GT: visiting THE MAVERICKS Thurs. Nov 5 8:30 PM EST

[Flip Murray]

That Al/Clifford situation was worse than any in game antics we saw from Lance last year. I wonder what it was about.

that's not true I saw worse with my own eyes in a game I went to. I can go back and find my post

[UNCNYC]

Its the same with the PANTHERS everyone thought that us loosing BENJAMIN was going to RUIN our season but if we had him we might not be 7-0. Why because we would have made him our FOCUS on DEFENSE and other teams would have adjusted to that. now they cant adjust because each week we throw something different out there. Its not just about throwing what appears to be the BEST players out there.

Same as a few years ago when the HEAT played the SPURS in the championship. The heat were up and they tried to close out the series by dissing DANNY GREEN in favor of starting MANU GINOBLI. They loss after being up in the series. I knew it was a mistake to do.

Yeah everyone should cut their best WRS, they hurt the team.

We should trade P.J. for KJ Mcdaniel. 3 point % is about the same, KJ is way more athletic and a harder worker. /homer .But seriously people need leave their college biases at the door, this is pro ball. If you comment on a player that went to the college icon on below your name your ethos on the subject goes out the door.

Some may say I am a homer but if thats the case Mcbuckets sure was my favorite player a few years back when he was here

[nuposse04]

Wiz fan coming in peace, just curious about Marvin Williams. I'm happy to see he is seemingly offensively finding a thriving niche. Curious how has team and man defense been? Do you guys think he will be your starting 4 for the next 2-3 seasons if this S4 role of his continues pans out well or is Cody Zeller going to take over at some point?

He trimmed down which has made him faster on his feet and a better perimeter defender. Overall he's more aggressive, on offense slashing and on defense but especially rebounding.

He's playing for a new contract but he seems to care about winning as well and he has a good relationship with our coach and is a good teammate everywhere he goes. He's looking at 10-12 per, not from us though. We have Cody and Frank. We have been trying to dump him since he arrived, even this year. At this point I'd want a late first for him! Haha.

I would feel REALLY **** BAD for the team that offered him $10M/year. He's playing very well right now (3 double-doubles in 5 games, with 15/5 and 4/10 in the other two games). But I'm really not sure his current level of play is sustainable. He may very well be in play for another $7M contract though.

10 mil a year in the next cap seems plausible. He is at least a decent rotation player and possibly a fringe starter on good teams (I think ya'll are better then ur record).

[Mystical Apples]

I'm fascinated with the idea people think PJ v Lamb is even 1% of Clifford's thought process for the starting unit. Fans who want Lamb to start are unintentionally advocating to put him in a lesser role and in the process hurting the (second) team.

[HornetJail]

He trimmed down which has made him faster on his feet and a better perimeter defender. Overall he's more aggressive, on offense slashing and on defense but especially rebounding.

He's playing for a new contract but he seems to care about winning as well and he has a good relationship with our coach and is a good teammate everywhere he goes. He's looking at 10-12 per, not from us though. We have Cody and Frank. We have been trying to dump him since he arrived, even this year. At this point I'd want a late first for him! Haha.

I would feel REALLY **** BAD for the team that offered him $10M/year. He's playing very well right now (3 double-doubles in 5 games, with 15/5 and 4/10 in the other two games). But I'm really not sure his current level of play is sustainable. He may very well be in play for another $7M contract though.

10 mil a year in the next cap seems plausible. He is at least a decent rotation player and possibly a fringe starter on good teams (I think ya'll are better then ur record).

A "decent rotation player" is not worth $10M a year in any cap. Even if the cap rockets to $100M in a couple years, that's 10% of the cap. Five years ago, we weren't paying "decent rotation players" $6M. That was money reserved for 4th and 5th starters, or 6th men. Marvin wouldn't be more than a 7th man on any top 10 team in the league. And I'm only saying that because of his impressive play to start the season. If he regresses back to the mean, he's barely a rotation player for a contender.

[sidestep]

In the context of the entire season, we will very likely look back on these two breakout games by lamb as an outlier instead of the norm. How well he's shooting right now, it's not sustainable. People are excited, and rightfully so. He has a beautiful shot, always has, and now he looks finally comfortable on the court in a way I've never seen before, probably because of the security and affirmation provided by the contract.

When I've watched him prior to Charlotte, he lacked defensive awareness and this year, he still gets lost. Look at him work through off-ball screens when he's chasing shooting guards -- often times he's been completely out of the play by being a few steps behind. Or him dealing with screens when defending the PnR, he ends up more than a step or two behind the ball handler. And help rotations. (also, I forget which Mav it was, but I recall lamb got juked by a simple crossover into a layup when defending straight up. whatever tho, this is more of an aside than the main issue.)
The longer a play develops, the more likely lamb is not in the right spot or can't make it there.

The biggest thing is him working thru off-ball screens since that's standard stuff defending SGs. And all of that is gonna take some time. He does have great length which is not teachable.

The whole discussion about whether lamb should start is uninteresting to me. I don't think there's a strong case for him to finish games tho. The starters and the closing unit don't have trouble scoring, but u need stops during crunch time and lamb is a part of the defense that good teams will exploit.

[bws94]

I think the closers are Kemba Batum Lin Williams Al (at times Zeller or Hawes) on most nights.

[fatlever]

Closers: Kemba, Lin/Lamb*, Batum, Marvin/Cody/Jefferson**

Kemba and Batum are the only two locks to close games out of the 7.
* Lin and Lamb will finish games instead of Hairston. Which player probably depends on matchups and who is hot. Most likely it will be Lin since he is a better ball handler/passer and equally good shooter. But you can't discount Lamb finishing if he is in a scoring groove.
** Two of this three will finish games. If we are chasing a lead, like the Miami game, you might see Cody at the 5 and Jefferson on the bench. If we are desperate to get stops vs a big lineup you might see Cody instead of Marvin at the 4. If we are grinding out a lead, look for Jefferson.

[vorbis]

if Lamb is going to have that kind of rhythm on off-the-dribble jumpshots and attack the basket with that kind of confidence all season, his production will be solid value for his contract, even once his shooting % comes back down to earth. he's looking great so far.

I am becoming more and more of a Batum fan with each passing game. that 7 TO game in the opener was brutal, but since then I have been appreciating all the things he brings to the table.

I think it was a good sign that the team was able to control this game even while shooting so poorly from 3. they benefitted from some vintage Bobcat-esque jumpshot efficiency from the Mavs, but the defense was a lot more organized, to use Clifford's term. it's still taking a lot of getting used to life without Biyombo or MKG for next-level defensive intensity and rim challenges. as for the offense, the ball moved very well and every Jefferson post-up in the 1st and 3rd quarters made sense to me, and were executed at a pace that can work in a more free-flowing offense.

I don't think Frank will start over Marvin Williams this season without an injury, but a role is waiting for him with big minutes IMO. he fits this offense even with Jefferson on the floor. I think the big threshold with Clifford and rookies isn't so much how many minutes they get but whether they see the floor at all. Frank is getting bottom of the barrel minutes now, but he's clearly good enough to play now, and it's only a matter of time before he fits in on the second unit, and, if someone goes down with an injury, who knows. at least his skill set makes sense within the current construct of the team.

I wonder what it would take for Clifford to get a contract extension before the end of the season. he's a lame duck currently, yes?

[Dirk]

Nice win guys. The Mavericks were absolutely dreadful but take nothing away from the Hornets. It was total domination. The first four games had showed a team that was a little better than it was perceived(old, slow and crippled), just a couple of days ago vs the "mighty" Raptors, it was a very close game won by them at the end, so it was not like the Mavs had been crushed before and exposed like they were against the Hornets. It was a soulless performance by the Mavs in that second half and a total embarrassment --- the Mavs had the look of the worst team in the league. Hopefully it's just a one off and a result of the Hornets being better than what people tend to think. So it's two games in a row that the Hornets score a lot of points. More seriously... Lamb looked really confident and Jefferson was doing everything he wanted. I'm happy for you that the basketball you're playing is more enjoyable that that grind style that you'd have in the past.

I wish you had played Hawes more at for entertainment purposes. So long winning streak vs the Bobcats Hornets etc etc. It's a new age. Curious to see what these two teams do next and confirm whether the Hornets are just good or the Mavs are just bad, like really bad.

[ChokeFasncists]

Nice win guys. The Mavericks were absolutely dreadful but take nothing away from the Hornets. It was total domination. The first four games had showed a team that was a little better than it was perceived(old, slow and crippled), just a couple of days ago vs the "mighty" Raptors, it was a very close game won by them at the end, so it was not like the Mavs had been crushed before and exposed like they were against the Hornets. It was a soulless performance by the Mavs in that second half and a total embarrassment --- the Mavs had the look of the worst team in the league. Hopefully it's just a one off and a result of the Hornets being better than what people tend to think. So it's two games in a row that the Hornets score a lot of points. More seriously... Lamb looked really confident and Jefferson was doing everything he wanted. I'm happy for you that the basketball you're playing is more enjoyable that that grind style that you'd have in the past.

I wish you had played Hawes more at for entertainment purposes. So long winning streak vs the Bobcats Hornets etc etc. It's a new age. Curious to see what these two teams do next and confirm whether the Hornets are just good or the Mavs are just bad, like really bad.

The DJ fiasco really screwed you guys up, losing Tyson. Parsons will be healthier, he was real bad. Lin almost signed with the Mavs apparently? Perhaps he would have been better than DWill? Powell's got some potential, is he gonna be the next Wright?

[fatlever]

On the bright side - Powell looks like a keeper.

[BlackOutBuzz]

On the bright side - Powell looks like a keeper.

Just not for Charlotte...second rounders are icky. Give us undrafted kids like Harrison, Southerland, and Higgins instead.

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[Vanderbilt_Grad]

I'm willing to bet that the strategy on second rounders changes after the D-League team gets spun up.