Miscellaneous Mavs News and Postings

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by mavsfan1000

Maybe but Boozer was being a beast in the paint. Saying Dirk is a power player is a flat out lie. He is a finesse player and it's harder to expose small ball with that style. Simple logic. And I agree that Dallas should've pushed the ball but you gotta give Golden State the credit for helping each other out and maybe some animosity with our Mavericks as well. They were definitely driven.

Maybe nothing. If your ko'ach calls for the play to be at the top of the key then you go to the top of the key. If he calls a play to get it to you in the post, you set it up to get it in the post.

If your point guard (jet) can't get it across the 10 second line without being afraid of losing it and your other point (devin) can't shoot and doesn't know how to throw a decent entry pass...what is dirk supposed to do about that.

Who said dirk is a power player, no one, nice strawman there budda'. But he certainly took kmart and anyone and everyone else onto the block in the denver series. I also think boozer played great as well, but of course he has a coach who knows his rear end from a hole in the ground and he has a pretty nice point guard. Hmm...come to think about it, he had other players who could step up so boozer couldn't get double-triple teamed.

I'm not slighting GS at all, they had a great gameplan and it worked perfectly against our idiot ko'ach, who had shown himself not able to handle game changes already.

[purplefrog]

Originally Posted by dude1394

If you go back and look at the utah/gsw series you will see they didn't pound the ball down the GSW's throat they ran 'em. Because the GSW's transition D is so horrid they got easy baskets after easy baskets.

We played right into their hands by trying to pretend we were the spurs.. Avery should have been fired the next week.

Amen to that....

[dalmations202]

If I remember that GSW series, Dallas didn't have a chance. The Good Luck just wasn't with them. GSW had players throwing up half court shots, time expiring shots, and all around trash at the rim, and everything was going in.

Dallas couldn't get the ball to Dirk down low, and NO ONE else stepped up to shoulder any of the load. JET couldn't hit anything, and JHo forgot how to drive. Next thing you know Avery was making JHo the #2 scoring option and asking him to shoot jumpers. Things went downhill quickly.

Basically GSW sold out to keep Dirk from beating them, and won when everything they threw up went in.

[CadBane]

Mavsfan1000 makes Horse look like f'ing Einstein.

[CadBane]

FYI Mavsfan1000, Dirk goes to the FT line more than ANY big man (more than Amare, Boozer, Bynum, Gasol, KG, TD, Kobe too) sans Bosh and D12.

Funny how he does that "only" on midrange shots.

Dirk also is THIRD in the NBA in points per shot on POST UP possessions. Again, funny how a ONLY midrange jump shooter is third in the NBA in post effectiveness.

And oh the irony, you mention Boozer being a beast in the post. Lol. Now that is a guy who is strictly a PnR, midrange jump shooter. Boozer almost never posts up on the low-block.

[mavsfan1000]

Originally Posted by CadBane

FYI Mavsfan1000, Dirk goes to the FT line more than ANY big man (more than Amare, Boozer, Bynum, Gasol, KG, TD, Kobe too) sans Bosh and D12.

Funny how he does that "only" on midrange shots.

Dirk also is THIRD in the NBA in points per shot on POST UP possessions. Again, funny how a ONLY midrange jump shooter is third in the NBA in post effectiveness.

And oh the irony, you mention Boozer being a beast in the post. Lol. Now that is a guy who is strictly a PnR, midrange jump shooter. Boozer almost never posts up on the low-block.

It's because he is the best pumpfake player in the nba. Gets a lot of fouls from midrange. Plus players are always real close to him as they respect his midrange game.

[dmavs1980]

Originally Posted by dalmations202

If I remember that GSW series, Dallas didn't have a chance. The Good Luck just wasn't with them. GSW had players throwing up half court shots, time expiring shots, and all around trash at the rim, and everything was going in.

Dallas couldn't get the ball to Dirk down low, and NO ONE else stepped up to shoulder any of the load. JET couldn't hit anything, and JHo forgot how to drive. Next thing you know Avery was making JHo the #2 scoring option and asking him to shoot jumpers. Things went downhill quickly.

Basically GSW sold out to keep Dirk from beating them, and won when everything they threw up went in.

Agree with the Jho part but he was the best mavs player in that series. He kept the mavs at least somewhat close. Mavs let an early 7 pt, 9 pt lead etc go at the end of almost every quarter. GS would make a 3, get a steal and make another 3 at the end of the quarter( game 4 especially) which gave them momentum and got them right back in it

[kchan]

Here's a miscellaneous Mavs article, primarily about Kidd:

Steve Aschburner
A Kidd at heart: Mavs' Playmaker, at 36+, at the top of his game

The names, strung together, read like a list for a reunion, lacking only the big cheerful sign on a ballroom wall: "Welcome back, Class of 1994!"

In this case, we're talking about the NBA Draft class that graduated into the basketball job market that June. Some of the big men (and little men, too) who left campus that year: Glenn Robinson, Donyell Marshall, Lamond Murray, Eddie Jones, Jalen Rose, Aaron McKie, Wesley Person, Howard Eisley and a bunch of other guys who have slipped nicely into those "Whatever happened to...?" questions.

Then there is Jason Kidd, the No. 2 pick behind Robinson and a player who is defying both odds and precedents. The Dallas Mavericks' floor leader -- a fellow whose Hall of Fame credentials and general all-time-ness was secure several seasons ago -- is estranged from Father Time and seemingly in cahoots with Ponce de Leon as he motors along as an invaluable part of the league's hottest team.

Oh, Grant Hill, the No. 3 pick in '94 and Kidd's Co-Rookie of the Year that season, still is a key contributor down in Phoenix, as if drawing on reserves from all those games warehoused through injuries. Juwan Howard, the No. 5 pick, has been pressed into duty by the mishaps befalling Portland's big men, logging some serviceable minutes after averaging only 46 mostly minor appearances in 2007-08 and 2008-09.

But Kidd has played at another level, appearing in his 10th All-Star Game last month and posting numbers that are nearly indistinguishable from those he has put up throughout his career. Or in some cases, better: Kidd is averaging 9.4 assists and 2.46 turnovers this season, compared to his career marks of 9.2 and 3.09. He has led Dallas to its gaudy 12-game winning streak, a 44-21 mark overall and their current status as the Western Conference team most capable of keeping the Lakers out of the Finals.

Kidd also has been the Dallas player most responsible for integrating the talents of three former Washington Wizards (Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, DeShawn Stevenson) dropped into the Mavericks' laps over the All-Star break. He has done it with scant practice time, too, ignoring what some coaches or players would use as a crutch or alibi.

"We're too old to be practicing," forward Shawn Marion said after the Mavs beat Chicago 122-116 Saturday for No. 11 in their streak. They bumped it to 12 Monday in Minnesota. "The way we play, with J-Kidd out there forcing the tempo of the game and pushing the ball, and everybody trying to help each other, it's easier."

Marion has reunited with Kidd after benefiting from the point guard's play for two years upon his own arrival to Phoenix in 1999. "Eleven years ago. Huh!" Marion said."I always thought J-Kidd was unique, because he's the only point guard I've played with who is capable of getting a triple-double every night. And the way he does it is unbelievable -- most guards don't play both ends of the floor the way he does. He takes that challenge."

Any noticeable changes in Kidd's game? "He's shooting the three better now, but he didn't really shoot it a lot when we played together before," Marion said. "He was really aggressive attacking the basket then. Now he just ... it speaks for itself, the way he's playing."

By the time Dallas coach Rick Carlisle was Kidd's age, his playing days were long done and he was starting his seventh season as an NBA assistant coach. "I didn't have him when he was 26," Carlisle said. "But like all of us, with time we gain more wisdom, we gain a better understanding of the game. You get more of a command of the game, too. There are people who would say he's lost this or that physically, but he's got plenty in the tank, trust me."

Kidd laughed when it is noted that he's playing well at an age when most point guards are wearing suits or headsets. "I feel great. My body feels good, and mentally I'm fresh," he said. "They gave me the night off the other night [March 3 vs. Minnesota], which was nice. But I'm ready to go. I'm very lucky and thankful that I'm able to play at this high level at ... 36 1/2."

On March 23, Kidd will turn 37. But he's sticking with "36 1/2" as long as possible. "I feel 26 1/2," he said. "The biggest thing is the knowledge of the game. I know a little more than I did at 26. I'll take that any day of the week ... With the younger guys, they keep me young, they tease me. But my job is to teach Roddy [Beaubois] and J.J. [Barea] how to be successful. I enjoy that part of the game, too."

The beauty with Kidd these days, it's not just "do as I say," it's very much "do as I do." He has averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 10 assists, 2.2 steals and 37.5 minutes since All-Star Weekend, with one triple-double and six double-doubles. He has taken more pride, too, in Dallas' 12-1 record since the trade; the Mavs shot 32 percent and lost at Oklahoma City in their first game together but have purred since.

"When you get a new batch of guys, it energizes people a little bit," Carlisle said. "Jason has embraced the challenge of getting these guys integrated. We haven't been able to do a lot of play-calling because we haven't had a lot of practice time to get our plays in. So he's been a facilitator."
Said Kidd: "We're loaded with guys who know how to put the ball in the basket. We all enjoy sharing the ball and being part of a play that's successful. We've got guys who understand how to play ... It's been a perfect fit. These guys want to win. Coming from the situation in Washington, they wanted to fit in."

At this stage of his career -- with so many Draft mates retired, broken down physically, out of sight and out of mind -- Kidd has plenty of "old guy" stuff on his resume: the double-digit All-Star invites, 104 triple-doubles, 10,791 assists (second all-time), 2,317 steals (fourth all-time), 1,620 three-pointers made (fifth) and 1,157 starts (seven in NBA history).

But he also is mixing it up with the league's "new guys." Kidd, with 23, is one of only seven players this season to reach double figures in points and assists at least 10 times. The average age of the five guys behind Kidd on that list is 25.8 (Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul, LeBron James and Baron Davis).

The one guy ahead of him, with 37 such games, is Phoenix's Steve Nash; the other ageless point guard wonder.

"I've played with two Hall of Famers, basically," Dallas MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki said. "I've been very fortunate. What separates them from the rest of the point guards is they see plays develop. Some point guards get you the ball when you're open, but with Kidd and Nash, they just read plays -- their basketball IQs are out of this world -- and they see stuff going on. Obviously, there are some differences: Kidd is a bigger body, better post-up player and rebounder and defender. Nash is a better shooter. But their passing skills, they're both guys who are fun to play with."

Is Nowitzki surprised to see them both excelling so late in their careers? "Yeah, it's amazing," he said. "Both of them obviously take good care of their bodies. Kidd is in there lifting every day. Nash, he does the same thing. They eat right and do all the good things you've got to do to play long in this league. They both have fun playing -- I think that's an important thing. And they're both still chasing a dream, that's winning a championship."

In Chicago the other night, Kidd missed out on his 105th triple-double because, despite 11 rebounds and 15 assists, he took only six shots and made only two, scoring six points. Afterward, he shrugged it off.

"You have to gauge what the team needs," Kidd said. "Tonight they didn't need me to score -- guys were going and I recognized that early, so we made sure we got the ball to them. I can always find another aspect of the game to help: Rebound, play defense and try to do the little things ... That's the part of my career I came to grips with early. A lot of times I've missed a triple-double because of points. As much as I could play for stats out there, I could have taken our team out of winning the game by trying to score four more points."

Kevin McHale marveled recently that Larry Bird and Magic Johnson could dominate games on nights when they'd take just 12 shots. Kidd often is that kind of player.

"That's a very accurate and appropriate explanation for his greatness," agreed Carlisle. "A lot of times, it's not related to his scoring. Sometimes it's 1-on-1 defense on the ball. Sometimes it's help defense. Sometimes it's how he's able to instill confidence in teammates, younger guys, get them juiced up. He's had a big impact on Beaubois' play, because he's always encouraging him to be aggressive. And hey, when you're a young player and you've got Jason Kidd telling you to be aggressive, you're going to listen to that guy.

[BGMaverick9]

I'm sorry if this is posted somewhere else. Butler has a blog...here's what he's got!
http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/but...-break-for-me/

Hi everybody!

It’s been a while since my last blog, but as you know I’ve been pretty busy. As in moving-to-another-city busy.

I’m loving my new situation. Getting traded to the Dallas Mavericks gives me a shot at the ring while I’m in my prime, so I’m obviously very happy about it.

That said, I’m going to miss Washington. That city was great for me in so many ways.

I want to make one thing clear first… I never asked to be traded out of Washington or anything like that. I was always professional with the team and I have to say the organization was very classy about the whole trade thing. They told me in advance the day of the trade deadline that something was going to happen. Although at the end of the day this is a business, they handled me well. They were very respectful and didn’t treat me like an ordinary player. That goes a long way with me. I’m grateful with the front office for that.

I’m grateful to a lot other people in Washington, in fact. That’s the thing I’m going to miss the most – the people. The relationships and the bonds that I created there are going to last a lifetime. I was very involved in the community and leaving all that behind was kind of hard.

As far as the team, it’s sad that we didn’t get an opportunity to finish what we started. We had a good thing going with Antawn Jamison, Gilbert Arenas and the rest of the guys. I was thrilled to be part of the foundation of the team there. In the end, it didn’t work for some reason and it made sense for the Wizards to trade many of us.

Gilbert is one of the few players remaining. I’ve been in touch with him to see if he’s doing well. He’s in good spirits. I wanted to let him know that me, my mom and the rest of my family are praying so that everything works ut well for him. We’ll always have his back.

They often ask me to compare how’s playing with Jason Kidd now as opposed to doing it with Gilbert. Well, they are both great players. Gilbert has always been a scoring guard and can do so many things with the ball in his hands. His thing is scoring. Meanwhile, Jason has a special gift… And that is making people better. I’m fortunate to be playing with a guy like him. I remember before my first game with Dallas, we had just one practice and I was already able to pick up some plays because of his knowledge of the game and his ability to teach us where we should be on the floor. He’s making the game and the adjustment to a new system a lot easier for DeShawn Stevenson, Brendan Haywood and myself.

We’re on a 13-game winning streak and we’re a threat to all teams in the NBA right now. We can compete against anybody. I’m looking forward to this challenge of trying to win the championship and feel truly blessed and thankful to God for giving me all these opportunities. I’m a lucky man.

Talk to you soon. Bye.

[dude1394]

Nice sig...

We’re on a 13-game winning streak and we’re a threat to all teams in the NBA right now. We can compete against anybody. I’m looking forward to this challenge of trying to win the championship and feel truly blessed and thankful to God for giving me all these opportunities. I’m a lucky man.

[monty55555]

Caron seems to be such a great guy on and off the court. I'm glad he's a Maverick.

[aurelino9]

I have noticed in the last few games that when the mavs are inbouding, Kidd directs everyone to their correct positions before the actual inbound takes place. It has two advantages: first, obviously they are better prepared to run a halfcourt set and secondly, there is rarely a possibility of a 5-second violation.

[fluid.forty.one]

Originally Posted by dude1394

Nice sig...

gosh, I LOVE this team.

[Day1MavsFan]

Originally Posted by dude1394

Maybe nothing. If your ko'ach calls for the play to be at the top of the key then you go to the top of the key. If he calls a play to get it to you in the post, you set it up to get it in the post.

If your point guard (jet) can't get it across the 10 second line without being afraid of losing it and your other point (devin) can't shoot and doesn't know how to throw a decent entry pass...what is dirk supposed to do about that.

Who said dirk is a power player, no one, nice strawman there budda'. But he certainly took kmart and anyone and everyone else onto the block in the denver series. I also think boozer played great as well, but of course he has a coach who knows his rear end from a hole in the ground and he has a pretty nice point guard. Hmm...come to think about it, he had other players who could step up so boozer couldn't get double-triple teamed.

I'm not slighting GS at all, they had a great gameplan and it worked perfectly against our idiot ko'ach, who had shown himself not able to handle game changes already.

I am so tired of hearing all of the excuses about how Dirk doesn't have someone to get him the ball in the post. It hasn't mattered if it was Nash, Kidd, Terry, Harris, etc, etc. The plain and simple fact is that Dirk does not want to fight for position in the post. He prefers to come out past 18 feet to get the ball. Not only that, but he never wants to go back door when defenders are draped all over him.

What was Golden State's gameplan to take Dirk out of the game? ...to simply put Stephen Jackson on him. Nellie knew more than anyone that Dirk would play right into their hands by coming out to the wing to get the ball and that he would be forced to shoot contested jumpers over Jackson.

The fact is, the coaches wanted Dirk to play the center position in the GS series. Would he do it? No. In their own words, "it was maddening" that he wouldn't play as asked.

This is all history, of course. The point of all this current discussion is that small ball works effectively against Dirk, due to HIS refusal to play inside, as opposed to very ineffectively against the likes of Duncan and Boozer.

[mavsfan1000]

Originally Posted by Day1MavsFan

I am so tired of hearing all of the excuses about how Dirk doesn't have someone to get him the ball in the post. It hasn't mattered if it was Nash, Kidd, Terry, Harris, etc, etc. The plain and simple fact is that Dirk does not want to fight for position in the post. He prefers to come out past 18 feet to get the ball. Not only that, but he never wants to go back door when defenders are draped all over him.

What was Golden State's gameplan to take Dirk out of the game? ...to simply put Stephen Jackson on him. Nellie knew more than anyone that Dirk would play right into their hands by coming out to the wing to get the ball and that he would be forced to shoot contested jumpers over Jackson.

The fact is, the coaches wanted Dirk to play the center position in the GS series. Would he do it? No. In their own words, "it was maddening" that he wouldn't play as asked.

This is all history, of course. The point of all this current discussion is that small ball works effectively against Dirk, due to HIS refusal to play inside, as opposed to very ineffectively against the likes of Duncan and Boozer.

+ rep. Exactly how I remember it.

[dude1394]

[=Day1MavsFan;1079632The fact is, the coaches wanted Dirk to play the center position in the GS series. Would he do it? No. In their own words, "it was maddening" that he wouldn't play as asked..

Link please.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by Day1MavsFan

I am so tired of hearing all of the excuses about how Dirk doesn't have someone to get him the ball in the post. It hasn't mattered if it was Nash, Kidd, Terry, Harris, etc, etc. The plain and simple fact is that Dirk does not want to fight for position in the post. He prefers to come out past 18 feet to get the ball. Not only that, but he never wants to go back door when defenders are draped all over him.

What was Golden State's gameplan to take Dirk out of the game? ...to simply put Stephen Jackson on him. Nellie knew more than anyone that Dirk would play right into their hands by coming out to the wing to get the ball and that he would be forced to shoot contested jumpers over Jackson.

The fact is, the coaches wanted Dirk to play the center position in the GS series. Would he do it? No. In their own words, "it was maddening" that he wouldn't play as asked.

This is all history, of course. The point of all this current discussion is that small ball works effectively against Dirk, due to HIS refusal to play inside, as opposed to very ineffectively against the likes of Duncan and Boozer.

I can agree with some of the other stuff you are saying, but their gameplan was NOT simply to put Stephen Jackson on him. Their game plan involved various ways to run smaller guards on his back down or from behind and steal the ball or somehow get the ball out of his hands. He wasn't as good a passer back then and they double teamed him pretty well. Nellie was gonna shut Dirk down even if it took all 5 guys to do it, as long as it wasn't Dirk. Avery AND the team did a poor job of adjusting to it and the rest is history, literally.

[candid_snoop41]

Breaking: Fast-Healing Jason Terry Practices For Mavs, Plots Next Week's Return
By Mike Fisher -- DB.com

Jason Terry’s reputation as a fast healer is about to be fortified … fast.

This news just in as the Mavs moments ago wrapped up Friday’s practice at the AAC:

Terry, the Mavs second-leading scorer at 17 points per game, participated in a full workout with the team and is now anticipating his return to the rotation in one of the two games next week: Either Wednesday, March 17 at home against the Bulls or Saturday, March 20 at home against the Celtics.

Jet was injured a week ago when he was accidentally elbowed in the fact, an incident that broke his orbital bone and required facial surgery on Friday, March 6. Right around that time, assorted reports suggested that recovery from the injury could take as long as seven weeks. Terry -- who we know to be chronically upbeat -- insisted he would be ready more quickly than that.

Terry was more than just upbeat. He was correct.


just got it here: http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=2721

AWESOME NEWS

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by candid_snoop41

Breaking: Fast-Healing Jason Terry Practices For Mavs, Plots Next Week's Return
By Mike Fisher -- DB.com

Jason Terry’s reputation as a fast healer is about to be fortified … fast.

This news just in as the Mavs moments ago wrapped up Friday’s practice at the AAC:

Terry, the Mavs second-leading scorer at 17 points per game, participated in a full workout with the team and is now anticipating his return to the rotation in one of the two games next week: Either Wednesday, March 17 at home against the Bulls or Saturday, March 20 at home against the Celtics.

Jet was injured a week ago when he was accidentally elbowed in the fact, an incident that broke his orbital bone and required facial surgery on Friday, March 6. Right around that time, assorted reports suggested that recovery from the injury could take as long as seven weeks. Terry -- who we know to be chronically upbeat -- insisted he would be ready more quickly than that.

Terry was more than just upbeat. He was correct.


just got it here: http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=2721

AWESOME NEWS

Damn, that's pretty insane. Good for him and the team.

[xrobx]

i'm excited to see what this team will be like at 100 percent health.

[xrobx]

jet on wearing a mask:

Although his conditioning felt good during Friday's practice, Terry admitted that he struggled to see while wearing a protective mask.

He planned to pick up a custom mask later in the day. He hopes to use the mask only during practices and the first couple of games after his return.

"This mask they had me wearing was like a hockey mask," Terry said. "It was terrible."

Terry, the NBA's reigning Sixth Man of the Year who is averaging 17.0 points per game, went through full contact Friday despite still lacking feeling on the left side of his face. His vision made shooting difficult.

"Oh, man, he better get used to that mask quick because that was ugly whatever he put out there," Dirk Nowitzki said, cracking a smile. "But he's a warrior. I knew he was going to come back quick."

[Dirkenstien]

Originally Posted by candid_snoop41

Breaking: Fast-Healing Jason Terry Practices For Mavs, Plots Next Week's Return
By Mike Fisher -- DB.com

Jason Terry’s reputation as a fast healer is about to be fortified … fast.

This news just in as the Mavs moments ago wrapped up Friday’s practice at the AAC:

Terry, the Mavs second-leading scorer at 17 points per game, participated in a full workout with the team and is now anticipating his return to the rotation in one of the two games next week: Either Wednesday, March 17 at home against the Bulls or Saturday, March 20 at home against the Celtics.

Jet was injured a week ago when he was accidentally elbowed in the fact, an incident that broke his orbital bone and required facial surgery on Friday, March 6. Right around that time, assorted reports suggested that recovery from the injury could take as long as seven weeks. Terry -- who we know to be chronically upbeat -- insisted he would be ready more quickly than that.

Terry was more than just upbeat. He was correct.


just got it here: http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=2721

AWESOME NEWS

It's never fun to get elbowed in the fact. Sounds like what Hollinger is going through about now.

[BGMaverick9]

Gina Miller's blog

http://thatsportsgirl.blogspot.com/2...on-runway.html

Sunday, March 14, 2010
JET Back on the Runway???
A very fragile-looking Jason Terry made an appearance at Rick Carlisle's ping pong tournament on Sunday. I say fragile because I was almost scared to give him a hello hug. His face was a tad swollen after having facial surgery on March 5th. His face was a smidge puffy, would best the way to describe it.

He told me he expects to be back in uniform against the Bulls on Wednesday. He and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones are the most optimistic people I know.

"You sure?" I asked. "Yep." he assured me. "Wednesday."

I like the effort. We'll see.

By the way, the ping pong event was fun and had a pretty decent turnout.

[twistaeffect2004]

Jets a warrior.

[alexamenos]

Game 3 2001 mavs v jazz is on espn classics. Let the comeback begin.

[MavsX]

the mavs where never in the jason terry race to begin with

[Usually Lurkin]

could a moderator please move the Jason Terry's injury stuff to it's own thread? Thats gotta be worth it's own discussion, right?

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by BGMaverick9

Gina Miller's blog

http://thatsportsgirl.blogspot.com/2...on-runway.html



By the way, the ping pong event was fun and had a pretty decent turnout.

Oh were you there? I was there and loved every minute of it. It was very, very cool, although it was hard to watch a couple guys that I have played before get to play against Dirk and others because of the DFWTT sponsorship. I was insanely jealous.

I did get Eddie Najera's giant purple shirt, so that's a plus.

[MavsX]

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nba...lly&id=4996633


What's not to like about Mavs' Haywood

There's no doubt that Dallas Mavericks fans are enjoying the arrival of Brendan Haywood, Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson. Since the trade with the Washington Wizards at the All-Star break, all three contributed to a 13-game win streak that propelled the Mavs into a fight for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Five free throws: Brendan Haywood

1. Are you a fan of any other sport?
"I'm a huge football fan." That includes college and pro. He's a huge fan of the Miami Hurricanes. He almost played basketball at Miami because he loved their football program so much. As for the NFL, he's a Colts fan.

2. What's your pregame ritual?
"A lot of people have their different superstitions. I'll eat whatever I feel like eating that day. I might take a nap. I might not. It just depends on what's going on. I might catch a good episode of 'Law & Order.' I don't have anything I feel like I have to do every day. I don't believe in superstitions."

3. Did you play a musical instrument?
He played alto and baritone saxophone from 7th through 9th grade. "I could play songs and read sheet music. But I can't remember any of that stuff now." Any chance he'll play a duet with Mavs coach Rick Carlisle accompanying him on the piano? "Uh, no."

4. What did you call your mom, Barbara?
Great name, right? So many variations: Babs, Barb, Bar-Bar, Bab-O. I thought maybe one of those nicknames had crept in there at some point. Nope. "I just call her mom. I don't think she'd take too kindly to Babs."

5. Can I give you a new nickname?
His previous nicknames include: B-Hay, Big Wood and Wood. The most popular, and the one most of his friends use, is B-Wood. After a good 12 minutes of thought (while I was waiting on towels to dry), a flash of brilliance: What about Hay-fever?! I've got it. You've got it. We've all got Hay-fever! Except Haywood: "No." How about if we let it simmer and check on it in a couple of days? "Okay, we'll let it simmer."

I thought fans might want to know more about the players who've so seamlessly transitioned to our city and our team. I started with Haywood, the 7-foot center, who has perhaps made one of the biggest impacts on the team so far.

As I prepared for our interview, I searched the internet for some personal information, but there's not much to be found. He's never been in legal trouble -- he's apparently never brought a gun to a card game in the Wizards' locker room -- and he's never been married, nor does he have any little Haywoods running around.

Throughout our interview, he seemed perplexed that anyone would want to know anything personal about him. When I asked if he'd ever dated anyone famous, his response was, "Even if I had, I wouldn't put that out there. Who would want that out there?" Oh, I don't know ... about the half the NBA doesn't seem to mind having that out there. So I got the impression that Haywood was somewhat private which is an automatic invitation to pry.

Childhood

We all have our favorite things from childhood that we carried with us into adulthood. Some of us still drink Kool-Aid, love push-up popsicles, will watch Scooby-Doo if we can find it, or secretly hope tube-socks make a comeback.

Haywood was forever playing video games when he was a little kid. His favorites: "Early, early Nintendo with Tecmo Bowl. And then when I got the Sega Genesis, it was John Madden Football. I'm still a big John Madden fan to this day."

He and his close friends spent hours playing. He admits, to this day, when Madden is released, he and his friends buy it the first day it's available and compete all year long.

I asked him about his favorite Halloween costume. I could easily picture him dressing up as a skyscraper, the Incredible Hulk or the Central Time Zone. But he never celebrated Halloween. His mom, Barbara, was very religious and she felt it was a pagan holiday, so he was never allowed to go out trick-or-treating. But he didn't completely miss out on the sugar highs and the possibility of a cavity. "I did have one friend who would give me a little bit of his candy because he knew I didn't get to go out."

And how about growing up? I mean literally growing up, up and up. Can you imagine Miss Barbara trying to keep him in clothes and shoes? His biggest growth spurt came during the 9th grade. "I believe I was 6-4 and by the time I was measured for 10th grade, I was 6-8."

And how about those cruise ships he calls feet? His size-17 feet stopped growing by his senior year in high school. To her credit, his mom never yelled at him or pleaded with him to stop growing.

[+] EnlargeMavericks center Brendan Haywood and Kelly Webster
ESPNDallas.comMavericks 7-footer Brendan Haywood spurted from 6-4 to 6-8 before his sophomore year of high school. He also wears size-17 shoes.
College

Haywood spent all four years at the University of North Carolina. He says he loved it. "I just enjoyed the school, the fans, made a lot of good friends who are still friends to this day, so I enjoyed everything there."

He graduated with a degree in Interpersonal Communications, which includes classes on rhetoric, debate, public speaking, mass media, etc. His favorite classes were speech and debate class because "I'm an arguer. I love sports debates and political debates, what's the best music. I love to debate that."

Senior Citizen

Haywood has made sure his career will continue once his time in the NBA comes to an end. "When I'm 40, I think I will be doing something along the lines of broadcasting -- that has to do with basketball, be it college or pro." And this isn't just a hopeful wish.

When he was with the Wizards, he worked the broadcasts for the WNBA's Washington Mystics. When he was injured last season, he was an in-studio co-host for the Wizards' games. This past summer, he had one of the most popular blogs on yardbarker.com, a site that hosts blogs by fans and celebrity athletes. He's also done a radio show.

"I think I've covered all facets of the media game because I wanted to make sure I had everything covered so I knew what I wanted to do," Haywood said. "I like the broadcast work I did for the Mystics because it was live work and I got a lot of adrenaline out of that. I actually liked the radio show because you get to talk about whatever; be it basketball related, or something going on in the world. I like that because a good radio show is very entertaining."

And who doesn't like going to work in jeans and a ponytail? Or, uh, sweats and a headband? "I could go in with a bathrobe if I wanted," Haywood said.

Now that's my kind of thinking. (Note to staff at 103.3 FM ESPN: Please shield your eyes on Friday ... I'll be sporting a new "look.")

Mavs fans, if you're looking to add a new favorite player to your list, be sure and include Haywood. He's your all-around good guy. He's extremely nice, easy to talk to, intelligent, thoughtful, outgoing and hard working. On the court, he's brought a little something-something that could keep the Mavs around until early summer.

Kelly Webster is an on-air personality for ESPN 103.3 FM and will continue Living The Dream for ESPNDallas.com.

[Kidd Karma]

Lay Wood

[bernardos70]

[+] EnlargeMavericks center Brendan Haywood and Kelly Webster

Yes, please, make him 7'5" and be done with it. Yao Ming Size without the T-Rex arms = Win.

[badfish22]

http://www.nba.com/video/mavericks/

Jason Terry interview

[BGMaverick9]

Originally Posted by jthig32

Oh were you there? I was there and loved every minute of it. It was very, very cool, although it was hard to watch a couple guys that I have played before get to play against Dirk and others because of the DFWTT sponsorship. I was insanely jealous.

I did get Eddie Najera's giant purple shirt, so that's a plus.

I luckily got there early enough and saw the sign that said "player's entrance" haha. I got some good pictures of all the guys coming in, minus Jet.
Too bad I didn't know you were there. It was very awesome though and very relax/go with the flow atmosphere.

[DULLAH]

Originally Posted by badfish22

http://www.nba.com/video/mavericks/

Jason Terry interview

Excellent news.
I thaught one of my students was BS'ing me when he said Terry was coming back tonite.

[Kidd Karma]

Originally Posted by DULLAH

Excellent news.
I thaught one of my students was BS'ing me when he said Terry was coming back tonite.

....and you would let them out early tomorrow if Terry plays......

[CadBane]

I found this gem from a poster named "mavsfan1000" on SpursTalk.

"Yep no doubt Dirk chokes under pressure. Hopefully other players will put up big numbers in case of this and pick up the slack."

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/show...=148947&page=2

Don't we have a "mavsfan1000" here who says things of questionable intelligence....

[mavsfan1000]

Originally Posted by CadBane

I found this gem from a poster named "mavsfan1000" on SpursTalk.

"Yep no doubt Dirk chokes under pressure. Hopefully other players will put up big numbers in case of this and pick up the slack."

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/show...=148947&page=2

Don't we have a "mavsfan1000" here who says things of questionable intelligence....

I don't feel at ease in the playoffs due to his streakiness to be generous. Mavs vs Rockets (shouldn't have gone 7), Mavs vs. Heat (missed free throws and poor shooting percentage), and Mavs vs. Warriors (Couldn't post up smalls) are 3 times he failed us. Yes every year is a new year and with the right chemistry blend, he may find a comfort zone in the playoffs. We'll find out. But this is really off topic. You really have it in for me.

[Dirkadirkastan]

Dirk is 23/8 in the regular season, 25/11 in the playoffs, and 30/13 in elimination games. Real Mavs fans don't need this kind of stuff explained to them.

[mavsfan1000]

Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan

Dirk is 23/8 in the regular season, 25/11 in the playoffs, and 30/13 in elimination games. Real Mavs fans don't need this kind of stuff explained to them.

Real Mavs fans deny that Dirk ever struggled in the playoffs? And of course your total stats look better in the playoffs as you get more minutes. 04-05 Dirk shot 40.2% in 13 games. In 06-07 Dirk shot 38.3% in 5 games. Dirk did do well in 05-06 and 08-09 but I remember him struggling against Miami the whole series. Which would've won us a title if he played up to his statndards. He lit up Miami in the regular season I remember to. I don't want to be annoyingly blunt so I thought it was better said on spurstalk than here. But Cadbane wanted to start trouble.

[bernardos70]

Originally Posted by mavsfan1000

Real Mavs fans deny that Dirk ever struggled in the playoffs? And of course your total stats look better in the playoffs as you get more minutes. 04-05 Dirk shot 40.2% in 13 games. In 06-07 Dirk shot 38.3% in 5 games. Dirk did do well in 05-06 and 08-09 but I remember him struggling against Miami the whole series. Which would've won us a title if he played up to his statndards. He lit up Miami in the regular season I remember to. I don't want to be annoyingly blunt so I thought it was better said on spurstalk than here. But Cadbane wanted to start trouble.

*busts out Orville Redenbacher*
*watches attentively*