Texas Stadium Demolition...

The Cowboys home for 38 seasons will be demolished! On April 11 you can pay 25 bucks to get a second row seat (front row is reserved for former Eagles players) to watch memories get blown to bits! Oh, and Roger Staubach is not the guy they asked to do the honors...nope this great honor goes to...drum roll: Casey Rodgers! An 11 year old from Terrell. Yay...I guess.

Kraft Foods is behind this travesty, they held an essay contest to determine the young person who would do the honors. They are also calling this "Cheddar Explosion"...wow! And by the way, isn't Kraft Foods owned by Robert Kraft...the owner of the New England Patriots? Why would Jerry Jones allow another owners company to demolish TEXAS STADIUM? If this isn't wrong than neither is grand larceny...which what they've done to Cowboys fans! Robbed us of the opportunity to see one of our heroes do the honor.

NFL Changes Overtime Rules!

Well, the NFL has officially changed the rules regarding how the overtime's are played in the playoffs. Alot of people are happy with these changes, but I'm not sold. Honestly I think the changes were made only to appease the people that were upset about Brett Favre and the Vikings not taking the field in their overtime loss to the Saints in the NFC championship game. Funny thing is, the Vikings were one of 4 NFL franchises that voted against the changes. ??? Here are those changes...

The team that wins the coin toss in over time in a playoff game will get the ball, if that team elects to kick a field goal and makes it then the opposing team will get 1 possession to match or better that. If the opposing team succeeds in matching that field goal then for the remainder of overtime the rules revert back to sudden death. However, if the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on their possession, overtime is over and the opposing team does not get the opportunity to match them. 

Here are the positives about this rule change:

1) It gives the team that loses the coin toss an opportunity to win the game, therefore the coin toss no longer "decides" the outcome of the game.
2) A teams overtime strategy will be more complex and more encompassing than "get into field goal range".

Here are the negatives about the changes:

1) The team that wins the toss can score a touchdown and still keep the other team off the field.
2) The rules revert back to sudden death after/(if) both teams kick field goals.
3) The new rules only apply to playoff games, not regular season games.

There are several major problems with the rule change...and its only a matter of time until other people start to realize this! Everyone I talk to and everyone I've heard in the media keeps telling me how good a thing this is, and how great it is that they finally did something about the awful overtime rules! Blah blah blah! What exactly did they do? What exactly did they fix? I'm not so sure that this rule change has much effect on anything at all. In fact...here is a breakdown of just how little this change will mean.

In 1965 the first (true) overtime playoff game was played between the Baltimore Colts and the Green Bay Packers, this is a famous game and everyone knows the Packers won 13-10. This of course was before the NFL was under the current system with the NFC and the AFC. At that time there was only two Divisions, an Eastern and a Western Division, the winner of each Division played against each other in the NFL Championship Game, not yet the Super Bowl. This system started in 1933 and lasted until 1967. Under that system there were no "playoff" games. However, if there was a tie at the end of the season between two teams in the same Division, there would be a one game playoff held to determine the team that would advance to the Championship Game. During the 34 years that this system was in place, only 9 times was it necessary to play that one game playoff, and of those 9 games only the final one went to overtime.

From 1967 to 1969 there were NFL Championship games before the Super Bowl, none of which were overtime games. Then the set up changed again to a more current form of playoff brackets. The Wild Card round was not inserted until 1978, therefore this is where we'll begin...

From 1978 to 2010 there have only been 7 Wild Card games that have gone into overtime out of a possible 110 games played. This means that in the history of Wild Card playoff games only 7.7% of the time is an overtime even relevant. And by the way...5 of those 7 have been played in this decade!

From 1970 to 2010 in the Divisional round games there have only been 9 overtime games out 180 games played. That means that there is 1 overtime game for every 20 played in this round of the playoffs. Again, 5 of those have been played this decade.

From 1970 to 2010 there have been 80 Conference Championship Games played...only 4 overtime games. That is an extremely low amount of games that have gone to overtime, in fact it is only 3.2% of the time that a Conference Championship round game ends up in overtime.

There has never been a Super Bowl go into overtime.

There are quite a few regular season overtime games. In 2002 the NFL set a record with 25 overtime games in one season. But here's the problem with this "rule change"...us fans have been waiting for years and years and years for the sudden death overtime rule to be changed to "fun and entertaining" overtime rules! And this is what we get? This is such a tease...I feel like the league/Roger Goodell rushed to get this done this year and is just forcing this on the rest of us. I do not believe this is the best thing for the NFL to do, and the only reason that something is actually getting done about it right now is because the Vikings didn't get their shot last year. It was a travesty, but at the same time, isn't it a travesty when a team loses in the regular season and doesn't step on the field in OT? Does that not affect the standings and the win/loss column too? Why is this change exclusive to the playoffs? Why is this change only for field goals? And why does it only last (maybe) a maximum of three possessions? How come the Vikings...the main driving force behind the 'something getting done' attitude DID NOT VOTE FOR THE CHANGES?!

The changes should have encompassed all NFL games, pre-season, regular season, and post season! And the "touchdown wins it" thing should not be! Each team should get a possession...the coin flip should determine which team gets the ball and which team gets the ball second. Whoever wins can pick, which would lead to the gamesmanship of, should we kick and get the rebuttal or receive to make our statement? Then, if the first team scores they have to kick-off to the second team, and if the first team doesn't score then they can punt, or kick a field goal, or go for it just like in regulation. But if both teams score a touchdown or kick field goals, just keep it going until some defense makes a play and changes the outcome! How much more exciting would that be? The intensity and the coaching would be great TV and great football, especially in the playoffs.

Hockey has an awesome overtime situation, it makes for exciting and very compelling games. Basketball is fun to watch because its 5 more minutes of the most exciting part of a basketball game! Especially college basketball, great stuff! I just watched Xavier and Kansas State go Double-OT yesterday, and it was awesome! And I could care-less who won, but it was fun to watch. Baseball, its not as exciting but at least it can't end in a tie and its not whoever gets the first run wins. Each team has a shot. College football is probably some of the most exciting with their system, which would not work in the NFL but is unbelievably satisfying to watch in college games. My point is, that the NFL really did a disservice to its fans and to its teams; this change is not satisfying, does not fulfill the needs, and quite frankly is disappointing.

I believe that this was done not for the good of the NFL or the good of the sport, but for hastily appeasing the critics. This thing was thrown together to shut people up and get it off the agenda for the rest of Roger Goodell's dictatorship. I believe we've seen the last of overtime rule changes for a very long time, but you know what? I don't think we've seen the end of complaining because the outcomes of games were tainted, un-fulfilling, and not quite fair.

Mavs Win...Roddy B Was Freed, And Dirk Gets Ejected?

As I watched the first half unfold of Dallas' game Tuesday night I kept a close watch on a couple things. First, if and when Roddy B got playing time. And second, whether or not Dirk could get hot and have one of those 28 points + games. These two things along with the Mavs' ability to play solid defense were my keys to a victory. So, how did things unfold?

Well on the Roddy B situation, it has been accurately chronicled that statistically he is way better than JJ Barea. No offense to JJB but Roddy has light-years more talent and potential. Its just the way he was born! Statistically, Roddy B's numbers are very good compared to JJB's. Roddy plays only 12 minutes a game while JJB is playing right up near 20 per game, and the fact is...their scoring numbers are almost identical. JJB is scoring 7.7 in his 20 minutes a game while Roddy is 1 point less at 6.8 per 12 minutes. see the problem with that is Roddy B is scoring about 14 points per 23 minutes while JJB is still only scoring 8. 

But aside from the scoring comparison, JJB is a LIABILITY on the defensive end of the floor every time he is on the basketball court in the NBA and that will never change. He is the worst +/- guy on the Mavs' roster right now. He struggles to have +1 games this year whereas Roddy B played for 15 minutes Tuesday night and was a +14. The nice thing is...Roddy B has shown flashes of great defensive play. His main rookie mistake is an all too frequent reach in foul. But the thing about that is...he's trying to create turnovers and make something happen. I personally think that a "reach in" foul is nothing less than a guy trying to hustle around and do something positive. Discipline on defense is key, but if the other guy knows that your going to be attacking instead of sitting back and waiting for him to make his move; wont that weigh on his mind and maybe make him force something quicker than what would be "ideal"? Whether he passes the ball, shoots the ball, or picks up his dribble at an awkward moment. Any of those are better than JJB getting pushed around and run around and scored on. And that is what I see every time Roddy B is in the game. A defensive spark that ignites the offense. 

Roddy B likes to run and he is a PHENOMENAL finisher at the rim. Every time he is on the court I come out of my seat 2 or 3 times to marvel at some kind of incredible show he puts on at the rim. Quite frankly its unbelievable at times. But the point is he needs more playing time...he needs to be the 7th or 8th guy off the bench. The legit back up PG to J Kidd. He is no doubt the future of this franchise at the PG position and JJB is and always will be the situational spark plug guard. So there is my case for why Roddy B should be getting more than 12 minutes a night. There are actually T-shirts that say "Free Roddy B" out there! Awesome! 

Here's what I saw last night. Roddy B came in the game with 2:55 seconds left in the third quarter. At that time the Mavs' were down 4. Ten minutes later...the Mavs' are UP by 19. Thats a 23 point swing in ten minutes. I'm not saying Roddy was the reason for that but...RODDY B WAS THE REASON FOR THAT! Within seconds of entering the game he hit a big time three, followed by a sweet lay in with the left hand, and finally to begin the fourth quarter they ran "the lob" play which is where Roddy B takes the ball at the top of the three point arch, then gives to Kidd who steers right for a moment during which the pick set by Haywood (or whatever big is in the game) on Roddy's man gives the speedy Roddy B a sprint to the hoop where he finds J Kidd's alley oop lob pass waiting for him to go up, get, and slam it home. It works nearly every time...and boy can Roddy B fly! By the way, the Mavs' also created 5 turnovers and got alot of stops while playing the 2-3 zone during this stretch. 

So during the 14:55 seconds Roddy B played he had 10 points, 3 boards, a steal, and the Mavs' took the lead and won by double digits at home; which unfortunately has not been easy to do this season for some reason. All in all, I like what I see from this kid. And I'm going to continue to monitor his playing time and stats because I believe that come playoff time he deserves the opportunity to relieve Jason Kidd from time to time and can be effective in those minutes.

On to the subject of Dirk. Let me start by saying that Dirk Nowitzki is incredible. But, what I wanted from him was a statement game, because of the Mavs' sloppy play of late I needed Dirk to come out and put his stamp on this one and pretty much play like the MVP he is. And he was on his way to doing so. His game was interrupted by a couple of bogus calls by a young and whistle-happy referee. Dirk was shoved in the back and they did not call a foul, then Dirk contested a shot and didn't make too much contact with the guy but they called the foul on Nowitzki anyway. So naturally Dirk talks to the ref about it and maybe said a little too much at first so the ref T's him up, and then, frustrated and confused probably Dirk turns and continues to not bite his tongue and the ref immediately gives him a second Technical and throws Dirk out of the game. This is only Dirk's 3 ejection in his career. I'm not so sure that he deserved it, I and many others think that the ref was a little quick on the draw this time but hey...Dirk may have alluded to his prescription specs or something, who knows? 

Fact is, Dirk got thrown out of the game only a couple minutes into the 3rd quarter, leaving the rest of the dudes to fend for themselves. Which they did. But I said I wanted one of those monster games from Dirk, and he was giving it to me before his ejection. Check out these numbers and keep in mind that all of his stats are from only one half of this game. 

19:18 minutes, 18 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and he was 8-11 from the floor. That's efficiency! If he gets his normal 35+ minutes we would be talking about Dirk shooting 14-20 for 34 points and 7 or 8 rebounds. I like it. So his impact was huge even though he was stuck in the locker room for the second half. 

The other thing the Mavs' needed to do was play defense and they did that pretty well last night. They forced 11 turnovers and didn't commit 18 as they had the previous two games. And their bigs played well...Haywood had 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks; while Damp in limited time had 3 points, 2 blocks, and 6 rebounds. This is a vast improvement over the last few games. Keep that up. 

Also, it was Jason Kidd's birthday yesterday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! He turned 37...and he played like he was 27. He had a phenomenal game...it was a thing of beauty to watch him dominate the game in the fourth quarter the way he did. He ended up with a season high 26 points to go along with 12 assists and 6 rebounds. But he also played a monster 41 minutes and only turned the ball over twice! That is great. Plus with Dirk out the second half, someone had to step up, and why not Kidd? This is what J Kidd said about his game: 

"Since Dirk was gone, I thought I'd play (like) Dirk today!"

That's funny stuff, but its also true! It is worth mentioning that Kidd has transformed himself into an incredible and legitimate three point threat! He was 6-11 for the game and is shooting 42% from beyond the arc for the year! Awesome! Coach Rick Carlisle had this to say about Jason Kidd after the game: 

"He willed the team with his energy and his enthusiasm. He got guys engaged and you know, it wasn't just play-making, it was shot-making, it was assists, it was defensive plays, it was, you know, giving guys confidence out there. ... He is just phenomenal."

Here is a great little statistical tribute to J Kidd, courtesy of Fish of dallasbasketball.com: http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=2763

Sunday Six Pack

Today, Sunday the 21st of March 2010 has been an all around frustrating and upsetting day. Last night the Mavs' lost to the Celtics and it was quite a game but extremely winnable for the Dallas and they just blew it. It was very hard to watch. So today I awoke feeling groggy and emotional only to find that the earth had been snow blasted during the night...but I was able to work through that knowing that I was going to get to watch the Texas A&M Aggies move into the sweet 16! But alas, Purdue put up a fight and the Aggies lost in overtime. That was very very hard to watch. Then this sad day cumulated with socialism picking up the win against freedom. Needless to say, my week can only get better...right? Anyway, here's your Sunday six pack.

1) The Mavericks were on a tear a couple weeks ago...then for reasons unknown to earth they failed to show up for a home game against the Knicks. But Dallas bounced back and beat the Bulls for the second time in two weeks before giving up a 7 point fourth quarter lead to the Boston Celtics Saturday night and losing for only the third time since the all-star break. The main problem with all of this is that the Nuggets have been able to catch up and pass the Mavs' (again) for second place in the West. I despise Denver...I can honestly say that I hate everything about the Nuggets. I have no respect for them and quite frankly hope that the Mavs' get the chance for revenge in the playoffs this year. That said, the Nuggets have not pulled away, they are only a half game ahead of Dallas and have lost twice during the same amount of time that Dallas has lost twice. The Mavs' need only win and they are back in second place. They can do that coming up Monday night against a free falling New Orleans Hornets team who is now 2 and 8 in their last ten games.

2) Tiger Woods...what can I say? Well, he's making a comeback. Soooo...we'll see how that goes. In all seriousness I've never liked Tiger. I've always been a Mickelson guy, so I'm still going to root for him and hope that Tiger never catches up to Jack Nicklaus.

3) College basketball this year has been a mess! My bracket was done before the sweet sixteen were in place. I can't figure out why, but for some reason the top seeded teams are falling like snow flakes in Dallas...(very rarely but all at once, duh). So my pick to win it all, Kansas, was beaten by two points by University of Northern Iowa. Interesting...Ohio beat Georgetown, Murray St. beat Vandy, Cornell beat Temple, Cornell beat Wisconsin, Washington beat Marquette, Washington beat New Mexico, Old Dominion beat Notre Dame, Saint Mary's beat Richmond and then beat Villanova!!! So what will happen next? We have a 1 seed playing a 12 seed, a 2 seed vs. an 11 seed, and a 3 vs. 10 match up. I suspect more upsets are to come.

4) Texas A&M should be in the sweet sixteen matched up against Duke. But they aren't. Why? Because lots of reasons. But what I saw in that second half was the Aggies pretty much be completely one dimensional. They scored a total of 29 points in the second half and overtime and I do not think I saw one point (other than the rare free throw they actually made) scored outside of the paint. They missed every three. While on the other hand, Purdue who was down 11 with about 14 minutes to go hit three straight threes and went on a 17 to 2 run to take the lead. It was quite disgraceful. But the Aggies had this game won several times and could not put it away...typical of them...but they should have not only beat Purdue (who has no size in the middle) but should have won big. The game winner for Purdue was not an amazing three pointer at the buzzer or anything spectacular...it was something that should never happen, especially with less than 10 seconds on the clock. Chris Kramer put the ball on the floor from almost half court and drove it all the way down A&M's throat and laid the ball in through four or five Aggies and got just enough english on the ball to get a lucky roll with only a second left. It was quite pathetic. But if only Mark Turgeon could teach his players how to make free throws the team would hardly ever lose! But the main thing about the game that I believe was the difference and THE reason that the Aggies are not in the sweet 16...Donald Sloan. He is A&M's premier scorer and the go to guy that you kind of expect to take over the game at some point and create something offensively. But he was a mere 4-17 shooting for the night with 11 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, and three turnovers in all of 39 minutes played. Thats not good. And definitely not good enough to win a big game like this! If it weren't for Aggie big man Bryan Davis having a great game (17 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 3 steals) the Aggies wouldn't have even had a chance in this one down the stretch! But that's how the season ends.

5) I know it doesn't mean too terribly much because its only spring training...but the Rangers are a measly 6-11 this spring. So I really hope that isn't a pre-screening of what will happen in the regular season! Oh and by the way...somebody left their bag of powdered sugar in the bathroom? Anyone? Anyone? ...yikes.

6) Mark this day on your calender...(it should be the rarely used app on your iphone!). I'm sorry that was mean...I hate iphones. Anyway, Monday, March 29th 2010 at 7:30! The Mavericks have a showdown home game against the Denver Nuggets! If you don't like regular season basketball but love the thrill of the playoffs...this is the game for you! This game will not only potentially decide who locks up the second seed in the west, and who has home court when/if these teams meet in the playoffs; but this game will be between two veteran teams that are gearing up for playoff basketball and consequently hate each other. So look for the Jason Kidd's and Dirk Nowitzki's to bring their A-game to the arena when the Carmelo Anthony's and the Chauncey Billups come to Dallas to try to push the Mavs' around. But look out for new Mavs' Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood to keep Kenyon Martin and J. R. Smith at bay. Trust me...this game is hott! It is a can't miss playoff game before the playoffs start! It will be physical and it will be tough! I just hope the Mavs' are prepared for the freight train coming their way! It'll be on NBA TV and locally on TXA21. Watch it!

                                       VS.              

Rangers Prediction...Stars Woes!

Most of the people around Dallas and probably even most people outside of the city that I guess is a part of Texas would say that the Rangers are their baseball "team". Even though quite a few most likely have alternate "favorites" for which they are on the bandwagon. Like me...ever since Nomar Garciaparra was my favorite short stop back in the mid to late 90's I've been a huge Red Sox fan. I also fancy myself Irish enough to consider Boston as my go-to Irish-American settlement. So over the years I have become accustom to my Rangers being a laughing stock and the Yankees being the team that I hate most! So naturally I'm also on the Boston bandwagon for my hate of the evil empire. But this year (at least after St. Patty's Day) I feel confident enough to put away my Red Sox attire and pull my Rangers cap out of mothballs. I like the direction of the franchise, particularly the fact that Tom Hicks is no longer in control of their destiny. And I also like what I saw last year from their young pitching staff. I think that with their new ownership (and the new attitude that comes with that) along with young leaders like Micheal Young, Ian Kinsler, and Josh Hamilton this team can go a long way. They have a few young raw talents in Julio Borbon and last years (should have been) rookie of the year Elvis Andrus that are definitely going to help this team up the middle defensively. Josh Hamilton and Nolan Ryan? have already made predictions that this team will win 96 games and win the division! Most people in the media are touting the Mariners as a lock for the division title. But there are a few (me) that think (barring any major injuries) that the Rangers have a legit shot at not only winning the division but also...winning a playoff series. Yes thats right I said it. My uncharacteristic prediction of the year. We'll see how it goes.

 I would go into great length about the Stars right now but I can't. I'm too upset. So I'm gonna give you a link to something that will remind you of better days...enjoy! http://stars.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=520982&navid=DL|DAL|home

Mavs Make It 13...John Hollinger Thinks They're Lucky?

The Dallas Mavericks may be the luckiest team in all of sports...says John Hollinger. He's an avid Mavs' hater and he thinks the Mavs are "lucky" because he has a super advanced flux capacitor system of ranking NBA teams...and according to his ultra inventive system the Mavs' have only won 13 straight because of "luck". Hollingers highbrow rankings are quite frankly irrelevant statistics that are useful for nothing more than giving commentators something to stuff dull moments in games with feckless information about the teams. The fact is...John Hollinger is lucky to have a job. I mean, if its that easy...all I have to do is invent some extraneous system for picking favorites and I can work for ESPN and be a big shot analyst! 

I disagree with Hollingers assessment and I am firm in that. The Mavs' may have gotten "lucky" at times, but they are not "lucky" to be the number 2 team in the West, sitting only 2 1/2 games behind the Lakers, and currently on a 13 game winning streak. Hollingers impertinent appraisal of the Mavs' is typical of ESPN and their love affair with the "popular" franchises; they have never liked the Mavs' or the Stars for that matter. Even when the Stars were winning the Cup Berry Melrose was whimpering and sniveling about the Red Wings the whole time. ESPN only cares about the Bostons, Lakers, and the Yankees, and the big name teams with the Kobe Bryants, even though Dallas is a top 5 market. And that is why John Hollinger falls short of relevance. 

This is an exact quote from Hollingers "explanation" of how his system works: "One of my goals was to create a system that told us more about a team's quality than the standings do. So instead of winning percentage, these rankings use points scored and points allowed, which are better indicators of a team's quality than wins and losses." ...Really? He just said that how much a team wins by is more important than wins and losses...that is so bogus. A win is a win is a win is a win...they are all wins! A W is a W. A L is a L. If you win by 50 thats nice...if you win by 1 thats the same thing on paper! You don't get bonus points for beating a team by 20 points. But since the Mavs' aren't blowing teams out by 20 or 30 points every night they are "lucky" to be winning at all. So here is his "rankings" for you to enjoy...or laugh at and dismiss as most do: http://espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/powerrankings 

Anyhow, the Mavericks have now won 13 straight, they have some days off to rest and practice for once and they are at home for 13 days. Which means they should not only get things together and be able to put their pieces in place for the final run, but also keep their winning streak alive. They have New York on Saturday, the Bulls next Wednesday, and then Boston two Saturdays from now. All at home, all with plenty of rest between. After that they have 13 games before the playoffs, 8 of those are against teams above .500 and 5 of those are quality teams: @Portland twice, VS. Denver, Orlando, Oklahoma City, and San Antonio. So my expectations are high. The Mavs' have an opportunity to roll into the playoffs. They have six very challenging games and seven very winnable games. Therefore my assessment is after the next 13 days of being at home and getting rested, Dallas should be able to go 10 and 3 over the final 13 games. Maybe better. I expect better. But I'm trying really hard to be realistic. Rest assured, they will win 50 games for the 10th straight season...the only other team to do that is San Antonio, and they are on the brink of not being able to do that this year, leaving the Mavs' with the longest streak of 50 win seasons. We'll see how things fare...maybe they can keep getting really lucky!

Upcoming: Rangers update! Stars update! Plus...a BONUS topic! Stay Tuned...

Mavs' 11 Game Streak + Jason Terry's Broken Face!

The Mavs' have been on a tear since the All-Star break, their winning streak has hit nine games. Its the firs time a Maverick team has won 9 straight in two years! They have proven that this is no fluke. They have beaten good teams and they have also beaten the schedule makers...

They have won big games @ Orlando, @ Atlanta, and @ Charlotte. The combined "home" records of those three teams is 68-21. All three teams are playoff contenders and have one 20+ home games this season. So Dallas being able to go on the road and pick up those games was not easy, and in no way is it expected for them to win those types of games. Its more like a bonus that they did. The other big wins during this streak include at home over Phoenix and Los Angeles. Both are legit and Dallas played well at home which they struggled to do before the trade.

when I say they "beat the schedule makers" I mean that they were dealt a very tough hand this year. Chuck Cooperstein (the voice of the Mavs') said when the 09-10 schedule was released that "this is the least favorable schedule Dallas has been given." The Mavs' have 20 back to backs this year and a couple of 4 games in 5 days situations. During this current eleven game stretch they have faced a couple of those hurdles; on February 16 & 17 they had a back to back, @Oklahoma City then home against Phoenix; then on the 19th and 20th they played @Orlando and then came back home to play Miami. Thats 4 in 5 nights going from OKC to Dallas to Orlando to Dallas. Then on the 28th of February the Mavs' played a late (8:00) game against New Orleans, then flew to Charlotte North Carolina to play the Bobcats early (6:00) on March 1st. They didn't get to Charlotte till 4 in the morning. They had another home and away back to back that weekend too.

So through 12 games the Mavs' have played 8 games in back to backs and won 7 of those 8. Again, what the Mavericks have been able to do with the schedule they were dealt is amazing. Coming up they have their most favorable stretch of the season, 4 games in 13 days, all of which are at home. They have a road game @Minnesota tonight before beginning the home stand. This upcoming home stand will give them a chance to have some real practices with their new guys. The team has been so busy traveling and such that they have only had 1 real practice since the all star break...another thing that makes this 11 game win streak so impressive. Three new players, all learning a new system and having to do so on the fly. Jason Kidd has helped make the on court transition so much easier than anyone could imagine because he simplifies the game so well and gets players involved in the fast break. Without JKidd there is no eleven game win streak.

The other impressive thing about this streak is the fact that the Mavs' have suddenly become injury prone. Erick Dampier has not been available for any of the 11 games making Brendan Haywood the lone big man! Problems got worse when he went down with a lower back problem a couple games ago...yet the Mavs' keep winning. They've kept winning even without reigning sixth man of the year Jason Terry who took an elbow to the face in Wednesday's win over the T-Wolves. He had surgery to repair the broken orbital bone in his face that will keep him out for another week. The Mavs Also won a game without Jason Kidd who they sat for the night to rest due to the previously discussed schedule.

The reason for the success without Jason Terry has been the emergence of rookie Roddy Beaubois. In the last three games he has recorded a career high in scoring with, 17, 22, and 24 points. He has picked up the slack and given the Mavs' unbelievable help off the bench. An interesting note brought to my attention by Mike Fisher of Dallas Basketball is the fact that Roddy B is the only rookie in NBA history to average 50% field goal shooting, 40% 3-point shooting, and 80% free throw shooting. This is rookies that are averaging 10+ minutes per game. Check out this list of guys like Larry Bird and Mark Price who didn't even do what Roddy B is doing right now: http://dallasbasketballdotcom.yuku.com/topic/39879

O The Irony...

Josh Howard made a living as a Dallas Maverick for six and a half years. He was an All-Star and helped Dirk Nowitzki lead the Mavs' to the brink of a Championship. He was drafted 29th in the 2003 draft, a draft class that included Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony. Josh Howard was successful and it seemed like he would be a Maverick for life and that he and Dirk would bring a championship home to Dallas...but it was not to be. Josh Howard fell and fell hard. The irony is, he kinda brought this on himself.

"The great thing about irony is that it splits things apart, gets up above them so we can see the flaws and hypocrisies." David Foster Wallace

Josh Howard started his downfall during the 08-09 season. Some would say he started further back but I disagree. There were several problems that Josh had during his time with Dallas. While the Mavs' were in the middle of a Championship playoff run, Howard ran his mouth about things that he probably should have kept to himself. He's been a knucklehead since he was born, so why anyone would assume he would change his ways now is beyond my knowledge. Here is the list of things that Josh did to ruin his uh...er...reputation?

Passing out birthday party invites during the Mavs' playoffs against coach Avery's orders.
His famous cover up, cure all: "you can't control what the ball do!"
Being a punk during the national anthem.
Admitting to smoking weed on the Micheal Irvin show. (when in rome...right?).
He was caught drag racing in his home town in North Carolina.
Also back in NC, he was distracted by a "pregnant" high school sweet heart.

Those are just off court issues that may or may not have anything to do with his on court play...but the fact is that his on court play just isn't good anymore. His 7 seasons have been very consistent; his scoring averages for example:

03-04: 8.6
04-05: 12.6
05-06: 15.6
06-07: 18.9
07-08: 19.9
08-09: 18.0
09-10: 12.7

His first 5 years he got better and better and the idea was that despite his off court problems this trend would continue. He was named to the All-Star game in 07-08, one could only assume that he would keep getting better. But then injuries happened, then lingering injuries happened, then disinterested Josh got to Dallas. Disinterested Josh complained and whined and couldn't play because he bumped his tooth on a glass of Colt 45. He became more of a liability on the court than the legit scoring threat and active defender we were used to. And now, his fall from grace is complete.

Mark Cuban, Donnie Nelson and the entire Maverick organization was very smart in their dealings with Josh Howard. He was a baby with a fragile mind (and fragile body) who needed to be coddled and quite frankly babysat at times. Cuban and Donnie did everything in their power to make Josh Howard comfortable and happy. They made him feel needed (even when he wasn't), and they made him feel secure (even when he was in no way secure). The organization LIED for Josh's sake, to protect him from the media and the bad bad world out there. But Josh's fragile mind could not be held together forever.

Here's what happened. Howard suffered several injuries in the 08-09 campaign and only appeared in 52 games and the first round of the playoffs before leaving the Mavs' vs. Nuggets series with a wrist/ankle problem. He had surgery on both in the off season and his wrist healed fine...but the problem is it took him 7 months to recover from his "ankle" injury. This slow recovery left him only able to start in 9 of the 31 games he was with the Mavs' this season. And he played mediocre (at best) basketball during his last moments as a Mav.

Howard began to whine and belly ache at his playing time and his role with the team. The Mavs' started the season without him, and they asked him to come back when he was ready. The doctors cleared him to play a few games into the season, and he was only out there for a millisecond before he "re-injured" his ankle. So he was back in the training room, with his pride at an all time low. When he did finally come back Rick Carlisle tried starting him...but he just couldn't get into a rhythm, so he was benched in favor of the sixth man of the year Jason Terry. Josh later said this in an interview: "I'm just doing whatever the coaches want me to do. They didn't give me a reason why they ain't starting me, so I don't know. I ain't been cussing, I ain't been fussing, I ain't been tripping." No one in the organization ever accused him of anything like that. They simply tried to shake things up and give the Mavs' the best chance to win. Howard wasn't doing that. His play had gone bad. His effort wasn't there and he looked like he didn't even want to be there most nights. He became a "shot hunter". And no one told him that...they just let him do his thing and hoped it would get better. 


Well with the trade talks looming and his play getting worse, Josh thought for some reason that because he wasn't being babied anymore that he was being treated badly; "I never said I don't want to be here," Howard told NBA.com. "It's as much a shock to me. I've only played 27 games so far. I don't know why everybody is ganging up on me." Wait, what? "Ganging up" on him? Right...no one did that. Howard has a fragile mind...he feels like he must be needed which is why he got so uncomfortable when the heat got turned up. Here's an example of Josh Howard getting babied by the Mavs'. Not once in his previous 6 years with the Mavs' was Josh Howard's name ever included in any NBA trade rumors. Ever! That wasn't by accident...even Dirk Nowitzki's name was passed through the rumor mill. This was Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson trying not to damage Josh's demeanor. They wanted him as comfortable as possible. 


But somehow Josh got misguided; "I don't know what [the team's] plans were for me," Howard said. "All I did was buy into whatever they had for me. I came back earlier than what I should have, then I had to sit down. I rehabbed and did everything they wanted to do, and came back to the bench and did what I was supposed to do. I started again and then they came to me and told me to sit on the bench again. It ain't me. I know it ain't me."

Well Josh, somehow I feel like you getting benched because you were shooting 3 for 24 and contributing nothing IS YOU! He started acting like he had nothing to do with the problems and he was innocent. Well he was in denial because the stats show that the Mavs' were just as good without him, and now with the trade even better without him. Josh Howard had fragile feelings and has babysat and coddled by the Mavs' for years. And when they finally stopped all the special treatment, and the real world slapped him in the face, he couldn't take it. He couldn't handle being out from under the umbrella. He started blaming people and saying things like "it ain't me". So finally he was traded. The Wizards took him and his contract (which was the main attraction) and gave him possibly a second chance...but thats not what happened. 


As soon as he got to D.C. the gloves came off and the truth came out. He showed how badly he NEEDS to feel needed; "It means alot to be wanted by Washington, plus I get to stick it to the Mavs'." Ok, whoa...pump the breaks man. Really, thats what you want to do after how well you were treated here? Wow. How about this; "I did a lot. I contributed to that team, but I know I helped them get to that. Even with the negative stuff, it showed me people's true colors." I hope he's not talking about anyone in the Mavs' organization...because their true colors were shown the 6 years they spent going out of their way to make HIM happy! Josh sat a few times that he felt "wanted" by the Wizards, and that was was going to make them see that he "is worth the (12 million dollar) option for next year"; and when asked about Mark Cuban's kind remarks about how he hoped Josh would be re-energized in D.C., Howard's reply was very succinctly..."whatever". Literally thats what he said. So I'm thinking this has showed...who's true colors? 


In response to Howard's knuckleheadedness the Mavs' released information that sometimes when Howard missed games and the team said that it was because of "stomach illness"...it really was because he was hungover. Josh's response to these new circumstances..."whatever". 


Now don't get me started on Josh Howard's basketball IQ...its terrible. He once tried to call a time out that the team didn't have because he didn't know what to do with the ball in crunch time of the Championship playoffs! But that is over and done with. What's important now is that Josh is going to "stick it to the Mavs'. However he plans to. But wait...recent news suggests that he'll have to wait a while before he can do that. 

The Irony that makes Josh Howard look so foolish and idiotic is the fact that after only 4 games with the Washington Wizards, Howard tore his ACL. 


So, since it took him 7 months to return from ankle surgery...I'm taking bets on how long it'll take him to return from this one...the worst injury of all! We'll start the bidding at 10 months? A year? Eh, but who knows...maybe Mark Cuban was right and he is "re-energized", then he'd actually want to play basketball right? But in all seriousness, this is all I have to say about my hope for Josh as he tries to "stick it to the Mavs'"...


...Whatever.