Heard It Through the Grapevine

Posted by Rob Mahoney on March 30, 2010 under The Grapevine | 4 Comments to Read

• Skeets and Tas talk a lot of Mavs-Nuggets on today’s episode of The Basketball Jones, and Tas does not approve of the “Roddy Buckets” moniker. Have to agree on that one — is that really the best we can do? UPDATE: On the Jones’ mailbag episode, the guys announced that they’re running a contest for the best nickname for Beaubois. Call in at 1-888-TBJ-4377 to leave an audio message or send your video message to tbj[at]thescore.com, best entry gets a prize.
• Jeremy of Roundball Mining Company: “Some of you may remember when the Golden State Warriors upset the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 playoffs it was Stephen Jackson who hounded Dirk Nowitzki game after game. If the Nuggets have a player that fits that mold it is Carmelo Anthony. I was hoping to see Melo spend some time covering Dirk and I got what I asked for. Melo worked hard, fought for position and kept Dirk on the perimeter. He could have done a better job boxing out, but it would be interesting to see what Melo could do on Dirk for an extended period of time.” I can’t say I agree. Jackson has always been a more tenacious defender than Melo, and although Anthony’s defense has certainly improved this season, I don’t see him as being a good primary option for defending Nowitzki. Then again, I don’t see Kenyon Martin, Chris Andersen, Johan Petro, or Joey Graham as good options either, and I’d point to Dirk’s success last  year in the playoffs as my evidence.
• Speaking of Kenyon Martin, Yahoo’s Marcus Spears reported earlier this morning that it’s possible Martin might not play for the rest of this season at all. Playoffs included.
• If you’re interested in attending this year’s Nike Hoops Summit, the event that spawned Dirk Nowitzki’s NBA career, general admission tickets are pretty cheap. (via Ben Golliver, @blazersedge)
• Something of note that we saw last night: Rodrigue Beaubois playing extended minutes at point guard alongside Jason Terry. I understand Rick Carlisle’s reluctance to play Roddy at the point, especially with the post-season looming. But having Jason Terry as the shooting guard not only gives the Mavs another ball-handler, but someone with enough point guard experience to make for a pretty interesting backcourt. The Spurs have been using Manu Ginobili at point alongside George Hill during Tony Parker’s absence, though Hill might be listed as the PG. I can’t help but wonder if the Mavs couldn’t try something similar with their second unit, playing Terry and Beaubois in a tandem-PG/SG role in which both can use their handles, passing, and shooting to set up each other and their teammates. It’s not a straight up “Beaubois at PG” solution or a “Terry at PG” solution, but a hybrid model that would seem to serve the Mavs’ needs best…supposing those needs involve burying J.J. Barea.
• The Mavs are willing to give Shawn Marion credit for shutting down Carmelo Anthony, and they’re right to do so. Dirk even goes as far as to call him the player of the game.
• A revised look at how the Mavs have performed in their head-to-head match-ups with the other Western Conference playoff teams.