Inside the Dallas MavericksDMN: Inside The Dallas Mavericks

Discussion in 'Dallas Mavericks' started by mavsfan1000, Apr 18, 2006.

  1. mavsfan1000

    mavsfan1000 BBW Elite Member

    Joined:
    Feb 10, 2006
    Messages:
    5,316
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Dirk should lead awards parade02:08 PM CDT on Tuesday, April 18, 2006You want bling. We got bling.After careful consideration, here are the choices as submitted to the NBA office for all the regular-season awards, including MVP. And guess who gets some hardware?Dirk wins. Dirk wins. Dirk wins.At least, he does on this ballot. And the fact that D-Moore feels the same way is proof that he still has at least one or two marbles rolling around upstairs.Without further hype, here?s how the Sefko ballot went. And if these aren?t the winners, shame on everybody else who voted wrong.MVP: Dirk Nowitzki got the nod. Yeah, sure. Call me a homer. Whatever. He was the most valuable player this season for any team. The order: Nowitzki, Steve Nash, LeBron James, Chauncey Billups, Elton Brand. And I don?t want to hear any whining about the top two scorers in the NBA not being on my ballot. This is not the best-scorer award. And besides, there?s no whining in the NBA.Most improved player: Nenad Krstic. He annihilated the Mavs. Enough said. The order: Krstic, Boris Diaw, Chris Bosh.Rookie of the year: Chris Paul. The only no-brainer of the bunch this year. The order: Paul, Andrew Bogut, Deron Williams.Coach of the year: Flip Saunders. Before you flood the e-mail account, the only reason Avery Johnson didn?t get the nod is because he?s got the MVP on his side. The order: Saunders, Johnson, Mike D?Antoni.Defensive player of the year: Bruce Bowen. He?s good against Kobe Bryant, Dirk and just about anybody else. The order: Bowen, Ben Wallace, Marcus Camby.Sixth man: Mike Miller. The Mavericks will come to know and hate his quick-strike ability during the first round (along with seventh man Bobby Jackson). The order: Miller, Jerry Stackhouse, Antonio McDyess.All-NBA first team: James, Nowitzki, Shaquille O?Neal, Bryant, Nash. This is where Bryant gets his just due. And Shaq?s team was good, Yao Ming?s team wasn?t, which was the difference-maker at center. Second team: Brand, Shawn Marion, Yao, Tony Parker, Billups. Third team: Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, Wallace (sorry, Brad Miller fans), Dwyane Wade, Jason Kidd.MAVERICKS Q&AQ: How will the Mavericks do in the playoffs?SEFKO: We got this question in about 20 different forms. Everybody wants to know what?s in store.So here?s the nitty-gritty: The Mavericks can win their first-round series with or without Devin Harris. That?s why you are going to see him play sparingly ? and maybe miss some games ? during the opening series.The reason?They cannot beat San Antonio without a healthier Harris, one who can match Tony Parker lightning-quick stutter step for lightning-quick stutter step.Here?s another something to watch for Thursday. Check and see if the Mavericks? playoff roster includes Keith Van Horn. It probably won?t. But if it does, that shows the team believes his broken hand could be healthy enough for him to play by the conference finals or NBA Finals ? and that they believe getting there is realistic.OK, you?re right. I?m stalling. If you?re looking for a prediction, put the Mavs in the Western Conference finals, where the Phoenix Suns and old pal Steve Nash take them down.Remember, this prediction is only for recreational purposes.? ? ?Q: Josh Howard is the man. The last few games have proven that he is much-needed by this team. But he gets hurt for extended periods of time, season after season. Why is this? Do some players continually get hurt throughout their careers?Graham H.SEFKO: Howard missed only six games last season. He was out for 15 games as a rookie. He will miss 23 games this season.It seems a bit premature to be calling a player snakebit or soft when it comes to injuries. There?s an interesting sidelight to this, too. Early this season, I was at a game with D-Moore, and we were talking about Howard. D-Moore was saying something forgettable, and I mentioned that Howard never seems to put himself in a compromising position where he can fall awkwardly and get hurt.Of course, three minutes later, he was hobbling off with a sprained right ankle.D-Moore still jabs me about that.But the point is that Howard has earned the benefit of the doubt. Give him another season. If he doesn?t play in 70 games or more, then maybe it?s time to start worrying.? ? ?Q: I?m pleased to see Marquis Daniels manning the point guard more often. Is this something we can expect more of in the future?Presten W.SEFKO: Avery Johnson would like to see more of it. But first he has to see Daniels stop being so careless with the basketball. Daniels makes too many passing errors to be a full-time point guard. But he?s learning. If he cuts down on his brain-freeze moments, he can do the job on a semi-regular basis.If that doesn?t happen, then Daniels is going to feel the pinch for playing time next season. And he?s too good an asset to be sitting on the bench all the time.? ? ?Q: To the Bosom Buddies of Dallas, it?s great to read your column every week. With Keith Van Horn out the rest of the season and two centers ahead of him in the rotation, is there any chance D.J. Mbenga splits some time at power forward?Keith L., DallasSEFKO: Avery Johnson has hinted that playing two centers at the same time is a possibility, but he hasn?t trotted it out yet. And the playoffs usually is a bad time for springing such traps. They usually don?t work.Mostly, Josh Powell has been getting Van Horn?s minutes, and he?s done a decent job of not screwing things up. And that?s really all you can ask of a rookie.And by the way, we?re big Bosom Buddies fans here at the little Maverick compound. But D-Moore and I want it cleared up right now that we haven?t experimented with any cross-gender clothing since way back in college. And that was only on one or two weird nights.Just thought you should be kept abreast of the situation.? ? ?Q: Am I correct in saying that a few years back the first round of the playoffs was changed from five to seven games during the season? At that time, it seemed to greatly benefit the Lakers, and I remember being steamed about it. Why were David Stern and Co. unwilling to make a change in midseason this year to make sure we don?t get the two best teams in the West playing in the second round?Chad, DallasSEFKO: The honchos at the NBA would have you believe that the playoff change didn?t directly help (or hurt) any particular team. It was designed to make the first round more equitable.OK, actually it was designed to get more playoff games and more money for owners and the league, but that?s a different story.As I recall, Minnesota had home court that year, and going seven games may have helped the Lakers in their first-round series. But LA was up 3-2 after five games, and eventually won in six.In this scenario, fixing the playoff seedings would have clearly helped one team, the Mavericks. They would have vaulted from the No. 4 seed to the No. 2 seed.? ? ?Q: Who?s the Mavericks? second-most important player in the playoffs.Doug, Garland, TexasSEFKO: It?s not a player. It?s Avery Johnson.After Dirk Nowitzki, Johnson can influence the outcome of more playoff games than any player. Coaching in the playoffs is crucial. It can make a difference in winning and losing. Yes, players have to make plays. But the coaching aspect can make life so much easier for players.? ? ?Q: OK, really, among players, who is the Mavericks? second-most important player.Doug, Garland, TexasSEFKO: Darn, thought I could sidestep that one.If you had to nail down a No. 2, it would be Josh Howard. He has to defend. He has to score. And he has to rebound. This makes him the first lieutenant to Nowitzki.Jason Terry only has to score and spread the defense. Erick Dampier only has to rebound and clog up the paint. Anything they do beyond that is a bonus.That might make Jerry Stackhouse and Devin Harris the third and fourth most critical pieces to their puzzle.? ? ?Q: You guys are like PB&J, a staple of society (I?ll let you guys decide who is PB and who is J). Given the nagging injuries and constant flux in the lineup, has Avery come up with a playoff game plan? My main concern is backup point guard. The other area of concern is whether Stackhouse or Griffin starts.Nick R., San DiegoSEFKO: You shouldn?t even have to ask. How could I be this smooth and not be the jelly? And if D-Moore is the peanut butter, you can bet he?s the crunchy kind.Anyway, rest assured the Mavs? playoff game plan has been hashed and re-hashed countless times and will be ready to roll this weekend. If you think your company has meetings, you haven?t seen meetings like the Mavericks? coaching staff meets. They play golf and it turns into a meeting.And take it to the bank that Griffin will be starting when the playoffs open. That lineup was 18-2 in one stretch during the season. If Stackhouse is starting, it will be for reasons we don?t know yet.? ? ?Q: How can the Mavs lose to Golden State when so much was at stake? I?m concerned with their mettle.Jeff S., New YorkSEFKO: I know this is difficult to grasp in New York, where people knee-jerk about every little thing, but sometimes you play poorly against a team and they get a feeling of invincibility against you. Thank goodness the Mavericks don?t play the Warriors in the playoffs. But I wouldn?t jump off any ledges if I were you. The Mavericks have been pretty salty in close games this season. I expect that to continue in the playoffs.E-mail esefko@dallasnews.com[url="http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/nwsltr/sports/mavs/stories/041906dnspomavsletter.49f565b2.html"]http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/nwsltr/spo...r.49f565b2.html[/url]
     

Share This Page