The Dallas Morning News (David Moore) writes: If this team was average at best, the decision would be easy. Tear it down. But the Mavericks are on pace to win 48 games after a slow start. It’s a significant drop from there to mediocre. Management can’t afford to get this wrong the way it did last year when it acquired Jason Kidd. The move was made because Cuban and Nelson clung to the idea of where the team had been 20 months earlier rather than accept what it had become. The Mavericks had deteriorated to the stage where one player was not enough to get them back to The Finals. Reality has sunk in this season. The problem is that it cost Devin Harris and two first-round draft picks for the Mavericks to have their eyes opened. That leaves Cuban and Nelson with precious few assets to offer heading into this trade deadline. Is this team at a crossroads? “That’s overstated,” Cuban said. “You just do the best you can and try to be opportunistic.
Category: General NBA insight
General NBA insight
JaVale McGee still unused
The Washington Post (Ivan Carter) reports (via blog): When Etan Thomas went down with a torn MCL in his left knee, many assumed that rookie center JaVale McGee would see an increased role. To this point, that still hasn’t really happened. McGee, who started 13 games earlier in the season and has flashed talent while showing that he’s still a raw young guy with plenty to learn, played 14 minutes against Milwaukee, 16 minutes at New York, four minutes at home against the Knicks and five minutes yesterday at Golden State against a team that doesn’t employ a traditional center. Clearly, interim coach Tapscott still feels more comfortable starting Andray Blatche at center and playing Darius Songaila long minutes at that spot. Blatche put up 22 points and nine rebounds in 33 minutes yesterday while Songaila posted six points, two rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes.
Jamal Crawford defending well
The Contra Costa Times (Marcus Thompson II) reports: Jamal Crawford, at 28 is entering the prime of his NBA career, and under Keith Smart’s tutelage, is learning things he’s never learned before. The dividends are already evident in his game. The results are most noticeable on defense, where Crawford has a reputation for being sub-par. He said he’s trying harder on that end of the floor, and for longer stretches, something he acknowledged he hadn’t always done. In times past, you wouldn’t have seen Crawford provide such solid help defense as he did Wednesday when he blocked a pull-up jumper by Sacramento’s Kevin Martin from behind. You wouldn’t have seen him hustle to contest a buzzer-beating attempt, as he did against Atlanta on Friday, blocking Zaza Pachulia’s heave into the stands near half-court. You wouldn’t have seen him getting excited and showing emotion when he makes a play on the defensive end, as he has lately.
Shaq makes a funny
The Toronto Sun (Terry Koshan) reports: The always quotable Shaquille O’Neal had one of the better post-game lines yesterday. When O’Neal was asked what it was like to hear a louder ovation for another player (Steve Nash), other than himself, O’Neal said: “Never happens.” But a reporter pointed out that Nash had a louder ovation during the warmup than O’Neal did. “They asked my permission,” said O’Neal, who finished with 16 points. O’Neal is getting long in the tooth, but still leaves a lasting impression on opponents.
Donte Greene enjoyed time in minors
The Sacramento Bee (Melody Gutierrez) reports: Donté Greene was by no means kicking and screaming for his return to the Kings. The rookie was having fun in Reno with the Bighorns of the NBA Development League. “I’m going to miss it – all the minutes and the guys,” Greene, 20, said Sunday after Kings practice. “I got pretty close with the guys over there.” In his five games with the Bighorns, Greene averaged 31.8 minutes, 20.4 points, 1.2 blocked shots and 4.2 rebounds, while playing shooting guard and small forward. In his last game with the Bighorns on Saturday, Greene scored 28 points. Greene said he went into the experience knowing the D-League could do him a favor.
Wizards interviews: Nick Young playing great
Here is Washington Wizards interim head coach Ed Tapscott:
On Nick Young’s recent play (25.8 ppg, .717 fg% in last four games): “Nick has hit a spot where he’s got his rhythm back and he feels good about what he’s doing. He knows we’re going to run some plays for him so he doesn’t feel pressed and he knows he’s going to get minutes. When all of a sudden you get minutes and plays called for you, you can be selective, and better shots mean more minutes. People now are going to game-plan for him. He has to be prepared for one of those games where they have someone trying to deny him, and instead of getting 33 points he gets 16 and still feels like he has a good game because he helped open up the floor for other people.”
On last night’s game versus the New York Knicks: “The Knicks try to make you play fast, and like I said last night they did a better job of imposing their play-style on the game. We played well offensively. We scored a lot of points. Normally 122 points wins you a lot of basketball games, but we didn’t play very well defensively. They imposed their style of play on the game much more effectively than we did.”
On today’s practice: “Today we decided to go with more of a mental practice than anything physical because we’re going to play the same team (tomorrow night). With their pace, you want rested legs. Now the real key is figuring out how to impose our style of play on the game with more effectiveness.”
Hers is Wizards small forward Caron Butler:
On last night’s game versus the New York Knicks: “It was a lot of up-and-down fast tempo play. It was a tough loss obviously, but hopefully we can redeem ourselves tomorrow night in our building.”
On Nick Young: “He’s on a roll. He’s scoring at a rapid pace. Scoring 33 points in three quarters is unbelievable. Just to come out and be aggressive the way he has, assert himself early and establish a rhythm is unbelievable, and it shows a lot about him as a player. Now you’re seeing him explore with his ability. He’s getting the ball and he’s being real creative. He’s doing some stuff on the fly, and that’s what makes a special player.”
And here is Wizards guard Nick Young:
On his recent play: “I’m feeling good. The difference has been my confidence level. Coach is running plays for me, and seeing my shot go in is always good. Gil (Arenas) has been staying after practice with me, so I’ve been getting extra shots and working out with him.”
On if teams will start game-planning for him: “The more Antawn and CB (Caron Butler) get going (other teams) are not going to worry about me (as much). If we get them going early, I can come in and be that spark off of the bench.”
Heat want big-man for Marion
Miami Heat forward Shawn Marion is at the end of his contract, and the team would happily trade him for someone who fits in better. Here’s the Miami Herald (Israel Gutierrez):
So the only lingering question is what the Heat could receive in return for a player whose stock is plummeting and whose most attractive feature is his $17 million expiring contract. The Heat’s goal in moving Marion is to get back a quality big man with a contract that expires in the 2010 offseason. Makes enough sense. Not only would it fill the Heat’s biggest glaring need (Joel Anthony and Jamaal Magloire have filled in admirably, but no one’s convinced they can be the sole answers to the Heat’s height deficiency), but it would set up the Heat brilliantly for a run at the 2010 free agent class. Imagine how satisfying it would be for Pat Riley to steal the Knicks’ thunder by retaining Wade and signing Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire, putting together a duo that would rival any combination New York and its bags of money can purchase.
This season Marion is averaging just 12.1 points with his 9.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.41 steals and 1.06 blocks per game on very good 47.2% shooting, though he’s connecting on just 19.4% of his three-point attempts.
Daniel Gibson getting his groove back
The Cleveland Plain Dealer (Brian Windhorst) reports on Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson: Overall, this has been a choppy season for Gibson, statistically the poorest of his career. He’s making just 35 percent of his 3-pointers, a steep decline from last season. His scoring, assists and even minutes are down, too. It should be easy to explain. He had a rather severe shoulder surgery last May, which knocked him out of the playoffs early. Then ankle surgery in June, which wasn’t major, but it kept him from doing his normal shooting work for a month. When he finally seemed to be getting back to the dead-eye spot-up shooter that turned him into a fan favorite in mid-December, he suffered a toe injury that ruined his rhythm and forced him to learn how to shoot without tweaking it when he returned after a 10-day absence. Over the last couple of weeks, though, Gibson again seems to be getting back into the groove he was establishing in December. Over the last five games, Gibson has made 10 of 14 3-pointers.
Nenad Krstic already helping Thunder
The Oklahoman (Darnell Mayberry) reports: It’s taken Nenad Krstic only five games to show Oklahoma City how much better he makes the Thunder. Krstic recorded his first double-double in Wednesday night’s 114-93 win over the Utah Jazz, scoring 14 points with 11 rebounds in a season-high 32 minutes. He added two blocked shots for the fourth time in five games, continuing to contradict his critics who have labeled him a defensive liability. “He’s a great addition,” said Kevin Durant, who scored 21 points with nine rebounds. “He’s getting used to everybody. Any player would take a couple of games, but he’s getting used to it quick. He’s learning quick, and he’s doing well.” Because of his relatively cheap three-year contract at just less than $16 million, Krstic was a low-risk addition when Thunder general manager Sam Presti lured him away from his Russian club team.
Von Wafer making name for himself
The Los Angeles Times (Broderick Turner) reports: Von Wafer signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Houston Rockets last September for $797,581 and appears to have found a home. He has been starting while Tracy McGrady heals from a sore left knee, and Ron Artest gets well from a sore right ankle. “I told him during the game how I was proud of the way he’s been playing,” Kobe Bryant said. “He’s doing a fine job.” Wafer was 10 for 14 from the field (three for four from three-point range) in 39 minutes in Houston’s 105-100 loss to the Lakers at the Toyota Center. The athletic Wafer did much of his work against Bryant. “He told me he was proud of me,” Wafer said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Kobe. He told me he was proud of me, that I’ve come a long way and just keep it going.”