets 25-30 mpg (I don't know that he will), he will be somewhere in between the Mavs' 3rd and 5th best overall player this year.

Yea I am down with that. I think he is probably our 3rd best player. 3a, 3b Marion.

Dirk's Knee · 10-09-2013, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by G-Man

Its way too early to be worried about this in the 1st pre-season game. Coaches learn nothing about the team by watching Dirk shoot, and that is what is most important in the early stages of camp...figuring out who can contribute and who deserves a roster spot. I liked seeing Dirk hanging out on the perimeter. Teams will have to put someone pretty big out there with him, or risk watching him rain 3's all night. When they do that, it opens up the middle for Monta to slash, and for him to dish to guys like Brandon. This can add a year to Dirk's career, and leave him fresh to destroy defenders when needed. As long as Ellis avoids taking bad shots, I'm okay with him taking more shots. He just need to realize that there are plenty of other scorers on this team. If he passes effectively, he's a Most Improved player candidate. wouldn't that be sweet?

If the same pattern develops in every preseason game, I just don't see the dynamic suddenly shifting once the season starts. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised to see Dirk's minutes managed a bit this year and see Ellis and Wright blossom together.