Well, Dallas beat the hapless Clippers the other night and the final score wasn’t as close as the 13 point difference. I’m glad the Mavs won but that game didn’t really say much about the team as the Clippers are once again one of the more dreadful teams in the Western conference and the NBA as well. However, here are the Mavs next 5 games: @ Denver; @ Golden State; @ LA Clippers; Golden State; @ LA Lakers. Only 1 of these games (the Clippers) is a lay up. The other 4 will be formidable at the very least…especially since 3 of those 4 are on the road where the Mavs are 15-19 this season (the 19 ROAD losses are 4 more losses than the team had all last season).
The Mavs currently sit 7th in the Western conference, 1.5 games ahead of Golden State and 2 games ahead of Denver, which is in the 9th spot. At the bare minimum, Dallas must split the next 2 games however they really need to win them both. If Dallas loses to both Denver and Golden State this weekend, they very well could wake up on Monday morning and find themselves 9th in the West (Denver would have the tie-breaker over Dallas due to beating Dallas 2-1 in their series this year…and they only play Dallas 3 times).
The Mavs have put themselves in this spot and now they have to find a way to dig out of it. I want to believe so badly that this is still an elite team but the plain fact is they aren’t. The team has to find a way to overcome the loss of Dirk, for however long that will be, and everyone has to bring the “A” game every night (Jason Terry getting 4 points, as he did against the Clippers on Tuesday, simply will not do). We’ll check back on Monday to see how they fared in these 2 games. With any luck (which the Mavs will need a lot of) they will at least win one if not both.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Your A Jerk If...
Excuse me while I vent for a moment...
You are an jerk if...you ride your motorcycle between vehicles on the highway whenever traffic boggs down or stops because you don't think traffic laws apply to you and your time is more important than everyone else.
I live in Richardson and travel 75-Central Expway everyday to my office downtown. There is a specific motorcycle rider, with a purple helmet and black leather jacket, I see at least once a week that does this. Quite often I don't see him until he has just passed me but sometimes I see him in my side view mirror skirting traffic as he travels between stopped cars. Sometimes I get so hot by this that I really do want to throw my door open so he will plow into it at about 20 mph. That way, when I get to the office or home, I can feel like I've accomplished something that day.
You are an jerk if...you ride your motorcycle between vehicles on the highway whenever traffic boggs down or stops because you don't think traffic laws apply to you and your time is more important than everyone else.
I live in Richardson and travel 75-Central Expway everyday to my office downtown. There is a specific motorcycle rider, with a purple helmet and black leather jacket, I see at least once a week that does this. Quite often I don't see him until he has just passed me but sometimes I see him in my side view mirror skirting traffic as he travels between stopped cars. Sometimes I get so hot by this that I really do want to throw my door open so he will plow into it at about 20 mph. That way, when I get to the office or home, I can feel like I've accomplished something that day.
Monday, March 24, 2008
The One Thing the Mavs Simply Can’t Afford to Happen…Happened This Weekend
Things are not good these days in Mavs land. As if it weren’t enough losing the last 3 games to contenders from the West, which I thought Dallas needed to at least win 2, and as if it weren’t enough that Dallas is now 0-8 vs. Western conference playoff teams since the Kidd trade, now their best player is hurt and could possibly miss 2 weeks. In yesterday’s loss to San Antonio, Dirk went down with a “lower leg injury” and so now all Mavs fans are looking down the playoff ladder hoping to hold off Golden State and Denver. How the mighty have fallen!
It was just 1 year ago that Dallas won 67 games and 2 years ago that Dallas went to the NBA Finals. Now, the Mavs are just hoping to make the playoffs. I know 2 years ago Miami won the championship and are now the worst team in the league. However, their roster is completely different than the team that won the championship…the majority of the Mavs roster is the same. What on earth has happened? This weekend, while at 7-11, the counter clerk told me he didn’t think the Mavs would make the playoffs. I scoffed, thinking that there was no way Dallas would not make the playoffs (however this was before Dirk’s injury). Now, I’m not so sure.
I try to be a realist, as much as I can, and looking at the remaining schedule and how the team is playing, I really can’t be sure Dallas will be in the playoffs this year…especially if they will be without Dirk for the next 2 weeks. We all saw how the Mavs played without Dirk a few weeks ago when they got blasted on their home court by Houston (Dirk was suspended for a game for a flagrant foul in a previous game). Dirk seems to be the only constant good thing about this team lately. And now, with him gone, I’m just not sure how the team will manage. Dallas only has 4 cupcake games left on its schedule: the Clippers (twice) and the Sonics (twice). The only good thing is that Dallas plays the Clippers twice in the next two weeks so hopefully Dirk won’t miss more than that. Otherwise, things can go from bad to worse. The rest of their schedule looks like this: Nuggets, Warriors (twice) Lakers, Suns, Jazz, Hornets and Trail Blazers (who are tough at home). With the team playing the way they are now, most of those games (without Dirk) are a loss.
Dallas hasn’t put together a complete game in quite a while. When the starters have a good game, the bench doesn’t give good support. When the bench comes up big, the starters have an off night. And when the team plays good defense, the offensive game of the Mavs comes up short. Dallas did a good job defensively on Boston and San Antonio holding them to 94 and 88 points respectively. Think about this: in yesterday’s loss to San Antonio, the Mavs held 3 of the Spurs top 4 offensive performers (Duncan, Parker, Finley) to 11-49 shooting…and San Antonio still won the game. The team simply has to play better than they have, which they ARE capable of…they just have to figure out how to get it done. They say all the right things after losses in the locker room but those things haven’t translated to the court.
And as a Mavs fan, I dread asking this question: if things don’t go well for the Mavs this final 3 weeks and they end up missing the playoffs, what then? You can’t come back next season with the same roster so who stays and who goes? And really that same question can be asked if Dallas does make the playoffs but gets swept in the first round, which is highly probable at this point. I don’t know where the team goes (I think Dirk is about the only untouchable) if that happens and frankly don’t like thinking about it.
Get well Dirk…fast. Otherwise, you could be going down on the Titanic.
It was just 1 year ago that Dallas won 67 games and 2 years ago that Dallas went to the NBA Finals. Now, the Mavs are just hoping to make the playoffs. I know 2 years ago Miami won the championship and are now the worst team in the league. However, their roster is completely different than the team that won the championship…the majority of the Mavs roster is the same. What on earth has happened? This weekend, while at 7-11, the counter clerk told me he didn’t think the Mavs would make the playoffs. I scoffed, thinking that there was no way Dallas would not make the playoffs (however this was before Dirk’s injury). Now, I’m not so sure.
I try to be a realist, as much as I can, and looking at the remaining schedule and how the team is playing, I really can’t be sure Dallas will be in the playoffs this year…especially if they will be without Dirk for the next 2 weeks. We all saw how the Mavs played without Dirk a few weeks ago when they got blasted on their home court by Houston (Dirk was suspended for a game for a flagrant foul in a previous game). Dirk seems to be the only constant good thing about this team lately. And now, with him gone, I’m just not sure how the team will manage. Dallas only has 4 cupcake games left on its schedule: the Clippers (twice) and the Sonics (twice). The only good thing is that Dallas plays the Clippers twice in the next two weeks so hopefully Dirk won’t miss more than that. Otherwise, things can go from bad to worse. The rest of their schedule looks like this: Nuggets, Warriors (twice) Lakers, Suns, Jazz, Hornets and Trail Blazers (who are tough at home). With the team playing the way they are now, most of those games (without Dirk) are a loss.
Dallas hasn’t put together a complete game in quite a while. When the starters have a good game, the bench doesn’t give good support. When the bench comes up big, the starters have an off night. And when the team plays good defense, the offensive game of the Mavs comes up short. Dallas did a good job defensively on Boston and San Antonio holding them to 94 and 88 points respectively. Think about this: in yesterday’s loss to San Antonio, the Mavs held 3 of the Spurs top 4 offensive performers (Duncan, Parker, Finley) to 11-49 shooting…and San Antonio still won the game. The team simply has to play better than they have, which they ARE capable of…they just have to figure out how to get it done. They say all the right things after losses in the locker room but those things haven’t translated to the court.
And as a Mavs fan, I dread asking this question: if things don’t go well for the Mavs this final 3 weeks and they end up missing the playoffs, what then? You can’t come back next season with the same roster so who stays and who goes? And really that same question can be asked if Dallas does make the playoffs but gets swept in the first round, which is highly probable at this point. I don’t know where the team goes (I think Dirk is about the only untouchable) if that happens and frankly don’t like thinking about it.
Get well Dirk…fast. Otherwise, you could be going down on the Titanic.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Time for The Mavs to Stand Up and Be Counted
Here is the good news…Dallas is 5-1 in their last six games and sits 2.5 games back of the top spot in the Western Conference. Here the bad news…Dallas is currently 7th in the West and is 1.5 games from the 8th spot which makes tonight’s game against Boston monumentally important. Dallas played the Lakers on Tuesday, plays Boston tonight and plays San Antonio on Sunday. I thought Dallas really needed to win all 3 games, at least 2 of the 3. Dallas won the 5 games they played before Tuesday night but they were all against the weaker sisters of the eastern conference.
The Mavs need to prove, not only to everyone else, but to themselves that they can win big games against Western conference teams. That being said, Tuesday’s loss to the Lakers was discouraging for many reasons. The Lakers were short handed (no Gasol or Bynum), they had just gotten their bells rung by Houston, they were on the road against a Dallas team who had only lost 4 times all season at home and they were playing a team who, seemingly, had revenge on it’s mind from the last time they played each other. And with all that on their side, the Mavs came out flatter than a pancake for the first 2 ½ quarters. At one point in the 3rd quarter, Dallas was down by 25 points.
To the Mavs credit, they fought back and pulled to within 1 point. For the final 4 seconds of the game, the Mavs had the ball at half court and ran Dirk off a triple screen but the inbounds pass by Josh Howard was low and Dirk had to scramble to get his hands on it. Once Dirk finally got a hold of the ball, there was only time to put up a last second heave from beyond the 3 point arc. The shot was off the mark and the Mavs lost. The loss was a kick to the kick to the mid section, no doubt about it. It’s nice that Dallas fought back (even though they shouldn’t have let it get to that point where they had to fight back) but the end result was a loss, no matter how you cut it.
In the last 44 days, the Mavs have beat only 1 team with over a .500 record and that was Portland who is not in the playoff hunt in the West currently. So, in that span, Dallas has yet to beat a playoff team from the West. That is concerning news. The last two good teams that have come into Dallas (Houston and LA), the Mavs have cowered against. If Dallas is going to make any noise in the playoffs, they need to figure out what is wrong with the team. They’ve got 5 weeks until the playoffs start though. so time is of the essence. The Mavs sense of urgency has got to be higher!
I still think Avery is a solid coach but I’m starting to get a little worried that he is losing, if not lost, the team. Even though these are professional players, they still need to be motivated. And coming out with no energy on Tuesday night vs. the Lakers doesn’t instill me with a lot of confidence that they will do anything different in the playoffs. Tuesday night was a BIG game…it really was. Throwing out the kind of effort they did the first half of that game is nothing but unacceptable, period. So either Avery is not punching the correct buttons or, if he is, the team isn’t listening to him. Either way, it doesn’t bode well for Avery or the team.
This is the most pivotal time in the season for the Mavs. We need to see what kind of team they really are. Are they an elite team, as they have been the past couple of years, or are they currently ranked where they should be…6th or 7th in the West? Are they just a nice little team but not a championship caliber team? I’m tired of saying “that’s ok, the Mavs lost a close game to LA, San Antonio, etc…they played real hard and will get it pulled together before the playoffs.” At this point, there should be no more moral victories…absolutely none. The Mavs need to stand up and be counted…now!! Otherwise, the season will be over before the start of May.
The Mavs need to prove, not only to everyone else, but to themselves that they can win big games against Western conference teams. That being said, Tuesday’s loss to the Lakers was discouraging for many reasons. The Lakers were short handed (no Gasol or Bynum), they had just gotten their bells rung by Houston, they were on the road against a Dallas team who had only lost 4 times all season at home and they were playing a team who, seemingly, had revenge on it’s mind from the last time they played each other. And with all that on their side, the Mavs came out flatter than a pancake for the first 2 ½ quarters. At one point in the 3rd quarter, Dallas was down by 25 points.
To the Mavs credit, they fought back and pulled to within 1 point. For the final 4 seconds of the game, the Mavs had the ball at half court and ran Dirk off a triple screen but the inbounds pass by Josh Howard was low and Dirk had to scramble to get his hands on it. Once Dirk finally got a hold of the ball, there was only time to put up a last second heave from beyond the 3 point arc. The shot was off the mark and the Mavs lost. The loss was a kick to the kick to the mid section, no doubt about it. It’s nice that Dallas fought back (even though they shouldn’t have let it get to that point where they had to fight back) but the end result was a loss, no matter how you cut it.
In the last 44 days, the Mavs have beat only 1 team with over a .500 record and that was Portland who is not in the playoff hunt in the West currently. So, in that span, Dallas has yet to beat a playoff team from the West. That is concerning news. The last two good teams that have come into Dallas (Houston and LA), the Mavs have cowered against. If Dallas is going to make any noise in the playoffs, they need to figure out what is wrong with the team. They’ve got 5 weeks until the playoffs start though. so time is of the essence. The Mavs sense of urgency has got to be higher!
I still think Avery is a solid coach but I’m starting to get a little worried that he is losing, if not lost, the team. Even though these are professional players, they still need to be motivated. And coming out with no energy on Tuesday night vs. the Lakers doesn’t instill me with a lot of confidence that they will do anything different in the playoffs. Tuesday night was a BIG game…it really was. Throwing out the kind of effort they did the first half of that game is nothing but unacceptable, period. So either Avery is not punching the correct buttons or, if he is, the team isn’t listening to him. Either way, it doesn’t bode well for Avery or the team.
This is the most pivotal time in the season for the Mavs. We need to see what kind of team they really are. Are they an elite team, as they have been the past couple of years, or are they currently ranked where they should be…6th or 7th in the West? Are they just a nice little team but not a championship caliber team? I’m tired of saying “that’s ok, the Mavs lost a close game to LA, San Antonio, etc…they played real hard and will get it pulled together before the playoffs.” At this point, there should be no more moral victories…absolutely none. The Mavs need to stand up and be counted…now!! Otherwise, the season will be over before the start of May.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Gearing Up for “The Big Dance”: Is the NCAA Basketball Regular Season Mundane?
This is one of my favorite times of the year (a close second behind the start of football season)…gearing up for March Madness and the NCAA basketball tournament. Fans start filling out their brackets, pools are created between friends, coworkers, family, etc. and once the tournament starts it seems that everything else is put on hold for a couple of weeks. And in anticipation for the tournament selection show this Sunday evening, I have a few thoughts on the college basketball season.
I like college basketball, a lot. I liked it a lot more when I was in college, in the early to mid 90’s, but I still am very fond of it now. There is no atmosphere like a big time college basketball game. College football games have a great environment but there are 80,000 fans in the stadium to generate that kind of atmosphere. However, a college basketball game will have between 12-18,000 fans (maybe 20-24,000 in some of the largest arenas) that will generate that same electric atmosphere you feel at college football games. There really is nothing like attending a big time college basketball game and there is no animal out there quite like the rabid, die hard college basketball fan.
Going to school in the SEC, I have seen up close one of the most over-the-top, passionate, die hard fan bases there is in college basketball…the Kentucky Wildcats. Those people are just nuts. They love ‘Big Blue’ and basically think it is Kentucky’s birth right to win the championship every year. In their view, any year that ends without hanging a championship banner was a failure. The Duke, North Carolina and Kansas fan bases also have the same mentality. The alumni donate millions to those programs to make sure the school has the best facilities and coaches possible, the student sections are intimidating, rowdy and down right crazy and tickets for the big games (like when Duke and North Carolina square off) are almost priceless.
However, even though I love college basketball, I’m not a die hard and I tend to think the regular season is a bit mundane, due to it’s length and number of games played. But I think there is another reason a lot of fans don’t really pay attention to college basketball until the NCAA tournament...players leaving early to go to the pros. This may be “good ole day syndrome” but I remember anticipating big time players from one school squaring off against big time players from another school just about every week. And even though that still happens, it doesn’t happen to the degree that it used to.
Just think if some of the players that went straight from high school to the pros (LeBron James, Amare Stoudamire, Dwight Howard, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, Kobe, etc.) went to college for 4 years (or even 2 or 3 years at least). As good as they are, they would have dominated the college scene but it would have been more compelling if they would have stayed the full 4 years and been able to compete against each other at the college level like Jordan, Bird, Magic, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem, etc. used to do. I’m not against players leaving college early for the pros (they have to go to college at least 1 year now) but it just takes a little luster off the college season.
But regardless of who's playing, I’ll be waiting for 11:00 am, March 20th as that’s when the first games of the NCAA tourney tip off. Go Bulldogs!
I like college basketball, a lot. I liked it a lot more when I was in college, in the early to mid 90’s, but I still am very fond of it now. There is no atmosphere like a big time college basketball game. College football games have a great environment but there are 80,000 fans in the stadium to generate that kind of atmosphere. However, a college basketball game will have between 12-18,000 fans (maybe 20-24,000 in some of the largest arenas) that will generate that same electric atmosphere you feel at college football games. There really is nothing like attending a big time college basketball game and there is no animal out there quite like the rabid, die hard college basketball fan.
Going to school in the SEC, I have seen up close one of the most over-the-top, passionate, die hard fan bases there is in college basketball…the Kentucky Wildcats. Those people are just nuts. They love ‘Big Blue’ and basically think it is Kentucky’s birth right to win the championship every year. In their view, any year that ends without hanging a championship banner was a failure. The Duke, North Carolina and Kansas fan bases also have the same mentality. The alumni donate millions to those programs to make sure the school has the best facilities and coaches possible, the student sections are intimidating, rowdy and down right crazy and tickets for the big games (like when Duke and North Carolina square off) are almost priceless.
However, even though I love college basketball, I’m not a die hard and I tend to think the regular season is a bit mundane, due to it’s length and number of games played. But I think there is another reason a lot of fans don’t really pay attention to college basketball until the NCAA tournament...players leaving early to go to the pros. This may be “good ole day syndrome” but I remember anticipating big time players from one school squaring off against big time players from another school just about every week. And even though that still happens, it doesn’t happen to the degree that it used to.
Just think if some of the players that went straight from high school to the pros (LeBron James, Amare Stoudamire, Dwight Howard, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, Kobe, etc.) went to college for 4 years (or even 2 or 3 years at least). As good as they are, they would have dominated the college scene but it would have been more compelling if they would have stayed the full 4 years and been able to compete against each other at the college level like Jordan, Bird, Magic, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem, etc. used to do. I’m not against players leaving college early for the pros (they have to go to college at least 1 year now) but it just takes a little luster off the college season.
But regardless of who's playing, I’ll be waiting for 11:00 am, March 20th as that’s when the first games of the NCAA tourney tip off. Go Bulldogs!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Gift Ideas
Gift Ideas
Well, if you’re like me and struggle to come up with an idea when your wife, girl friend or family member asks you “what do you want for Fathers Day, Birthday, Christmas, etc. here are some ideas you can throw out there. (click on the link below or paste into your browswer)
http://www.bluefishtv.com/ProductDetails.aspx?cid=1005&id=2053
Well, if you’re like me and struggle to come up with an idea when your wife, girl friend or family member asks you “what do you want for Fathers Day, Birthday, Christmas, etc. here are some ideas you can throw out there. (click on the link below or paste into your browswer)
http://www.bluefishtv.com/ProductDetails.aspx?cid=1005&id=2053
Monday, March 10, 2008
Good Bye Orange Julius and The Cowboys Should Pass on Pac-Man
This weekend, the Julius Jones era with the Cowboys officially came to a close when he signed a free agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks for 4 years and $12 million. I don’t think this surprised, nor saddened, most Cowboys fans who had witnessed Julius being hailed as the next Emmitt Smith 3 years ago to only running for 588 yards on 164 carries last year — career lows despite starting 16 games — as the Cowboys relied more on Marion Barber, who ran for 975 yards and made the Pro Bowl.
I really thought Julius would have a huge year last year being that he was in his contract year and that Jason Garrett was calling the plays instead of Big Bill Parcells, who drafted Julius. However, he looked a lot like Emmitt in his last days with Dallas in that he would go to the ground on the first contact he encountered. I was rooting for Julius to prove everyone wrong and get back to the 1000 yard form he has a few years ago. Julius started just about every game and had ample opportunity to be “the guy” but did nothing with that opportunity. As a result, Barber became a fan favorite and Julius sank to obscurity.
Meanwhile, Seattle has a log jam of running backs. They have Shawn Alexander, Maurice Morris, and recently signed TJ Duckett as well. The word is Seattle will release Alexander who just 3 years ago was the league MVP. But in the “what have you done for me lately” NFL, Alexander has fallen off pretty badly and given his age (32) it appears Seattle will go in a different direction at the running back position. However, that still leaves Julius battling it out with Maurice Morris and TJ Duckett. It will be interesting to see how they use all three backs.
**********************************************************************************
Just Say NO! to Pac-Man Jones
It has been rumored that the Cowboys are interested in signing problem cornerback Adam “Pac-Man” Jones. I have one thing to say to this…HELL NO! I know Dallas, and Jerry Jones, have had some success with signing controversial, problematic players (i.e. Charles Haley back in the mid 90’s, T.O. Owens, Tank Johnson) but none of them bring the type of baggage Pac-Man brings.
Pac-Man was suspended for the entire 2007 season. Not a few games or even half the season but the entire season! Think about that. And while Tank Johnson, Dallas most recent problematic addition, has worked out nicely and has kept his name out of the papers, he has acknowledged and taken responsibility of his past problems. I saw an interview on HBO’s Real Sports with Pac-Man and he was almost defensive about his checkered past.
Make no mistake…Pac-Man is arguably a top 5 corner back in the NFL. He is also a dynamic return man. Basically, Pac-Man is the closest thing to Deion Sanders, since Deion. But Pac-Man is one of those athletes that have always been given a pass on his transgressions because of his athletic ability. And while Deion was controversial, he wasn’t a criminal. Pac-Man has been linked to many criminal transgressions (usually around strip clubs) and doesn’t seem remorseful for any of it. I mean, Michael Vick was terrible to dogs…Pac-Man is terrible to people.
If Dallas signs him, it won’t be IF he gets in trouble again but WHEN. Dallas has many, many strip clubs and with that many, many opportunities for off the field problems. And even though I was not on board with the T.O. Owens signing, he at least was not a criminal miscreant. However, to Jerry Jones, ANY press is good press even if people are talking about Dallas signing a criminal element to a team that will probably be one of the front runners in the NFC for the Super Bowl.
Jerry REALLY needs to pass on this guy. He is bad, bad news. He’s got a screw loose and will screw up again…mark my words.
I really thought Julius would have a huge year last year being that he was in his contract year and that Jason Garrett was calling the plays instead of Big Bill Parcells, who drafted Julius. However, he looked a lot like Emmitt in his last days with Dallas in that he would go to the ground on the first contact he encountered. I was rooting for Julius to prove everyone wrong and get back to the 1000 yard form he has a few years ago. Julius started just about every game and had ample opportunity to be “the guy” but did nothing with that opportunity. As a result, Barber became a fan favorite and Julius sank to obscurity.
Meanwhile, Seattle has a log jam of running backs. They have Shawn Alexander, Maurice Morris, and recently signed TJ Duckett as well. The word is Seattle will release Alexander who just 3 years ago was the league MVP. But in the “what have you done for me lately” NFL, Alexander has fallen off pretty badly and given his age (32) it appears Seattle will go in a different direction at the running back position. However, that still leaves Julius battling it out with Maurice Morris and TJ Duckett. It will be interesting to see how they use all three backs.
**********************************************************************************
Just Say NO! to Pac-Man Jones
It has been rumored that the Cowboys are interested in signing problem cornerback Adam “Pac-Man” Jones. I have one thing to say to this…HELL NO! I know Dallas, and Jerry Jones, have had some success with signing controversial, problematic players (i.e. Charles Haley back in the mid 90’s, T.O. Owens, Tank Johnson) but none of them bring the type of baggage Pac-Man brings.
Pac-Man was suspended for the entire 2007 season. Not a few games or even half the season but the entire season! Think about that. And while Tank Johnson, Dallas most recent problematic addition, has worked out nicely and has kept his name out of the papers, he has acknowledged and taken responsibility of his past problems. I saw an interview on HBO’s Real Sports with Pac-Man and he was almost defensive about his checkered past.
Make no mistake…Pac-Man is arguably a top 5 corner back in the NFL. He is also a dynamic return man. Basically, Pac-Man is the closest thing to Deion Sanders, since Deion. But Pac-Man is one of those athletes that have always been given a pass on his transgressions because of his athletic ability. And while Deion was controversial, he wasn’t a criminal. Pac-Man has been linked to many criminal transgressions (usually around strip clubs) and doesn’t seem remorseful for any of it. I mean, Michael Vick was terrible to dogs…Pac-Man is terrible to people.
If Dallas signs him, it won’t be IF he gets in trouble again but WHEN. Dallas has many, many strip clubs and with that many, many opportunities for off the field problems. And even though I was not on board with the T.O. Owens signing, he at least was not a criminal miscreant. However, to Jerry Jones, ANY press is good press even if people are talking about Dallas signing a criminal element to a team that will probably be one of the front runners in the NFC for the Super Bowl.
Jerry REALLY needs to pass on this guy. He is bad, bad news. He’s got a screw loose and will screw up again…mark my words.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Is It Time to Panic Yet?
Last night, the Mavs lost to Houston 113-98. That was their 4th loss in the last 5 games and all four of those loses came against teams the Mavs would see in the playoffs…IF they make the playoffs. I gotta say, right now, I’m not sure if they do. Dallas is now 2 games out of the 9th spot in the West.
Maybe I have been over rating this team. However, with the exception of a few players, this is primarily the team that went to the Finals 2 years ago and won 67 games last year. This is primarily the team that 2 years ago was hungry and played very hard on offense AND defense…just last year! But now? This is now a team that doesn’t look like it has the stomach for a fight. It looks like a soft team that is very content with taking 20 ft. jump shots, not getting to the foul line and not playing defense. In other words, they look like they have reverted back to the type of team when Nellie was coaching them. What is going on with this team?!?!?!? They seemingly have little to no interest in driving to the basket. I don’t know if they are afraid to or just too lazy. But either of those is not good. That is exactly how they lost in the Finals 2 years ago.
I’ve been sitting here trying to rationalize this. I’ve been trying to talk myself into believing this is just a slump and to just give it a little more time. I told myself that Dallas didn’t have Dirk last night and certainly he would have scored more than 15 points which would have been enough for Dallas to win. I’ve told myself that Houston is the hottest team in the league right now…17 game win streak…and that even without Yao they are a very good team. I’ve told myself that in the recent losses to San Antonio and L.A., the Mavs hung tough and could have beat BOTH teams had the ball bounced there way a couple of time during those games. However, I think all of that are just excuses.
I really thought Dallas would win last night. Dallas was playing at home where, before last night, they had lost only 3 games all year. The Mavs, over the last few years, have played very well against Houston and I expected that to continue last night. And, as I mentioned above, Houston is without Yao for the rest of the season so I thought that this would be the game that they come back down to earth. There is NO excuse for the Mavs not winning last night…absolutely none.
I am on record as being in favor of trade for Jason Kidd. I still am on board with that. I don’t think he is the reason for this. But something has been amiss all year with this team. The defensive intensity is almost gone…especially interior defense. Last night, the Rockets shot 54% from the field and pretty much did what they wanted to do all night. Dallas hung tough for a half but then Houston went on a 13-3 run in the 3rd quarter which is where Dallas let the game slip by. If Dallas continues to play defense like matadors and somehow manage to make the playoffs, it will be a quick exit in the 1st round.
I’m a big Mavs fan and will continue to be one however it is painful to watch this team under perform when I KNOW they can play better. I NEVER thought Dallas would be struggling to hang on to the 7th or 8th spot in the West. This is uncharted territory for the Mavs since their resurrection in 2000-2001 season. If this isn’t panic time, it’s getting pretty close to it. The Mavs have now painted themselves into a corner where they must win their next 5 games (all against sub-par Eastern conf. teams AND 4 of those 5 are at home). They can’t afford even 1 loss to any of those teams.
Can Dallas turn this thing around? Certainly. This IS a good team…I still believe that. But they must believe it. I don’t know what Avery has left in his bag of tricks but he needs to empty it right now. He’s got to find a way to get back that edge the team had which carried them to the Finals 2 years ago. If he can’t find a way to get that back, then unfortunately he may not be around as coach much longer.
Maybe I have been over rating this team. However, with the exception of a few players, this is primarily the team that went to the Finals 2 years ago and won 67 games last year. This is primarily the team that 2 years ago was hungry and played very hard on offense AND defense…just last year! But now? This is now a team that doesn’t look like it has the stomach for a fight. It looks like a soft team that is very content with taking 20 ft. jump shots, not getting to the foul line and not playing defense. In other words, they look like they have reverted back to the type of team when Nellie was coaching them. What is going on with this team?!?!?!? They seemingly have little to no interest in driving to the basket. I don’t know if they are afraid to or just too lazy. But either of those is not good. That is exactly how they lost in the Finals 2 years ago.
I’ve been sitting here trying to rationalize this. I’ve been trying to talk myself into believing this is just a slump and to just give it a little more time. I told myself that Dallas didn’t have Dirk last night and certainly he would have scored more than 15 points which would have been enough for Dallas to win. I’ve told myself that Houston is the hottest team in the league right now…17 game win streak…and that even without Yao they are a very good team. I’ve told myself that in the recent losses to San Antonio and L.A., the Mavs hung tough and could have beat BOTH teams had the ball bounced there way a couple of time during those games. However, I think all of that are just excuses.
I really thought Dallas would win last night. Dallas was playing at home where, before last night, they had lost only 3 games all year. The Mavs, over the last few years, have played very well against Houston and I expected that to continue last night. And, as I mentioned above, Houston is without Yao for the rest of the season so I thought that this would be the game that they come back down to earth. There is NO excuse for the Mavs not winning last night…absolutely none.
I am on record as being in favor of trade for Jason Kidd. I still am on board with that. I don’t think he is the reason for this. But something has been amiss all year with this team. The defensive intensity is almost gone…especially interior defense. Last night, the Rockets shot 54% from the field and pretty much did what they wanted to do all night. Dallas hung tough for a half but then Houston went on a 13-3 run in the 3rd quarter which is where Dallas let the game slip by. If Dallas continues to play defense like matadors and somehow manage to make the playoffs, it will be a quick exit in the 1st round.
I’m a big Mavs fan and will continue to be one however it is painful to watch this team under perform when I KNOW they can play better. I NEVER thought Dallas would be struggling to hang on to the 7th or 8th spot in the West. This is uncharted territory for the Mavs since their resurrection in 2000-2001 season. If this isn’t panic time, it’s getting pretty close to it. The Mavs have now painted themselves into a corner where they must win their next 5 games (all against sub-par Eastern conf. teams AND 4 of those 5 are at home). They can’t afford even 1 loss to any of those teams.
Can Dallas turn this thing around? Certainly. This IS a good team…I still believe that. But they must believe it. I don’t know what Avery has left in his bag of tricks but he needs to empty it right now. He’s got to find a way to get back that edge the team had which carried them to the Finals 2 years ago. If he can’t find a way to get that back, then unfortunately he may not be around as coach much longer.
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