NBA Jam Set to Return

Nothing screams Freshman year of high school like NBA Jam. Well, maybe the untimely death of Kurt Cobain, but the arcade hit, and subsequent Super Nintendo favorite played a large role in my life in 1994.  I remember sitting in class, passing notes back and forth with my friends trying to get “cheats” for the game, to unlock players like Michael Jordan and Bill Clinton.  After school was out, we would gather at one of the members of our group’s house and play the Super Nintendo version of the game all night long (and all weekend long). On a trip to San Antonio, I remember spending 4 hours and countless quarters in an arcade in our hotel, trying to master the arcade version of the game, only to find out the “cheats” for the Super NES version were different than the “cheats” for the arcade version.  Needless to say, I was overcome with joy to read that the game is being revamped and released in December 2010.

Marc Stein, writing for ESPN.Com’s “Weekend Dime,” provided a breakdown of each team’s roster from 1993-1994 and who he would like see represented in the new version of the game. Reading through the list brought back countless memories and filled my head with the voices of the game announcers–”he’s on fire!”

One point where I disagree with Stein, I would pick Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry, instead of Shawn Marion, for the Mavericks. Either way, the Mavs team in this version of NBA Jam, will be a significant upgrade from the 1994 version, which featured Derek Harper and Mike Iuzzolino.

Are Pro Athletes Too Friendly With One Another?

The New York Knicks defeated my beloved Mavericks 128-94 tonight. A 34-point loss is probably one of the more curious ways to end a 13 game winning, but after we handed the Knicks their worst loss ever at Madison Square Garden in January, I knew they would be looking for a revenge. Streaks are made to be broken and I knew that eventually the Mavs’ streak would end, but for it to come in such an embarrassing fashion makes it that much worse. There were moments in tonight’s game where I couldn’t tell if the Mavs wanted to be at Paquiao/Clottey fight instead, spent too much time at the Lower Greenville St. Patrick’s Day Parade or if they just wanted to play down to John Hollinger’s expectations. Whatever the case, this was one of those games in an 82 game season a NBA time is going to have.

What made tonight’s loss extremely disappointing is what happened on the court following the game.  Not that it was anything new or unusual, but rather a disturbing trend I’ve seen play out in sports more and more often. As the clock ran out, I saw several Mavericks’ players laughing and carrying on with several of the Knicks’ players. Let me be clear, I have nothing against a friendly handshake at the end of a game as a show of sportsmanship. What bothers me is when professional athletes buddy up with their opponents after a game, especially after a thrashing like tonight.

Rush Limbaugh caught a lot of heat last year when he said he hoped Barack Obama’s policies failed. Whether you agree with Limbaugh or not, his philosophy–to see your opponent defeated–should be one adopted by all professional athletes. When I see athletes goofing around with their opponents, before or after a competition, I immediately begin to question whether or not they truly desire to be the best at what they do. If I were to take such a half-hearted approach at my job–not caring that my competition was destroying me–I would surely be fired.

Not to sound like the “old man,” but when I was a kid, athletes weren’t like this. When I watched Randy White (the Cowboys Hall of Famer, not the Mavericks spare), I knew he wanted to destroy his competition. I didn’t see “The Manster” discussing dinner plans with John Riggins. Likewise, when I saw Nolan Ryan pitch, I saw a man burning with a desire to win. I never saw him fraternizing with opposing batters.

What do you guys think? Do you think professional athletes are too friendly with each other?

March Madness: 5 Ways to Improve the College Game

While it may not be a popular opinion, I personally feel the NBA is far more entertaining brand of basketball than the college game. I’m familiar with all the arguments against the professional game–no defense, questionable officiating, overpaid superstars–and I’m not naive enough to argue those elements don’t exist. However, I am firmly attached to the Dallas Mavericks and have no connections to any Division I college basketball program. When the Mavs play, I watch and celebrate when the team fares well and sulk when things go wrong.

Tonight, I watched approximately ten minutes of a college basketball game between Butler and Wright State. It marked the first college basketball game I’ve watched in almost two years. Almost immediately, the warts of the college game became apparent. In observance of March Madness, I thought I would provide a few ideas to improve the college game.

• No Zone Defenses – This is something that drives me crazy about the professional game as well. Zone defenses may be pleasing from a technical standpoint, but they ruin the overall tempo of the game, turning every game into a half court affair. If nothing else, the college game should adopt the NBA policy of a defensive 3-second violation, preventing teams from camping out in the paint.

• Reduce the shot clock – Nothing irritates me more than watching a “four-corners” game develop during the NCAA tournament. Simply put, the shot clock in college basketball is far too long. Twenty-four seconds is more than enough time for a team to advance the ball to the front court and run an offense. The current shot clock actually encourages team to take the air out of the ball.

• Do away with the possession arrow – There is no reason why the college game cannot institute a NBA-like  “jump ball” in situations where the possession arrow is currently used. Simply alternating the possession arrow between teams is unfair.

• No 3-pointers The three point shot encourages jump shooting. Sounds fairly obvious, but for a game that stresses the fundamentals, the college game should embrace the “old school” philosophy of driving the ball to the basket and EARNING three points the real way with a basket and free throw.

• Fewer timeouts It seems like the final 2 minutes of a college game last an eternity because coaches save ALL of their timeouts until that time. Again, the NCAA could learn from the NBA. Limit the amount of timeouts a team can use during the final  2 minutes, maybe one full timeout and one 20 second time out. This would allow a much more organic feel to the game.

Rules for being a fan…

Last night the Dallas Mavericks recorded their 336 straight sell out. A couple of things made this game stand out from the rest. One, Dirk Nowitzki became the 34th player in NBA history, and the first not to have played college or high school ball in the U.S., to top the 20,000 point mark in his career. But what really made this night stand out was the large size of the crowd for the opposing team. The Los Angeles Lakers were in town and their t-shirt fandom was out in full force.

It goes without saying that 99% of the Lakers fans in attendance last night have never been to L.A. They have no real connection to the team, but they like to be associated with winners, so based on the past success of that franchise they buy the team’s merchandise and tickets to the game when the Lakers swim through Dallas. The Chicago Bulls attracted a similar following in the 1990′s and the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Red Wings and, yes, my beloved Dallas Cowboys attract similar followings in their respective sports.

While I am a die hard fan of the Cowboys, I grew up in the Dallas area to a family of Cowboys fans. Simply put, I am a Cowboys fan because they are the home town team and I have never turned my back on them, regardless of how tough times might have been. Similarly, I’ve been a Mavs fan my entire life–yes, even during the 90′s when the team was historically pathetic, and while I still haven’t got to celebrate a NBA title, I have had the opportunity to see the Mavs make it to the Finals, win 67 games in a season, see Dirk win the MVP and enjoy one of the most successful decades in NBA history (9 straight 50 + win seasons & 9 straight playoff appearances). With the Rangers, there hasn’t been much payoff for my loyalty, but even those gray skies seem to be clearing up.

It’s impossible for me to fathom rooting against any of the Dallas area teams. When the Lakers come to the AAC or when the Yankees visit the Ballpark, I see thousands of people who live in the same metropolitan area as me turn their back on their hometown teams and I’m left scratching my head, just as I’m sure fans in other cities wonder where all the Cowboys fans come from on Sunday afternoons. Shouldn’t there be some rules to being a fan? I think so…

1.) Live or Lived in the City – You live in Dallas; you root for Dallas teams. You live in Dallas and move to Boston; you can still root for Dallas teams. However, if you are born and live in Philly you should probably root for the Eagles instead of the Cowboys.

2.) Live in market for the franchise – This rule mainly applies to those people who live in areas without professional sports franchises. I grew up in East Texas. Dallas was the nearest city with a professional sports franchise. However, the local sports affiliates carried games for New Orleans, Houston & San Antonio teams in addition to the Dallas franchises. It’s acceptable for someone in this situation to be a fan of any of those teams.

3.) Family Ties – This is similar to rule #1, but allows for generational gaps. Your grandfather moved to Dallas in the 1940′s from Brooklyn. He was a die hard Dodgers fan, raised your father to be the same and your dad raised you the same way. It’s understandable and acceptable for you to be a Dodgers fan.

It is unacceptable to be a fan of a team simply because you like their star player, you like their team colors, or you like the fact that they have won numerous titles.

Top 5 Sports Moments from Weekend

I realize that I’ve been on a top 5 kick lately, but it’s just the mood I’m in. Let’s keep it rolling with the Top 5 moments from a busy sports weekend:

1.) SMU Becomes Bowl Eligible – For whatever reason, I’ve been a SMU fan from my earliest days. I have never attended school there and they haven’t had the on field success that elicits t-shirt fans, but I’m a fan of the Pony Express. I went to several SMU games as a kid, pre-death penalty, and I was at the first post-death penalty game, a win over UConn. To see this team rise from the depths, become bowl eligible and sit in the driver seats for the Conference USA title is great indeed.

2.) TCU Sends a Message – There are two legitimate national title contenders in Texas–the one in Austin everyone expected and then the one in Fort Worth that’s been battling for national respect for a decade.  While it will still take a miracle for TCU to earn a spot in the BCS National Championship Game, if they run the table and win their BCS bowl game they will provide yet another example of how the BCS is the biggest fraud in all of sports.

3.) Mavs Continue to Play Strong – In spite of a recent rash of injuries and illnesses, the Dallas Mavericks continue to play as well as anyone in the NBA. Over the weekend, they took games at Minnesota and Detroit and tonight won on a last second, OT buzzer beater in Milwaukee. While this may not be the Lakers, Celtics & Cavaliers, three straight road wins is always a feat in the NBA. Plus, the Mavs got these 3 wins without Josh Howard, Tim Thomas, Erick Dampier and Shaw Marion.

4.) Colts beat the Patriots – I’ve always said, every time the Patriots win, somewhere a little puppy dies. To see the look of failure and utter dejection on the face of Bill Belichick walking off the field last night actually helped ease the pain of the Cowboys loss (see #5).

5.) Wade Phillips is one step closer to being fired – In the “desperately-seeking-a-rainbow-after-the-storm” category, the Cowboys loss to Green Bay on Sunday means this franchise is one step closer to ridding itself of its final obstacle in the race to win a Super Bowl–Wade Phillips. I’m convinced that if this team does not make it to the NFC Championship game this year, Jerry Jones will fire Wade. While I will always support fellow Texans, Wade is just not the right fit in Dallas. In keeping with the “support my fellow Texans” theme, I’m also glad that the Packers win ensures that their GM, and former Atlanta Rabbit great, Ted Thompson’s job is safe for at least another week.

Your kiss, your kiss is on my list

It didn’t exactly go down the way that ESPN predicted, but Tim Thomas is officially a Dallas Maverick. While I’m sure the “kiss” Thomas blew at Dirk during the 2006 playoffs is forgotten, I don’t think Thomas and Dirk will ever be BFF’s. Don’t expect to see the two eating at Taco Diner or enjoying drinks at The Loon together, as Dirk and Steve Nash did. I’ve got to think that there will be at least some tension between the two. Dirk is a professional and I’m sure he will make every effort to make Thomas feel welcome on this team, but I’m sure he is with the rest of us and scratching his head at this signing.

Is this an indication that a trade is looming on the horizon?

Other blogs have speculated heavily on what the Mavs might be able to get for the Greg Buckner trading chip in September. Is it possible that either Thomas or Drew Gooden would be paired with Buckner to bring another piece to this ever confusing puzzle?

If Thomas stays with the Mavs, what will be his role? With the exception of Jason Terry, this team lacked a true 3-point threat last season. Sure, Dirk, Josh and Kidd would hit the occasional 3, but JET was the only true shooter on this squad.  Thomas instantly gives them another threat from beyond the arc. He ranks #22 all-time in 3-point field goal percentage at .413%.  Thomas, a highly emotional player, also brings a certain edge that has been lacking from this roster. Finally, while he will never be considered a defensive star, he is not a liability on defense either, especially in one-on-one situations. Look for Thomas to get minutes while Dirk rests.

As I said yesterday, free agency is unpredictable and it’s way too early to determine what effect this signing will have on the Mavs 2009-2010 season. However, at this point, it is definitely the most curious off-season move by the Mavericks this season. Almost as curious as using their mid-level exception on ‘Gana Diop last season. Let us pray that the results are not as disastrous.

Drew Gooden now a Maverick

NBA teams understand the unpredictable nature of free agency. You can never know how a player will adjust to a new system, the effect a new player will have on the chemistry of a team or the effect of other intangible elements will have on a team.  Granted, some signings are a little easier to predict than others, but for the most part you cannot be sure the effect a free-agent will have on a team until some point well into the season.

Not one expert–not John Hollinger, not Mark Stein, not Mark Cuban nor Donnie Nelson–can accurately predict the effect the singing of Drew Gooden will have on the upcoming season, neither can I; however, I do have a few observations about the signing.

First, let’s examine the good.

Assuming that the Mavs use Gooden primarily as a 5, the Mavs have instantly improved what has traditionally been the lowest scoring position on their squad. I’ve thrown the numbers out there several times in the past few weeks, but Erick Dampier averages only 7.9 PPG for his career and averaged only 5.7 PPG last season.  Gooden averages exactly 12 PPG for his career.  I will say we should tap the brakes just a little in regards to scoring.  Gooden has played only sparingly at the 5 position throughout his career, so the numbers might not translate exactly to his new position, but he definitely posses the athletic tools necessary to be a much more effective offensive threat than Dampier.

Dampier constantly frustrates the Mavs coaching staff, teammates and fan base with his inability to finish on the offensive end. Gooden has better hands and a better shot, so one would think his scoring average would not drop too drastically moving down to the center position. The Mavs have struggled to score in the paint for several seasons and Gooden should be able to help those numbers. Gooden is also a much better free throw shooter than Dampier, which can come in handy late in the game.

Obviously, this makes Dampier expendable. A lot has been made about trade potential that Dampier’s expiring contract presents. It looked like we were faced with another season of Dampier and Ryan Hollins at the 5, but with Gooden signed, the Mavs can now re-sign Hollins and shop the Dampier contract.

Gooden also brings playoff experience in a more youthful body than Dampier. While Dampier has appeared in more playoff games (52) than Gooden (44), Gooden has started more playoff games (40) and logged more playoff minutes (1,191  minutes) than Dampier (32 games started; 1,150 minutes).  Gooden has averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds per game in the playoffs, while Dampier has averaged 5 points and 6 rebounds per game. Both have appeared in one NBA Finals, yet Gooden is seven years young than Damp. At 27, Gooden would be the baby of the starting line up.

It scares me that none of Gooden’s former teams showed much interest in him. He admitted himself on his Twitter account that he was surprised that neither Cleveland nor San Antonio showed “as much interest as other teams.”  The Cavs have never made it to the NBA Finals without Gooden, yet they didn’t seem to think he was vital enough to bring back to their team. I got to see Gooden first hand in the Mavs/Spurs series and was impressed with his limited play. I don’t know why the Spurs chose not to use him more. Evidently, there was something about him the coaches did not like.

It’s too early to tell whether or not this will end up being a good signing for the Mavs, but I definitely think it has some potential. Maybe not as much potential as Marcin Gortat and it’s definitely not as sexy as getting Shaq, but this could very easily upgrade the Mavs at the 5 position, which could help tremendously down the line.

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Now playing: Merle Haggard – What Happened?
via FoxyTunes

The professional athlete as a fan…

A local talk radio program conducted an interview with Quinton Ross this morning. Now that he is officially a Dallas Maverick, Ross has the opportunity to do something very few athletes get to do–play ball in the same city for high school, colleges and the pros. Udonis Haslem is the only current athlete whose name I can think of off the top of my head, but I’m sure Miami, L.A. and Houston have had a few in the past.

I began to think about what it means for an athlete to play professionally for his hometown. Does it mean anything at all? Is there any emotional attachment between a pro-athlete and their hometown team or does a professional athlete automatically shed all childhood allegiances?

For better or worse, I am emotionally invested in the Cowboys, Mavericks and Rangers. I’ve followed these teams my entire life. As a kid, I collected the trading cards, autographs, the Starting Lineup action figures, and any other type of memorabilia you can possibly imagine associated with the guys on my team.

Throughout the years, Ive devoted my time to watching their games in person and/or on TV. Consider the fact that since 1990, I have missed only two Cowboys’ games (1.) a December 28, 2003 game against the New Orleans Saints 2.) a September 30, 2001 game against the Philadelphia Eagles). Similarly, I saw all 82 Dallas Maverick regular season games, either in person or on TV, in 2006-2007 and I have missed only 24 Mavericks regular season games since the 2005-2006 season.

As I grow older, I find that my devotion to these teams grows only stronger.  I invest countless hours each year to reading about my teams, writing about my teams, talking about my teams and listening to others talk about my teams. For what? So I can impress friends at a cocktail party by naming every Cowboys’ kicker since 1985? No, I do it out of love, love of and for my teams.

I was about a .230 hitter in youth league baseball (although I knew how to work a walk and had a .800% OBP one summer) and at 6 feet, 160 pounds, I was a back-up center and defensive tackle on my high school’s JV football team before I decided to quit.  Needless to say, I knew from an early age that professional sports were not part of my future.

Not only do I lack the set of physical skills necessary to be a pro-athlete, I lack the mindset as well.  You see, even if I had Tom Brady’s skill set and contract, I could not bring myself to, either directly or indirectly, compete with the Dallas Cowboys.

How does a professional athlete deal with this emotional schism? Let’s say a kid grows up in New England, idolizing the Sox. He’s a five tool player and he gets drafted in first round right out of high school and singed to a million dollar contract. The only catch is that the team that drafted and signed him is the New York Yankees.

I’m sure situations like this must arise in the professional sports world and when they do, I’m interested to find out how the athletes deal with it.

I realize that many professional athletes may grow up as a fan of a particular player or sport and not necessarily loyal to their local team, but I know there are some athletes with passions like mine. Would a multi-million dollar contract and the promise of a championship give me the motivation necessary to temporarily set these this emotional investment aside? I tend to think not.

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Now playing: David Paich, Don Henley & Jeff Porcaro – New York Minute
via FoxyTunes

How about Von Wafer

Entering the off-season, I felt the Mavericks’ three biggest needs were to address the center, shooting guard and lack of athleticism. It appeared that the Mavs had addressed the center situation by singing an offer sheet for Marcin Gortat; however, we all know how that worked out. While several rumors have swirled around regarding other potential deals to address the center position, none have materialized as of this time.

Acquiring Shawn Marion improves the athleticism of this team to some extent and the flashes that Rodrigue Beaubois has shown in his brief NBA Summer League career suggests tha the too could add some athleticism to this team. Yet this team still lacks the athleticism of many of their Western Conference counterparts.

The only thing the Mavs have done at the shooting guard position is the signing of Quinton Ross, who the front office says will provide defensive help and shoot the three. What they really mean to say is that Ross is just another Antoine Wright.  If we assume that the Mavericks will move Josh Howard to the starting shooting guard position, we can set the depth chart–Jason Terry will come in off the bench and get a majority of the minutes at the 2 and Ross will fill in, as needed, in specific situations. Theoretically, the Mavs are three deep at the 2 position.

I love what JET brings off the bench, but neither Ross nor Howard excite me.  My suggestion? Go for a change of pace, sign Von Wafer.  The little I saw of Wafer last year, I liked. He would instantly add a level of athleticism to this team that is asbsent. 

How would the rotation work at four deep? The move would make Josh Howard expendable. He could be shopped to someone like New Orleans, for Tyson Chandler, or to Charlotte, near his home, for someone like Emeka Okafor.

The Mavericks starting line-up would look something like this:

PG – Jason Kidd

SG- Von Wafer

SF – Shawn Marion

PF- Dirk Nowitzki

C – Emeka Okafor/Tyson Chandler

I realize the move has it drawbacks.  One, Wafer’s limited body of work and lack of starting experience. Terry would still get a majority of the minutes at the 2, but would start as a change of pace. Think of the way the Nuggets used Dahntay Jones last season (18.1 MPG, 5.4 PPG). Wafer put up better numbers (19.4 MPG, 9.7 PPG) as a reserve.

Could you get Okafor or Chandler for Howard? It’s worth shopping around. I hope the Mavs learned from the Gortat fiasco and would have a deal in place for Howard before inking Wafer. This is the key piece to making the deal work. If you can’t move Howard for an upgrade of Dampier, then there’s really no sense in pursuing Wafer. However, if the Mavs are serious about addressing two of the most glaring weaknesses, they should at least give Wafer a casual glance.

Mavericks back-up center options…

The Suns have reportedly offered to buy out the remainder of Ben Wallace’s contract. Let’s hope that the Mavs aren’t feeling so desperate that they express interest in him. Wallace would do nothing to addressing any of the issues facing this team. Indeed, he would only add to the Mavs problems.

The Dallas Morning News reports that Mark Cuban told NBA TV that the Mavs have contacted Lamar Odom’s agent. To me, this is a more compelling option, specifically, could he be used a small, athletic 5? With that, you could a run a starting line-up of Kidd, Howard, Marion, Dirk and Odom onto the court. As the News reports, this is unlikely though since it would probably require a sign-and-trade to secure Odom and the Lakers aren’t looking to dump salary.

We know the New Orleans Hornets were shopping Tyson Chandler last season, would he be worth using the Dampier trade chip? I would think this would be something worth looking into. If healthy, Chandler could help address several issues with this team.