Are the Dallas Mavericks done?
Josh Howard, Dime #35New Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle tells the Dallas Morning News that while Jason Kidd, Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitzki are locks to be in the Mavs’ starting rotation, the two-guard and center positions are open.
That means everyone from Jerry Stackhouse to rookie Shan Foster to Gerald Green to long-tooth Eddie Jones to Jason Terry to Antoine Wright will be competing for one spot, while Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop will vie for the other.
Does it even matter, though? Have the Mavs already seen the championship window in this Nowitzki era close on them? Last year they barely made the playoffs, and were efficiently gutted in the first round by New Orleans. Even if Dirk and Howard are at the top of their respective games this year, how much does Kidd have left? Who is going to step into that two-guard spot and produce? Do they have sufficient depth beyond those SG/SF wing spots? Is Carlisle going to be any better for this group than Avery Johnson was?
It’s hard to picture the Mavs realistically getting past the presently-constructed Lakers, Spurs, Hornets or Jazz in a seven-game series. The Mavs have traditionally owned Houston, but the Ron Artest acquisition makes them a tougher out. What about Phoenix and Portland? And some people even like the Clippers’ revamped roster more than Dallas’.
Do you think the Mavs are done?
September 10th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
sans says:
Unless Carlisle forces Dirk to play inside aggressively, yeah their done. That is the only reason the went to the Finals was Avery got Dirkeh to play the paint, where he’s pretty much unstoppable with a variety of moves. When Dallas falls in love with their J, they suffer consequently. Hopefully, Rick Carlisle will put Dirk in his place, on the block.
September 10th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
rob stewart says:
Yeah they are done. They have the necessary pieces to begin a great rebuilding situation. But if they hold on to what they have for too long then their future rebuilding efforts will be worse off. There trading pieces are already decreasing in value such as Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, and even Dirk
September 10th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
D.H. says:
It continues to amaze me how deep the West really is..
September 10th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Homeless J says:
Somebody find Tito Ortiz and get him to do the grave digging victory pantomime. The Mavs are done.
Also somebody find Jenna Jameson and convince her to abort her and Tito’s kid. If she breast feeds that thing, it’ll either choke on a chunk of silicone or her milk will be poisoned with the leftover opiates floating around in her system. Plus you gotta imagine that kid will fall out of her complete with a fake tan, bleached blonde hair, roid rage and a moderate coke habit.
September 10th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
that's whats up says:
they were done after Game 2 of the 2006 Finals
September 10th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Austin Burton says:
@Homeless J — You hit the nail on the head. It will literally fall out of her.
September 10th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Homeless J says:
Most people go into the hospital when they give birth. Jenna Jameson will just squat over a trampoline.
September 10th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Three Stacks says:
Even if Dallas didn’t really improve over the offseason, they didn’t get noticeably worse like Golden State or Denver did. Obviously their best chance at a chip was 3 yrs ago, but they’re still in the playoff picture. They could get hot at the right time and make some noise.
Would you sleep with Jenna Jameson? I think I would. And I’d probably sleep with any woman 18-45 if no one was gonna find out about it.
September 10th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Homeless J says:
“Would you sleep with Jenna Jameson?” should be the new Dime front page poll.
I don’t picture her ever sleeping… I imagine her spending her nights hanging upside down like a bat, communicating with sonar waves and coked to the gills. Would I have sex with her? Sure, but you better believe I’m double or triple bagging it. Not only to protect from disease, but also so I wouldn’t Tito her and be stuck with an offspring that’s bound to come out looking like something out of Zombies Ate My Neighbors.
September 10th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Three Stacks says:
lol, J you normally this misogynistic? Or just toward girls that do porn?
September 10th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Homeless J says:
To be honest, I am normally a consummate gentleman when it comes to the matter of ladies. However I do make exceptions when it comes to bleached blonde coke whores.
I’ll hold the door open for girls I don’t know, but if Jenna Jameson was walking behind me, I’d let the door smash her in her fake nose. This seems unfair since I’ve almost certainly opened doors for, and been polite to, bleached blondes that I had no idea were coke whores at the time. I will admit that I may need to come up with a system to discern these types of things. “Excuse me ma’am, I’d like to hold this door open for you, but I need to know more about you before I can make that type of commitment. Please don’t be alarmed while I stick my finger in your nose and fish around for deviated septums.”
Now that I think about it, I’m even polite to dark haired coke whores. I’d even let Lanni Barbie share a soda with me without expecting cold sores to pop up on my lips. Shit. Three Stacks, I think you have helped me to a personal revelation. I owe the bleached blonde coke whore community a heartfelt apology. If there are any bleached blonde coke whores out there reading this, I’m sorry, I hope your next rail has a minimum of baking soda cut.
September 10th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
David Brandon says:
Yo, Homeless J is really teein’ off, though… lol!!
September 10th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
loc says:
I think they’ll be a 6 or 7 seed,
but they could easily upset a squad or two, having Dirk alone makes them at least able to pull upsets.
Kidds got at least one year left, J Ho has something to prove, and Terry can haet up quick.
September 10th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Three Stacks says:
Homeless J got a dark side, hating on blonde chicks and stud QBs and whatnot. Lemme guess, former girlfriend was blonde with a fake nose and left you for a QB? Or a coke dealer?
Say what you will about Jenna Jameson and Tom Brady, but stop making cocaine look bad.
September 10th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
it aint easy being green says:
the mavs are like the san diego chargers of the nba. tons of talent but will never get over that hump, especially out of the stacked west. i cant see them beating any of the playoff contenders out there, nor will they be seeded high enough for home court advantage. not that i think it would help anyway. though j. kidd is a wife beater so i think if he got a ring we could all see it on his girl’s forehead.
September 10th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
sans says:
the “stop making cocaine look bad” is pretty funny. I know a whole lot of people that have made cocaine look bad.
J, you’re hating because you prefer white trach meth heads, right?
September 10th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Homeless J says:
I really don’t see the Mavs getting more than a 7 or 8 seed. And that’s only because the Warriors and Nuggets will be significantly worse than last year. Last year I felt like they were lucky to get the low seed that they did.
Theoretically, Dirk and Kidd will want to fight hard to make up for the disappointing performance last year, but they no longer have the man who by far had the most heart on that team, and that was coach Avery Johnson. He drove them to achieve what they did while he was there with his own heart and determination that he sort of force-fed to everyone. Hell, he even had Dampier looking halfway decent at times, and like he gave a damn that he was on the court. I can’t really see Carlisle firing up Dampier to the point of decent productivity.
Not only that, but last year the Mavs were afraid to underperform because they’d have to go back to the locker room and face Avery’s wrath. Do you think anyone on that team is really intimidated by Carlisle’s presence? I mean if they lose a close game do you think they’ll all go back in the locker room and listen to Carlisle yell at them about it? They’ll just tune him out. If the Mavs make it anywhere this year, it’s because Dirk and Kidd willed them to it with their leadership. I see them barely making the playoffs or being ousted from them late in the season during a close race by a couple of games. If they do make the playoffs I don’t see them winning a series, especially not against the teams who seem sure to be the top seeds.
September 10th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Drink The Haterade (Kobe Rocks) says:
The Mavs are to soft to win a chip. They don’t have that mental toughness… And BTW I wouldn’t sleep with Jenna, I mean waht she wighs like 45lbs and has been around the world a couple times to say the least
September 10th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
sans says:
It is pretty amazing that the first time Jenna didn’t take the shot to the grin, she gets pregnant. Seriously, what are the odds?
September 10th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Drink The Haterade (Kobe Rocks) says:
Sans– You killin with that one…
September 10th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
chris says:
count the locks in the west this year -la,houston,utah,new orleans,phoenix, portland,and those last 2 are weak – that still leaves dallas/denver in good position for a 7 or 8 seed in the west this year even if they are godawful for months at a time. stick a fork in them, the mavericks are done.
September 10th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Homeless J says:
Sans, you go to U of O. I assume you’ve seen plenty of the white trash meth head girls that southern Oregon has to offer. You can’t walk down some streets in Eugene without people practically throwing baggies at you. You also may or may not know that the meth here is extremely strong and the coke is subpar and usually watered down (or, umm, so I’ve uhh, heard, from people, other than myself.)
So of course I prefer them, they’re cheaper, they have less teeth, and since meth is largely made out of household cleaners, it temporarily wipes out any non-STD sicknesses they may have. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten a cold from girls sneezing and coughing in my face during sex. Plus, the degeneration of their brain’s hemispheres often leads them to develop split personalities. How many times have you had your girl nagging at you about something and wished you could show her a certain pattern or say trigger words and she would snap over to the other personality, which is a classy German aristocrat with an affinity for Kraftwerk records. I’m guessing A LOT of times.
September 10th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Three Stacks says:
LOL @ sans
September 10th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Three Stacks says:
I’m taking bets for how many rants Homeless J can go on in one day. The over/under is 10.
September 10th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
fallinup says:
Lets drop the blame where blame is due. Blame Mark Cuban and his enourmous ego.
He was so hard headed, he let Nash walk and become a 2 time MVP. All so he could take on Dampier’s friggin monstrous contract. The best thing to happen to that team (Avery Johnson), walked away after quarrels with you know who. Dirk is worn down from being the main man in Dallas and for Germany. Cuban pushed the panic button and the bones of Jason Kidd appeared…even when Devin Harris wasn’t that damn bad. And his biggest off season aquisition???? Diop???
Yeah, bye bye Dallas.
September 10th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Homeless J says:
I think I can rant almost as many times in one day as Tony Kornheiser mentions Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers’ “favre-like similarities” during any single Packers game this season. On a good day, this could be upwards of 30 rants. I don’t think the world is ready for that much of the inside of my brain.
Since we’re already on the subject of bleached blonde coke whores and the men who love them, I saw this on IMDB today:
Actress Tara Reid is to marry French fashion boss Julien Jarmoune after a whirlwind romance, according to reports.
The pair met while Reid was researching her new fashion line Mantra, and have quickly fell for each other, claims the National Enquirer.
A friend tells the tabloid, “Tara’s really in love with this guy, and he’s had an amazingly calming effect on her.”
The calming effect? She’s down to only a half gallon of vodka and two 8-balls per day. At this rate, she could be completely sober by 2043.
September 10th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Brandon Hoffman says:
Saying the Mavs “barely” made the playoffs is a little misleading since they won more than 50 games. I agree that their window has closed, but they were still a very good team last season.
September 10th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
sans says:
J, are you gonna be completely sober in 2043? I didn’t know Washington/Jefferson park had wifi…nice. Dude, I bartend in Springfield…nuff said about dealing with crackheads that love video poker machines and Pepsi Cola products. Then, when I ball under the bridge, you get to do it in front of the homeless audience, making audaciously obvious drug deals in broad daylight. Hilarious. Let me know if you ever hop a train up here.
September 10th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Homeless J says:
I’ll be lucky to be completely alive in 2043, let alone sober.
You’re spot-on with the video poker. I don’t like drinking at the Purple Parrot anymore because crackheads fill the place up at night playing the video poker machines. Then I tried to drink at the Fox Den for a while and it had the same problem. Now I strictly go to bars with no video poker and it’s been working wonders. There are much more attractive women, free pool, and an overall better atmosphere that’s noticable solely from the lack of video poker. If the cops ever really wanted to crack down on meth abuse, they should just put a bunch of video poker machines out in front of the courthouse and arrest anyone who uses them.
I will definitely get at you the next time I head up there.
September 10th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
George W Kush Sr says:
The Mavs need shooters and finishers. They’re only done if J-Kidd becomes useless, and against Deron and Chris, Kidd will be useless, but he’s still got gave vs Baron, Nash, Ridnour, etc, etc.
But as they are now, Carlisle has a team on the decline, Dirk needs to play in the paint more, Stack is getting old, they need more than just Howard finishing runs, and they need more than just Terry behind the arc…
Eddie Jones, Green, Foster, Wright, etc, etc, they need a better bench.
September 10th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
George W Kush Sr says:
still got game vs …
September 10th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Dirk Nowitzki says:
“I’ve been looking for freedom
still the search goes on.
I’ve been looking for
freedom since I left my
home town
I’ve been looking for freedom
still it can’t be found.”
September 10th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Mo says:
Isn’t Shan Foster gone overseas?
September 10th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Dave says:
Dirk doesn’t have enough help around him to contend for a title.
The Mavs are done. Making the playoffs and losing in the first round is a success story for them.
September 10th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
W says:
“Say what you will about Jenna Jameson and Tom Brady, but stop making cocaine look bad.”
By far the funniest thing i’ve ever read here…
September 10th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
dapro says:
@ Homeless J
You got issues bro. You’re hilarious but scary at the same time.
I’m not buying the Jenna Jamison pregnancy either. Actually, I take that back. She is the only woman that could have have a full fetus ejaculated on her face and swallow it only to have the fetus pass through her faloopian tube to give the effect of giving birth vaginally(if such as word exist)
September 10th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
QuEsT???? says:
fuck jameer nelson, and no The mavs have no chance
September 10th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
QuEsT???? says:
wait what??? jenna jameson is having tito ortiz’s baby??? i thought she was married??!? oh and fuck jameer nelson
September 10th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
that's whats up says:
I hope rangerjohn takes a page out of his own book and gets the HELL OUT OF THE WAY of Hurricane Ike. Ike is gonna bitch-slap Texas harder than he ever smacked Tina around and Houston is the first stop on “Ike’s Love Train”
September 10th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Tbone says:
Hey Three Stacks, care to elaborate on the idea that Denver got noticeably worse??
Yes they lost Camby.
But now they have a 100% healthy Nene and a re-energized K-Mart with a moderately solid season with no major injuries under his belt. Add Renaldo Balkman, bringing in a lot of hustle to make up for Camby too, the extra year of experience for Melo and AI together, and your argument about “noticeably” worse holds zero water.
September 10th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Tbone says:
And hey dapro,
HUMAN MALES DO NOT EJACULATE FETUSES
At least the majority don’t…….
September 10th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
2 Easy says:
WoW This has got to be one of the most if not the most interesting series of posts Ive ever seen on this site. J u hated on JJ so badly I actually feel sorry that her kid can walk outta her vag. Unfortunately I missed the hate on Tom Brady but that woulda hit close to home cause he was my 1st pick in fantasy football this year. Um back to the topic at hand. I dont remember who wrote that Avery was the heart and soul of the team but thats absolutely correct. The Mavs went where Avery yelled them and Dirk shot em too. If it wasnt for the fact that DWade kicked into Jordan gear they’d already have a title. Jho has consistently gotten worse and worse since he surprised everyone by bein the 2nd (some said best) player on the Mavs and the fact that he let that weed thing get to him just saddened me. If ur gonna openly admit u smoke it then stand by it and play, dont dissappear on ur team. The Mavs are one of my teams that I root for every year so this is gonna be an up and down year I can see that already. First Dwade, then the warriors, the CP3. It just isnt fair
September 10th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
James says:
they will make the playoffs b/c Josh is that dude- that was for you Holder
September 10th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
QuEsT???? says:
has anyone noticed that howard looks high on this pic?
September 10th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
johnny says:
Yea, ‘convince Jenna to abort’ is so wrong. It actually stood out among other things.
Dallas ain’t bad. They didn’t get to gel long enough with Kidd. For the same reason, I don’t disregard Phoenix with Shaq. Time will tell.
The only team out west with a chance to dominate the conference is the Lakers. As far as everybody else, good chemistry can separate them from the pack.
Looking at Dallas’ roster (and I looked at Toronto’s earlier today too) makes me appreciate the balance that Joe D puts in place on the Pistons.
September 10th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
solomon says:
damn, i’m lost…
page says “are the maverickss done”… all i read are ejaculated fetuses and cocained bitches… damn, are the mavs that bad?
we’re out like j-kidd’s shot at a larry o’bie…
September 11th, 2008 at 12:13 am
Three Stacks says:
Well, Denver is coming off a season where they were expected to do big things, with a whole season of AI and Melo. But they barely made the playoffs. Just knowing the fact that an AI and Melo combo isn’t as devastating as they thought it’d be, I think that’s a setback by itself.
They lost Camby, who was the only one who played D. Nene, even if he’s healthy, no one knows what you’re gonna get from him. You lost your hustle in Najera (which may or may not be replaced by Balkman). Kenyon didn’t have a bad season, but if you expect an improvement at this stage of his career, that’s kinda wishful. Still don’t have a PG. Still got no team defense. You coulda had Artest but kept Kleiza instead. George Karl is still your coach. I dunno, that doesn’t sound like a jackpot offseason to me.
You might forget, but they only made the playoffs by one game last year. Even if it’s not “noticeably” worse, any kind of setback might be enough to keep them outta the postseason.
September 11th, 2008 at 2:32 am
Mark says:
@ Mo, I thought so too. But whatevs.
The Mavs need some tune-ups desperately, but probably won’t go anywhere far in the playoffs (I’m still inclined to think they’ll make it). Hope they do though, I’ve been rooting for them since the Dick Motta days.
September 11th, 2008 at 3:30 am
king ralf says:
hate to say it, but i don´t think the mavs have a real chance on taking the whole thing home anymore.
the west is just too strong.
September 11th, 2008 at 3:41 am
solomon says:
hornets – check
spurs – check
suns – check
lakers – check
rockets – check
jazz – check
the 7th and 8th will be a toss between denver, dallas, portland (yeah!) and the clippers (yeah, you read it right)…
even if dallas makes it, do you see them beating any of the top 6 in a series?
thought so.
September 11th, 2008 at 6:22 am
ninja cool says:
I didn’t say it, you did. They had their chance…
September 11th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Mike says:
As long as the Mavs as Josh Howard listed as their starting SF, they aren’t going to win a championship. Everyone talks about Dirk choking, but Howard is at least ten times worse. If Josh could play in big games, Dirk wouldn’t get slammed any time he got the ball.
September 11th, 2008 at 8:50 am
MSkittle says:
I always thought the Mavs were overrated. Surprised they got as far as they did in 2006.
September 11th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
HugotheHornet says:
Dirk is still a superstar but he needs better help, J-Ho and Dampier are not going to cut it. Kidd will help, but Dirk needs another superstar in his prime. It seems today you need at least 1 superstar 1 all-star or another superstar and a boderline all-star to win the title. The Celts had 3 superstars but the Lakers had 1 superstar in Kobe, 1 all-star talent in Gasol, and Odom who is boderline all-star.
In short…..GET DIRK SOME BETTER HELP
September 12th, 2008 at 9:53 am
douglalr says:
Hey! Anybody remember just last season when no one, including Cuban, would trade their star for Kobe. Now the debate is will Kobe’s subpar play cost his team in the finals v. can Dirk even make the playoffs…and when you’re counting on a 35 year old player to get you over the hump and back to the finals you’re good, but if you can’t get to the playoffs without him, then yeah, you’re done!!!!