After the big, needed coaching change in May, it was a fairly uneventful off-season for the Mavs. The only major player signing was the re-addition of DeSagana Diop (who was sent to New Jersey in February as part of the Jason Kidd trade). Dallas used their full mid-level exception to sign Diop to a 5 year contract on July 9 (leaving them with no other money besides minimum to sign other teams' free agents). Diop was happy to return to the city he now considers home. J.J. Barea, Antoine Wright, and Devean George were re-signed. Not surprisingly, Eddie Jones elected not to opt-out of his contract and remains under contract through 08-09 [and I'd be really surprised if the Mavs bought him out as a recent DMN blurb suggested the Mavs might consider as it just doesn't make sense - the Mavs wouldn't be saving much money [though the amount saved would be doubled due to the luxury tax], there isn't a roster crunch where there is a more deserving player waiting in the wings, and Jones does have some value for trades with an expiring contract and you never know when you'll need that extra bit of trade asset]. The Mavs did not re-sign Jamaal Magloire, Juwan Howard, Malik Allen, and Tyronn Lue and they signed with other teams. 2nd round draft pick Shan Foster signed with a team in Italy, with Dallas' encouragement. The Mavs also signed Gerald Green, James Singleton, and Keith McLeod to one year contracts. Charles Rhodes, JaJuan Smith, Reyshawn Terry, and Cheyne Gadson were signed as training camp fodder (non-guaranteed contracts). There is a chance that one of the four makes the opening day roster as the Mavs do have an open roster spot with 14 players under contract. Dwane Casey, Terry Stotts, Tom Sterner, and Mario Elie (retained from last season) are Rick Carlisle's assistants. Paul Westphal was moved over to be GM Donn Nelson's assistant. Joe Prunty got an assistant coaching job with Portland. Del Harris left his Mavs consultant position and joined Chicago as an assistant coach. Dirk Nowitzki led Germany to a 3rd place finish in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which gave them a berth in the 2008 summer Olympics [one of Nowitzki's lifetime goals]. J.J. Barea played for Puerto Rico in that tournament, but they lost to Germany in the last game to finish 4th and not receive an Olympic berth. Nowitzki was the flag-bearer for Germany during the opening Olympic ceremonies. But Germany had a poor basketball performance in the Olympics and only won one game and lost four and did not advance out of the first round (Nowitzki averaged 17.6 points and 8 rebounds). Team USA won all 8 of their Olympic games to win the Gold Medal. Jason Kidd started all the games (and played about 15 minutes each game). It was his second Olympic Gold Medal. Mavs trainer Casey Smith was one of the two trainers for Team USA. The big summer news ended up being from the problem child as Josh Howard twice made public gaffs (and this following his marijuana usage discussion prior to a playoff game and birthday party following a playoff game despite the coach saying "no parties"). It was actually the August gaff that was the more serious and likely to have a direct affect on the Mavs, but it was the July gaff that got way more attention than it deserved and was a national controversy. Howard was arrested at the beginning of August for drag racing in North Carolina. He was clocked at going 94 mph in a 55 mph zone. If he is found guilty (or pleads guilty or no contest), it is highly likely that the NBA will suspend him for a game (one game suspensions are the pattern for guilty and no-contest verdicts in moving violations). But the big public out-roar came when a You-Tube video was released of Howard disrespecting the national anthem during a charity flag football game (the video wasn't released until over a month after the game occurred). The expected cry of "anti-American", "Go to Russia/Africa", "the Mavs should cut him", ... went on and on for a few weeks - I heard a promo for a pop-rock radio station's morning program (nothing to do with sports) about them planning on talking about Josh Howard the next morning. Howard kept his mouth shut during the out-roar and addressed the incident during the Mavs Media Day in apologizing and calling himself an idiot. [To me it wasn't a big deal - I didn't like his comments, but part of America involves free speech. I have much, much more problems with his marijuana talk and usage.] I did have a chuckle over today's articles about Howard and last night's preseason game with the over analysis of Howard during the anthem, described in several articles as hand over heart and head bowed. Well, DUH! That is the way he has been during the anthem at Mavs games for the past few YEARS, nothing new. When he was introduced during the starting lineup, I could hear boos as well as cheers - a solid mix. [Again another media chuckle: the media overplayed any boos (I didn't hear any) for Devean George following his nixing the first Kidd trade proposal and underplayed Howard's boos in calling them scattered and mild (I could definitely hear them).] The home crowd boos will die down as the season goes along (as happened when Steve Nash and Nowitzki voiced their opinions against the Iraq war), but it is something he'll have to deal with for road games. So, back to basketball talk. I had thought that the Mavs would trade Howard during the summer (before his summer gaffs), but wasn't surprised when that did not occur. He is a talented basketball player and other teams were hoping to get a bargain in offering little value for him. The Mavs played it smart and did not make a dumb trade just to get rid of him. Training camp opened last Monday and the team has been focused on Rick Carlisle's new system. He is a strong defensive coach and for offense, he wants the team to be free flowing with few (no?) set plays and the team taking advantage of Jason Kidd's skills. It looked good at times in Tuesday's game (but it was against "Caron Butler and the Who's" (as in 'Who's that?') as Gilbert Arenas is out and Antawn Jamison got hurt in the 1st quarter). If nothing else, it is entertaining basketball. My mom is excited after watching last night's game - two of her complaints for the past two years were "Dribble, dribble, dribble!" and "RUN, GO!" Not surprising is the direct and indirect criticism of Avery Johnson at the start of camp as players and Mark Cuban point out how things have changed and have been directly asked about last season's problems. There were signs of Johnson being too controlling and not listening to anyone during 06-07 and it was taken to an extreme in 07-08 where it was obvious to those just watching the games that there was a serious problem. Of the preseason talk so far, the only thing that surprised me a little was when Cuban said that at least 5 players (through their agents) said that if Johnson was back, they didn't want to be back. Cuban didn't name names, but Nowitzki was obviously one of them and with Nowitzki's personality, it really says something that Johnson lost him. Nothing against Johnson - the firing was a learning experience he needed and, as long as he does learn from his Dallas experience, he'll be a great coach in this league. On the injury front: Eddie Jones has missed all of training camp with a strained left hamstring and no time table for his return. Keith McLeod suffered a strained right hamstring on Sunday and is expected to be out at least a week, if not longer. Jerry Stackhouse will miss tomorrow's game in Chicago as he will attend a funeral in North Carolina. [Note on the Chicago game, if you have DirecTV, it might be on Ch. 751 (Chicago broadcast, if they don't black it out).] The Mavs are hosting their annual blue-white scrimmage (Fan Jam) on Friday October 17 at 5:30 pm at the AAC. Don't know how much of a scrimmage it is going to be (seems like silly scheduling to me) as they have road games on Oct 15 and 16 and a home game on Oct. 18. Preseason: Washington at Dallas (October 7) Washington was playing without Brendan Haywood (sprained right wrist) and Gilbert Arenas (left knee injury). It was fun basketball to start as the Mavs were pushing the ball. Dirk Nowitzki blew by his defender to the basket for a slam and the crowd roared it's approval. The roaring stopped is the reason Nowitzki was able to get to the basket so easily was his defender's knee buckled. Antawn Jamison lay on the court in pain for a few minutes in obvious pain and was eventually helped from the court. It looked really scary, but after the game they were saying it was just a strain and he would undergo an MRI today (no word yet as to his long term status - I'm just glad it wasn't an ACL as it looked that scary). The Mavs held small leads through most of the 1st quarter, but Oleksiy Pecherov hit a 3-pointer near the quarter's end to give Washington their first lead at 28-27. The 2nd units did not look good to start the 2nd quarter and some ugly preseason basketball occurred. The game was tied at 36-36 with 8 minutes left and the Wizards stunk up the joint in only scoring 4 points (a 3-pointer and technical free throw) the rest of the quarter and Dallas continued to push the ball. Dallas led 55-40 at the half. Washington pulled within 12 points with 7 minutes remaining, but Dallas pushed the ball (scoring within 10 seconds on their next 3 possessions) and a thrilling 3-pointer by Nowitzki on a push sent the crowd roaring with shades of the Big 3 days (Nash-Nowitzki-Finley, where seeing Nowitzki spot up for a 3 on a break and his teammates kick the ball out to him were a common occurence) and gave Dallas a 70-51 lead with 6 minutes left. Dallas led 77-58 after 3. Dallas' lead ballooned to 98-62 with 6 minutes left on a 3-point play by Brandon Bass and we got some real preseason garbage time play over the end of the game. Dallas won 108-82. It's preseasons, so just some random thoughts on the game and performances: The Mavs' free throw shooting stunk and they definitely need to do better during real games. They missed 13 free throws during the game, with Josh Howard shooting a mere 1-5 FT. Antoine Wright got the start at shooting guard (joining Dirk Nowitzki, Howard, Jason Kidd, and Erick Dampier). Didn't do much early in the game and (right after I called him "the invisible man" amongst the starters) then did a couple of nice non-stat things (tipping the ball, defense). The offense looked good with Kidd, the offense looked poor without Kidd. Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse, and DeSagana Diop looked poor in the 2nd quarter, but played much better in the 2nd half. Diop had several defensive lapses early, but also had some great blocks later. Stackhouse hit 2 3-pointers early in the 4th quarter. The team really struggled with a small backcourt of Terry and J.J. Barea that left Terry guarding the much taller Darius Songaila (and Washington seeing the mismatch and getting the ball to him). Terry did have a beautiful long bounce pass to Brandon Bass for a dunk on a break. One of the many turnovers in the game occurred when Kidd drove really deep in the lane and passed out baseline to an unsuspecting Terry and the ball went out of bounds off of Terry's hands. Gotta love Brandon Bass - I still can't believe New Orleans gave up on him. I'm still drooling over the Nowitzki 3-pointer off a pass in transition (less than 6 seconds off the clock) - his 3-point threat off the break was such a weapon under Don Nelson and it's so smooth and fun to watch. 6 of Howard's 7 made shots came inside the paint (dunks or layups). With Wright starting, Devean George didn't see his first playing time until late in the 3rd quarter. James Singleton had a couple of active plays including a come-from-behind fast break block that was ruled goal tending. Gerald Green lasted 2 offensive plays before the coach subbed him out and stood with him sideline with an arm over Green's shoulder and gave him instruction - from what I saw he was too selfish on those 2 plays and tried to create for himself instead of looking at his teammates (though he did make a layup on the first possession). The coach then put him back in. As for the four hoping to get that 15th spot, only Reyshawn Terry showed signs of life (granted it was extreme garbage time and just one game). Quotes (not digging hard for them) Rick Carlisle: "I thought when we were physical and played with a disposition defensively that our whole game rose up to a higher level." Carlisle: "There was some good stuff there. Again, the activity on defense and when we got physical and created deflections and getting the ball to Jason [Kidd] and then good things just happen." Carlisle: "You can expect that kind of enthusiasm in the open game. The energy didn't surprise me. This is just a good group of guys. We are on a journey here and it may take a while to get to where we need to be." Carlisle on 24 turnovers: "A lot of it is point guard play, and Jason [Kidd] is a great point guard. I'm cautiously optimistic - 24 turnovers is too many. But this happens to guys like Jason who have that kind of creativity. He'll adjust to that and our players will adjust." Carlisle on Wright: "I like what he was doing defensively. He got some deflections and some steals and he has the ability to attack and he does beat people. He made a case that he should get another look, so we'll give him another look [at Chicago]." Josh Howard on the new offense: "It's kind of hard to say right now. Everything is flowing. Guys are still learning. But for the most part, the floor is wide open for me, along with a lot of other drivers." Antoine Wright on the offense: "Guys are really buying into it. A lot of times last season, we would just drop the ball into the post and kind of play off that." Preseason Dallas Mavericks 108, Washington Wizards 82 at Dallas (October 7) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 27 28 22 31 - 108 .582 .313 .530 .536 Washington 28 12 18 24 - 82 .368 .286 .356 .824 Halftime: Dallas 55-40 3rd Q: Dallas 77-58 Technicals: Washington defensive 3 seconds 7:45 2nd, Dallas defensive 3 seconds 6:24 2nd Refs: Sean Corbin, Michael Smith, David Guthrie Attendance: 19,616 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Eddie Jones (strained left hamstring), Keith McLeod (strained right hamstring), Gilbert Arenas (Was, left knee injury), Brendan Haywood (Was, sprained right wrist) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Jason Kidd 24 2-6 2-4 0-0 6 1-5 7 6 1 1 1 Antoine Wright 19 4-4 0-0 1-2 9 1-2 4 3 2 3 0 Josh Howard 26 7-11 0-1 1-5 15 0-6 2 4 3 2 0 Dirk Nowitzki 25 7-12 1-2 2-2 17 1-7 2 2 2 0 1 Erick Dampier 17 1-3 0-0 0-2 2 3-8 0 0 2 1 2 Jerry Stackhouse 22 3-10 2-4 0-1 8 1-3 3 1 0 0 0 Jason Terry 22 4-9 0-2 3-3 11 1-3 4 1 3 1 0 DeSagana Diop 17 1-3 0-0 2-4 4 2-7 1 1 0 0 3 Brandon Bass 16 7-11 0-0 3-4 17 2-3 0 0 2 0 0 J.J. Barea 12 1-4 0-1 0-0 2 0-0 2 2 1 0 0 Devean George 10 2-2 0-0 1-1 5 0-3 0 0 0 1 0 Gerald Green 7 1-2 0-1 2-2 4 0-1 0 1 0 0 0 James Singleton 7 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0-3 0 1 1 0 1 Charles Rhodes 5 0-1 0-0 0-2 0 0-2 0 1 2 1 0 JaJuan Smith 5 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 Reyshawn Terry_ 5 3-3 0-0 0-0 6 0-1 0 1 0 0 0 Cheyne Gadson 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 44-83 5-16 15-28 108 12-55 26 24 19 10 8 Washington Wizards REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK DeShawn Stevenson 22 1-7 1-3 0-0 3 0-0 2 2 3 1 0 Antonio Daniels 21 2-5 0-2 0-0 4 0-0 1 1 1 0 0 Caron Butler 24 4-9 0-0 3-3 11 3-5 2 2 1 1 0 Antawn Jamison 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-2 0 1 0 0 0 Etan Thomas 11 2-4 0-0 2-2 6 1-2 0 1 1 0 1 Andray Blatche 27 8-19 0-0 2-2 18 1-5 0 0 1 2 1 Dee Brown 26 3-8 0-1 0-0 6 2-3 4 1 1 3 0 Oleksiy Pecherov 23 4-10 2-3 2-2 12 2-7 1 1 4 1 1 Dominic McGuire 18 0-6 0-0 2-2 2 1-4 3 4 2 1 0 DerMarr Johnson 17 3-9 1-4 2-2 9 0-3 0 0 1 2 1 Darius Songaila 14 1-4 0-0 0-0 2 0-2 0 3 6 0 0 JaVale McGee 12 3-5 0-0 1-4 7 1-3 0 1 3 1 1 Taj McCullough 11 1-3 0-1 0-0 2 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 Linton Johnson 8 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 0 3 1 0 1 Totals 48 32-90 4-14 14-17 82 11-37 13 23 26 12 6 patricia