Subject: Dallas Mavericks

• Can the Mavs Draft Their Way Back Into Contention?

  Danny Bollinger After him, Dallas' draft history this decade gets really bad really quick.As we prepare to watch the Lakers turn the Thuggets (L.A. in 7) into mere mortals in the Western Conference Finals, let's ponder what the Mavs can do to get back into the NBA's final four. *Re-sign Jason Kidd? *A sign-and-trade with Kidd? *Trade Erick Dampier and Jerry Stackhouse to the Suns for Shaquille O'Neal? *Use their mid-level exception on a summer free-agent crop highlighted by Ron Artest, L

  May 19, 2009

• The Most Underrated Rivalry in Sports: Act IV

  Spurs vs. Mavs feel incestuous? That's because they used to be us.A Dallas Mavericks' season that had more than its share of ups and downs and ups and downs enters the playoffs on a peak. Thank you - of all people - Michael Finley. The former Maverick's overtime-forcing 3-pointer allowed the San Antonio Spurs to beat the New Orleans Hornets Wednesday night and allowed the Mavs to not face the younger, athletically superior Denver Nuggets, but instead a familiar fo

  April 16, 2009

• 2009 NBA Playoff Preview: Spurs vs. Mavs

  The good news: When the Mavs and Spurs begin their first-round playoff series this weekend it will be a renewal of a rivalry featuring talented, tested teams. The bad news: When the Mavs and Spurs finish their first-round playoff series, the loser will go home and the winner won't be far behind. Should be a competitive, entertaining clash. But, ultimately, I don't see either Dallas or San Antonio as a major threat to get out of the second round, much less the Western Conference. (And s

  April 17, 2009

• Mavs Have an Old Deamon to Exorcise

  The Mavs better find a way to exorcise their old demon after suffering a Game 2 playoff loss against the Spurs

  April 23, 2009

• Spurrifics 105, Mav-Wrecks 84

  Got his team back in the series.Seriously now, did you expect anything different from these Dallas Mavericks? A frustratingly inconsistent team that led the NBA in close victories also had more than its share of blowout losses and inexplicable letdowns. So after the Mavs rallied from 13 down to win Game 1 on Sunday, you knew - well, at least some of us did - that a repeat performance in last night's Game 2 was unlikely, even improbable. I could X and O the 21-point loss, or I co

  April 21, 2009

• Mavericks 3, Spurs 1. The End is Near.

  Mike Fisher - DallasBasketball.comLet's say that before tip-off of Game 1 I gave you these crystal ball visions about the Spurs-Mavs series: *San Antonio's Tony Parker will skip down Dallas' lane at will, averaging 29 points including games of 38 and 43. *Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki will be held 10 points under his season scoring average, Jason Terry eight under his and Jason Kidd almost four assists fewer. *Entering Game 5 the series will be 3-1. Guaranteed you would've bet me a wee

  April 27, 2009

• Mavs-Spurs Game 5 Preview: Uh-Oh

  Dirk's getting double-teamed. What's your excuse?*Unless Mark Cuban smears Swine Flu on Tony Parker, I'm afraid the desperate and prideful San Antonio Spurs beat the Dallas Mavericks tonight, forcing a Game 6 Friday night at American Airlines Center. Why? Because home teams down 3-1 always win Game 5. Because Greg Popovich has won 75 percent of his games when facing elimination, best all-time. And because there's that nagging "internal devil" thing with the Mavs. *Deferential Dirk: O

  April 28, 2009

• Pinch Yourself: Mavericks 106, Spurs 93

  In hindsight, Dirk Nowitzki vs. Matt Bonner was a laugher.On second thought, forget The Alamo. And the San Antonio Spurs. What began as a competitive series that some of us skeptics thought the Spurs would win in seven games magically morphed into a hockey power play. Afforded basically a 5-on-2 advantage, the Mavericks ultimately skated past old, slow, buried San Antonio. Last night Dallas put the Spurs out of their misery with a 106-93 victory at AT&T Center that gave it the series,

  April 29, 2009

• Kidd vs. Devin: Tweaking the Hindsight?

  I still - as always - wouldn't have pulled the trigger on Jason Kidd and two No. 1 draft picks, etc. for Devin Harris and Antoine Wright, etc. But I'll admit, Kidd has been better than any of us expected. And today - as the Mavericks prepare to enter the second round of the NBA Playoffs against the Denver Nuggets - the trade looks less lopsided than ever. Diluted into a weakside, third-option set-shooter by a former, narrow-minded head coach (Avery Johnson) who considere

  April 30, 2009

• Dallas v. Denver: Nuggets in 5

  Mavs' fans, prepare to be nauseated.I sincerely hope I'm wrong about this, but I have a feeling we're all about to get really pissed. Watching the most athletic - and by far the most animated and arrogant - team in the NBA knock the Dallas Mavericks out of the playoffs could be very painful. Get out your hate hats, Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets is Sunday at 2:30. If you haven't seen a lot of Nuggets' games this season, just wait. A week from now you'll look back at

  May 1, 2009

• Nuggets-Mavs: Irrationally Optimistic Game 2 Preview

  Danny Bollinger Dirk Nowitzki has a case of the old-school Bird Flu. Certain that my prediction of Thuggets in 5 is spot on, my head is bursting with pride. But desperately wanting my Mavericks to pull the upset, my heart is breaking with pain. Before tonight's pivotal Game 2 at Denver's Pepsi Center, let's allow the ticker to momentarily win the tug-o'-war over the thinker. It takes a gigantic swig of blue Kool-Aid and some Cuban-colored bifocals, but there are reasons to be c

  May 5, 2009

• Nowitzkis 119, Carmelos 117

  Better late than never, a happy tune.Now that, my friends, was a basketball game. A playoff basketball game, with everything on it. Delicious. Considering they still won't win this series, the Mavericks had every reason to fold. And after the week he's had, Dirk Nowitzki had every reason to pout. Instead? Dirk produced one of the grittiest performances in franchise history, willing the Mavericks out of a sweep with 44 points, 13 rebounds and one victory that feels more

  May 12, 2009

• The Mild-Mannered Mavericks Are Infected Again By Chronic Case of Whine Flu

  May 7, 2009

• Thuggets 2, Mavwimps 0

  Dirk and his miniscule help have lots of questions to answer.Already being out-jumped, out-run, out-dunked and out-funked, the Dallas Mavericks last night became a desperate team suddenly out-manned. And after another thorough loss to the Denver Nuggets - this one 117-105 in Game 2 of the NBA's Western Conference Semifinals - it's inevitable the Mavs will soon be simply out. With Dallas swimming upstream against Denver's superior physicality and athleticism - I'll say it, the Nuggets

  May 6, 2009

• Mavs-Nuggets: Irrationally Optimistic Game 3 Preview

  Danny Bollinger Bite the bullet, Josh. Or your jersey. Whatever works.Before Game 1: Doubtless. After Game 1: Defiant. Before Game 2: Determined. After Game 2: Depressed. Before Game 3: Desperate? Delusional? Dead? Fine, then you tell me. For my prediction of Thuggets in 5 to remain in play, the Mavericks have to win a game at home either tomorrow afternoon or Monday night at American Airlines Center. It'll happen. Right? *In all-time Game 3s when trailing a series 0-2 the Mavs are 7-2.

  May 8, 2009

• Mavs-Nuggets: Irrationally Optimistic Game 4 Preview

  No team in NBA history has ever rallied from down 0-3 to win a series. Including this one.*The Mavs haven't lost four in a row since ... *Cattle-prodded by Saturday's historic hose job, Dallas will ... Oh screw it. Tonight's game tips at 8:30. Wear black.

  May 11, 2009

• Dallas Mavwrecks: Series, Composure Both Lost

  So much for winning. And so much for losing with class and dignity. Yes, unequivocally, the Mavericks got screwed in Saturday's Game 3 loss to the Denver Nuggets. (We didn't need - or really want - an admission by the NBA to confirm that.) But despite the team's latest case of Whine Flu, isn't it obvious the Mavs were an accessory to the rape by ditching their clothes and assuming the position? We didn't know it would be referee Mark Wunderlich swallowing his whistle, but - admit

  May 11, 2009

• Mavs-Nuggets: Irrationally Optimistic Game 5 Preview

  Stay classy, Kenyon Martin's girlfriend. Stay classy.Let's keep this short and sweet, as I'm scurrying off to Las Vegas this morning to accept a CLIO Award. (No, check that, they're whispering in my ear that my schedule actually calls for an Observer staff meeting in Uptown.) Guess the awards will have to live with appearances from Mavs owner Mark Cuban and ... Barry Manilow? *I'm not saying it's chicken shit for Cuban not to be at tonight's Game 5 in Denver. He has been committed to

  May 13, 2009

• “Whine Flu,” | "Dish" | “The Big Buy-In,”

  May 14, 2009

• Opponents Can't Defend Dirk Nowitzki. So Richie Whitt Will Do It.

  May 14, 2009

• Mavericks-Nuggets: A Requiem in 5 Predictable Parts

  No Jason Terry. No Gatorade dump. Hindsight, they say, is 20/20. Sometimes, unfortunately, so is foresight. On Friday, May 1 I picked the Denver Nuggets to eliminate the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Last night it came to pass, in the form of Nuggets 124, Mavs 110. Dirk Nowitzki was as gritty as he was great. But Jason Terry never arrived, Josh Howard spent the series hobbling and the Mavericks had no answers for Denver's relentless energy and superior athleticsm. And, lest we

  May 14, 2009

• Your Dallas Mavericks: Now What?

  Danny Bollinger Was this block/fall Jason Kidd's last stand as a Maverick? The body was still warm. The emotions, still raw. But when it comes to the Dallas Mavericks, Charles Barkley doesn't give a damn. "They got problems," the rotund, ridiculous TNT analyst said last night in the minutes after Dallas' elimination by the Denver Nuggets. "They gotta get younger and more physical around Dirk." Chimed sidekick Kenny Smith, "As currently constructed, this is as good as this team gets.

  May 14, 2009

• D.J. Mbenga 1, Dirk Nowitzki 0

  Watching the Lakers party in Orlando last night - I was wrong about L.A. in 4, but just barely -was a reminder how cruel sports can be. While former Mavericks D.J. Mbenga and Josh Powell hugged and kissed the NBA's Larry O'Brien championship trophy, current Maverick Dirk Nowitzki is left with remorse about hugging and kissing Cristal Taylor. Though they played in the NBA Finals only three summers ago, in a way the Mavs have never felt farther from a title. They were overmatch

  June 15, 2009

• Mavs Trade Down, Try Not to Fall Asleep

  Trade proposal: Mavs Man and tonight's 24th pick for these two prospects?Like the Dallas Cowboys did a couple months ago, the Dallas Mavericks have made the decision to fortify their roster via quantity, not quality. But in an NBA Draft that features Blake Griffin, Hasheem Thabeet, James Harden and a bunch of extras, that might not be such a bad idea. Unwilling and/or unable to move up into the draft's Top 5, the Mavs last night swapped first-round picks with the Portland Trailblazer

  June 25, 2009

• The French Disconnection

  Though I'm always skeptical when a head coach drafts a player 24th overall and then contends he "pin-pointed" the kid all along - see: Jimmy Johnson on 7th-rounder Leon Lett, circa 1991 - I'm willing to forge into the Rodrigue Beaubois Era with an open mind. Well, I lied. I won't sit well with Beaubois without pre-conditions. You? I know the French guard has long arms and mad hops - yes, it's very weird that his YouTube highlight video is set to a song by Michael Jackson - but here's

  June 25, 2009

• NBA Free Agency Commences in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...

  Love him or not, gotta have him back. Right?So, the Mavs made a big deal yet? Well, GM Donnie Nelson promised a "very active summer," so let's hop to it. Actually, though NBA free agency is just hatching, Dallas may be already making progress. That is, if you consider re-signing Jason Kidd progress. Kidd may not be the Mavs' most important signing this off-season, but he's by far their most important re-signing. If Kidd walks - without compensation - I'm crowing about the disastrous Devin

  June 30, 2009

• The Mavericks' French Misconnection Marks More of the Same on Draft Day

  July 2, 2009

• Mavericks' Free Agency: Kidd Returning, Polish Hammer Looming

  The Mavs are Pole dancing. Got your $1s ready? We can no longer confuse the Dallas Mavericks' silence with inactivity. Let's hope we never confuse Marcin Gortat with the franchise's legacy of Great White Nopes. The Mavericks last night agreed to re-sign 36-year-old point guard Jason Kidd to a three-year, $25 million contract and inched closer to landing a new starting center as the Orlando Magic seem unwilling to match their offer for the 6-foot-11 Gortat. After a week on t

  July 6, 2009

• A Transaction Sure to Inject Optimism Into Your Mavericks Thinking

  I know, let's raid the rich basketball heritage of SMU and the Memphis Grizzlies! Take the White Out to yesterday's speculative depth chart and dust off Laura Miller's old parade plans, your Dallas Mavericks just signed ... drum roll ... Quintin Ross! Starred at Kimball High School. Starred at SMU. Starred at Bounced around the NBA. I'll let the Mavs trumpet his arrival: Ross (6-6, 193) joins the Mavericks after spending the 2008-09 season with Memphis. He averaged 3.9 points, 1.9 rebou

  July 8, 2009

• It's time for the Dallas Observer’s annual list of the 50 Most Powerful People in Metroplex Sports. Cool.

  July 16, 2009

• Mark Cuban: Out of the SEC Frying Pan ... Into the Hillwood Fire

  Just as Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban is finishing his jig in the wake of beating an insider trading charge from the Securities & Exchange Commission, today comes another legal pothole. This one from the guy who sold him the Mavericks. Hillwood Center Partners, which is controlled by Ross Perot Jr., filed a lawsuit against Cuban in state district court in Dallas last week claiming he diverted money from American Airlines Center to make up for financial shortfalls incurred

  July 20, 2009

• Mark Cuban to Ross Perot Jr.: Well, Allow Me to Retort

  Just received an email from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban regarding the lawsuit filed against him by former owner Ross Perot Jr. I've covered the Mavs during both regimes and just let me say unequivocally that in any fight - fist, financial or basketball IQ - I'm siding with Cuban. In my earlier post I hinted at that, by stating that he "usually has his shit together." Now Cuban is offering his retort. Jules would be so proud. I'm totally paraphrasing here, but

  July 20, 2009

• Done Deals? Your 2009-10 Dallas Mavericks

  The missing link? Or merely the last move?​Well, after yesterday's signing of 3-point shooting specialist Tim Thomas I think the Dallas Mavericks are finished with their significant off-season moves. Of course, at points during the summer I also thought Marcin Gortat was coming, Brandon Bass was staying and Mark Cuban was losing to the SEC. And, come to think of it - uh-oh - the acquisition of Drew Gooden hasn't made it past Twitter confirmation has it? Assuming Gooden's comin

  July 29, 2009

• How Jason Terry Spent Summer Vacation

  Yesterday, just because, the NBA posted some of the Dallas Maverick's home movies from his trip to China. In a word: adorable.

  August 5, 2009

• Dallas' Fantasy Roster

  No. 12 in your football program ... No. 12 on our fantasy roster.​When I say No. 22, who comes to mind? Do you immediately think of the Dallas Cowboys' all-time best runner? Or their all-time best rusher? Or perhaps instead the second-leading all-time scorer in the history of the Dallas Mavericks? The quest is to attach a Dallas/Fort Worth player to every sports uniform 0-99. A fantasy roster, if you will. The criterion for determining which local athlete "owns" a specific number is as

  August 25, 2009

• Short Orders: Palomino

  ​Palomino500 Crescent Ct. (Atrium)214-999-1222Age can fray a restaurant. Leather wears, fittings crack and the room begins to lose its allure.Not so in the case of Palomino. The dining space at this veteran Crescent Court locale speaks of timeless dinner club finery, with an inviting bar and patio that's just plain old cool. Even graying wait staff show some personality.Despite the restaurant's longevity, therefore, you could imagine this a Dallas hot spot--a meeting up place populated by coug

  August 27, 2009

• Whitt's End: 9.4.09

  ​Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *93.3 FM - the station formerly known as The Zone, The Bone, Quality Rock and who knows what all else - has for the last day or so been "stunting." That is, playing nonsense in advance of flipping formats. My station - 105.3 - played college fight songs ahead of changing from Live to The Fan back in December. Today at Noon we'll find out what's in store for 93.3. Maybe a simple switch to s

  September 4, 2009

• Gooden-Uff

  September 24, 2009

• And Now ... Introducing ... Your Dallas Mavericks! At the AAC's Open-Mike Night.

  If this picture were at all legible, you'd see Donnie Nelson sitting at the table where wanna-be Humble Billys took their best shots yesterday.​So, yeah, I was only kidding, far as you know, when I mentioned that, oh, maybe I'd try out for The Voice of The American Airlines Center. As you're no doubt aware by now, Mavs man "Humble" Billy Hayes has moved out of town to tend to personal business, and owner Mark Cuban's looking for a new man to take the mic (and take it hard). So, last week, I ex

  October 7, 2009

• Your Top 10 Finalists For the Mavs' PA Gig

  My father won't be surprised: I won't be the next voice of Your Dallas Mavericks. But one of these 10 men will: Rodney Blue, Doug Branch, KTCK's Tom Gribble, Sean Heath, Chris Martin (no, not that one), Allan Peck, Michael Rey, KEGL's Chris Ryan, Steve Sparks or Michael Taylor. The Mavs just posted their videos -- so vote early, vote often. Here's one lucky finalist, and I had no idea the BaD Radio producer was such a fan of Cabaret. Find more videos like this on friends.mavs.com

  October 9, 2009

• How Much Tax Revenue Does Dallas Stand to Make from the 2010 NBA All-Star Game?

  ​That's the question answered by this briefing that's been prepared for the city council's Economic Development Committee on Tuesday morning. The short answer: The 2010 NBA All-Star Game is expected to generate about $2.49 million in tax revenue for the city. But keep in mind, should the council give its OK at the end of this month, $1.73 million of that will come out of the city's contingency reserves and be deposited into something called a Major Events Trust Fund controlled by the Texas Com

  October 18, 2009

• And Then There Were Two: Mavs Announce the Finalists For The Voice of The AAC

  ​The Dallas Mavericks' Matt Miller just sent word: The team has narrowed down its list of 10 would-be Humble Billys to two finalists: Sean Heath and Michael Taylor. They shot to the top of the list following a few in-game tryouts; and your votes didn't hurt neither. Both will take their final shots at being the New Voice of Your Dallas Mavericks during the first two regular season at the American Airlines Center: Taylor's first up on October 27, when Dallas plays Washington; Heath follows on N

  October 19, 2009

• Happy Basketball! Do You Believe in These Dallas Mavericks?

  Dirk looks excited about the season. You?​Last time we saw our Dallas Mavericks it wasn't pretty was ugly. Jason Terry was flopping (only 15 points per game), the defense was floundering (surrendering 115 per game) and owner Mark Cuban was flapping (his gums at Kenyon Martin's mom) in a 5-game playoff loss to the athletically superior Denver Nuggets back in mid-May. Tonight we can officially bury last year beneath this year as the Mavs open the 2010 season against the Washington Wi

  October 27, 2009

• Wizards 102, Mavwrecks 91: My Top 10 Observations

  ​10. There was some good news out of the Dallas Mavericks' hideous 102-91 loss to the Washington Wizards last night at American Airlines Center. Bruce Hornsby - a long-time buddy of head coach Rick Carlisle - played a stirring National Anthem on the piano. (But, dude, he has the limpest/wimpiest of handshakes.) 9. The other positive was that Dirk Nowitzki is still terriffic. And he got a pre-game haircut. Not his traditional sheared buzz cut, but he no longer looks like a GEICO cavem

  October 28, 2009

• Mavs Sweep L.A. Raise Your Hand If You Saw This One Coming.

  Maybe the sweet new baby blues are lucky?​After attending last Tuesday's sluggish opener at American Airlines Center, I didn't exactly think the Dallas Mavericks were a hideous outfit that would miss the playoffs. But I certainly didn't see them beating the Los Angeles Lakers. Maybe: 1) The Washington Wizards don't suck. 2) The Mavs don't either. Hung out Sunday afternoon at a party that included Mavs' radio voice Chuck Cooperstein. Fresh back from L.A. where the Mavs completed an unpre

  November 2, 2009

• This Just In: Don't Drink and Drive

  ​If your name is Newy Scruggs, Laura Dean-Mooney or Jesus H. Christ, you have permission to stop reading. The rest of you, I'd like you to think back to the last time you were driving while drunk, schnockered, intoxicated, tipsy, under the influence or, if you prefer, merely buzzed. Last week? Last month? Last year? Last night? Whatever. I've done it. We've all done it. Shame on us. The latest reminder about the consequences of one of the dumbest decisions we make in life comes courtesy o

  November 3, 2009

• Hash Over: Libertine Fights Brain Cancer, NBC Starts Fish Fight, and Stephan Pyles Holds Celebrity Dinner Sunday

  ​The Libertine Bar may have the Best Bar Food in Dallas, along with a great selection of beer and wine--and, of course, the monthly Playlister P local-music DJ nights. But beginning at 7 p.m. tomorrow night, the bar's brain cancer awareness event gives yet another reason to love the Lower Greenville pub. After a friend of the bar was diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer, the staff organized an impromptu concert with a live and silent auction to raise funds for her walk Saturday at Trinity Park

  November 3, 2009

• The Best 12 Minutes Ever By a Dallas Maverick. Take a Bow, Dirk Nowitzki.

  ​I remember watching Mark Aguirre go off on the Denver Nuggets in March of 1984. In scoring 24 points in a quarter, the ball just seem to magically, directly commute from hand to hoop. He launched a wing jumper and you knew it was going in. Measured. Smooth. Beautiful. Nothing, in other words, like Dirk Nowitzki's historic performance last night at American Airlines Center. In the most dominating, productive 12 minutes of basketball in Dallas Mavericks' history, Dirk willed and skilled hi

  November 4, 2009

• Drowned Out By Grandiose Doings in Arlington, the Dallas Mavericks Begin What Should Be a Loud, Proud Season

  November 6, 2009

• Your Dallas Mavericks Will Hold Off On Selecting New Voice of the AAC For a Month

  ​A Mavs season-ticket-holding Friend of Unfair Park wonders: "Weren't the Dallas Mavericks supposed to announce The New Voice of the American Airlines Center yesterday?" We appreciate the reminder -- because, yes, November 4 was indeed supposed to be The Big Day, after Michael Taylor sat down at the mic for his final audition on October 27 and Sean Heath took his last shot against the Jazz Tuesday night. Alas, you'll have to hold your breath a little while longer: Matt Miller at the Mavs tells

  November 5, 2009