Rick Carlisle kicked a ball into the stands after a tough loss to the Thunder on Wednesday.  Cuban was fined $75,000 and Carlisle was fined $35,000.  Cuban was criticizing the officiating after the game because, well, they stunk.

I think we all know that pro sports officials, on the whole, are actually not very good.  Especially in baseball and basketball, they are usually very bad at their jobs.  So, I think it’s fair for an owner of a team (someone who has a major investment in the product the league puts out being good) to speak up.  Unfortunately, the league doesn’t see it that way.  Here’s what Cuban had to say after the loss on Wednesday:

“Look, I haven’t said a whole lot about the officiating in a long, long time, but I haven’t seen it this bad in a long, long time.  Guys miss calls; that’s part of the game. You’re not always going to have a great crew. Officials have got to learn that’s part of the game.”

“But these were officials that have been part of the league for years, and it was just off-the-charts bad. And if no one ever says anything, nothing ever happens.”

“If no one ever says anything, nothing ever happens,  We turn in stuff not after every game, but we turn in stuff all the time and we get ‘inconclusive; inconclusive; yeah, we missed this; yeah, we got it right.’ That’s all fine and good, but there’s nobody reporting to us on accountability. And that needs to change.”

“There’s a lot of guys and teams that aren’t having great starts to the season and there’s a lot of crews that aren’t having great starts to the season. The league needs to make some adjustments because you can’t have it like this all the time.”

Let’s go through this quickly.  True.  True.  The NBA doesn’t care.  True.

Cuban is the only voice of reason left, isn’t he?

Texas Rangers OF Josh Hamilton, who has battled drug and alcohol addictions, said he “had a moment of weakness” and drank alcohol on Monday night. Hamilton addressed the media on Friday and explained the details of the incident.

Charles Barkley dished on Dallas’ ESPN 103.3 about Dirk, the Mavs, and beating the clock.  He talked about how Dirk’s age is starting to get in the way.  (I think we already knew this, but Charles knows about this first hand, so it’s fair to pay attention.)

“Dirk’s getting old bro. Father Time is undefeated. You know, Dirk’s been a great great player for a long time and he’s been in the playoffs pretty much every year. Father Time is catching up with him.”

“That’s the way it happens, you drop off the face of the earth. His days of being the man are over. I hate to break it to you. I lived it. When you’re a great player it hits you quicker, too, more than anybody because you have further to fall. You can be a guy like who’s a good solid player and you can hide it for a couple years, but when you’re a great player you have further to fall.”

“Mavericks aren’t going to win the championship bro, it’s over. They can’t beat Oklahoma City, I don’t think they can beat Denver or Portland, cause those are the three best teams I’ve seen in the West all year. They are too old and too slow. Losing Tyson Chandler and DeShawn Stevenson really killed them.”

I think, in some ways, Charles is right.  However, when you get down to the idea of Dallas not repeating, I think it is clear that while losing Stevenson and Chandler was a bad thing, it merely changed the course that this team would take to a title.  So, it’s not so much about pouting about not having the right people.  The Mavs moved on from that and came up with a new plan.

Charles would seem to be right on the face of it, but the Mavs aren’t playing like Charles has described right now.  Let’s hope it stays this way.

 photo credit: believekevin

Retired star running back Tony Dorsett is one of more than 300 former players suing the National Football League. Dorsett is one of more than a dozen plaintiffs in concussion-related lawsuits with the NFL.

Dorsett says that the league pressured injured players to “get back out” on the field, causing long-term brain damage.

Dorsett recalls a helmet-to-helmet shot that knocked him out cold in the second quarter of a 1984 Cowboys-Eagles game, the hardest hit he ever took during his career.

“Did they know it was a concussion?” he asked rhetorically. “They thought I was half-dead.”

He spread two pages’ worth of brain scans on his coffee table and says doctors told him that red regions in the color-coded scan mean he is not getting enough oxygen in the left lobe of his brain, the part associated with organization and memory. He already forgets people’s names or why he walked into a room or where he’s heading while driving on the highway, and fears his memory issues are getting worse.

“I don’t want to get to the point where it turns into dementia, Alzheimer’s. I don’t want that,” says Dorsett, who ran for 12,739 yards, the eighth-highest total in league history. He is, in that moment, sad and deflated — in others, pumped up and angry, fists flying to punctuate his words. “There’s no doubt in my mind that … what I went through as a football player is taking an effect on me today. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about that. I’m just hoping and praying I can find a way to cut it off at the pass.”

Is a good talk a good talk when you’re talking to Roy Oswalt?  See, here’s what I mean.  He would be a nice (not great, but nice) addition to the Rangers’ roster.  However, didn’t he run up to Philly to win a title?  I thought that was titletown?  I know he’s getting older and he wants to win a World Series, but when you see a guy start chasing like this, you have to wonder how much loyalty he has in him to a team that is very close-knit and very emotional.  The Rangers are more than a team–they’re a family.

So, sure, the Phillies declined his option because he’s hurt.  Wait, he’s hurt and he’s old.  So, you’re going to take him on and do what with him?  Will he be the fifth starter?  What does this signing even mean if it were to take place?  Jon Daniels says that:

“If that were to happen, you’d love to have extra depth.  The flip side we’ve got to consider is what if that doesn’t happen? How does it all fit together? We’ve spent a lot of time and resources developing this younger group where they are ready to maybe take that next step and do we owe it to them? Those are things we’re walking through right now.”

And there it is.  You’ve spent a lot of time and resources working on the younger players.  KEEP DOING THAT!  I’m not saying that you can’t sign older guys, but when your team is so young and you are clearly doing a good job putting together a young roster, you should just stay the course and watch the franchise develop ala the Braves of the 90′s.  That’s much preferable to being a laughingstock or a team that spends too much money on the wrong people, right?

DeMarcus Ware was heavily involved with the Cowboys defense last season which struggled a lot throughout the year. The ‘Boys conceded an average of just over 21 points a game last season, a number that Rob Ryan would have wanted lower.

When Rob Ryan joined the Cowboys as defensive coordinator from the Cleveland Browns, Cowboys fans were optimistic that he could turn the defense into a very strong unit. Over the course of the season, Ryan showed glimpses of what he was about as he held the Patriots to 20 points at Gillette stadium, and contained the Bills at Cowboys Stadium, conceding just 7 points.

Ultimately, Ryan and the defensive unit struggled to gain any consistency throughout the season and struggled against some of the best offenses in the league.

DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff were the 2 players to represent the Cowboys at the recent pro bowl game in Hawaii. They both had great seasons personally, with Ware racking up 19.5 sacks on the season. Sean Lee, the linebacker in just his second season in the NFL, had an awesome season and would have felt unlucky not to have earned a spot in the pro-bowl.

When interviewed at the event in Hawaii, DeMarcus Ware first spoke about the differences between Rob Ryan and Wade Phillips as coaches. He said, “It was a little bit simpler with Wade, he relies a lot on the pass rush. With Rob Ryan, I’m going to say he’s more pass coverage – cover twos and fours – he has a lot of diverse things that he always brings. Like, he’ll have Jay dropping, me rushing, guys mixing it up, a sort of disguise, and that was a big difference.”

He is also spoke about his feelings towards next years campaign, saying, “I think it’s going to be a big improvement having Rob Ryan for a whole another camp and a whole another year, knowing his system, knowing really what’s going on. Having Jason Garrett, the leader, that motivational guy for us, I think it’s going to all just pan out next season.”

So, Ware feels an extended period of time in the off-season with Rob Ryan should do the trick for the Cowboys. I feel Ryan will do a good job with the talented bunch of players that he has at his fingertips. In terms of the offense, they are a team that can be sublime but aren’t quite there yet. If you consider each player on an individual basis, there is some great talent; Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray, Miles Austin, Laurent Robinson and Jason Witten to name the majority. They are all phenomenal players, but weren’t on the same page as each other last season.

Now Delonte West and Vince Carter have decided to step up.  In a 122-99 win over the Suns, the Mavs had Vince Carter putting down threes, Delonte West driving, and people coming out of the woodwork to make this team go.  As many times as the Mavs will have something happen (Dirk’s knee hurts, Jason Kidd is injured) they have people to step up and take charge.  I was very concerned that without Tyson Chandler they wouldn’t have as much heart, but I think that winning that title last year made them into believers.

Think of the true-believerism that was made when they won a title and they said to each other, “We can do this no matter what.”  Well, that sentiment is pervasive throughout the team and you can see it as they drain threes one night and play hardcore defense the next night.

When you’ve got Vince Carter bought in and just taking smart shots, you know you’ve done something right.  When you have Delonte West coming off the trash heap (being labeled as a guy who was only worth talking about because he played with LeBron) playing as well as he did last night, you know that the coaching and team atmosphere is amazing.

So, if people are stepping up all night, how can anyone beat the Mavs?  I don’t know.  They could have a problem in the regular season, they could not be the top seed in the west, but when they get in the playoffs, I don’t think I would want to play them.  Fans of other teams think to themselves, “I don’t want to have anything to do with them.”  I’ve thought that before, and I know you have, too.  Now, the Mavs fall into that category.  Who knows who will bite you the next time you play Dallas?

Dirk Nowitzki came back from his break to help lead the Mavericks to a win.  However, Jason Kidd will be out for at least a week with a strained calf.  Age is abounding in Dallas.  So, how can the team possibly have everybody healthy at the same time, at the end of the season?

Well, I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating.  Stop caring about the regular season.  As long as you’re in the top four in the playoffs, you’re all good.  It’s the Laker and Celtic philosophy.  You just need to get there.  However, how much rest is required when two older players have to be sitting in and out for a certain number of games because they are injured?

Plus, Dirk isn’t 100%, he’s just good enough to go in the game.  When you read his quotes about his first game back, you see that he’s really hurting:

“Moving better, got a couple of one-dribble, two-dribble-and-up pull-ups, which basically was nonexistent before I left.  It’s coming back. My legs are getting stronger, my base is getting stronger, so I just got to keep on working.”

I think he needs to keep working on it, too, but I do not believe that that is going to be enough.  Plus, when Jason Kidd isn’t in the game, there is not an extra facilitator and shooter.  Kidd is not a spring chicken, but he made critical passes and shots last season.  He cannot continue to do that if he is hobbled this year.

So, how long do you hold Kidd out?  Longer than a week.  You have to balance your time with him in with the amount of time you have left in the season.  You want the whole team to be healthy and ready all at the same time for the playoffs.

 photo credit: Bari D

The Mavs come into tonight’s game without veteran guard Jason Kidd, who will be out for around a week after straining his calf. Dallas will potentially be without Dirk Nowitzki, with his status set as questionable for tonight’s encounter with the Spurs.

On Friday night, the Mavs showed their great roster depth in overcoming the Utah Jazz in a very impressive performance. Roddy Beaubois and Lamar Odom got 22 and 19 points respectively, with Roddy starting in place of Delonte West.

The Mavs take on the Spurs tonight with tip-off at 6.30pm. In recent seasons, contests between the Mavs and Spurs have been fast, physical and entertaining, providing one of the best rivalries in the NBA.

The two teams met in San Antonio in early January, with the Spurs grabbing the victory over a struggling Mavs. However, with the Mavs starting to gel and gain rhythm, they have to be favourites going into the game tonight, especially as the Spurs are on the road where they have a record of 2-7 so far.

With an impeccable home record of 10-1 for the Spurs, they come into the contest with an overall record of 12-8, identical to that of Dallas. They continue to be without the services of Manu Ginobli, the Argentinean guard, who is still struggling with a broken shooting hand. The Spurs are 7-5 without Ginobli in the team, but young New York native Danny Green has been a bright spark for the Spurs whilst covering for the injured Ginobli.

As mentioned early in the article, Jason Kidd is not playing tonight along with Delonte West and Vince Carter. With decent guards out, Roddy Beaubois and Jason Terry are going to have to step up tonight and get the ball rolling for the Mavs going forward. Dirk Nowitzki is also most probably out, meaning Lamar Odom will see his minutes continue to increase. Although Dirk’s absence isn’t a good thing for the Mavs, it has brought positivity to Odom’s game as he has started to find some rhythm and consistency as he looks to become the player we all know he is.

Despite the respective injuries it should be a good game tonight, with the winner topping the division.

Dirk Nowitzki isn’t afraid of anyone in the western conference.  I’m not particularly sure why, but I just know that he said he thinks the Mavs can handle anybody who comes at them.  If that is the case, then I think we need to look at his comments and break them down to make sure he hasn’t lost his mind.

“I haven’t seen one team in the West that I’m scared of.  I really haven’t. I think we can compete with all of them.”

“Oklahoma City has probably the best record, but I think we’ve played them well every time we’ve seen them and everybody else has been up and down.”

“All we have to do is keep working and hopefully keep everyone healthy and be there when it counts and in the playoffs, but I’m not scared of seeing anyone I’ve seen.”

Ok, so OKC does have the best record, but that doesn’t mean everything.  The one seed in a particular conference does not always win the finals.  It’s just easier to get there is all.

If he’s not scared of anyone he’s played, then that means he thinks the Mavs can play up to the level they played at last year.  If that were actually the case, I think the Mavs would have started off better.  That doesn’t mean they suck, it just means they would have hit the ground running.  Without any ground running, it’s kind of hard to say that you aren’t scared of anyone because you are, presumably, confident that you can beat anyone who comes your way.

Frankly, I understand the ideal behind it.  You show no fear.  However, in reality, the Thunder are GOOD, the Mavs miss Tyson Chandler, and this is not 2011 anymore.  We need to be honest with ourselves, ok?

This team has changed.