Mavs vs Jazz
 

1. Dirk deserves to have his head taken off in an upcoming game against the Jazz. I mean literally a foul where he will have to wear a neck brace for two weeks. His foul against AK was a disgrace.

2. Deron Williams is 10x the PG that Jason Kidd is. He's a better passer, defender, and scorer. Is Kidd going to be able to guard Tony Parker? Steve Nash is better. Barron Davis is better. Chris Paul is tons better. Everyone talked about how Kidd would open up the floor for all the other Mavs. Well, as soon as Kidd would pass the ball off, Williams would go double Howard or Dirk, challenging Kidd to shoot from range. You get into the situation where you are trading Dirk jumpers for bombs from Kidd. Good luck with that.

3. I really can't see the Mavs taking the west. Not going to happen.

The Mavs made the fatal error of thinking they had to be tougher and more half-court in order to be successful. In response, they made some bad personnel moves and now their long-term future doesn't look good.

I agree. I think it is the exact same mistake the Suns made. Shaq and the Suns are the worst fit I can think of. Shaq needed a methodical half court offense that could use a big man in the middle on defense. The Suns needed someone big who can run up and down the floor all night and pass the ball to the best spot on the floor.

I don't think the old Mavs could win it all either.

At least now they hope they can win.

The old Mavs were closer than the new Mavs are. The new Mavs are old, slow, and not sufficiently talented on offense.

See that's where you lost credibility. It's bad defense that the Mavs suffer from.

I agree. Defense is their weakest point. Nowitski, the key to that team, is an awful defender with slow feet. They built their team around an athletic forward who can shoot but can't stop anyone. I think what Indy may be getting at, though, is that they have won by throwing in the towel on defense in favor of a ridiculous offense. If the offense slows at all, they don't have a prayer because the defense is so bad.

Lose credibility? I said that the changes the Mavs have made have made them a worse team. Feel free to prove otherwise.

The loss of Diop is huge for this team. 6'7 Brandon Bass is your first post player off the bench that is not going to help, especially when your PF (Dirk) plays zero defense. Duncan and Boozer both had huge games against Dallas and now Dirk will demand a double team from the opposing teams PG because Kidd is not a threat on the perimeter.

This trade so far has been awful.

The Mavs trade was silly. Cuban rolled the dice and their window of opportunity just slammed shut. Blame Kupchak and the Lakers. The Gasol trade sent the Suns and Mavs into panic mode. San Antonio was smart. They bolstered their front line and bench without wholesaling. When Barry comes back they're going to be dangerous again. I still like the Lakers though with a healthy Bynum.

Avery Johnson has made some questionable moves too of late. I think he's trying to do too much with getting his new team on the same page. Why was Kidd not in the game at the end the other night? Why was Kidd on Kobe most of the 2nd half when he went off for 30? Kobe was dribbling around him at will and backing him down and shooting over him with ease. I don't get it.

With Cuban's pockets though I doubt that the Mavs won't improve over the next few seasons and continue to remain one of the West's elite teams.