Heard It Through the Grapevine

Posted by Rob Mahoney on July 30, 2009 under xOther | 8 Comments to Read

  • Dirk is a pro among pros.  That’s why we shouldn’t be at all surprised to her from Marc Stein that any past history between him and Tim Thomas is just about the last thing on Dirk’s mind: “If you’re thinking Dirk Nowitzki will have a problem with Dallas’ recent signing of Tim Thomas because of the infamous kiss Thomas blew at Nowitzki during an on-court confrontation in the 2006 Western Conference finals, think again. Nowitzki said he was disappointed to read from Germany that the Bulls pulled out of the original construction of the deal that landed Shawn Marion in Dallas and would have sent Thomas from the Bulls to the Mavericks. Nowitzki then was pleased to learn the Mavs were able to get Thomas anyway this week as a tall shooter off the bench for the veteran minimum of $1.3 million. ‘That stuff is long gone,” Nowitzki said this week. ‘We were in the bottom [six] in 3-point shooting and we needed to address that. I’m happy he’s a Maverick.’ The clash with Thomas isn’t exactly a haunting memory. Nowitzki wound up scoring 50 points in that game, outscoring the Suns by himself in the fourth quarter (22-20) to put Dallas within one win of its eventual trip to the NBA Finals.”
  • Almost 12% of Erick Dampier’s shot attempts are tip layups or tip dunks.
  • Not that the Mavs were in a place to sign him (although Drew Gooden is not yet officially a Maverick), but Lamar Odom is reportedly a Laker, again.  While it doesn’t directly affect the Mavs roster, it certainly changes the outlook of the West; if there was ever any doubt that the Lakers are the team to beat, kindly remove it.
  • The Raptors nabbed summer league legend Marco Belinelli, a shooter who may or may not have true NBA chops, for the slim price of Devean George and some cash money.  Pretty good considering Marco could have a legit NBA future, and Devean George is Devean George.
  • Though this top ten list is for great passes, a Drew Gooden finish on the pick and roll does come in at number 9.

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  • benway37

    Simmons is entertaining but his scope is limited to things he cares about. The Mavs are not something he cares enough to research, so his opinions are usually off the Marc..
    Was really hoping against hope that the Lakers would lose Odom to Miami, but suspected it would resolve the way it did.
    That being the case, it’s hard for me to understand the questions surrounding the Mavs logic.
    I look at it like this:
    Experts prefer to point to the versatile bigs in LA as the main reason the Lake show is so tough.
    Bynum, Gasol, Odom, Mbenga.
    Last year the Mavs had Dirk, Damp, Bass, Singleton & Hollins to counter.
    This year, Dampier, Nowitzki, Marion, Gooden, Thomas and potentially something else, depending on the Buck Shot (also not mentioned- Nivins/Humphries).
    So why is there any debate over what Dallas is doing? You wanted Okafor over Marion to run with Kidd? I’ll take Marion.
    You wanted Warrick over Gooden? I’ll take a bona-fide 4 with potential to play some 5 (who has contributed with mostly successful teams his whole career) over a 219 lb. “PF” who can’t shoot and has played his whole career with the worst team in the league (lets not forget Warrick’s previous employer preferred trading for and overpaying Zach Randolph as opposed to just tendering Hakim a new offer).
    You wanted Chandler? To do what? Kidd isn’t a CP3
    pick and roll PG. You run the pick and roll with Kidd and Chandler, and you’ll never see the post defender come out to honor Kidd’s midrange J (hence, the number of alley-oops to Chandler would be DRASTICALLY REDUCED).
    Okafor is locked into a loooong deal, and Chandler is signed for 2 more seasons, plus who knows about his health?
    Instead we have Gooden and Thomas basically playing for their next contract (which could be good or bad, considering their individual motivations), but either way, we have no commitment to either.
    And don’t forget about Damp. He has taken a beating around Dallas and is now only referenced by his contract (which IS still worth more than his play on the court), but he still offers value and some productivity against certain centers.
    Put it like this: During his tenure, Damp has been the most talented 5 we’ve had (which is not saying much), yet we still have found a way to win 50 games a year.
    Adding proven veteran versatility to the post without committing big $$$ or long term resources should be universally lauded.
    Believe me, I’m not one who usually drops the soap for Dallas’ front office. The list of past moves by Donnie and Cuban that I have agreed with is very short: namely, letting Nash go and the trade to Atlanta that got rid of Shimmy Walker and netted Terry (and the pick that became Josh Howard). That’s a really short list for a very active front office.
    But for some reason, I really like the moves this year. I was all for the signing of Gortat, and when that fell through, I was delighted to find out about the Marion deal. Keep in mind that we not only got Marion (and Buck) we also GOT RID OF DEVEAN GEORGE. If that had been all we did, I would have been happy. Getting Gooden and now Thomas is not only a bonus, it’s a bonus that makes sense. Both guys have playoff experience, bring toughness, and a varied set of skills previously unavailable to Carlisle.
    I honestly think there is still another 5 on the way: potentially an upgrade using the Buck/+ or a reinforcement coming back in a deal to shed roster spots (Carroll? Humphries? Nivins?>NOOOOOOOOO!)
    But with or without, matching our line against the Laker front court (or the Spurs, or Denver, or Portland), it is clear to me that Dallas’ post production and versatility is vastly improved, and will be as strong as anyone else in the league.

  • Mavs Man

    Wow, check out how much of Tyson Chandler’s points were alley oops from CP3 (30.1%)! I knew it was high, but that is much, much, much higher than almost everyone else.

    Surprisingly, Erick Dampier is actually fourth in the league in highest proportion of alley oop points (8.7%). And consider this, if Jason Kidd can get Erick Dampier to be fourth in the league in proportional alley oop points, imagine what we could do with a center with hands.

    Also, Shawn Marion and James Singleton are top 15 on the alley oop list. If we bring back Singleton, and then add Dalembert (3rd) with the Buck Shot, that could really improve our scoring in the paint.

  • Cynthia

    Nice analysis benway37. You ought to have your own blog!
    Frankly I don’t know why people think this off-season hasn’t been productive. Imop, it’s been the best one in years. I can’t believe on some blogs (DMN comes to mind) how some so-called fans are calling for Donnie’s head because he DIDN’T get Gortat. Just what in the world do they want him to do?? Calling for him to get fired because he tried and couldn’t get it done is the definition of stupid.

  • benway37

    @ Cynthia
    Appreciate it but Rob is already doing a really kick ass job. Would much prefer to just offer my perspective in his comments section.

  • http://www.bign.com/cagabel Cynthia

    Oh,I LOVE Rob! But to this MFFL there can NEVER be too many blogs on my (our) beloved team. Especially ones that offer good, SANE, and smart perspectives.

  • benway37

    BTW ROB:
    Have only recently discovered “2 man game” and have not searched yr archives, but was glad to see that you have the same sentiments for D.George. As a reader of Simmons, I’m sure you can recall an observation he made sometime during the Bulls/C’s series: something in reference to Tony Allen being redefining anti-production and maybe he even referenced VOTA (Value Over Tony Allen) as a new stat replacing VORP. (I can’t remember if he wrote that joke or if I did), but I definitely was the one who suggested that instead of VOTA he should christen it the Devean George All-Stars.
    Seriously, someone should have had the job of giving Avery & Carlisle a wet willy every time they even thought about letting him get off the bench. I would have done it gladly, and my personal VOTA would have been solid for doing it. In fact, if Cubes had hired me (or any other sane person) first, everything could have been avoided altogether.
    CUBES: “So I’m thinking about signing D. George.”
    ME: (wet willy)

  • Rhett

    kind of unrelated, but something I’m excited about:
    Last year the Mavs were 5th in off. eff. and I think they will be even better this year. Thomas, Marion, and Gooden all add something to the Mavs they were missing – floor spacing. Marion and Thomas to the three point line and Gooden can hit a 15 ft jumper. What this means, to me, is that the Mavs can isolate Dirk in the high post and have him surrounded by shooters whether they are going big or small. It will be harder to double Dirk on his spin move, and if they do, there will, most likely, be an open shooter or cutter (Marion) to punish the defense. It could be a career year for Dirk.

  • Rhett

    Sorry – to add to that – I think this team has the ability to suck the life out of opposing teams legs. They can control the defensive glass and run, or in the half court, kill them trying to make rotations as the ball swings around the weak side to the open shooter. I think we will see far more blowouts this year.

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