Tuesday Morning Mavs Donuts: Middle-Finger Blues

Mike Fisher -- DB.com

    DONUT 1: The Mavs lose in Utah, 104-92 (we break it down here) and while Dallas was in the business of turning a one-point deficit to start the final quarter into a blowout defeat, Dirk and Jet were in the business of, respectively, not being effective and not being involved.

      Dirk had 28 in the game but didn’t score a basket in the final quarter. Jet had 19 in the game but didn’t score a basket in the final quarter.

     Why? Why?

     Dirk: "I take it all on me always. I’ve got to be aggressive. If I don’t get the ball, just run to it and make something happen."
     Jet: “I can’t get 0-for(-4, which he was in the fourth). They look for me to do some scoring in the fourth, and I didn’t get it done. I take huge responsibility – myself and Dirk …’’

    Again, Jet and Dirk get points for being stand-up guys.

    Now, can they start getting just regular-ol’ points?

    DONUT 2: ESPN.com's weekly NBA Power Rankings from Steiny-Mo? Cleveland’s still up. And the Mavs?

    DONUT 3: I’ll have a fairly full review of the All-Star Weekend party scene coming up … but for now, here’s a good one with a great cause: Mary J. Blige is the featured performer for NBA All-Star Opening Night, also featuring Mark Curry and host Mario Lopez. Tickets are on sale now with proceeds benefiting one of our favorites, the Mavs Foundation. Check into it today here!

    DONUT 4: Obese and objectionable, Jets coach Rex Ryan gave fans the finger. He would’ve given them the other nine had they not been wrapped about a taco-and-pizza-chicken-fried sandwich.

    DONUT 5: My man Skin writes smartly in The Come Up: Of Trade Deadlines and Hard Caps...(He’s Jeff Wade of ESPNDallas:
    So if the trade deadline comes and goes without a major deal for the Mavs, remember this while you’re sharpening your sticks to storm the castle. The guy you do get when you make your major move better be the one to put you over the top. Because if he ain’t, you’re probably going to be stuck with him -- stuck between a rock and a hard cap.

    I know Skin and I are pretty much on the same side here, but at the risk of my semantics being as sharp as your sticks: The player hypothetically acquired in the next 17 days does NOT (to me) need to “put the Mavs over the top.’’ Nor should the Mavs be looking for that sort of guarantee.

   Why?

   Because that level of guarantee does not exist. If you go looking for that, you might as well never bother making any trade.

   You could put Dallas into the WABAC Machine and trade a bag of magic beans for Memphis’ Pau Gasol and STILL not “guarantee’’anything.

   In fact, let’s play with that for a minute. Let’s say that today, the Mavs acquired Pau Gasol. (Giving up Josh and lots of stuff, but not Damp.) So the Mavs’ lineup features Dirk, Pau, Damp, Kidd and Jet.

    Is that a “guarantee’’ that you beat the Nuggets in Round 2?

    Is that a “guarantee’’ that you beat LA in the WCF?

    Is that a “guarantee’’ that you beat Orlando in the NBA Finals?

    Nope. All it would do – and all that needs to be measured – is increase the chances.

    This is risk/reward and dollars-and-sense. How much does an acquisition increase your chances … not guarantees …  just chances?

    Skin is absolutely right about what Dallas must measure. But the Mavs are wrong if they are searching for guarantees.

    P.S.: Skin isn’t the only one in favor of taking the care to search for just the right home run. Our David Lord is preparing a quick take on the value of the right big trade at exactly the right time … and the history that says that is the right way to go.

    Stay tuned.

    DONUT 6: Will Kentucky’s John Wall grease the path to the Nets for LeBron James? 

   DONUT 7: Strange bedfellows: Rumor has it that Kobe and Shaq will hang out together during All-Star Weekend. Why? Their shared love of fashion. I hear they’ll be hanging out with the good people of Lombardo’s Custom Apparel, getting all “clean’’ (as the hipsters call it).

   DONUT 8: Nike’s Kobe and LeBron ad is offensive because it uses a gun analogy to describe Bryant’s talents. Just as dopey: It features LeBron saying he surprises basketball opponents because they don’t realize that down deep, he’s actually a football player.

    Really, LeBron? You don’t think people realize that? Hell, you and your other commercials tell me it 100 times a day! 

   DONUT 9: January sucked and it wasn’t just your imagination. The Mavs were just 8-7. But I guess I’m a mean-spirited sonofabitch because I’m counting the last game in December (because the finish to it came close enough to midnight) and that’s where I get by 8-8-in-the-last-30-days number.

    And now 8-9 in the last 32-or-so days.

    And I WISH that was only my imagination.

   By the way, 8-7 doesn’t earn Dallas a mention in this column about the best and worst of how contenders fared in the month. But the Mavs were all-too-close to making the dubious list.

"You got to be worried," said Dirk. "We haven't really played well for a month …’’

   DONUT 10: You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/fishsports. It's good -- and good for you.

   DONUT 11: Former Mavs stat professor Wayne Winston has numbers that prove that Dallas’ problems in January stem from poor defensive play from the guards. No argument here, Professor.

    DONUT 12: Does the government want to encourage us to start small businesses? Then cut the red tape, says Tony Cubes.

    DONUT 13: Tiger Woods has been named “world’s most powerful athlete.’’ Who ya gotta sleep with to get that job?