Quick DFW Say, "Football? Let's Talk Mavericks"

Yes. Let's.

I could seriously learn to love Coach. He appears to have his head on straight. I like the battlefield concept; it's an attitude that seemed to be missing under Avery Johnson.

Training camp starts on the 29th over to SMU. Does this mean they're not going to be holding Fan Jam this year? God for-bloody-bid. Coach is talking about utilizing a more up-tempo game pace and whipping everybody's ass into shape. Two sessions a day, everyone goes home at night.

I'm pondering this a little more deeply than I perhaps ought to -- God knows the guys over on the DB.com Boards are picking Coach apart phrase-by-phrase. I just got done reading a short-attention-span (but fun to read) memoir by Jayson Williams, Loose Balls, and in Williams's opinion coaches don't matter that much. It's the player's responsibility to maintain their bodies, so he says, and training too long and practising too much is counterproductive.

I can see that. One of the news blurbs from the Olympics noted that Shawn Johnson only practises a couple hours a day. She even goes to a public school, which is unheard-of for an international level gymnast.

On the other hand, it could be argued that this is a team that hasn't been on the same page for a while now and needs the extra time. Once more, we have to trust that Coach and his staff know what they're doing.

It makes me wonder though . . . when Dirk said at Coach Carlisle's PC about the NBA being a player's league, not a coach's one . . . was that an indirect dig at Johnson? Because Johnson went pretty much straight from being a player to an assistant, then he was picked by Don Nelson to take over as head coach. The transition was PDQ, less than two years. It makes me wonder; is the root of his troubles as a coach the fact that he was reacting to situations as a player? Like he really wanted to be on the floor and got frustrated because he couldn't?

I'm shooting from the backcourt again, so I'll shut up.

Wishing Manu Ginobli a pain-free, prolonged (like the entire season) recovery from his foot injury, and praying to God somebody fucks Kobe's pinkie up royally . . . and permanently.

Later,
-BJ

Preseason, or Before The Withdrawl Causes Permanent Damage

We hope.

10-7, 7:30 PM CST, versus the Washington Wizards
10-9, 7:30 PM CST, at Chicago
10-10, 7:30 PM CST, at Milwaukee
10-15, 6:00 PM CST, at Indiana
10-16, 6:30 PM CST, at Detroit
10-18, 8:00 PM CST, versus the Sacramento Kings
10-21, 7:30 PM CST, versus the Chicago Bulls
10-23, 7:30 PM CST, versus the Indiana Pacers

Tickets for the preseason games go on sale on September 8. I'm going to as many as I can get away with.
-BJ

Come Forth And Get Thy Butt Kicked

Argh.

Is the offseason over yet?

I don't care that I'm not going to be able to afford to go to every single game, though God how much do I wish I could. I can't even afford to go to NBA 101, which sucks rancid moose cock. I was really looking forward to going; I've just got too many other demands on my income right now.

Invitations have been passed out to training camp in a couple weeks -- Reyshawn Terry, Charles Rhodes, JuJuan Smith, Gerald Green, James Singleton, and Keith McLeod. If I'm reading the roster correctly, Green's already on board. The others'll be competing for the last open slot.

Other than that, not a whole lot to report. The Olympians have dispersed and now go back to being The Bad Guys. We've got about a month until the preseason starts, with tickets for those games going on sale in a couple of weeks. I'm going to go to all of those that I can. I mean, the preseason doesn't sell out every single game . . . does it?

We're hitting The Wall again, and for some reason Fish is not there with the save. I hope he's not sulking somewhere over the deal for Devean George. Yeah I think it stinks too -- not the fact of having him on the team, but the particulars of the deal itself. Why does he still have the right to refuse a trade? The Mavs couldn't keep him without leaving that clause in? I don't buy it.
-BJ

Back Where It Belongs

- Okay, remember how I said Team Spain wouldn't be a problem? Whoops. Sorry. Team Spain played a phenominal game. I kept waiting for Team USA to kill their will and turn the game into a let's-get-the-dying-over-with situation. It never happened. They just would not die. I was on the edge of my seat until the final posession.

- The inconsistancy of officiating is going to have to be addressed by FIBA, and the sooner the better. All the teams complained about the calls throughout the Games.

- I'd sooner eat soup made from my own flesh than say it, but Kobe Bryant did impress me. Favorably. MVP 2008.

- That said, I think I could learn to seriously love LeBron James.

- I'm going to have to study the tape some more, but I find it interesting that USA had the most fits with zone defesne, as opposed to man-to-man. I'm also noticing -- as usual please correct me if I'm wrong on this -- that Chris Paul had problems cracking it on dribble penetration. That's out of character if I understand his game right.

- If you look at the stat sheets, Jason Kidd didn't do any such of a much. But the entire team, coaches included, cite him as a leader of class and honor.

- On Team Spain's end of it, we're going to have to keep an eye on Ricky Rubio. He's still got his milk teeth; in a couple of years he's going to be terrifying.

- None, repeat none, of the medalists have a goddamn thing to apologize for. They brought honor to their countries and their clan.

- Comparing Team USA 2008 to the Dream Team is the same as comparing Kobe Bryant to Michael Jordan, or Dirk to Larry Bird. It's inaccurate and unfair to all parties involved. The Dream Team was a once in a millenium collection of divinely gifted talent. Team USA was just the best in the world. That's all they have to be. And that's plenty.

I'm honored and delighted to have had this team representing the United States on the world stage. Congratulations, gentlemen.

USA!
-BJ

An Open Letter To Donn Nelson

Probably the first of many.

Dear Mr. Nelson,

I'll admit to knowing exactly jack shit about how the business end of this sport works. My familiarity with collective bargaining agreements begin and end with the UFCW They Can't Fire Me Unless clauses (God bless Local 951).

That said . . . I have to wonder what your line of reasoning is when the team's representatives negotiated Devean George's new contract. If I'm intepreting the news correctly, he still has final veto power over any and all trade proposals -- a power he has abused in the past.

I must ask, sir, is George so valuable that he's worth the kind of embarassment he produced by crying foul over being traded to the Nets? I can appreciate that Mr. George has elected to keep playing at a substantial drop in pay, but as the Organization has shown many times it is willing to invest whatever's necessary to give this team every chance of success.

In short, is this a case of being penny-wise and pound foolish?

I have faith, but you're not making it easy.

Sincerely yours, et cetera et cetera et cetera.

Meanwhile, the Olympics are coming down to the wire. Win or get lost. The semifinal game is tomorrow morning CST. The final is in the middle of the night Saturday night.

Argentina first. Defending gold medalists, with Manu Ginobli as The Man. Excited, but not worried . . . not terribly worried, anyways. The final will be up against Lithuania or Spain. Spain's no problem; Lithuania's an unknown factor.

I think hara-kiri's in the plan if Team USA has to settle for anything less than a gold medal. Don't think I'm going out on a limb by saying it's going to take a bona fide Act of God to keep it from happening.

USA!
-BJ