Dallas Mavericks Blog – Page 116 – NBA Blog

Examining the lousy Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks are 2-6 to start the new season. It’s too early to write what should be a quality team off, but so far they’re a mess.

Dirk Nowitzki is scoring 22.1 points per game but not shooting well, and not doing much else aside from scoring. Josh Howard is playing decently but also not shooting particularly well. Jason Terry, at 16.6 ppg, is tossing up bricks. The only Maverick playing well and actually making shots is Jason Kidd (11.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 8.4 apg, 47.9% shooting). Gerald Green has also been a nice surprise, scoring 9.4 ppg on good shooting. Erick Dampier is rebounding. Jerry Stackhouse is old and washed up. And Antoine Wright hasn’t impressed. Here’s the Dallas Morning News (Eddie Sefko):

The Mavericks are disjointed. It seems they haven’t figured out anything about coach Rick Carlisle’s system. But the rest of the NBA has certainly figured them out. Put your best defender, whether he’s big or small, on Dirk Nowitzki. Hound him as much as you can. And sooner or later, the Mavericks wilt. It happened for the second consecutive game as the Chicago Bulls hassled Nowitzki into a 5-for-17 shooting night.

Remember, they’re under a new coach, Rick Carlisle. And he deserves the benefit of the doubt. Give the team another two weeks before making a definitive statement about how good they really currently are.

–Jeff

Nov 13: Bulls 98, Mavs 91

The AP reports: They barely had time to work up a sweat before the Chicago Bulls found themselves trailing by 19 points Thursday night against the Dallas Mavericks. And less than six minutes into the game, the boos started rolling across the United Center… And that’s what the Bulls did. They turned up the defense, started running the floor, then caught up and passed the Mavericks for a 98-91 victory, sending Dallas to its fourth straight loss… “They were attacking us with transition and they put us on our heels early,” said Ben Gordon, who led the Bulls with 35 points… Derrick Rose, who shot 1-for-8 in the first half, was 6-for-7 in the third quarter, when he scored 14 of his 16 points. Luol Deng added 20 points… Josh Howard, returning after missing two games with sore wrist, led Dallas with 21 points and added 11 rebounds. Erick Dampier scored 16 and pulled down 18 boards… Dirk Nowitzki scored only 12 for the Mavs, shooting 5-for-17.

Bulls sign Lindsey Hunter

The Chicago Bulls today signed Lindsey Hunter. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed. Hunter, a 6-2, 195-pound guard, will be with the Bulls tonight when they host the Dallas Mavericks at the United Center at 7:30 p.m.

Hunter, a 15-year NBA veteran, most recently played with the Detroit Pistons during the 2007-08 campaign. Last year, he appeared in 24 games and averaged 2.4 ppg and 1.4 apg in 9.0 mpg.

The Utica, Miss native has enjoyed two stints with the Pistons (1993-2000, 2003-08). He has also played for the Milwaukee Bucks (2000-01), the L.A. Lakers (2001-02) and the Toronto Raptors (2002-03). For his career, he has posted averages of 8.8 ppg, 2.7 apg, 2.2 rpg and 1.23 spg in 25.5 mpg. He owns career shooting averages of .389 from the field, .362 from downtown and .746 from the line.

Originally selected by the Pistons in the first round (10th overall) of the 1993 NBA Draft, the 37-year old Hunter has been a member of 11 playoff teams, including the 2002 NBA Champion L.A. Lakers and the 2004 NBA Champion Detroit Pistons.

Chicago’s roster now stands at 15.

Nov 11: Lakers 106, Mavs 99

The AP reports: Trevor Ariza turned an offensive rebound into an emphatic, go-ahead dunk early in the fourth quarter and added an equally emphatic block in the final minute to help the Lakers pull out a 106-99 victory over the Mavericks on Tuesday night… “Nobody panicked,” said Bryant, who scored nine of his 27 points in the fourth quarter. “We just kept at it.” … Ariza scored a season-high 13 points and Lamar Odom added 12. That was a nice supplement to the 27 points from Bryant and 22 from Gasol. Gasol also had 11 rebounds. Andrew Bynum had 11 points and 10 rebounds… Jason Terry scored 21 points and Kidd got the 101st triple-double of his career with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Jerry Stackhouse scored a season-high 17 points and played some tough defense on Bryant, while Dampier had 11 points and 16 rebounds, including a franchise record-tying 12 on the offensive end. Ironically, it was Nowitzki who let Dallas down, scoring 14 points on 5-of-17 shooting.

Nov 9: Clippers 103, Mavs 92

The AP reports: For the second straight season, Baron Davis’ team lost its first six games before getting that elusive first victory. Last season, Davis was with the Golden State Warriors. Now he’s with the Los Angeles Clippers, whom the Warriors beat a year ago to end their drought. “It’s pretty much the same feeling—a feeling of frustration,” Davis said Sunday, after getting 22 points and 10 assists in the Clippers’ 103-92 victory over the Dallas Mavericks… Foul-plagued Al Thornton got eight of his 17 points in the final 6 minutes for the Clippers, who had lost six straight against Dallas. Marcus Camby had 14 rebounds and 10 points. Tim Thomas sat out because of a sprained left ankle. Dirk Nowitzki, who missed the final two meetings with the Clippers last season because of ankle and knee injuries, led the Mavericks with 33 points and seven rebounds while Jason Kidd added nine assists and seven points. Gerald Green started at small forward and had 13 points and 12 rebounds in place of Josh Howard, who was sidelined because of a sore left wrist.

Nov 7: Nuggets 108, Mavs 105

The AP reports: The hometown kid had quite the homecoming—with a little help from Carmelo Anthony. Chauncey Billups made a triumphant return to the Nuggets with 15 points, Anthony scored 28 and Denver beat the Dallas Mavericks 108-105 on Friday night… Jason Kidd finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Mavericks… Gerald Green scored all of his 13 points in the final period, Dirk Nowitzki finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Brandon Bass had 12 points and 10 boards.

Report: MLB will not let Mark Cuban buy Cubs

The Chicago Sun-Times (Chris De Luca) reports: Sources close to commissioner Bud Selig sounded an alarm this week during the annual general managers meetings: Forget about Mark Cuban buying the Cubs. Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks’ owner, was the fan favorite, the guy who liked to drink beer, watch the game from the bleachers and spend money. He was the most appealing bidder to Zell’s group, who knew Cuban could swing the quickest transaction for a team and ballpark that at one time figured to fetch $1 billion. Global financial crisis or not, baseball’s old guard plans to stand firm against letting Cuban into the club. ”There’s no way Bud and the owners are going to let that happen,” a Major League Baseball source said this week. ”Zero chance.”

Nov 4: Mavs 98, Spurs 81

The AP reports: Jason Terry scored 29 points, Dirk Nowitzki added 30 points and the Dallas Mavericks beat San Antonio 98-81 on Tuesday night to send the Spurs to their first 0-3 record in 35 years… Dallas (2-2) also got 14 points from Josh Howard and 10 assists from Jason Kidd. The Mavericks shot 53 percent from the floor compared to 42 for San Antonio. Dallas outrebounded San Antonio 48-38… Tony Parker led San Antonio with 22 points and Tim Duncan scored 19 as the Spurs continue to play without Manu Ginobili. He’s not expected back until December after surgery to repair his left ankle. “Uncharted territory for us,” Duncan said of the 0-3 start.

Nov 3: Cavs 100, Mavs 81

The AP reports: LeBron James was only 8-of-20, but scored 29 points and took over when his team needed it. Cleveland let a 16-point lead fritter into a tie at 63, then Daniel Gibson missed a jumper from the corner, only to see James zoom in, grab the rebound and bank it in, all in one motion. He followed with a three-point play and a pair of free throws… Dirk Nowitzki was held to eight points on 3-of-11 shooting as the Mavericks fell to 0-2 at home. Their only lead was 2-0, on a jumper by Nowitzki. He missed his next seven shots, failing to hit another until late in the third quarter. Josh Howard led the Mavs with 18 points. Antoine Wright and Gerald Green were the only other players to hit double figures, each scoring 10… Zydrunas Ilgausakas had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Williams and Delonte West added 14 points, and Wally Szczerbiak had 10. Ben Wallace didn’t score, but had 13 rebounds.

Nov 1: Mavs 95, Wolves 85

Jason Kidd came close to a triple-double as the Mavericks defeated a cold-shooting Timberwolves team. For Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki had 21 points, 6 rebounds and almost nothing else. Jason Terry had 19 points and 4 steals off the bench. Josh Howard (just 6-of-15) had 14 points and little else. Jason Kidd (just 4-of-11) had 9 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. For Minnesota, which shot just 1-of-12 from three-point range (though 22-of-24 free throws), Rashad McCants (6-of-8) had 18 points off the bench. Al Jefferson (just 5-of-15) had 14 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals. Mike Miller (just 4-of-11) had 13 points and little else.