Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz: December 26, 2008

Check out the game summary.

Billups Brings what Kidd Lacks

Jason Kidd had that familiar, faraway look, the one that screams, what the heck am I doing here?

Maybe it was about being decisively outperformed by Chauncey Billups, his old Eastern Conference nemesis, in a convincing 98-88 victory by the surging Denver Nuggets over Kidd’s Mavericks on Monday night at American Airlines Center.

Maybe it was his desultory role in the Dallas offense — a pass here, a pick there, before drifting outside for spot-up shots he couldn’t make (0 for 5 from the field) or wouldn’t take while Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and, yes, J. J. Barea formed the creative core of a Mavericks offense held to 34.9 percent shooting by the new, defensively improved Nuggets.

Read the rest of this article at the NY Times.

JJ Barea the Big Scorer in D League Last Year

Coach Avery Johnson sent Barea down to D League a while back to work on some fundamentals. After back to back 40 point games, Avery decided it might be a good idea to have him back on the team. This year, under Rick Carlisle, Barea has blossomed, landing a starting position for several games and contributing serious points and intangibles in each effort.

Mavericks vs Thunder Recap

On December 13, 2008, the Mavs took on the Thunder at home. Dallas wins, 103-99. Check it.

Mavericks vs Bobcats Recap

Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks face the Charlotte Bobcats. Dallas wins, 95-90. Check it.

Game Recap: Mavs vs Suns

I Could Be the Mavericks General Manager

Have you ever had those moments where you think to yourself, I could be a General Manager of a pro-sports team and be good at it?  Or at least do a better job than the current management? Last spring, while accompanying Daniel Dessinger of Dallasprosports.com to the hospital to visit a mutual friend battling cancer, was one such time for me. The focus of our discussion was our beloved Dallas Mavericks.

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Avery is History: Galloway is a Genius

According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, Avery Johnson is history. Randy Galloway called it before Game 5. Now the Mavs are in the hunt for a new head coach, and the entire team is in need a serious changes. Mavs fans have been living in a dream world if they think the aging bench of the Mavs will ever help them reach the Finals again.

Reality check time. Firing Avery was probably a rash move on the part of Mark Cuban. But if Avery was really as hard to get along with as Randy Galloway would have us believe, then this was perfect timing.

The next question, then is: who’s safe on the team and who’s on the chopping block? I’m guessing the majority of the team is on the block, each waiting his turn to get the axe.

Who knew that Randy Galloway knew anything about basketball? After all, he doesn’t know jack about blogs. He thinks the only true professional is the newspaper writer (i.e. the old guys getting put out of business by successful bloggers). But that’s another story. On this, we give him credit. Bask in it, old man.

Avery Johnson’s Last Mavs Game?

Randy Galloway predicted yesterday that tonight would be Avery’s last game with the Mavs. That’s assuming the Mavs lose, of course, and that Avery is the problem in Mark Cuban’s eyes. There has been obvious tension between coach and owner this year, as the Mavericks failed to perform to expectations for the second year in a row.

Now we’re hearing more praise for the great Don Nelson, who left when the Mavs were flying high, and thus earned himself some ungrateful jeers. These days, the story is a little different. Now we’re seeing Don Nelson’s years in Dallas as the Golden Years, where he built a championship team that Avery and Cuban thwarted and dismantled.

Look for more coverage on the crumbling Mavs at MavsUpdate.com later today.

Mavs Lose Game 4: Elimination Eminent

In a rough Game 4, Dallas was outcoached and outplayed. Well, maybe just outplayed. Does any real coaching go into handing Chris Paul the ball and watching him score? In a surprising twist, Jason Kidd was ejected from the game due to a flagrant foul. Just minutes later in the fourth quarter, a fan was ejected for talking trash to Chris Paul as he came flying into the stands under the basket.

The New Orleans Hornets have a 3-1 lead in the first round of the playoffs, and Game 5 will be played back in New Orleans. Disappointed Mavs fans will likely blame the Kidd ejection for the loss, but that would be short-sighted. The Mavs lost because Chris Paul is unstoppable and because they take too many outside shots without getting to the rim for offensive rebounds.

Kidd’s flagrant foul and ejection was just the nail in the coffin. Dallas was already outmatched. At the current level of play, New Orleans is simply a better team. Dallas fans don’t have much to hope for as this series returns to New Orleans for a potential playoff ending game for Dallas.

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