MaveRick Carlisle

With the Dallas Mavericks inserting Rick Carlisle as the franchise's newest head coach, I decided to take a look why exactly Carlisle was fired as head coaching in Detroit and Indiana after experiencing a respectable amount of success. It was Carlisle, after all, who turned around a Detroit team and created today's always-in-contention Pistons. True it was Larry Brown who led them to their 2004 title, but the work Carlisle did to get them to that point cannot be discounted.

Here's what I got...

There is some similarities to the knocks against Carlisle as their were to Avery Johnson in 2006-07, according to this column by ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher.

That, of course, is part of the rap on Carlisle -- that he has sacrificed the team's playoff readiness by playing it too close to the vest in the name of grinding out regular-season victories. And I wholeheartedly agree that playoff success for players and coaches is a more important measuring stick than regular-season accomplishments.

So Carlisle apparently gassed the Pistons going into the playoffs much like Avery Johnson did in 2006-07, when Dallas went on to win 67 games but fizzled in the postseason. Definitely not what you wanna see, because - let's face it - it's all about postseason success.

Carlisle was let go in Detroit after consecutive 50-win seasons, but the Pistons finished the head coach's second season by getting swept in the playoffs by Jason Kidd's New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals. The 2003 Eastern Conference's top seed belonged to Detroit, but the Nets were #2 with only one less win than the Pistons. Furthermore, the Nets only lost two games the entire playoffs before entering the Finals against San Antonio. Regardless, the Pistons removed Carlisle simply because Larry Brown became available, according to this Bucher column.

I can tell you I've been told managing partner William Davidson, team president Tom Wilson and basketball operations president Joe Dumars felt Carlisle was too rigid in how he dealt with the front office as well as his playing rotation. Or that the Pistons probably would've hung with Carlisle for the final year of his contract if Larry Brown hadn't become both available and amenable to moving to Detroit. And that the postseason performances of rookies Tayshaun Prince and Mehmet Okur drew criticism that Carlisle should have had them in his rotation the entire season. Carlisle also had a couple of vets in the locker room privately questioning his adjustments and playing-time distribution.

But fire the guy? After only two years as a head coach? After winning Coach of the Year his first season and directing a team with clearly less talent than the Pacers, Raptors, Hornets, Celtics and Nets -- and arguably Magic and 76ers as well -- to the Eastern Conference's best record?

Wait a second. Malcontent between coach and front office? Not playing rookies/young talent to management's desires? Players questioning the coach? Didn't the Mavericks just get rid of this coach?

I still don't know if the Mavericks needed a change. The problem was more with a Mavericks team that continued to be wrapped in duct tape each season since the 2006 Finals appearance in an attempt to hold some semblance of a contender together.

Back to Carlisle. The next season, he resurfaced in Indiana as head coach of the Pacers. Lots of talent: Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, Reggie Miller in the twilight of his career, Jermaine O'Neal. Not surprising this team became the best in the league in 2003-04.

In the Pacers' first year under Carlisle in 2003-04, they went 61-21 for the best record in the NBA, and the club reached the Eastern Conference finals. Indiana started the 2004-05 season in similar fashion, winning six of its first eight games.
Then came Nov. 19, 2004.

Artest went into the stands after a Detroit Pistons fan he thought doused him with a beverage, and some of his teammates joined in the melee. Artest was suspended for 73 games and the playoffs, and teammates Jermaine O'Neal, Jackson and Anthony Johnson were given shorter suspensions.

The remaining Pacers clawed their way to a 44-38 record and the second round of the playoffs, but Pacers fans were upset that Miller's final season ended that way. (read entire article)

The Pacers - after starting so hot under Carlisle - just weren't responding to him, and after such a promising start, people were calling for Carlisle's head. Here's the beginning of a column by Rick Teverbaugh of the Herald Bulletin in Indiana.

Now is the time to evaluate the Indiana Pacers. And, unfortunately, I can come to no conclusion except that Rick Carlisle has to be replaced as head coach.

In pro sports, you can’t replace most of your team, and the majority of the team’s talent just doesn’t fit in with Carlisle’s coaching style.

Carlisle is one of the league’s better coaches and still a young man by coaching standards. He will land on his feet and maybe even coach a championship team in time. My guess would be that Seattle might snap him up if the team fires former Indiana coach Bo Hill at season’s end.

Indiana has a young team with a lot of talent individually, but getting those talents to merge into a successful unit is another matter entirely. The Pacers probably need to be mobile and fluid on offense and hard-nosed on defense. Right now, they are neither.

Okay, I have to ask.  Did the Mavericks just hire Avery 2.0?

To some degree, I hope so. Avery is a Coach of the Year and led a team to the NBA Finals. The Mavericks were good under Don Nelson, but it took a shake up (replacing Nellie with Avery) to get this team over the hump. Now, less than four seasons after Avery took over (with his can-do-no-wrong coaching start a distant memory), the Mavericks are once again trying to shake things up.

Dallas is clinging to the remnants of their Western Conference championship team, and the hope is that a new face preaching what appears will be a similar message is what the Mavericks need. If it's true that Avery simply wasn't getting through to the players, then it's safe to say this is where Carlisle needs to be at his best. Interesting then that when Carlisle was fired by the Pacers just last seasons, he had similar issues.

Carlisle acknowledged his struggles to connect with the players.

"It's a people business, and communication is really important," Carlisle said. "You can never be too good a communicator. It's something I want to continue to work on." (read entire AP article)

Mavs fans can only hope the 2001 Coach of the Year has learned from his stints in Detroit and Indiana, and that things fall into place in Dallas.

I don't know if it will work. The evidence says the Mavericks are an aging team with no youth (save Brandon Bass), no draft picks, and no chance to improve with the current roster. Dallas fired Avery Johnson because things weren't working despite a rosy start. Dallas has been declining since the 2006 Finals collapse against Miami, as demonstrated by the 2007 playoff fiasco against Golden State.

Carlisle did turn around Detroit, but I'd say it's easier to take a 30-52 team and turn them into a 50-32 team than it will be for the newest MaveRick to take this 51-31 team back to the top of an increasingly competitive Western Conference.

Sexson Suspended

After Seattle Mariner Richie Sexson essentially went nuts and charged the mound during last night's game against the Rangers, MLB handed down a 6-game suspension for the big guy. Good. His blow up was completely uncalled for! I still haven't been able to find anything on the internet defending Sexson charging the mound.

Have you found anything?

TEX 5, SEA 0: Stupid Sexson

What was Richie Sexson thinking?

The 11-year veteran should know better than to charge the mound after a pitch by Kason Gabbard that didn't even seem to brush him back (VIDEO). Was it high? Yes. High for someone of Sexson's height (6'8")? Yes. But did it seem to merit charging the mound? Absolutely not.

And not only that, but the Seattle Mariner decided to take off his helmet and fling it at Gabbard while he was running toward the mound. Um, excuse me? He didn't even look like someone who knew how to charge the mound. He looked like a crazy person in the purist sense of the word. The pitch didn't really look like it was near him, but I guess Sexson felt it was a revenge pitch perhaps (two Rangers had already been plunked ... then again, TEX already had a 4-0 lead too).

Apparently the Rangers broadcaster called out Sexson for his best attempt at personifying the phrase "crazy train."

The brawl-sparking Sexson also perplexed Dallas Morning News blogger Richard Durrett.

I had to go back to the DMN Rangers blog and several other online sources to look for what exactly caused Sexson to apparently flip out and go after Gabbard. I couldn't find anything. The article on the Mariners team website even notes that the pitch wasn't much of a threat to Sexson.

SEATTLE -- Mariners first baseman Richie Sexson precipitated a bench-clearing incident in the fourth inning Thursday night, when he charged the mound after ducking away from a high pitch thrown by Rangers left-hander Kason Gabbard.

The first pitch of the at-bat wasn't that far inside, but Sexson threw down his bat, removed his helmet, charged the mound, threw his helmet at the pitcher and then wrestled Gabbard to the ground.

The 5-0 win gives the Rangers a series win over Seattle, putting them in 3rd in the AL West.  Texas is still six games back of Oakland and LA/Anaheim, but they have shown great signs of life over the last week or so.  Granted, the Rangers did commit an error in tonight's game (surprise!), but it didn't come back to hurt them on the scoreboard.

Also keep in mind tonight's win was without All-Star SS Michael Young (hip flexor, day-to-day).  Great outing by Gabbard tonight, despite having to leave after his leg started bothering him after the scuffle.

Rangers 5, Mariners 0 (recap) (box score)

Armada Audio

Today the LB Armada held open tryouts before training camp next week. Two of the Armada arms who signed in April were on hand and voiced their thoughts on the upcoming season. Check it out.

VOW: 1999 Stars montage

I'll never forget the Cup-winning call as long as I live. Deep in the heart of Texas, the Stars are shining! With Dallas advancing to the conference finals for the first time since reaching the Cup Finals in 2000, the comparisons to that magical '99 team have already begun. So let's revisit the 1999 NHL playoffs and the current co-GM's championship goal.

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Mavericks Memories

Cowboys/Bills MNF

It's okay to be wrong

In reading Mavericks owner Mark Cuban's blog about his thoughts on the Mavericks after their recent playoff exit, something struck me as odd.

Not the fact that Mark was writing about the state of the franchise (which if you regularly read his blog, you know is relatively rare).  One sentence in his entire post about the state of the Mavericks struck me, and I haven't been able to shake it.

In regards to the Jason Kidd trade: "...I know I would make the same deal again."

Um, Mark, I don't know if you noticed, but as long as you're going to play the hindsight game, it's okay to admit a mistake.  Granted, I can understand if he doesn't want to do that while J-Kidd is still a Maverick, but at least don't publish those words.

No one would blame you for saying, "Well, the trade didn't work out as we hoped."  It appears it didn't.

In this same post, Cuban talked about losing Steve Nash to the Suns and what it did for the Canadian's career.

i also know what I learned from Nash leaving. As great an offensive coach as Nellie is, Nash wasn't playing at MVP levels with us. A change of scenery and coaches and system, some payback motivation and he became a very, very deserving 2 time MVP.

My hope, is that with the changes that have taken place with our Mavs, we will see the same effect with JKidd this coming year, and that will lead to another great year and another and a Mavs championship along the way. If it doesn't work, we hopefully have limited our downside

The effect Nash had on the Suns (and vice versa) is not the effect Kidd had here.  And if the latter end of the 2007-08 season is any indication, the change of scenery for Kidd won't have that effect next season as Mark hopes.

By the way, I hope I'm dead wrong.  It's no secret I'm a huge Mavericks fan.  I hope that all it takes is one training camp and one full season to get this thing going with Kidd and Dirk together.  The optimist in me says 2008-09 will be a bounce-back year where the Mavs break their string of recent playoff failures.  The person in me who watched the Dallas-New Orleans series, however, thinks the optimist in me is on Prozac.

The Mavericks are returning a core that - despite the criticism that says they aren't tough enough - got to the NBA Finals in 2006.  Dirk, Jet, Josh, Damp and Stack.  They got there in '06.  And despite the recent yet drastic decline of Jerry Stackhouse from super-sub to super-scrub, the acquisition of Kidd demonstrated a new level Erick Dampier is capable of.

Dirk, Jet and Josh should ideally be getting better or at least still be just as good.  Dirk and Jet I feel are currently plateauing at the pinnacle of their careers.  The hope for the Mavericks lies within what Josh Howard does.  If he improves to the All-Star caliber forward everyone expected, then the Mavs can compete - and contend - in the West.  If he continues his latest regression on the court (all the pot talk aside), the Mavs will hurt.

With the performance of both Dirk and Jet only really capable of declining, the Mavericks window is now with no bright spots of the future currently on the roster.

That is why the upcoming season concerns me so much.  It is the last bullet in the chamber.  The Mavericks have one more year to get it done and make a final run at returning to the top of the West and getting back to the NBA Finals.

From Cuban's standpoint, the upcoming season is the reason we got J-Kidd.  The two months we just witnesses were merely a dress rehearsal.   A disappointing one? Sure, but not the only chance.  Well that "only chance" is rapidly approaching.

So if Mark Cuban is so dead-set that he would make that deal again, the proof of that confidence will reveal it self over the next year.  I can only hope - as Mark hopes for next season - that he's right.

Blow up doll blow up

All the attention and talk about the Chicago White Sox blow up doll in the club house is starting to get obnoxious. Despite the views of some people that this proves the entire White Sox organization is sexist, this was merely a harmless display set up by the players to counteract a recent hitting slump.

That's it. Period.

The Chicago Sun Times had several stories regarding this blow up (pun intended)...

The gimmick, called a slump buster, apparently was put together to help the White Sox snap out of a recent losing streak. On Saturday, Sox players shaved the head of one of Guillen's coaches, another uneffective trick.

"This was in the same spirit," Sox spokesman Scott Reifert said. "In terms of taste I think people would find it tasteless. They were just trying to get the bats going."

Reifert said players have "burned bats, kissed bats, slept with their bats, blessed their bats, you name it."

On Sunday, the bats were circled around the two naked female dolls, one of whom had a bat inserted in its backside to prop it up. Each wore a sign over her breasts, one saying "Let's Go White Sox" and the other reading "You've Got to Push," the National Post in Toronto reported.

I seriously doubt that the players in the White Sox club house thought to themselves, "Ya know what, I think women are second class citizens, so let's set up a blow up doll shrine to denigrate women while telling people it's to stop our hitting slump."

I truly feel the (over)reaction and uproar to this issue has been unnecessary. And I wouldn't be surprised if things like this happened in other club houses across Major League Baseball. I realize that the "boys being boys" defense isn't going to fly here (and the White Sox aren't defending the incident as such). At the same time, however, I think the White Sox are entitled to do whatever they want in their own club house.

This wasn't on the field or in the dugout. Many media members in radio, TV and print have called this despicable, sexist, etc, etc because they as media have to go into the club house to do their jobs. Get over it. It was a few bats around two blow up dolls. One bat was being used to prop up a doll.

*gasp*

Why is this a big deal?

The hang up is over the fact that women work in the media, and if women are in the club house, then this sort of display is offensive and should not be tolerated.

Okay, let's roll with that thought for just a second...

Sure, this might make someone feel uncomfortable. Then again, foul or abusive language might make someone feel just as uncomfortable. Should athletes be restricted from using foul language? NASCAR fined Little E and docked him points in the cup standings for cursing in 2004.  That happened over a live TV broadcast.  This blow up doll "shrine" existed in the privacy of the Sox club house.

Or how about this.  In many club houses or locker rooms, teams will play music before or after games.  What if some of the songs being played have contain a racial slur and someone of a slurred race is working as a media member in the locker room to cover the team?  Should that reporter consider this an indictment of an entire organization or - more rationally - the simply musical likings of a few individuals.

In the Sox's case, this appears to be a simple prank-like set up to ease tension in the locker room amidst a hitting slump rather than an organizational backlash against women.

One Sun Times columnist is even go so far as to condemn White Sox GM Ken Williams, chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and MLB commish Bud Selig. You've got to be kidding. How can this be an indictment of all of major league baseball? I realize I said I wouldn't be surprised if this sort of thing happened in other club houses (and I wouldn't be), but how does this columnist go off on baseball in general while in the same column saying that she wouldn't see something like this happening in the Yankees club house or the Red Sox club house because they have some magical mystical leadership.

For anyone offended, the White Sox front office apologized for the blow up doll display. Manager Ozzie Guillen did not. Frankly, I'm glad he didn't.

"I'm not going to say I'm sorry. I don't know what to say. I can't come up with the words, because as soon as I say that, that means I'm guilty of something. I'm not. I'm not guilty. ... We just had a plastic thing sitting on a table and, wow, we're bad people," he said.

No, you aren't bad people - at least not for this. Ozzie Guillen has had his moments for which he's needed to be apologetic (calling Jay Mariotti a "british cigarette"), but this isn't one of them.

Save me! Game 6: Stars win 2-1 (4OT)

I arrived at a sports bar - the only one in this area of North Orange County that actually got the Versus network - at 5:45pm Pacific time to watch Game 6 between the Stars and Sharks. By the time Brenden Morrow scored the game-winning goal, the clock read 11:34pm. The eighth-longest game in NHL history proved to be worth the wait for Dallas, as the Stars advanced to the conference finals with a 2-1, 4OT victory at American Airlines Center.


Marty Turco was simply outstanding. While Evgeni Nabokov's glove save on Brad Richards just above the line (way back in OT #1) was spectacular, the kick-save Turco made at the other end equaled Nabokov's brilliance. When hockey broadcasters use the phrase "kick save" they typically mean the goalie flinched his leg to deflect a puck traveling closer to the ice than a higher shot. This was truly a KICK save. Marty rivaled the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders as he shot his right leg into the air to halt a shot midway through the first OT.

Shot after shot, Turco simply turned the Sharks away, stopping a franchise-record 61 shots on goal.

The two unquestioned leaders for this Dallas team during the post season - Morrow and Turco - proved to be the catalyst for advancing. I still can't decide which was bigger: Morrow's game-winning goal or his jaw-shattering hit on Machalak just before the end of regulation. Machalak might have the outline of that "C" imprinted on his face after Morrow sent him to the ice. Morrow simply destroyed him, and then followed up the hit - only an hour and nine minutes of ice time later - with the series clincher.

There was a lot of talk about how the Stars needed to win tonight or else they would have blown their 3-0 series lead and had to play game seven back in San Jose to decide the series. Turns out the Stars and Sharks ended up playing a seventh game, and even got 9:03 into an eighth before Morrow closed out the conference semifinals series with his goal.

Fortunately the Stars will have some time to regroup - and just plain sleep - before they start their conference finals series against the hated Detroit Red Wings on Thursday in Motown. (conference finals schedules)

Conference Semifinals Recap:
Game 1 - STARS 3, Sharks 2 (OT)
Game 2 - STARS 5, Sharks 2
Game 3 - Sharks 1, STARS 2 (OT)
Game 4 - SHARKS 2, Stars 1
Game 5 - Stars 2, SHARKS 3 (OT)
Game 6 - Sharks 1, STARS 2 (4OT)

** Looking at this series, it's very comforting to know the Stars earned three of their four wins in overtime, including the marathon last night/this morning. That ability to close out games in OT will definitely work to their advantage as the playoffs continue.

By the way, in looking to the NBA, the Boston Celtics proved why it's always nice to have home court/ice/field advantage in the playoffs. While it's never a good idea to lose three games to a team that you're expected to sweep, the C's simply held serve four times in this opening round series to advance to Round 2. And frankly that's all they need to do. It's foolish to think they can win an NBA title by only winning at home and losing each road game, but this does show the benefit of a higher seed.

Boston doesn't have to worry about NEEDING to win a road game. It would certainly help, and all those Celtics fans could probably sleep better at night. But it's not a necessity. So when a top seed like the C's do win on the road, it's really just icing on the cake.

The Stars - the underdog in each series thus far - have been fortunate enough to open each of their first two series with consecutive road wins. It's safe to say that will be a much tougher task going to Detroit. Once again, if the Stars can simply steal on game in Motown, they own home ice advantage the rest of the way. The Red Wings task is a much simpler one: just defend Joe Louis Arena while - if possible - also taking a game in Dallas.

The puck drops for Game 1 of Detroit/Dallas on Thursday. The Dallas Stars are only four wins away from the Stanley Cup Finals. Just knowing that will make it easier for me to sleep tonight - which is nice considering how late the game ended.

Objects in mirror...

Attention American League West. Attention American League West. Please be advised, the Texas Rangers are starting to figure out this whole "baseball" thing.

Thanks to a four-game winning streak, Arlington's Boys of Summer are showing signs of life, and they're doing it from the mound. Despite the Angels 5.5 game lead in the AL West, the Rangers have demonstrated why they have an ability to not plummet down the standings as they did to open the 2007 campaign.

Amazing to think that just a week ago manager Ron Washington was all but fired. Now the Rangers have had several solid pitching performances. Last night, A.J. Murray took the ball for Texas and threw 5.1 innings to get the win (TEX 6, OAK 3). It doesn't hurt when David Murphy blasts a three-run HR in the 1st inning to give you a lead before you have to throw a single pitch.

The night before, the Rangers opened their three-game set in Oakland with a 4-3 win (highlights) thanks in large part to a struggling Athletics fielding unit and by playing some small-ball. The Rangers scored their runs on sac-flies or ground-outs and an A's throwing error. It got the job done.

Now I realize the A's are not supposed to contend this season, but they are not on the Texas Rangers rebuilding plan - a nine-year period of delaying expectations two seasons at a time. Both the A's and the Rangers produce errors at an alarming rate. Texas is tied with Florida and Pittsburgh with the most errors in MLB so far this year (32) while the A's are second in the AL (27). Texas, however, has been getting things going at the plate. So far in this young season, Texas has the third-highest batting average in the AL (.269), trailing only Boston (.285) and LAA (.274).

But the surprising aspect of this current four-game winning streak, as I said, starts on the mound. The Rangers have been getting solid performances from their starters, taking some of the pressure off their bullpen. Texas is currently second-to-last in MLB in ERA (5.18), and last in strikeouts (155) while leading baseball with 142 walks. Pitching seems like an unlikely place for the Rangers to find success.

Now, hold on, don't jump all over me because I referred to what the Rangers are doing as "pitching success." I realize it's not success like the Diamondbacks have in Brandon Webb (7-0), but it's good enough for what the Texas bats ca produce.

Yesterday, the bullpen gave up exactly 0 hits in 3 2/3 innings of work. The day before that, 2 hits, 0 runs. On May 1 against KC, starter Sidney Ponson went 8.0 IP and gave up only one run before CJ Wilson closed up shop to get the save. The Rangers starters gave up a few runs but not enough to really hurt the club's chance at winning the game. In those three games, the Rangers only produced 2, 4 and 6 runs. This is an organization in the top 10 in RBI (136), so if the pitching staff can keep things tight, the bats will provide the firepower to get the W.

Today, the Rangers - having already clinched the upper hand in their third consecutive series look to earn their second 3-game series sweep of the season.

First pitch: 3:05pm CDT
Probable SP
TEX - Scott Feldman (0-0)
OAK - Greg Smith (2-1)

By the way, I completed my 1445-mile drive last night and even had time to stop in Phoenix to catch a perfectly-timed Diamondbacks-Mets game at Chase Field.  Ace Brandon Webb got the win, as he always does, to push his record to MLB-leading 7-0.  The D-Backs lead the Majors with 21 wins.  Amazing watching him pitch.

A few pictures from my road trip / stop at Chase Field...

The exterior of Chase Field (formerly Bank One Ballpark)

The view from my front-row seat in left field...

I had to wear my Rangers garb to support TEX amid their four-game winning streak...

After the game, I just drove west into the sunset until I reached LA...

Go west young man

Today, I leave for Los Angeles for the summer. I'll be working for the Long Beach Armada, a minor league baseball team in the Golden Baseball League, doing play-by-play for their road games and working as the on-field MC when they play at home. Should be a lot of fun. I'll definitely make sure to post a link so you can hear me call the games.

I'm going to do my best to keep things rolling here at No Joshin' but do be patient as there probably won't be too much new content over the next few days while I make the 1450-miles drive out there.

- Josh

VOW: Mavericks Memories

This week's VOW offers a triple-dose of Mavs Memories from the turn of the century. Back then, Dirk had a crewcut and guys named Finley and Nash were celebrated in Dallas.

Here's a clip of rookie Dirk in the rookie-sophomore game. I was astonished by him going to the rim. Not the Dirk we see these days (granted, this was in an exhibition game)


Remember the 2001 playoff win over Utah in Game 5? So great. Reunion Arena was truly rockin. Watch this video from 2:59 to 3:46 to avoid all the other fluff. How weird is it that I will never forget the name of Calvin Booth.



One year later, the Mavericks were back in the playoffs and taking it to the T-Wolves in the first round. Some of Michael Finley's dunks in this clip look like something the current Mavs only dream of. And the circus shot Steve Nash gets to drop is something out of a pipe dream (*cough* Josh Howard *cough)




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Cowboys/Bills MNF '07

Thoughts on Avery's press conference

Based on what Avery Johnson just said at his farewell press conference, the Mavericks are in some trouble. Or they have been for some time.

When talking about the 2006-07, 67-win, first-round-exiting Mavericks, Johnson said that team "significantly overachieved" and that in regards to this 2007-08 team, it was "a miracle we made the playoffs." That's probably not a good thing for the Mavericks franchise if the Little General is correct. If this team was not a playoff team yet managed to claw its way into the 7th seed, Johnson should probably have been rewarded rather than discarded.

So if that's how Avery feels about it, I'm guessing Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson (so really just Mark Cuban) feel this team should have been a playoff team. Maybe this was supposed to be a playoff team because they were in the finals just two years ago (but so was the league's worst team, the Miami Heat). Being two years removed from the finals doesn't guarantee a playoff berth. If Cuban and Donnie agreed with Avery's assessment that the team overachieved in '07 and miraculously made the postseason in '08, Johnson would still be the Mavs head coach.

Johnson played the role of politician, refusing to really step out of line other than saying that he wasn't cool with the fact that he was out of a job, but the coach spoke with pride about his team's accomplishments over the past three seasons.

Avery also laid out his guidelines for what it takes to be a championship team. Read this and then think if the Mavericks have any of these pieces (not if they had them in 2006 when they were so close to a championship, but if they have them now).

A. Superstar player
B. Strong center position
C. Guard that can dribble-drive, get to free throw line
D. Depth on bench
E. Experience on coaching staff

Right now, the Mavericks have one of those five key components. They have a superstar in Dirk Nowitzki.

Strong center position?
Erick Dampier? Um. He does play the center position. But Dampier has hands like the Caretaker in Scary Movie 2, and there is no one behind him who is a true center. So no strong center.

A guard who can get to the free throw line.
The Mavs have a great point guard in Devin Harris who will be a great player for-- Wait, what? We don't don't have him anymore? Oh. Oh yeah, the Kidd trade. Hmm. So the Mavericks had that key part of a championship team in the making. Avery said Devin Harris was on his way to being an 18 and 8 player and a player at an all-star level. While that may be true, Johnson did not badmouth Kidd or the trade for the veteran point guard. But if Harris is on his way to that level, why'd we ever get rid of him???

Jason Terry can drive to the basket sparingly, but he's more a shooter than someone who drives and kicks or drives and creates his own shots. So no guard who can dribble-drive and get to the free throw line.

Depth on the bench?
Brandon Bass will probably start for this team next year, but even if he doesn't, he's the only one on the bench. Devean George showed flashes in Game 5, but not the other 86 games this year. Jerry Stackhouse has fallen off from where he was as a could-be NBA 6th Man in 2006. Stack was instant offense. Now he's instantly awful. Sorry, Stack. Malik Allen, Tyrone Lue, Antoine Wright, Jose-Juan Barea, Juwan Howard? (trying not to laugh) So no depth on the bench.

Experience on the coaching staff?
The Mavs had that when they went to the finals (Del Harris). If Mark Cuban is telling the truth that the next Mavs coach isn't already on the bench, then there's a chance the new coach brings in his own coaches. So this we can't really gage, so right now it's an incomplete.

If that's what it takes to win a championship, which seems pretty accurate, the Mavericks are in serious trouble in the next few years.

The team's young star has faded drastically in the past two weeks. Josh Howard's playoff performance and marijuana confessions rocked what's left of this franchise. "I really hope he gets his game going to that next level because he's a talented young man," said Johnson. "But again, this window closes on your pretty quickly as a player with the wrong move." It seems Howard has made a few of those wrong moves, first with his tell-all radio interview then his birthday party after Game 4.

After listening to Avery Johnson's press conference for 30 minutes, I'm glad to see him take the high road. I hope he gets another coaching job in the NBA (he said other teams have already contacted him), and I hope to see him succeed. Johnson may have lost this team, but after the way they've played down the stretch, it's going to take a coach with the talents of Sherlock Holmes to find them.

When you hear all the franchise's problems Avery addressed, perhaps it's the coach who is be better off without this team and not - as many thought - the other way around.

Game Fourgetable: Sharks 2, Stars 1

Tough loss in Game 4 for the Stars. The 2-1 Sharks win sends the series back to San Jose for a now-necessary fifth game. I'm sure there will be a lot of talk about how "it's never easy to sweep a team" and how "the toughest win is the one to close out a series", but the Stars had their chances last night.

I'm not here to poo-poo on a Stars 3-1 series lead, but if we look at this one game at a time, Dallas should be a little disappointed in Game 4. Both Sharks goals came off Stars errors. The first one on another Sergei Zubov no-look pass that was picked off and taken the other way for a breakaway shorthanded Sharks goal. No, this isn't a Game 3 recap. He did it on consecutive nights. The second goal came on a San Jose power play in the 3rd period after Mike Modano flung the puck into the stands.

Speaking of playing on consecutive nights, I hate hearing that as a reason why it's hard for a team to win. Perhaps that's an argument during the regular season when both teams are playing completely different schedules. It's the playoffs now. Both Dallas and San Jose had to play three games in four days. And from the looks of things, the Sharks are still hurting much worse than the Stars.

Maybe the Stars lost because American Airlines Center only allowed small broom-heads and not any brooms with a broomstick attached. Bad karma is a tough thing to overcome. Although I would argue that mental mistakes are tougher. The Stars don't have to play perfect to beat San Jose, but they do need to limit errors.

Between the pipes, the Stars seem to have very little to worry about. It was only nine years ago that Reunion Arena echoed with chants of "Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!" as the Eagle protected his nest en route to winning the Stanley Cup. Here we are now in 2008, and the packed AAC crowds can be heard chanting "Marty! Marty! Marty!" Turco has been great this series. Two of the three goals he gave up in Games 3 & 4 were on breakaway chances for the Sharks off the Zubov turnovers.

Then again, the only Stars goal came off a Sharks turnover right in front of their goal on what could only be described as a centering pass from San Jose's Devin Setoguchi to Stars winger Jere Lehtinen. Dallas's offense has been able to score 11 goals so far in this series, but keep in mind that eight of those goals came in the first two games. The Stars averaged 3.3 goals per game in their first round series against Anaheim, but Dallas failed to score more than once in regulation in both home games in this second round series versus the Sharks.

Perhaps the best cure for whatever ailed the Stars in Game 4 lies in Northern California. There's a chance that Dave Tippett has to pay taxes in San Jose because the Stars have owned the Sharks at HP Pavilion. So while Dallas coulda, shoulda, woulda in Game 4, they now have three more chances to close out this series. Doing so as quickly as possible is in their best interest as the next round holds what will be a bruising match up between this series winner and the NHL's best team, the Detroit Red Wings.

It's not panic time ... yet. If the Stars cut down on some of their mental errors, they are going to be very tough for San Jose to contend with the way the Sharks have been playing. San Jose will need to win four consecutive games after a 0-3 start to advance, something that hasn't happened since 1975 and only twice ever in hockey.

If the Stars are going to make a serious playoff push at Lord Stanley's Cup, they need to dispense of the Sharks ASAP and get some time to rest up before starting the conference finals. And Stars fans, please - *PLEASE* - don't think that the Stars could be making deep playoff runs now for the next five years based on this year's success. There's another Dallas team that disproves that assumption.

Game 5 is Friday, May 2 (tomorrow) with the puck dropping at 9pm CDT. So stay up late, get yourself a mug of hot chocolate and curl up on the couch (or get yourself a bottle of beer and invite your buddies over), as the Stars head to one of their best venues with a chance to close out the series.

Avery Out

The following statement was posted on the Mavericks website just minutes ago.  I hope this isn't premature, but in an era where coaches rarely stay with the same team for extended periods of time, I can't say this is too surprising.  

photo courtesy of espn.com

Avery Johnson lasted less than four seasons as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, which doesn't seem like an ample amount of time for a coach to put his stamp on things.  Perhaps his stamp is that of two first-round disappointments.  Unfortunately we'll never know what could have been.

Art Garcia | Mavs.com
Posted: April 30, 2008

Avery Johnson was dismissed as coach of the Dallas Mavericks the day after a disappointing season ended with a first-round playoff exit in New Orleans. Incredible highs and heartbreaking lows marked the tenure of Johnson, who leaves as the most successful coach in franchise history by many measures.

Johnson became the eighth coach in team history on March 19, 2005 and posted a record of 194-70 (.735) during the regular season. He led the Mavs to playoffs four consecutive years, including a trip to the 2006 NBA Finals. His postseason record of 23-24 (.489) included 12 losses in the last 16 games.

“I would like to thank Avery for his valuable contributions to the Mavericks organization,” president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. “Over the past four years, he has been an integral part of our team’s success. We wish AJ nothing but the very best in his future endeavors.”

In his first full season as head coach (2005-06), Johnson guided the Mavericks to 60 wins and their first appearance in the NBA Finals. He became the fastest coach to reach 50 wins (62 games), coached the Western Conference All-Star team and was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year.

Johnson led Dallas to a franchise-record 67 wins, the NBA’s best record, the following season. The mark was also the sixth best in league history. Following a 10-0 month of February, Johnson garnered Western Conference Coach of the Month honors, an award he won three times in his career.

This past season, Johnson became the fastest coach in NBA history to reach 150 wins with a victory over Memphis on November 17, 2007. He accomplished that feat in just 191 games.

“It is never easy to relieve a coach of his duties, especially one of Avery’s caliber,” owner Mark Cuban said. “He is a talented coach and I want to thank him for his efforts over the last four years and what he has done for this franchise. We wish him well in the future.”

From Post-season to Pot-season

Amidst the backdrop of a Sergei Zubov game-tying goal at the AAC, the Dallas Mavericks could be found 520 miles east letting their season, and all the warm memories of the past decade, fade into the backdrop of a raucous arena in New Orleans. And to think, the Mavs almost had me believing it could happen.

When Dirk launched his 3-pointer from the corner with half a minute to play, the ball carried with it the hopes of the 2007-08 season, the hopes of retaining the head coach, and the hopes of the remnants of the highest-achieving team in franchise history. Back rim. Ball game.

The Mavs lost 99-94 in a game that Dallas tightened down the stretch, but in the end poor shooting prevailed and just plain stupidity prevailed.

There's a lot to be frustrated with today. Stackhouse deciding it would be a good idea to hack the ball out of Chris Paul's arm with play stopped and under 2 minutes left in the game. Stack got a bone-headed 2nd technical foul in the one game in which he actually showed up this postseason.

The Hornets outshot the Mavericks, 48.7% to 42.7%.

And I honestly don't know where to begin with Josh Howard. I'd like to think that perhaps he mental meltdown started this season, but sadly there were flashes of this when the Mavs went to the finals two years ago. Remember the timeout he called in critical Game 5 of the Miami series that cost the Mavs a chance to advance the ball to mid-court for a chance to win the game? (video)



In light of radio comments about his offseason high times and his horrendous performance in the postseason, Howard has lost a significant amount of trade value. He's also lost a great amount of respect from the franchise and the city in which he plays.

Now instead of calling timeouts, he's throwing parties. In a development today, as reported by several sources, Avery Johnson wanted Josh Howard to cancel a party he was throwing after Game 4. The Mavs got crushed at home that night, Howard and others on the team opted for a night on the town regardless of the coach's order, so Avery cancelled practice the next day out of frustration. And why not? If the team wouldn't listen to him anyway to at least focus in on the playoffs for - hell - just two more days, why would they possibly be all that interested in practicing all that hard.

ESPN.com's Marc Stein wrote:

Sources say Johnson's well-chronicled cancellation of Monday's practice was an angry response to discovering that Josh Howard did not cancel a birthday party previously scheduled in his honor at a Dallas night club Sunday night after the Mavs' heavy Game 4 defeat.

In-house frustration with Howard was already at its limit, courtesy of the former All-Star's miserable shooting in this series (which continued in Game 5 with a 2-for-10 finish after a 4-for-4 start) and multiple interviews Howard granted -- one of them hours before Game 3 -- detailing his offseason marijuana use. So you can understand why an exasperated Johnson, also apparently convinced that Howard was not the only Mav out on the town after such a damaging loss, kicked the whole team out of the gym. The team then responded with a players-only meeting and a players-only practice, which their coach applauded at the morning shootaround.

"We had some of our leaders step up, which I've always wanted," Johnson said.

But Johnson also hinted at the depth of his discontent, prefacing his compliment by saying: "We came in [Monday] with the intention to practice. And then something changed." (entire article)

The Mavs leader and the only consistent Dallas player in the playoffs Dirk Nowitzki even got fed up with the distractions his teammates were causing, according to Mavs blogger Tim MacMahon.

"Yeah," Dirk said. "Obviously, very disappointing what happened in the playoffs -- bad timing. I think in the playoffs it's really time to focus on basketball and not let distractions come up. So I'm very, very disappointed with the timing of the whole thing, but I still try to keep them all together, try to make everybody play as hard as they can. But it wasn't good enough."

We can expect major changes this offseason. And while there are less than a handful of Mavericks worth keeping, I do think it's going to be sad to see Avery go. Not because he's been out-coached by Pat Riley and Don Nelson (who are the 3rd- and 2nd-most winningest coaches of all time) in consecutive seasons. Not because he couldn't devise a way to stop Chris Paul (I'll wait to criticize him for that if Greg Poppovich or Phil Jackson figure out a solution to CP3). No, it'll be sad to see Avery go because I think the players are more responsible for this year's shortcomings.

Ultimately it is up to the coach to motivate his team, but when some of the players are either not physically able to get the job done (Stackhouse) or simply uninterested in getting the job done (Josh Howard), the task is a difficult one for any coach. Just because players may not be currently responding to a coach doesn't mean they won't ever.

Case and point: the Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson seem to be doing quite well as the top seed in the Western Conference, but it was the same Kobe Bryant that ran Jackson (and Shaquille O'Neal) out of LA just a few years earlier. The Lakers tried bringing in Rudy Tomjanovich, who left his post halfway through the year, and eventually the Zen Master returned to the bench in LA to lead this team back to the top.

So while Avery Johnson will probably be fired, don't think there is some magician-coach out there who can simply step in and right this franchise. The players here aren't talented enough to get it done. Two years ago, they were. But 2006 seems decades removed from the team that walked off the court last night.

Starting to BELIEVE: R2 G3: Stars win 2-1 (OT)

It's not a stretch to say that Dallas is not a hockey town.  Actually, if the Mavs were still a team competing for a title (instead of a mere nuisance along the way of the New Orleans Hornets playoff run), it would be hard to say how enthralled Big D would truly be with the Stars.

Hockey fans in general seem to be more die-hard than other sports fans.  It goes with the nature of the sport.  But in Dallas, it doesn't hurt that the Stars take a 3-0 series lead over the Sharks in the second round of the playoffs.  Now that the Mavs' playoff run ran out - and the Rangers are still the Rangers - the city of Dallas will focus in on the one team currently shinning the brightest.

Tonight's 2-1 OT win at the AAC has Dallas focusing on hockey again.  It's not that everyone jumped off the bandwagon and deserted this team, but there were simply other distractions.  The Stars hadn't advanced in the playoffs since '03.  They couldn't get past the Avs.  The lockout took away hockey all together.  And meanwhile the Mavericks emerged as contenders in the NBA, going to the finals in 2006, and the Cowboys - which will always own this town regardless of how many titles the Mavericks, Stars or Rangers could ever amass - began to compete again, getting back into the playoffs the last two seasons.

So the Stars haven't been forgotten, but there have been other - more successful - distractions.  As owner Tom Hicks was quoted in a recent Dallas Morning News article about Stars hockey being hot again:

"Dallas is a city that loves winners. Whether it's the Stars or the Mavs or the Cowboys – and hopefully someday it's going to be the Rangers again – there's a lot more interest when they feel like you're going to win."

And he's absolutely right.  Using myself as an example:

I don't think I missed more than one home Cowboys game this past season.  I went to more than a dozen Mavs games this year.  The Stars, well, I went to one game back in November.  When these teams were on the road, I didn't miss a Cowboys game I couldn't attend.  Actually, it was tough for anyone to miss those games as they were virtually all nationally televised.  I caught a lot of Mavericks games on TV when they were on the road.  Home or away, there weren't a lot of times I purposely made time to watch Stars games.  

It's not that I forgot they were there, but they simply weren't a priority over the Mavs or Cowboys at that time.  Hicks is right.  We like winners here in Dallas, and that's where our attention gravitates.  Since the playoffs began, I haven't missed more than a few minutes of the Stars games, even making it out to both Game 3s thus far.

Very few hockey gurus thought the Stars would be merely a game away from the Western Conference finals, yet that's where they are.  Up 3-0 on a team many picked to win the Cup this season, Dallas has a chance to sweep the Sharks with a win tonight at the AAC.  The true hockey fans enjoy seeing their team continue on its way toward the ultimate goal.  The residents of Dallas - myself included - are glad to have a winner.

As I sat at the game tonight with my Dad - a die-hard Cowboys fan since the team's inception in 1960 - explaining penalty shots, offsides and line-changes, it was easy to see why some in this football-intensive town may not totally grasp why someone flooded and froze the floor at that building the basketball team plays in.  Rest assured, it's called hockey.

And now, with the Stars only one win away from their first conference finals since their days at Reunion Arena, this city can focus in on the Stars, joining the hockey purists - who haven't been distracted by such novelties as a 13-3 NFC East champ or NBA Finals - in rooting for this team.  With the Stars on the fringe of being one of the final four teams in the NHL this year, it seems now is a time people are truly starting to BELIEVE.

Which conference is which?

One conference in the NBA has all the excitement.  Everyone knew it would play out this way.  The first round of the NBA playoffs will feature some very close series in one conference and a palate of blowouts in the other.  No one knew, however, that it'd be the Eastern Conference - not the mighty West - that would hold the best match ups.

Here's a look at each of the eight first round series and where they currently stand.

Western Conference
(1) LA Lakers vs. (8) Denver Nuggets
The Lakers (57-25) and Nuggets (50-32) were separated by only seven games in the regular season.  Very few people, if anyone, thought the Nuggets would actually pull the upset, but it didn't seem all that far-fetched.  Instead, Kobe, Pau and Lamar are leading the way from blowout to blowout.  The closest game until tonight's Game 4 clincher was the 14-point thumping the Nuggets faced in the series opener.
Game 1: LAL 128, DEN 114
Game 2: LAL 122, DEN 107
Game 3: LAL 102, DEN 84
Game 4: LAL 107, DEN 101
Los Angeles win series, 4-0

(2) New Orleans Hornets vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks
Before this series started, I thought it odd just how so many thought Dallas would upset the Hornets.  Then again, if the Mavs upset the Hornets, it's be easy to brush it aside as obvious.  Dallas was in the finals two years ago and won 67 games in 2006-07.  The Hornets didn't have any of this much-talked-about and ultra-necessary "playoff experience."  Yeah, New Orleans has been crippled by that lack of experience.  Except for the fact that in his first two career playoff games, Chris Paul dominated both games.  The Mavs find themselves in a 3-1 hole with the series returning to New Orleans where the Hornets can advance to round two on their home floor.
Game 1: NO 104, DAL 92
Game 2: NO 127, DAL 103
Game 3: DAL 97, NO 87
Game 4: NO 97, DAL 84
New Orleans lead series, 3-1

(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Phoenix Suns
Okay, Game 1 was perhaps the best game of the playoffs so far.  Heck, it nearly went to triple OT (this isn't playoff hockey!).  Since that marathon series opener, the Suns just have not been able to keep up with the defending champs.  The Suns acquired Shaq to better deal with Duncan and have a more dominant inside presence.  Doesn't seem to be working.  The Spurs are finding ways to win these games despite the Suns' best efforts.  Before the playoffs started, I thought this would be the most competitive series.  Game 1 lived up to the hype, but the series since then has been lacking.  The Spurs got up 3-0 in this series, a deficit no NBA has ever overcome.  The series may not be technically over, but the Suns have set.
Game 1: SA 117, PHX 115
Game 2: SA 102, PHX 96
Game 3: SA 115, PHX 99
Game 4: PHX 105, SA 86
San Antonio leads series, 3-1

(4) Utah Jazz vs. (5) Houston Rockets
Everyone knew how touch the Jazz would be on their home court, but they took it one step further and crushed the Rockets in Houston in Games 1 & 2.  Houston stole a game in Salt Lake City, true, but that seemed like more of a fluke than anything.  While the games in this series have been closer than the other three Western Conference battles, the Jazz have shown no reason why they can't go back to Houston for Game 5 and steal a third in H-town to clinch the series.
Game 1: UTAH 93, HOU 82
Game 2: UTAH 90, HOU 84
Game 3: HOU 94, UTAH 92
Game 4: UTAH 86, HOU 82
Utah leads series, 3-1

As it stands right now, there is one series in the West that should go to six games (Jazz-Rockets).  That's because the Rockets are playing Game 5 at home, but Utah still can wait to finish the series at home in a Game 6.  No pressure there.

In the other three series, the Spurs and Hornets can win a home Game 5 to advance to the next round without having to travel back to Phoenix and Dallas, respectively.  The Lakers didn't even need five games to get things done against Denver.

Guess that ultra-competitive Western Conference will have to wait until round two before all that hype is realized.  As for the Eastern Conference, the series were simply a formality before the Celtics topped the Pistons to advance to the NBA Finals as the representative from the East.  As it turns out, both top seeds are struggling against two sub-.500 teams.  

Eastern Conference
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Atlanta Hawks
Remember how there was a seven-game differential between the 1- and 8-seed in the Western Conference?  Well check this out: the Celtics went 66-16 while the Hawks limped to a 37-45 finish.  That's a 29-game difference.  And apparently that doesn't matter.  After the Celtics stormed out to a quick 2-0 series lead, the Hawks held serve in Atlanta by winning both their home games to tie the series at 2-2.  Did anyone - anyone? - see this coming?  I can't find anyone who picked the Hawks to win more than a single game, and even that was considered a stretch.  This would be an even bigger upset than the Golden State Warriors six-game stunner over Dallas last season.  
Game 1: BOS 104, ATL 81
Game 2: BOS 96, ATL 77
Game 3: ATL 102, BOS 93
Game 4: ATL 97, BOS 92
Series tied, 2-2

(2) Detroit Pistons vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers
Similar situation to the Celtics-Hawks series.  The Pistons went 59-23 while the 76ers were 40-42.  The Sixers started the series strong by shocking the Pistons in Detroit to catapult this series to the forefront.  All of the sudden, this wasn't a pushover match up of the big bad Pistons and some lowly bottom feeder in the East.  Now it's a series, and it's a series worth watching.
Game 1: PHI 90, DET 86
Game 2: DET 105, PHI 88
Game 3: PHI 95, DET 75
Game 4: DET 93, PHI 84
Series tied, 2-2

(3) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Toronto Raptors
The first of the first-round series to wrap up was supposed to be one of the closer opening-round match-ups.  Didn't happen.  The Magic made the Raptors disappear thanks to Dwight Howard's third 20-20 game of the series.  Yeah, 20-20.  He is quite possibly the most dominant player in the Eastern Conference right now.  KG has a solid team around him in Boston, but Dwight Howard has been sensational.
Game 1: ORL 114, TOR 100
Game 2: ORL 104, TOR 103
Game 3: TOR 108, ORL 94
Game 4: ORL 106, TOR 94
Game 5: ORL 102, TOR 92
Orlando win series, 4-1

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Washington Wizards
These two teams seem to gravitate toward each other when the playoffs get going.  For the third year in a row, the Cavs and Wizards are facing off in the first round in what was thought to be the most even match up in the Eastern Conference.  It should be; it is the 4-5 match up.  While Games 1 and 4 were pretty close, Games 2 and 3 turned into blowouts quickly.  LeBron and the Cavs have been able to pull out the closer contests of the series, and the defending Conference champs are now in position to close the series out at home in Game 5 on Wednesday.
Game 1: CLE 93, WAS 86
Game 2: CLE 116, WAS 86
Game 3: WAS 108, CLE 72
Game 4: CLE 100, WAS 97
Cleveland leads series, 3-1

So with one series in each conference already in the books and four other series with the higher seed in position to close things in five, the closest match ups in these playoffs are the two series that everyone thought would be the least contested.  The Celtics and Pistons are both dead-locked in their respective series.  Meanwhile, no single series in the Western Conference was even tied at 1-1.

I still think the West will produce the champions of the NBA, but for now it's the East that is providing all the excitement.

Scrap Heap

The talk is now unavoidable.  With the Mavericks now only one game away from summer vacation, the talk of blowing up this team and starting over is buzzing now more than ever.  It's never easy to watch a team that went to the finals - the only finals appearance in franchise history - get dissolved.  If, however, the end is inevitably near, I contend there are three players on this roster worth keeping.

DIRK NOWITZKI
He's one of the best players in the NBA.  A 7-foot, 3-point shooting superstar who is always good for 20-some-odd points and 8 or 9 boards.  If the Mavericks try to trade Nowitzki, there is no way they get equal value.  I realize that if you want to rebuild, you could ship him to a team that's on the fringe for some young talent, but Dirk is the face of this franchise.  He still have several good years left, and while they may not be his prime years, Nowitzki will be much more than a serviceable player for that time.  Bottom line: don't ever move superstars.  It never results well.  Ever.

The only possible reason to get rid of Dirk would be because this franchise is simply giving up and will willing to accept going to the very back of the pack in the Western Conference and starting over completely from scratch. 

JASON TERRY
The JET has a rather large contract - which, by the way, he earned after helping to get this team to the finals.  The argument against Terry is that he doesn't have an actual position.  Is he a 1?  Is he a 2?  I don't know which he is, but he's a solid player.  I get the sense he appreciates to be a contender (or what used to be a contender) after all his years in Atlanta.  He struggled at times this season, but the Mavs can count on him in the postseason - when it really matters.  A look at his playoff numbers the last few years:

YEAR .....   MPG ...  FG%  ...  3P%   ...   PPG
2004-05  ...  38.5  ...  50.6%  ...  49.1%  ...  17.5
2005-06  ...  38.4  ...  44.2%  ...  30.7%  ...  18.9
2006-07  ...  38.2  ...  42.4%  ...  28.1%  ...  17.0
2007-08  ...  34.0  ...  44.9%  ...  44.0%  ...  16.5
CAREER  ...  38.0  ...  45.5%  ...  36.6%  ...  18.0

He's been a solid compliment player to Dirk ever since the JET landed in Dallas four years ago.  Things were a little rocky at first because "how could this guy from Atlanta replace our beloved Steve Nash?"  Well, guess what?  He did.  Terry may not have two MVP-seasons in him, but no one knew Nash had that either.  And when he took that final shot of Game 6 in the 2006 NBA Finals, it didn't bother me that someone other than Dirk was shooting the last chance for Dallas.  And I'm sure most other Mavs fans agree.

While we're at it, here's Terry's six games in the '06 Finals:
Game 1: 13-18 FG, 4-7 on 3s, 3 stls, 32 pts
Game 2: 6-15 FG, 1-6 on 3s, 9 ast, 2 stl, 16 pts
Game 3: 7-14 FG, 1-3 on 3s, 5 ast, 2 stl, 16 pts
Game 4: 8-18 FG, 1-5 on 3s, 9 reb, 16 pts
Game 5: 13-23 FG, 4-9 on 3s, 5 reb, 35 pts
Game 6: 7-25 FG, 2-11 on 3s, 5 ast, 2 stl, 16 pts

Other than his dismal shooting performance in Game 6, Terry had a solid series.  I think it's worth keeping him around for the transition period of getting to the "next generation" of Mavericks.  He's a solid player.

BRANDON BASS
Bass is the only valuable youth on this team.  He's shown that he brings a lot of energy off the bench with his great dunks and nice touch from 16 ft.  And again, he's the ONLY youth on the entire Mavericks roster (not including J.J. Barea).  Without Bass, this first round series this year would be a complete and total bust.

This seasons, Bass has averaged 8.3 ppg off the bench and - despite moves to bring Terry off the bench which became a gimmick at best once Jerry Stackhouse went in the tank - Bass has been the Mavs 6th man in 2007-08.  He's also got that toughness that this team will need when they are ready to make another legitimate run toward the top.

Other than that, I don't know who else deserves to stick around.  Josh Howard?  Maybe if he wises up, shuts up, and gets his scoring up.  Jerry Stackhouse?  Five years ago, sure, but clearly he can't cut it in the role he's in right now.  Devean George?  Ha!  Jason Kidd?  Too much $$ for not enough results.  Malik Allen, Eddie George, JJ Barea, Tyron Lue, Juwan Howard?  No, no, no, no and no.  Sorry, but they are each 9th or 10th guys at best.

Game 4: NO 97 - Dal 84

Some quick thoughts after tonight's heart-wrenching, season-killing, morale-crushing, Kidd-ejecting, Hornet-stinging loss:

+ Jason Kidd's flagrant foul disgusted me. After looking at a few replays, I get that he was going for the ball, but the bottom line is he threw a guy down by the head. Thank goodness Jannero Pargo got his hands down to brace himself on the landing or he would have hit face-first. I don't think Kidd is a dirty player, but that was a dirty foul. It was ugly. It was unnecessary. And there are plenty other ways to foul someone hard and make sure they don't make the bucket without slamming them down by the head.

+ Kidd's foul gives a green light to any other team that wants to bodyslam a Maverick in a future game. I would never want to see Dirk get his head palmed by someone else and flung to the hardwood. Unfortunately, the Mavs can't complain about hard fouls in the near future.

+ As TNT went to Avery Johnson's press conference, Charles Barkley's comments said it all. "What's he gonna say? 'We're getting our ass kicked'?" Pretty much.

+ When Dirk hit that big three-pointer late in the third to bring the score to 63-68, I really thought Dallas would complete the comback and win. Nope.

+ Where was Brandon Bass in the fourth quarter? I think at that point you go with Kidd, Terry, Bass, Dirk and Dampier. Kidd runs the offense. Dirk and JET score. Bass and Dampier clean up the boards. I don't know why Bass wasn't on the court, but I know he could have helped.

+ Josh Howard, your career is in trouble. In the immediate aftermath of all this pot-talk, you play a horrible playoff game. Where there's smoke, there's fire, and J-Ho now finds himself facing some serious heat for his low scoring and high times. Don't worry, Josh. The offseason is one game closer after tonight, so get ready to light 'em up.

+ Things don't look good for Avery. He could do no wrong when he took this team to the finals and finished that up with a 67-win season. But since the franchise-destroying loss in Game 1 to the Golden State Warriors in Dallas, this entire organization transformed and is worse off as a result.

+ Stat sheet scares...

Just glancing at the box score from Game 4, there are a few things that are just plain horrendous if you're a Mavs fan - or even just a random basketball fan who has any functioning brain activity.

+ J.J. Barea (8 pts) outscored the following Mavericks: Josh Howard (6 pts), Erick Dampier (4 pts), Jason Kidd (3 pts), Devean George (4 pts), Jerry Stackhouse (2 pts), and Eddie Jones (3 pts). I realize they were all in garbage time after Kidd had been ejected, but come on, that's just horrible. Nothing against Barea, but if he's outscoring three starters and several role players - garbage time or not - the Mavs have bigger problems than the New Orleans Hornets.

+ Josh Howard's line: 32 min, 3-16 FG, 6 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk. Yuck.

+ Jason Kidd's line: 1-6 FG. Everyone said when the trade happened that Kidd wasn't much of a shooter, but he would come through when it mattered. It mattered Sunday. Kidd's best shot was the one he took at Jannero Pargo's head.

+ Mavericks in double-figures: Dirk (22), Jet (20) and Brandon Bass (12). Hornets in double-figures: Peja Stojakovic (19), David West (24), Morris Peterson (10), Chris Paul (16), Jannero Pargo (11), and Julian Wright (11). We're a long way from the run-and-gun days of Nellie-ball. I realize that those Mavs couldn't defend, but if these guys now don't defend anyway, Dallas might as well play a Suns '05/Mavs '03 style of basketball and light up the score board. I realize that doesn't win titles, but neither will Mavs '08.

+ Mavs shot 36% from the field. The Hornets: 50%. There's your ballgame.

The series is heading back to New Orleans. Game 5 is Tuesday and the Hornets can finish off the Mavs season in just 48 more minutes. I wonder if these guys have anything left.

The errors of their ways

Against my better judgment, I went to Rangers Ballpark to catch a baseball game.  The Rangers produced plenty of fielding blow ups on fireworks night.  Three (scored) errors for the Rangers tonight in their 12-6 loss to the Twins (box score).  And there could have been plenty more had the official scorer been so inclined.

I understand that Rangers Manager Ron Washington is not the one misplaying ground balls and letting balls bounce off his glove.  And while so many seem to be calling for Washington's head, I wonder what else could any manager do to curtail so many mistakes.  It doesn't help Washington's case that his whole mantra is preaching fundamentals - which seems to be the Rangers weakness.

By the way, when your team's weakness can best be described as "the fundamentals," you've got some serious problems to address.  Speaking of those problems, let's take a look at tonight's:

Top 3:

Twins CF Craig Monroe drives the ball into left field.  Rangers LF Frank Catalanotto runs for the ball, stretches out his glove, and, he, *missed it!*  The ball went off his glove, scoring Delmon Young and advancing Mike Lamb to third.  Lamb scored on a passed ball two batters later, however each of the next three batters were retired.  Had Lamb been on second when the passed ball occurred, he would have merely advanced to second and would not have crossed the plate in that inning.  The play was originally ruled an error on Catalanotto.
(Could-be/Should-be ERROR)

Top 6:

Catalanato's error morphed into a hit when a similarly hit ball (by Twins 2B Brendan Harris) going the other way skipped of the glove of RF David Murphy in the top of the 6th.  At that point, rather than having two errors on the board, both plays were ruled hits for the Twins.
(Could-be/Should-be ERROR)

Twins C Joe Mauer grounded a ball back to Rangers SP Sidney Ponson, who fielded the ball and looked to throw to 3rd to cut off Harris (who - again - was only at second thanks to a should-have-could-have-been caught fly ball to right field).  Ponson tried to lead 3B Ramon Vasquez into the base path with his throw in order to get Vasquez in better position to tag out Harris.  Vasquez started backing up toward the bag.  The ball went into foul territory, scoring Harris and allowing Mauer to end up on second base instead of simply stumbling to first on a fielder choice.  ERROR.

(Btw, still in the Top 6)

Twins RF Michael Cuddyer batting.  Grounds to third where Vasquez boots the ball, and Cuddyer arrives safely at first.  That should have been Out #2 of the inning.  Instead, ERROR! Had that been the case, the Rangers would have saved themselves two additional runs.  Up next, Jason Kubel's single to RF drove in Mauer from second, who was only on second because of Ponson threw the ball at an usher sitting in the corner.  Mike Lamb popped up to LF, which would have been Out #3, ending the inning.  Because of Vasquez's error - meaning the Twins had only one out - Lamb's fly ball to LF turned into a Sac Fly, scoring Cuddyer from third.

Top 8:

First batter of the inning, Twins SS Matt Tolbert grounds to short.  Thank goodness.  At least SS Michael Young can thr- D'OH!  Young can't cleanly field the grounder, and Tolbert reaches on the E6.  ERROR!  Tolbert steals 2B, a sac-bunt from Harris gets Tolbert to 3B.  He scores on Joe Mauer's single to LF, kicking off the dagger 4-run inning.

As I said, tonight I went to the ballpark.  ERROR!

Mavs minutes matter

One thing that caught my eye before the Mavericks began their first-round playoff series was the time off between games.  This year a few of the NBA first-round series are giving the teams two days off between some games instead of playing every other day as in years past.  It was nice to see Avery Johnson exploit that schedule in last night's game.

Four of the five Dallas starters played more than 40 minutes, maxing out the best players on the Mavericks' roster to get the 97-87 win in Game 3 (recap, box score).  Josh Howard, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Jason Kidd may have been gassed as they headed to the locker room after the final buzzer, but Johnson must realize it was worth it to get the win.

Mavericks Minutes - Game 3
Josh Howard ... 43:10
Dirk Nowitzki ... 43:37
Erick Dampier ... 25:00
Jason Terry ... 40:24
Jason Kidd ... 41:06
Jerry Stackhouse ... 7:18
Brandon Bass ... 24:13
Malik Allen ... 3:10
Devean George ... 12:02
JJ Barea ... DNP (Coach's Decision)
Juwan Howard ... DNP (Coach's Decision)
Eddie Jones ... DNP (Coach's Decision)

Furthermore, keeping the likes of Eddie Jones and Juwan Howard on the bench as well as limiting the minutes of Malik Allen made a significant impact.  The more court time those guys see, the more the Mavs will suffer.  I wasn't thrilled seeing Devean George get 12 minutes, but considering how off Jerry Stackhouse has been, George's minutes were a necessary evil.

True George hit a big 3-pointer last night, which was great, but I'm more concerned about Stack's absence. Where has he been? I'm not expecting 15 or even 20 points out of the aging vet. I would, however, like him to register a single positive stat (0-2, 0 points, 0 rebs, 0 stls, 0 blks).

Brandon Bass is the only bench player for the Mavs to make a meaningful contribution - which will be the case if Terry starts.  As long as Johnson continues to get the most out of his starters, the Mavericks can get back into this series and make a run at the next round.

VOW: Cowboys-Bills MNF '07

Cowboys Fans Feel-Good

Whenever I watch this, I am always catapulted into a great mood. If you're a Cowboys fans with nine minutes to spare, watching the final 20 seconds of the MNF game in Buffalo will make you scream out "HOW BOUT THEM COWBOYS!"

Great night for North Texas sports!

What an unbelievable night for the Dallas-area sports franchises.

First, the Dallas Mavericks got back into the first-round playoff series against the Hornets with a 97-87 win.  The Mavs were flying high over the Hornets.

Then the Rangers, who had trailed the Twins 5-0, rallied to tie the game at 5-5.  Texas went on to win in the bottom of the 10th inning and proceeded to celebrate as if they'd clinched a playoff berth.  Either way, it was great to see the Rangers snap their 7-game skid.

Finally, the Stars were in San Jose kicking off their second-round playoff series (their first in five years).  After the Sharks drew even at 2-2 with only minutes left in the third period, Dallas' captain Brenden Morrow scored an overtime goal for the 3-2 OT win!

What a nice night in Dallas sports.  To make the weekend even better, the Cowboys have two 1st round draft picks tomorrow. (And a reported trade tonight gave the 'Boys an additional fourth round pick.)

Amazing night! ... I need sleep.

Rangers 6, Tigers 9 - I mean 19

Last night started off great. The Rangers got up 5-0 and all seemed well, until our starting pitcher couldn't get out of the SECOND inning, and we went on to give up 19 runs. At least, that's what I heard. I stopped watching in the early part of the sixth inning - before they gave up all ELEVEN runs. This team makes my baseball head hurt.

I've been to a couple of Rangers games this year already, but I think that's gonna be all for me. It's a much shorter and much more rewarding drive to Frisco to see the RoughRiders play. Elvis Andrus is awesome to watch. Monday night, I saw him and Adam Fox turn at least four double-plays. The only downside to the RoughRiders is the nagging knowledge in the back of my mind that all these guys will end up playing for a big league team that isn't the Rangers.

Each year, we're told wait until the next year. And when next year comes, it's "wait til next year" all over again. Frankly, I'm sick of waiting. It's not that I expect the Rangers to win the World Series, make an ALCS or even win the division. I just want them to be semi-competitive.

I don't consider myself a fair-weather fan. I supported the Mavericks going to games when they were winning 11 and 13 games in consecutive years. The payoff for that suffering has been eight consecutive 50-win seasons and a trip to the NBA Finals. While my expectations for the Mavs have risen a great deal since those days in the 1990s, I can at least still appreciate that they are competing in the Western Conference.

The Rangers, they don't compete. They are the cure whatever ails other American League teams. Detroit was looking terrible. Enter the Texas Rangers. 19 runs later, Detroit didn't look so bad.

In the last 8 seasons, Texas has finished above .500 only once.

Am I a bad fan for being so sick of this team? I'd like to think it's reasonable to ask that this team not be a laughing stock every year.