Posted by Rob Mahoney on February 24, 2010 under Previews | 
The idea that Kobe Bryant is an NBA person of interest is hardly novel or revolutionary. But how about the idea that he’s become of such interest that he’s doomed to be the subject of debate from now until the end of time? In a way, Bryant could become the victim of his own overexposure, and his desire to be a definitive great may very well be the thing that obscures any definition in his legacy:
This isn’t in any way an indictment of Bryant’s game, other than to say that his advocates and critics are so distant in their opinions of all things Kobe that there can be no consensus. Supposing that’s somehow an indictment. Kobe is an incredibly driven player who has always wanted nothing more than to be conclusively better than Jordan…and it’s Bryant’s curse that he’ll forever walk through life in a position of uncertainty. We can debate all day and night about Kobe’s relative place in history, but at the end of the day, we’ll still be miles away from any kind of resolution. That’s not because he’s borderline in any regard or even because his career is the farthest thing from over. It’s just because he’s Kobe. We care too much about the way he’s evaluated and perceived to let anything rest, and any conclusions that are drawn about Kobe’s legacy will be predicated on an endless string of praise and backlash against that praise, both from others and from within ourselves. I don’t think it’s impossible that even in Bryant’s 14th year in the league, we’re still not entirely sure what to make of him.
Read my full piece on Kobe Bryant, present and future, at Hardwood Paroxysm.
The Los Angeles Lakers visit the Dallas Mavericks:
8:00 CST
ESPN (or online at ESPN 360)
Posted by Rob Mahoney on February 22, 2010 under Previews |
No Game Is an Island has taken a brief break, but it’s back. Check back on game days for a more detailed look on the Mavs’ opponent du jour. No match-up breakdowns here; No Game Is an Island focuses on the macro or the micro to an extreme, giving you a bit of perspective on just about anything but the individual game itself.
The trade deadline has come and gone, and the Washington Wizards as we knew them have been completely destroyed. Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and DeShawn Stevenson, as you well know, are in Dallas, and former Mav Antawn Jamison is now a Cleveland Cavalier. But while those former Wizards are at least happy to have some separation from the mess in D.C., other talented players from around the league weren’t so fortunate. Enter Troy Murphy:
Antawn has the bigger name and the bigger game, but does that really make him so much more of a sympathetic figure than Murphy? The Arenas-Crittenton debacle was an obvious embarrassment for every member of the Wizards organization, but at the very least, it presented a scapegoat. Washington’s plan won’t work, and it’s all Gilbert’s fault. The team won’t make the playoffs again as presently constructed, and it’s all Gilbert’s fault. Grunfeld has to trade away all of the team’s best players immediately to plan for the future, and it’s all Gilbert’s fault. But in a lot of ways, Gil is the red herring; the Wizards were already 10-20 before the gun story ran wild, and that’s not only on Arenas, but also Grunfeld, Flip, Antawn, Caron, Brendan, et al. But Washington has Gil as the goat of all goats, which doesn’t make the situation any less tragic but does make the excuses all kinds of convenient.
Murphy has no one to hide behind. After all, whose fault is it that the Pacers are an awful 19-36, a full game behind the Wizards? Is it Danny Granger’s fault for refusing to diversify his game and regressing in his most valuable attribute? Is it Jim O’Brien’s fault for coaching a horrid offense? Is it Larry Bird for piecing together a mismatched, underwhelming roster? Or Mike Dunleavy for the way his body refuses to cooperate? Washington at least had the blessing (or maybe just the illusion) of certainty, whereas things in Indiana are so muddled they’re almost indistinguishable. With over $60 million in guaranteed salary for next season, little in the way of trade bait, and no prospects waiting to take the leap, Murphy is stuck in his own private hell.
Read my full piece on Murphy over at Hardwood Paroxysm.
Indiana Pacers visit the Dallas Mavericks
7:30 CST
Fox Sports SW
Posted by Rob Mahoney on December 31, 2009 under Previews |
If you had to pick the centerpiece of the Houston Rockets this season, it would probably be Trevor Ariza. Errrr, maybe it would be Aaron Brooks. Or Luis Scola. Or Shane Battier. Or Carl Landry. Or Chuck Hayes. In a vacuum completely devoid of traditional superstars, the redeeming value of the Rockets lies in their disregard for the traditional model. There was no desperation to play Tracy McGrady upon his return, or to make a deal for an overpaid quasi-star. Just a team full of professionals working hard and playing in concert, in part because Trevor Ariza, while good, falls short of great:
You could blame a lot of people for Ariza’s stunted offensive development, but it just seems natural for him to exist in his current state. As a Laker, Ariza’s skill set made him not a Kobe wannabe, but a welcome, unique part of a championship squad. And as a Rocket, Ariza’s physical tools would seemingly allow him to step into Tracy McGrady’s shoes, but his limitations allow him to be something so much more. If you were to pick out the teams of the NBA in the truest sense of the word, the Rockets would certainly be among them. Would that be the case if the divide in traditional statistical production between Ariza and his teammates was more notable? If his high number of shot attempts were a product of anything other than necessity?
Hardly. If Ariza had a more diverse offensive game, it’s probable that the Rockets would be improved as well. But everything we’ve come to know about them this season would be eclipsed by convention. Ariza’s mediocrity (which isn’t meant to be an insult) is part of what makes Houston so unbelievably charming, as if each clanging jumpshot or overambitious drive was only further evidence of Trevor being earnest. The Rockets are only the Rockets because of their delightful limitations, and to expect more of Ariza is to wish death upon the Rox as we know them.
Read my full thoughts on Trevor Ariza, the Houston Rockets, and the beauty of their limitations at Hardwood Paroxysm.
Posted by Rob Mahoney on December 22, 2009 under Previews |
For a team with a bright future, things in Portland are certainly dim. Greg Oden’s injury puts a damper on what could have been a successful season, and the point guard situation is far from resolved. They have an All-Star shooting guard and bright, young talent at virtually every position, yet the chemistry and rotation have become unexpected problems. The worst of it is this: regardless of what has worked for other teams in the past, there is no blueprint for team-building. There is no generic solution for the Blazers’ uniquely talented players, and though it sure beats being a lottery team, being rich with talent often presents its own new problems.
The Portland Trailblazers are an interesting case study on multiple levels, but particularly because their fortunes have been all over the place. Brandon Roy is clearly the star of the show, and rightfully so. He’s an incredibly talented offensive player who can produce without stymieing the greater team-wide vision. In fact, with a player of Roy’s particular talents and tendencies, you could go as far as to say that he excels within a team framework. There are certain NBA players who were born to win one-on-one tournaments. And for what it’s worth, Roy probably wouldn’t do too badly. That said, the true beauty of his game comes in how he controls the flow of the offense and manages space. He works the pick-and-roll beautifully, he draws extra defenders and finds the open man, and above all, Roy isn’t just capable of making the pass, but completely willing to. He’s humble. He’s a consummate professional. He’s hungry. And despite everything that has gone right for the Blazers in amassing their stable of young talent, it’s possible that they still haven’t figured out what kind of players are best-suited to flank Roy (and LaMarcus Aldridge, and whoever else is deemed part of the core).
It’s not as simple as taking a franchise model and plugging in Roy. His style is very much his own, and despite the temptation to assume that he would work the same in any number of systems with a precedent of talented shooting guards, that’s not the way it works. Just because the Bulls of the 90s, the Lakers of the early 2000s, and the current incarnation all run some version of the triangle offense, the personnel put their mark on the system. In those cases, you can hold the coach and the system constant, but that doesn’t make Luc Longley and Shaquille O’Neal one in the same. Players will always shape a system to make it unique, and great players typically have a more profound influence than is easily recognizable. As much as Roy is to be part of McMillan’s system, the system and the rotation must adjust to the specificities of Roy’s game.
Read my piece on Brandon Roy and the Blazers in its entirety at Hardwood Paroxysm.
Posted by Rob Mahoney on December 18, 2009 under Previews |
The Mavs have pleasantly surprised. Although it might be easy to dig up a Maverick die-hard who had faith in Dallas’ ability to develop a top-notch defense, I think you’d be hard pressed top back that argument with warrant and logic. Expecting such a prolific defensive display could possibly have labeled you as some kind of maniac, or worse, a homer.
But the Rockets have been a surprise in a completely different way. Whereas underestimating the Dallas defense was natural given the personnel (a supposedly slowing Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion, and the near-liabilities turned competent defenders, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry), the Rockets were underestimated due to a complete oversight of the power of a basketball cooperative. Each player compensates for the weakness of another, and though high-level talent separates Houston from the West’s elite, we all should have expected competence from a batch of skilled, highly-motivated ballplayers:
I don’t know if you heard, but over the Summer, the Houston Rockets essentially swapped Ron Artest for Trevor Ariza. The former is a bit of a wildcard, known for ill-advised 3s, elite perimeter defense, and something about snake eggs. The latter is a superb athlete, a tremendous wing defender, and an emerging shooting threat.
So why is it that the Houston Rockets were so woefully underestimated coming into the season, when the only significant difference between last year’s playoff team and this year’s would-be playoff time is the (occasionally bad) shot creating abilities of Artest?
I…I don’t know. Count me among the many that refused to acknowledge Houston’s potential. I didn’t see where the points were going to come from, even if Ariza is a young, talented player on a perfectly reasonable salary. Call me crazy, but I wasn’t sold on Aaron Brooks’ ability to score consistently, much less run an offense. And I saw some problems among their rotation of bigs, which had fallen to three productive if undersized power forwards in the absence of Yao Ming. Not only is none of that true, but we’ve seen virtually the opposite.
Read my thoughts on the Rockets in their entirety on Hardwood Paroxysm.
Posted by Rob Mahoney on December 16, 2009 under Previews |
Russell Westbrook has the potential to be a terrific player, even if his natural instincts tell him to take bad, long jumpers and drive into the lane without a plan of attack. Still, he intends well, and he’s the rare breed of NBA talent that boasts both tremendous athleticism and excellent work ethic.
Nothing comes easy for Russell Westbrook on the basketball court…except for the running and the leaping. But those skills make Westbrook more a track star than a legit NBA player. Yet Russell is considered one of the best young points in the league, and his dynamic, energetic play is one of the reasons why the Thunder are slowly invading the national consciousness. He boasts a rare combination of top-notch athleticism and maximum effort, two traits which are almost antithetical in today’s NBA. The league’s athletic freaks typically coast on their natural gifts for far too long, temporarily halting their development and limiting their opportunities. Those that aren’t blessed with that athleticism typically opt towards honing a particular skill or simply outwork everyone else on the floor. But despite his ridiculous ups and explosive speed, Westbrook has managed to stay grounded.
Read my full post on Westbrook here.
The Dallas Mavericks visit the Okahoma City Thunder
7:00 CST
ESPN
Posted by Rob Mahoney on December 8, 2009 under Previews |
Steve Nash was able to accomplish plenty with the Mavs, but it wasn’t until he landed in Phoenix that his particular talents were in full effect. The Seven Seconds or Less system is as much Nash’s as it is Mike D’Antoni’s, and though Pringles is coaching in the Garden these days (where the grass isn’t quite greener), Alvin Gentry has made it his mission to return the Suns to their roots. Watching Phoenix this season has been a treat, and even though having a competitive Suns team isn’t great news for the Mavs in terms of the playoff race, it’s terrific that Dallas again has another foil. Beyond that, it’s simply brilliant that the most energizing and mesmerizing offensive system of recent history has found its rightful home. This is Phoenix Suns basketball in its purest form, which is not only a brilliant display on the hardwood, but the truest equivalent of life itself in the NBA:
Mike D’Antoni may not have been a prophet, but he was certainly a philosopher. The trademark of D’Antoni’s Suns was always their mortality, and I think that legacy has lived on through this current team. The Seven Seconds or Less squads wear (or wore) their vulnerabilities on their sleeve, but their mortality comes as much from leading a particularly vulnerable existence as it does from finding exuberance in it. These teams, in all of their fast-breaking splendor and glory, know how to live. They know how to play a bit, too, but the defining legacy of the Mike D’Antoni era in Phoenix (which lives on today) should be the Suns’ artful display of basketball as life.
Maybe the hustle and the bustle of the Suns doesn’t quite fit your living style, but who could possibly claim that the exaggerated in-game highs and lows of the Suns — the 20-point lead built and swallowed by a 5-25 run, the 3-point barrages followed by defensive letdowns — aren’t basketball’s most fitting equivalent of life on the outside? It’s not about the 9-5 grind, and it’s not necessarily about winning all the time; the Suns’ existence is predicated on winning more than you lose, embracing who you are, playing by your own rules, learning to live through the ups and downs, and remembering that the line between work and play doesn’t have to be crystal clear. They work hard, they score points, and they play basketball like it’s a game worth playing. They may not have the talent of the Lakers or the convention of the Spurs, but this is a team of hard workers and ball players with a plan. I don’t know if that plan means anything in the Western Conference playoff picture this season, and in the grand scheme of things I’m not sure it matters all that much. If there were ever a solid case to be made against the championship being the end-all of athletic conquests, it would have to be the Suns, who may have discovered along the way to 60-win seasons and the Conference Finals that the journey is perhaps the worthier part.
Follow the yellow brick road over to Hardwood Paroxysm to read my whole piece on the Suns vis a vis life.
Tip-off in Dallas at 7:30 CST.
Posted by Rob Mahoney on December 2, 2009 under Previews |
The Dallas Mavericks visit the New Jersey Nets
6:30 CST
Tonight’s game may mean everything in the world to the woeful New Jersey Nets, but for Dallas, it’s just one in 82. Maybe it’s another match-up with Devin Harris, or maybe it’s just a defensive test against a lightning-quick point guard. Maybe it’s another trip back to NJ for Jason Kidd, or maybe it’s just another chance for the Mavs to put away a lesser team. It’s a night on the schedule and a day in the office.
If the Nets lose tonight’s game and claim the worst start in NBA history, that’s on them. Dallas would be just one of New Jersey’s 18 losses, . So even though it may seem like the Mavs have a chance to make a run at history, in reality they merely have the opportunity to kick a team while they’re down, crush an already demoralized fan base, and register yet another win. Then again, while I see little reason for the Mavs to want to demoralize the Nets, could anything possibly be more consistent with the Mavs’ M.O. this season? If Dallas really is a team of dream killers and soul crushers, could there possibly be any more emphatic statement than destroying the Nets’ only hope?
So while I am sympathetic to New Jersey’s plight (especially because of their miserable run of injuries), I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing the Mavs take yet another step to further establish their team identity. It’s time to be ruthless — not for the sake of the record books, but for the sake of letting the league know that the Dallas Mavericks will eat you alive.
Posted by Rob Mahoney on November 24, 2009 under Previews |
The Golden State Warriors visit the Dallas Mavericks
7:30 CST
Don Nelson, Papa Bear of the chaotic entity that is the Golden State Warriors, has a complex relationship with his players. So complex, in fact, that I get the distinct feeling that he enjoys throwing everything into the fire just to see if it’ll burn. He ordains Monta Ellis the point guard of the future for the Dubs, just before openly bashing Ellis’ game and drafting Steph Curry to take his job. He hands Stephen Jackson an oversized check and smiles for the photo op, and then can’t manage to appease his team’s most talented player when all goes to hell. He drafts Brandan Wright and Anthony Randolph, lauds their high ceilings and shiny chandeliers, and then digs them a hole under the bench. He’s not a simple man, that Nelson, and claiming to understand him is, in itself, an act of considerable arrogance.
So I won’t bother. I don’t know what caused Nelson to do all of those things, or what led him to believe Antoine Walker would work out as a point-center, or why he decided one morning to hand the team to Avery Johnson. But I do know that Nellie, for all of his glory as an unconventional offensive mastermind, has marred his time with the Warriors by making mistake after mistake after mistake. Any magic that the bay once had is long since gone, and the heroes of “We Believe” have been chased from the city limits by an angry Nellie and his torch. It’s not Nelson’s fault that the team’s design was flawed, or that Baron Davis or Stephen Jackson gave in to their lesser, more selfish instincts. But is is Nelson’s fault that Chris Mullin is now an outcast, and it’s on Nelson that this team disintegrated in a truly spectacular fashion. That’s item 1-A in Nellie’s playbook, and the only reason Dallas was spared was because of a strong team infrastructure, a stable talent base, and an owner with enough dislike for Nelson (by the end of his tenure, anyway) that he simply refused to let it happen.
But on occasion, even the deranged antics of a self-involved diva of a coach are at the mercy of basketball’s supernatural forces. Enough was enough, and though the people of Warrior Nation have yet to be relieved of Nelson entirely, they were granted one small token by destiny itself: Anthony Randolph.
In a way, Randolph was the ultimate tease. He redefined summer league dominance, carrying his momentum into the regular season with all the fanfare a depressed fan base could muster…and began the season with the resounding boom of just ten minutes of playing time. A team so desperate for big men that they employ Mikki Moore, and there were so few minutes to be had for perhaps the team’s brightest young star.
But over time, fate has forced Nelson’s hand. Foul trouble. Injuries. More Injuries. A few more injuries, just for kicks. And now the Warriors are essentially eight deep, and that’s if you’re willing to count the contributions of Moore and Chris Hunter. It’s the perfect opportunity for Randolph to break free of the stockades, and though his versatile game and bizarre gait don’t infuse the Warriors with a sense of order or purpose, sometimes it’s enough just to get one fan off the ledge. Nellie has tried his damnedest to keep this franchise in a box since 2007, and though Randolph is impressive enough to be notable without being earth-shattering, it’s a bit tricky to fit a 6′11” frame and that much game into such rigid confines.
It’s sad to see the once beloved Don Nelson of old become nothing more than the crabby old man next door. Especially so when you consider that Randolph, a lanky, unconventional, and talented big man, is the prime target of his tirades. How might things have turned out differently for the Mavs if Nellie took the same approach eleven years ago with a lanky, unconventional, and talented Maverick big man? Nellie was probably the best guy for the job of properly unshelling Dirk Nowitzki, and though his reputation isn’t quite what it used to be, that relationship was a bit of serendipity for the Mavs organization. Dirk simply isn’t Dirk without the opportunities and teachings that were afforded him by Nelson, and as an appreciator of fine talent and strange, versatile combo forwards, I can only hope that Randolph is given a bit of the same.
Posted by Rob Mahoney on November 18, 2009 under Previews |
The San Antonio Spurs visit the Dallas Mavericks
8:30 CST
With everyone’s favorite Maverick (and I mean EVERYONE), Erick Dampier, on the shelf for tonight’s game, Drew Gooden will have his first real go as a starter against a quality big. Drew is coming off of back-to-back double-doubles against the Pistons and the Bucks, and in both games he was indispensable. Here are Gooden’s stats over the last two:
| PPG | RPG | ORPG | TOPG | FG% | +/- |
| 16.5 | 12.5 | 3.5 | 1.0 | .619 | +13 |
But Andrew Bogut is no Tim Duncan. Ben Wallace is no Tim Duncan. Hell, Ben Wallace is barely Ben Wallace these days. That could translate to some big trouble for the Mavs, who are forced to start Drew Gooden in a situation in which they would normally start Erick Dampier. But this is also a case where Drew can prove his value to this team, and hopefully demonstrate some versatility.
In this test run, Drew Gooden is playing on borrowed minutes. Duncan is precisely the type of center that the Mavs would counter with the strength of Erick Dampier, but tonight they have no such luxury. Gooden is the choice to start by default, which, and forgive me for oversimplifying here, essentially means that there will be one of two possible outcomes:
- Drew Gooden plays well. He holds his own on the defensive end, making Tim Duncan work for his points and rotates well to contest penetration. Gooden scores on some Dampier-esque garbage buckets as well as dropping a few buckets when left to his own devices in the post. He uses up minutes at the 5 without being a liability on the floor, and he takes full advantage of this free opportunity.
- Drew Gooden falls in line with expectation. He allows Duncan, Blair, and McDyess to bully him in the post and on the glass. Gooden floats on defense, not committing to any particular man or system, but feigning activity. He uses up shot attempts at the 5 when there are better offensive options on the floor, and he stops the offense in order to maximize his own opportunities.
I would say it’s up to Drew, but it’s hardly that simple. Still, the fact remains that this is a free opportunity for Gooden to gain some ground on Erick Dampier for a consistent starting gig. If the Mavs’ starting center job really is a meritocratic endeavor, then Drew has nothing to lose tonight, but a lot to gain. A big night tonight would likely translate to more opportunities against a greater variety of opponents, and would shift the chips in Gooden’s favor as a default starter. Unless Gooden is content to let Damp ride shotgun, he should try his damnedest to prove himself against the very breed of center Drew was never supposed to prove himself against.