Thursday Roundup

by Wes Cox on Nov 12, 2009 10:39 AM CST in News Comment 2 comments

Behind the Box Score, where 'yeah! Go Bucks! Whoo!' | Kelly Dwyer
On Dallas' side, Dirk Nowitzki(notes) is missing good shots. He's shooting 35.7 percent over his last two games, I watched good chunks of both, and he's failing to drain makeable looks that he usually sends home. Still, if the poor marksmanship ends tomorrow, the Mavs are just 1-1 during the swoon, with a semi-close loss to the Spurs to show for it. Not bad. 29 in the loss for Dirk.

Dallas Mavericks still demanding too much from Dirk | Eddie Sefko
"It's unfortunate it comes down to having to throw the ball to Dirk every time and have him win the game on his own," coach Rick Carlisle said. "We're not going to play on a high level and win at a high level doing that."

Ex-Bucks stop here in Spurs' victory over Mavs | San Antonio Express News
Bogans clamped down, alternately, on Josh Howard, Jason Terry, Jason Kidd and J.J. Barea — none of whom shot better than 50 percent from the field. "That's what Keith Bogans does," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. Bogans also did something Keith Bogans doesn't. After totaling 16 points his first five games, he hit three first-half 3-pointers

Donuts: Spurs 92, Mavs 83 In Ugly-Ass Loss |DB.com
So the Mavs didn't play Damp much because Carlisle opted to go with the Fave Five, eh? Not exactly. I'm going through my notes, my memory and the play-by-play with a fine-toothed comb. ...and nope. Kidd, Dirk, Josh, Marion and Jet never played together. Not a minute.

Howard limps out of Dallas Mavericks' 92-83 loss to Spurs | DMN
the news also was grim on Josh Howard, who left the game with 8:46 to go in the third quarter. It was his third game back after off-season ankle surgery. "He was limping, so we took him out," coach Rick Carlisle said. "It's the first back-to-back [games for Howard]. We'll evaluate it and treat it accordingly. He's had some soreness. It's no secret. There's going to be times when there's soreness, and we have to get him out of the game.

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So frustrating to see Howard go down.

I hate the fact that this is preventable. But it’s always the same in competitive sports at the elite level—at any age. Insecure athletes and over-zealous coaches tend to push too hard because they’re afraid of looking weak—or like sandbaggers. And when they do, they sometimes ruin seasons and careers. So because I’m a Mavs fan, I take no pleasure in saying “I told you so:”

I’ve always suspected that Howard’s repeated injuries were the result of pushing too hard and returning too quickly. I’ve endured two major sports-related surgeries and I’ve done it both ways. In my mind, there’s no question that it’s best to rehab slowly and patiently until you’re 100 percent—and then rehab and train for still another month before you actually step into a game.

I wouldn’t mind seeing Marion train up for another month or so before he sets foot on the court. Same for Howard. And yeah, the Mavs would probably be 7-10 or something. But if they were truly 100 percent healthy at that point, I think finishing 45-20 would be well within reach—for a 52-30 season. And like Taylor says in his piece, "This is the NBA, where the season doesn’t really even start in earnest until after the All-Star break."

by Brandon Friedman on Nov 12, 2009 6:39 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Good Point

In the past I felt that Coach Popovich babies his players when their injured. Pop doesn’t care about the season record, he’s concerned about being healthy for the playoffs. Its made a difference in the past with Duncan, when he usually has his best games.

by JaySo on Nov 12, 2009 7:38 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs