Dallas Mavericks 2009 Camp Thread

[jthig32]

Media day is today. Camp starts tomorrow. The offseason is officially over, at least in my brain. So it's time to put a rest to our noble offseason thread and start posting the media pictures that will surely start surfacing late today or tomorrow, and the camp articles which should start popping up tomorrow.

Let's kick things off with a Dirk interview by Marc Stein.

Nowitzki ready to get on court
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By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
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Dirk Nowitzki played less basketball this offseason than he ever has in his life, which is one of the reasons he thought it might be the longest offseason of his life. He was happily proven wrong.

Nowitzki returned to the United States on Friday after some four months away feeling refreshed and excited about training camp for the first time he can remember. Insisting that he's "doing fine" as he moves past the off-court turmoil in his life, Nowitzki described himself as "fired up" as he steps into his 12th NBA season, clearly antsy after taking a break from national-team duty.

In a phone interview shortly before he flew back to Dallas, Nowitzki confessed to ESPN.com that he thought it was "going to be a tough summer" following the arrest of his ex-fiancee at his home in May during the Dallas Mavericks' second-round playoff series and the subsequent claims by Crista Taylor -- which have since proven to be unfounded -- that she was carrying Nowitzki's child.

"But I think everybody who's seen me recently knows I'm doing fine and knows that I had a pretty decent summer," Nowitzki told ESPN.com. "I did some fun things, did a little traveling. It was not as bad as I thought. And I'm actually excited about camp, which the last 10-11 years I haven't been because I always played [for Germany] in the summer.

"When it all first happened during the playoffs, I thought I would really be thinking about it all the time, all day, every day. But I came home [in late May] and took a great vacation [to Crete, Greece] with my family. In tough times, I think my family has always been there for me and they were again this year. They took my mind off all this stuff. I got to enjoy [sister Silke's two] kids and I was already doing a lot better after that. It just got better and better and got to the point where I didn't even think about [the situation] for long periods of time."

Nowitzki was on a league-sponsored Basketball Without Borders trip in South Africa in September with fellow stars Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh and a few other players when he found out that a pregnancy test given to Taylor -- which had been sought by Nowitzki's legal team through a court order -- had been confirmed as negative.

"A little weight came off the shoulders," Nowitzki said. "I was [mostly] worried about that because the situation for the kid wouldn't have been the best, so it's the best situation now that she's not pregnant.

"But if she would have been pregnant, I think I would have managed, too. I'm 31 years old. I would have taken the responsibility and I would have handled it."

Asked how he reacted to the news in August that Taylor received a five-year prison sentence for violating terms of her probation in Missouri from a decade-old forgery and felony theft case, Nowitzki said: "It is what it is. Those are things she did way before I ever knew her. ... For me, it's over. I'm ready to move on."

Nowitzki acknowledged that he knows he'll get some questions about Taylor at the Mavericks' annual media day Monday, since the bulk of his interviews on the subject have been in his native Germany in recent weeks. He repeatedly deflected personal questions during Dallas' five-game series with the Nuggets. But he said he also plans to tell the assembled media that "this is going to be my last time talking about it."

"I just want to move on and play," Nowitzki said. "Let's get the season going. I really miss playing basketball on a high level. This was the first time in the summer that I didn't compete on a high level and I miss competing.

"I'm really looking forward to meeting all the new guys because we made some good moves. Obviously I think [Shawn] Marion can help us on both ends of the floor, address some [of Dallas' lack of] athletic ability. I think [Quinton] Ross is going to be able to guard some scoring 2s that have given us trouble. I think [Drew] Gooden is a nice piece. Tim Thomas gives us more shooting, which we need.

"I'm fired up. I'm ready to get this whole thing started. I'm ready to focus on having a great season."

The Mavericks are similarly optimistic about Nowitzki's mindset and freshness after a joint decision by Nowitzki and owner Mark Cuban for the 7-footer to skip the recent European Championships in Poland. Coupled with nine completely basketball-free weeks at the start of the summer, withdrawing from the national team gave Nowitzki an unprecedented amount of recovery time after he produced huge numbers against Denver -- averaging 34.4 points and 11.6 rebounds -- in spite of the public nature of the drama in his personal life.

"It was tough for me to watch [Germany play] on TV, knowing I could have helped, but I think mentally it was a great decision to get away and not always be under pressure in the summer and kind of relax," Nowitzki said. "It was great for the mental state of my game, so I can start fresh when I get back, mentally and physically."

Asked about the Mavericks' outlook as a group, Nowitzki said: "It's very important for us to keep Josh [Howard] healthy. When he was healthy last year, we were pretty good, so hopefully with this [ankle] surgery that he had he's going to be able to stay healthy. When he's out there, I think we're a different team.

"I still think we can be a dangerous team. We can play big with [Erick Dampier] at the 5. We can go really small with me at the 5 and Marion at the 4. Now we're so long, we should actually be a pretty decent defensive team. I think we can do a lot of things once we're all healthy.

"But I also understand that the West is still a beast. I like all the moves, but all the good teams got even better, so I'm kind of curious to see where we fit in in the West."

It's also a big season for Nowitzki because he has the option to opt out of the final year of his contract and join the free agent class of 2010. Team sources say that the Mavericks' intent is to sign Nowitzki to an extension before he ever hits the open market, but those talks might actually be put off until next summer because Nowitzki continues to suggest that he won't opt out and instead play out the 2010-11 season with Dallas at $21.5 million.

Cuban likewise gives the impression that he expects Nowitzki to complete his current deal, telling ESPN.com: "I foresee not talking about [Nowitzki's contract situation] with the media at all during the year and we have all next summer to discuss."

Nowitzki described his relationship with Cuban as "stronger than ever" when his withdrawal from the national team was announced in August. He reiterated this week that he doesn't intend to give the opt-out issue deep consideration until after the playoffs.

"I still haven't really thought about it that much," Nowitzki said. "I always said I wanted to finish my career in Dallas and nothing that happened the last two years has changed that. As far as I'm concerned, I'm thinking about playing this contract to the end and we'll go from there. We all know, in this business, things can change in a heartbeat. But as of now, I don't plan on opting out. I plan on finishing my career in Dallas."

[tsar]

Why is Dirk so awesome? I'm curious as to how a fully rested, clear state of mind Dirk will perform... I pity the defenders that have to guard him (not that I didn't before). Argh! I'm so excited for this season.

[dirt_dobber]

I would think as deep as the team is now that the camp intra-squad games will be
very competitive. Would love to see some of that! One would think that one of the local
TV stations would show some of those scrimmages.

[dirt_dobber]

WTF - from Eddie Sefko

The idea is to bring in longtime backup center Jake Voskuhl in to training camp for the Mavericks, mostly as an insurance policy.

Voskuhl won't have a guaranteed contract, but the big man who came out of high school near Houston and has spent nine years in the NBA, including last season with Toronto, for whom he played 38 games.

The 6-11 Voskuhl is one of several players the Mavericks expect to bring into camp on non-guaranteed contracts.

[jthig32]

Why WTF? Every team brings in players for camp fodder every season.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

ESPNDallas is pretty cool.

Is Humphries going to be at media day this time?

[jthig32]

I was just about to post that people may want to check out ESPN Dallas. Tim McMahon and Richard Durrett have both left the DMN to blog there. I'm not a huge fan of McMahon but he did a lot of busy work that Sefko couldn't bother himself with, so anyone that generally checks out the DMN blog for Mavs stuff should probably check out ESPN Dallas as well.

Link

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Sefko's preview of the training camp roster is actually half decent...

J.J. Barea

Position: Guard

Ht: 6-0 Wt: 175

Age: 25 Season: Fourth

Comment: Mighty mite is coming off shoulder surgery, but he's settled in as a legitimate backup point guard and must continue to be dangerous offensively.

Roddy Beaubois

Position: Guard

Ht: 6-1 Wt: 170

Age: 21 Season: First

Comment: Exceptionally quick, he could find his way onto the court this season with his defensive abilities, but he'll begin as the No. 3 point guard.

Matt Carroll

Position: Guard

Ht: 6-6 Wt: 212

Age: 29 Season: Seventh

Comment: He's supposed to be a deadly 3-point shooter, but he didn't show that after the trade. If he's not making shots, he won't be on the court.

Erick Dampier

Position: Center

Ht: 6-11 Wt: 265

Age: 34 Season: 14th

Comment: Viewed as the root of all Maverick evils, he is on a contract season and management expects to see his best rebounding and defense.

Drew Gooden

Position: C-F

Ht.: 6-10 Wt: 250

Age: 28 Season: Eighth

Comment: Newcomer will bring a change of pace to the center spot as his speed and scoring touch will be a welcome addition.

Josh Howard

Position: F-G

Ht.: 6-7 Wt.: 210

Age: 29 Season: Seventh

Comment: The only problem he had last season was staying on the floor. Good health, and help from Shawn Marion, could set him up for a big year.

Kris Humphries

Position: F

Ht.: 6-9 Wt.: 235

Age: 24 Season: Sixth

Comment: Has solid all-around skills and averaged 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in modest minutes two years ago. Not a bad insurance package.

Nathan Jawai

Position: F-C

Ht.: 6-10 Wt.: 280

Age: 22 Season: Second

Comment: A project who basically sat his whole first season in Toronto. He'll get a good, long look because big men often blossom late.

Jason Kidd

Position: PG

Ht: 6-4 Wt: 210

Age: 36

Season: 16th

Comment: Armed with a new three-year deal, he'll continue doing what he does – run the show and make life simpler for the four players around him.

Shawn Marion

Position: F

Ht.: 6-7 Wt.: 228

Age: 31 Season: 11th

Comment: Back with a contending team, he expects to return closer to the All-Star form of his Phoenix days. The Mavs expect him to, too.

Dirk Nowitzki

Position: F

Ht.: 7-0 Wt.: 245

Age: 31 Season: 12th

Comment: Can he really be only 31? Seems like he's been here forever. And he just keeps getting better, plus he has more help now.

Quinton Ross

Position: G

Ht.: 6-6 Wt.: 193

Age: 28 Season: Sixth

Comment: They targeted him early in free agency because he can play defense. He'll crack the rotation as a straight-up defender if he can score a little.

James Singleton

Position: Forward

Ht: 6-8 Wt: 230

Age: 28 Season: Fourth

Comment: Back for his second year and is full of confidence, but playing time will be hard to come by. He proved last year he can help.

Jason Terry

Position: Guard

Ht: 6-2 Wt:185

Age: 32 Season: 11th

Comment: The reigning sixth man of the year will be the first guy off the bench, and he must continue to heat things up like he's a new-age Microwave.

Tim Thomas

Position: F

Ht: 6-10 Wt: 240

Age: 32 Season: 13th

Comment: He's a shooter, and since the Mavericks were chilly from long range last year, he's going to be relied on to perk up the 3-point percentage.

Shawne Williams

Position: Forward

Ht: 6-9 Wt: 225

Age: 23 Season: Fourth

Comment: His immaturity inside the locker room and out has been too much for the Mavericks to tolerate. He's not expected to be part of the team.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...r.39bf90c.html

[jthig32]

Comment: His immaturity inside the locker room and out has been too much for the Mavericks to tolerate. He's not expected to be part of the team.

So Shawne Williams isn't even going to be with the team (assuming he stays on the roster). I'd assumed that all along but it's interesting to actually see it out there in print.

So do you cut Williams to keep a project like Jawai? That Williams contract could be important as filler for a trade. Will interesting to see what happens. How insulting if you're Jawai and you're cut in favor of a guy that isn't even allowed around the team.

[SMC0007]

Everyone that was thinking it was best for Dirk to play this summer can take a good,hard, long suck on that interview above . And swallow some we told you so. A fresh and eager Dirk, will be extra bringin it!

[Jon Avalon]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

ESPNDallas is pretty cool.

Is Humphries going to be at media day this time?

Oh sweet, they finally put up the Dallas page. Nice, been waiting for it.

[Jon Avalon]

Some pictures up so far from media day

http://friends.mavs.com/forum/topics/mavs-media-day

The matrix looks good in a mavs uni , and nice to see dirk still with the long locks.

[sefant77]

So when will Dirk cut that Gigolo hair?

I dont want Sasha Vujavic to cry during the Mavs-Lakers game

[jthig32]

Hollinger's team previews are out. Here's ours.

2008-09 Recap
Things didn't exactly go according to plan in Dallas, but the Mavs made the best of it. Clinging to their perch at the back end of the Western Conference's elite, Dallas struggled out of the gate and squeezed little or nothing from most of its role players.

The Mavs rode their star power and some successful tweaks by new coach Rick Carlisle to a 50-win season and a first-round upset of San Antonio, salvaging a rocky campaign that began 2-7 and at several junctures looked like it might end with a trip to the lottery.

The Mavs had a strong five-man nucleus in Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Dirk Nowitzki and Brandon Bass, offsetting the limited production from the rest of the troops. The two guards were the most pleasant surprises. Terry won the Sixth Man Award after agreeing to come off the bench, posting arguably the best season of his career at age 31. Kidd was no Devin Harris, but he had a good year by his recent standards and posted one of the league's best adjusted plus-minus marks.

Around this core, Carlisle had to constantly mix and match, particularly on the perimeter. To keep Terry coming off the bench required juggling Devean George and Antoine Wright in the starting lineup; it's not clear that either of them belonged in the NBA, much less starting for a playoff team. Others who auditioned for the spot were no better, including Matt Carroll, Shawne Williams, Gerald Green and an injury-riddled Jerry Stackhouse.

Up front, the Mavs somehow thought that using their entire midlevel exception to bring back DeSagana Diop would be a good idea. Even though they had employed him for three and a half of the previous four seasons, they appeared stunned by his lack of offensive skill. Within half a year, they shipped him to Charlotte for the slightly more useful Ryan Hollins.

The situation in the backcourt would have been even more dire were it not for the emergence of pint-sized J.J. Barea at the point. Dallas often used Barea, Kidd and Terry in the same backcourt to avoid having to play the likes of Wright or George longer than they absolutely had to.
But thanks to the Mavs' key quintet, Dallas finished fifth in the NBA in offensive efficiency and led the NBA in free-throw shooting. The Mavs would have performed even better had they produced a reliable 3-point threat to complement Nowitzki; instead, the Mavs ranked 25th at 35 percent from downtown. Kidd surprisingly made 40.6 percent of his rare 3-point attempts, but no other Mav -- not even Nowitzki -- was able to match the league average from this distance.

If the Mavs' offense was a pleasant surprise, the defense was a disappointment. Carlisle has a reputation as a defensive coach, but Dallas ranked only 17th in defensive efficiency. The odd part is that the Mavs were very good in the most important category: 2-point field goal defense. They ranked eighth at 45 percent.

Unfortunately, they lacked the ability to force turnovers. Dallas opponents turned the ball over on only 13.7 percent of their possessions, placing the Mavs 26th out of the league's 30 teams. Another thing that hurt them, however, was beyond their control. Dallas opponents shot 79.8 percent from the line, pinning the Mavs 29th in free throw "defense." Clearly this resulted from luck rather than skill, and if its opposition had shot the league average of 77.1 percent, Dallas would have ranked 11th in defensive efficiency rather than 17th.

Of course, luck can swing both ways, and in this case it did. Dallas went 18-5 in games decided by five points or less, enabling the Mavs to win 50 games despite having the scoring margin of a 47.6-win team. The boost from winning so many close games more than offset the bad luck from their opponents' free throw success.

Offseason Moves
Owner Mark Cuban's contrarian instincts were on display for all to see this summer -- while everyone else was selling, he and general manager Donnie Nelson were buying. But before we delve into the nitty-gritty of the Mavs' offseason, one other important asset bears mentioning: the de facto expiring contract of Erick Dampier. He's scheduled to make $13 million next season but none of it is guaranteed, which means a team looking to cut its 2010-11 cap number could trade a player to Dallas, acquire Dampier, and waive him before next season.

That, in turn, gives the Mavs a very powerful trade chip given the precipitous decline in the luxury tax level expected in 2010-11. For teams looking to shave cap money, the Mavs provide an easy out with the Dampier contract, allowing the Mavs to extract a high-quality player for the privilege. It's possible they won't play this card until next summer, when it'll peak in value, but it's certainly on the table.

Finally, if things go horribly wrong this season, don't look for the Mavs to tank the season or start trading contacts, because they have little incentive -- they owe a completely unprotected first-round pick to the Nets in 2010 as a result of the Kidd trade.

Drafted Rodrigue Beaubois, Nick Calathes and Ahmad Nivins. Although it may not pay immediate dividends, I'm a huge fan of the Mavs' draft. Beaubois is one of the most athletic players in Europe, and while he may not be a rotation player right away, he has a very high ceiling for a late-first-round draft pick. I'm even more fond of Calathes, who lasted until the second round because he'd already signed with a team in Greece but graded as one of the top point guards in the draft. Nivins was a solid, late-second-round pick as a power forward who can contribute rebounding and some scoring, but he's headed for Europe this year.

Traded Devean George, Antoine Wright, Jerry Stackhouse and cash for Kris Humphries, Greg Buckner, Nathan Jawai and a signed-and-traded Shawn Marion. This complicated four-way trade netted Marion for Dallas without using the Mavs' midlevel exception, allowing the Mavs to maximize their offseason resources. The enabler was Stackhouse's partially guaranteed deal, which the Mavs sent to Memphis along with enough cash to pay it.

That in turn cleared the way for Toronto to sign-and-trade Marion to Dallas on a five-year, $40 million deal, with a few spare parts thrown in. Buckner came from Memphis and was later waived and Jawai may not make the team, but Humphries is a definite keeper who could provide some much-needed brawn off the bench.

While the acquisition enhances the Mavs' talent base in the short term, Marion's deal is a major risk -- five years is a long time for an athleticism-dependent forward who slipped noticeably over the past two seasons. He'll be 36 by the time it ends and likely will offer only a fragment of his current production at that point. Additionally, he's an odd fit in the Mavs' lineup since Dallas already has two very capable forwards in Howard and Nowitzki. It appears they'll accommodate Marion by having Howard start games at shooting guard and Nowitzki finish them at center, but it's also possible they'll trade Howard.

Let Brandon Bass leave, signed Marcin Gortat to a five-year, $33 million offer sheet. This was the low point of the Mavs' summer, as they thought the luxury-tax-paying Magic were going to back away from matching Gortat's expensive offer sheet and let them have the rebounding, finishing center they coveted. They became even more assured when Orlando hotly pursued Bass -- so sure that the Mavs let Orlando sign Bass because they presumed it meant Gortat was theirs. Oops. Orlando matched Gortat's offer and snagged both players, leaving the Mavs devoid of a major frontcourt asset.

Let Ryan Hollins leave, signed Drew Gooden to a one-year deal for $4.5 million. Dallas extracted excellent value from this deal because of how it's structured. Only $1.9 million is guaranteed, which means the Mavs can trade Gooden to a team looking to shed money and acquire a player making as much as $5.7 million any time between now and July 19. As with the Dampier trade, it gives the Mavs a major leg up in any trade discussions, especially given the team's willingness to take on salary and pay additional luxury tax.

The other part, of course, is that Gooden is a pretty good player. He takes knocks for his flightiness and knack for forgetting play calls, but he's also a very good rebounder who can score and defend. For as long as he's around, he can replace much of what Bass contributed.

Signed Quinton Ross to a one-year deal for the minimum. A wing defensive stopper with little scoring ability, Ross could play a prominent role because of the Mavs' shortage of shut-down stoppers on the wing. There's little upside here, but he could help set a defensive tone for 10 minutes a night before Terry checks in. Put it another way: He's better than Antoine Wright or Devean George.

Signed Tim Thomas to a one-year deal for the minimum. Dallas viewed Thomas as a potential fourth big man in the rotation, but he hurt his knee late in the summer and his status is in some doubt entering training camp.

Signed James Singleton to a one-year deal for $1.03 million. Singleton accepted Dallas' qualifying offer after failing to get a better deal anywhere else as a restricted free agent. He's a tweener, but he played very well last season and probably should have seen more extended playing time. Given the crowd at the forward spots, he may not see much more daylight this season, but if he plays, he'll contribute with his rebounding and finishing skills.


Biggest Strength: Forwards
The Mavs have the best trio of forwards in basketball with Nowitzki, Howard and Marion, and they benefit further from having the likes of Gooden, Humphries, Singleton and Thomas coming off the bench -- all of whom are natural forwards.

Nowitzki is obviously the star and although he's getting up in years at age 31, time should treat him well given his size and shooting ability. Nowitzki's shooting talent should help create openings for Marion to dart to the rim for dunks and second shots, skills he's used his entire career to exhaust opponents from either forward spot. Once again, Marion will likely split his time between the 3 and the 4. Howard made the All-Star team two years ago, and his play hasn't dropped off as much since then as some would have you believe. Even last season he averaged 22.5 points per 40 minutes, and he's still among the best two-way players at his position.

Finding minutes for those three alone would use up most or all of the 96 minutes available at the two forward spots, but Dallas has plenty in reserve. Gooden and Humphries are two of the best rebounding power forwards in the league, and both can score as well. Singleton can make a similar rebounding boast from either forward spot, while Thomas makes for a great floor spacer when Nowitzki is off the court.

This is almost too much of a good thing, requiring the Mavs to farm some of their minutes out to other positions. Humphries, Gooden and Nowitzki will almost certainly play stretches at center, and Howard will see lots of action at shooting guard.

However, Dallas' forward depth also opens up trade possibilities, especially involving Howard (who has a team option for next year that a cost-conscious team could decline) and the aforementioned Gooden contract. At the very least, the Mavs can trade from a position of strength.

Biggest Weakness: Age
The Mavs weren't a good defensive team last season, ranking 17th in defensive efficiency, and with the age of the roster, there's a decent chance they'll be worse this time around. Nowitzki, as noted above, is 31, and he's not the only graybeard on the roster. Marion is also 31 and depends much more on his wheels than does Nowitzki; starting center Dampier is 34, and Tim Thomas is 32.

The age concerns are more prominent in the backcourt. Look back at veteran teams that crashed suddenly, and age in the backcourt was a major factor for nearly all of them. Kidd, obviously, is the major question at 36. The Mavs already have to tweak their backcourt rotation so that he never has to defend a speedy point guard; while he was very good against bigger guards a year ago, another lost step might change that situation.

He's not the only worry, however. Terry is 32, and while he had a career year last season, he's also a small guard who relies heavily on his speed. Even Howard, at 29, is not immune from these worries, especially given the ankle problems that bedeviled him last season.


Outlook

The Mavericks won 50 games last season and made several upgrades to the roster by acquiring Marion, Gooden, Humphries, Thomas, Ross and Beaubois. Those additions should help offset the unfortunate loss of Bass and the age issues that are creeping up nearly everywhere, but I'm not sure it does anything more than that.

They'll win more than they lose because they have Nowitzki and a decent supporting cast, as well as a coach in Carlisle who excels at optimizing his roster. However, it's hard to imagine them playing much better than they did a year ago. Plus, the Mavs are unlikely to be as fortunate in close games as they were last season, which is likely to cost them a couple of games in the standings.

The one wild card is what the Mavs might do with the contracts of Dampier and Gooden, as those may still be converted into another star. Such a move could push Dallas into the West's elite, and the possibility can't be discounted given how many teams are looking to shed salary while the Mavs seek to add it.

Short of such a development, however, the Mavs are neither young enough nor deep enough to hang with the top teams in this conference. Based on the current roster, it looks like another year at the tail end of the West's playoff roster and an early May tee time.

Prediction: 47-35, 3rd in Southwest Division, 7th in Western Conference

I found that bolded note pretty interesting. That's a dramatic shift in defensive efficiency ranking over something so random.

[Underdog]

So we improved our team over the summer, but we're going to be worse this year than last year?

I hate Hollinger...

[Jon Avalon]

More pictures on facebook

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...5485460&ref=nf

[badfish22]

Originally Posted by Underdog

So we improved our team over the summer, but we're going to be worse this year than last year?

I hate Hollinger...

I like how teams that did jack shit this summer jumped ahead of us.
Just one more person to prove wrong

[badfish22]

Someone tell J-ho that the off season is over...



Also, looks like Roddy got in some after-hours shooting. Like the work ethic show by the young man.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by badfish22

Someone tell J-ho that the off season is over...

????

[Rick41]

Jake Voskul (spelling?) in a Mavs uni already ewwwwwwwwwwwwww.

[sefant77]

Hollinger is an idiot.

Cant stand that "Howard SG problem" talk anymore when Terry will play SG 30+min every game...

Cant stand that crap "screwed with Bass and Gortat". Gortat was anyway restricted and we would have let Bass go anyway i guess. And with Marion/Gooden/Humphries, who gonna miss Bass?

Good luck i cant read the Cavs/Celtics or Spurs forecast. Pretty sure there age isnt the biggest issue...because its veteran leadership and expirience...

[SMC0007]

Is age even a real weakness? If that is our biggest weakness then fine. I guess it's better than him saying chemistry, or ability to score or defend, or our lack of depth or talent.

Our "switchability" should help Kidd on the super quick guards. Since we have depth I don't tihnk the age factor is going to present too much of a problem.


"He's not the only worry, however. Terry is 32, and while he had a career year last season, he's also a small guard who relies heavily on his speed. Even Howard, at 29, is not immune from these worries, especially given the ankle problems that bedeviled him last season." -jh

Jet relies on his shot making ability well more than his speed. He's much more of a shooter than a driver, and he hasn't really ever been a great defender.



"The Mavericks won 50 games last season and made several upgrades to the roster by acquiring Marion, Gooden, Humphries, Thomas, Ross and Beaubois. Those additions should help offset the unfortunate loss of Bass and the age issues that are creeping up nearly everywhere, but I'm not sure it does anything more than that."-jh

What?

[Rick41]

I pay no attention to the media what so ever, they try to cover 30 teams all at once.

We however, know the Mavericks inside and out so we know what to expect and what not to, so when i looked (didnt read) at Hollinger's article, i knew right away it would be complete BS and moved right along.

[EricaLubarsky]

There are certainly some moves coming. Maybe just buyouts but there is something coming.

[dirt_dobber]

misc Dirk notes from Brad Townsend......................

At 243 pounds, he also weighs less than he has in years. He said he wanted to come to training camp lighter because he knows the Mavs will run more this season. He says he played at 255-260 pounds last season.

[rabbitproof]

Damn - Dirk was 260 last year?

Isn't Damp only 265?

[Jon Avalon]

Damn, no wonder dirk looked a bit slimmer in the media day pictures. That's good though, hopefully we will see shades of the younger, quicker Dirk from the past.

[Rick41]

Players weigh more than they are actually listed. Do you really believe Nathan Jawai weighs 280?

[iella]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

"The Mavericks won 50 games last season and made several upgrades to the roster by acquiring Marion, Gooden, Humphries, Thomas, Ross and Beaubois. Those additions should help offset the unfortunate loss of Bass and the age issues that are creeping up nearly everywhere, but I'm not sure it does anything more than that."-jh

What?

Because Marion/Gooden/Humphries/Thomas/Ross/Beaubois = Bass. Obviously.

[badfish22]

Originally Posted by dirt_dobber

misc Dirk notes from Brad Townsend......................

At 243 pounds, he also weighs less than he has in years. He said he wanted to come to training camp lighter because he knows the Mavs will run more this season. He says he played at 255-260 pounds last season.

Ouch not sure thats a good thing.

[Bayliss]

Ouch not sure thats a good thing.

Better for his joints.

(No, Howard I'm not talking about those joints.)

[Windmill360]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

????

he's cheesin real haaard

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by iella

Because Marion/Gooden/Humphries/Thomas/Ross/Beaubois = Bass. Obviously.

Hey, we lost Jerry Stackhouse too!

[iella]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Hey, we lost Jerry Stackhouse too!

Shoot, that's right! No wonder we're doomed this year... whatever will we do without Stackhouse??

[badfish22]

All audio from todays media day
http://angrytrey.blogspot.com/2009/0...and-audio.html

[MavsWiLLHaVeRinGs]

No Ostertag at camp? We're doomed.

[Dirkadirkastan]

Originally Posted by jthig32

Hollinger's team previews are out. Here's ours.



I found that bolded note pretty interesting. That's a dramatic shift in defensive efficiency ranking over something so random.

I blame the fans as well as their equipment. Slowly waving the ACME brick signs around is weaksauce.

[EricaLubarsky]

Duncan 33+Ginobli 32+Jefferson 29+Parker 27=championship
Kidd 36+Terry 32+Dirk 31+Marion 31+Howard 29= old fogeys.

Mavs average age 26.3
Spurs average age 26.6

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Duncan 33+Ginobli 32+Jefferson 29+Parker 27=championship
Kidd 36+Terry 32+Dirk 31+Marion 31+Howard 29= old fogeys.

Mavs average age 26.3
Spurs average age 26.6

But Hollinger has a hard-on for the Spurs so it doesn't count...

[craggmac]

Uh oh, not a good sign!