Mavericks 118 Hawks 109: Game 1 Review

As openers go Mavericks 118 Hawks 109 was about a good start as the team and its fans could of hoped for. Though far from perfect the Mavericks were able to see a lot of things that  should make for a successful season if they continue.

Monta Ellis' 32 points were the most ever for a Maverick in his team debut and his two-man chemistry with Dirk Nowitzki (24 points) was exceptional. Though he did not shoot the ball well Jose Calderon showed the point guard play the team often lacked last year by dishing out 11 assists. Vince Carter continued to show why he is still one of the best sixth men in the league by pouring in 21 points off the bench. The center duo of Samuel Dalembert played well combing for 13 points and 14 rebounds and old reliable Shawn Marion chipped in with 12 points and 8 boards.
Dallas was able to do what they want on the offensive end, shooting 57% from the field and 11-24 from three. The only black mark on offense were 20 turnovers including 7 from Ellis, but that shouldn't be a long-term worry as the team will grow more comfortable playing together.
Defense however was a different story as the Mavs had trouble stopping the penetration of Jeff Teague (24 Points, 9 assists), which led to plenty of easy baskets. This will probably continue to be an issue for the Mavs against quicker point guards but hopefully something they can improve on as the season continues. On the bright side Dallas was able to control boards by a 42-33 margin.
That the Mavs played well on offense and struggled some on defense shouldn't come as a big surprise to anyone. We know they are going to have score plenty of points to win a lot of game. The good thing is they are perfectly capable of that as we saw last night. They key will if they can make the defense just O.K. because it's hard to see them being especially great on that side of the ball. But if the Mavericks  are able to combine a great offense  with an average defense they could be able to take that a long way this season.
It was just one game out of 82, but there was a lot to like from this opening night victory. The play of newcomers such as Ellis and Calderon was very encouraging, and the old standbys of Dirk, Marion and Carter showed they still have plenty left. So get ready for what looks to be an exciting and entertaining season for the 2013-14 version of the Dallas Mavericks. 

Team Leaders
Points: Ellis, 32 Rebounds: Dalembert, 9 Assists: Calderon, 9
Player of the Game: Ellis
Quote of Note: “I just took what the defense gave me,” . “If they sagged off, I took one or two dribbles and pulled up. If they stayed with me then I got past them, attacked the basket and got to the free-throw line. When they closed in I was able to find shooters. That’s what Coach [Carlisle] wanted me to do, so I did it.” Monta Ellis
Next Up: The Mavs play their first road game of the season as they take on Dwight Howard, James Harden and the Rockets, Friday at 7 pm in Houston.

Mavericks vs. Hawks Game 1 Preview

Dallas Mavericks (4-4 preseason) vs. Atlanta Hawks (1-6 preseason)
Wed. October 30 7:30 at the American Airlines Center
TV: Fox Sports Southwest

2012-13 Matchups
Feb. 11 at Dallas: Hawks 105 Mavs 101
Mar. 18 at Atlanta: Mavs 127 Hawks 113
All-Time Series: Hawks 33 Mavs 31

Projected Starters
Mavs
PG: Jose Calderon
SG: Monta Ellis
SF: Shawn Marion
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Samuel Dalembert
Hawks
PG: Jeff Teague
SG: Kyle Korver
SF: Demarre Carroll
PF: Paul Millsap
C: Al Horford

2012-13 Team Leaders
Mavs
PPG: Dirk Nowitzki, 17.3
RPG: Shawn Marion, 7.8
APG: Darren Collison, 5.1
Hawks
PPG: Josh Smith, 17.5
RPG: Al Horford, 10.2
APG: Jeff Teague, 7.2

Notes
The Mavs beat the Hawks in preseason play 98-88 on October 23 at the AAC. Former Mavericks Elton Brand and Jared Cunningham will make their Hawks debut. Injured Mavericks guard Devin Harris spent last season with Atlanta. Hawks coach and long time Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer will make his head coaching debut. The Mavs are 19-14 all-time in season openers and are 11-8 in season openers at home. Dallas has taken 20 of the last 28 meetings between the two squads after Atlanta had won 25 of the first 36 all-time meetings.

Mavs Season Preview 2013-14: The Wings

After last year's O.J. Mayo experiment which saw early success only to fade late, this year a new polarizing two guard has arrived in Monta Ellis. Ellis will be probably the key x-factor for the Mavs this year. If Ellis can improve his shot selection and excel in the two man game with Dirk it can be a very promising year for the Mavs. Hopefully that Monta is the one the Mavs will get this year,  and not the one who struggled in Milwaukee last year.
Fewer question marks surround holdovers Shawn Marion and Vince Carter. Marion will continue to be the team's under appreciated defensive stopper who will put up points with his unorthodox offensive game without having to have plays called for him. Carter will be the team's go-to bench scorer who can fill it up from deep but still from time to time be able to show some of his old half-man half-amazing persona, along with being underrated defender. These two veteran former all-stars should continue to be the glue that will be a big part of what makes the Mavs go.
New to the team this year is three point specialist Wayne Ellington. The North Carolina alum should give the Mavericks needed floor spacing as well as the ability to defend bigger guards that will most likely trouble the team's smaller guards.
The Mavs will hope to see the usual second year improvement from Jae Crowder who experienced an up and down rookie season. Crowder can defend three different positions and give plenty of energy but he needs to add more consistency to his shooting as well as helping out more on the glass.
Second round pick Ricky Ledo is an intriguing prospect who sat out his entire freshman year at Providence with eligibility issues before eventually declaring for the draft. Ledo definitely has the ability to score but most of the points he will score this year will be for the Texas Legends in the D-League as he is unlikely to see much playing time with such a veteran roster.
Much like every other position the Mavs look like they have improved at the wings. The key will be Ellis. Although he is a different player than Jason Terry, the hope is Ellis will provide a similar chemisty  on the court with Dirk as Jet did .

Mavs, Gersson Rosas Part Ways

Gersson we hardly knew ye.

In bizarre and unexpected news Marc Stein is reporting that the Mavericks are parting ways with General Manager Gersson Rosas after only three months on the job. According to Stein reasons for the parting are not immediately known.
Rosas was hired from Houston where he was executive vice-president of basketball operations. Rosas was brought in by the Mavs to help in the team's pro and college scouting as Rosas was instrumental in the Rockets D-League affiliate.
All in all its hard to know what to make of this news except it can't be seen as a positive. Rosas was brought in to give a new voice to the front office and now just like that he is gone. Hopefully more will come out on why this breakup happened.

Update: the press release via the Mavs:
 DALLAS—The Dallas Mavericks announced today that Gersson Rosas has resigned as the General Manager.
“I made the personal decision to resign as General Manager of the Dallas Mavericks after determining that the position was not the best fit for me at this point in my career,” said Rosas.  “The decision was made solely by me, as I firmly believe this change is in my best interest.”
“Mark Cuban asked me to reconsider my decision, but graciously accepted my decision and we part as friends, Rosas continued.  “I would like to thank Mark and the Dallas Mavericks for the opportunity.”
“I was disappointed when Gersson told me of his decision, but I understand and all of us wish him the best,” Cuban said.
Rosas was hired as the team’s General Manager on Aug. 1, 2013.

Mavs 2013-14 Preview: Centers of Attention

Much like the point guard position, the center spot was also a source of trouble for the 2012-13 Mavericks squad. Free agent acquisition Chris Kaman did not live up to his promise as his lack of defense and rebounding hurt Dallas in areas they were already deficient in. The saving grace in the middle was the play of Brandan Wright, who Dallas signed to signed to a new multi-year contract this offseason. Although Wright is also not known for his defensive and rebounding work, his efficient offensive finishing skills are big help to a Maverick team that gets most of its shots from the perimeter. Wright however hurt his shoulder during the preseason, and while he shouldn't miss too much time it seems doubtful he will ready opening night.
To replace Kaman as the starting center the Mavs signed veteran Samuel Dalembert to be the anchor defensively that they lacked last year. Although Dalembert saw his minutes decrease in Milwaukee last season his rebounding and blocked shots numbers were still good on a per minute basis. Dalembert's play improved throughout the preseason as his conditioning got better. The key for Dalembert this year will be stay away from foul trouble, as the Mavs can not afford have on the bench for long periods without expecting defensive slippage.
Dejuan Blair was signed from the rival Spurs to help the depth as both 4 and 5 positions. Though he is severely undersized Blair brings a lot of toughness to the table as a rebounder and a scorer. The problem for Blair will come when he tries to match against larger centers who size he can't simply match up with. This is another reason why Dalembert is such an important player for this team as Wright also struggles with larger players due to his skinny frame.

Also back for the Mavs is second year big man Bernard "Sarge" James. James playing time however will be a question mark as the team doesn't seem to look at him as anything but a back of the bench performer beacuse of his limited offensive skill set and advanced age (28), for only being in his second year. James was placed on waivers this offseason, and after going unclaimed returned to Dallas. If the Mavs acquire an extra player this season either via free agency or a trade James could be the one to go.
So while their remains plenty of question marks for the Mavericks at the center position the additions of Dalembert and Blair should count as an upgrade over the lack of production the Mavericks got from the position last season.

Preseason Game 8 Review: Pacers 98 Mavericks 77

Things looked good for the Mavericks for a half and some change against one of the East's elite teams in last night's preseason finale. Then things came apart quickly as a 13-0 Indiana spurred the Pacers on to a dominant second half performance and a 98-77 loss for Dallas. The Mavs completed the preseason with a record of 4-4.
During that first half the Mavs played excellent defense and held their own on the boards against a team known for their strength in those two areas. Key to that effort was the continued good play form new Mavs starting center Samuel Dalembert (9 rebounds and 3 blocks), who matched up well against Pacers star big man Roy Hibbert. Unfortunately Dalembert picked up his fourth foul early in the 3rd quarter and after that Indiana took over as the Mavs forced to play undersized Dejuan Blair at center. Pacers all-star Paul George really asserted his will on the game as he played spectacularly on both ends on his way to a game high 28 points.
Dallas struggled to take care of the ball finishing with 24 turnovers as well to being held down from the field (37%) by a stingy Pacer defense. Only 2 Mavericks finished in double figures in scoring led by Dirk Nowitzki's 14 and Shawn Marion's 10. Thankfully it was only preseason and the Mavs won't have to see defense like the Pacers very often, as the Mavericks will have to score plenty of points this season to make up for a defense with a lot of question marks.
So starting on Wednesday the game will start counting for real and we will see what this year's Maverick squad is really made of. There are lot of reasons for optimism for the group that has been assembled but also a lot of questions to be answered. A long season of basketball awaits. Hopefully it will go well beyond just 82 games.

Team Leaders: Points: Nowitzki, 14 Rebounds: Dalembert, 9 Assists: Ellis, 6
Player of the Game: Dalembert
Quote of Note:  “Yeah, we’ve got to do a better job protecting the ball, but they’re a very good team. They’re long at every position. They’re smart, they’ve been together a while, and they just stepped up a little bit in the second half, turned the pressure up and we didn’t react the right way. … That was a brutal second half, but that’s a good team showing us that we have a long way to go, so maybe this wasn’t all bad.” Dirk Nowitzki
Next Up: The Mavs open the season at home Wednesday night at 7:30 against the Atlanta Hawks.
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Mavs 2013-14 Point Guard Outlook

A big reason the Mavericks missed the postseason in 2012-13 for the first time in 13 years besides the injury of Dirk Nowitzki, was the team's struggle at the point guard position. After failing to re-sign Jason Kidd, the Mavs made a trade with Indiana for Darren Collison, who was in the final year of his contract. Collison, has fallen out of favor in Indiana, and had lost his starting to job to George Hill. The Mavs hoped Collison to return to the promising form he show as a rookie in New Orleans when he filled in for a injured Chris Paul.
Needless to say the experiment did not go as planned as Collison struggled, especially in the half court. He struggled to initiate the offense and get to ball to Dirk in his favorite spots. Rick Carlisle became so frustrated with Collison that he took away his starting spot by giving it away to likes of journeymen like Derek Fisher and Mike James. Collison departed in free agency to the Clippers where he will again backup Paul.

Clearly this off-season Dallas saw that improvement at the point would be necessary. And improve they did. Jose Calderon was signed to a four year deal to be the starter. Calderon, who was traded by Toronto to Detroit at last year's trade deadline is one of the best points guards on the offensive end in the game. His combination of elite-level shooting and a exceptional assist to turnover ratio give the Mavs the play they so lacked at the position last year. Calderon should be a good fit on the team as he will compliment both Dirk and new shooting guard Monta Ellis.
For the backup role Dallas brought back a familiar face as Devin Harris was signed to a one year deal, after initially failing his physical on a more lucrative three year deal because of an injured toe. That injury will keep Harris out of the lineup to start the season, but when he returns he should give the team a spark off the bench at both guard spots with his great quickness and instant offense capabilities.
Two rookie point guards were brought in as well to help with the position hopefully for years to come. Gal Mekel was signed out of Israel to a 3 year deal and the team drafted ACC Player of the Year Shane Larkin with the 18th overall pick. Mekel, who should back up Calderon to start the season has shown flashes of his potential in both summer league action and the preseason. He seems to have a good feel for the game and seems like he can be a good backup in the league, especially if
he can improve his outside shooting. As for Larkin a broken ankle suffered right before summer league has kept him out of action and will put him behind when he does come back. The good news is the injury happened over the summer and he should be healthy hopefully pretty soon. At Miami showed the ability to really play well in the pick and roll, which would seem to be a good fit for the Mavs.
Also we could see Monta Ellis see time at the point early in the season as Harris and Larkin recover from their injuries. Although he is more of a natural scorer, Ellis is an underrated passer as he has shown this preseason.
and should be able to handle the role effectively when needed.
Although none of the Mavs new point guards with the exception of Harris are noted much for their work on the defensive end, the hope is that they will be able to be a good enough defenders team-wise in the Mavs defensive schemes.
All in all the Mavs did would they desperately needed to do this off-season to dramatically improve the play at the point guard position. The offense should run much more smoothly this year, and help not only Dirk but everybody on the roster step up their game.

Preseason Game 7 Review: Mavericks 98 Hawks 88

It's hard enough to gain much from most NBA preseason games, let alone a game when one of the
teams sit a good portion of their best players. Yet a game was played last night in which the Mavs defeated the shorthanded Hawks 98-88 and there are somethings that we maybe can take away from this matchup of teams that will face off for real next Wednesday to begin the regular season.
To begin the game the Mavericks did not get off to the greatest of starts as they fell behind early. Rookie point guard Dennis Schroeder was very effective for Atlanta with 21 points and going 8-12 from the field. The Mavs would find their sea legs eventually and take a four point lead into halftime and would continue to grow that lead in the second half.
Regular rotation players saw their minutes go up as the the real season fast approaches and contributions were made up and down the lineup. Besides the expected scoring exploits of Dirk Nowitzki (17 points) and Monta Ellis (15 points), Dallas shared the ball effectively finishing with 26 assists and had 4 players score between 10 and 12 points(Marion, Carter, Calderon, Crowder). The also Mavs got a good effort inside from the center tandem of Samuel Dalembert and Dejuan Blair who combined for 21 rebounds to lead to much better effort on the boards than we have seen recently this preseason. Gal Mekel seems to getting better by the game as he chipped in 6 points and a team high 7 assists although turnovers still remain a concern for the rookie who coughed the ball up 4 times.
As we get closer to opening it's still hard to expect what we will see from this team, but the promise of a potential playoff team is there. The concerns will focus on defense and rebounding and while this depleted Hawks squad will look much different come opening nigh,t the Mavs for the most part showed progress in those areas in their penultimate game of the preseason.

Team  Leaders: Points: Nowitzki,17 Rebounds: Dalembert, 11 Assists: Mekel, 7
Player of the Game: Marion (12 points, 7 rebounds)
Quote of Note:  “I don’t look that much at shooting percentages. We look at the kind of shots we’re getting, and that’s how we gauge where we are as far as if we’re playing well,”  “You can play well and not make shots. When that happens a lot of it falls back on your defense, and if you can get shots when you’re not shooting it good then you’ve still got a chance to win the game. You know, the shot making comes and goes in this league, but the defense has got to be consistent.” Rick Carlisle

Next Up: The Mavericks (4-3) will finish off their exhibition schedule Friday night against Indiana (2-5) at 7:30 at the AAC.

2013-14 NBA Predictions

West
1. LA Clippers
2. San Antonio
3. Oklahoma City
4. Houston
5. Memphis
6. Golden St.
7. Dallas
8. Minnesota
9. Portland
10. Denver
11. New Orleans
12. LA Lakers
13. Utah
14. Sacramento
15. Phoenix

East
1. Miami
2. Chicago
3. Indiana
4. Brooklyn
5. New York
6. Atlanta
7. Detroit
8. Washington
9. Cleveland
10. Toronto
11. Milwaukee
12. Orlando
13. Boston
14. Charlotte
15. Philadelphia

West Finals: LA Clippers over Oklahoma City
East Finals: Miami over Chicago
NBA Finals: Miami over LA Clippers

Awards
MVP: LeBron James
Rookie of the Year: Victor Oladipo
Defensive Player of the Year: Lebron James
Coach of the Year: Doc Rivers
Most Improved Player: Anthony Davis
6th Man of the Year: Andrei Kirilenko

All-NBA
1st Team: F: L. James, K. Durant C:D. Howard G: C. Paul, J. Harden
2nd Team: F: C. Anthony, K. Love C:T. Duncan G: D. Rose, S. Curry
3rd Team: F: D. Nowitzki, B. Griffin C: M. Gasol G: T. Parker, D.Wade

Preseason Game 6 Review: Rockets 100 Mavericks 95

It might still be the preseason but last night's contest against the Rockets gave us our first glimpse of the Maverick's starting five fully intact against an opponent considered to be among the West's upper echelon. Although the end result was 100-95 defeat, the game gave some reason for optimism as well your normal preseason kinks that will need to ironed out before the games really count.
In the positive column new starting point guard Jose Calderon in just his second game as a Mavericks showed what a tremendous upgrade he should be over last year's disaster at the position. Calderon showed how well he can run a team by showcasing his first-class decision making as well as pinpoint accuracy from long distance, finishing with a team high 14 points. Samuel Dalembert played his most effective gave of the  preseason going toe-to-toe with Dwight Howard and for the most part holding his own, finishing with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. Another plus was the play of another new acquisition Wayne Ellington who showed off his range from deep that should make him a regular part of the rotation.
On the more negative side of things Monta Ellis did some good things including handing out a team high 7 assists but struggled with his shot by going 3-13 from the field including 0-6 from 3 point range. Ellis is never going to be an extremely efficient scorer but the hope is there will less nights from him like last night and more nights where he is attack mode and not settling for long jumpers when he is struggling. The other negative I suppose was the ejection of Dirk Nowitzki for flagrant 2 for a shot across the face of Omri Casspi. I thought the ejection was unwarranted as Dirk was going for the block, but its preseason so whatever. Last game again showed that rebounding can and probably will be an issue again for the Mavs so improvement is needed there as well as limiting their fouls on defense where Houston doubled up the Mavs in attempts from the line 26-13.
All in all last night was a fine effort in spite of the loss for a Dallas team still trying to figure things out before the things kicks off on October 30 against Atlanta at the AAC, who they also happen to face in their next preseason tilt tomorrow night.

Team Leaders: Points: Calderon, 14 Rebounds: Dalembert, 7 Assists: Ellis,7
Player of the Game: Dalembert
Stat of the Game: Houston made 13-28 from 3 to the Mavs 9-27
Quote of Note: “We had some good stuff, and some bad stuff.'' “I think for the first time (together as a starting five) we’ve got to be positive ... We were moving the ball. We were finding the open guy.” Jose Calderon
Next Up: The Mavs (3-3 in preseason host  the Atlanta Hawks (1-4) at 7:30 at the AAC.