Official #Mavs Thread: Glory's Last Shot

I said you can trash him...Great job...

Mavs Clinch Playoff Spot, Starters Will Sit Remaining Games

At 33-20 the Dallas Mavericks have clinched a playoff spot and will now choose to rest the starters for the remaining 5 games. The rest will be much needed and appreciated for a team filled with aging veterans who gave it all this season. Dirk, VC, Marion, and Kidd are expected to sit tonight when the Mavs travel to Staples Center to face the Lakers (7:18 pm PST ESPN).


Odom is expected to log extended minutes tonight against the Lakers

Instead, this will be an opportunity for Coach Bryan to give his bench guys a chance to prove themselves. Several guys on the Mavs are on expiring contracts and others like Roddy Beaubois still need to prove they will be part of the future. Tonight the Mavs are expected to start Roddy Beaubois, Dominque Jones, Lamar Odom, Craig Brackins, and Brendan Haywood. Odom will start in his first game back in LA since the real life trade. Jones hasn't played in a user controlled game all season. Brackins, the Palmdale, CA native will also be making his first career start.

Coach Bryan comments, sponsored by Subway. Eat Fresh.

I'm thrilled that we clinched a playoff spot and have this opportunity to play some of the younger guys. Our veterans need the rest and I'm anxious to see how these other guys perform. We're going to play hard and try to win our remaining games with these guys. They deserve that. We have several decisions to make regarding the future of these guys. Odom has a team option for next year, as does Brackins. I'm happy Brackins gets a chance to start in his home state and Odom gets a chance to start against his beloved Lakers. This is a great chance for Roddy to prove himself again. He started some games at PG earlier in the season but he wasn't ready to take the reins. With Kidd's future uncertain, we need him and Nate to be ready.

Mavericks Late Rally Enough to Top Lakers in OT
Kobe, Bynum, Dirk, VC, Marion, and Kidd all sat out

In the absence of 4 of the 5 starters, Dallas relied on Lamar Odom for just about everything Tuesday night in his return to Staples Center. For the most part, Odom delivered tonight and was critical in Dallas winning what ultimately was a meaningless game. Odom logged 32 minutes and compiled by far his best stat line of the season. 22 pts, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals to lead Dallas. Craig Brackins added 8 pts and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes as he started in place of Dirk. Andrew Goudelock led the Lakers effort with 22 pts, 5 asts, 4 rebs. He did have 9 turnovers but made a lot of plays to lead LA. Jeremy Lin type performance IMO.


Odom hit a critical jumper late in regulation over Troy Murphy


Dirk made the trip to root on his teammates, despite not playing.


Coach Bryan post game comments, sponsored by Subway. Eat Fresh.

It was nice to see some new faces get playing time out there. We started slow but we got back to playing Dallas Mavericks basketball in the 2nd half and OT. Odom was terrific and made a lot of plays. I'm proud of his dedication and was happy to see him perform at a high level. Dominique Jones and Craig Brackins gave us positive minutes and Jake Robinson hit some critical shots in the 4th and OT. The Lakers could have won this game if they really wanted too so I don't put much stock in the win, nor will I gloat about it. We struggled to guard them most of the evening and if I was disappointed in anything it was our defense. The win is nice and we'll stick with the reserves until playoff time.

Bryan is 4-0 against me in 2012

I'd gladly trade those 4 wins for 1 title.

I get the feeling I wouldn't win a series against you though. You take it easy on me. I'm not a threat to you, unlike Ante, etc. I would have felt bad had you lost to OKC since you basically let me win our game. I don't wish the Suns CPU in the first round on anybody. With that win over OKC you would need the worst luck ever to get the 3 seed so I'm happy. Whether you or Ante is the #1 seed is fairly irrelevant. I'd almost rather have the 2 seed tbh. Go on the road and get that split to put pressure on the other, etc.

I'll admit I let you make those 2 threes late in the game to force OTs.. but in OT, that was all you. Don't discredit yourself too much. you won the OT fair and square.

I don't mind where I land on the top 8.. in this case top 2, I guess. I didn't expect to be the top seed especially with me slightly less active lately. And also with Dr. TryHard reunited with CP3, I thought I'd be around the bottom 4-8 seed this season.

But hey, If Ante wins the rest of his games, and I get the sim loss vs NellieBallFTW and he gets the number one spot. it's still all good with me. No regrets on our bench game :]

I don't wanna be 3rd, I could care less about 1st, 2nd and 4th, I'll definitely bring my A game in Houston and NOLA today or tomorrow, depends on my 2K mood...

I'm so happy that you're happy Bryan, #contender...

I definitely don't want the Suns, but I like OKC, Utah and Blazers...

Especially OKC...It's about confidence in the playoffs, I'm confident vs OKC...

Mavs Eliminated in 1st Round, Offseason Begins


Kidd and Terry getting some golf in Monday following their 1st round playoff exit

The Phoenix Suns were too much in the first round and edged by the #3 seed Mavs 3-2. The series was disappointing for a variety a reasons. Particularly because the CPU Suns were the last team Coach Bryan and Dallas wanted to face. The first round exit leaves a sour taste in the mouth but overall it was a very positive season for the Mavs. 37 wins, Dirk with 1st team all-NBA, Jason Terry winning 6th man of the year, and winning the division. All things Dallas and coach Bryan can be proud of.

Coach Bryan post season comments, sponsored by Subway. Eat Fresh.

Obviously I'm not pleased with the first round exit, or the fact we drew Phoenix in the first round but looking at the big picture I'm happy with this season. Me coaching a team to 37 wins is beyond comprehension. I had a very good record against humans this season. Well over .500 so that means a lot for a mid level coach like me. I'm proud that I was able to win a lot of games without abusing Dirk in the process. Anyone can abuse a star and lean on them as a crutch but in most of my user games Dirk had less than 15 FGA's. I did it by rolling up my sleeves and working harder than my opponent. So while the end result isn't what we wanted, overall we have plenty to be pleased with.

Dallas will be faced with some difficult decisions in the coming days regarding the roster. Craig Brackins has a team option available worth 1.5 million. Dallas is expected to pick that up but nothing official has been announced. Lamar Odom has a team option worth 8 million this summer. A decision hasn't been made on that. Sources within the Mavs have indicated they were leaning towards not picking that up but with Odom's late season surge Mark Cuban and coach Bryan are reconsidering and see Odom as a viable option next year.

Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, and Vince Carter are going into the offseason as free agents. Every effort will be made to bring back Terry, the reigning 6th man of the year. Management has also expressed strong interest in bringing Kidd back on a 1 year contract. Coach Bryan wants Vince Carter back but it appears VC might have mixed feelings about returning.

37 wins is big for anyone, Paul had 38, I had 37, so you a elite coach now...

and so how many "trip dubs" did Dirk have?

Bounce wrote:

and so how many "trip dubs" did Dirk have?

I abandoned that strategy about 10 games in. I couldn't beat the CPU while putting emphasis on getting Dirk his trip dubs. When I try to get Dirk "his" the ball movement dies and I don't get nearly the good looks as I normally get. Plus I found out his rebounding is very lackluster. I thought with his height I could do it anyway but again, I would need to sacrifice too many wins to pull it off.

I'm tempted to try the trip dub thing with Odom next season. He's the perfect guy to do it. He had a sure trip dub against Leroy in our last gm (11 pts, 11 asts, 7 rebs with 12 mins left) before the game DC. And that was him playing with my other scrubs.

I hate to pay 8 mil for his team option though. I wish this were real life because I would try to negotiate a new contract with him. Maybe like 3 yrs and 15 mil or so because he's not worth 8 mil per year IMO but I'll probably pay him so I don't lose him.

You better give him that 8mil. Im waiting for him if he hits FA and probably Im not the only one. FYI Felton will fit within MLE over 3-4 yrs.

Do you think if I didn't pick up his team option that he would still consider signing with me? Because I get the feeling if I don't pick up his team option he tells me to fuck off, regardless of how good of a new contract I offer. I would like to save that 8 mil for a max contract but oh well. Odom is so overrated and versatile on this game he's well worth the money. The dude can literally play 3 positions and play them well.

I'm not sure.
But... but there's a time period in OFF.AS. between Draft and Draft signing where you get the chance to offer contracts to players who are about to hit the free agency.

It's like this

TEAM/PLAYER OPTIONS
QUALIFIYING OFFERS
NBA DRAFT
...... (Im not sure what its called)
SIGNING DRAFT PICKS
FREE AGENCY

In theory you could refuse to exercise the team option and still get him before he hits the free agency. But that would mostly depends whether LO is loyal or not, he might say GTFO Cuban and leave.
It's a gamble, I would recommend trying it out in a quick simulated offline association.

I agree sign Odom, because if you don't everyone in the league will go after him, he's like a hot chick who everyone wants to bang in basketball...

Yeah, Hrvoje, you have time and stuff and the offseason is like 7-12 real days so it's pretty quick and exciting...I stayed in ISBA1 just to see it and CP3 signed for NOLA, it would be a joke if he leaves the Clippers now, but hey it's 2K anything is possible...If he leaves, I'll go for Felton...

^I'll go for CP3

What if you let Odom go, whats the cap space of Mavs, can you get someone pricey or it depends whether Kidd retires?

If Odom isn't brought back and VC leaves. I'll have about 16-17 million free. But I still need to sign Kidd and Terry with some of that. Kidd wanted 4 mil per yr during his extension talks and Jet wanted similar, just in a longer term deal. So basically I need to decide if I want to spend 8 mil on Odom or maybe take a shot on someone else with 8-10 mil per yr to give away. Odom is the safer choice but not the exciting option.

There are Hawes, Speights, Arthur among other bigs.

It's been a busy offseason for Coach Bryan and the Mavericks. The uncertainty of Kidd, Terry, and Carter had many fans filled with anxiety. On Thursday morning the Dallas fans were able to breath a bit easier as the trio resigned with the club for another title run. In addition to these three resigning, Lamar Odom will be back, as will Craig Brackins and sharpshooting combo guard Jake Robinson. The club also announced Thursday the signings of veteran guards Michael Redd and Mickael Pietrus. Both men signed guaranteed contracts with the team and will bolster what is already a loaded backcourt. There's also speculation that Shawn Marion will be traded to San Antonio for Richard Jefferson. The Mavericks sought approval from the league to make the deal. No word on whether the deal will actually happen but all signs point to Jefferson becoming a Maverick.

Training camp concluded Thursday with Jason Kidd getting some intensive defensive work to increase his on ball defense and steal ratings and Vince Carter receiving key shooting advice that will increase his midrange and three point shooting attributes.


Coach Bryan preseason comments, sponsored by Buffalo Wild Wings.

It's good to be back in the office after a lengthy offseason. Or atleast it felt like a lengthy one. First I want to offer congrats to the Clippers for winning the title. That was a nice comeback season for coach Ante. As for us, I feel good about our team going into this season. I feel like the championship window is still open for this group. We're coming off a 37 win campaign that ended prematurely but 37 wins is still a big deal. I'm not concerned about the age of this team, even though we're clearly one of the oldest teams in the league. I think the additions of Redd and Pietrus will help our team. I have no idea where they will fit in our rotation but both guys can still play. Lamar Odom will have a much bigger role on this years team. He will play lots of PF and C. He wasn't a good fit at SF and with our new editions he won't be forced to play there. I think he'll give us an unique dynamic that will make us even tougher to defend. The decision to trade Marion was very difficult but we felt the need to get a little younger and more athletic and RJ fit that. We're looking forward to the regular season starting Friday.

The Mavs are gonna be a tough team to beat in 12/13 season...

Thanks on the congrats...

Sign J.Petro so you can have a back up big, he costs a veteran minimum...

Kidd, VC, RJ, Dirk, Haywood
Terry, Redd, Pietrus, Odom, Petro

Would be a nice rotation IMO...

Nate is his backup big.

Mavericks 2-2 on Opening Day

1 sim loss to the Lakers in the early hours of the morning, 1 sim win against OKC that resulted because of the game dying at halftime, 1 cpu loss @ Charlotte, and a cpu win at home against Toronto is how the opening day of year 2 would begin. Dallas is implementing some new faces and are rumored to be saving good bye to some familiar ones. Mickael Pietrus is one of the new arrivals and has made a big impact since arriving. He's emerged as the starting SF for Dallas and has performed well in the 2.5 games that were human played. Michael Redd is still finding his role on this team and is playing sparingly. The coaching staff is hopeful that Redd finds his niche on this team in time but they aren't forcing the issue with all the wing depth they have.


Both free agents are fitting in nicely with the Mavs, especially Pietrus

Shawn Marion and Nate Robinson are on the trade block. Both guys didn't play in the Toronto or OKC games.
Marion has been linked to several trade rumors and reports of a possible buyout for Nate Robinson have also surfaced. Lamar Odom is seeing an increased role and he's performing well. Brendan Haywood has been benched as well, with recently acquired Joel Przybilla getting all the bench minutes at center.

The Mavs have a busy early season schedule with human games against Denver, Boston, Portland, New York, and Philly on the horizon.

I would go for Marion if I didn't got Wallace in the offseason, oh well #life...

#Toughschedule

Mavs 6-2, Jet Terry Struggling

The Mavericks are 6-2 early on this season and seem to be working in their new faces relatively well. Richard Jefferson has scored double digits in both of his appearances since joining the club Sunday. Pietrus has been relegated to the bench since the arrival of RJ but his production has still be good, including 8 second half points in a victory over Milwaukee. Michael Redd has even seen his production grow in recent games. The elephant in the room has been the play of Jason Terry this season.


It's been a struggle for the Jet through 8 games

Jet Terry (pictured above) has been struggling this season, which has puzzled coaches, players, and media alike since Terry is coming off one of his best years of his career in 11/12 where he was the runaway 6th man of the year. In 8 games this season Terry is averaging 8 pts, 1 reb, and 1 ast in 16 minutes per contest. He's only shooting 35 percent from the field and a poultry 27 percent from outside, down almost 14 percent from last years percentage. Terry, who turned 35 recently has played in a slightly different role this season and that's likely the root of the problems but he's lacked energy and passion at times and he's missed some shots this year he wouldn't have missed last year.

Coach Bryan on Terry's struggles

It's concerning, there's no doubt about it. I'm amazed we've won 6 games with him playing so poorly on offense. If we can get him out of his slump it would make a world of difference for us. We've used him differently this season and I think he's adjusting. Nobody in the locker room has given up on him and he's still got the green light out there. His best game of the season was the last one he played so hopefully that's a sign of things to come.

Best wishes to the JET etc...