Posts tagged DirkNowitzki at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

The one-word answer to this question is a resounding "no," but let me get a few things out there before I get into my issue with David West.

I understand that the cheek-tap on Dirk in the first round was minor, and said so at the time. I also understand that this clip I'm about to show you did take place against the Spurs -- who are known for playing chippy -- and that a few words and clapping in someone's face isn't exactly the same thing as standing over someone grabbing your crotch after a dunk. I get all that. But I still find it annoying that David West -- who just became an All-Star this season and has only done so thanks to Chris Paul -- is now acting like a superstar who thinks he's the best player on the court.

Here's the incident with Oberto that occurred during the Hornets' Game 2 blowout of the Spurs. You can see (in super-fast motion) West clap in Oberto's face after the foul is called and have a few brief words with him as well.

I hate to break it to him, but West is basically the equivalent of the 2004 version of Kenyon Martin, albeit with a slightly better jump shot.

There's a report this morning -- backed up by an NBA TV talking head last night -- saying Rick Carlisle has been chosen as the next coach of the Dallas Mavericks. We'd accept this as fact if the source weren't Peter Vescey, who in the past week has retracted a column and errantly reported Derrick Coleman needs a heart transplant.

Vescey reports in the New York Post that Carlisle has interviewed with the Knicks on Wednesday, but has since wowed Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson down in Big D. Vescey parroted the same report on NBA TV's postgame festivities last night (via HoopsHype). ESPN.com's Marc Stein (the most plugged-in national reporter when it comes to Dallas) offers Carlisle only as a favorite in the job hunt, one of five candidates Cuban will consider. The Dallas Morning News, for its part, have nothing on the potential hire.

My only concern for the Mavs here: You need some creativity on offense, right? You need a coach who will, at the very least, turn the reins over to Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki and let the points fly, yes? Carlisle spent four seasons in Indiana; here are the Pacers' ranks in leaguewide offensive efficiency each of those seasons, chronologically: 9th, 18th, 21st, 30th. Yep, worst offense in the league in 2006-07. What did Jim O'Brien do with basically the same roster in 2007-08? 19th in the league.

Carlisle can coach defense, and he's not likely to grate on Kidd like Avery Johnson did. But this sure as heck doesn't seem like your typical magical elixir.

There's a slew of "new" versus "old" changing of the guard notions buried within the New Orleans Hornets -- Dallas Mavericks series that just ended. The one time perennial contender Maverick team is on the verge of being blown up and something -- something about a change in the league's best point guard.

But I don't know that I have the brain power to wax poetic about it right now, simply because I am in absolute awe of how freaking good Chris Paul is. Say whatever you want about this Dallas team quitting on Avery Johnson -- and they did, no doubt about it -- but this series wasn't about redemption for Dirk or Avery. That's because it was CP3's coming out party.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Mavs-Hornets game tonight.

1. You Don't Have To Go Home But You Can't Stay Here: Fire Avery Johnson? Trade Dirk? Trade Josh Howard? All of those questions have to wait. The Mavericks aren't dead yet, and you don't bury the body till the soul is gone. It doesn't look good for the visitors, though. After an uplifting Game 3 went back and changed ... nothing. Not a thing. They said "We got the looks we wanted, they just didn't fall. They'll go in next time." And they did. All of the "JET can stop Paul!" talk was drowned out by this fact. Even if you stop Chris Paul, you let his weapons beat you. I want to believe, if only for the sake of dramatics, that the Mavs can turn this thing around. But in reality, this entire series has felt like the Mavericks were only a footnote for the Hornets' reclamation project. We'll see if the Mavericks are ready to call it a year or not.

2. Not Only Is The Future Now, The Past Is Then: You have to wonder if Jason Kidd may have irreparably harmed his legacy with this trade to Dallas. In New Jersey, he could have made the playoffs a few more years, collected a few dozen more tri-ple dou-bles and sailed off into the sunset. Now he's the old dude that can't keep up with Paul, who tried to decapitate Jannero Pargo, and may have ruined the Mavs' longterm flexibility. Kidd's still going to go down as one of the best in the game, but perhaps it would have been better to stay somewhere he could divert the criticism to others, like, oh, say, Vince Carter.

Various Mavericks fans have been calling for Johnson's termination since the Warriors upended Dallas in the first round of last season, but Mark Cuban has stood pretty firmly by his coach.

But you have to figure that if the players suddenly decide to publicly turn on AJ, that things could change drastically. And I may be going out on a limb here, but let's say that 'practicing without your coach and contrary to his orders' qualifies as 'publicly turning on'.

The players stepped out on their own Monday afternoon. After coach Avery Johnson spoke briefly with the team at American Airlines Center, he canceled practice and said he would see everybody at the team plane for the flight to New Orleans.

But several players said that they wanted to practice. So they did, without the coaching staff.

[...] Johnson talked openly Monday about whether the players are still in his corner. He said he will continue to run his team the way he believes it should be run. He said that since the trade for Jason Kidd, the transition has been rocky.

The Morning-News also made it pretty clear that Avery's tone was not that of "pleased" when discussing the players only practice. Avery Johnson isn't the type of guy that would just give up, so it's a little surprising to see him cancel practice.

Not to mention he's a self-admitted control freak, so this type of thing probably would not sit well. Although, maybe his attitude just doesn't sit well with certain players. And honestly, who would be surprised to see Kidd either not succumb to Avery's controlling ways or to just straight up lead a quiet mutiny in Dallas? You can put your hand down, Byron. It was hypothetical.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Mavericks at Hornets, Game 2 tonight.

1. Is CP3 Solvable?: The Mavericks thought they had it figured out going into Game 1. "Oh, okay, we'll trap him and take away his primary options." The word you're looking for there, Mavs, is "Errrrrr!" Thanks for playing! Chris Paul decided to dribble away from the trap and shoot, lighting up the Mavs. Unlike Steve Nash, making Paul the scorer is not a viable defensive option. It's back to the drawing board for the Mavs, though coach Avery Johnson says they "have some things" they're "working" on.

2. Fallout From "TapGate": Am I the only person that doesn't care about the lovetap David West gave Dirk Nowitzki and the fact that Nowitzki responded? If Nowitzki responds, it escalates, he possibly gets tossed, and possibly suspended, and we all know how that can work out. If you don't, just go ask Phoenix. The best revenge would be Dirk going off for 40 tonight and getting a win in the Easy. But if David West comes out and asserts himself again, it's going to reflect very poorly on the Mavs' leading man.

The Mavericks are back in the post-season, and after a road loss in Game 1 to a less-experienced (but more talented) Hornets team, questions are once again being raised regarding the toughness of Dirk Nowitzki. There were actually two plays from this game involving Dirk where you might have reason to re-open this discussion, but here's the one that most people are pointing to.

(I'm sorry, before I get to the analysis, I just have to comment on Michael Cooper. "Pimp slap with a back hand?" Forgetting the fact that that's a completely inappropriate comment considering that Cooper coaches the WNBA's Sparks, I'm willing to bet that his scrawny, high-pitched ass has never done any such thing. And by the way, the next time there's a shot of Los Angeles during a national broadcast, and they show people in the sunshine playing at the beach while much of the country is suffering through inclement weather, maybe remembering that this is the level of local sports that we have to endure will make you hate us a little less.)

Okay, I feel better. Now, back to the question of whether or not Dirk should have responded.

Playoffs are here. You've read the zillion previews going over the main stuff about this game, including our most recent masterpiece on the game. But what about the little things (that kill) so to speak? Here are five things to focus on during Mavericks vs. Hornets.

1. Spring The Trap: The Mavericks happened upon something I hadn't seen a team do against the Hornets this season. They immediately trapped Paul on the perimeter with the strong side. If Chris Paul has any weakness, it's his size. By forcing his passing lanes away from West and Chandler, the Mavs made an inconsistent (this year) Peja Stojakovic and Mo Peterson the primary scorers. Needless to say, that did not end well for the Hornets. The only cost is bringing either Dirk Nowitzki or Bass off of West to trap, which can burn you. If Avery Johnson is able to effectively pull the perimeter defenders to trap Paul, they can limit CP3's effectiveness.

2. The Assassin Versus Dirkalicous: David West's versatility is a key factor in the Hornets' offense. They need him to be able to produce. Dirk has been tremendous since coming back from the injury. The Mavs need him to be the Man he's been. This could very well be the best player on player matchup in the playoffs. West's post game has improved as the season has progressed, but Dirk's touch is amazing combined with his size. This should be a clinic on both sides.

The countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympics has obviously been met with a good deal of controversy. There's been numerous calls across the world for countries to boycott the games, or at the very least for politicians to skip the opening ceremonies.

But couldn't a greater statement by made by the athletes themselves? Should they be expected to voluntarily withdraw from the Olympics out of protest of China's long history of human rights violations and involvement with Darfur and Tibet? Dirk Nowitzki doesn't want that responsibility, according to a statement he gave to the German news channel n-tv, which was translated by Ball in Europe:

"Why should athletes do, what politicans aren't able to do for years? It is wrong, to make the athletes protest now! When they elected China for the Olympic games to be held at, they should have known that two worlds would clash. They also should have known that there will be trouble, but sport itself is non-political and there are athletes that work for the Olympics for four years. There is no reason for these guys now, not to participate!"

Nowitzki's entitled to an opinion, but in my eyes he's selling athletes short at best and dodging responsibility at worst. Athletes may not be politicians, but they can still wield political influence, especially prominent athletes such as himself. Simply standing back and letting the politicians make all of the decisions without expressing a valid dissenting opinion is rarely a good idea for long. Not to be crude, but you'd think a guy from Germany would've learned that lesson in history class.

The Rotation is a weekly study on the NBA by one of our All-Star voices. In rotation this week is Tom Ziller.

Laugh away, you cynics. You see Carlos Boozer and Dwight Howard looking up at a headline about winning the NBA championship, and you laugh. You think to yourself, "Self, there's no way Tracy McGrady or Chris Paul can win it all this year."

You laugh, but you shouldn't. Ten teams have a legitimate shot at winning this title -- the top seven of the West and the top three in the East. The elite tier of the NBA is just that crowded this year, and it should be no surprise to see confetti raining down on any of those 10 faces come June.

Crazy series to end tonight's game in Dallas. Deron Williams (a.k.a. Chris Paul's Daddy) hit an extremely difficult three-pointer (bank!) to tie the game for Utah. But the Jazz didn't get back on defense, and Dallas rushed down and fed Dirk for the three, which was good with 0.9 left on the clock. Observe.

Pandemonium ensues, as a surging (and relieved) Dallas team clinches a playoff spot. Relieved because, until recently, it was a very real possibility that they could miss the playoffs altogether. Which, after making the blockbuster trade for Jason Kidd, would have been a monumental embarrassment.

[video via Odenized]

Both the Warriors and Mavericks had tougher tasks than the Nuggets over the last 24 hours -- Denver blew its Saturday night "gimme" against Sacramento, but trailing Golden State could not take advantage with a win on Sunday. Chris Paul took over late to refute a tremendous day for Monta Ellis as the Hornets took the Dubs by a dozen.

Dallas, though, had a masterful little comeback against the Suns in Phoenix. Down 14 in the fourth, a slow and steady offensive push mixed with active defense which forced Steve Nash to shoot too many threes and had Amare Stoudemire kicking the ball around gave the Mavericks the victory; Dirk Nowitzki had one particularly gully shot (followed by the most awkward jersey poppin' I have ever witnessed).

Denver gets a real gimme tonight (Seattle), let's figure they win. That would keep Denver a half-game behind Dallas for 7th, with Golden State a full game back of the Nuggets. The world of NBA fandom is already stoked for Denver's Thursday visit to Oakland -- if it helps decide the 8th seed (which it almost certainly will), it could be the most anticipated game of the season.

At the other end of the bracket, New Orleans has opened up a two-game lead on the Lakers and Spurs for the #1 seed. The Lakers visit frisky Sacramento tonight, the Spurs just tipped off in Portland.

I thought it was a little odd how the Warriors got blown out for the second consecutive night in Dallas, especially considering how fragile their playoff prospects are at the moment. I chalked it up to the unexpected return of Dirk Nowitzki, but Warriors' coach Don Nelson had another reason in mind: Dallas cheated.

"Wait a minute. I have a statement," Nellie said. "Avery Johnson had inside information. He used to play for the Golden State Warriors. He knew too much about our team and what we were going to run."

Obviously, Nellie was in the mood to joke around after this one, even as the team's playoff chances were slipping away. This was a verbal jab at Mark Cuban, who ridiculously made a similar claim about Nelson and the Warriors after they knocked the Mavericks out of the playoffs last season. There are still seven games left for Golden State to work themselves into a playoff spot, but all it's going to take is a couple more losses for Cuban to be assured of having the last laugh this year.

While I remain unconvinced the Mavericks will outlast their chief rivals in the march towards the Western playoffs, I cannot refute the impact of Dallas's win over Golden State Wednesday night. In terms both concrete and ethereal, the victory was monumental.

Everyone knows the ramifications on the win-loss ledger by now -- Dallas basically has a three-game lead on the Warriors when you consider tiebreakers. But there's a subplot a little lost in the resultant commendations: You cannot call Dirk Nowitzki soft any more.

The assertion was already absurd; Dirk's Mavs had won 67 games in a season, Dirk's Mavs had vanquished a healthy Spurs team in the playoffs, Dirk's Mavs had been to the NBA Finals. Dirk had missed only 21 games in eight flippin' seasons. Dirk had finished in the top 10 in MVP in last seven seasons, winning it last year. Dirk boasts career playoff per-game averages of 25 points and 11 rebounds. Dirk's team (on which he plays more minutes than anyone) has been in top half of the league in defensive rating every year (including this one) since 2004-05.

Dirk was not soft before he came back from a nasty high ankle sprain in less than two weeks' time (when the usual prognosis is at least a month). Hopefully, the attention from Dirk's miracle reanimation (and impending title run, perhaps?) will end all the nonsensical bashing of Nowitzki which has gone on too long.

Remember how Dirk Nowitzki said his ankle was too hurt to play last night? Yeah, he was lying: he scored 18 points in 27 points minutes to help the Mavs over the Warriors. As Avery Johnson explained after the game, he expected to have Dirk back all along. From Tim McMahon's blog for the Dallas Morning News:

The post-shootaround pessimism was all an act, Avery revealed after the win over the Warriors. The Mavs knew this morning that Dirk would play tonight.

They just didn't want the Warriors to know.

"Nellie taught me that," Avery said with a big smile.