New York, New York! Bringing a championship home

[zike_42]

Two days into the season we already have our first trade.

Toronto trade:
SG Bill Gearhart

New Orleans trade:
2020 1st round pick

Winner – New Orleans. The Hornets may have lost Eric Gordon in free agency but that didn’t stop them from snatching up Dion Waiters. They still needed a back-up SG/sometime starting SF so Gearhart slots in there effortlessly. The pick will most likely be in the 20s which won’t nab the Raptors someone like Gearhart.

Our first game of the season was a disappointing 101-82 loss to Minnesota in Dallas as even though the Wolves shot 37% from the field they did put up 104 shots on the night and pretty much shot us out of the game. Damian Lillard had 24 points and 10 assists on an astonishing 9/30 FG and 5/19 3P night. Kevin Love had 13 points and 23 rebounds. For some reason Rodney Stuckey is starting at PG which is dumb for only 7 points. LaMarcus Aldridge was our best with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Dallas Mavericks 0-1

It’s a better showing but still the same result as we lose to Houston 108-102 again on our home court. James Harden was held to 19 points on 8/17 shooting but it was Nikola Vucevic who stole the show with 8 points and 12 rebounds and it’s great to see him starting. LaMarcus Aldridge was great in the loss with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Our backcourt was on target as Joe Abney and the newly instated Matt Brown combined for 43 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds but it wasn’t enough.

Dallas Mavericks 0-2

To make matters worse Anthony Walls started mouthing off already about playing time and I promptly tell him to shut his mouth. I don’t think this is over as he stormed out. I’ll keep an eye on him.

**TRADE**

Atlanta trade:
PG Bret Davis
2020 2nd round pick

Indiana trade:
SG Ron Winston

Winner – Both. Fantastic trade by both teams. Winston is now starting at SF (he is 6’8”) for the Hawks and will be able to blossom while Davis doesn’t have to be stuck behind Deron Williams and will be the first guard off the bench. I’m going to watch these two players and how the grow now they have the chance.

It’s a strange schedule now there is 32 teams as we have played only two games yet when Atlanta came to town they already had a 4-5 record. We make that 4-6 as we finally get our first win with a 95-78 breeze past the Hawks. Matt Brown was electric with 19 points and 8 assists while Nic Batum finally shot straight for 20 points and 7 rebounds. Ron Winston had a night to forget with his new team with 9 points on 3/10 shooting.

Dallas Mavericks 1-2

Miami have been on fire (groan) to start the season with good reason. Their starting line up is strong with Marco Barker and Eric Gordon in the back court and Chandler Parsons, Hayletts Smith and DeAndre Jordan nearer to the ring. That didn’t stop us extinguishing their flame (grooooan) with a 93-80 win in Florida. Matt Brown is already enjoying this team, tonight having 17 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals to the take the game honours. Joakim Noah backed him up with 13 points and 13 rebounds. I’m a little worried about Nic Batum because apart from last game he has been woeful from the field, going 20/68 or 29.4% from the field. He has been playing his usual excellent defence but it would be nice to see him shoot a bit better. Eric Gordon top scored for the game with 24 points but it was DeAndre Jordan’s 8 points, 23 rebounds and 8 blocks that kept them close.

Dallas Mavericks 2-2

That’s three wins in a row and Nic Batum must have heard me as he poured in 24 points in our 102-91 win against the disappointing Cavaliers. Matt Brown is making me look like a freaking genius with 7 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds while Dylan Peterson and Anthony Walls both scored 10 points off the bench. Andrew Bynum has been the disappointment so Kyrie Irving has had to be the major scorer, tonight having 23 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in the loss.

Dallas Mavericks 3-2

Unfortunately we got to see Raul Lopez on his game, with the budding superstar dropping 30 points on us as the Celtics get their second win in 15 attempts as they roll us 116-98. All five Celtic starters were in double figures with John Weir being the best of the rest with 16 points and 9 assists. LaMarcus Aldridge was our best with 18 points but it was a funny old game that we just couldn’t get anything right.

Dallas Mavericks 3-3

Utah travels to Texas and promptly flogs us 115-88 behind their big three. Lebron had 28 points, Mark Lewis put in 15 points and 17 rebounds and although Derrick Favors didn’t score much he did end up with 8 points, 10 rebounds and 8 blocks. We had no answer for this team as they are just too far ahead of us. Andrew Bogut was notable with 12 points in 18 minutes off the bench.

Dallas Mavericks 3-4

Our last game of the month (yep only eight games for a month is pretty cushy) is an easy 100-77 blow past of Seattle as the old Blazers Nic Batum and LaMarcus Aldridge combined for 41 points in the win. Matt Brown had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists in the win as I love this guy. [color="Red"]Anyone have a nickname for him?[/color] Nate Nixon had 22 points for the Sonics in the loss.

Dallas Mavericks 4-4

At the end of the month were we played eight games and Oklahoma City played a soul crushing 20 games we are sitting in seventh spot, funnily enough one spot behind the Thunder. Minnesota have taken the early lead in the West with a 10-3 record with Houston trailing by a half game. Nevada are unsurprisingly last with a 2-11 record.

In the East Detroit haven’t lost a game yet, sitting at 17-0. Crazily enough the Hornets are only a game behind them at 15-1 with Washington at 16-2 so they haven’t broken away yet. Memphis are at 10-6 and no longer a championship contender. Boston is last with a 3-15 record so Raul Lopez will have the green light to throw up as many shots as he likes.

Dallas Top Points
Nic Batum – 17.4
LaMarcus Aldridge – 17.4
Joe Abney – 14.1

Dallas Top Rebounds
LaMarcus Aldridge – 9.0
Joakim Noah – 8.4
Nic Batum – 6.3

Dallas Top Assists
Matt Brown – 7.3
Rodney Stuckey – 3.4
Joe Abney – 2.8

League Leaders
Points – Kevin Durant (OKC) – 29.8
Rebounds – Kevin Love (MIN) – 12.4
Assists – Ricky Rubio (WAS) – 10.7
Blocks – Anthony Davis (NOH) – 3.9
Steals – Paul Orvis (TOR) – 4.7
Efficiency – Anthony Davis (NOH) – 30.4

Rookie Leaders
Points – Ross Lampley (SEA) – 20.8
Assists – Matt Brown (DAL) – 7.3
Rebounds – Chris Watkins (GSW) – 6.4
Blocks – Ross Lampley (SEA) – 0.7
Steals – Sean Morris (NEV) – 1.7
Efficiency – Ross Lampley (SEA) – 17.9

This draft looks the goods. Not only is there Lopez and Garris but guys like our own Brown, Lampley and Morris look good so far.

[zike_42]

November Player of the Month – Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards – 28.4 points, 2.1 assists, 6.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.7 blocks per game.

November Rookie of the Month – Ross Lampley, Seattle Supersonics – 20.8 points, 1.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.

We start the month with a 110-106 heartbreaking loss to Denver as we had heaps of chances to win in Colorado but couldn’t seal the deal. Chris Drexler flexed his muscles with 27 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks with Harrison Barnes top scoring with 30 points. Joe Abney was our leading scorer with 22 points with Rodney Stuckey playing well off the bench with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Dallas Mavericks 4-5

Another loss, this time to Milwaukee 94-80 as my old draft favourite Thomas Cooper showing why I was enamoured with him with 26 points and 10 rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge took it to him with 31 points and 12 rebounds but apart from Nic Batum’s 17 points no other Dallas player was in double figures.

Dallas Mavericks 4-6

Washington are 17-4 so it was obvious that we were going to have a hard time against them but I didn’t think it would be this bad. We got out to a double digit lead before the Wizards erased that in a 33-17 third quarter before running the game out to a 93-84 win. Ricky Rubio has found a new lease on life in the nation’s capital, this time having 22 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his seventh career triple double. LaMarcus Aldridge was our best with 18 points and 17 rebounds but this season is already starting to slip away.

Dallas Mavericks 4-7

Even though the Bulls are 4-16 it’s nice to get a win after a few losses, this time leading from the opening tip to a 96-76 victory. LaMarcus Aldridge has been our best player so far this season, tonight having 24 points and 10 rebounds with Rodney Stuckey helping in 19 points and 8 assists off the bench.

Dallas Mavericks 5-7

And back down to loser-ville. Portland totally had our number all night as they demolished us to the tune of 123-82. Earl Oliver had 33 points while ex-Mav Brandon Jennings had his revenge with 21 points and 8 assists in the win. After the game he spoke in an interview and said that he was happy to come to Portland as Dallas had “no loyalty” to their players now MacMillan is running the show. I had no comment to that statement but privately I’m pissed and can’t wait to play the Blazers again.

Dallas Mavericks 5-8

Great, LaMarcus Aldridge strained his knee in our 103-93 loss to the lowly Bulls and will be out for nearly two weeks. Cedric White was great for Chicago with 19 points and 18 rebounds as we were held to 39% from the field. Urgh, this is not how I wanted the season to start.

Dallas Mavericks 5-9

It just keeps getting worse as we get flogged, downright embarrassed by Houston 129-94 and I’m almost at my limit where I start trading people. Jay Warren had electric for the Rockets off the bench with 30 points and 7 assists in only 21 minutes, going 11/13 from the field and 6/6 from three. We don’t deserve a write up of our players and I’m going to have a little shop to see what value my players have.

Dallas Mavericks 5-10

I look around for some trading partners and unsurprisingly there aren’t any takers. However I did find something interesting. Aldridge has a $18 million expiring contract while Nic and Joakim both have team options which could make them free agents next season. Couple that with the other expiring contracts we should have a shade over $12 million in contracts in the off season. That means we could hypothetically have nearly $46 million in cap space. So I go snooping to see who will be a free agent and I was shocked. Here is a list –

PF Donte Rock (Brooklyn)
SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Charlotte)
PG Kyrie Irving (Cleveland)
PG Brandon Knight (Detroit)
PG Jrue Holiday (Detroit)
C Andre Drummond (Detroit)
SF Christopher de Castro (LA Clippers)
PG John Wall (Memphis)
PF Kenneth Faried (Memphis)
PG Damian Lillard (Minnesota)
C Peter Napier (Oklahoma City)
C Drew McAfee (Orlando)
SF Wesley Fields (Portland)
PF Thomas Robinson (Sacramento)
SF Lebron James (Utah)
PG Ricky Rubio (Washington)
SG Bradley Beal (Washington)

So as you can see, there is some amazing talent looking for new teams this off season so I’ll stay with this team, no matter how painful it will be because I know I can get at least two of those guys.

Look to next season, look to next season. That’s all I could tell myself after we got blown out by San Antonio with my old fried Ernest Jameson demolishing Joakim Noah to the tune of 28 points and 14 rebounds. Matt Brown was our best with 14 points but this was not a good game for us.

Dallas Mavericks 5-11

This feels like my first season in Memphis, clear cap space and burn the whole season for future success. Hopefully it works.

The Spurs come to Dallas in a home and home and the result was pretty much the same, with us going down 100-88. Ernest Jameson was great again with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Joe Abney had 21 points on 25 shots and I was sure this team would better than this. At least we have our draft pick this season.

Dallas Mavericks 5-12

We play the other Texas team, this time in Houston and even though we had a bit more of a fight we still went down 108-94 as James Harden was fantastic with 30 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Dylan Peterson started at SF and had 22 points and 9 rebounds and I really like this guy. He is an expiring this season so I’ll renounce him but if all goes to plan I can get him back.

Dallas Mavericks 5-13

Hey, a win! The Lakers are as bad as us this season and we ran past them 106-91 as LaMarcus Aldridge was dynamic, putting up 30 points and 10 rebounds. Nic Batum has a slight concussion so is coming off the bench, tonight having 16 points in only 25 minutes. The Lakers had six players in double figures but when Joe Holmes is the top scorer with 14 points that isn’t going to get you far.

Dallas Mavericks 6-13

Houston visits us this time and it was an embarrassment. We never led the game as we went down 105-82 in a lazy display. I’m not going to recap our guys with Jay Warren nabbing the player of the game award with 16 points, 7 assists and 6 steals.

Dallas Mavericks 6-14

After the game Ekpe Udoh complained yet again and that is his third strike so I’m getting rid of him. I trade him and our 2022 2nd round pick for Nevada’s 2nd round pick this year as I’m sure it will be high and I can use it for trade bait.

**TRADE**

Miami trade:
SG Igor Lepinat

Denver trade:
2020 1st round pick

Winner – Miami. The pick won’t be in the lottery but it is good to see the Heat trying to unclog the jam they have at SF.

Future free agent Christopher de Castro has been playing PG recently and been amazing at it, showing his skills in the Clippers’ 112-96 sweeping of us. De Castro had 27 points, 12 assists and 7 rebounds in the win with Stefan Nitschke helping out with 28 points. Joe Abney was our best with 22 points and 6 rebounds but he has been shooting pretty poorly recently.

Dallas Mavericks 6-15

Hmm, I wonder what the betting odds are in our away game against Utah. How about after I tell you that Michael Fisher was the player of the game? Yep, their underappreciated PG had 24 points and 11 assists in their obvious 111-91 win. Lebron had 25 points while Derrick Favors also went for 20 points. Rodney Stuckey top scored for us with 18 points off the bench in only 16 minutes. Joe Abney went 5/21 from the field for 13 points.

Dallas Mavericks 6-16

The next night Joe Abney went 9/14 from the field for 26 points but it was Joakim Noah who stole the show with 23 points and 8 rebounds, shooting a gobsmacking 11/11 from the field in our 129-105 win over Phoenix. Matt Brown had 12 points and 13 assists. Nate Roberts, Jared Arenas and Derrick Williams had 21 points each but they couldn’t stop our hot shooting as we shot 60% for the game.

Dallas Mavericks 7-16

Our last game for 2019 was a disappointing one, as we go down 113-95 to the Lakers. Kendall Marshall has been great in LA, this time having 20 points, 15 assists, 6 rebounds and 7 steals to pace the Lakers. Jaokim Noah was our best with 12 points and 14 rebounds but we just weren’t in this game.

Dallas Mavericks 7-17

After a 3-13 month we are now fifth last in the West, with Utah taking the lead at 21-6 with Houston two games behind them. Nevada (who we play next) are firmly at the bottom with a 2-21 record. Detroit have lost three games this month but are still on top of the East with a 31-3 record and New Orleans are still on their tail with a 26-4 record. Chicago are last at 9-21.

Dallas Top Points
LaMarcus Aldridge – 17.7
Nicolas Batum – 15.0
Joe Abney – 14.2

Dallas Top Assists
Matt Brown – 6.4
Rodney Stuckey – 3.9
Joe Abney – 2.4

Dallas Top Rebounds
LaMarcus Aldridge – 8.2
Joakim Noah – 8.0
Andrew Bogut – 6.0

League Leaders
Points – Kevin Durant (OKC) – 29.0
Assists – Ricky Rubio (WAS) – 11.2
Rebounds – Derrick Favors (UTA) – 12.0
Blocks – Anthony Davis (NOH) – 3.9
Steals – Iman Shumpert (MIN) – 3.1

Rookie Leaders
Points – Ross Lampley (SEA) – 20.1
Assists – Matt Brown (DAL) – 6.4
Rebounds – Sean Morris (NEV) – 6.4
Blocks – Ross Lampley (SEA) – 0.9
Steals – Sean Morris (NEV) – 1.5

First Round of NBA Draft Prospects
1. PF Marcus Randle (California), Sophomore, 6’8”, 253lbs
2. C Gabriel Estevez (Argentina), 19 years old, 6’11”, 262lbs
3. PF John Nemitz (Villanova), Freshman, 6’11”, 239lbs
4. C Jimmy Forrest (Connecticut), Sophomore, 6’11”, 280lbs
5. PF Brad Largent (Dayton), Freshman, 6’10”, 233lbs

Thoughts – This draft is big man heavy, with this first PG at #10 and first SG at #13 so if a team is in need of a C or PF this is the time. John Nemitz has the best upside in my opinion and that #13 SG Hillar Petrauskas from Lithuania doesn’t look too bad actually.

[zike_42]

December Player of the Month – Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets – 24.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 3.1 steals and 3.9 blocks per game.

December Rookie of the Month – Ross Lampley, Seattle Supersonics – 18.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.

If we lose to the 2-21 Neon I’m going to be mighty angry, trade everyone I can angry. Luckily for our team we got out to a 26 point lead in the third team. Unluckily for our team the Neon stormed back with a 40-24 run to win the game 109-104 to give them their third win of the season. Riyad Burke had 21 points and 8 assists and I’m done. Time for some spring cleaning.

Dallas Mavericks 7-18

I clean and clean and clean. I don’t care who gets in my way but the first guy I want gone is Joe Abney. I had so much hope in this guy but he has disappointed me time and time again. In all, I make three trades, looking for expiring contracts but also guys who can play decently and not quit on me like this team has.

Dallas trade:
SG Joe Abney
C Joakim Noah
2022 1st round pick

Sacramento trade:
SG Marcus Thornton
C Bismack Biyombo

Winner – Sacramento. The players are probably equal so the pick two years from now tips it to Kings territory.

Dallas trade:
PF LaMarcus Aldridge

Denver trade:
SF Harrison Barnes

Winner – Denver. Aldridge slots into the centre position for the Nuggets which gives them a better balance. Barnes is decent but LMA is a better player.

Dallas trade:
PG Nathan Howard
SF Nicolas Batum

Philadelphia trade:
PF Patrick Patterson
PG Darren Collison

Winner – Philadelphia. The Mavs get two starters in Patterson and Collison but Batum is a much better player than both. Howard has some upside as well as a good PG. Having Collison start at PG could stunt Matt Brown’s growth as well.

I knew we wouldn’t have won any of those trades but they had to be done. What annoys me is that none of these guys could get a lottery draft pick out of them which really shows how low their stock has dropped. Luckily for us we will only have three players under contract in the offseason (Jevin Lindeman, Matt Brown and Brandon Anderer) with Rodney Stuckey hopefully being dealt when he is eligible for a second rounder.

Our new starting five is –
PG – Darren Collison
SG – Marcus Thornton
SF – Harrison Barnes
PF – Patrick Patterson
C – Bismack Biyombo

Yep, all new starting five. I won’t be upset if we lose our first few games because no-one knows each other but if we play hard then that’s all I ask for.

Well what do you know. Our largest lead again Brooklyn was 49 points as we get out of the gates and destroy them 121-73. Marcus Thornton is the scorer we always needed with 28 points and 8 rebounds while Darren Collison was awesome with 16 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds. Donte Rock and Blake Griffin were the only Nets in double figures with Rock leading the way with 17 points on 27 shots. Good start.

Dallas Mavericks 8-18

We were never going to beat the 32-3 Pistons but we did fight hard and that’s all I care about this season, going down 111-101. John Johnson had a field day with 40 points with ex-Mav Pat Archie putting in 26 points. Marcus Thornton was again our leader with 28 points with Bismack Biyombo having 14 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.

Dallas Mavericks 8-19

This is how I want to see Dallas basketball being played! We had a 35 point lead throughout the third quarter and held on for a 99-71 win over Golden State. Marcus Thornton and Darren Collison are really gelling well, tonight combining for 40 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the win. Charles Canady led the Warriors with 17 points but they shot 31% from the field.

Dallas Mavericks 9-19

Four games in four nights start today against Indiana and we win again, this time from the start with a 31-9 opening term to win 110-88. Tonight it was Harrison Barnes’ turn to be the hero with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists with Dylan Peterson and Andrew Bogut combining for 26 points off the bench. Kawhi Leonard led the Pacers with 21 points but again it was our defence as we held the Pacers to 41% from the field for our tenth win for the season.

Dallas Mavericks 10-19

Day two was again Charlotte and again our defence suffocated the Bobcats, keeping the Cats to only 35% from the field as we won again 91-77. Even though Marcus Thornton top scored it was Jevin Lindeman’s 7 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in 16 minutes that really won it for us.

Dallas Mavericks 11-19

With the acquisition of Darren Collison, Matt Brown hasn’t been getting any playing time and it’s going to be like that all season so I send him down to the D-League. It must be annoying for him going from a hot shot rookie PG to being shunted down to the seconds but I have high hopes for him but he just needs to be patient to get there.

Game three is a home one against Miami and we again shut them out 115-97 and I’m buzzing about this team. Harrison Barnes had 26 points and 10 rebounds while Bismack Biyombo had 21 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks. Oh, Patrick Patterson also had 10 rebounds. Eric Gordon and Marco Barker combined for 57 points but Gordon shot 28 times, hitting only eleven.

Dallas Mavericks 12-19

Our last game in the four games/four nights stretch was tough against Phoenix. The Suns were up by twelve going into halftime and we just couldn’t hit a shot. After halftime it was a totally different game as we outscored them 29-10 in the third to end up winning 99-92 to keep our streak alive. Harrison Barnes picked up the slack for the off Marcus Thornton with 18 points and 9 rebounds but again it was our defence. We kept the Suns to 31% from the field with their starters combining for 29/81 shooting, led by Nate Roberts’ and Jared Arenas’ palindrome statlines – Roberts with 15 points and 17 rebounds and Arenas with 17 points and 15 rebounds.

Dallas Mavericks 13-19

It was always going to be a tough game against Memphis at The Cave and when Dwight Howard puts up 35 points and 18 rebounds there isn’t anything we can do, going down 110-95 to snap our winning streak. Harrison Barnes had 25 points and 9 rebounds but Bismack Biyombo fouled out in only 15 minutes.

Dallas Mavericks 13-20

We get back to our winning best with a 98-93 close one again Philadelphia. Jevin Lindeman got the nod at PG and excelled with 18 points and 10 assists. Bismack Biyombo also doubled up with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Andrew Owens had 11 points on 4/15 shooting while Nic Batum had a shocker with 8 points on 3/13 shooting. That team is a mess.

Dallas Mavericks 14-20

Another game where I didn’t expect us to win but again we didn’t let the Hornets run over us as they win easily 106-94. Anthony Davis was again amazing with 20 points and 11 rebounds with Lewis Vines top scoring with 21 points. Marcus Thornton was our only guy with 31 points and 5 rebounds as we were just outclassed.

Dallas Mavericks 14-21

Nevada comes to town and how I want revenge against them. We did, 116-110, but it was a grind. Marcus Thornton had 34 points; Darren Collison had 17 points and 15 assists while Bismack Biyombo was the main man with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 7 blocks. Billy Huld led the way for the Neon with 26 points as they are better than their 4-32 record shows, or maybe it is just again us they show up.

Dallas Mavericks 15-21

For some reason we woke up on the side of the bed where the team shoots 57% from the field and scores 127 points against Denver, with the Nuggets only scoring 110 as we somehow draw level for the eighth seed in the West. Marcus Thornton was unconscious with 40 points with Harrison Barnes having 26 points and 23 points from Darren Collison. Chris Drexler was the best for the Nugs with 25 points and 8 rebounds while my old prize recruit LaMarcus Aldridge having 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Dallas Mavericks 16-21

Remember when we only played eight games in November compared to other teams playing 15-20? Well it’s coming back to bite us. We played four games in four days and now we have five games in five days which is just insane. If this doesn’t galvanise this team then nothing will.

Game one of five is a home stand against Portland and Brandon Jennings is really starting to be a thorn in my side as his explodes for 40 points and 9 assists in their 118-111 barn burner. Earl Oliver chipped in with a lazy 34 points as well. Marcus Thornton had 31 points for us with Darren Collison put up 19 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds to be near a triple double. That Jennings is not going to let me hear the end of it until we beat them.

Dallas Mavericks 16-22

Game two is another home game against Washington, this time going our way with a 107-99 win that had 15 lead changes and 10 ties. Even though Bismack got the player of the game award with 16 points and 17 rebounds it was Darren Collison who stole the show with 14 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds to again be denied a triple double. Bradley Beal was the best for the Wizards with 35 points and 10 rebounds.

Dallas Mavericks 17-22

Game three was another victory but much easier than the Wizards game, as we never trailed in a 114-81 stomping of Milwaukee. It was Harrison Barnes’ turn to be the star with 23 points and 9 rebounds and I’m sure he is enjoying not having to play PG. None of the Bucks’ starters got into double figures, only saved by Darryl Iacona’s 21 points in 24 minutes off the bench.

Dallas Mavericks 18-22

In nice but bittersweet news LaMarcus Aldridge was named Player of the Week this week, which means he has the skills he just didn’t want to show them here in Dallas.

We go on the road for game four, all the way to Minnesota. Marcus Thornton had 32 points but was outstaged by Damian Lillard’s 41 points as the T’Wolves clobbered us 119-108. Iman Shumpert may be wasting away on the bench but did put up 16 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds.

Dallas Mavericks 18-23

Finally we get to game five in five days, with an away game to Cleveland. I don’t blame the team for losing this game 100-87 as we were tired and frankly worn out from five games in five days so I’ll let this slide. We were outclassed in all aspects by the Cavs with Brian Simmons taking player of the game honours with 18 points and 5 rebounds. The best example of our tiredness – Marcus Thornton scoring 16 points on 5/28 shooting.

Dallas Mavericks 18-24

We don’t get much rest as two days later we are at home playing Oklahoma City and their two superstars rip us to shreds in their 106-91 win. Kevin Durant had one of the best all around games I have seen from him with 37 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 7 blocks while Russell Westbrook had 32 points and 8 assists. Marcus Thornton and Darren Collison combined for 43 points but we shot terribly.

Dallas Mavericks 18-25

I can now trade Rodney Stuckey. Even though he is playing well I did sign him to a two year deal so even getting $1.2 million off the books I need every cent to snatch a top flight name.

Even with that stumble of three losses to end the month we went 11-7 in January which is a massive turnaround for this team as we were heading towards the bottom. What’s crazy is that we are in eighth position so if the playoffs started now we would be in. Crazy, right? Just goes to show how shallow this conference is. Utah is leading at 32-10 with Oklahoma City two games behind. There are six teams with a winning percentage of .600 or better but then drops off massively, which is why we can be in eighth spot while being seven games under .500. Nevada are slowly working towards ten wins at 5-40.

In the East it’s a two horse race with New Orleans leading at 38-6 with Detroit somehow behind at 44-7 and then daylight. Chicago are in last place with a 15-33 record.

Dallas Top Points
Marcus Thornton – 22.9
Harrison Barnes – 18.1
Darren Collison – 12.8

Dallas Top Assists
Darren Collison – 7.3
Harrison Barnes – 3.9
Rodney Stuckey – 2.8

Dallas Top Rebounds
Bismack Biyombo – 6.4
Andrew Bogut – 6.0
Patrick Patterson – 5.8

League Leaders
Points - Kevin Durant (OKC) – 29.6
Assists – Ricky Rubio (WAS) – 11.5
Rebounds – Derrick Favors (UTA) – 12.0
Blocks – Anthony Davis (NOH) – 3.9
Steals – Paul Orvis (TOR) – 2.9
Efficiency – Anthony Davis (NOH) – 29.6

Rookie Leaders
Points - Ross Lampley (SEA) – 20.5
Assists – Tom Crowley (SAC) – 2.3
Rebounds – Chris Watkins (GSW) – 6.3
Blocks – Ross Lampley (SEA) – 1.1
Steals – Sean Morris (NEV) – 1.5
Efficiency – Ross Lampley (SEA) – 18.4

Matt Brown is averaging 17.0 points, 7.9 assists and 4.8 rebounds while Brandon Anderer is putting up numbers of 19.6 points, 1.2 assists and 9.1 rebounds in the D-League which bodes well for the future.

Second Round of NBA Draft Prospects (previous rank in brackets)
1. (1)PF Marcus Randle (California), Sophomore, 6’8”, 253lbs
2. (5) PF Brad Largent (Dayton), Freshman, 6’10”, 233lbs
3. (4) C Jimmy Forrest (Connecticut), Sophomore, 6’11”, 280lbs
4. (3) PF John Nemitz (Villanova), Freshman, 6’11”, 239lbs
5. (NR) SF Lisandro Perez (Argentina), 19 years old, 6’8”, 216lbs

Thoughts – Still no guards in sight as Randle has shown off his great shooting range. Forrest could be fool’s gold as he is only averaging 5.3 rebounds a game so far.

[zike_42]

January Player of the Month – Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder – 31.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.0 blocks per game.

January Rookie of the Month – Ross Lampley, Seattle Supersonics – 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.

I’m loving this team, and it showed in our upset of Oklahoma City, grinding them down 75-72. With such low scoring you wouldn’t expect high individual scores and that’s true with Harrison Barnes leading the way with 17 points. We shot 31% from the field but that was actually better than OKC, as they shot 28% from the field, led by Russell Westbrook’s 9/29 and Kevin Durant’s 5/26. Great defensive effort.

Dallas Mavericks 19-25

I must have missed ex-Grizzly Mike Lloyd being traded for a bag of chips but he didn’t let me forget his performance, as the new Buck had 35 points in their 104-96 victory. Thomas Cooper had 12 points but I think it’s funny that in his seventh season the 6’11” Cooper has had one block in his career. One. Marcus Thornton had 24 points for us but I think we were drained after the OKC game.

Dallas Mavericks 19-26

Ouch. The next night the Bucks came to Texas and we didn’t show up. Leading at half time we were up 47-29 and then left. Milwaukee outscored us 64-22 in the second half as they wipe us 93-69 with Thomas Cooper leading the way with 15 points and 17 rebounds. Marcus Thornton was our top scorer with 15 points but needed 22 shots to get them.

Dallas Mavericks 19-27

I pick up Luol Deng from the free agent pile for some additional veteran leadership.

That’s three losses in a row as we go down to a very good San Antonio side 105-86. Ernest Jameson was held to only 13 points and 17 rebounds but Jeff Teague (30 points) and Jamal Howell (27 points) did all the damage. Luol Deng was our best which is a worry with 19 points in 15 minutes off the bench as we shoot 34% from the field as we need to slap out of this streak.

Dallas Mavericks 19-28

The Knicks wiped the floor with us in New York, beating us 121-98. Rudy Gay had 38 points and 11 rebounds and Steph Curry was also amazing with 26 points and 15 assists. Hell, Kevin Seraphin was the third best player in the game with 8 points, 15 rebounds and 7 blocks. That’s how bad we played in this game.

Dallas Mavericks 19-29

We finally snap our losing streak but it was a heart attack inducing game. We were down for most of the game until we rolled out a 35-27 last quarter to beat Phoenix 113-109 to get our 20th win. Marcus Thornton and Patrick Patterson both scored 23 points with Darren Collison handing out 11 assists. Alfred Abney was excellent with 29 points but the Suns really need a team reshuffle as they have too many players playing out of position.

Dallas Mavericks 20-29

That winning feeling didn’t last very long as the Nets take us out 83-78 as Jared Dudley did nothing but score with 26 points, 0 assists, 0 rebounds, 0 steals and 0 blocks. Darren Collison led the way for the losers with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists with Dylan Peterson having a double double off the bench with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Dallas Mavericks 20-30

Where did this game come from? Against Brooklyn we scored 78 points but the next game against Sacramento we score 127 to their 117. Harrison Barnes had 30 points with Marcus Thornton draining 27 points of his own. Darren Collison was the playmaker with 17 points and 17 assists. Finally Joe Abney does something with 40 points and 8 rebounds but I wish he would have done that for me.

Dallas Mavericks 21-30

Our last game before the All Star break is a 120-110 loss to Golden State. Charles Canady was great with 26 points and 8 assists and surprise free agent discard Michael Call (he was passed over in the off season and had to sign a minimum deal just before the season started) had 21 points. Harrison Barnes was our best with 25 points with both Patrick Patterson and Bismack Biyombo doubling up.

Dallas Mavericks 21-31

To start the festivities William Jones (LAC) took out the Slam Dunk Contest with a ‘lead from the front’ victory, beating Jamal Howell (SA). The Supersonics have got their first trophy as Marcus Collins did the opposite of Jones as he was the worst of the finalists going into the final, but he composed himself to beat Kyrie Irving (CLE) and Brandon Rush (SEA).

In the Rookie/Sophomore game the second year guys shot a whopping 24/56 from three point land to win 136-113 in a crazy display. Ron Winston took out the MVP with 25 points and 7 assists, ably aided by Brooks Badu with 25 points and Nate Nixon with 19 points and 10 assists. Even though he is in the D-League now, Matt Brown’s early season heroics got him a starting spot on the roster, putting up 19 points, 12 assists and 6 rebounds in the loss. Raul Lopez had 25 points and Ross Lampley had one more with 26 points.

There were 13 players who scored in double figures in the All Star game as the newly relocated Anthony Davis had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks for the East as they won 142-121. Kyrie Irving and John Johnson led the way with 21 points apiece. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist only scored 5 points but he did have 13 assists and 5 steals. The West’s best was Mark Lewis who had 20 points and 8 rebounds off the bench as the Mavericks didn’t have any players in the squad. Unfortunately for me personally Brandon Jennings was selected in the West and played 10 minutes for 6 assists.

Western Conference All Star Starters
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
James Harden, Houston Rockets
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings

Eastern Conference All Star Starters
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Bobcats
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets
Dwight Howard, Memphis Grizzlies

Well that sucks. Because Seattle and Nevada have squeezed themselves into this league more games have been squeezed in the schedule. That means that in the next seven days we play six games. Welcome to our week of hell. But first, here are some deadline trades.

Denver trade:
PG Darius Nolan
PF Darrell Arthur

Indiana trade:
SF Ambros Padilla
2020 2nd round pick

Winner – Denver. Even though Nolan is a rookie and has some potential the Pacers do have Bret Davis as their future PG so that doesn’t make sense. To make matters worse Padilla is the best piece of this trade so even if the fit was perfect they still wouldn’t have won this deal.

New Orleans trade:
SF David Forney
C Tiago Splitter

Seattle trade:
SF Danilo Gallinari
2020 2nd round pick

Winner – Seattle. The Sonics make their first ever trade and it’s a good one. Not only do they get out from Gallinari’s awful contract they get a great starting C which will help out Ross Lampley, the new face of the franchise.

Houston trade:
2020 1st round pick

Toronto trade:
SF Kyle Brinker

Winner – Both. The pick will be low while Brinker isn’t that good of a player. Bit of a lateral trade for both sides.

Washington trade:
PG Raoul Dumas

Atlanta trade:
SF Brian Williams

Winner – Atlanta. Dumas is already a decent PG and has the potential to be a perennial starter for the Hawks. Dumas and Ron Winston looks like a great back court for the future.

New York trade:
2020 1st round pick

New Orleans trade:
SF Tobias Harris

Winner – New York. Another stumble by the Hornets, the pick won’t help out like Harris would this season. Harris has great defence and can score the ball in patches so will help the Knicks off the bench.

Game one of our Hell Week was a home contest against Golden State and even though the Warriors fought back we took the game 106-99. Darren Collison played one of his best games this season with 13 points, 16 assists and 8 rebounds while Marcus Thornton put up 21 points. Murman Andronikov was the best for the Warriors with 27 points.

Dallas Mavericks 22-31

My Lord no one wants Rodney Stuckey. Even though it is a two year minimum deal no team in the league will take him. Even when I offer Nevada’s second round pick this year which will be the first pick in the second round no-one will bite. Urgh, maybe I’ll be able to off load him in the off season.

More trades.

Minnesota trade:
SG Monta Ellis
2020 1st round pick

Boston trade:
PF Jared Sullinger

Winner – Minnesota. Ellis is a shell of his former self and is now only good for a bad contract. Sullinger isn’t much better but will help the Wolves immensely off the bench.

New Orleans trade:
2020 2nd round pick

Chicago trade:
PF Jonas Jerebko

Winner – New Orleans. The Hornets have made a good trade for once with Jerebko being worth much more than a second rounder. Even though he is getting older he is still a great player and the Bulls got fleeced.

New York trade:
SG Altron Johnson
C Tyson Chandler (cut)

Indiana trade:
PG Isaiah Thomas

Winner – Both. This is a great deal for both sides as New York get a great punch off the bench while Indiana lets Bret Davis get more playing time as well as a great defensive wing.

Game two of Hell Week is a heartbreaking 87-83 loss to Atlanta as we were there all game and just couldn’t get it done. Avery Bradley had 20 points and 7 turnovers with Ron Winston putting in 10 points. Patrick Patterson was our best with 17 points but only 2 rebounds. If we want to get into the playoffs we need to win these games.

Dallas Mavericks 22-32

Our backcourt was the key in game three of Hell Week as they combined for 51 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds as we take care of Boston 107-98. We got out to a 39-18 first quarter lead and held it from there. Kent Graves was the top scorer for the Celtics with 16 points which is just not enough to get a win.

Dallas Mavericks 23-32

Game four of Hell Week and our fourth game in four days is against the 49-10 Pistons and obviously we lost 110-96. Andre Drummond (who I hope is in a Mavericks uniform next season) had 19 points and 11 rebounds with Jrue Holiday leading the way with 26 points. Darren Collison’s wife was sick so he had the night off so Jevin Lindeman was our starting PG and had 14 points and 11 assists. Bismack Biyombo took it to Drummond with 17 points and 10 rebounds but we are just too outmatched against this team.

Dallas Mavericks 23-33

Phew, we get a day off but then it’s onto Sacramento for game five of Hell Week and we absolutely ream them 117-78. Bismack Biyombo doesn’t care for DeMarcus Cousins and his self proclamation that Cousins is the best C in the league as our own had 21 points and 14 rebounds and fouled out DMC in only 15 minutes. Marcus Thornton had 25 points to lead us while Andrew Bogut also ganged up on Cousins with 14 points and 9 rebounds off the bench. Michael Beasley had 21 points for the most of the Kings players while Joe Abney had a Joe Abney game with 10 points on 3/13 shooting.

Dallas Mavericks 24-33

Our last game of Hell Week is of course against the 43-13 Thunder juggernaut who have currently won nine games in a row and are just hanging on nabbing that double digit winning streak. But we say no! At least for a quarter. We were up 36-22 in the first quarter before the Thunder decide they actually want to play in this game and beat us 93-82 for that 10 game winning streak. Russell Westbrook takes the team on his shoulders with 30 points and 9 rebounds but Serge Ibaka takes Westbrook’s shoulders and puts them on his shoulders with 14 points and 20 rebounds in the win. Marcus Thornton had 27 points in the loss.

Dallas Mavericks 24-34

We went 6-9 on the month and that is good enough to still be in eighth spot in the West. Luckily for us our only competition for that spot is the 21-31 Kings. Utah are still leading at 39-11, two losses in front of the 45-13 Thunder. Nevada are hoping to get to 10 wins but the odds are against them at 6-50.

In the East New Orleans are still able to get the best record in history at 50-9 with the Pistons right on their tail at 52-10. And then daylight. Seriously, Washington are so far back they might as well not play the Eastern Conference Playoffs until the ECF. Chicago are still wallowing at the bottom at 18-40.

Dallas Top Points
Marcus Thornton – 22.0
Harrison Barnes – 17.4
Darren Collison – 12.9

Dallas Top Assists
Darren Collison – 7.5
Harrison Barnes – 3.6
Marcus Thornton – 2.4

Dallas Top Rebounds
Bismack Biyombo – 7.0
Patrick Patterson – 6.2
Andrew Bogut – 5.9

League Leaders
Points – Kevin Durant (OKC) – 29.3
Assists – Ricky Rubio (WAS) – 11.8
Rebounds – Derrick Favors (UTA) – 11.8
Blocks – Anthony Davis (NOH) – 4.0
Steals – Paul Orvis (TOR) – 2.7
Efficiency – Anthony Davis (NOH) – 29.2

Rookie Leaders
Points – Ross Lampley (SEA) – 20.0
Assists – Tom Crowley (SAC) – 2.1
Rebounds – Chris Watkins (GSW) – 5.8
Blocks – Ross Lampley (SEA) – 1.1
Steals – Ross Lampley (SEA) – 1.4
Efficiency – Ross Lampley (SEA) – 17.7

Third Round of NBA Draft Prospects (previous rank in brackets)

1. (2) PF Brad Largent (Dayton), Freshman, 6’10”, 233lbs
2. (1) PF Marcus Randle (California), Sophomore, 6’8”, 253lbs
3. (NR) C Gabriel Estevez (Argentina), 19 years old, 6’11”, 262lbs
4. (4) PF John Nemitz (Villanova), Freshman, 6’11”, 239lbs
5. (3) C Jimmy Forrest (Connecticut), Sophomore, 6’11”, 280lbs

Thoughts – The best SG in the class, Hillar Petrauskas from Lithuania is at #9 and climbing. Don’t be surprised to see him in the top five by the draft. Largent has taken the top spot but apart from Nemitz these big guys are very good rebounders.

[zike_42]

February Player of the Month – Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder – 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.4 blocks per game.

February Rookie of the Month – Raul Lopez, Boston Celtics – 20.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.

Orlando have completely revamped their team with their big spending in the offseason and even though Paul George didn’t play because of a bruised sternum they were still too powerful for us, winning 117-85. Kemba Walker and Klay Thompson combined for 66 points and 16 assists in an amazing display of teamwork. Our best top scorer was Marcus Thornton with 20 points but he went 8/26 so our best player was Bismack Biyombo with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks.

Dallas Mavericks 24-35

I’m not sure what happened in our game against Nevada. Let’s see, they got out to an 18 point lead before we stormed back in the final term to tie the game. After the overtime the game was still tied. After the second overtime the game was still tied. After the third overtime the game was still tied. Eventually we ran out of puff and the Neon took the win 150-146 in four overtimes and I’m exhausted just watching the game. Instead of writing up the scores I’ll just post the boxscore because this game was amazing.



Dallas Mavericks 24-36

It felt like the team was pretty shattered that they lost to Nevada last game so they pounced on Utah and never let go. We led from the beginning against the much better Jazz and won 105-84. Marcus Thornton had 29 points but it was Harrison Barnes who was the star with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists while also keeping Lebron James to only 12 points on 5/19 shooting. Derrick Favors had 14 points and 16 rebounds in the loss.

Dallas Mavericks 25-36

We were all puffed out after two huge games and Denver took full advantage. We started well enough but fell off as the Nuggets beat us 102-83. Chris Drexler was everywhere with 23 points and 18 rebounds while Igor Lepinat had 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists off the bench. Bismack Biyombo had 12 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks in the loss.

Dallas Mavericks 25-37

The Knicks came to town and left with a 104-94 win as Isaiah Thomas took over for the injured Steph Curry with 25 points and 8 rebounds. All five of our starters were in double figures with Bismack having 15 points and 14 rebounds while Darren Collison handing out 13 assists to go with his 14 points.

Dallas Mavericks 25-38

Lately all of Toronto’s stars have been clicking with Paul Orvis, Jake Chase and Jeremy Lin working seamlessly in previous games. Unfortunately for the Toronto crowd we were better as Marcus Thornton had 33 points and Darren Collison handing out 15 assists as we beat the previously .500 Raptors 104-93. Lin had 17 points, 13 assists and 7 rebounds but Orvis and Chase both only scored 14 points.

Dallas Mavericks 26-38

Marcus Thornton took Jake Chase to the sword with 37 points while PP and BB combined for 28 rebounds as we beat the Raptors again 104-86. PP added 16 points while BB added four blocks. Jeremy Lin was again the best for Toronto with 19 points and 12 assists but again their other two stars, Paul Orvis and Jake Chase only combined for 30 points.

Dallas Mavericks 27-38

Kevin Love had 33 points, Damian Lillard put in 26 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists while Iman Shumpert had 17 points and 7 assists off the bench and Minnesota flogged us 127-102 as we weren’t ever in the game. Harrison Barnes had 22 points but we shot 15/27 from the foul line while the Wolves shot 19/42 from three.

Dallas Mavericks 27-39

Ah ha! Philadelphia are held to only 30% shooting and 72 points as we get back to winning with a 93-72 victory. Bismack has been a rebounding machine lately and tonight had 17 boards to go with his 11 points while our backcourt combined for 41 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists. Andrew Owens needed 25 shots for 23 points as Nic Batum again had a bad shooting night against us with 12 points on 5/16 shooting. For some reason Gabe White only played seven minutes and his career is wasting away.

Dallas Mavericks 28-39

It’s annoying losing to Memphis after all I went through but when they have someone like Kenneth Faried who puts up 30 points and 24 rebounds it’s going to be hard. The Grizzlies won 110-91 as we never led in the game. Marcus Thornton was our best with 20 points but they are just too talented for us at the moment. In the future I will get my revenge. Mwahahahaha. Too dramatic?

Dallas Mavericks 28-40

Our last game of the month is a 99-93 win over Seattle as we held the rookie of the year favourite Ross Lampley to only 11 points. Marcus Thornton and Darren Collison scored 20 points each while Bismack had 16 rebounds and 7 blocks. Marcus Collins picked up the slack for Lampley with 34 points but they shot 39% as a team.

Dallas Mavericks 29-40

We’re still in eight position, four games ahead of ninth Portland but the good news is that we are only one game behind Milwaukee for the seventh seed. Sure it won’t do much because we will most likely be bounced in the first round but it would be nice. Utah and Oklahoma City are tied for first with a 58-13 record and then daylight. Nevada are nearly at ten wins with a 8-63 record.

In the East Detroit are still leading at 64-12 and New Orleans are still there having the same amount of losses just four less wins. Washington are third, seven games behind. Chicago look to have to sew up the worst record in the East at 21-53, eight games behind Brooklyn.

Dallas Top Points
Marcus Thornton – 22.1
Harrison Barnes – 17.3
Darren Collison – 13.0

Dallas Top Assists
Darren Collison – 7.9
Harrison Barnes – 3.6
Marcus Thornton – 2.4

Dallas Top Rebounds
Bismack Biyombo – 7.7
Patrick Patterson – 6.3
Andrew Bogut – 5.8

Matt Brown – 19.8 points, 8.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 0.3 blocks in D-League.
Brandon Anderer – 18.1 points, 1.1 assists, 8.5 rebounds, 0.5 steals, 0.0 blocks in D-League.

League Leaders
Points – Kevin Durant (OKC) – 30.1
Assists – Ricky Rubio (WAS) – 12.4
Rebounds – Derrick Favors (UTA) – 11.5
Blocks – Anthony Davis (NOH) – 3.9
Steals – Iman Shumpert (MIN) – 2.5
Efficiency – Anthony Davis (NOH) – 30.0

Rookie Leaders
Points – Raul Lopez (BOS) – 20.2
Assists – Ross Lampley (SEA) – 1.8
Rebounds – Raul Lopez (BOS) – 5.5
Blocks – Ross Lampley (SEA) – 0.9
Steals – Ross Lampley (SEA) – 1.4
Efficiency – Ross Lampley (SEA) – 16.0

Last Round of NBA Draft Prospects (previous rank in brackets)

1. (1) PF Brad Largent (Dayton), Freshman, 6’10”, 233lbs
2. (2) PF Marcus Randle (California), Sophomore, 6’8”, 253lbs
3. (5) C Jimmy Forrest (Connecticut), Sophomore, 6’11”, 262lbs
4. (3) C Gabriel Estevez (Argentina), 19 years old, 6’11”, 262lbs
5. (NR) SF Lisandro Perez (Argentina), 19 years old, 6’8”, 216lbs

Thoughts – There aren’t many times where two players from the same country (apart from America) that are in the top five. Forrest is increasing his rebounding numbers which is good news for him while Largent and Randle have the top two positions sewn up at the moment.

[zike_42]

March Player of the Month – Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets – 25.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2.6 steals and 3.5 blocks per game.

March Rookie of the Month – Raul Lopez, Boston Celtics – 24.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks per game.

It’s the last month of the regular season and we have 13 games in 18 days, starting with another six games in seven days hell week. Stupid expansion teams.

Game one of Hell Week 2.0 is a 90-80 loss to the Clippers as we just weren’t in the game at all. Landry Fields of all people got the player f the week award with 22 points and 5 assists, matched by Stefan Nitschke’s 22 points and 5 fouls. Jevin Lindeman had 11 points and 4 rebounds off the bench for us but we shot 32% from the field which is horrible.

Dallas Mavericks 29-41

Grr, we get out to an eleven point lead in game two over Indiana but they force their way back to force overtime, and then steamroll us in the extra period to a 118-110 victory by the Pacers. I’m glad Alexander Verhaeren is getting court time, this game putting up 26 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds, while Kawhi Leonard had 23 points and 12 rebounds. Our best was Marcus Thornton who exploded for 38 points in the loss.

Dallas Mavericks 29-42

The Hornets are already at 60 wins on the season, and they get number 62 in their whitewash of our Mavs 111-79. Lewis Vines led six New Orleans players in double figures with 21 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds as Wilson Chandler had 12 points in 13 minutes off the bench. Our top scorer was Bismack with only 13 points, but he did add 13 rebounds and 8 blocks so that’s alright.

Dallas Mavericks 29-43

This team is in a pit at the moment judging by out 110-90 loss to the lowly Supersonics. Ross Lampley had a field day with 29 points and held Marcus Thornton to 9/28 shooting. Harrison Barnes was our best with 15 points and 13 rebounds but I think this team is just looking to next season.

Dallas Mavericks 29-44

Alright, back on the winning train as we beat a full strength Orlando 105-98 at home. Marcus Thornton made up for his stinker last game with 35 points while Bismack had 18 rebounds and Darren Collison had 16 assists in the win. Kemba Walker was everywhere with 27 points and 12 assists but didn’t get much support.

Dallas Mavericks 30-44

That’s two in a row as Harrison Barnes goes nuts for 30 points as we beat Sacramento 107-80. Marcus Thornton had 26 points against his old side as Joe Abney only put up 11 points on 4/13 shooting which makes me happy. DeMarcus Cousins fouled out in only 19 minutes after scoring all of zero points.

Dallas Mavericks 31-44

Damn, the Clippers come back from 16 points down in the third term to steal the win 107-101 as Christopher de Castro has become an amazing player with 35 points and 9 assists playing at PG. Darren Collison had 13 points and 10 assists in the loss. If CDC was a better defender I would definitely look to him to this off season when he is a free agent.

Dallas Mavericks 31-45

The Spurs are just too good this season and even without Ernest Jameson they still killed us 99-78. Standing in for Jameson Thad Young had 20 points and 14 rebounds to be player of the game. Darren Collison was amazing for us with 22 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds on an astonishing 8/8 shooting and even more astonishing 6/6 from three point land.

Dallas Mavericks 31-46

Portland have overtaken us for the eighth spot which makes Brandon Jennings happy, but we play them on our home court to get that spot back. Four of our players have double digit rebounds which I don’t think I’ve ever seen as we beat them finally 108-84. Marcus Thornton led the way with 28 points and 10 rebounds with Harrison Barnes not far away with 26 points and 11 rebounds. PP and BB also had 10 rebounds each. Brandon Jennings was the best for the Blazers with 23 points and 7 rebounds but we beat them and that’s all I care about now.

Dallas Mavericks 32-46

Two in a row to get some breathing room as we beat the Lakers 106-99 as Darren Collison keeps up his great form with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists to again come agonisingly close to a triple double. Harrison Barnes was again one of the best with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Andrew Seitz had 23 points for the Lakers with #3 pick Chad Dickenman had a night to forget with 8 points and 5 fouls.

Dallas Mavericks 33-46

Portland (and Jennings) get their revenge and that coveted number eight spot with a 112-75 steamer. Jennings had the last laugh with 28 points while Clarence Hope put up 15 points in 10 minutes off the bench. Bismack was our best with 15 points and 13 rebounds but we just weren’t in this game.

Dallas Mavericks 33-47

Damn you Brandon Jennings!

The next night we play Oklahoma City and unsurprisingly we lose 122-106 and it looks like we won’t be going to the playoffs after all. Kevin Durant had 32 points while Donatas Motiejunas grabbed 11 rebounds. Jevin Lindeman looks like a keeper with 18 points and 5 rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench . I’m actually sad now that we won’t be going to the playoffs after this stumble.

Dallas Mavericks 33-48

We finish the season with a disappointing 101-85 loss to Charlotte and our season is over. Ty Lawson had 22 points and we had a big fat loss. Urgh, onto the off season I guess.

Dallas Mavericks 33-49

Western Conference Final Standings

1. Oklahoma City Thunder – 65-17 (.793)
2. Utah Jazz – 64-18 (.780)
3. San Antonio Spurs – 55-27 (.671)
4. Minnesota Timberwolves – 54-28 (.659)
5. Houston Rockets – 53-29 (.646)
6. Denver Nuggets – 46-36 (.561)
7. Milwaukee Bucks – 37-45 (.451)
8. Portland Trailblazers – 34-48 (.415)
Last. Nevada Neon – 8-74 (.098)

There you go, the Neon are the worst team in history. Hopefully they get better or the community won’t back them for very long in the desert. The conference is very top heavy with five teams with 50 wins and all five could hypothetically make it to the WCF.

Eastern Conference Final Standings

1. Detroit Pistons – 69-13 (.841)
2. New Orleans Hornets – 69-13 (.841)
3. Washington Wizards – 61-21 (.744)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers – 50-32 (.610)
5. New York Knicks – 49-33 (.598)
6. Orlando Magic – 47-35 (.573)
7. Memphis Grizzlies – 45-37 (.549)
8. Toronto Raptors – 43-39 (.524)
Last. Chicago Bulls – 24-58 (.293)

I don’t think I have ever seen two teams win 69 games on the season, especially in the same conference. Scary to see that match up. Deeper conference than the West and good to Memphis get in, even though they have fallen off a cliff.

Dallas Top Points
Marcus Thornton – 22.1
Harrison Barnes – 17.3
Darren Collison – 13.0

Dallas Top Assists
Darren Collison – 8.0
Harrison Barnes – 3.6
Marcus Thornton – 2.3

Dallas Top Rebounds
Bismack Biyombo – 8.4
Patrick Patterson – 6.3
Harrison Barnes – 5.9

League Top Points
Kevin Durant (OKC) – 30.3
James Harden (HOU) – 24.2
Bradley Beal (WAS) – 23.5

League Top Assists
Ricky Rubio (WAS) – 12.5
Kendall Marshall (LAL) – 10.8
Jeremy Lin (TOR) – 10.4

League Top Rebounds
Derrick Favors – 11.5
Dwight Howard (MEM) – 10.7
Blake Griffin (BKL) – 10.5

League Top Blocks
Anthony Davis (NOH) – 3.9
Andre Drummond (DET) – 3.1
Serge Ibaka (OKC) – 3.0

League Top Steals
Paul Orvis (TOR) – 2.5
Paul George (ORL) – 2.5
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (CHA) – 2.4

Rookie Top Points
Raul Lopez (BOS) – 20.4
Ross Lampley (SEA) – 19.1
Sean Morris (NEV) – 11.9

Rookie Top Assists
Demond Wolfe (ORL) – 1.8
Sean Morris (NEV) – 1.8
Tom Crowley (SAC) – 1.8

Rookie Top Rebounds
Raul Lopez (BOS) – 5.5
Chris Watkins (GSW) – 4.8
Sean Morris (NEV) – 4.7

[Rasmuth]

excellent dynasty...love the ups and downs, moving team to team. Enjoyable read.

[zike_42]

2020 NBA Playoffs

Conference First Round

Eastern Conference
#1 Detroit defeats #8 Toronto 4-3
#2 New Orleans defeats #7 Memphis 4-1
#6 Orlando defeats #3 Washington 4-0
#5 New York defeats #4 Cleveland 4-1

Western Conference
#1 Oklahoma City defeats #8 Portland 4-1
#2 Utah defeats #7 Milwaukee 4-1
#6 Denver defeats #3 San Antonio 4-2
#4 Minnesota defeats #5 Houston 4-0

Conference Semi-Finals

Eastern Conference
#1 Detroit defeats #5 New York 4-0
#2 New Orleans defeats #6 Orlando 4-0

Western Conference
#1 Oklahoma City defeats #4 Minnesota 4-1
#6 Denver defeats #2 Utah 4-2

Conference Finals

Eastern Conference
#2 New Orleans defeats #1 Detroit 4-2

Western Conference
#1 Oklahoma City defeats #6 Denver 4-0

2020 NBA Finals – Oklahoma City vs. New Orleans

Point Guard
Russell Westbrook vs. Lewis Vines
20.8 points, 8.8 assists, 5.1 rebounds vs. 15.6 points, 8.2 assists, 4.3 rebounds

Westbrook has been electric as usual and likes to take over to get his team to a win. He won’t have it all his way this time as Vines is one of the best defensive guards in the league and will take it to Russ.

Winner – Oklahoma City

Shooting Guard
Mike Conley vs. Dion Waiters
12.1 points, 7.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds vs. 15.5 points, 5.6 assists, 5.1 rebounds

The unsung heroes of these two teams as Conley have gained a new lease on his career being the secondary ball handler. Waiter has always been good but he has slotted in nicely doing pretty much everything.

Winner – New Orleans

Small Forward
Kevin Durant vs. Bill Gearhart
30.8 points, 1.9 assists, 9.9 rebounds vs. 17.6 points, 1.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds

An epically uneven match up here as Durant is a top two player in the league and more importantly a whopping six inches taller than Gearhart. It doesn’t help that Bill is a below average defender, look for KD to go ballistic.

Winner – Oklahoma City

Power Forward
Serge Ibaka vs. Anthony Davis
10.2 points, 1.1 assists, 9.3 rebounds vs. 22.1 points, 1.7 assists, 9.1 rebounds

What those stats don’t show is that Davis is averaging 4.9 blocks and 3.0 steals per game in this playoff campaign. He is the complete package and even though Ibaka is a gutsy defender and can shoot the ball somewhat he will need to play out of his mind to take down MVP favourite Davis.

Winner – New Orleans

Centre
Peter Napier vs. Ed Davis
13.3 points, 0.9 assists, 8.1 rebounds vs. 16.1 points, 1.6 assists, 10.3 rebounds

I don’t know how Davis is doing it but he is the only player in this series that is averaging a double double so I can’t fault him on that. Too bad his defence is beyond awful and Napier will have a field day.

Winner – New Orleans

Bench
Donatas Motiejunas, OJ Mayo, David Phillips vs. Danilo Gallinari, Jonas Jerebko, Derek Thomas

Both teams don’t really rely on their benches (would you with those starting fives?) so if someone steps up then that may swing the series.

Winner – Draw

Prediction – New Orleans in six.

Game One
Oklahoma City 98 – New Orleans 94 (OKC 1-0)
Player of the Game – Kevin Durant – 25 points, 10 rebounds

Game Two
Oklahoma City 96 – New Orleans 115 (Tied 1-1)
Player of the Game – Anthony Davis – 15 points, 8 rebounds, 6 blocks, 5 steals

Game Three
New Orleans 115 – Oklahoma City 102 (NOH 2-1)
Player of the Game – Anthony Davis – 33 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks

Game Four
New Orleans 87 – Oklahoma City 103 (Tied 2-2)
Player of the Game – Kevin Durant – 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals

Game Five
New Orleans 107 – Oklahoma City 102 (NOH 3-2)
Player of the Game – Dion Waiters – 26 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists

Game Six
Oklahoma City 101 – New Orleans 124 (NOH 4-2)
Player of the Game – Bill Gearhart – 38 points, 5 rebounds

The Thunder are the bridesmaids for the second time in three years as the Hornets win their first ever championship behind the one and only Anthony Davis. What a year he has had, combining his championship ring with his (most likely) MVP and DPoY awards. He is a terror on the court and only 28 years old.

[zike_42]

We still have our lottery pick this year which is a good thing as we have the ninth best odds to get the number one pick. There are some nice looking guys near the end of the lottery that will look good in a Mavericks uniform but at 3.2% I don’t think we will be in the running for the #1 pick.

16 – Charlotte (0)
15 – Atlanta (0)
14 – Miami (0)
13 – Philadelphia (0)
12 – Indiana (0)
11 – Brooklyn (0)
10 – Boston (0)
9 – Phoenix (-1)

I said we won’t get the number one pick? Well smack me down because we have jumped.

8 – Golden State (-1)
7 – LA Lakers (-1)
6 – Sacramento (-1)
5 – Chicago (-1)
4 – Seattle (-1)
3 – Dallas (+6)

Oh well, no top spot but I’m absolutely pumped that we have the #3 pick.

2 – Phoenix (0)
1 – Nevada (0)

Congrats to the Neon as they need all the help they can get. I’m happy and nervous right now with getting the #3 pick is fantastic but it will add a lot more salary than I would want for the free agency.

Coming into the awards night I don’t think we will get any recognition, maybe Marcus Thornton but I’m not holding my breath.

Most Valuable Player:
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets – 22.7 points, 1.9 assists, 10.1 rebounds, 2.4 steals, 3.9 blocks

Defensive Player of the Year:
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets

What an amazing year Davis has had, coupling his championship ring with an MVP and DPoY crown. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him do it a couple of more times to be honest.

Sixth Man of the Year:
Iman Shumpert, Minnesota Timberwolves – 12.2 points, 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 2.4 steals, 0.3 blocks

I know it’s all well and good for the Wolves to have him off the bench but they really should have him starting.

Rookie of the Year:
Ross Lampley, Seattle Supersonics – 19.1 points, 1.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.9 blocks

The Sonics get their first ever award with Lampley and for good measure, he looks the goods.

Coach of the Year:
Jeff Van Gundy, New Orleans Hornets – 69-13 (.841)

The best team all year and their battles with Detroit for the East title will be fun to watch for the near future.

All NBA First Team:
Ricky Rubio, Washington Wizards
John Johnson, Detroit Pistons
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets
Cedric White, Chicago Bulls

All NBA Second Team:
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
James Harden, Houston Rockets
Lebron James, Utah Jazz
Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons

All NBA Third Team:
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Bobcats
Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves
Dwight Howard, Memphis Grizzlies

All Defence First Team:
Rickey Rubio, Washington Wizards
Iman Shumpert, Minnesota Timberwolves
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Bobcats
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons

All Defence Second Team:
Lewis Vines, New Orleans Hornets
Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
Andrew Owens, Philadelphia 76ers
Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder
Dwight Howard, Memphis Grizzlies

All Rookie First Team:
Matt Brown, Dallas Mavericks
Ross Lampley, Seattle Supersonics
Raul Lopez, Boston Celtics
Dylan Hahn, Sacramento Kings
Chris Watkins, Golden State Warriors

All Rookie Second Team:
Tom Crowley, Sacramento Kings
Austin Turner, Orlando Magic
Sean Morris, Nevada Neon
Chad Dickenman, Los Angeles Lakers
Austin Huge, Miami Heat

Great to see Matt get some recognition as he was by far the best PG in this rookie crop, even if he only played a third of the games.

Mr English comes around just before the draft and we go over the usual “how is the team going to fare?” conversation. I start out by saying that although we didn’t make the playoffs last season like I would we will definitely make them this year. We will only have around $12-15 million in locked in salary which means we can offer nearly three maximum contracts this off season to bring in some high end talent. That raised an eyebrow, hopefully he liked that idea and he wasn’t sceptical of my skills to fulfil that. He then asked me about salary and I said that we may have to go into luxury tax, and you know what he said?

“Spend however much you need, money isn’t a problem.”

Damn this guy is cool.

NBA Mock Draft
1 – Nevada – PF Marcus Randle
2 – Phoenix – PF John Nemitz
3 – Dallas – C Jimmy Forrest
4 – Seattle – PF Brad Largent
5 – Chicago – SG Hillar Petrauskas
6 – Sacramento – SF Lisandro Perez
7 – LA Lakers – PF Carl Farmer
8 – Golden State – C Gabriel Estevez
9 – Phoenix – PG Darcel Settles
10 – Boston – PF Larry Robinson
11 – Brooklyn – PG Nashon Smith
12 – Indiana – C Andrew Graham
13 – Philadelphia – SG Dionsio Mason
14 – Miami – PG Chad Carney

Thoughts – This is a very top heavy draft with only the top six or so players really standing out. Petrauskas has jumped higher into the top five but he is the only guard prospect that is getting any real attention.

[PointGuard]

Seattle better choose Largent to put another Largent on a Seattle team.