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NBA Dallas

Latest Dallas Stories

Diop Heads Back to Dallas After N.J. Rental

Posted: Jul 3rd 2008 10:31 AM ET by Tom Ziller (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Nets, Mavericks, Dallas

1 COMMENT
Next to Devin Harris, center DeSagana Diop was the clear #2 most valuable asset Dallas sent away to New Jersey in the midseason acquisition of Jason Kidd. He was the best defender the Mavericks had at a key defensive position. Surely, we would have helped some in rejecting the advances of David West and Tyson Chandler in Dallas' five-game first-round loss to New Orleans. He wouldn't have flipped the series -- but he would have helped.

Apparently, the Mavericks think so too, as the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram reports Diop has reached a five-year deal with Dallas for the full mid-level. That will take DeSagana right through his prime (he's 26), and could leave Dallas with one of the best defenders in the league at center, which seems important as Andrew Bynum, Amare Stoudemire, Al Jefferson, and Greg Oden hang around the West.

The key question, one partially answered by the signing: how will Rick Carlisle use Diop? In three seasons under Avery Johnson, Diop averaged no more than 18 minutes a game. You might blame foul trouble, but Diop recorded only 1.9 fouls per game this season in his 17 minutes with Dallas.

Johnson is (was?) a notorious micro-manager, and his constant in-game substitutions always offered an opportunity for jokes for road crowds. Diop's never going to be even so good as a Dikembe Mutombo on offense, but with a steady diet of minutes, he could at least become a Mark Eaton type anchor through his prime.

Shan Foster Can't Wait to Play ... in the NBA

Posted: Jun 30th 2008 10:45 AM ET by Will Brinson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Mavericks, Western, NBA Draft, NBA Videos, Dallas

1 COMMENT
During a rather pedestrian draft night last Thursday, one of the more tender moments was Shan "Don't Call Me Shane" Foster's playing of a song he wrote just for the NFL draft. At the time, I may have said something cynical about it, but the more I think about it, rooting against the Joey Harrington of the NBA is just wrong.

Here's Shan's little jam he put together to discuss his feelings about being a professional basketball player.



It's actually kind of catchy, in a very irritating way. And, all Joey H. jokes aside, the dude does have a pretty sick voice. Or, as Dirk said*, "He's no 'Hoff, but he's pretty good."

H/T: Hot Clicks

Josh Howard Talks About Weed, David Stern, Rick Carlisle and Not Being 'Brutally Honest'

Posted: Jun 4th 2008 3:15 PM ET by Will Brinson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Mavericks, Western, NBA Media Watch, NBA Videos, Dallas

0 COMMENTS
Southwest Kia has a very nice interview with Josh Howard, who made some late season noise when ESPN decided that his marijuana smoking admission was "news". But hey, when you wield the biggest media sword, that's your prerogative. So you had to see this interview, in which Howard sits down in a friendly venue and speaks at length about his offseason and the lessons he learned, kind of coming. Still, good stuff.

Highlights include: Howard admitting he learned "not to be brutally honest" (3:10), how to deal with the negativity (4:25), David Stern accepting his apology for the marijuana comments (6:11), how Rick Carlisle brings a "new energy" to the Mavericks (7:26) and the fact that he's a big fan of The Wire (8:50).

Most of the talk about the marijuana issue kicks in about 5:30 through the interview.



Big Ups to Odenized for the find.

Avery Johnson Is Slinging Nissans Now

Posted: May 27th 2008 10:10 PM ET by Will Brinson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Mavericks, NBA Media Watch, NBA Videos, Dallas

1 COMMENT
You know what? If I was getting paid several million dollars to coach NBA basketball, without actually even coaching, I would probably announce for a year and set up shop in a car dealership in North Texas. Avery Johnson, clearly an unemployed millionaire after my own heart, has done just that, as you can see from the new, enthusiastic ad he has fired up on the Youtubery.



I tell you what ... I agree with his philosophy here, but if Avery won't even let Devin Harris control the Mavs' offense, I would hate to see what kind of "suggestions" he makes for people purchasing cars.

H/T: Merkin Sports via SBB

Jason Kidd Is [Not] Interning at a New York Investment Firm This Summer, Apparently

Posted: May 27th 2008 11:45 AM ET by Will Brinson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Mavericks, Western, NBA Gossip, NBA Media Watch, Dallas, New York, Summer League

0 COMMENTS
When reading this article in the Dallas Morning News (passed along by Ziller), you really have to do a double take on "Kidd said from New York, where he's an intern for a hedge fund company", even if you know it's coming. Because, you know, that would mean that Jason Kidd is actually interning at an investment firm in New York this summer.
Kidd is with Avenue Capital Group, a global investment firm that manages assets estimated at $19.5 billion. The group invests in distressed and undervalued securities, a description that applies to the Mavericks at the moment.
That is what the DMN says. Avenue Capital Group would not comment either way on Kidd's employment. But if this is true (apparently it is not, see update after the jump), well, it may not be some newsbreaking chunk of excitement, but I still want answers. Or at the very least, a reality show.

What is Kidd's background in finance? Is he the NBA's Lenny Dykstra? Does ACG have a summer rec basketball league? Has he interned anywhere before? Is there a guy a few cubicles down who keeps making "assist" jokes every time Kidd helps him with a client?
Continue Reading »

Mark Cuban Admits He's Smoked Weed, Thus Justifying Josh Howard's Habit

Posted: May 22nd 2008 1:08 PM ET by Tom Ziller (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Mavericks, Dallas

108 COMMENTS
The smoke dust from Josh Howard's postseason marijuana saga has mostly settled, though trade rumors have unsurprisingly centered around the forward. In a radio interview with Dan Patrick, a clip of which has been posted at SI.com (the top right corner), Mavericks owner Mark Cuban addresses the situation by admitting his own past usage. A cleaned-up transcript of the key passage:
Patrick: Do you care if he smokes pot?

Cuban: I'd be a hypocrite if I said 'yes' because I've inhaled, and when I inhaled I coughed a couple lungs out. And so I was never a big fan of smoking, but if I've tried it I can't look at somebody and say, 'How can you try it?' That's just terrible. [...] Again, I'd just be hypocritical if I said, 'Josh, smoking pot is just the worst thing you could possibly do.'
Cuban also said he doesn't believe Howard smoked during the season and revealed his team has had players for whom smoking pot became a performance issue. Cuban said those players were removed by trade or waiver.

It doesn't sound like Howard will face punishment from the team (a good thing, in my eyes), but you still wouldn't be surprised to see him moved due to the team's actual performance issues.

Carlisle Really Wants to Coach Artest Again

Posted: May 15th 2008 4:30 AM ET by Matt Watson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Kings, Mavericks, Western, NBA Rumors, Dallas

2 COMMENTS
Rick Carlisle and Ron ArtestRick Carlisle was asked in a Dallas radio interview this week if he'd ever consider a reunion with Ron Artest, and he wasn't able to hide his enthusiasm about the idea. Tim McMahon of the Dallas Morning News transcribed Carlisle's thoughts:
"Of course," said Carlisle, who coached Artest in Indiana. "This guy is one of the real difference-makers that we have in this league. He's had one all-star year; that's when he played for me. I've had a chance to reconnect with Ronnie a couple times over the last couple of years. I love him and I love his family, so yeah. This guy was one of the most physical, intimidating players that I've ever seen at the small forward position, so he'd be a player that any team would want to have."
Now that Carlisle has left his gig as an ESPN analyst and is once again gainfully employed by an NBA team, someone might want to remind him that he doesn't have to say exactly what's on his mind all of the time. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if Carlisle isn't guilty of tampering, he's certainly toeing the line.
Continue Reading »

Report: Mavericks Have a 'Done Deal' With Rick Carlisle

Posted: May 9th 2008 11:21 PM ET by Matt Moore (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Mavericks, Western, NBA Rumors, Dallas

3 COMMENTS
According to a report by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Dallas Mavericks have their man. The paper is reporting that a verbal deal is in place with Rick Carlisle to become the new head coach of the Mavericks. It will be his third head coaching job in the NBA, this time succeeding Avery Johnson who was fired after another disappointing first round exit.

The deal outlined by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram by a source close to the situation is a four year contract that will pay Carlisle a little over $4 million per year, which, if you're keeping score at home, is more than Johnson made. Carlisle has long been considered the front runner for the deal, and today was the expected day of deliverance. He brings with him a 281-211 lifetime coaching record, and a .484 playoff career winning percentage.

Known for coaching a balanced offense-defense philosophy and a strict offensive structure, Carlisle's first priority will be to form some sort of cohesion from the semi-chaotic-chaotic mess the Mavericks devolved into at times after the acquisition of Jason Kidd. Figuring out what to do with Josh Howard after his comments regarding offseason drug use and late-year shooting slump might also be up there. Either way, Mark Cuban got the guy he wanted, the Mavericks have a new head coach, and it's Rick Carlisle.

Report: Carlisle to Mavs a 'Done Deal'

Posted: May 7th 2008 1:10 AM ET by Matt Watson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Mavericks, Western, NBA Rumors, Dallas

4 COMMENTS
Rick CarlisleRick Carlisle isn't officially the next head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, but if you believe his agent, that's pretty much just a technicality. From the Jeff Caplan in Ft. Worth Star Telegram:
"A lot of this is about finding your fit," said agent Warren LeGarie, who is working in Greece. "With Donnie [Nelson] and Mark [Cuban], I think Rick has found a fit."

Nelson, the Mavs' president of basketball operations, reiterated Tuesday night that negotiations are moving forward and that he was optimistic Carlisle would soon be the ninth head coach in Mavs history.
The Dallas Morning News reports that LeGarie, who also represents Mike D'Antoni, has returned from Europe to continue negotiations. Both of these reports jive with the lastes from ESPN's Marc Stein, who cites sources calling a four-year contract a "done deal" and says Carlisle could be officially introduced Friday or Monday.

Carlisle has taken his team to the playoffs in five of his six years coaching, including getting past the first round (a problem for the Mavs in recent years) four times. As my colleague Tom Ziller pointed out, Carlisle isn't exactly known for his offensive acumen, but as I see it a defensive specialist may be able to make more of an impact in a conference that boasts five teams that averaged at least 105 points a game.

Wonder How Avery Felt About the Kidd Trade?

Posted: May 3rd 2008 10:45 AM ET by Tom Ziller (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Nets, Mavericks, Dallas, New York

7 COMMENTS
Just in case there was any question as to how Avery Johnson felt about the February trade which sent Devin Harris and draft picks to New Jersey for Jason Kidd, here are some quotes from the Le Petit General's closing statements to the Dallas media.
[Harris] was going to be an 18-and-8 player. I invested a significant amount of time with him and, again, he was injured and a lot of things were happening around the NBA, and like I said, if we can just hold on a little while, we've got the best record against the West. ... The team was changed and we never really got back on track. [...]

[The trade] was something that was tried and it didn't take us anywhere that was close, we were struggling to make the playoffs, so it didn't nearly bring us the rewards that we wanted.
Now that Dallas is done, it's obvious the trade was a bust. A huge, magnificent bust. Harris for Kidd straight up would have been considered a bust, since, you know, Kidd makes $20 million next year while Harris is locked up until 2012 at a salary that never gets larger than $9.3 million. And also because Kidd is 35 year old and Harris is 25. And also because Harris is arguably a better player today -- a 17.5 PER, 15 points and 6 assists in 32 minutes on the season -- than Kidd, with a 16.7 PER, 11 points and 10 assists in 36 minutes.

Throw in those draft picks (#21 this year, and a 2010 first round selection) and DeSagana Diop? No offense to Pat Riley, but this was a far worse deal than Phoenix's trade for Shaq. The Suns ruined their season. The Mavericks might have ruined their season and their future.