Sports Talk with MC

By MC

The Mavericks are 10-9 since the Jason Kidd deal that required them to send budding star Devin Harris, among others, to the Swamp.

Hey, 10-9 isn’t that bad. If your in the Eastern Conference that is. Sadly, the Mavs are in the wicked West, and a stretch of winning 10 of 19 games, in a season wherein a 50 win team may miss the postseason, just won’t cut it.

What’s more, Dallas has not beaten a squad with a winning record since getting Kidd from the Nets.  Where, then, lies the problem here?

Is the perenial all-star to blame? Is Dirk to blame? Is Avery Johnson to blame? Is Cuban to blame (he never thinks he’s guilty)? Are the other players to blame?

The answer to this question is- Avery Johnson and Mark Cuban.

First of all, I’d like to say that I am a fan of Cuban’s approach to player management. He’s a vocal owner who is more like a big brother to his cagers rather than a laid back guy in a suit. The guy, though, can be a bit too eccentric for his own good sometimes. He tends to gamble on the fact that his constant yearning to be in the limelight, and his constant desire to be outspoken, will rub off on his players and give them a swagger that will go along with their already in-place talent. Make no mistake about it- the Mavs have a nice collection of players. Dirk is a new age big man and a bona fide star. Josh Howard is a Scottie Pippen-type who can do it all. Kidd is, well, one of the best point guards of his generation. Dampier, for all the criticism about his work ethic, can be solid. Stackhouse and Terry can score in bunches and hit big shots when needed. Juwan Howard, though aging, is still the consummate pro and a good locker roon presence. I think Cuban’s definition of swagger, though,  doesn’t match everyone else’s credo- efficient, low profile work, is better than being likened to pyro that is cool to see at the outset, but fades away not much later. The players want to have a team identity like that which the Spurs of the Duncan-era have had for years now. The ownership, meanwhile, wants something a little closer to Hollywood or Manhattan. On this side of Texas, with this case of characters in uniform, I don’t think the latter belief system will work. It puts too much pressure on the guys to “be” something they’re not. How Cuban talked too much in the 2006 postseason should serve as enough evidence to prove that he can disrupt his squad’s chemistry and focus all by his lonesome. He seems to like to do it, also, when the stakes are highest.

That’s a bad combination, in any situation.

Coach Johnson’s style has been problematic, too. He’s emphasized defensive intensity in the post-Nellie era in the Big D, but then, offensively, he’s reverted to using isolation plays instead of working with a motion offense, which, honestly, might suit a Kidd-led Mavericks team. Kidd has made a reputation for himself by being a master of improvisation on the break. When today’s incarnation of the Mavericks run, Kidd runs, Dirk runs, Howard runs, but then, the other two players, presumably Stackhouse/Terry and Dampier, lag behind. In my view, Avery Johnson should let loose and allow his team to run more, even if they around the Nuggets or the Suns, because of the fact that half court sets, while good for the Mavs, don’t touch on Kidd’s talent for getting his team easy hoops, and Lord knows that is critical when your shooting is off (the Mavericks go on shooting slumps occasionally which lead to disaster due to their penchant for half court isolation sets), or when your opponent is a big, grind it out team like, say, the Spurs or the Jazz. Moreover, Avery likes to dictate what goes on on the floor from the sidelines, short of putting on sneaks and a throwback jersey. Former Maverick Devin Harris, in a recent interview, said that he has enjoyed playing in New Jersey because he had more freedom of movement there in terms of making plays on both ends of the court. Now Vince Carter is not Dirk Nowitzki, but then, well, you get the picture.

Kidd’s feeling the same pressure the Harris once did, the despite their recent woes, the Lil General doesn’t seem to want to waver. Jason’s horrendous shooting percentage (41.5% for the season) hasn’t helped either. With defenses playing off him, you’d hope that maybe, he could make the opposition pay with a few trifecta’s here and there. The former Net’s seemingly been thinking too much with Avery breathing down his neck all the time, and such has worked towards discombobulating the Mavs’ overall chemistry. Nowitzki is averaging more points with Kidd in the lineup, but then, his teammates have constantly seemed confused on the court once sets go into the halfcourt. Does Jerry cut to the rim or park himself on the far wings? Does Jason Terry attack the key or wait for a kickout pass for an open three? Will Dampier get a pass in the post? Does Kidd have enough confidence and Erick getting a deuce in a postup situation?

So many questions, so little time to get answers. Getting acclimated to J-Kidd’s style off the bat wasn’t going to just happen, but then, I think right now, it’s taking too long, and the lowest points are happening at the worst possible time. Maybe Johnson isn’t getting through to his guys enough anymore. Maybe this is something psychological that began way back in the 2006 NBA Finals. Maybe the time has come to make wholesale changes in Dallas. Maybe some tweaking, at least, is in order. Maybe Kidd and Dirk aren’t the stars we thought they were. Maybe the chemistry just isn’t right.

Or perhaps, this is all about Erick Dampier and the ridiculous money Mark Cuban pays him for a meager 6.1 points and 7.6 rebounds a game.

Dampier? Kidd? Nowitzki? Who are we kidding. The people to blame here are “the man” and the General. Seriously. The effects of bad choices start from top to bottom.

It’s only a matter of time, then, before we find out how low the painful effects of learning go. Survival of the fittest? This seems to be the best example of such in the NBA world. The Western Conference (and the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, and Indiana Pacers battling for the 8th spot in the East, that is).