Will Mavs Small Forward Position Be By Committee?

[BGMaverick9]

As noted here, the Mavericks are expecting Peja Stojakovic to arrive in Dallas early next week. That means that the team will have Shawn Marion, Sasha Pavlović, DeShawn Stevenson and Stojakovic as viable options to play the small forward position. The position has newly created depth with Caron Butler's season ending injury but doubt still remains in regards to how that position will actually play out.

Signs seem to indicate that the player with the longest tenure, Marion, will likely be the one who is out of the mix. Coach Rick Carlisle likes the versatility that Marion and Jason Terry bring off of the bench. "I felt that we played our best as a team when those two guys were in that role (coming off the bench)," Carlisle said. "We don't have a sixth man, we have two sixth men, really. Those two guys come in the game the same time virtually every night, and they complement each other."

Stevenson has shown that he is capable to play the small forward position. In the Mavericks offense, the small forward tends to play on the soft-side of the offense and will spot up and be ready to shoot open shots. With Terry staying on the bench, Stevenson is likely to stay as the starting shooting guard. That means the Mavericks are likely to have a player who has been on their roster for less than two weeks be their starting three-man.

you can read the rest here http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2011/1/...e-by-committee

[Dirkadirkastan]

"Out of the mix"... do you mean for the STARTING position?

[BGMaverick9]

Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan

"Out of the mix"... do you mean for the STARTING position?

Right, afterward it does talk about him coming off of the bench...

[Dirkadirkastan]

Originally Posted by BGMaverick9

Right, afterward it does talk about him coming off of the bench...

Yeah, afterward. It certainly doesn't read that way to someone starting from the beginning, which is what I assume most readers will do.

[DavidDaMonkey]

Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan

Yeah, afterward. It certainly doesn't read that way to someone starting from the beginning, which is what I assume most readers will do.

Signs seem to indicate that the player with the longest tenure, Marion, will likely be the one who is out of the mix. Coach Rick Carlisle likes the versatility that Marion and Jason Terry bring off of the bench.

If "most readers" can't be bothered to read two consecutive sentences, we have bigger problems on our hands.

[Dirkadirkastan]

Originally Posted by DavidDaMonkey

If "most readers" can't be bothered to read two consecutive sentences, we have bigger problems on our hands.

Misleading readers then clarifying later is not a sign of good writing, no matter how convenient or inconvenient it is for the reader.

[mac222b]

It'll be fine(SF by committee) as long as they can find a difference maker at another spot like Chauncey or K.Mart or Devin Harris. i think we all agree those are real longshots.
Or if they flip Butler for 2 good players like Udrih/Landry that give us depth at 1&4. i think Landry's stats are slightly down across the board since going to SAC but he is a competitor and i think would benefit from playing in a playoff atmosphere.

[grndmstr_c]

Originally Posted by DavidDaMonkey

If "most readers" can't be bothered to read two consecutive sentences, we have bigger problems on our hands.

Indeed. To say nothing of exercising a little common sense: as if the Mavs would sign Peja and then all of a sudden put Marion on the inactive list.

For my part, though this all depends on Peja's health, I'm not expecting a by committee approach (Sasha's an 11/12th man in the long run), even if it is somewhat likely that we'll see the backup (Marion) get more minutes than the starter (Peja).

[BGMaverick9]

Originally Posted by grndmstr_c

Indeed. To say nothing of exercising a little common sense: as if the Mavs would sign Peja and then all of a sudden put Marion on the inactive list.

For my part, though this all depends on Peja's health, I'm not expecting a by committee approach (Sasha's an 11/12th man in the long run), even if it is somewhat likely that we'll see the backup (Marion) get more minutes than the starter (Peja).

You have to wonder if the knee was a lingering issue but Toronto basically said, don't worry. 'Don't try and rush back and do what you need to do, we're shopping you and you'll find a way out. We know we're going into a youth movement and rebuilding.'

[mavs777]

Peja did put up 8.1 PPG in very limited minutes.

I think if Peja proves to be somewhat effective and healthy it will be pretty much him and Marion taking all the minutes at the 3

[CadBane]

I don't like the idea of not starting Marion.

With DeShawn and Sasha/Peja starting, the defense becomes weaker at the 3. The rebounding upfront is severely damaged (all three are poor rebounders). And the backcourt consist solely of spot up shooters. Kidd, DeShawn, Peja/Sasha (although Sasha can penetrate a little) provide next to nothing off the dribble or around the basket. With Marion you at least have dive cuts, occasional post-ups, etc.

A starting 5 of that is just going to be 3 guys standing behind the perimeter.

[deamon]

Peja can score sometimes, but he can't play defense.
We need young, fast player who can play defense. Cuban give us Iggy!

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan

Yeah, afterward. It certainly doesn't read that way to someone starting from the beginning, which is what I assume most readers will do.

I'd say it's about 100% clear from context and common sense that he wasn't saying Marion is out of the rotation.

[Dirkadirkastan]

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

I'd say it's about 100% clear from context and common sense that he wasn't saying Marion is out of the rotation.

That's a pretty lame excuse for poor writing. It might pass for a casual forum post, but not for a legitimate article by an aspiring journalist.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan

That's a pretty lame excuse for poor writing. It might pass for a casual forum post, but not for a legitimate article by an aspiring journalist.

Presuming the readers of your niche, single-team sports blog possess a certain level of knowledge and then relying on that knowledge in your articles is not "poor writing." Maybe he should never call Marion "Matrix," either? After all, a newspaper article would never do that. And it might confuse some people who don't follow the Mavs and stumbled upon the blog while googling for PerezHilton.

I'm not making "excuses." I didn't write the thing. I don't know what your problem is right now, but you should chill. You're making an ass of yourself by sticking with this absolutely absurd crticism.

[Rhylan]

Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan

That's a pretty lame excuse for poor writing. It might pass for a casual forum post, but not for a legitimate article by an aspiring journalist.

Dirka..

How about this? Either volunteer to be BG's editor or STFU. Seriously, dude. He's banging these out in his free time along with having a normal life on the side. In the process he's providing a level of access to the Mavericks and analysis that this forum has never had.

So get off of your high horse already, or be the proofreader. Your choice. You're repeatedly derailing threads.

Every time he posts an article, you're more interested in talking grammar than you are content of the article. Is it perfect? No. But you've obviously got an agenda, so either volunteer your services, or get over yourself.

[bobatundi]

Newsflash: Editors aren't volunteers. They get paid. I'm sure Dirka would love to be BG's editor for a competitive hourly rate (and if he wouldn't, I might be up for the job, for the right price).

I have to agree, that article is not well written at all. It goes well beyond the "Marion out of the mix" issue. Now, if BG is an aspiring journalist, he should accept--nay, welcome--the criticism, as it will make him better. If he's just a dude hammering out a blog, then he can ignore it.

[grndmstr_c]

Originally Posted by bobatundi

Newsflash: Editors aren't volunteers. They get paid.

Well, thank goodness we have a-hole posters who are willing to fill the editing void by selflessly sharing their lazy and nonconstructive vitriol.

No one, whether aspiring writer or casual blogger, appreciates criticism of the sort that you and dirka have offered. And a poster who contributes as much to this site as BG hardly deserves it.

[chumdawg]

Originally Posted by grndmstr_c

Well, thank goodness we have a-hole posters who are willing to fill the editing void by selflessly sharing their lazy and nonconstructive vitriol.

No one, whether aspiring writer or casual blogger, appreciates criticism of the sort that you and dirka have offered. And a poster who contributes as much to this site as BG hardly deserves it.

KaBOOMtown! That's how you drop the hammer.

As for Dirka...he's just bored because I don't bat him around anymore.

[tcat075]

Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan

That's a pretty lame excuse for poor writing. It might pass for a casual forum post, but not for a legitimate article by an aspiring journalist.

Lay off, bro. Me and BG (mostly BG, I'm so freaking busy with school and varsity basketball...) do what we can to bring good, interesting stuff for you guys to read. A mistake here and there are bound to happen, but can't you take it in its entirety? Be happy about the fact that we (aka BG) post about an article per day? That there is a non subscription Mavericks site with lots of content? That Mavs Moneyball isn't wasting away like it has been in past years? Its a little thing that would amplified way bigger than it needed to be.

[mavs777]

Its a good article and the context is very easy to read. A SF by comittee if Peja stays healthy won't prevent us from winning a title, but it also wont make it a position of strength and would probably mean we would have one of the worst SF rotations in the west playoffs

[tsar]

Good article. If people want to criticize and nitpick then take it to PM. Why openly criticize someone for providing good info on our team?

[dude1394]

Take the grammar and writing criticism to pm. I could care less about your opinion of bgs writing skills. If you are serious about helping him then do it in private.

[dude1394]

I do not like Marion starting but I do like him ending. I do wish Peja could put it on the floor some. The Mavs must think his knees are okay.

[Rhylan]

Originally Posted by bobatundi

Newsflash: Editors aren't volunteers. They get paid. I'm sure Dirka would love to be BG's editor for a competitive hourly rate (and if he wouldn't, I might be up for the job, for the right price).

I have to agree, that article is not well written at all. It goes well beyond the "Marion out of the mix" issue. Now, if BG is an aspiring journalist, he should accept--nay, welcome--the criticism, as it will make him better. If he's just a dude hammering out a blog, then he can ignore it.

I guess you missed the part about BG doing this on the side. It's not a paying gig. But, I don't think you really cared to provide a sincere response so much as you wanted to just demonstrate your supposed superiority. The first paragraph of your post may well be the snottiest, most asinine paragraph I have seen on this board in nearly 10 years.

I have not seen criticism as much as I've seen general vitriol that fails to be constructive. You haven't offered anything that would make anyone better as a writer. What's the deal? Did you guys get journalism degrees or something? Frustrated that anybody can get published in this day and age?

You guys need to stop taking the subject away from actual sports discussion. If you have a sincere desire to critique somebody's work, you can do it via PM, and spare the general public from your self-importance. Although, I suppose you won't get the thrill up your leg from showing everyone how smart you think you are if you just send PMs.

I apologize in advance for any comma splices that may have found their way into this response.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by Rhylan

I guess you missed the part about BG doing this on the side. It's not a paying gig. But, I don't think you really cared to provide a sincere response so much as you wanted to just demonstrate your supposed superiority. The first paragraph of your post may well be the snottiest, most asinine paragraph I have seen on this board in nearly 10 years.

I have not seen criticism as much as I've seen general vitriol that fails to be constructive. You haven't offered anything that would make anyone better as a writer. What's the deal? Did you guys get journalism degrees or something? Frustrated that anybody can get published in this day and age?

You guys need to stop taking the subject away from actual sports discussion. If you have a sincere desire to critique somebody's work, you can do it via PM, and spare the general public from your self-importance. Although, I suppose you won't get the thrill up your leg from showing everyone how smart you think you are if you just send PMs.

I apologize in advance for any comma splices that may have found their way into this response.

You split an infinitive too. Asshole.

[CadBane]

Originally Posted by dude1394

Take the grammar and writing criticism to pm. I could care less about your opinion of bgs writing skills. If you are serious about helping him then do it in private.

How much less could you care?

[Budapest Maverick]

We have a basketball forum in my country, and i'm a hero because now i have a source, my buddy BG As far as i'm concerned, he deserves a pulitzer award. Seriously, what's the point of this kind of criticism? It's a basketball forum, not a journalist one, but even if you're right, and he made a mistake, is it really that big of a deal? I could understand it, and i'm not a native speaker, and figured it out instantly. Well, yeah, i'm pretty clever... anyway, leave the guy alone!

[kg_veteran]

So, anyway...

I think that Carlisle will probably settle on either Stojakovic or Pavlovic to give him minutes at the SF spot. Both won't be in the rotation at playoff time. The nice thing about acquiring Pavlovic is that Stevenson can go back to playing SG. Where the entire rotation stands is impossible to project until after the trade deadline.

[bobatundi]

Originally Posted by grndmstr_c

Well, thank goodness we have a-hole posters who are willing to fill the editing void by selflessly sharing their lazy and nonconstructive vitriol.

No one, whether aspiring writer or casual blogger, appreciates criticism of the sort that you and dirka have offered. And a poster who contributes as much to this site as BG hardly deserves it.

Well, thank goodness we have hypocritical posters who are willing to call someone they've never met an a-hole in the name of avoiding "lazy and nonconstructive vitriol."

The article talks about the SF position, and refers to Marion as being out of the mix. That is very deceptive. If it had referenced the STARTING SF first, there wouldn't be an issue, but it does not. That is a serious flaw in the way it is written. Now, all the noise about that not being necessary because Mavs fans already know this? Fine, if you aspire to be nothing more than a poster on d-m.com, clearly basic grammar isn't a requirement; however, if you aspire to perhaps get paid to write about sports, or at least to have another outlet pick up your stories, you should put a bit more time into proofreading and editing.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by CadBane

How much less could you care?

Well that is a point...I don't care less than I care about this comment.

[SMC0007]

u guys r careless man.

[Underdog]

I'm thinking Marion will get a majority of the PF minutes with Peja backing him up and Sasha filling in here and there (he might fall out of the rotation when the playoffs roll around). I doubt we would have acquired Stojakovic if there were any plans to continue playing Stevenson at the 3...

It's not just Marion's around-the-basket game that will keep him on the floor, but his defense as well. Sasha's a solid defender, but his shot is inconsistent; Peja's a great shooter, but a poor defender.

I guess you'd have a pretty decent rotation with those three, but you're going to have to choose between defense or offense when Marion is resting. That could get tricky if Carlisle still wants to bring 'Trix off the bench with JET - do you set the tempo with Peja's offense or Sasha's defense?

Personally, I'm hoping Stojakovic ends up playing good enough defense in our zone that Sasha is forced out of the rotation. That would certainly solve a lot of our problems, but I'm not sure how likely that is at this point in his career...

Also, since we probably won't see a whole lot of Marion at the 4, can Sasha play any PF or are we sticking with Cardinal as Dirk's primary backup?

[rabbitproof]

I don't ever want to see Peja matched up man to man with an elite swingman on the outside with the game on the line.

I would like to think Peja's 6-10 frame and ability to just take up space in our zone would actually be decent though.

[Bayliss]

Come on Rabbit!

Peja guarded Finley, Dirk, and Nash at the end of the game in the 2003-2004 season and none of them scored on him (and the Kings won all 3 games).....

Of course wanting him to shoot a wide open 3 pointer with the game on the line? That's another matter.

Btw, whats wit al da grammer po-lice in dis thread?

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by Underdog

I'm thinking Marion will get a majority of the PF minutes with Peja backing him up and Sasha filling in here and there (he might fall out of the rotation when the playoffs roll around). I doubt we would have acquired Stojakovic if there were any plans to continue playing Stevenson at the 3...

It's not just Marion's around-the-basket game that will keep him on the floor, but his defense as well. Sasha's a solid defender, but his shot is inconsistent; Peja's a great shooter, but a poor defender.

I guess you'd have a pretty decent rotation with those three, but you're going to have to choose between defense or offense when Marion is resting. That could get tricky if Carlisle still wants to bring 'Trix off the bench with JET - do you set the tempo with Peja's offense or Sasha's defense?

Personally, I'm hoping Stojakovic ends up playing good enough defense in our zone that Sasha is forced out of the rotation. That would certainly solve a lot of our problems, but I'm not sure how likely that is at this point in his career...

Also, since we probably won't see a whole lot of Marion at the 4, can Sasha play any PF or are we sticking with Cardinal as Dirk's primary backup?

As it stands right now, I expect Marion to remain the backup PF.

[mavs777]

Marions defense kind of gets negated when he plays the 4, when he has to face stronger back to the basket guys, I would prefer we would get a legit backup 4

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by bobatundi

Well, thank goodness we have hypocritical posters who are willing to call someone they've never met an a-hole in the name of avoiding "lazy and nonconstructive vitriol."

The difference is that Rhylan wasn't purporting to offer you "helpful" criticism.

Originally Posted by bobatundi

The article talks about the SF position, and refers to Marion as being out of the mix. That is very deceptive. If it had referenced the STARTING SF first, there wouldn't be an issue, but it does not. That is a serious flaw in the way it is written. Now, all the noise about that not being necessary because Mavs fans already know this? Fine, if you aspire to be nothing more than a poster on d-m.com, clearly basic grammar isn't a requirement; however, if you aspire to perhaps get paid to write about sports, or at least to have another outlet pick up your stories, you should put a bit more time into proofreading and editing.

Are you sure you know what "grammar" is? This "serious flaw" you reference has absolutely nothing to do with grammar. Zilch.

[Rhylan]

Originally Posted by jthig32

As it stands right now, I expect Marion to remain the backup PF.

I think UD meant SF in that post..

Right now I see Peja starting the game at SF, because we need early offense and someone to spread the floor on that starting unit, but Marion still getting more minutes at SF than the Peja/Sasha combo.

..with a small dose of backup 4 for Marion and a cup of coffee there for Peja every few games, when the circumstances warrant it.

However, I still expect a bigger move to be made that will affect the rotation significantly, hopefully to the degree that Peja isn't starting and plays ~12-15 mpg.

[mavs777]

I don't see Sasha being on the team past the trade deadline