Wait and See
By Albert Nguyen
The Dallas Mavericks have elected to enter the new season with basically their core intact. Jason Terry, the center of trade talks throughout the summer, have been moved to the bench where he will be the first offensive option as the team's 6th man. Will this particular approach be successful in the end? We will not find out until April comes rolling around. However, in the mean time, the Mavericks have come out and managed to win nine games before earning their fourth loss this season compared to zero wins a year ago and nobody inside the Dallas braintrust feel that they are playing close to their potential, which is encouraging.
The 2006/07 NBA MVP, Dirk Nowitzki, seems to be somewhat off with his shot in the first 13 games, which includes an astounding 12% drop in his free throw percentage from a year ago. After being front and center in Dallas's epic collapses the last two years in the playoffs and playing for his country again this past summer, you can't help but wonder if Dirk is emotionally and physically drained at this point. A lot was made about his trip to the Australian Outback where he literally shut out the rest of the world, but there is nothing on earth that can make him forget about what has happened to him, each time he steps back onto an NBA court. Although, Dirk is not playing up to the standards we are all accustomed to so far this season, we have fortunately seen other players step up in his stead:
Devin Harris
He is unquestionably playing the best basketball of his professional career. It is funny what happens when talented young players get more playing time in this league. After being named the starting point guard for the Mavericks, Devin is averaging career highs in minutes (31.6), points (16.0), assists (5.3), and rebounds (3.2).
Brandon Bass
What a pleasant surprise. Basketball experts always point out the fact that it takes big guys a longer time to figure out the NBA game and being only 22 years old, he is well on his way to becoming a solid professional for a long time. Scoring 9.8 points and grabbing 5.6 rebounds a game, Bass may potentially be the answer to the Mavericks' long-time search for a complimentary backup for Dirk.
Jason Terry
The first thing out of his mouth when asked about Coach Johnson's decision to utilize him as the team's 6th man is the National Championship he helped Arizona win in 1997 playing the same role. JET seems to always say the right things and you can't help but agree with him thus far this year. Career highs in field goal, three point, and free throw percentages, makes Terry a lethal weapon off the bench taking full advantage of playing against the opponent's second team.
Despite the fact that the Mavericks are only a few games into the season, the team has managed to come out victorious in some pretty big statement games. Dallas is 1-0 against the Warriors, the team who knocked them out in the first round a year ago; 1-0 against the Spurs, the defending champions; and 2-0 against the Rockets, the other inner-state rival.
As stated earlier, fans will not know if this particular core of players have what it takes to win it all in the end, but it is definitely too early to tell. Let's wait and see what happens.
Copyright © 2007
Email: alnguyen84@gmail.com
By Albert Nguyen
The Dallas Mavericks have elected to enter the new season with basically their core intact. Jason Terry, the center of trade talks throughout the summer, have been moved to the bench where he will be the first offensive option as the team's 6th man. Will this particular approach be successful in the end? We will not find out until April comes rolling around. However, in the mean time, the Mavericks have come out and managed to win nine games before earning their fourth loss this season compared to zero wins a year ago and nobody inside the Dallas braintrust feel that they are playing close to their potential, which is encouraging.
The 2006/07 NBA MVP, Dirk Nowitzki, seems to be somewhat off with his shot in the first 13 games, which includes an astounding 12% drop in his free throw percentage from a year ago. After being front and center in Dallas's epic collapses the last two years in the playoffs and playing for his country again this past summer, you can't help but wonder if Dirk is emotionally and physically drained at this point. A lot was made about his trip to the Australian Outback where he literally shut out the rest of the world, but there is nothing on earth that can make him forget about what has happened to him, each time he steps back onto an NBA court. Although, Dirk is not playing up to the standards we are all accustomed to so far this season, we have fortunately seen other players step up in his stead:
Devin Harris
He is unquestionably playing the best basketball of his professional career. It is funny what happens when talented young players get more playing time in this league. After being named the starting point guard for the Mavericks, Devin is averaging career highs in minutes (31.6), points (16.0), assists (5.3), and rebounds (3.2).
Brandon Bass
What a pleasant surprise. Basketball experts always point out the fact that it takes big guys a longer time to figure out the NBA game and being only 22 years old, he is well on his way to becoming a solid professional for a long time. Scoring 9.8 points and grabbing 5.6 rebounds a game, Bass may potentially be the answer to the Mavericks' long-time search for a complimentary backup for Dirk.
Jason Terry
The first thing out of his mouth when asked about Coach Johnson's decision to utilize him as the team's 6th man is the National Championship he helped Arizona win in 1997 playing the same role. JET seems to always say the right things and you can't help but agree with him thus far this year. Career highs in field goal, three point, and free throw percentages, makes Terry a lethal weapon off the bench taking full advantage of playing against the opponent's second team.
Despite the fact that the Mavericks are only a few games into the season, the team has managed to come out victorious in some pretty big statement games. Dallas is 1-0 against the Warriors, the team who knocked them out in the first round a year ago; 1-0 against the Spurs, the defending champions; and 2-0 against the Rockets, the other inner-state rival.
As stated earlier, fans will not know if this particular core of players have what it takes to win it all in the end, but it is definitely too early to tell. Let's wait and see what happens.
Copyright © 2007
Email: alnguyen84@gmail.com
1 comment:
Dirk will get his act together soon.
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