Mr. Red Bull, keep it up!

[Darren]

http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullCol ... php?id=668

And Quick Rick Takes The Training Wheels Off. ...
Mavs 95, Minny 85: Deep Analysis As Deep-Fried Donuts
Mike Fisher -- DB.com

Rick Carlisle has talked at the start of this season of using different “menus’’ and “finding the combination’’ and not making judgments prematurely.

The Mavs’ coach was good to his word in the managing of Saturday’s 95-85 win at Minnesota, as he employed some unorthodox looks, invested in one veteran who we assumed was a plunging stock and went (temporarily) bullish on him, and most importantly, took the training wheels off a couple of his kids.

Let’s analyze the first win of the year in Morning Donuts fashion – though it's not even midnight, so I must be a fast worker! -- and yes, you get a baker’s dozen of the delicious treats. …



DONUT 1: The top story: It looked like it’d be Antoine Wright, who spent all camp earning the starting 2 job and was with the first-team on Thursday, but in Game 2 gets a big scoop of DNP, Meanwhile, Jerry Stackhouse, not impressive in the opening loss to Houston, vaulted all the way up the totem pole into Wright’s spot in Minny.

I think Stack is crumbling to the bottom of the rotation. … and Rick thinks the weekend’s theme is “Stack Starts. … With A Bullet!’’?

Whatever.

It’s a long season. And maybe Stack’s problems in Minny (he shot 1-6 and 0-2 from the arc on Thursday, 1-5 and 0-2 from the arc here, so he’s consistent!) are the reason he finished with just 11 minutes.

But for a pregame moment, I had to wonder: Is this proof that Carlisle is indeed “risk-adverse,’’ that he (like his predecessor) too easily clings to the security blanket of the veteran, however limited that veteran may be?

Turned out, though, that wasn’t even the top wing-related story of the night. Also turned out that Rick isn’t risk-adverse.

DONUT 2: I Mixed into the Wright/Stack issue, in fairness to Carlisle, is the introduction of Gerald Green into the rotation. And what a dazzlingly cool debut for the young man who teammate Jason Terry likes to call “Red Bull’’ because of the energy he brings.

Green – who’d played last season in Minny, one of his four NBA homes already – was a logical guy to get at least a sniff here. But instead, while he started as the 10th man, he deserves Player of the Game honors as the difference-maker, with one stint where he was allowed to play instead of Bass and another key stretch late when he played instead of Jason Terry.

Green set up at the arc and hit a 3. And then, having proven that he needed to be guarded out there, he flew by people, gliding to the rim, helping him to nine quick points in his first 13 minutes of play and to a 4-of-5 shooting night. Meanwhile, he also handled the assignment of chasing Minny scorer Mike Miller (13 points) and made only one mistake late, a hustle error that resulted in a charge.

When Green re-entered the game in crunch time, he joined Dirk, Kidd and Josh with Diop (and therefore getting time at the 2 ahead of Jet!) and stayed there until the 3:10 mark.

Short version of all of this: Gerald Green is a “creator.’’ A threat for a 3. A driver. A finisher. A momentum-changer. A shot-clock-is-expiring-put-your-head-down-and-driver. A Red Bull.

Does Stack still have a place here? Does Devean?

Of course. And you know where I think that place is.

Maybe – just maybe – coach Carlisle will eventually agree.

DONUT 3: Additionally, we got a JJB sighting. I had a phone conversation with a Mavs staffer on Saturday before the game in which I stated my rather icy opinion of JJB as a viable backup PG. The staffer – who’d already viewed my icy opinion in print (thanks for reading DB.com!) – iced my ass right back. He vehemently disagrees. As does the entire organization, obviously.

I felt my opinion was reinforced when JJB was DNP on Thursday.

This morning, the Mavs get to feel their opinion is reinforced by Barea’s scrappy defensive work. Oh, the offense? We all know he can do that. The drive-and-dish stuff, he can do. The spot-up shooting, he can do. Thinking on his feet at that end? In the first half, he dumped the ball into Diop, but with the shot clock running down, ‘Gana was in trouble and flipping the ball hopefully back into the paint. … where JJB was waiting. The little lad lept in the air, caught the pass and flipped it into the hoop (a mini-oop!) all in one crafty stroke.

No, it’s on the defensive end where I just assume the 5-10 squatty body will get posted-up, jumped-over, crushed. But JJB did a very nice job contending with Minny’s minis (keeping them from doing what waterbugs like Houston’s Brooks and New Orleans’ Pargo frequently do to the Mavs). He was generally pesky. And he was specifically good at doubling-down on Minnesota bigs and nibbling at their kneecaps and stuff.

Believe me, I want to be wrong about JJB. I want him to be more than a pet rock; with MavsMan and Champ and Inflatable MavsMan and the DrumLine and the ManiAACs, we’ve got enough mascots around here.

So I’m happy to be wrong. Today.

DONUT 4: Game-Changing Play Of The Night, Part I: Mid-fourth. Minny is trying to pound inside. Here comes Randy Foye, but Brandon Bass’ ENTIRE BODY rises above Foye to stuff the ball, stuff Foye, stuff Foye’s entire family. …I mean, he could’ve blocked the shot with his thighs. The ball sails on its way out of bounds and Kidd tries to salvage it by throwing it off the legs of Jefferson. But Al fields it and goes up for his own layup. … and IT’S blocked by a hustling Diop.

Just a few seconds of a few Mavs in a mad scramble to treat a possession like it’s gold. Nice.

DONUT 5: Game-Changing Play Of The Night, Part I: Late fourth, Kidd (nine points, nine rebounds, seven assists, four steals, one turnover) steps in front of a driving Al Jefferson to cut him off. Jefferson pivots around, and from behind, Kidd tomahawk-chops the ball from Al’s hands into his own. But no. … that was only Kidd’s second neatest steal of the quarter. Better was the swipe from Mike Miller and then the before-they-knew-it 2-on-1 break ending in Kidd’s feed to Josh for a hanging dunk and an 88-77 lead with 4:30 to go.

DONUT 6: Unorthodox lineup? Carlisle finished the first quarter with the following fivesome: Diop and Bass upfront, with Stack, Jet and JJB. It came too early to represent grab-bagging; it had to be part of a plan. It doesn’t do much for me – but it did do something for Dallas, as that rather motley crew maintained the Mavs’ early edge, Dallas closing the first with a lead.

DONUT 7: The Josh Jekyll/Hyde Howard thing is beyond funny. J-Ho scored 10 in the first half. Second half? Four points.

DONUT 8: Quote this week from Lynn McHale, wife of Timberwolves GM Kevin McHale: “I haven't seen my husband this upbeat in years.’’

Geez. Really? The T’Pups have a cute collection of earnest and promising young players and they have spiffy new uniforms and a snazzy new playing floor and all of that has purchased for them some patience from fans.

But if this Minnesota season – in which the T’Wolves will, what, win 30? – is a McHale career uptick. … well, it establishes what a friggin’ grind its been in Minny.

DONUT 9: Easily taken for granted? The UberMan, of course. Weren’t we all having so much fun watching Kidd be tricky and watching Green be skywalking and watching Stack shoot air that we overlooked one of the 10 finest basketball players in the world? The 21 points come on efficient 8-of-17 shooting, and they’re topped by two possessions in the fourth, one when he hit an awkward buzzer-beater, the other when he kept twisted and turning until he suckered his defender into a shooting foul.

DONUT 10: Kevin Love, Minnesota’s latest rookie hope (not to mention Great White Hope) is already a pretty clever-around-the-basket offensive player. Creatively runs in the family, of course; he’s the nephew of Mike Love of the Beach Boys.

DONUT 11: Another reason I like Eddie Sefko: No BS trade speculation disguised as headline news; instead, an astute little observation about a Brad Miller-to-Dallas swap idea that might eventually make sense, tucked down where it belongs, in the Astute Little Section of the DMNews’ coverage.

DONUT 12: I get flat-worn out trying to defend the Mavs’ center tandem and trying to stump for them getting the minutes they need to be effective. But if you WATCH THE GAMES, I hope you see it. In the first half, Jason Kidd was obviously trying to feed his big man, and Erick Dampier ended with seven first-half points. In the second half, ‘Gana Diop’s wide-roaming defensive presence inside allowed the perimeter players to take all kinds of chances, to double-team the ball, to leak out on shots – all because they knew ‘Gana would protect the net like a soccer goalkeeper.

They’re not All-Stars and they’re not without flaw and nobody’s worth all that money blahblahblah. But they are damn solid as a two-headed beast. If you give them their minutes? Well, Damp played 19:42 and Diop played 28:18. …hey, that’s all 48! …they might just give you a combined 10 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal.

DONUT 13: How to make Jason Terry effective? Listen, I’m just a dumb ‘ol sportswriter. But Jet at the 1 isn’t as effective as Jet at the 2. Period. He scored 19 and has four steals and three assists and guess how many minutes he played at the 1 to do it. None, that’s how many.

You know. … Carlisle needs one game to unleash G-Green. … He gives Wright and Stack the same short leash. … He needs one game to get Jet over to the 2 full-time. … He needs one game to let his centers play center. … Rick The Quick (Study)?

[JES12]

I find it funny that he does not like Barea at the 1 because of defense, but he can make an argument of Terry at the 2 being good. I agree with most of his points, but the PG should be Kidd + Terry = 48 and barea only as a change of pace 3rd string PG. Terry at the 2 should be haulted in lieu of Green and Wright.

[dirkforpres]

Gerald Green was very impressive... I cant believe Stack got the start, but hopefully it was just for the one game. I dont see why Gerald shouldnt get the nod for the game against Cleveland.

[Darren]

I find it funny that he does not like Barea at the 1 because of defense, but he can make an argument of Terry at the 2 being good. I agree with most of his points, but the PG should be Kidd + Terry = 48 and barea only as a change of pace 3rd string PG. Terry at the 2 should be haulted in lieu of Green and Wright.

I know Jason Terry's better than Barea at this point. But we need a third scorer more than anything. We need Jet at 50-40-90. Otherwise, there's no point to play him extensive minutes.

Let's consider the scenario:
1. Dirk
2. JoHo
3. Bass (a blocked shot awaiting to happen, can't score effectively in front of elite forward / center)
4. Terry (if you want him playing PG, you can still get 15ppg at awful percentage)
5. Green (if you don't mind getting killed on defense when the playoff comes.)
6. Kidd? Damp? Stack? (Are you kidding me?)

Therefore, if we don't make JET a SG, we would see a lot of double-team on Dirk and JoHo. And Dallas Mavericks won't get any deeper. Unless you're confident you can get a reliable third scorer in a trade, we can't afford having Jet at 1.

As much as I dislike small ball lineup, we need a 50-40-90 Jet. He needs the ball in his hand to be effective. Maybe if you can coach Jet to play effective at 1 with 50-40-90, I'm fine with it. Please send your resume to Mark Cuban then.

To me, I'd rather trade for a point forward (Diaw) or point center (Brad Miller) to relieve his dishing duty and look for his scores. So we won't get killed night in and night out for the super small ball lineup.

[JES12]

Name me 1 guard....any guard that is 50-40-90...hell, for that matter, name me one player besides Dirk that fits that at any point in their career.

And Jet does not shoot an awful % at PG. He has shot worse last year (at SG none the less) than in years past, but he is not awful. Terry needs to run the offense and bail them out at the end. He is not a let-Kidd-dribble-the-ball-and-hope-to-get-a-shot-off freaking SG.

3pt%
Kobe, Wade, Paul has NEVER had a 40% 3pt season.
Redd had not had once since 2002
Deron Williams is close, but he shoots 80% from the stripe.
Hamilton has been above 40 twice, but 83% FT those same years (never 50FG)
Mike Miller fits those stats the best. His best season was 50.2% FG 43.2% 3pt and 77.4% FT

I mean seriously...dude...if you expecet 50-40-90 from JET then you might as well mark him down as having a failed season no matter what position he plays.

Terry as a Mav
2004-05--PG--.501--.420--.844
2005-06--PG--.470--.411--.800
2006-07--PG--.484--.438--.804
2007-08--SG--.467--.375--.857

[studcrackers]

pretty sure only nash, dirk and bird have done it. your boy stockton came pretty close too