A beating: Dallas Mavericks go Gangnam Style

The gangnam thing is only slightly more annoying than "Call Me Maybe" but in keeping with this incredible trend the Dallas Mavericks have gone gangnam on us, too.

 

  

 

 

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The number the Dallas Mavericks need to hit to make the playoffs

Since the Dallas Mavericks decided not to blow it up and opted for a revamped roster than a destroyed roster the playoffs are a possibility.

The Western Conference is not the same Western Conference it was a few years ago when the eighth-seeded team won 50 games; the playoffs are viable for the Mavs.

The last time the Mavericks did not make the playoffs was the 1999-'00 season, when they had great players such as Gary Trent, Robert Pack, Rodrick Rhodes, Cedric Caballos. How did that team ever lose?

This season, making the playoffs is a major score. The playoffs. Period. That's it. No Finals. No West Finals. The West quarterfinals would merit a parade. 

A safe number for the Mavs would be 43 wins to secure the eighth seed.

Below is a look at the number of wins for the eighth-seeded team in the Western Conference in each season since 2000:

’12: Utah 36 (lockout shortened)
’11: Memphis 46
’10: Oklahoma City 50
‘09: Utah 48
’08: Denver 50
’07: Golden State 42
’06: Sacramento 44
’05: Memphis 45
’04: Denver 43
’03: Phoenix 44
’02: Utah 44
’01: Minnesota 47
‘00: Sacramento 44

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The key to the Dallas Mavericks having a successful season is this guy

The Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team begins the real season tonight against Dwight Howard’s Los Angeles Lakers.

(Personally, I miss the lockout shortened 66-game schedule. It was hard on the players, and playing double headers maybe was not the best idea, but it was fun.)

The Mavs’ grand plan to add Deron Williams flopped in the summer, and instead the team will now look almost nothing like it planned even a few weeks ago as Dirk Nowitzki is out for a while recovering from knee surgery.

With Rick Carlisle as its coach, the Mavs will be competitive as they will defend and try to rebound. That will keep them in games, and I expect them in the playoffs in a Western Conference that isn’t too stacked.

One of the many problems this team will face, even when Dirk returns, is who will score?
Not Elton Brand. Too much mileage. 
Chris Kaman, when healthy, has a nice post game and will score more than the Mavericks have ever had at that spot. But he's not a money scorer.
Darren Collison … maybe, eventually.
Assuming Dirk returns healthy and can still score at a high rate, the rest will come down to whether O.J. Mayo can be a solid scorer on a good team. Can he create his own shot when there is none?

His scoring average topped out at 18.5 points per game when he was a rookie in Memphis on a team that finished 24-58. A good scorer on a bad team doesn’t mean much.
As the Grizzlies improved, his production consistently dropped. Here are his numbers in the first four years in the league.

’08-’09: 18.5 ppg, 3.2 apg.; Grizzlies finished 24-58 no playoffs
’09-’10: 17.5 ppg., 3.0 apg. Grizzlies finished 40-42 no playoffs
’10-’11: 11.3 ppg., 2.0 apg. Grizzlies finished 46-36 West semis
’11-12: 12.6 ppg., 2.6 apg. Grizzlies finished 41-25 West quarters

Notice the correlation? There is a reason the Grizzlies had reportedly shopped him for years. There is also a reason he was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. The ability is there.

If the Mavericks can develop/unlock his ability to score and complement Dirk they should have a nice and maybe even a surprising season.

 

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NBA commissioner David Stern retiring - not dying - but eulogies forthcoming

You personally may no longer care much for NBA commissioner David Stern and his rather strict, sometimes autocratic ways but there is no denying that in his tenure his company became a massive international brand.

On his watch the NBA became a global name, and leaped ahead of baseball and is firmly behind the NFL in terms of pro sports popularity.

Today, Stern announced that on Feb. 1, 2014 he will step down from the job and turn it over to Adam Silver. Stern took the job on Feb. 1, 1984. That's a pretty good 30 year run, even if it should have ended about five years ago.

Expect months and months of commentary as if Stern were dying, or is dead aleady.

David Stern was a kind man ....

The league has had its share of problems since he became its boss, and he has at times acted like a bully. In terms of the NBA pre-Stern and the NBA post-Stern, however, he deserves a large portion of the credit for pushing the league, expanding the league and marketing pro basketball in a way that had never been done before. 

It became a billion dollar empire with Stern, and the NBA firmly established itself behind the NFL in terms of North American popularity.

 

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Time for the Mavericks to dump Delonte West

Hard not to like Dallas Mavericks guard Delonte West becuase he does have a little bit of crazy in him, and some game which makes the latter worth the former.

Until it's not, which would be right now.

Today, the Mavericks indefinitely suspended Delonte West for the second time in two weeks. The regular season has not even started and this guy has been suspended twice.

Dallas Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said in a statement: "We have suspended Delonte for conduct detrimental to the team. The suspension is effective immediately and no other statements will be issued."

Apparently West got into a disagreement after the Mavs' preseason loss against the Thunder on Wednesday night in Wichita, Kansas.

West went to Twitter to defend himself with the following Tweets that would make any English teacher resign and take up wine consumption:

"I'm gonna just pray for um!!!...perception is not reality!!!..real is real...in any language,culture...and what's wrong is what's wrong!!"

"All my family friends fans...who been right der wit me this uphill battle over the last 4years to get to this point....already know"

"That my name showin up in any fashion in a negative light is the worst thing that can happen.everything Ived worked towards out d window"

"Just ask u to talk with me....I'm a grown man...that's not above logic and reason...Before u go to the papers wit false information."

"If I'm not what u lookin 4 ....That's fine...just dont kick me in my ass on the way out the door....I didn't do anything to deserve that..."

"I love the city of Dallas..I love playin in the NBA...no I'm not off my meds...no I ain't on no bipolar trip...this real people lives.."

"And it just ain't right..imma leave it at that..no ill will towards no one...I'm just sittin here across from the arena wit tear in my eyes"

With Dirk Nowitzki out after having knee surgery for a few weeks, losing West's production and ability to slash and score is not exactly something the Mavs want to do. Plus, he is a fearless player. But who are the Mavs kidding?

West has been a headache for every team since he entered the NBA as a first round pick by the Celtics. A former pro sports GM once told me, "If you are traded or not re-signed, there is always a reason and it's generally not good."

West has been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, which is no joke, but there does come a point when the headache is not worth it.

 

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Lamar Odom wants to apologize because it's not his fault

Not that this will change a thing about the trade that brought Lamar Odom to the Mavericks, which turned out to be a lemon, but the new member of the L.A. Clippers apparently wants to apologize to the Mavs and team owner Mark Cuban.

On Friday during the LA Clippers' media day, ESPN NBA guy Ric Bucher tweeted: "Lamar Odom, unprompted, told me he'd like to apologize to Mark Cuban and Mavs fans for not being himself. Felt it was beyond his power."

What a great line - "Hey, sorry - but the reason I robbed the bank is because of something beyond my power."

BTW: Odom averaged 6.6 points and 4.2 rebounds with the Mavs last season; both career lows.

Odom's meaning, while likely sincere, would be fine and a very nice and sincere olive branch had Odom had the sense to just stop and not add the, "Felt it was beyond his power" line of crap.

 

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Dallas Mavericks preseason sked features ... uhhh ... other teams

Preseason football got you down?  Don't worry, because here is some good news: The Dallas Mavericks professional basketball club has announced its own version of fake games - the 2012 preseason schedule is out.

As Mr. T said, "I pity the fool!"

The Mavs' eight-game preseason schedule opens with a pair of games overseas against international clubs; this should be a good place for Mark Cuban to spew his anti-Olympic rhetoric. Generally speaking, the foreign crowd really, really hates the Olympics.

The preseason schedule features only four games at the American Airlines Center, and really none of them are against competition you will be fighting to see. 

Only the possibility of Hornets rookie center Anthony Davis appearing against the Mavs generates any real appeal. The rest is rather blah ...

10/6 Mavs at Alba in Berlin, Germany
10/9 Mavs at FC Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain
10/15 Mavs v. Rockets in Dallas
10/17 Mavs v. Suns in Dallas
10/12 Mavs at Hawks in Atlanta
10/22 Mavs v. New Orleans in Dallas
10/24 Mavs v. Thunder in Wichita, Kansas
10/26 Mavs v. Hornets in Dallas

The Mavs begin their regular season on Oct. 30 against the L.A. Lakers in LA where Dwight Howard is expected to pledge to sign with the Mavericks* next summer. 

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* That may not actually happen.

Breaking down the Dallas Mavericks schedule & march towards Dwight Howard

The NBA has released the full 82-game schedule for every club, even the Charlotte Bobcats. Unlike last season's 66-game sprint that featured back-to-back-backs, and double headers, this schedule will return to the normal pace. (Personally, I really liked the 66 game deal).

For Dallas Mavericks fans, circle these games:

10/30 at Lakers. Season opener where Steve Nash will laugh in the Mavs face as he rides Kobe Bryant's back off the court.

11/3 Charlotte. Home opener. Not sure if this counts in the standings, but this should be the ideal chance for Chris Kaman to go for 40 and 10 and OJ Mayo to score 50 points.

11/9 at NY Knicks. Tyson Chandler now Jason Kidd. That's a nice kick to the groin.

12/8 at Houston. The Jeremy Lin Show; the question is whether Lin will be starting the game on the bench by this point.

12/12 at Boston. Jason Terry will want this game so bad it may cause his head to explode.

12/20 Miami. The greatest team in any sport ever will come to town.

1/14 Minnesota. With Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, the Wolves could be one of the sleepers in the West.

1/18 OKC. The Thunder should return to spanking the Mavs.

1/20 at Orlando. The Mavs are praying Dwight Howard is still with the Magic.

2/9 Golden State. My God; are the Warriors still in the league?

2/20 Orlando. Dwight Howard Bobblehead night at the American Airlines Center.

2/26 Milwaukee. It's the rare buy 1 get 3,000 free tickets promotion.

3/20 Brooklyn. Yeeeeah ... Deron Williams may want to sit this one out.

3/26 LA Clippers. Yeeeah ... Lamar Odom may want to sit this one out.

3/28 Indiana. Imagine the reception Ian Mahinmi will receive playing against his old team. Get chills just thinking about the indifference.

3/30 Chicago. If Derrick Rose is actually upright for this game and not hurt as a result of his endless attacks at the rim, a good ticket.

 

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Dallas Mavericks' 2012-13 theme: "Rage, rage against the dying of the light"

In the last 72 hours the Dallas Mavericks have answered the question of whether they would blow up their roster, white flag the season, and contemplate trading Dirk Nowitzki.

The answer is a resounding "Hell no". You tell them Dylan Thomas! 

Not sure it is the wisest course of action long term, but the moves to add Darren Collison, Dahntay Jones and Chris Kaman ensure there will be no 13th place finish in the West for the Mavs.

Now the Mavs are more committed to going for the five seed as the reports continue to come they are going to pursue 76ers forward Elton Brand, and Houston rockets forward Luis Scola.

Scola looks as if he will be like Brand and "amnestied"; the Rockets are trying to clear out every available dollar to pursue Magic center Dwight Howard.

A front line of Scola, Brand and Dirk may not be the most dominant defensive trio underneath, but they could score.

Scola is 32, and averaged 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds last season for the Rockets.
Brand is 33, and averaged 11.0 points and 7.2 rebounds last season for the 76ers.

The little problem in adding either is that both of their previous franchises thought so highly of them they will pay them millions just to go away. 

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Dallas Mavericks opting for the middle

The Dallas Mavericks have decided it is better to be pretty good than the alternative.

They aren't that much closer to contending for an NBA title than they were 48 hours ago, but the moves to sign Chris Kaman and deal Ian Mahinmi to the Indiana Pacers for Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones should make the team more competitive and interesting.

The Mavs still may make a run at 76ers forward Elton Brand. 

Collison has some uspide, is a solid defender, but he can be very inconsistent. Jones is a bench guy, and a decent defender.

Both Collison and Kaman immediately become starters; offensively, Kaman is better than the combination of Brendan Haywood and Mahinmi. Collison is not necessarily an upgrade over Jason Kidd or Jason Terry.

The Mavs aren't done making moves to complete their roster, but at the very least they have decided they won't be selling out for the lottery.

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