Dallas Mavericks 2009 Camp Thread

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Tuesday come fast.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Tuesday come fast.

Um, that's what she said?

[quietsavant]

Jake V is gone. So long good buddy

The Dallas Mavericks have waived Jake Voskuhl.

The Mavs signed the journeyman free-agent center Sept. 28 and announced his release Thursday.

Voskuhl has played for five teams since entering the NBA out of Connecticut in 2000: Chicago, Phoenix, Charlotte, Milwaukee and Toronto. Over his nine-year career, the 6-foot-11, 255-pound Voskuhl averages 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds.

The Houston native's release leaves the Mavs roster at 15 players.

[DavidDaMonkey]

...and there you have it ladies and gentlemen, your 2009-2010 Dallas Mavericks.

[EricaLubarsky]

Yeah I was hoping that we could trade Williams for Dwight Howard and keep Voskuhl, but alas dreams die hard in Mavs land. Its kinda hard to care for these Mavs when the owner doesnt even care enough to pull off the Howard trade.

[jthig32]

Bummer. I was hoping to keep Voskuhl. He's a good dude and I gurantee you there will be games this season that he would have helped. But honestly there aren't many (or possibly and) other owners in the NBA that would've even considered cutting a 2.4 mil guaranteed contract while in the LT and signing an additional player.

BTW, Donnie is doing a chat at the DMN right now. A couple items:

[Comment From Rickwu]
I have notice that only dirk have 7-0 feet on the roster,isn't our team too small when we face some teams which have tall and big guy in the field?


Donnie Nelson: with Shaq east and Yao out...there's not many centers Dirk can't guard in the west. same goes for Gooden, Humphries, Thomas for that matter. thats why we didnt feel a realsense of urgency to go out and get another traditional cneter for insurance purposes. and when we go smaller we'll score with the best of em. gives us a nice 1-2 punch

More confirmation that the Mavs are looking at Dirk at center for significant time, even with Gooden here.


This next issue doesn't seem to come up around here much anymore, but I still see people in the national media questioning Josh at the 2:

[Comment From Steve]
Great off-season moves! How do you see Josh and Marion meshing together??

Donnie Nelson: it' makes us longer, more athletic not to mention versatile. 2's and 3's are pretty much interchangeable these days so learning curve shouldnt be big deal. those positions switch with each other all the time. also makes us better rebounding team.

[Comment From Guest]
I feel this is the most talented team the Mavs have ever had during the Dirk era. Your feelings?

Donnie Nelson: certainly one for the most experienced and athletic...the chemistry on this team is as good as ive ever seen. kinda like a college squad

I like last note. This team does seem to be having more fun with each other than normal.

Full chat here.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

The team does look like they are having fun and should be. I feel like too many pro sports franchises don't preach having fun playing enough. I mean, you get to play the game you love for millions of dollars. Life can't be that bad. This is where I thought Avery failed the most. He sucked the fun out of the team imho.

[iella]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

The team does look like they are having fun and should be. I feel like too many pro sports franchises don't preach having fun playing enough. I mean, you get to play the game you love for millions of dollars. Life can't be that bad. This is where I thought Avery failed the most. He sucked the fun out of the team imho.

Winning is fun. Duh.

Oh, wait...

[sefant77]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

The team does look like they are having fun and should be. I feel like too many pro sports franchises don't preach having fun playing enough. I mean, you get to play the game you love for millions of dollars. Life can't be that bad. This is where I thought Avery failed the most. He sucked the fun out of the team imho.

It has a reason why Avery still doesnt have a job despite his winning record.

[monty55555]

It’s been a mystery all preseason long, but in Thursday’s practice it became a reality.

For the first time the projected starters for the Dallas Mavericks were all together, as both Josh Howard and Shawn Marion joined Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki and Erick Dampier in the team’s scrimmage. It was also the first time the team got a glimpse of how explosive the lineup is in actuality and not merely on paper.

“We’ve got a lot of weapons out there on that floor,” Marion said. “It’s just a matter of everybody just playing off of each other and just playing and having fun with each other.”

“We have a lot more options out there (with Marion and Howard both in the lineup). We’re very big and very athletic, and we’re going to be a very good defensive team this year. With everybody pressuring the ball a little bit more, getting active with their hands out there, you can see it.”

Howard has recently returned to practicing after off-season ankle and wrist surgeries, and Marion missed 10 days with a mild strain to his right calf.

While the goal is still for Howard to return to game action by the season opener on Oct. 27, Marion says he is ready to go and he expects to see time in Dallas’ final preseason game against the Houston Rockets on Friday night. Though practice is one thing, the two former All-Star players with resembling attributes may be learning how to play together on the fly once the regular season tips.

“Those guys are going to be playing a lot together this year and it’s work,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “From what I saw today, it’s definitely something that we can be successful with for periods of time, but it’s hard evaluating it on just one day.”

“Guys need to play together to get a real feel for each other, but we have a veteran team and these guys all have a pretty good feel for the game and what they can all do individually. We’ll make it work. I’m extremely optimistic and we’re just sorting out our health issues.”

For now, the sight of both Marion and Howard in a Dallas uniform is just a pipe dream as the Mavs prepare for there final preseason test.

After resting the key rotation players against Cleveland in a 30-point slashing Tuesday night, the Mavericks are expected to play all of their healthy players against the Rockets in a final tune-up before the season opener.

“We’re trying to win the game. There’s one left before the regular season and I’m sure Houston will be trying to win it as well, so it will be a good test for us,” Carlisle said.

Not looking pass Friday night’s contest, Nowitzki is hoping the team can put forth an impressive showing with the season and home opener on the horizon. After getting off to a 2-7 start to last season, the Mavericks’ leading scorer says the final exhibition game could be key to getting off to a quicker start.

“Obviously, we would love to have a good game tomorrow and get everybody involved and have everybody feel good about themselves. But Tuesday is when it starts and that’s when we have to be sharp. I think it’s good that we’re are starting at home to get the home crowd into it,” Nowitzki said in anticipation of the season opener.

The Mavs and Rockets meet Friday night, with the game airing on KTXA 21 and KTXA 21 HD at 7:30 p.m CT.

The regular season tips for the Mavs at home against the Washington Wizards on Oct. 27, and tickets remain available. For ticket information call (214) 747-MAVS.

Dallas has also introduced the “MavsU” program, designed to offer college and university students an opportunity to attend Mavs games at a discounted rate. The Mavericks and Genghis Grill have teamed to offer discounted tickets to students for many upcoming games.

To purchase any MavsU ticket and receive a coupon for a free bowl at Genghis simply call 214-747-MAVS or visit Mavs.com.

http://www.nba.com/mavericks/news/insidereport.html

[iella]

For now, the sight of both Marion and Howard in a Dallas uniform is just a pipe dream as the Mavs prepare for there final preseason test.

Ugh. Stumbling on a grammatical error like this in the middle of an otherwise happy article is like stubbing your toe really hard on your way back to bed after getting up in the middle of the night to pee.

Ugh. Who writes these things?

[Underdog]

Kidd/Barea/Boobie
Josh/JET/Carroll
Matrix/Ross/[Williams]
Dirk/Ladder/Singleton
Gooden/Damp/Thomas


On paper, our starting 5 look the best I've seen in years (ever?) - I love how long and athletic this team is now... Great shooters, great defenders, great rebounders, great ball handlers, great finishers - we have the makings of a contender, we just need to put it all together... I can't wait to see where this new-look Mavs squad goes this season!

[badfish22]

Originally Posted by Underdog

On paper, our starting 5 look the best I've seen in years (ever?)

Ugh, im so sick of hearing those two words. I'm ready to be able to say 'on the court'.

But you're right, this does look like our best starting 5 ever.

[BPo001]

Does anyone know where I can find more info on the MavsU ticket purchasing? I can't find it on the website.

[quietsavant]

Originally Posted by BPo001

Does anyone know where I can find more info on the MavsU ticket purchasing? I can't find it on the website.

Dallas has also introduced the “MavsU” program, designed to offer college and university students an opportunity to attend Mavs games at a discounted rate. The Mavericks and Genghis Grill have teamed to offer discounted tickets to students for many upcoming games.

To purchase any MavsU ticket and receive a coupon for a free bowl at Genghis simply call 214-747-MAVS or visit Mavs.com.

[BPo001]

Originally Posted by quietsavant

Dallas has also introduced the “MavsU” program, designed to offer college and university students an opportunity to attend Mavs games at a discounted rate. The Mavericks and Genghis Grill have teamed to offer discounted tickets to students for many upcoming games.

To purchase any MavsU ticket and receive a coupon for a free bowl at Genghis simply call 214-747-MAVS or visit Mavs.com.

Right. I went to mavs.com, but can't find any info about it.

[jthig32]

Interesting read:

An opposing team's scout sizes up the Mavericks

This is a team that is going to have to play real fast. They have a lot of players who will spread the floor, and in the end they might look a little bit like the old Suns.

I still rank Dirk Nowitzki as one of the top two power forwards in the league along with Kevin Garnett. He shoots it as well as ever, though he doesn't rebound as much as he used to because he stays on the perimeter a bit more. He also makes a little bit less effort defensively, but I don't see a precipitous drop from him. Maybe his personal issues in the offseason will help pick him up by giving him something to prove this season -- you know, to refocus himself on basketball again.

Rich Carlisle is a hard coach to be around and play for every day, and it put a lot of pressure on the assistants to work things out and be liaisons with the players [early last season]. Once the players became used to him and learned to not take things so personally, the truth came out that he's a good coach and they have a lot of good players.

Carlisle changed the play-calling a lot over the course of the season while he was trying to figure out the team and adapt to the personnel, which is the sign of a good coach. At the beginning of the year, they were running a lot of stuff that was almost like the Princeton offense -- some different versions of it -- so maybe he was thinking it would fit with Jason Kidd, who was comfortable with it in New Jersey. But as the year went on, Carlisle changed it up and began to run some stuff nobody else runs. This is a copycat league but he wasn't copying; he was figuring out where people fit in. At the same time, around the All-Star break, he put in some of Avery Johnson's plays that they used to run for Dirk. It looked to be a constantly evolving thing that surprised me because I was under the impression that he was a regimented guy. Overall, they cut back on some of their ball movement from plays that required four passes to plays that needed two or three passes, and they focused more on running a specific play for a specific guy, whereas at the beginning of the season, they were running a lot of equal-opportunity plays designed to let everybody touch the ball. By the end of the season, he'd decided, "This is where this guy is going to score, and this is how we'll get the ball to him."

It slowed them down some last year that Josh Howard played only 52 games as their second- or third-best player. I like what Howard does on the floor, though you never know where his head is. But he does some amazing things, like averaging 7.6 points in the opening quarter last year; only LeBron James [8.3] got off to a better start, which means he's putting his man in foul trouble right away. He's aggressive, he plays hard. He's not as consistent a three-point shooter as you'd like him to be, but he's not terrible. He has the ability to be a better-scoring version of Bruce Bowen, but when they revamped their roster and Jerry Stackhouse wasn't playing anymore, he saw the opportunity to score and some of that emphasis on defense went away. Now he's thinking about Josh Howard's points as opposed to the defensive end.

Kidd isn't as good defensively as he used to be, obviously, and with the explosive guards in the West, that's a problem. Some of it has to do with the decline of his speed and quickness, and some of it has to do with the rules on the perimeter. But he still pushes the ball, he's still strong, and his shooting has improved dramatically from three-point range to where you can't just back off him anymore or close out late to him. You've got to get out there and guard him, and when you do that, he can get by you. He still has the quick first step, though he doesn't have the second or third step to get all way to the basket anymore. He's still as smart as any point guard, and he'll use that intelligence to create steals even though he can't just get up on you and stay on you and bully you like he used to. Everybody talks about the trade they made for Kidd that sent Devin Harris to New Jersey, and I still look at it as a good deal for Dallas. Harris is a scorer; passing for him is the second option. Kidd's passes are his first option, and that's what this team needed. I still have him ranked as the fifth-best point guard in the league, which is amazing for a 36-year-old. He's very efficient and he doesn't waste a lot of energy.

How are they going to use Shawn Marion? That's the key question. I think they'll end up playing as often as possible like the old Phoenix style, so when Dirk is resting they'll put Marion at the 4. He's supposed to be a 3 man, but his best years were as a 4 with Phoenix, and so you'll see them go small a lot. They'll take out Erick Dampier and move people around and have Marion running the floor in front of Kidd.

The key thing for this team is going to be how well they all get along, because Marion, Howard and Jason Terry are all kind of fighting for minutes and points. It might be difficult for Marion because this will be his first year playing for Carlisle, but maybe Kidd and the other guys can help him get acclimated. I don't view Marion as a star player. When he was going well, he was the product of the system, which you saw after he stopped playing in the open court with Steve Nash. His three-point shot needs to be a lot more consistent, and there's no question he is an overrated defender. To keep everybody happy, they'll have to start Marion at the 3 and then go small and move everyone up a slot, with Marion at the 4, Howard at the 3 -- which is his natural position -- and bring in Terry at the 2.

Terry still amazes me. He scores from both backcourt positions, he's a great clutch shooter, and he keeps pushing the tempo and puts pressure on the defense relentlessly. He turns it over a bit but they're aggressive turnovers, which are easier to live with. Looking at it from the outside, he appears to embrace his role as sixth man, which is different from a lot of guys in his position. He's a very important player for them.

Dampier is really a victim of his big contract. He simply doesn't have the ability to earn the money they're giving him. If you look at him on his own merits, I say he does pretty well. He's a center who last year shot 65 percent, averaged 2.7 offensive rebounds and 7.1 rebounds overall, with 1.2 blocks. Those aren't bad numbers in 23 minutes per game. Are they worth the $12 million he's getting this year? Of course not. But in today's NBA, they'd be worthy of $5 million.

A guy like Drew Gooden makes you wonder. You would think he'd be perfect as a complementary big man for the Spurs, but they decided not to keep him. I don't know if he has it in him to stick to the game plan. In Dallas, he should have a chance to be the starting center playing 30 minutes a game ahead of Dampier, but I don't know if he's consistent enough to pull it off.

As for the rest of their bench, I'm not sold on J.J. Barea as Kidd's backup. He's OK as a change-of-pace guy, but if you ever game-plan against him, you can neutralize him. Quinton Ross is a good athlete who will get some minutes, but he doesn't shoot it quite well enough. Tim Thomas will give them 10 good games a year, and Kris Humphries may give them [good] minutes.