The Rock of Dallasyphus

In Greek Mythology, Sisyphus was the founder and king of Corinth.  During his life, he came to be known for his deceit and cunning nature.  His greatest triumphs would come at the end of his life when he was able to deceive the gods and postpone his death but only for a short while.  When his indiscretions caught up to him, Sisyphus was given the eternal punishment of rolling a giant boulder up a steep hill only to have it roll back down when at the very top.  As the myth goes, this has been repeated for eternity.

For many franchises, navigating the mountain that is any given NBA season may seem to be a Sisyphus-like task, but even more so when that eternal goal is constantly at the fingertips.  Think about the Pistons of the late 80s who shed every layer of self-importance and from the ashes of defeat forged a new identity to make it all the way to the summit.  Another example would be the Bulls of the nineties who sniffed and sniffed and then broke through and, like jealous misers, never let that grip go until it was on their own terms. 

However, there are many cases where the task has become so elusive, such a constant heart-shattering let down that the question remaining is “what did we do to deserve this fate?”  No franchise in the National Basketball Association better epitomizes this than the Dallas Mavericks. 

The Mavericks were long known as a kicking post, a mere lay-over on the NBA landscape, an Old Wild Wild West shootout with the bumbling, stumbling town-drunk.  In 1998, while Jordan was holding the release of his signature moment in Utah, the Dallas Maverick organization was starring at a .396 lifetime winning percentage and only one season with more than 30 wins the entire decade.  They certainly had not helped their chances in the NBA lottery with misses on draft picks in each of the last three years (Cherokee Parks, Samalki Walker, Kelvin Cato).  Don Nelson had taken the coaching reigns mid-year but no turn around was in sight as they finished the year 16-50 under his command.  One minor glimmer was bringing in his son, Donnie Nelson, as Assistant Coach.  Donnie had a quality track record, especially his work overseas in places like Lithuania, the Far East and with USA Basketball. 

What happened next, no one could have predicted. 

The Oddest of Foundations

Adept at assessing foreign talent, the Nelson brain trust made two key discoveries that would forever alter the franchise.  In one fell-swoop, they drafted Robert “Tractor” Traylor and then immediately traded his rights to Milwaukee for the rights to Notre Dame Alum Pat Garrity and an unheralded lanky German named Dirk Nowitzki.  Moments later, a deal was in the works to ship the rights to Pat Garrity along with two no names and a future draft pick to Phoenix for third string point guard, Steve Nash. 

Let that last paragraph soak in for a second.  The Nelsons turned Robert “Tractor” Traylor into Dirk Nowitski and Steve Nash in a matter of hours.  That’s some world class hokus pokus if you ask me.  Will Milwaukee ever live this down?  Ever?

Dirk grew up in Germany the son of a women’s national basketball team member and a competitive-level handball player.  It wasn’t until family friend and basketball player Holger Geschwindner recognized Dirk’s potential as a teenager that he took basketball seriously.  Holger laid out an ultimatum- you can play basketball, have fun and be one of the best players in Germany or you can work out with me, do everything I say and you can be one of the best players in the world. The buzz word potential is thrown around often but in this case, the boy was dripping with it.

The interesting thing about the program Holger put Dirk through is that the focus was not purely on basketball.  Holger had Dirk learn an instrument and read literatures to hone his mind and disposition. 

Dirk would thrive and excel against the best US talent (50 points on Scottie Pippen and 33 in a game featuring Al Harrington, Rashard Lewis).  Still, Don and Donnie were not even sure if Dirk would be coming to Dallas any time soon.  In fact, Don and Donnie flew to Germany the day after drafting him.  They brought him back to Dallas, threw a BBQ at the Nelson house and basically told him, show up and play, have fun and learn, we won’t be making the playoffs anyway.  The transition was made easier when the NBA went into a lockout and Dirk was afforded a few more weeks to stay in Germany.  Not yet under contract, he played with his club team to stay fresh and when news of the lockout ending reached him, he was ready to go.

Meanwhile, by way of South Africa, Canada, Santa Clara and Phoenix, a bleached out back up point guard, a self-professed gym rat was settling in Dallas. Nash was another enigma, playing high school ball in Canada and not being recruited by a single school.  His high school coach sent videos to many colleges and the only one that came to show interest was Santa Clara who immediately recognized his talent and slapped a scholarship on him before big schools could find what they were missing.

He provided the perfect running mate for Dirk, helping him assimilate with American and NBA culture.  They lived on the same street, went out to the same restaurants, Dirk was given the garage code to Nash’s place, and on the road a timid Dirk was drawn out of his hotel room by Steve Nash who knew places and people.  Dirk began to feel at home but his game was still struggling.

Breaking Through

Dallas did not warm up to Dirk immediately, spending the majority of his rookie year lamenting the “one that got away”, Paul Pierce, who was standing out as a rookie in Boston. It didn’t help that Don Nelson went on record claiming Dirk would be the Rookie of the Year. There was a big target on his back and NBA guys feast on that.  Dirk was singled out.  Don and Donnie were not rattled by his lack of production.  Don had put that target on his back for a reason making Dirk go through two extra work outs every single day, even on game days.  Teammate Cedric Ceballos said Dirk would be so tired by the time games came around he would pick up two fouls early just to get a rest.  Don was instilling a work ethic.  He was showing Dirk what it meant to be elite, to play with expectations, something every single NBA player will have to face at some point if he wants to succeed. 

The abbreviated season ended with another losing record and playoff miss but not all was sour.  Point guard Steve Nash, who had missed half the season with an ankle injury showed a sign of things to come with 6 double-doubles in the last month.

Things changed for Dirk in year two soaring from 8.5 ppg to 17.5 and literally improved in every single statistical category including a big jump in 3 point percentage.   He was a 7 footer shooting the ball like nothing anyone had ever seen, unloading catapults from way above the defenders reach, galloping down the court like a gazelle and finishing awkward deliveries with a smoothness resembling a 7series.  All of this with the mop head, flailing arms, smirks and grimaces we have grown to love.  They finished 40-42, again missing the playoffs but there were very clear silver linings.  Dirk would earn Most Improved Player and the big three (Nash, Finley, Dirk) were rounding into form.  After starting the year 11-24, they finished 29-19.  This split occurred January 15, 2000 when Mark Cuban, a young billionaire bought the Dallas Mavericks. 

Cuban's Mavericks

Mark Cuban grew up an overweight kid with coke-bottle glasses and a passion for stamp collecting.  As a young boy, he laid out one clear goal- to be rich.   Those dreams were realized when he was able to cash in on the dotcom boom and sell his Internet company for billions.  Armed with loads of cash and loads of time, he invested into basketball in Dallas.   Cuban set a tone from the start, bringing in Dennis Rodman (a move lasting only 12 games) as more of a publicity stunt than anything else. 

Unlike the luxury box owners, Cuban, already an avid season ticket holder, opted to sit courtside with the fans donning team jerseys and engrossing himself in the action.  For better or worse, Cuban was rewriting the rules. 

In Dirk’s third year, Cuban’s first full year as owner, the Mavericks had their greatest success in over 20 years, winning 50 plus games and making the playoffs with the fourth ranked offense.  Life was surely injected into Dallas basketball.  A buzz surrounded all things Mavericks.  In a first round meeting with the aging Utah Jazz, the young hipster Mavericks fell down 0-2 before rattling off three straight including a come-from-behind defining win in game 5 on Utah’s home court. 

The next season welcomed the opening of the American Airlines Center, a world class, ground-breaking sports arena that put Dallas on the map.  Dallas would again improve on the court but the Cuban distractions began to mount.  One specific incident that year involved Cuban criticizing the refereeing and saying Officiating Manager, Ed Rush “wouldn’t be able to manager a Dairy Queen” leading to Cuban apologizing a working for a day as a manager of a Dairy Queen in Texas. 

First Signs of Trouble

Dallas cruised into the playoffs with 57 win team (franchise record) and the number one offense in basketball.  The playoffs kicked off with a dramatic Portland series that saw Dallas go up 3-0 before dropping 3 straight and pulling out the win in game 7.  Next, Dallas met with the pesky Kings who had been one-bounce short for the past few years.  Webber suffered a career-threatening knee injury in game two but the Kings fought with everything they had until the Mavs prevailed in 7.  This series will always be remembered for the game 3 double-overtime thriller where 1) Nick Van Exel carried Dallas on his back 2) Dirk and Vlade Divac showcased the greatest Euro rivalry to date in NBA history, jawing at eachother and doing everything short of breaking out into a boxing match. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AVoxMmpLL4

What Dallas faced next was a San Antonio team built to win with veterans David Robinson, Steve Kerr, Danny Ferry, Steve Smith and Kevin Willis, Tim Duncan in the prime of his career, and great young talent in Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Stephen Jackson.  After splitting the first two games, Dallas fell in game 3 but the big blow they suffered was on a freak knee-collision between Dirk and Ginobili.  Dirk would miss the rest of the series and after being pushed to the wall in the first two rounds, Dallas did not have enough to match blows with San Antonio.  They ran out of steam in game 6, losing 90-78 and San Antonio went on to win the title.

This week forever altered the landscape of Dallas basketball. 

Coach Don Nelson had a long playing career in the NBA but suffered a similar injury and never fully recovered from it.  Seeing Dirk struggle to even put pressure on the knee, he advised Dirk to sit out and not risk long term damage.  Cuban felt otherwise.  Claiming to have reassurances from team doctors, Cuban felt Dirk had the ability to play and should have been out there.   To this day, Dirk still stands by Nelson’s decision feeling he could not have played. 

Sans Dirk, the Mavericks put in a valiant effort.  In fact, in the decisive game 6, Dallas matched San Antonio shot-for-shot from the floor but could not hit from beyond the arc nor get to the stripe.  Strangely, it was Nash and Finely who didn’t show up.  Nash played 40 minutes and shot 3-10 for only 6 points and Finely only managed 13 points. 

It appears that Cuban panicked greatly after this tough loss.  Losing without Dirk on the floor raised a sense of urgency to fever pitch.  Who compliments Dirk?  We need more fire power.  Don Nelson was phased out of personnel decisions from then on and what happened next would fracture the core of this team. 

The Lost Season

The normally fiscally responsible Mark Cuban snapped after sniffing the NBA Finals.  He led the complete overhaul of a once-balanced roster, bringing in Antoine Walker, Tony Delk, Travis Best, Danny Fortson, Antawn Jamison and rookies Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels. 

This new roster was built more like a Fantasy team than a basketball team.  The wrong guys were featured, the first quality draft picks in over five years were not properly utilized and everyone suffered declines.  No where was this more apparent then the decision to pursue and award minutes to Antoine Walker.  Walker averaged 20 ppg with Boston but did so with an inefficient 38%.  He worked with the ball in his hands, more methodic and erratic which completely played out of the strengths of point guard extraordinaire, Steve Nash.  He lumbered, shot erratic and took quality minutes away from Antawn Jamison who was coming off four straight years of 20ppg and 7-8 rpg,  Antawn had started all 82 games for three straight years in Golden State but was down-graded to 2 starts in Dallas. 

In fact, Jamison suffered through the season with his lowest production since his rookie year, only logging 29 minutes a night despite shooting a career best 54% from the floor.  So while a quality player with rebounding ability, mobility and scoring efficiency road the bench, the Antoine version was out there chucking bricks and slowing down Nash’s attack.  The Antoine/Antawn project cost Dallas $26 million but so much more in chemistry and cohesiveness. 

Danny Fortson was a bust, Travis Best barely got used, and Tony Delk who had defined himself as a microwave man saw his minutes slashed in half and a 4 point drop in his nightly production. 

This team never had an identity.  The “wow this could be something special” bubble was popped on night one when the Lakers exposed every weakness.  After playoff success for three straight years, the “Fantasy All Stars” couldn’t get out of the first round.  The big problems?  While the ’03 Mavs had shown huge strides on the defensive end, the ’04 version was 26^th in the league in team defense, noticeably unconcerned with what was happening on that side of the floor.  Further, their lack of identity made them very fragile in tough situations which was highlighted in illuminating fashion by a woeful 16-25 record on the road. 

The line up gyrations of ’04 made the summer more difficult than it had to be.  Dallas was not willing to put up the money to keep Nash in town.  Phoenix out-bid them to get their third stringer back where he would go on to win multiple MVP awards.  Just as Dirk and Nash were hitting their peaks, they were forced apart.

Dallas was unwilling to pay the 31 year old Nash $60 million but they turned around and dumped $73 million of Eric Dampier who had not even amounted to a double-double guy in his career.  Huh???

The logic here was a need for low post defense to protect Dirk.  Was Dampier the answer, especially at the expense of Nash? 

Dallas then packaged Walker and Delk to Atlanta for Nash replacement, Jason Terry and Alan Henderson.   This had to happen and Terry was a great fit regardless of Nash.  He could have been dynamic alongside Nash and given the 31 year old some valuable rest.  Plus, you still would have gotten Antoine out of town.

Then Jamison was traded for rookie Devin Harris and Jerry Stackhouse which really never had to happen as Jamison could have been a great compliment to Dirk all along.  Think about it… Jamison was extremely efficient, he rebounded on both ends well and could take the larger defensive assignments.  Alan Henderson would have aided in the post greatly and you still had Shawn Bradley and the money thrown at Dampier.  To say Dampier/Terry/Stackhouse/Harris/Henderson was better than Nash/Terry/Bradley/Henderson/Jamison/left over money from Dampier was such a miscalculation it cost Dallas its edge. 

But the pot had already been stirred to a boil.  The knee-jerk reaction (pun intended) to Dirk’s injury and the subsequent playoff loss disrupted the core of this team from a personnel as well as a philosophical standpoint.  Cuban and company (and this includes the Nelson duo) coughed it up badly when it mattered most.  Rather than making the wise moves to get over the proverbial hump, to master the Sisyphus-task (ie Jamison and smart drafting), they vomited all over the roster, thinking big names equaled a winning product and then played it safe letting Nash walk before giving a pile of money to Dampier.  Dirk’s best friend was gone, one year stints with Walker, Jamison, Delk, and Fortson left the roster shaky and directionless, Finely was a year older, a score-first point guard took the reigns and trouble was brewing among management and coaching.  The still waters of Dirk’s prime were ruffled to a swell and in the NBA, it goes by that fast. 

The Terry Years

It would be naïve to say that product that remained post-2004 was inadequate.  Jason Terry was able to gel after a shaky start and Stackhouse was serviceable.   After stinking up the draft for years, Josh Howard and draft-day acquisition Devin Harris gave a vital shot of youth to this team.  Even Nelson walking away and leaving the team in Avery Johnson’s hands seemed to give a new sense of balance to a shaky roster. But this was not the team that should have been built around Dirk.  It was the team they could build around Dirk.  Nash was prospering for the Suns (benefiting greatly from rule changes jettisoning a Nash-renaissance no one fully expected save Dirk and Nash).  He even bounced his former team from the playoffs that year which left Dallas again watching the boulder roll back down the hill. 

Strapped by the luxury tax, Dallas had to waive Mike Finely after ’05 leaving him to join Duncan’s Spurs and go on to win a championship in two years. 

But Mark Cuban did start a booing campaign against Finely in ’06 when the Mavs took out the Spurs in the playoffs so what up now, Finely????

That same year, the Mavs were in the driver’s seat of their first ever NBA finals with a 2-0 lead.  They were coming off of Dirk’s signature moment in a Mavs uniform, the last second 3-point-play to force overtime and an eventual win in game 7 of the Western Conference Semis against nemesis, San Antonio.  Things looked brighter then ever and yet something wasn’t right. 

I still remember clearly watching this team with Dampier on the block, an aging Stackhouse on the wing and Josh Howard a little too green for the moment and thinking if this ever gets close, these guys are in trouble. 

Sure enough, Wade took over.  Agreed, he got some help from the officiating (25 free throws in game 5 vs. 25 free throws for the entire Dallas team) and a phantom call against Dirk in the deciding moments leaving Dirk to do nothing but stand there and stare. 

What made that Finals loss to Miami even tougher to swallow was watching a rejuvenated Antoine Walker become oddly efficient in the series deferring to Wade and Shaq while knocking down open shots and attacking the boards like he was a Wildcat again.

So Dallas was back at square one again.  The hill looked more daunting than ever but the ’07 Mavs came out scorching.  Always known for their offense, they kicked up a defensive intensity never seen before finishing 5^th in the league in team defense and winning a league-best 67 games.   This team was different, playing at a pace unlike its predecessors, seemingly built for a sustained playoff run, even acquiring wily veterans to fill out the roster.  But one thing they could have never accounted for was an inside man who knew the tricks, the exploitable spots, every vulnerability and insecurity the organization had, and a raging case of palpable revenge to boot.  That man was Don Nelson.

As fast as Dallas rose in ’07 it came crashing down even faster and even harder in a stunning first round loss to Nellie’s Golden State Warriors.  Dirk couldn’t even smile when he was awarded his first career MVP trophy the next week.  The bad taste so common was again in everyone’s mouth.  And Nelson was galloping away a happy man. 

In 2008, Dallas was forced to respond to the Gasol maneuver.  They dumped promising young point guard Devin Harris for the mid-thirties Jason Kidd.  Kidd gave Dirk his first Nash-like running mate in four years but Kidd had long peaked, and left Dallas stranded against a young slew of point guards.  This could not have been personified more than in the first round playoff loss to New Orleans and Chris Paul where Kidd could barely read the back of Paul’s jersey as he blew past him again and again.

What Does It All Mean?

So now here we are.  It is 2009 and Dirk is still pouring in MVP-caliber numbers.  This year’s product is older yet younger at the same time with Barea, Beaubois, and Ross pitching in.  Gooden and Marion are flanking Dirk much like a B or C rate version of what Jamison/Howard could have been in 2005 and they are still on the hook $25mil to Dampier.  Meanwhile, Nash is leading another Phoenix Renaissance and the Knicks are terrible (I just wanted to throw that in).  Dirk’s NBA tombstone is beginning to be chiseled with the words “Never won the big one”. 

Stop for a minute and appreciate what makes Dirk, Dirk.  He is a deadeye assassin.  He sees scoring angles more like a Peyton Manning sees angles on the football field.  Through all of the drama, on the court and off the court, nothing has really changed.  In a free agent era, he has been more loyal to a franchise than that franchise could ever be back to him.  In the long list of NBA stars over this current generation, one of the thinnest slices is guys who remained on one team.  In my mind the list reads like this- Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki.  Kobe needed Shaq and then he needed Gasol to bring home the ring.  Pierce needed Garnett, Ray Allen and a break out effort from Rondo.  Duncan had a whole cast of supporters from David Robinson to Robery Horry, to Tony Parker to Manu Ginobili.  What’s left?  Alone Dirk remains, a loyal soldier who could pick off the enemy from miles away but never saw the second cavalry appear on the hill tops.  Will Dirk be buried in these colors?  Will he make that last ditch effort to attain his final goal a la Karl Malone?  It just wouldn’t seem right but can you blame him?

The question that remains for me is what makes Dirk so different from a Tim Duncan who achieved monumental success as a pro?  Both will be remembered forever as players redefining their positions in different ways.  Yet, one will be remembered as a truly great winner, the other simply as a great player and a great guy.  The difference is wholly dependent upon the organizations they play for. 

The way I see it, salary aside, an organization can affect their superstar in three main ways- the draft, complimentary players, and stability. 

The Draft

I mentioned the draft misses before Dirk.  Dirk became the greatest foreign player in NBA history and a year later, the Spurs got Ginobili who arguably is second.  This opened the flood gates for international speculating.  Post-Dirk Dallas went after 8 foreign players and Gordon Giricek was the best by a long shot which really doesn’t say much.  Meanwhile the Spurs over that same period drafted Tony Parker, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic, Beno Udrih, Leandro Barbosa and seven others who either didn’t pan out or are making strides in the D League.  Over that same time period the top Maverick draftees were Josh Howard, Etan Thomas and Maurice Ager.  No one else of consequence can even be mentioned.   The Spurs, constantly drafting in late rounds managed to bring in John Salmons, Marcus Williams, George Hill, DeJuan Blair and all of those foreign players mentioned before. 

San Antonio also has proved adept at utilizing the D-League and are one of the first organizations along with the Lakers, Rockets and Thunder (any surprise these teams are succeeding and loaded for the future?) to own their own D League team and use it as a true minor league system, cashing in on hot guys such as Devin Brown in their ’07 title run.  Dallas has not made that commitment yet but is starting to understand the importance of this asset, cashing in on D League call up Jose Barea this season.

Complimentary Players

 It is clear that Dallas allowed the '03 playoff collapse to alter their foundation.  Meanwhile Duncan played with one of the most stable rosters year-after-year.  The Spurs dedicated themselves to surrounding him with proven veterans (Danny Ferry, Robert Horry, Kevin Willis, Mike Finely).  The key to those rosters is that everyone fit into the system. 

In Dallas, Dirk flourished in a style of basketball affectionately referred to as “Nellie Ball” which is predicated upon fast-paced offense, athleticism, and out running opponents and has the dubious distinction of never producing a champion.  The combos Nellie through out were insane.  In their best window from 02 to 04, Nellie changed starting line ups 58 times in 02, 53 times in 03 and 46 times in 04.  Think about that... a starting roster on average didn't last 2 straight games!  By contrast, the teams who knocked them out had starting line up changes of 24, 19 and 9.  Lack of consistency, an utter lack of concern for defense and a coach who holds the record for most games coached while never coaching an NBA Finals game, let alone win a tile.   These were not Dirk problems. 

Organizational Stability

The Dirk era has been marred by public squalls among Dallas brass.  Cuban and Nelson are still battling in court over $7 million in refused salary, an amount that an arbitrator ruled was due to Nellie but Cuban refuses to pay.  Cuban put his teams in the lap of luxury with state of the art facilities perhaps instilling a sense of complacency seldom attached to champions.  Further, his public outbursts and fines totally close to $2million have taken attention from winning and given referees (yes, they are human) as well as Stern ample reason to give the close calls to the other side.
 

Final Words

Like the myth of Sisyphus, Dallas seems destined to carry their burdens for eternity.  But as it goes in sports, the franchise will move on and the players carry the scars.  Dirk will be remembered by some as “soft in the big moments” despite averaging a playoff double-double every year since ’01, shooting 40% from beyond the arc, 88% from the stripe, 45% from the field and getting more efficient (23.9 PER regular season vs. 24.4 post season) in the playoffs.  The prime of his career was shared by a mish mosh of egos, agendas and dollar-chasing opportunists.  The delicate balance between champion and contender proved too faulty to cross.

I just can’t help but wonder what-if Dirk’s prime hadn’t been marred by poor management decisions, or what if that knee injury never happened?  Are we painting Dirk in a different light?  In the end, what does it really matter?  Dirk has achieved something unprecedented.  Further, he single handedly built a basketball temple in the wasteland that was Dallas.  His worth to that city is immeasurable, not to mention his worth to Germany and  foreign basketball players alike.  Dirk redefined a position, took his game to the highest levels possible, forever altered the greatest basketball league in the world, and to top it all off, he did it with a smile.  Can we really ask for anything more? 

Rest well Dirk.  I relieve you of your burdens.  

Bull Trip

According to TrueHoop affiliate bullsbythehorns.com, the Chicago Bulls recently began their annual "Circus Road Trip".  Every year around this time, the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailly circus takes over the United Center in Chicago for a few weeks.  So the Bulls hit the road and this has not been good news for them.  Going into this season, the Bulls have been 9-56 since 1999 which included an 0-32 streak from 99-03.

This year was more of the same for a Bulls team that actually started out this year in good shape at 5-4 through some injuries and a pretty tough early schedule.  Then the circus happened.

Here is how the Circus Road Trip went down:

Win at Sacramento-  Good start.  10-56.... 6-4 things are looking up
Loss at LA Lakers by 15- Ok, everyone saw that one coming.  Still over .500
Loss at Denver by 19- Tough break.  Stay positive. Still. 500
Loss at Utah by 19.  Ew.  What on Earth?  Ok, can still finish the road trip at .500 for the year.
Loss at Milwaukee by 2.

If you had never heard about the Circus Road Trip before, don't feel bad. Apparently Chicago Bull, Joakim Noah had not either...

Joakim Noah, currently the league’s leading rebounder by the way (12.2 RPG), until recently had no idea what the circus trip was all about. Said Noah: “Why do they always call it the circus trip? What’s so circus about it anyway?”
That’s okay, Jo. You just keep concentrating on crashing the boards.

Do you think they just sit him on the team bus, give him an ice cream cone and say "Sit still until the big bus stops and then you can play allll the basketball you want!"

I love this game.

College Basketball Stew

College basketball is like an over-flowing stew.  There is so much goodness in there and so many different flavors to pick out and individually enjoy but to really reach its potential, it must be stirred and allowed to simmer.  In the end, the warm aromas draw you in, the steam in your face, the first sip a bit too hot to bear but you go back for more and more until you are shoveling full spoons in your mouth not even caring whether the next bite contains a carrot, a slice of beef, or a combo of everything in between. 


I guess its safe to say the ingredients have been laid out and the construction of this years stew is well under way.  There were 17 early season tournaments that are all complete as of last night which means we have gotten a very nice sneak peak into who is for real and who is not.  We have the ACC/Big Ten challenge and Hardwood Classic to look forward to and then it is on to conference play.  


It really is a great thing that the college landscape is opening up like this.  For example, the 76 Classic this past week in Anaheim gave national exposure to mid majors Butler, Portland, and Long Beach State.  Butler now sees what it will take to really make it to the next level and the country knows what the WCC has known all along.  These are great things for basketball.  


Also we get to see top schools from different conferences face off such as the Florida upset over Michigan State contest in the semis of the Legends Classic, Purdue stealing one against Tennessee at the buzzer in the Paradise Jam (played in the Virgin Islands... how cool is that?), and Duke knocking off UConn in the Garden to win the Preseason NIT.  


Historically, the Preseason NIT was a one-stop shop for big name schools.  You could turn on ESPN and see the big names and get your first sip of the stew... it was your basic meat and potatoes.  Then the early season field expanded with options like the Coaches vs. Cancer, Maui Invitational, and Great Alaska shoot out.  Now, the talent is spread through over a dozen tournaments which means we may not see all of the big schools clash but we will get a full deep inhale of the entire D1 landscape.  


This is great for the game because schools can use they tournaments as recruiting chips.  For example, wouldn't it work in Purdue's favor to show a recruit pictures from their championship visit to the Virgin Islands or Calipari reminding incoming recruits that Kentucky gets to play in and win tournaments in Cancun?  Like all things modern, college basketball is evolving into an accessible, digestible, and fully mobile entity.  


So what do we know so far? 


There is some clear disparity in the Big 6 conferences (Big East, ACC, Pac 10, SEC, Big 10, Big 12)


The Big 12 looks to be the strongest conference at the top after Texas A&M pulled off big wins against Clemson and Minnesota, both ranked in the top 25.  Kansas and Texas are in the Top 3 (1 and 3, respectively).   Oklahoma sniffed the top 25 for a week but after dropping 3 straight to mid-majors, they will be far from the Top 25.  They just lack the depth right now to really compete with top tier competitions.  Still, with Willie Warren rounding into All-American form, this team is far from dead. 


Look for Mizzou to climb back along with Oklahoma State to be on the bubble.  


The Big East, again, remains the deepest conference.  With West Virginia looking to be a legitimate top 5 team and Villanova gunning opponents down with regularity, they look to have the top tier teams to be legitimately considered the best basketball conference for a second year now. 


Here is how I see it for WVU- De'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks are the best 1-2 forward combo in the country.  Throw in veteran guard play and a proven coach, and you have a very dangerous team.  The depth, shooting ability and defensive style that stretches opponents thin will certainly favor this team into March . I am penciling them into the Final Four now.  You heard it hear first.  

Past West Virginia, Villanova has some of the best guard play in the nation and UConn and Syracuse are deceptively strong and will only get better as the year progresses.  Throw in Georgetown, Notre Dame, Louisville, and Marquette who all have legitimate All-American candidates, much improved Cincy and St. Johns rosters, a Rutgers team that navigated the weak bracket of the Legends Classic to face Florida in the finals, an always dangerous Pitt squad even in rebuilding mode, and of course my eternal East Coast bias and I crown the Big East the number 1 conference of this early season!   Here is how it shapes up:


1. Big East- Two legit final four contenders, two semi-legit contenders and a slew of solid rosters will keep the Big East active and enjoyable.  Please, please, please, take the time to watch Lazar Hayward at Marquette.  He is a senior and the link to last year's 'what if' squad. 

2. Big 12- This is a very close second.  Oklahoma's stumble to three straight mid-majors hurts the conference and the bottom of the conference leaves a little to be desired.


3. ACC- Duke, UNC are top 12 and Georgia Tech is young, strong and scary.  Clemson will go as far Booker can lead them and VaTech, FSU, Maryland and Wake all have legitimate tournament hopes. 


4. This is where the drop off begins. The first 3 are clearly the best in the nation.  SEC and the Big 10 are also clearly better than the Pac 10 right now.  I give SEC a slight nod to the Big 10 for these reasons:

• The top team in the Big 10 is Michigan State and they got beat head-to-head by the second best team in the SEC, Florida
• Michigan is ranked in the top 25 but they got upset by Alabama over the weekend
• The SEC only has one legitimate cupcake right now (Arkansas who are giving up 83+ ppg) while the Big 10 has Indiana, Iowa, and Penn State who have all yet to prove anything.

Bottom line: the SEC was greatly improved before Calipari came to town the the big names at Tennessee decided to stay in school.  Those two factors have really strengthened the conference.  Still, I say by mid February, the Big Ten will have left the SEC in its dust.  Why?

5. Big Ten- Michigan State is probably the toughest out in the country.  Give them a few more weeks to get their big men into a true rotation and watch out.  This team will be in the Final Four.  The depth the conference goes a lot deeper than recent years past with Purdue putting outs its best squad in over a decade and Ohio State, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota all looking top 25-worthy.  When its all said and done, Indiana will be hitting their stride and Wisconsin will be right there. 

6. Pac 10- Ok, lets microcosm the Pac 10's problems into UCLA.

Here is UCLA's week to forget:

• Crushed by 27 by WCC's Portland.  Ok, this shouldn't happen to the West Coast powerhouse and it wasn't even as close as the score makes it sound.
• Last second loss to Butler.  This Butler team was humbled this week losing to Minnesota and Clemson and needing last second heroics to squeak past UCLA and yet I digress...
• Eleven point beat down by Long Beach State

So UCLA is 2-4 with their only wins coming against Cal State Bakersfield and Pepperdine.  Wow, thats not a good sign, especially when you consider Kansas and Mississippi State are on the horizon.  Translation:  they haven't won the games they should have won and now need to win the games they are supposed to lose. 

The Pac 10 is 37-19 in this early season which is only a shade better than the WCC's record which is making the ridiculous "Best Conference on the West Coast" debate somewhat intriguing.  

To put 37-19 into perspective, the other power conferences look like this:

ACC- 60-10

BIG EAST- 76-12

BIG 12- 60-12

SEC- 50-19

BIG 10- 34-19 (but they are playing a tougher brand of ball in the early season).  

The Washington's (Washington and Wash State) and Arizona State are the best the Pac 10 has to offer right now.  AZ State crushed LSU and lost their one true test against Duke but they look to be tourney bound.  Washington is undefeated but barely stole a win from Montana and Washington State has played no one of consequence.  Its gonna be a long season in the Pac 10. 

It is still too early to tell for sure who is for real in the Mid Majors but it looks like Butler, Gonzaga, Portland and UNLV are for real and VCU, Dayton, Missouri State, and BYU all in the mix.  

Memphis gets it own line: After taking Kansas to the max, they have taken out a stick and beaten on Central Arkansas and Tennessee Tech, hardly something to mention so I don't know where Memphis fits right now. They only have two real tests before the new year @UMass and home against Tennessee. Then we get to see 'em at Syracuse and the rest of the season is pedestrian.  So... don't be surprised if they are 28-3 heading into the Conf USA Tourney and get a 2 seed in the Big Dance.  I still won't be too impressed. 

Mid Major talent: Watch Paul George (Fresno State) and Larry Sanders (VCU) play.  Both will be wearing NBA jerseys next year. 

Ahh yes, the stew is simmering.  Breath in deeply and enjoy whatever comes next. 

Remembering the Good Iverson

Iverson's Greatest Dunk







Iverson's Single Greatest Game. He shows the full repertoire here. This game was the pinnacle, the proverbial summit of his career. Watch especially from the 5:41 on... this play defines Iverson.







No tattoos, just a young man who was smaller but better than everyone.





He knows the right thing, he can even articulate it at times, yet when it came down to it, he would always do what he wanted to do, for better or for worse. Notice the 5:07 mark. (Cheap shot... didn't he say God sent him to Memphis?)















Fare thee well....

Summer in the City and Notes from Last Night- 11/23/09

Before we get to the action, I need to do something I dread doing but suddenly feel the urge to do... talk about the 2010 Free Agents.

First of all, the Nets.  I am hearing people say that Nets fans need to change their perception of this summer because they will not be landing big name free agents.  The logic?  The Nets organization has nothing to offer these guys because the teams they already play on are better and despite the big market exposure and money, they can do just as well where they are.

Lets stop there for a moment and think about the current Boston Celtics roster?  At the core, these are the guys that have won an NBA Championship and battled to 7 games with the eventual Eastern Conference champ last year.  How was this team assembled?  From the ashes of a 24-58 team in 06/07.  That team was the end of a four year line of losing seasons and (how insane is this) a fifteen year stretch of sub-50 win seasons!  We are talking about the most decorated franchise in this league's history and they played a decade and a half of mediocre basketball.  Yet in the past two seasons, they played at a clip of 128-36.  What changed their fortunes?  Landing big name guys.  Granted, KG and Ray Allen were brought in by trading away quality young talent and building around an existing core of Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo but the concept is still the same- in this league, your fortunes can change overnight by landing some big name guys.

The Nets will have the financial flexibility next year (about $25 mil in cap space) to lure a big name.  The idea that coming to play for a woeful team will scare them away is not sound.  These guys are looking to make a lasting mark and what better place to do it then a big market team that has is in the midst of turmoil.  Granted, certain things need to be in place, namely some young talent, a few quality role players, and a market that can indulge and (mostly) satisfy their big ticket personnas.  Can the Nets meet these requirements?

Young Talent- Brook Lopez (3rd in ROY voting last year and double double machine), Courtney Lee (started in the NBA finals as a rookie last year) and Chris Douglas-Roberts (has stepped up as a scorer this year but looks to be a solid reserve-type).

Few Quality Role Players- More than a role player, they have an extremely capable young point guard in Devin Harris who will cover the other teams best guard and distribute the ball.  Couple that with journey-men like Eduardo Najera and Keyon Dooling.

Market- It is still muddy but it sounds like if the Nets organization can sort out their legal issues by December, they will be on track for building in Brooklyn.  There is uncertainty now  but that will all be settled in soon.  So, if the Nets do indeed make a commitment to Brooklyn, the draw will be huge.

So when I look at the Nets, I look at a near-perfect situation for a big free agent.  You will have a ridiculously loaded owner in Mikhail Prokhorov (Net worth of 9.5 billion), and a social/cultural presence in Jay-Z that can do wonders for a superstar's image. Considering that Jarvis Hayes, Trenton Hassell, Rafer Alston, Tony Battie, Bobby Simmons and Sean Williams are all unrestricted free agents next year, Josh Boone is a restricted and there is a team option on CDR, the Nets have copious amounts of flexibility.   

To be a part of chapter one of a basketball revival in Brooklyn, team up alongside an all-star caliber point guard and center and have some basic building blocks already in place, why wouldn't a LeBron, DWade, Bosh, and/or Amare be interested?

Secondly, lets take a sweep at the Knicks.  Now the Knicks won't have nearly the financial flexibility of their river partners but they have a little more stability in the organization right now with a dynamite coach and president.  They have 6 expiring contracts generating roughly $21 million in space this summer.  However, I am not as comfortable with the Knicks chances.  The league is forecasting a 2.5 to 5% drop in revenues over the year and the thought of the salary cap decreasing in 2010 is becoming more and more a reality.  If the cap drops, the Knicks are very limited in luring anyone along with a LeBron.  Basically, LeBron would be playing in the most famous arena in the world but he will be playing with a team that will remind him more of his early season teams.... a set back for a guy itching to win.  The Knicks are going to have a hard time meeting the three factors needed to make a LeBron happy and thus, I really think they need to go another angle.

Ok, you have the so-called mastermind of the '7 Seconds or Less' brand of basketball.  When Nash was at the helm of this offense, the league was caught with its pants down and they were literally a suspension and a few bounces away from the NBA Finals.  Post-Nash, the system just hasn't been the same.  Chris Duhon is not the answer.  Surveying the landscape, there are many capable players out there who would thrive in a D'Antoni system.  First off, you have to give some love to Joe Johnson.  His career landed on the NBA map when he played in PHX for D'Antoni.  Since then, he has been a solid all star for Atlanta and led that team to its best success in a long, long time.  He can shoot the 3, defend the best guys in the league, get to the rim and distribute the ball.  He is a complete package and a great fit for the Knicks.  The dream situation would be to be able to lure in a big who can run and control the glass for this team.  Um.... have you heard of Chris Bosh?  If the Knicks can somehow work the numbers into a deal for these 2, they would be well on their way to rebounding.  You are still a PG short of a successful roster as Chris Duhon is not capable of running this team and Toney Douglas/Nate Robinson are not valid replacements.  TDouglas is great off the bench as a quasi-2 guard and Nate should be gone.  If they can somehow work out a deal to bring in a PG with "upside" (I am thinking a Mike Conley) or find the space to sign a Luke Ridnour (free agent), then this team really looks good.

Bottom line, the Nets are in the driver seat as long as they can sort out their legal issues and the Knicks are looking at the second tier right now but if they can work out something for Chris Bosh, they have hit a home run.  All I know is basketball will be relevant in the New York area again and everyone will benefit.

On to last night...

The Blazers went Jekyll to their Hide last night, romping the tired/sagging/unmotivated Bulls by 20+.  Oden put up a monster 24 and 12 with 2 blocks.  Has he turned the corner?  I can't say that for sure but I do know that a certain man emerged last night with a battle cry seldom reached but constantly sought.  Mr. Oden, let it out you animal.

The Blazers confuse me.  I really like this line up but it seems like when they are not shooting well or they are being outplayed, they don't have a go-to option.  You would think Brandon Roy should be that option but I have always seen Roy as a Scottie Pippen to someone else's Jordan.  He is a great talent on both ends of the floor but he is not the leader of a championship team.  Too many guys on this team are extremely capable of doing the same things.  This is basketball magic when guys are on, but when they are struggling, its like watching a drunk fumble for his keys in the parking lot of a bar at 3am... getting to where you want to go just isn't happening.



Happy ball.

Notes from the Weekend- 11/20/09-11/22/09

I am going to have to work on these throughout the day as work is really busy right now so hopefully this doesn't come across completely incoherent.  Ah, whatever, it probably will....

Let's start with the Eastern Conference.  What did we learn this weekend?

Atlanta is kinda hot right now, but they are beatable.  It looked like they ran into a wall Saturday against New Orleans who seem to be benefiting from the shake up, at least in the short term.  Collison is playing out of his mind which is really cool to see.  Still, this game lands more on the side of "Atlanta-let-down" then "New-Orleans-break-out."  After that wow finish against Houston, Atlanta just ran out of gas going 4-22 from 3 and shooting 37% overall.  4-22.  Yeah, that's not going to cut it.

Orlando had a good weekend in the W column but I am issuing a Tropical Storm Warning over the Orlando area.  Since we are out of official Hurricane season, let's come up with a random name for this storm.  How about.... Tropical Storm Vince.

If you pull up the box score for Friday night's game in Boston, one thing is very clear- it was an ugly game.  And that is on both sides.  Orlando should get credit for winning in a tough environment but if you watched the last quarter of this game, the entire Orlando offense was motionless as Vince Carter continually just gyrated around with his back to the basket.  Sure, he made some incredibly difficult shots, but I need to remind you he took incredibly difficult shots.  What made last year's Magic squad so difficult to beat was the Hedo got the ball at the end of the games and he worked from the top of the key.  He would look for guys off screens, draw defenders for open players, and kick the ball to guards who would be able to find Howard at angles on the post.  Vince.... he shoots.  26 points but that came on 29 shots.  29 shots... 29 shots.  When you have Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard on your team, there is never a good explanation for 29 shots unless you are this guy.  If you had to take a guess at how many assists he had during that fourth quarter, what would you say?  Yes, zero is right.  Couple that with 2 turnovers and you had a guy who hijacked the offense in the end game and really only got credit because Boston self-destructed.

Vince shoots 29 shots in Boston to steal a win from Boston in November.  Everyone is down with that.  Vince shoots 29 shots in April against anybody after shooting 29 shots many games this year.  I don't care if you win or lose, the team is going to be dejected; especially the core.  Orlando, right now, is only going as far as the goodwill for Vince and something tells me Orlando has given Vince just enough rope to hang himself...

Still, concerning Orlando, we kind of set a challenge for them when they fell to Cleveland 2 weeks ago and that challenge extends through this Thursday when they head to Atlanta.  In this stretch they have/will have played the five best teams in the East (excluding themselves).  After the loss to Cleveland, they have beaten the Nets (yawn), eeked out a win against the Bobcats (pass), handled the Thunder (good), won a stinker against Boston (now we are on track), won in Toronto (momentum).... the big challenges remaining.  Miami and Atlanta.  Let's just say that all Tropical Storm warnings aside, the Magic are doing their job.

Concerning Vince... the guy has ridiculous skills.  He has the body and athleticism to score on/against anyone at any time.  Maybe 3 other guys in the league have that.  But what makes Vince so different is he is so accepting of whatever effort he himself gives.  If he shoots 20% of 50%, to him, its only a matter of the shots not falling.  Changing his game, getting other guys involved, going harder to get to the line, working harder, forcing mistakes from the defensive end..... I just don't see it happening.  And this is where the Magic are gonna wear thin.  To work your butts off as this team truly does only to see a "leader" dogging it will zap morale and lead to finger-pointing.

Boston- do we say it?  Should we?  Ok, let's say it.... "What do you have to say now 'Sheed?"

I get it.  Boston is fun to love.  They are good for the league.  'Nothing like seeing those colors on the court' blah blah.  Can we focus on the facts?  They allowed 29 guns Carter to beat them on their own floor and then almost coughed up a hair-ball against those guys wearing Knicks uniforms before Captain Pierce saved the day.  Yeah, I am glad to hear Doc Rivers listens to his players and Pierce is a competitor, and Kevin Garnett would eat a baby if it were in the way of a victory but listen up, Boston is flawed!   They will hit a stride and win 60 games but they are not raising banners because

1. They are a year older and free agency made them even older

2. Garnett is not fully healthy and probably will not be for the rest of his career.   His knees are pretty much hanging it up.

3. Rondo doesn't have the same pressure to prove his worth
4. Brian Scalabrine is playing meaningful minutes
5. Eddie House's family has a reality tv show

Ok, maybe not the last one but all-in-all, there are issues with this Boston roster.  So, Boston is flawed, Orlando is philosophically flawed, and Atlanta is great but a wee-bit inconsistent in the long-term and in need of another quality big so where does that leave us?

Yeah, Cleveland is once again the team to beat in the East.  Ho hum.

Speaking more on Orlando, Dwight Howard is probably on everyone's short list for best big man.  Other names that you would fire off would be Pau Gasol, Tim Duncan, Andrew Bynum, Amare.... My only question is where does Chris Bosh fit in?  At 27 ppg and 12 rpg, Bosh has the statistical resume to match and beat any of these guys mentioned.  I think you can safely say he outplayed Dwight despite the loss on Saturday.  Mind you, he does all of this on an under-sized roster that depends on him for board-work because Bargani is not a rebounder.  Translation: Bosh works his butt off nightly and deserves more credit.

Oh yeah, and Carter took 24 shots in this game.  Its coming....

Granger got worked by LeBron to the tune of 40.   Granger is still second tier on the superstar list but what about on the 3 Point Chuck List!!!  95 3s at the clip of 8.6 a game.
Seriously though, LeBron took it to him.  Doesn't it seem like LeBron is taking a lot of things personally this year?

Moving to the West:

Sacramento is spirited and willing.  That's good for volunteers, though, not NBA squads.  Sorry guys but keep up the work.

Portland played the Jekyll/Hyde bit to perfection this weekend leaving me with no clarity on this team except that I like to watch them and they have great players and I hope they make lots of baskets.

If you are playing the Lakers in the next 2 weeks... watch out.  I am just saying.

Finally, this is a must read on Dirk.  I really, really enjoyed it and am in the process of really assessing how I feel about this lovably 7-footer.
http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_Magazine/2009/December/Dirk_Nowitzki_Is_Saving_Dallas_Basketball_One_Shot_at_a_Time.aspx

Happy ball.