Mavs Report Cards

  The Mavs’ season is 20 games in. One half of a semester is over. Time for us to hand out DB.com Report Cards, and we do it as we have for eight years on this site and almost 20 years in the DFW media: We measure fulfilled expectations, raw stats, the opinions of team insiders willing to whisper to us, the club’s overall success (11-9) and intangibles such as whether a player has given us his cellphone number.

    Every player. In-depth.

    Brandon Bass, JJ Barea, Erick Dampier, DeSagana Diop, Devean George, Gerald Green and Josh Howard, Jason Kidd, James Singleton, Jerry Stackhouse, Antoine Wright, Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki, approach the teacher’s desk, single-file. … oh, and Dirk, we’ve even got a rare-but-fair criticism of your otherwise MVP-worthy first half-semester. …

  

   Brandon Bass Earlier this year, we noticed that Josh Howard was among the first Mavs to grasp Carlisle’s designed freedom for a Mav defender to “leak out’’ following an opponent’s shot and then ready himself for a one- or two-pass fast-break courtesy of Kidd’s touchdown-pitch abilities. Next, Gerald Green (whatever happened to G-Money?) caught on. Jason terry is using the technique to set up in a favorite spot to catch a Kidd bomb.

   And now “The Animal’’ is catching on.

   Bass isn’t just an “easy’’-basket guy because of his mid-range jumper, which takes a long while to uncoil but is otherwise deadly. Nor is it just about his stubborn (but thrilling) insistence on dunking every in-the-paint ball he can paw.

    The numbers are crucial: Against Atlanta, Bass scored a season-high tying 14 points. That gave him double-figure scoring in four of five games. Bass added nine points and five rebounds in 12 minutes against SA, demonstrating another possibly developing trait, as Carlisle asked him to defend Tim Duncan by fronting The Big Fundamental. (It didn’t work, but that doesn’t mean Carlisle might not be onto something.)

   But the other reason why Bass is getting those numbers is crucial, too. Josh Howard and Gerald Green have learned to serve as Jason Kidd’s wideouts. Jason Terry is becoming a master as becoming his slot receiver. And Brandon Bass?

    Consider the final 29 seconds of the win over the Hawks. Dallas hanging onto a two-point lead. … Kidd gets a steal at :29 and three seconds later, at :26, he’s got a long-distance assist on Bass’ downcourt dunk to put Dallas up 96-92. … Bibby hits a 3 to cut the lead to 1. … Jet makes two FTs to put the Mavs up 98-95. … at :07, Kidd gets a defensive rebound and again goes long-distance for a another assist to a leaking Bass for another dunk at :03.

   Four total seconds in the clutch and Kidd records a steal, a rebound and two assists. Four total seconds in the clutch and “The Animal’’ records two signature dunks by playing anticipatory receiver.

   Bass is scoring in double-figures, he’s in the game at the end playing SmallBall center (even against Tim Duncan), he’s getting some easy baskets in the half-court, but as impactful as anything, even with his bulk he fits into the transition game as he’s catching touchdown passes while playing the role of tight end to Jason Kidd’s quarterback.

   GRADE: B-

 

   JJ Barea Let’s start with the math: Eight games, 201 minutes, 36 assists, 41-of-80, 102 points. At least nine points in five of the last eight, at least four assists in six of the last eight. Against SA, JJB offered up his fourth consecutive game of double-figure scoring. He’s averaged 18.8 ppg during the last five outings. He’s getting to the line (14 times in three games) and of course, he’s making them (12 FTMs.) In the last five games, he’s got 91 points. In the last three games, he’s got 76 points. JJB is now Dallas’ sixth-leading scorer, putting him ahead of the likes of Jerry Stackhouse and Devean George and just a tick behind Bass and Jason Kidd.

   In recent games, we’ve seen the Lakers assign Kobe to guard him. We’ve seen Phoenix’ Raja Bell guard him. And against San Antonio, astoundingly, Gregg Popovich finally gave up on letting speedster Tony Parker chase JJB around, opting to assign All-NBA-Defensive weapon Bruce Bowen to him.

   And Barea still went for 21.

   “He changed the game by himself,” Duncan said.

   “He was like their franchise player,” Parker said.

   We break down The Inch-High Point-Guard Guy’s game in some detail here, including his weaknesses defensively, his odd presence as a 2-guard and his future to the organization.

   For now, let’s admit that we were wrong about JJB being a “Pet Rock’’ and that Mark Cuban was right about him “being more than a third-string point guard.’’ Llet’s go with Carlisle’s rather tersely-issued compliment to the Streakin’ Puerto Rican:

   “Let’s get off the whole ‘novelty’ thing,’’ Rick said, scolding the media. “The guy’s a good player.’’

   GRADE: A

 

   Erick Dampier Damp said something last week about his comfort zone being when Dallas plays teams that feature traditional 5’s like him, rather than having to oppose converted 4’s.

   We think he’s being humble. Or maybe he’s just humbly misinformed.

   Consider Saturday. The Hawks’ starting center was Zaza Pachulia. (Silly sidebar: One of Damp’s favorite spots in Uptown to get a postgame soda pop: Hotel Zaza. Just thought we’d throw that in there.) Is Zaza similar in style to Shaq, who Dampier lined up against in the previous game, against Phoenix? Or how about SA’s Duncan on Tuesday? Nah. They’re each just the other team’s starting center, is what they are. So our team’s starting center should play against them.

   Like Dirk recently said about basketball strategy in general, “This isn’t brain surgery.’’

   And what did Damp do when in the middle of the Shaq-Zaza-Duncan Sandwich? He played 82 minutes combined, scored 25 total points on 8-of-13 shooting, pulled down 33 rebounds and added four blocks and nine assists.

   Dallas built 20-point-plus leads in the first two games and won them, and took the Spurs to double-OT – two extra periods in which Carlisle deemed Damp to be a critical piece in containing Duncan.

    Look at Erick’s last six games (throwing out the three-minute aberration against the Clippers): Damp has played 30, 24, 26, 25, 20 and 37 minutes, respectively, made 14-of-24 shots, pulled down 56 rebounds, pitched in with eight blocks and 10 assists, and scored 42 points. 

   Damp’s in the sort of groove he was in in mid-November when Dallas played the Lakers and then the Bulls and in the two games he combined for 27 points, 34 rebounds and six blocks.

   The Mavs lost both those games. So not many noticed what Dampier was doing. But we did – we noticed he was played 27 and 30 minutes in those two games. And again, it mattered not what style of center the opponent used.

   It is our contention that the key to Damp’s success isn’t the physical makeup of his opponent (hey, everybody struggles against athletic All-Star centers; that’s how they got to be All-Star centers) but rather his minutes. Furthermore, we believe that the more he gets, the more he sweats, the more effective he can be.

   Add it all up, and in terms of rebounds per minute, Damp is second in the NBA to only Dwight Howard.

    We’ve been beating this drum ever since the Mavs acquired Damp/Diop, giving Dallas an unusual (and underappreciated) edge. This isn’t about being clever with matchups. This isn’t about Damp promising to show more personality (something he kindly vowed to do in the preseason; we’re still declining the offer). This is about the intensity and production that seems to result when Erick Dampier plays in the range of 26-plus minutes in a game. Period.

   GRADE: B-

 

   DeSagana Diop “He’s regressed,’’ a scout tells us, and we tend to agree.

   ‘Gana – one of the most popular players on the club – will likely never develop a mean streak. But we look forward to the day when he quits approaching the rim as if it’s a puppy in need of petting.

   Diop remains an active and mobile defender for a 7-footer. And he’s young enough that we’re likely to see blossoming over the course of his contract here.

   But the big-picture plan when the Mavs re-acquired him from NJ for the MLE and was for Diop to become the starter here. And he hasn’t even come close to consistently pushing Damp for time.

   We’ve always talked about how Diop (like Damp) is capable of “doing the little things,’’ and that it’s not all about numbers. But 2.2 points per game? And 4.7 rebounds per game? That’s “doing things’’ too “little,’’ slight steps down from where Diop was before signing the deal that brought him back to Dallas’ warm bosom.

    Oh, and then there’s the free-throw thing. ‘Gana’s even in decline at the line! Assistant coach Gary Boren guided Diop up to being a 60-percent guy two years ago. Now he’s a 47-percent free-throw shooter who is as likely to airball a free throw as he is to make one.

   C’mon, big fella. … there’s no reason to be scared of the rim when you are standing 15 feet away from it!

   GRADE: D

   

   Gerald Green We’ll say it again: Whatever happened to G-Money?

   We’re told that the kid experiences too many brain cramps on defense and that he’s been doghoused for that reason. OK. Still, it’s weird to have watched him been spoon-fed minutes, slowly and surely by a coach in Carlisle who has known Gerald since the player was a teenager. … in five of six games in early November, Green was given at least 15 minutes of burn. … and in those five games he scores 9, 10, 13, 13 and 17 points. … and he’s Witness Protection Program ever since then.

   The highlight? That Nov. 11 night at the AAC, against the Lakers, when the Mavs set up Gerald Green vs. Kobe Bryant. … and the kid held his own and kept Dallas close in a game it eventually lost by just seven. That effort capped a half-month during which Slam-Dunk champion Green was emerging as an energizing force for the Mavs and one of the most explosive players in the NBA

   The lowlight? Every game since then.

   We’re trying to have patience here. We understand the concept of the LIBB. (Heck, we invented the concept.) But we remain committed to the notion that one of these years, somebody is going to figure out Gerald Green. We’d prefer that somebody be Rick Carlisle.

   Coach ‘em up, Coach!

   GRADE C-

  

  Devean George There’s an audio drop we used to play on my radio show, from “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,’’ when Steve Martin tells the boorish John Candy: “You know, next time you tell one of your stories, here’s a good idea: Have a point! It makes it so much more interesting for the listener.’’

   Which brings me to Devean George.

    Lots of good Devean George stories in the last 10 months. But we don’t get the point.

    He huffs and he puffs and he makes out with Penny Marshall and he hangs with Kobe and he exercises veto power and he gets to start and he’s supposed to be a wing-stopper and he’s given a new contract and he keeps shooting and missing and he’s gotthreechampionshipringsfromtheLakers and his efficiency rating is about the temperature of Juneau. …

    Devean is at the point in his career when he’s doing a lot of things – but none of them especially well. We work on the assumption that now that he’s healthy, the respectful Carlisle has him on the same career plan Jerry Stackhouse was on early in the season: You’re a veteran with some skins on the wall, I’ll give you first crack so you can prove to me that you’re better than Wright/Green/Shawne. So show me.

    Stackhouse was not able to establish that he deserved to be higher on the totem pole than Wright/Green/Shawne. We believe that ultimately, the organization will be better off once George plays his way down the same totem pole.

   GRADE: C-

  

  Josh Howard: J-Ho was getting it. His Media Day address put his Summer of Discontent behind him. His autumn features a Maury Povich moment, him becoming a father to a pair of newborns. (By different mamas, so God bless ‘em all.)  When he was on the floor, the effort was there and the numbers were there (20 points, 8.2 rebounds).

    What’s not there is the ankle, which is not responding to treatment, which on Tuesday caused doctors to order him into a walking boot, and which means the Mavs – who are winning while he’s in street clothes – need to find a long-term solution to persevering without him. 

    There is no conspiracy here. The organization still loves Howard and backs him. They believe they need him. Now, check back with us after Dec. 15, and check back with us once Josh gets the boot removed, because as we’ve suggested, the Clippers’ Chris Kaman is a desirable Dallas target and we know Josh is the Mav named “Most Likely To Be Inquired About Regarding A Trade.’’

   We love Dirk’s evaluation of his buddy:

   “We all know he turned into a jump shooter a lot more the last two years, but he still has the ability to drive and finish at the rim. His offensive rebounding is great for the small forward position. His length, defense - yeah, we miss him. He's a very explosive player for us, and we need him back healthy soon.’’

    “We all know he turned into a jump shooter a lot more the last two years, but he still has the ability. …’’?

    A lot of Josh’s recent problems are of his own doing. And The UberMan’s inside scouting report is almost enough to give Howard a bad grade. But we say Josh was starting to get it. And that, balanced with his numbers, and then on top of it all the ankle? It earns him a pass here.

   GRADE: Incomplete

  

  James Singleton Expectations are difficult here. Do we go with our initial thoughts, which were that this world-weary vagabond was a nice story as a never-get-burn 14^th man? Do we reflect on his late-November run, when he was a three-game fill-in starter and seemed like the second coming of Chris Gatling? Do we go silly and hold GM Donnie Nelson to his words when, over the summer, he suggested that the 6-9 Singleton could be a “Kobe-stopper’’?

   How about a mashup of all three?

   Singleton has not demonstrated that he can guard All-Pro swingmen. But he is rangy, he is a “high-motor’’ guy, and people inside the room say he conducts himself like a professional. The upsides to Bass, Wright, Shawne and Green are greater, so Singleton is justifiably stuck behind them for that reason alone. Additionally, Bass and Wright have been consistently superior, so there’s another justification.

   Here’s where Singleton fits in, in terms of a broader picture.

   In recent seasons, the big forwards taking up space on that end of the bench were guys like Juwan Howard and Jamaal Magliore and Kevin Willis.

   Singleton is 27. If you’re gonna sit, you might as well be 27.

   GRADE: C+

 

   Jason Terry Just one-fourth of the way into the season, and Jet has already lapped the field in the Sixth Man of the Year contest. We are troubled by his lapses as a ballhandler; Terry commits an absurdly high number of what in tennis are called “unforced errors,’’ for instance, easy volleys batted back into the net. The San Antonio game stands out, with Terry dribbling the ball off his foot, carrying the ball while standing on the sideline, not moving toward the ball to receive the pass. …

    Like we said in reflection of that game (to use another sports analogy), Jason is a fumbler. He puts the ball on the ground.

    But by God he is a reliably gutsy SOB. Always a standup guy with the media, with the fans, with teammates and coaches, he also stands up as the guy who wants to take the big shot. He views himself as a fourth-quarter specialist (that’s why he sometimes holds up four fingers late in games) and he views himself as a showman, no matter the role.

   So when he selflessly accepted a bench job – and listen, it was one thing to do that so a 6-6 guy could start at 2-guard but could’ve been another thing entirely when Carlisle told him his caddie JJB would be starting ahead of him – he did so with gusto.

    That’s to Jet, Dallas bench has as much ammunition as any NBA team. Consider the bench edge in the four games before the 2OT loss to the Spurs? Against Atlanta, Dallas outscored the Hawks 37-8 off the bench; it was 44-32 vs. Phoenix, 67-7 vs. LAC and 62-32 vs. Indy.

    Grand total: Mavs Bench 210, Opponents Bench 79. Yes, really.

    That’s Jason Terry’s responsibility. Those are his guys. They hang on his every word and his every shot.

   Now Jason just needs to better hang onto the ball.

    GRADE: A-

 

    Jason Kidd So much as been written about Jason Kidd’s return to Dallas, and we’re about at the point where we throw up our hands and simply assume that his critics are not watching the actual games.

    Kidd is averaging 8.7 assists per game. Damn good.

    Kidd is averaging 7.1 rebounds per game. Crazy good.

    Kidd can’t shoot. … yet he’s averaging 9.7 points per game, and he’s shooting 45.4 percent, a nice leap up from his 40.2-percent career average. He’s an ironman (at 36 minutes per, the 35-year-old is down just one minute from his career average), he makes a more-than-acceptable percentage of his 3’s, he does so in the clutch and he’s beloved by his teammates (wait until we tell you The Ultimate Ear story).

    Seriously, think about this: There is one thing Kidd does poorly on the court. That damn knuckleball! But that damn knuckleball is going in?

    Maybe it takes watching Kidd every day, every night, to get this. Consider DMNews’ beat writer Eddie Sekfo’s analysis of Kidd’s first-quarter season: Sefko thinks Kidd is the team’s MVP. That means he’s playing at a Nowitzkish level.

    Now, there are two things Jason Kidd is not.

    One, at 35, he’s not 25.

    And two, because he’s Jason Kidd, he’s not Devin Harris. (Who happens to be … 25.)

    Here’s the pop-culture comparison we’re going with: Remember last summer’s Indiana Jones movie?

    There were two star-draw reasons to see that movie: Harrison Ford and Shia LeBouf.

     If Devin Harris makes you all tingly, then you probably have a Shia LeBouf poster above your bed.

    If you understand what Jason Kidd does for a basketball team, then Harrison Ford is well worth the price of the popcorn.

   GRADE: A

  

   Jerry Stackhouse On Nov. 11 at American Airlines Center against the Lakers, Dallas needed a hero.

   Jerry Stackhouse – who’d been an NBA hero so many times over the course of 14 seasons – volunteered to wear the ol’ cape-and-tights. He gave Kobe fourth-quarter fits. Harassed him. Heckled him. Scored over him. Poked at him. Leaned on him. Gave Dallas 17 points at a time when the club was starving for them.

    Dallas lost, but it was fun to watch.

    But it wasn’t real.

    In the first four games of Stack’s season, preceding games against the Clippers and Lakers in which he played 24 minutes in each and played OK, Jerry shot 1-of-6, 1-of-5, 1-of-5 and 1-of- 8.

    In the two games following the LA/LA effort, Jerry shot 1-of-5 and 1-of-5.

    If you exclude those two throwback performances, Jerry’s season is essentially about him becoming a guy who takes 34 shots and makes six of them.

    People talk about Dallas “needing toughness,’’ and while we think that’s anchorman-cliché talk, let’s pretend for a moment that it’s valid. Fine. Dallas needs toughness. But if it’s got to come from a guy who is going to make one out of every six shots he takes, he might as well be hired as the team’s weight-room coach, or something. Because “pride’’ and “history’’ (and Jerry has both) aside, you can’t let a 1-of-6 on the floor every night just because he grimaces menacingly after the five misses.  

   GRADE: D-    638 800

  

   Shawne Williams When the Mavs acquired the oft-troubled ex-Pacer, Carlisle – who’d coached the 22-year old in Indy – said it was a “future’’ investment. Well, on Saturday against Atlanta, as with the past few games, with for-sure-starter Josh Howard (ankle) sitting and with maybe-starter Antoine Wright (groin) sitting, Shawne’s future was now.

    There is something to be said for theatrical intensity, we know. Kevin Garnett has in the last few weeks used his theatrical intensity to inexplicably embarrass himself against Jose Calderon and to inexplicably embarrass teammate Glen Davis. (Making a teammate cry? During a game? Is that leadership, or bullying, or is Glen indeed just a “Big Baby’’?)

   Shawne, on the other hand, seems to have polar ice caps running through his veins.

   Williams has helped at the 2, the 3 and the 4. (Hey, that’s 9!) Acting as a 2-guard, he’s got handles and a perimeter shot (with some work to be done from mid-range). Acting as a 3, he’s a slasher with a LeBron body who is defending mid-size swingmen. And acting as a 4 – whether he’s technically playing that position or not -- the 6-9, 225-pounder has been a bullish boarder.

    “I went back to the old school and went inside to get rebounds and hustle plays,’’ said Williams after his 12-rebound game in the win over Phoenix. “We have enough scorers out there, so I need to find out what we lack and go in there and do those things.’’

    What Dallas lacks? Sometimes it’s a 2 or a 3 or a 4. So Shawne Williams – devoid of on-court emotion but not lacking for potential being realized now – provides.

    Now to the numbers: In his last nine games (before SA, in which he got a DNP), he’s played 133 minutes. In those 133 minutes, he’s got 36 rebounds. In the last four games, he’s played 70 minutes with 26 rebounds.

   In other words, what JJB has been as a points-per-minute phenom, Shawne has been as a rebounds-per-minute stud. When he plays.

    As Carlisle notes in Eddie Sefko’s fine piece on Shawne in the DMNews, “We need him right now to fill in the gaps where we have an injury or a player missing. He's been giving us good defensive rebounding, and we're working with him to get him comfortable with the shots he's going to get in games. He's got a lot of ability and a lot of upside. It's our job to make sure he gets the most out of what he's got.’’

    We’re not suggesting that Shawne now represents permanently-mined gold from the LIBB experiment; truth is, Carlisle has gotten a week here and a week there out of an assortment of guys on his bench. (Remember that one time when Stack played well?) We are saying that the decision to take a low-cost flier on the Indy reject has proven to be a no-brainer, is all. And that if this is evidence of Shawne in development, it suggests a promising future.

   And a P.S. to the league headquarters: It might be time to update Shawne’s NBA.com photo, eh?

   GRADE: C

  

  Antoine Wright In many ways, he fits the traditional mold for a Mavs’ 2-guard. Like Greg Buckner once was, like Adrian Griffin once was, like what Trenton Hassell and Eddie Jones were intended to be last year, Wright is a defense-first big guard who doesn’t need the ball to make his impact.

   Of course, that “traditional mold’’ has never quite been enough.

   The Mavs think they might be getting a bonus here from a guy who was essentially a throw-in in the Devin-for-Kidd deal. Wright has handles (in a way Gerald Green does not) and he can take it to the hole with an assortment of clever spin moves that are beyond the things Buck and Griff could ever do.

    Can he become a perimeter shooter? It’s not an attribute now. Of course, Buckner – once upon a time quite the bricklayer -- eventually became a shooter. So we can hope.

   GRADE: C+

  

   Dirk Nowitzki  We save the best for last.

   Nowitzki ranks third in the NBA in scoring (25.5 points), is in the top 20 in rebounding (nine per) and is tied for fifth in free-throw percentage (92 percent). He leads the Mavericks in scoring, rebounding, double-doubles (nine) and minutes (37.9 per).

   The UberMan finishes the first quarter of the year as the leading scorer in the loaded Western Conference … and is even right there as the best player in the Western Conference.

     As we've argued: It’s been MVP-level stuff.

   “Great players tend to be taken a little for granted because they are great,’’ Carlisle says. “It's special if you're a Mavs fan to be able to come and watch him play every night. He's just a tremendous player … He willed us to a little higher level.’’

   Dirk is benefiting from a Kidd-keyed Carlisle gameplan that puts him in pick-and-rolls instead of iso’s, that allows him to float outside for kickout passes, that makes him the trailer on the break and that feeds him entry passes only in his pet areas.

   “I’m re-energized,’’ Nowitzki says.

   Dirk’s numbers mirror the stats he put up in his MVP season of 2005-06 and he is the No. 1 reason for optimism that this 11-9 team can make a push toward legitimate contention.

    But. …

    Dirk Nowitzki’s fourth-quarter shooting this season has been abysmal. In fourth quarters this season, Dirk is 26-of-77 for 33.7 percent.

   Blame what you wish: Dirk had tired legs from Carlisle’s marathon-running camp. Dirk was adjusting to the now-scrapped Princeton Offense influence. Dirk was busy moving in with his girlfriend. Dirk’s dog – because this is DB.com Report Card time, right – ate his homework. Or even the most legit reason, that unlike most of the other superstar scorers of our time, Dirk isn’t a 6-5/6-8 swingman who can decathlete his way to his own shot. So he’s doing what he can do.

   Nevertheless. … 33.7 percent?! In the late going of that double-OT loss to the Spurs, Barea’s work drew Spurs ace defender Bruce Bowen to the little guard. That’s when Dirk should – MUST – take over. Instead, the one big shot he hit in the fourth quarter was a bankshot (given Nowitzki’s usual style, almost certainly an accident).

   Do teams crank up the defensive intensity in the fourth quarter? Sure, and that makes it easy to explain why Nowitzki would shoot 7-of-7 in the third quarter but then suddenly go south in the ensuing 12 minutes. But if Team B cranks up the defensive intensity, Team A must crank up the offensive intensity, creativity and productivity.

   Dirk Nowitzki leads Team A. Dirk Nowitzki is Grade-A. But there’s still room for improvement, still another apple to bring to the teacher.

   GRADE: A

 

 

200pm dec 10 2008

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