Dirkless in Dallas?

Dirk Nowitzki has been the epitome of class and loyalty since the Mavericks made the trade to bring him to Big D back in ’98. Mutual trust and his hard work finally paid off with championship in 2011 but that seems like light years ago. 

Dallas dismantled the championship and trudged through a lock-out shortened season two years ago, just to come up short on the big fish of the off-season, Deron Williams.

I had no problem stripping the championship team that seemed more like lightning in a bottle than a perennial contender but Cuban did make one huge gaffe. 

He didn’t go to see Deron Williams when free agency started, instead choosing to film the incredibly mediocre[1] Shark Tank instead. He let team president Donnie Nelson, coach Rick Carlisle and front office assistant Michael Finley serve as his ambassadors. 

"I think (Cuban) would have been able to answer a lot of the questions me and my agent have for him that really didn't get answered that day pertaining to the future," Williams told reporters. "And I think if he was there he would have been able to answer those questions a little bit better. It maybe would have helped me.”

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov and GM Billy King were constantly in touch and that obviously cost the Mavs dearly. 

It cost them Deron. Without Deron, it probably cost them Dwight. And now it should also cost them Dirk. [2]

After two straight summers of striking out, it may be time for Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to make another tough, unpopular decision: Trade Dirk Nowitzki.

I can’t believe I just typed those words but the writing is on the wall. The Mavericks are going to be forced onto the treadmill of mediocrity unless they take a gamble. 

They took a gamble when the team was dismantled and that one didn’t pay off. It’s time to take another one.

As a MFFL (Mavs Fan For Life), I would love for Dirk to retire a Maverick but few players truly manage to do that, regardless of sport. Many Hall of Famers spent their twilight years donning the “wrong” jerseys.

Michael Jordan. Joe Montana. Brett Favre. Paul Pierce.

That last one should really hit home for the Mavs. Pierce was drafted one pick after Dirk in the ’98 draft and was traded this offseason to the Brooklyn Nets. Celtics fan and Grantland writer Bill Simmons has said that he had hoped Pierce would be a Celtics lifer but said this shows just how hard it is to wear just one jersey your entire career. 

Speaking of the Celtics, the Mavs had been making calls to about acquiring Rajon Rondo for the dwindling Dirk days but the Celtics wanted Dirk in return. The Mavs quickly said no but maybe they should entertain the idea. 

They could give Rondo the "D-Rose ACL" treatment and tank into the lottery. Maybe they could clear up space and get another pick in the 2014 Free Agency and Draft classes that are looking increasingly stacked? Maybe Dirk would re-sign here after a year abroad?

 

That is of course if Dirk is open to it all.

Otherwise it’s time to look for the silver (and blue) lining...

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[1] This word is one of Cuban’s least favorites.  

[2] For the record, the money the Mavs would’ve made in advertising their “3-D” lineup probably would’ve paid for everyone’s extensions.

Redskins Should Stay

During the 1700’s the British Army would sing a song that was meant to degrade the Colonists. In it, they questioned the intelligence and masculinity of the Colonial men and their army. That song is still sung today across the United States and has become affectionately known as Yankee Doodle.

 

Yankee Doodle was meant to be derogatory at the time, and probably was, but now the song is known by virtually everyone in the same sense that Take Me Out to the Ballgame is known. We all know it, we just don’t know how or when we actually learned it. It seems ridiculous taking a song like that and making it ours but that’s exactly what we did. We took what was supposed to be hurtful and embarrassing, owned it and turned it into something that was the complete opposite of what it was meant to be.

I like to call it steering into the skid and it’s honestly quite admirable how well our ancestors did it.

Today, not so much. I'm looking at a few of you Washington Redskins fans.

Despite Dan Snyder saying they will “NEVER” change the Redskin name, a loud minority is clamoring for the team from D.C. to change their name these days, stating the term is derogatory and hurtful.

Even if it was those things over half a century ago, I agree with Roger Goddell's [1] letter to congress. In it he writes that the name Redskins is "a unifying force that stands for strength, courage, pride and respect.”

I read David Zirin’s article on the topic on Grantland (he believes the NFL should change it) and while he does make some good points, I disagree with his overall summation. He claims that now is the time to change the name because for the first time since Snyder became owner, “the burgundy and gold matters.” But if this is such a big deal, why not change it years ago? Why wait until they are in the public eye to change it? Why wouldn’t they do it when the team was dredging through losing seasons and top 10 draft picks and out of the media’s fleeting scope? 

Zirin claims that when the franchise began, the owner was a racist and named the team Redskins to degrade Native Americans. He does conveniently forget to acknowledge that the team was originally known as the Boston Braves (like a baseball team in Boston at the time) so he wanted to change the name to avoid confusion but keep the name in the Native American spectrum. He also fails to mention that team’s head coach was a Native American himself.[2]

Another potential problem arises, where do we stop with the name changes? This creates a slippery slope… 

Do Scandinavian-Americans want the Minnesota Vikings to change their name because of the pillaging, raping and plundering their ancestors engaged in and find they find the name an embarrassment?

What about all the trouble the Catholic Church has gotten into? Do Saints fans write a letter to the NFL and the Pope to ask the New Orleans Saints to change their name? 

What about the Boston Celtics?? The story goes that the owner wanted to call the team that because there were a lot of Irishmen in Boston at the time. That can't be politically correct. And to make matters worse, they’re not even pronouncing Celtics right! As an Irish American should I be offended? 

No, it’s a term of endearment, just like the rest of the team names, including Redskins. Team names as a whole are derived from something that is held fierce and admirable.

I do understand that as someone who isn’t Native American, I can’t say what should or shouldn’t offend someone else. But in talking to my fiancé, who is part Native American and a big time sports fan, I've learned something. She couldn't care less about the name. She even likes it! 

Even the Seminole’s have given their approval to Florida State to use the name because they like it.

Of course, Seminole isn’t considered a “usually derogative term” but as we’ve learned over time, nothing has to be.

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[1] I can’t believe I just wrote those words…

[2] Or claimed to be. That’s for a different story though.

Mavs Trying to Recreate 2011?

After the 2009-10 season, the Mavs had their sights set on at least one of the big name free agents out there. Some guy named LeBron was set to become a free agent along with a slew of other stars but James decided to take his talents to South Beach to team up with his super friends. Dallas would be spurned by their entire free agent wishlist.

Sound familiar?

Fast forward three years. The Mavericks would defeat Miami's Big Three maiden voyage in not one…not two… not three… not four… not five… six games to win their first title but then struck out in not one… not two… [1] but three different off-seasons in the hunt for Dirks replacement. 

Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson have now put their continual pursuit of a superstar on hold and went back to an old blueprint this year. The 2013-14 Dallas Mavericks are constructed eerily like the championship team.

Let’s take a closer look: 

Jason Kidd manned the point guard spot for the championship squad and while he wasn’t dominating the stat sheets, he brought exactly what the team needed. Kidd played great defense on shooting guards, which allowed the punitive JJ Barea and Jet Terry to help offensively but not get abused on defense. Kidd continued his careers work of finding the open man but also added a spot up 3 point shot to his game and the team.

No one can singlehandedly make up for what Kidd managed to do for the team but fortunately the Mavs aren’t trying to fill it with just one player. Donnie Nelson brought in the underrated Jose Calderon and former Maverick, Devin Harris. 

The two pronged attack just may be able to fill in for the future Hall of Famer. Calderon is a heady guard who can knock down open 3’s while Harris is a lock down defender. There will need to be a lot of smart switching but if I had to trust a D/FW coach, Carlisle’s the man.

First round pick Shane Larkin has a chance to be a spark plug off the bench after he returns from his ankle injury. Larkin tested out of the gym at the NBA combine and excelled in pick and rolls while at Miami. He has a good, albeit streaky, outside shot and, with those types of attributes, could fill the tiny shoes of JJ Barea. 

The championship squad had 6^th man extraordinaire Jason Terry. To me this is the hardest one to replace because this was the closest thing the team had to a second superstar. 

Enter Monta Ellis. 

The only player on the team who may have what it takes to alleviate some scoring pressure for Nowitzki. Ellis will have to be the efficient scorer he was back in 2008 when he was scoring 20+ a game on 53% shooting. Carlisle will have his work cut out for him to get Ellis back there but playing for the first time in his career with pass-first point guards and a bonafide star can’t hurt either. 

Vince Carter has a chance to be a rich man’s Caron Butler for the 2013-14 squad. Vinsanity has a better outside shot and still has a little explosiveness left in those old legs. Shawn Marion will have to be the Matrix of old and play great defense and score without the ball. Once again, Carlisle will be tasked with maximizing his roster and squeezing whatever is left in these former all-stars.  

Obviously, Dirk Nowitzki is still the biggest piece to the puzzle. After a full offseason where he won't be coming off the championship hangover and a 66 game schedule sprint followed by an off-season knee surgery the big German may be able to give father time a standing eight count and revert to his old form. 

Filling out the bench, Brandon Wright could be an upgrade over Ian Mahini as a big energy guy off the bench. Wright is also an efficient scorer but much more athletic.

Jae Crowder will be asked to play solid defense and knock down a few shots a la DeShawn Stevenson. 

Gal Mekel, the second Israeli born player ever in the NBA, has a chance to be bizarro Roddy Beaubois. The Mavs wanted Beaubois to play point guard and facilitate rather than score, a role he never fully understood or embraced. Mekel on the other hand understands the role of point guard and gets his teammates involved. Carlisle has been impressed with his play so far but Mekel has struggled with his jump shot.

Samuel Dalembert and Bernard James are perfectly suited for the dirty work role that Brendan Haywood came to embrace but come with a much more palatable price tag. 

 

Wayne Ellington seems to be fitted for the Dominique Jones role of not much but if Carlisle wants Ellis and Carter coming off the bench, Ellington could find himself in the starting lineup at some point.

The 2013-14 season will come down to two things for Dallas: Dirks ability to get back to superstar caliber play and Carlisle playing the perfect hand.

Now if they could only find an athletic, oft-injured big man to fill in for Tyson Chandler… 

Greg Oden anyone?

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[1] OK I’m done

Baltimore Poised to Defend Title

The Baltimore Ravens and their fans enjoyed the parade after their Super Bowl XLVII win but the second parade of players leaving was much harder to watch.

The knee-jerk reaction was to write them off and proclaim a changing of the guard in the AFC North. 

As my least favorite announcer Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast my friend!” The Ravens lost talent and leadership but Ozzie Newsome showed Baltimore why he is the GM envy of the rest of the league. 

The Ravens reloaded and have themselves in the best position to repeat out of any team in the last 5 years.

First let’s look at the losses: Ray Lewis (retirement), Anquan Boldin (trade), Ed Reed (Signed with Houston), Bernard Pollard (Signed with Tennesse), Matt Birk (retired), Dannell Ellerbee (signed with Miami), Paul Kruger (signed with Cleveland), Cary Williams (signed with Philladelphia), among others.

The headline name is Ray Lewis heading off into the sunset but what are the Ravens really missing? Ray was the vocal leader but he missed most of the season and wasn’t playing at the same level he was accustomed too. Former Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown could provide the same production; of course without the respect and leadership Lewis provided. In time, Brown could be an all-pro but no one realistically expects him to be the Hall of Famer like Lewis but Brown should statistically do what Lewis did this year. 

(As a side note I thought Rolando McClain might be able to resurrect his career here but it looks like the only things he has in common with Lewis are a criminal record and retirement)

Ed Reed was another “big” loss for the Ravens but he fell into the same category as Lewis: Savvy player who was long on name recognition but had lost a step. The Ravens signed Michael Huff in free agency and then added safety Matt Elam, who some scouts had as the best at his position in a deep class. Huff and Elam may never be the player Reed was but they could be better than the player Reed is. 

At this point, the combination of Huff and Elam may be an upgrade over Reed and maybe even Bernard Pollard too. Pollard was the one I thought was tougher to lose at this point. 

Dannell Ellerbee and Paul Kruger both moved on to greener pastures but the money they received was too rich for Newsome.  He let both players walk but they will be filled in with a healthy, non-basketball playing Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil (who now has a “brick wall” on his shoulders) and Courtney Upshaw, who could be used at a number of linebacker positions with his versatility within the Ravens scheme.

(That is, if Jim Harbaugh can get Upshaw to stop snacking and watching Wedding Crashers. "No Courtney, crab cakes and football is not all that Maryland does")

On the back end the Ravens lost Cary Williams who was great and played his way into a nice contract in Philadelphia with the lesser of the East Coast birds but Ladarius Webb returns from an ACL injury and the Ravens hope Jimmy Smith can be the play-maker they thought he was when they drafted him in the first round. 

Up front the Ravens return their best defensive player from their Super Bowl team in Haloti Ngata and also rising young players in Arthur Jones, Pernell McPhee and Terrance Cody. They added Marcus Spears and Chris Canty, both of whom have experience lining up in multiple positions along the defensive front. 

Offensively there are more questions. Is Joe Flacco’s spike in play real? If it is, do they have enough weapons on offense to help him?  The loss of Anquan Boldin and Matt Birk leave the team with some question marks but with today’s NFL salary cap, every team has major questions somewhere. And the Ravens never really were built on offense now anyway.

OKC Should Send Thank You to Beverly

As the NBA playoffs heat up and the Oklahoma City Thunders’ season comes to a screeching halt, most of Oklahoma is cursing the same name. Patrick Freakin’ Beverly. What if that… punk hadn’t gone for a steal before a time out? Do the Thunder sweep the Rockets? Is the Memphis series still 3-1 but this time for the Thunder? Does anyone know where the heck Patrick Beverly lives??

If anyone finds out please let Thunder GM Sam Presti know because Patrick Beverly is the best thing that ever happened to the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

When Beverly lunged for the ball as Thunder guard Russell Westbrook took a timeout in Game 2, the collision caused Westbrook’s knee to twist awkwardly and the UCLA product crumbled in obvious pain. Westbrook would finish the game with 29 points and another Oklahoma City victory but the damage to their 2013 title hopes was already done. 

The future looks brighter than ever though.

The first improvement was Kevin Durant being called on to take more shots than a birthday boy on spring break. We saw Durant take his play to a whole new level and develop, now by necessity, a more aggressive mentality. 

That’s not even the best part. 

Seldom used second-year point guard Reggie Jackson has been thrust into the starting lineup and after a few games, has the look of a potential stud. He’s not an all-star yet but he could be a better point guard than Westbrook.

No seriously, look at the two scouting reports per ESPN’s John Hollinger: 

+ Athletic point guard who plays out of control. Needs to calm down. + Good court vision but instincts are as scorer. Quick and has good size. + Disappointing shooter as rookie. Must improve finishing and shot selection.

Vs.

+ Freakishly athletic shoot-first guard with great burst to basket. Penetrates at will. + Shaky long-range shooter but excels at mid-range pull-up. Makes bad decisions. + Could be excellent defender, but effort has slackened. Great offensive rebounder.

Who’s who?

Obviously the “as a rookie” gives it away that the first is Jackson but the comparison is very similar and when you look at their rookie stats, it’s almost uncanny. 

For the sake of comparison I am calling this season Jackson's rookie season because he actually had a summer league, full training camp and wasn’t in the shortened, full sprint season like last year.

Westbrook shot 42% from the field, 22% from 3 and had a scoring efficiency rating of 1.14. Jackson shot 46% from the field, 23% from 3 and had a scoring efficiency of 1.15. After that, Jacksons (effective) rookie year basically beats out Westbrook's rookie year in almost every efficiency and “per 40” category but I’ll save that for another post. 

This is about options. 

So what if Reggie Jackson is a poor man’s Westbrook, or as I like to look at it, a more true point guard Westbrook? 

That could mean a lot of things for the Thunder. 

In a draft that lacks a certain super-star and has a lot of question marks, the Thunder could really capitalize. They already have a lottery pick from Toronto via Houston for the James Harden trade and then a late round pick (#29).

So let’s assume they don’t hit the jackpot (since it is top 3 protected that would be #4) and pick somewhere near 11. That arms them with a lot of ammo to make a move. 

The one glaring weakness for the Thunder is in the paint. Kendrick Perkins is an offensive wasteland and the only things he adds to the team are a couple hard fouls and a consistent frown. Serge Ibaka is constantly improving at the 4 and Nick Collison is a great energy guy off the bench but a true big man next to them could do wonders for the Thunder. 

The Thunder should look into trading this year’s lottery pick and next year’s first rounder (the 2014 draft is supposed to be stacked with talent) and Reggie Jackson and maybe a throw in or two to whoever wins the draft lottery. 

They should then, not walk, but sprint to the podium and take Kentucky center Nerlens Noel. He is one of the few players in the draft with star potential and he is an above the rim center. He doesn’t need the offense to run through him to score and he blocks shots, much unlike Perkins. With Noel and Ibaka roaming the paint, there might be more blocks in Oklahoma City than a Lego factory.

If you think that’s crazy, remember Noel’s knee injury will likely scare off some suitors and a lottery pick, a first rounder and Reggie Jackson would likely be better than the magic beans Orlando got for Dwight Howard.

Hell maybe Presti shocks everyone and trades Westbrook. Just kidding… kind of. Presti already traded James Harden and this wouldn’t go over well but he did trade Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis in one offseason back in Seattle.

Of course, this is a small sample size and Jackson hasn’t exactly been unstoppable or even stopped Mike Conley. OK maybe Beverly isn't the BEST thing to happen to OKC but either way I’m excited to see what Sam Presti does, even if it could mean trouble for the Rockets and the Mavs.