On Temporary Hiatus

In the parking lot of the Tom Thumb on Greenville and Lover's Lane, almost exactly a week ago, I put time on my cell. I called up my voicemail and there was a message from work.

My current assignment has ended. For the nonce, I'm out of a job.

Internet time these days is via public access only. That access must be used to find another job.

So Basketball for Beginners will be going on a temporary hiatus, until the work situation is sorted. I'm still there for my Mavs, still loving the game, still cussing out the Basketball Gods in every language I can think of.

Catch y'all on the flip-flop,
-BJ

From The Bucktails To The CO

Up until recently, whenever the question "Why isn't Gerald Green getting playing time?" came up, I'd look at the record and answer, "Because when he was getting playing time we weren't winning games. Next question."

As usual, Mike Fisher is forcing me to re-evaluate.

We had been winning ballgames with G-Money (that's the officially sanctioned locker room name, he nicked it from his little brother) vacuum-sealed. However, way back at the beginning of December I was noticing the trend of playing down to the wire in very winnable games. The encouraging trends -- JJ finally shutting up the doubters, roleplayers like Jimz showing they can step up when called upon to do so -- have been outweighed by the discouraging ones -- Josh Howard's inconsistency, the fact that Kidd cannot be counted on as a scoring threat, Dirk and Jet's shooting slumps, none of the potential 2-starters making a strong case for their candidacy.

What I think is happening, with G-Money's instance being a symptom of a general problem, is that Coach's constant rotation tinkering is starting to backfire. Green's defensive weaknesses and low basketball IQ are well-documented. However, his screw-ups aren't any more or less glaring than those of the other players not named Nowitzki, Terry, or Kidd. It's tempting to rely upon guys like Devean George because they're "defensive minded," because they can be relied upon to do their jobs without hot-dogging, heat checks, impromptu bullshit shot creation, because they're known factors that don't fuck with the master plan. Fine, I get it. With this team that is a recipe for disaster. The veteran roleplayers are simply not that mighty.

Which brings us back to our Mr. Green. To his credit, he's behaving like a professional, putting in the time, saying the right things. Unless he was benched for reasons the Organization hasn't disclosed to the public -- health reasons, he needs an attitude adjustment, he didn't refill the coffee pot, whatever -- it might be time to pull him out of the space bag, fluff him up, and throw him back on the couch.

And what if that really is the problem, Coach's rotation tinkering causing locker room unrest that's manifesting itself in games?

Ah, yes. Well.

(mumbles a quick prayer to God for forgiveness, amen)

That one is on Dirk.

Mike Fisher's metaphor for last season's ongoing meltdown was the movie, "The Caine Mutiny." I haven't seen the movie . . . but I've read the original novel. Here's a user review from Amazon.com:

"I recently read quite a few online reviews, and they reflect a much more contemporary viewpoint -- the original context of the novel is lost in time. One reviewer thought the mood and point of the book were 'Faschistic'; others concluded that the point was 'it's okay to buck the system.' I was reminded of a colleague on the faculty at West Point who was teaching a cadet elective in psychology of abnormal behavior who used a clip of Bogart's performance on the stand at the court-martial as an example of disordered paranoid ideation. Sometimes I wonder what book all these people read!

"This is a novel of war, seen through the eyes of a nonprofessional officer of incisive intelligence, one both inside and outside the Navy system and possessed of ability to look beyond the moment. Many readers (or movie fans) somehow completely miss the story's central issue and the critical turn of plot. Captain Queeg was not crazy; he was overwhelmed by the burdens of command, but would probably have muddled through if his officers had managed to put aside petulant resentment and work to compensate for the captain's flaws. Instead, they put a combat vessel out of action during a critical period in the Pacific campaign."
-Ltc Timothy R. O'Neill

If that is what happened -- if Avery Johnson's eventual crash and burn was because of Dirk's actions as team captain and platoon leader -- then that's a big black mark (yellow stain?) on Dirk. And if it's happening again -- Dirk undermining Coach Carlisle's authority, consciously or unconsciously, deliberately or inadvertently -- somebody please call Mr. Geschwinder and have him kick Dirk's ass.

However, I do not think that's what's happened then, and I don't think it's happening now. Avery Johnson shot himself in the nads just fine; he didn't need help aiming. For the nonce, the players have to trust that Coach knows what he's doing. You don't have to like your boss. To do your best work, you do have to trust and believe in them. Fostering that trust and belief is in the team leader's job description. It's in Dirk's job description.

There are two things I wish I knew for facts. One is the look on Dirk's face when he answered Sports Illustrated's question about whether or not any of the Mavs had bothered to learn German ("Nothing except geshunteit"). The other is who called the players-only practise the day after Game 4 last year . . . and who showed up for it.

For the record. This is the bullshitting of a fan who doesn't want to believe her team is getting legitimately outplayed. Take your grain of iodized salt and I'll see you at the AAC tomorrow. The Hornets are in town. I'll be waving the colors.
-BJ

Game 36, Dallas Mavericks visit Phoenix Suns

Theme: Stromkern, "Melt"
Game Info: Just another fantasy, let it slip away

Stabbing my eyes out.

Swallowing a grenade.

Driving home to throw myself off the Mackinac Bridge.

I think I'm going to get busy forgetting this game ever happened. Grieve for the death of an illusion.

As constructed, based on the performace so far this season, this group of men is not capable of postseason success, much less a title.

Instead . . . moops.

Final: 128-100, Suns
-BJ

Game 35, Dallas Mavericks host New York Knicks

Theme: The distant screams of about ten thousand fans.
Game Info: Clickity.

Halfway through the first, the audio in the AAC quit. No Humble, no Chris Arnold, no Ally D, no chant-guides (it's funny how you're a little lost without Humble Billy Hayes hollering in your ear), no amplified swish to let everyone know the shot dropped. The Drumline did what they could to provide us a backbeat. By the way, if you're going to a Mavs game and can afford lower bowl seats, get them as close to the back rows of Section 112 as you can. The Drumline alone is worth ticket price.

The audio's not the only thing that needed some jury-rigging.

- I went home mad from this one. Why? Because these are the Knicks. The marquee Defense Later team in the league . . . and they somehow managed to hold Dirk to ten points (only three field goals for God's sake!) and Jet Terry to ten points.

- However, I saw on the Morning News that Dirk's fighting a headcold. If it's the same virus I caught over Christmas, that explains a lot.

- It became clear fairly early that it was going to be another one of those nights. The charge that the Mavs don't move well without the ball is a fair cop just lately.

- Rebounding. Rebounding, rebounding, rebounding. Good things happen when you get greedy with the ball.

- I don't know if it's a referee blind spot when it comes to the Mavs or if it's bad decisions on Dallas's part, but why is it whenever the Mavs commit a foul it's almost always "in the act of shooting" but when we get fouled it isn't?

- Wright stuff! Antoine got the start and comported himself as a man. 13 points, two assists, and a steal. Coach's demands for the starting shooting guard slot are not extreme (I get the feeling he's downchecked his expectations somewhat); keep the spot warm for Terry and sub in for Jet when he needs a breather.

- Devean George, DNP. After the boneheaded Mega-Mario appearance in the Clips game (0.8 seconds of play time, committed one foul which resulted in four enemy points), all I can say is thank God and pass the Cheetos.

- There's the Bass we know and love. He was taking it in, getting fouled, making his free throws (mostly), rebounding, and blocking. He's the only Mav with double-digit boards this game. Also a couple of steals. Please say this is a harbinger and not a fluke.

- Interesting shakeup. Dampier came out with a couple of fouls in the second, and instead of getting spelled by Diop like he usually is, Singleton came in as the sub. I saw a couple of bad moves on Jimz's part, but by and large he did his duty. Coach going with a forward-center? Or another wake-up call for our 'Gana?

- J-Ho continues to tease. After kind of being there in the first half, he came alive in the second. Nineteen points, four boards, three assists, three steals. I wish I knew why he's being so inconsistent. I want to like Josh, I really do. There's a lot riding on him being able to get those twenty points and eight rebounds per night, every night. He can't restrict his superheroics to nights when Dirk is either out or present-but-not-there.

In The Wash: Like I said, I came away mad from this one. Because of what I saw as a lack of effort on the defensive end -- lots of uncontested shots. Reading DB.com and the Morning News, though, makes me wish I could get the video and rewatch it without a section full of lunatics at my side. Accepting that Dirk and Jet only combined for twenty points and we won anyway . . . I mean, that's not a bad thing. Right? Especially when I saw the Knicks stick a couple guys on Dirk like a set of bookends.

We can chalk this up to a Trust Your Defense win. When the other team struggles making shots, they start doing stupid shit. San Antonio's made that their raison d'etre; keep making it hard to score points and with not-as-good teams, their will dies.

Note the qualifier -- not-as-good teams. We're fresh out of those on the schedule. Other than a trip to Sacramento on Sunday, the next week's grueling. Phoenix tomorrow, then a nasty back-to-back in Denver against the Nuggets then straight back home against the Hornets. The Western Conference playoff picture boils down to the Lakers . . . and eight other teams. Right now Phoenix is the odd one out. I don't count on that lasting.

Final: 99-94, Mavericks
-BJ

Game 34, Dallas Mavericks host Los Angeles Clippers

Theme: The shitty Satisfaction song
Game Info: Hurt me, oh please kill me, so I don't have to hear, Satisfaction

I really can't turn my back on you guys for a minute.

In The Wash: There's two ways you can look at this game. One is of course we're going to have a rough time of it when Jet only scores in single digits. Bad hair day, so to speak. The other is that the starters decided to use defense as a time to slack off and catch their breaths.

I'm tending towards the latter. Mostly because of a possession in the fourth -- I think the guys were expecting a whistle -- the Clips brought it up totally uncontested and laid it in, part of a second and third which saw them come from fifteen behind to five or six ahead. The extreme example of what went on for most of the game; the Clips pulling together like pros (and half their roster is out with injuries!) and the Mavs only waking up for the last three minutes or so.

Letting up on defense because one is winded is a Big Basketball No-No. One asks the coach to put in a sub so's one can come out for a rest.

Which suggests to me two thing, both terrifying. One, the starters (and yes, Dirk is Prime Cause Number One here) have developed some very bad habits, and two, our Bench Guys Other Than Jason Terry are not up to the challenge of making sure the starters can get the rest they need. Dirk was under the assumption that his minutes would drop somewhat this season (thirty per was the figure quoted). Hasn't been happening. Not going to happen.

Oh well. Thank God, that's the last game we've got with the Clips and they can continue their business of wrecking on the nearest reef. Thursday the Knicks are in town, and then the guys hit the road to Phoenix, Sacramento, and Denver. After Denver they fly straight home and take on the Hornets for the first time this season, have a couple days off, then the Jazz come to town. We've also got our first meet-and-greets with the Celtics, the Pistons, and the Heat in January (all Away games too). I think by the beginning of February we'll have a clear idea of what we are. Early indications are not promising.

As a nice birthday present to me, could you guys see fit to beat the everloving snot out of the Warriors? (makes big seal eyes)

Final: 107-102, Mavericks
-BJ

Game 33, Dallas Mavericks visit Memphis Grizzlies

Theme: Bash and Pop, "Making Me Sick"
Game Info: Disturbing my repression

I had to follow this game piecemeal, splitting time between the library's Internet access terminals and feeding my mother. The library closed at five, it's the fourth quarter and I think all's well because we're only down a few and look how the guys've been doing in fourth quarters lately.

Ten minutes later I get aboveground and turn the radio on.

I can't turn my back on you boys for a minute, can I?

- Explain to me how we only scored 14 in the fourth quarter. Use small words, please, my basketball IQ is still a work in progress.

- Well there goes the triple-double threat. Jason Kidd's knuckleball's quit dropping.

- I. Am. Not. Going. To. Bitch. About. The. Refs. So there!

- Good thing; Dirk scored 28 points. Bad thing; 22 of those were in the first half. Dude!

- Defensive breakdown. Dampier got into early foul trouble and Diop couldn't cope. Okay, so Donnie Nelson gets to answer for that one too. Diop's not playing up to par and hasn't been all season long. And don't get me started about Devean George.

- Seeking a reliable shooting guard. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

- Will the real Josh Howard -- the slasher, the rebounder, the bad mother who fears nothing -- please stand up?

- We're the number one rebounding team in the league right now! Honest! How in the name of all that is holy and a lot that isn't did we get outrebounded by the fucking Grizzlies?!?!?

- OJ Mayo. Marc Gasol. May you slam into the rookie wall hard enough to shatter your skulls like eggshells. Seriously.

In The Wash: Slow starts have been an issue for several weeks now, and it's starting to catch up with us. The question is why are we starting slow? Where is the breakdown in effort occuring? I refuse to accept it's due to a lack of talent; I don't buy it. Why aren't the Mavs playing with any greed?

One of two things has to happen, and soon. Either one of the bench guys who've been tapped for shooting guard stakes out that starting spot and hangs on, or the Organization makes a trade for someone who can. The way Brandon Bass has been playing, he's trade bait. So are most of the other roleplayers -- Wright, Jimz, Williams, et al. Jet's playing really really well and would be an attractive trade piece, but who could we get for him?

For that matter, the Kidd deal is still unfolding. His contract is up this year. If Dallas doesn't make noises about extending it . . . I don't like to think any player would do this, but this is a guy with a history of front-office based temper tantrums. He pulls that kind of shit, I hope Dirk and Jet's good nature doesn't preclude some wall-to-wall counseling.

Bitter? Irrational? Abso-fuckin-lutely.

Final: 102-82, Grizzlies
-BJ

Game 32, Dallas Mavericks host Philadelphia 76ers

Theme: Three Dog Night, "Joy To The World"
Game Info: Ahh, start the New Year off right

A little concerned at some points . . . but not really worried.

- Another bad hair day for Dirk -- I don't think he made a shot the whole first quarter. So he took it inside and got to work from close range. Um . . . correct me if I'm wrong on this, but doesn't that mean he kinda sorta does have a low-post game? I mean, I might be full of shit on this . . .

- 31 points, on lower-than-it-should-be 11-27 shooting. Tell me that's going to get better, okay hon?

- Listen to the Jet. Trust the Jet.

- It's the oldest wheeze in basketball; he doesn't have to score to be effective. That's going to get carved on Jason Kidd's tombstone. Insert joke about revolving cast of girlfriends. But anyway, against bad teams it's true.

- I don't like the slow starts we've been getting off to these last dozen games or so. Against bad teams we can afford to wait until they start making stupid mistakes. Fine, until you go up against a team that doesn't make stupid mistakes. You find yourself down 29 points against the San Antonio Spurs, you might as well make out your will and put it in a safe place.

- Well our young Mr. Green came off the bench. For thirteen seconds. Eeeeh . . .

- Josh Howard is a tease. His shooting percentage in this game is . . . gross. But! Seven boards out of the deal.

- Andre Iguodala. Intriguing. Still pwned.

In The Wash: For now the Mavs are doing what they're supposed to be doing; getting better whilst whaling the tar out of the opposition. We're only a game back from where we were last year. That's promising. As far as salving the broken hearts of the DFW sports fanbase, they're doing what they can. Game time against Memphis in a couple of minutes.

Final: 96-86, Mavericks!
-BJ