PGT Mavs get the crap beat out of ghem by OKC

[sike]

Poor Dirk

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by sike

Poor Dirk

Yea, this is starting to lose weight with me. He needs to go ahead and buck up and play harder and maybe demand the ball a little. If he keeps this up, players that can really help him aren't going to be standing in line to come sign here.

I'm also really tired of watching guys go hard to the rim and defensively we are back to letting it happen and then hanging our heads. Where are the hard fouls?

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Yea, this is starting to lose weight with me. He needs to go ahead and buck up and play harder and maybe demand the ball a little. If he keeps this up, players that can really help him aren't going to be standing in line to come sign here.

I'm, also really tired of watching guys go hard to the rim and defensively we are back to letting it happen and then hanging our heads. Where are the hard fouls?

I'm actually with SMC 100% here. The "poor Dirk" thing isn't doing much for me (although sike's comment was far, far less bothersome than the ones suggesting that Dirk has an excuse for poor play because of things Cuban has done).

I wish he had a better team around him, but he doesn't. It's his responsibility to still give maximum effort. He gets paid $20M/year to do exactly that.

[ReDirkulous Tyme]

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

I'm actually with SMC 100% here. The "poor Dirk" thing isn't doing much for me (although sike's comment was far, far less bothersome than the ones suggesting that Dirk has an excuse for poor play because of things Cuban has done).

I wish he had a better team around him, but he doesn't. It's his responsibility to still give maximum effort. He gets paid $20M/year to do exactly that.

Which is why I honestly laugh at everyone advocating we should try to trade the German. A) the entire notion of not wanting him to spend every year of his NBA career here is utterly insidious. B) no one would take him at his current contract, until he starts producing like an all-star again (which I fully expect him to do, unlike many people). Every year Dirk is on this team we should be pushing for the playoffs, because simply put, anything can happen. I mean we won a championship with a 75 year old Peja, 63 year old J-Kidd, and a 5 foot point guard who thought he was Kobe. I have full faith that we will see an extremely competitive Mavs team next year, if not after the all-star break this season.

[EricaLubarsky]

I honestly wonder if half of Dirk's perceived lack of motivation is actually a combination of injury and inability for others to get him the ball. It's hard to play with determination when you don't know the plays and you can't get the ball where you want it. It's even harder if you are physically limited and I'm not sure that he's 100% or that he'll even be 100% again.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

I honestly wonder if half of Dirk's perceived lack of motivation is actually a combination of injury and inability for others to get him the ball. It's hard to play with determination when you don't know the plays and you can't get the ball where you want it. It's even harder if you are physically limited and I'm not sure that he's 100% or that he'll even be 100% again.

Then he needs to shut it down and get fully healthy if he can't go harder.

Or get position and get the ball and create offense. Draw the double and kick it. He hasn't been aggressive with the ball at all since coming back. Settles for the J much more than I'd like regardless that I think he is the best shooter in the game.

Dirk has to be a leader now and his style is leading by example, but he isn't taking it to the defense and he isn't playing with fire. It's clear that he knows this team doesn't have it. Theory: Maybe he knows he only has a cpl seasons left where he can leave it all out every night and he doesn't wanna waste it with what we have.

[dude1394]

Since the Mavs obviously did not think they could ever repeat with dirk as the main guy, might as well get powder for him.

[oilfieldtrash]

I know when I'm playing bball playing with low bball IQ players can be demoralizing. You hustle to get open and someone takes a stupid shot, turns over the ball, or doesn't even see you get open it sucks. Or you make a great cut and they don't even know where to hit you with the ball.
I can only imagine Dirk's frustration as he went from Kidd to Collison. Also throw in the fact that Crowder thinks he's Kobe and chunking like a fool.
I'm not saying Dirk has a lack of motivation but I could definitely understand if he does. Personally I think Dirk screwed up his body with the finals run followed by playing for team Germany.

[ReDirkulous Tyme]

Originally Posted by oilfieldtrash

I know when I'm playing bball playing with low bball IQ players can be demoralizing. You hustle to get open and someone takes a stupid shot, turns over the ball, or doesn't even see you get open it sucks. Or you make a great cut and they don't even know where to hit you with the ball.
I can only imagine Dirk's frustration as he went from Kidd to Collison. Also throw in the fact that Crowder thinks he's Kobe and chunking like a fool.
I'm not saying Dirk has a lack of motivation but I could definitely understand if he does. Personally I think Dirk screwed up his body with the finals run followed by playing for team Germany.

100% agree with this. To me, the most prominent issue with regards to this lies in our inability to get the ball to the guy with the hot hand consistently. Unfortunately, I think this is partially due to Carlisle. I can't tell you how many times I've seen games where we would have a guy with the hot hand not touch the basketball for 5 minutes, or I'd see someone hit 3 shots in a row and then get benched by Carlisle for either a lapse on the defensive end, or just because Carlisle's likes to test the border of insanity. I've seen this sooooo many times throughout the years with Carlisle as coach, and although i understand wanting to manage minutes, I simply don't understand his approach with regards to this a lot of times. Basketball is the epitome of a game of rhythm. How can a player maintain any sense of rhythm whatsoever if they aren't allowed to touch the ball, either because of Carlisle or our lack of an intelligent offense?

[dude1394]

Dirk still looks out of shape to me. The difference between the way he moved in the first quarter versus the rest of the game is pretty glaring.

I've never tried to recover from knee surgery but whatever you can do to keep up your wind didn't get it done. His stamina seems really low. And he definitely still doesn't have lift on his jumper, really flat and rushed because he seems to have to shoot it before he wants to on his jumper.

[markus1234]

Originally Posted by oilfieldtrash

I know when I'm playing bball playing with low bball IQ players can be demoralizing. You hustle to get open and someone takes a stupid shot, turns over the ball, or doesn't even see you get open it sucks. Or you make a great cut and they don't even know where to hit you with the ball.

Originally Posted by ReDirkulous Tyme

To me, the most prominent issue with regards to this lies in our inability to get the ball to the guy with the hot hand consistently. Unfortunately, I think this is partially due to Carlisle. I can't tell you how many times I've seen games where we would have a guy with the hot hand not touch the basketball for 5 minutes, or I'd see someone hit 3 shots in a row and then get benched by Carlisle

Nuff said. Shut it down, let's go home.

[ReDirkulous Tyme]

Originally Posted by dude1394

Dirk still looks out of shape to me. The difference between the way he moved in the first quarter versus the rest of the game is pretty glaring.

I've never tried to recover from knee surgery but whatever you can do to keep up your wind didn't get it done. His stamina seems really low. And he definitely still doesn't have lift on his jumper, really flat and rushed because he seems to have to shoot it before he wants to on his jumper.

In high school I tore my ACL/MCL/Cartilage/Meniscus completely in my right knee playing in a district game senior year. Had the same specialist that the Mavericks use (Dr. Souryal I think?) so I guess you could say I have SOME experience with the matter. Now personally, I'm an idiot and started playing basketball 4 months after surgery, due to the fact that I had just started attending the University of Texas and I was impatient. Anyway, although this was a huge mistake and I'm quite lucky to have no re-torn everything, I learned a couple things.

First, the confidence you have in your surgically repaired knee is everything, and until you have played a few months and have put it through rigorous stress-testing, you really have no confidence in performing the same moves you were used to accomplishing previously. Personally, I don't think Dirk has that confidence yet, nor do I believe he is in great game-shape yet. I fully expect Dirk to be back at an all-star level by the end of the season, which is all that really matters to me at this point.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by ReDirkulous Tyme

In high school I tore my ACL/MCL/Cartilage/Meniscus completely in my right knee playing in a district game senior year. Had the same specialist that the Mavericks use (Dr. Souryal I think?) so I guess you could say I have SOME experience with the matter. Now personally, I'm an idiot and started playing basketball 4 months after surgery, due to the fact that I had just started attending the University of Texas and I was impatient. Anyway, although this was a huge mistake and I'm quite lucky to have no re-torn everything, I learned a couple things.

First, the confidence you have in your surgically repaired knee is everything, and until you have played a few months and have put it through rigorous stress-testing, you really have no confidence in performing the same moves you were used to accomplishing previously. Personally, I don't think Dirk has that confidence yet, nor do I believe he is in great game-shape yet. I fully expect Dirk to be back at an all-star level by the end of the season, which is all that really matters to me at this point.

Curious as to why? I'm more interested in him being old Dirk by the start of next season. This one is over.

[ReDirkulous Tyme]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Curious as to why? I'm more interested in him being old Dirk by the start of next season. This one is over.

I have a feeling that right now, the perception of the Mavs is that we have a superstar that has already been defeated by Father Time, along with a bunch of former all-stars with nothing left. If Dirk can get going and start averaging 23+ ppg sometime soon after the all-star break then I think that perception will change. In the interest of attracting free agents, and in general making Dallas more of a destination city for big-name players, Dirk needs to get it going BEFORE this season is over.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by ReDirkulous Tyme

I have a feeling that right now, the perception of the Mavs is that we have a superstar that has already been defeated by Father Time, along with a bunch of former all-stars with nothing left. If Dirk can get going and start averaging 23+ ppg sometime soon after the all-star break then I think that perception will change. In the interest of attracting free agents, and in general making Dallas more of a destination city for big-name players, Dirk needs to get it going BEFORE this season is over.

Ok, makes fine sense. I wondered if you had playoff hopes in mind.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by ReDirkulous Tyme

I have a feeling that right now, the perception of the Mavs is that we have a superstar that has already been defeated by Father Time, along with a bunch of former all-stars with nothing left. If Dirk can get going and start averaging 23+ ppg sometime soon after the all-star break then I think that perception will change. In the interest of attracting free agents, and in general making Dallas more of a destination city for big-name players, Dirk needs to get it going BEFORE this season is over.

Which free agents? Which is of consequence? I really don't get it. I do not see any logic with this group except for waiting, hoping, praying for dwight or chris paul.

[ReDirkulous Tyme]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Ok, makes fine sense. I wondered if you had playoff hopes in mind.

Well secretly I think we could get insanely hot after the all-star break, but thats a secret hope of mine, and one that I'm not allowed to speak of very often

also, I'm thinking players like Paul and Dwight obviously, but also I'm looking for guys like Jose Calderon, and players of the caliber, who we could definitely utilize.