The Curious Case of Roddy B

Hey Mavs Fans! The Season is right around the corner, and I'm sure just like I am you guys can't wait until the season tips off!

Not only does tip off return Maverick Basketball into our hearts, but it is a chance to show the world, "We still got it!" There is much that has to go into play to have a successful regular season. We have the components to be a decent team. That is, ladies and gentlemen, almost a given. But do we have what it takes to be a great team? The difference might lie on the shoulders of one Mr. Beaubois and/or Mr. Jones. That means Mr. Jones needs to stop striking up conversations with black haired flamenco dancers.. If anyone gets that reference, I love you.

Back to basketball. The case of Roddy B can be a dangerous one. To sink your teeth into the meat of the story, cross the jump. But be careful, don't trip!

Roddy B carries a lot of weight on that surgically repaired foot. He carries the hopes, dreams, and hearts of a city. That might be the biggest problem. Rodrigue is a great player. He has shown us a lot, but it may be time to ease up on the reigns.

Lets rewind the clocks a few years. JJ Barea was a young player. We didn't know too much about him, but we loved him. When he would get on the court we would go insane over here. It was fantastic. He was a nobody, and being a nobody, when he would score 10 points, we would go insane. This is what happens with a young player. Then, he started to get solid minutes, and teams began scouting Barea to an extent. The result? The honeymoon period ends, he shows us who he really is, and despite him being a fairly consistent player, many people are calling for him to be traded, and shipped out. This is 2 or 3 years removed from people begging him to see the court.

Can you see the connections?

I'm not one to say Roddy can be compared to Jose. They are different by all means. The main bulletin point of this presentation is that we need to release the reigns we have set upon Beaubois. Whether or not blatantly said,  we all have high hopes for him, just like Barea. However, hopes can often turn into expectations from a team with desperate fans. Fans that long for that title and believe this little man is the answer to our prayers to the Basketball Gods.

Throw away all expectations, and there is no doubt in my mind Roddy develops into a fantastic player, one of the best young guns we've seen in almost a decade, and things go great. This is what allowed Nash and Dirk to develop. There were no sky high expectations for them to thrive, so when they did, it was fantastic. If we keep applying this pressure onto Beaubois, not only will he rarely live up to our harsh expectation, but when he does, we won't notice it. We are so caught up in him changing the face of Dallas,  than when he has a fantastic game for the caliber player he is, we'll see it as, "Hey, this is what's expected. Get back to the gym."

While most people will deny having too high a hopes for Roddy, a majority do have them. We can not put unreachable barriers on Roddy. Some people are saying for him to jump out of the gate, start, and score 14 points a game would be nothing spectacular. To me, people are not realizing what Roddy did. Most of his outstanding games last year were against lottery teams. Roddy has proved only that he has the potential to be great, and that is all. The biggest enemy versus Roddy right now, are the very people who love him so. Players need time to develop. We are a team with a closing window, so we need him to play great now. It is not healthy for his maturing process to be sped up because our team is aging.

For Roddy to jump into our lineup and start, after warming the bench last year, and score 8-10 points a game would be a feat worthy of praise. Ease up on the reigns and let this man develop. The last thing a young player with nothing but potential needs is the pressure to become great before he's ready. Let's not let Roddy, or Dojo for that matter, become the next JJ Barea.

Now, as always,

GO MAVS!!!