Fullertron’s look at the present and future condition of each of the Dallas area’s 4 major sports teams along with the North Texas Men’s Basketball and Football teams.  Today he takes a look at the Dallas Mavericks.Robert “Tractor” Traylor for Dirk Nowitzki a trade that altered the course of a franchise.  The Mavericks have gone from a league laughing stock to a team that annually wins 50 games and contends in the playoffs that began with the trade for a little known German kid who Donnie Nelson watched on a grainy television set.  Combine that with a nerdy guy who got a bit lucky in the .com boom buying the team and this team was destined for greatness.  Even though they may not have looked like it.

dirk

These guys saved a franchise. Really.

There have been ups and those have been nice.  But there have also been downs (as in low points not downs syndrome, except if you are talking about Erick Dampier).   Oh have there been downs.  The 2006 Dwayne Wade free throw contest, the travesty that was the Warriors series in 2007,  a missed foul call that changed the series against the Thug Nuggs and much much more.  This has been the Golden Era of Mavericks basketball, I don’t think anyone will dispute that, but it is time to stop dry humping.  This team has been such a tease and I want so much more for Dirk’s sake (more on that later).

The Mavs have been my rock over the last decade.  While the Cows and Rangers had their ups and downs the Mavs saved their’s until I was most involved with them.  Is this the year for the Mavs?  Only time will tell.  I waited to write this post after their winning streak so I wouldn’t be too high on them, but then got all down in the dumps after they lost so I had to wait until I could be reasonable about them.  On to the meat and potatoes.

FullerTron’s Starting Line-Up

PG- Jason Kidd

SG- Caron Butler

SF- Shawn Marion

PF- Dirk Nowitzki

C- Brendan Haywood

6th Man- Jason Terry

No real surprises here.  I am the proud owner of a Josh Howard jersey and shirt, but I was more than ecstatic about the trade with the Wizards.  First, Josh is out for the year which makes it nice to know we literally got something for nothing (I really like Josh as a player and I don’t want him to be hurt).  Secondly, Caron Butler is a pretty good player.  He has been an All-Star in the past and can be a legitimate #2 for Dirk, something he hasn’t had since Steve Nash.  The best part of this trade is Brendan Haywood who will be referred to as the Best All-Around Mavericks Center Of All Time or simply the BAMCOAT.  I have been so impressed by Haywood so far.  He plays great defense, runs the floor decently well, and he can catch the ball, WHAT A CONCEPT!

Key Player: Dirk Nowitzki

The three best players in the league are #23,#24, and #41.  You can argue for CP3, Carmelo, and D-Wade, but I will argue that no one not named Kobe or LeBron can take over the game quite like the Big German.  The dude is unreal.  7 feet tall, makes shots from anywhere on the court, and gets to, and hits from the line with great ease.  It is widely thought that Dirk is a choke artist.  What player are you watching?  Yes, he was not great in the series against the Heat, but does no one remember this?

Dirk has also put up 50 in a game against the Suns in the playoffs.  He averaged nearly 20 points and 11.3 rebounds per game against Golden State a series where his play was seriously criticized.  Only LeBron and Kobe have made more game tying or winning shots in the last 3 seconds than Dirk.

I think the problem the media has with Dirk is that they have never seen a player like him.  Everything about him is awkward.  He is from a foreign country.  He shies away from the spotlight despite his teammates describing him as one of the funniest guys on the team.  He can play saxophone, guitar, and other instruments.  His father told him that basketball was a girl’s sport and he should play handball like a man.  Everything about him is interesting, at least to me.

I’ll put it this way, if I become an NBA coach within the next year or two I will trade any and all players I have for Dirk.  My game plan will be get the ball to him at the elbow so he can put up the most unblockable shot since Kareem’s sky hook.  It’s not pretty, but damn is it effective.  One leg, fading away and it almost never hits the rim.  I would let him take this shot 50 times a game and I could probably make the playoffs in the East.  The dude is unbelievable.

X Factor: Jason Terry

JET is widely considered the streakiest player in the entire NBA.  After breaking his face (that’s so odd to write) his shot has not been quite the same.  If this team plans on going to the Finals this year Terry will need to be on his game.  One of the biggest contributions Jason makes has nothing to do with his play on the court.  JET has the ability to get the Mav faithful rocking.  A game can turn with a wave of his arms or pretending to take off after hitting a big three.  The AAC is one of the loudest venues in the league and if JET gets the crowd and his game going the Mavs will be hard to stop.

Team to Watch: Denver Thuggets

These two teams will probably be the 2 and 3 seed in the Western Conference this year.  This means that, given both team are able to escape the first round, they will meet in a quarterfinals rematch.  Last year things got ugly in the stands and on the court.  The Nuggets were able to beat the Mavs on the scoreboard and with their bodies.  Another great aspect of the J-Ho trade is that the Mavs are a much tougher team.  Butler and Haywood are tough as nails giving the Mavericks a dimension they have lacked for years.  The addition of Shawn Marion gives a defender that can match up against Anthony.  Another intriguing match up for the Mavericks is Roddy Beaubois against Chauncy Billups.  Roddy B’s speed will be too much for a vet like Billups and if Rick Carlise uses Roddy effectively I could see him bursting onto the scene.  Kenyon Martin will be coming off of a broken leg, if he plays at all, and the Mavs should go right after him with Dirk.  I think if these two teams meet in the playoffs the Mavs will prevail.

Predictions:

I think the Mavs end up as the three seed in the West and make a pretty good run into the playoffs.  I see them losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals in 6 games.

The future?

The kid is incredible.  After Jason Terry broke his face (makes me laugh every time) Roddy stepped in and contributed with a few big games.  Tonight he has a MONSTER game dropping 40 against the defensively lacking Warriors.  What makes Roddy a handful to guard is his quickness.  Speed kills and Roddy is the essence of speed,  therefore he kills.  With his skills and dribbling ability Beaubois is able to get wherever he wants on the court against just about any defender.  This is an amazing luxury to have as a point guard, Tony Parker has destroyed the Mavericks with this for years, and under the tutelage of Jason Kidd I expect Roddy to improve his passing game as the years progress.  Every team wants a player like Roddy B, who can get to the rim and hit the 3 ball with consistency, fortunately for the Mavs he will be a cornerstone for the franchise for years to come, of course that is what everyone said about Devin Harris.

Future of the Team: Bumpy Road Ahead

When the Mavericks pulled the trigger on the Harris for Kidd deal they said, in essence, the future is now.  Well so far it hasn’t worked out all that well for the Mavs.  They are the oldest team in all of basketball and have only a few signs of youth.  Roddy Beaubois will be a bright spot for this team for years to come, but who else will be there?  The Mavs starting five is OLD and I cannot stress that enough.  The starting 5 has an average age of 31.8 years.  There is not a lot of tread left on these tires so after a year or two this team will either need to add a superstar to make one last run at the title or start to sell their players to the highest bidder to try to get some youth in the door.  I guess that’s what they get for a decade of dominance.




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