The Association

The Sarge Report: Will the Suns or Mavs Miss the Playoffs?

The Sarge (or Encyclopedia Bri-Danica from the public access airwaves) is a frequent commenter, Madden trick-play specialist and longtime friend of The Association.

Since the Trade deadline has passed, should the Suns and Mavericks be worried about making the playoffs? Both teams are closer to the 9th spot than they are to the top spot in the West.

Let’s start with the #6 seed, the Phoenix Suns, who got blasted the other night by Denver, the current #9 seed. Since the overpaid and overweight Shaq have come to Phoenix the Suns are just 2-5 and are fading quickly. Shaq first stated when he got to the suns that he would evolve to their game but a few days ago he said they should change to his style of ball. Note to Steve Kerr: Shaq is not only in it for himself, but also for the alimony that he has to pay to his ex-wife. The Suns are also in trouble because 3 of the next 4 games include San Antonio, Utah, and Golden State -- all playoff teams right now. I guess Marion meant more to the Suns than they thought.

Now for the #7 seed Dallas Mavericks, losers of 4 of their last 5 games, all 4 of which were losses to playoff teams. This trade though is looking similar to that of the Suns. Jason Kidd is old and cannot match up against the younger, quicker guards in the West like Chris Paul and Deron Williams. Dallas however has a much easier schedule coming up than the Suns do. They only play one team from the West over the next 5 games. Jason Kidd is still talking about his old team the Nets and not quitting them. It is amazing how pro athletes DO QUIT on their teams if they're unhappy and want a chance to play someplace that looks better to them than their current situation. I think both players here -- Shaq and Kidd -- did quit on their old teams, and both did what they had to do go get out.

The bottom line is this: both trades were made because the Lakers got the steal of the century, and the fact that San Antonio is still as good as ever. But It would be pretty Ironic if one or both of these teams missed the playoffs due to these trades, which are looking more and more to be hurried and meaningless.

Write What You See: A Great Night in the Association

By Craig Kwasniewski

Okay this is not some long-winded gloat-fest about the Lakers win over the Suns. I'll save that for the playoffs. Instead, tonight was a night for all the hardcore NBA fans out there. You had major debuts, a sick game winning jumper, a triple double, a very smart trade and even a Clippers win... simply fantastic!

So let's just run with another edition of Write What You See:

Boom Dizzle hits a SWEET game winner against the C's: I gotta give Baron Davis and GSW Hoops credit for beating the Celtics without Captain Jack. Normally I'd try to find something negative in the W just to get under the very sensitive skin of the Oaktown fans, but you guys deserved this one. I thought the Celtics would come out on fire after their loss last night at Denver and I thought Golden State would drop a second loss in a row, but instead they rode the wave of their incredible fans and once again rallied in the 4th quarter for a huge win. That has to be something like 12 fourth quarter rallies by GSW this year. It's a damn shame that they currently sit 9th in the west. The NBA *NEEDS* this team to make the playoffs!

Spurs get Kurt Thomas: Once again, while other teams are making panic deals in trying to keep up in the wild west (read: Dallas and Golden State), the Spurs go under the radar and acquire exactly what they need: a defensive big. This is why the Spurs have been contenders since 1999 and will still remain in the title race for the balance of Tim Duncan's career. Tim Thomas offers veteran experience, a tough/east coast style of defense and he's a great teammate. What makes the deal even better is that the Suns have been reeling defensively since they let Thomas go in a money-saving deal. So as the Lakers and Suns are scary-big, the Spurs counter with additional front court help and gave up nothing in return. They match up perfectly with what the Suns offer and can probably hang with the Lakers.... simply a smart deal.

LeBron with a Triple-Double: With all the debuts and game winners is LeBron's triple-double against the Pacers. The ESPN guys were praising Kobe tonight as a top MVP contender, but I'm still giving it to LeBron. The guy is simply carrying a broken and not-that-talented team to W after W. They may run out of gas in the playoffs against the C's and Pistons, but what LeBron is doing is straight out of the 80's (Bird, Magic, Mj, Isiah) with that will to win.

CP3 to Kidd: Debut This! Chris Paul drops a major schooling on Dallas in Jason Kidd's debut. I'm guessing that the Western Conference leading New Orleans Hornets are getting tired of all the talk about everyone else out west the past week and were primed to send a message to the Mavs. I know Kidd only had one practice with his new team and I know they'll get better, but expect a lot of the top point guards to have great nights against Kidd. The guy's simply not the same defender he was a few seasons ago. And I can't state this enough (especially after the Kurt Thomas trade), the Mavs are not big enough to hang with Phoenix, San Antonio or Los Angeles.

Shaq's debut in Phoenix: No gloating here... just a few facts: Fact, Shaq played his ass off and clearly knows his role with Phoenix (defense, rebounding and size). Fact, Nash and the Suns will learn to play with Shaq. Fact, Shaq is no longer explosive, but is smart enough to make a difference. Fact, with Shaq eating space, Amare will get some seriously monster numbers.

However...

Fact, the Suns defense is not that good (especially with Nash, Shaq and Amare all poor on pick and rolls). Fact, the Suns will miss Marion's help defense (he was a great rotational shot blocker). Fact, the Suns will miss Marion's defense against Kobe (he split defense on Kobe with Raja Bell, who looked tired at the end). That being said, despite the loss at home to a Lakers team missing Andrew Bynum and playing the second of a back-to-back and despite blowing the season tiebreaker in a very emotional game, the Suns are still one of the teams to beat out West (three team race with the Lakers, Suns and Spurs).

That was a fun game to watch and I'll pay close attention to Shaq's "college basketball season" over the next few weeks just to see how it plays out.

Whatever happens, tonight was one of those "I love the NBA!!!!" nights.

Dallas Should "Be Ready" for Other Things from Kidd

By Craig Kwasniewski

So the yahoo article states, "Kidd’s advice to new teammates: Be ready." Obviously it's referring to the leadership and passing skills of Jason Kidd.

I think they should "be ready" for a few other things:

Be ready for a zillion shots of his son - nothing hides a player's questionable past more than children (read: A.I. in the 2001 NBA Finals).

Be ready for "women issues" - remember his wife? Or the fact that he beat her? What about the Toni Braxton incident (who coincidentally caused problems the last time Kidd was in Dallas)?

Be ready for limited defense against the likes of Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Baron Davis, Tony Parker and Steve Nash.

Be ready for "coaching problems" from the notorious coach killer (ask Byron Scott, who's coaching the Western Conference leading Hornets, how he feels about Jason Kidd).

Be ready for a kajillion, manillion, fafillion, zazillion shots of son of Kidd (remind me again please... what do the children of celebrities and athletes have to do with anything???)

Be ready for "Clank!", "Brick!", "Bang!"... all sounds coming from Jason Kidd jumpers of the wide open nature.

Be ready for an openly sobbing owner in a MFFL Nowitzki tee shirt this spring because Dallas ain't getting by Phoenix, San Antonio, Los Angeles or Utah in the playoffs.

This trade might help the Mavs damaged psyche (Dirk Nowitzki) in the short run, but it doesn't improve their chances in the very powerful west... especially on the defensive end. By trading Diop they gave away an important body (and fouls) to help Dampier against the likes of Shaq, Duncan and the Lakers' twin towers and Kidd's defense is more like Gary Payton in the 2004 NBA Finals. I can't see this trade helping much.

The NBA... where overrated trades happen...

Write What You See: Devean George is My Most Favorite Player Ever!

By Craig Kwasniewski

Devean George for having the bollocks (I've been watching a lot of V for Vendetta) to use your no trade clause in the face of the Jason Kidd to Dallas trade, I dub thee my most favorite player ever! Seriously, Devean George of all people just denied a major blockbuster deal. I can't imagine anything funnier... well except Smush Parker having a run-in with a parking valet and getting benched for the season.

Do you now see what I went through during the Devean George/Smush Parker run in 2005-06? Can't the NBA just retroactively give Kobe an MVP award for taking that woeful Lakers squad to a Game 7 against Phoenix? Other Laker greats on that team include: Kwame Brown, Brian Cook, Chris Mihm and Slava Medvedenko.

Anyway, one of my favorite Shaq-ism (and a not so veiled dig on Kobe) "Write What You See" is a few random thoughts of the mid-week in the NBA. What better way to kick start a new weekly segment than to have a few random thoughts on the Devean George hoops cock block:

A no-trade clause for that guy??? First off, I thought Kobe Bryant was the only guy in the NBA with a no-trade clause? So your telling me one the the best players in the NBA *AND* one of the worst players in the NBA are the only ones with no-trade clauses? How the hell did this happen? Seriously, one of the biggest douches in the NBA has the right to refuse a trade? I can keep asking a bajillion questions here because I thoroughly confused... Devean George has a no trade clause????

Wasn't George complaining about PT a few weeks ago? Yeah I know, another question, but it was only a few weeks ago the George was complaining that the lack of PT was hurting his chances at earning a new contract. Ummmmm correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't a team in the east battling for the 8th playoff spot have a better chance of playing a VERY low basketball IQ player with no range, no intelligence, no handles and a low basketball IQ (worth mentioning a few times, he's that dumb) than the Dallas Mavericks? Devean, you were only playing big minutes because of injuries! Do you actually think Mark Cuban will allow you in his gym after this stunt. Dare I say season ending tendonitis?

That loud F-Bomb you hear is from the TNT studios in Atlanta: It's kind of a stretch, but there was a remote chance that if the trade went through today that both Jason Kidd and Shaquille O'Neal would be making their respective debuts against each other on TNT. Talk about drama... the last game before All Star break, Shaq and the new look Suns hosting Jason Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks with Marv Albert probably calling the game. You're talking playoff atmosphere and every NBA lifer watching this one. Too bad... THAT would have been a fun game to watch. I mean it still will be, but Kidd returning to Phoenix the same night Shaq makes a debut, I mean come on!

I bet Mark Cuban is no longer thanking Phil Jackson for letting George go. Mark Cuban, who's always willing to take a jab at PJ, was quoted as thanking Phil for letting Devean go via free agency to the Mavs because of his hustle and defense. Yes Phil, as a Laker fan, thanks for letting Devean George go.

This is actually a good thing for Dallas: Count me in the minority for this one, but I didn't like this deal for Dallas. They're gutting their roster for an aging, expensive, slower on defense, coach killing, wife beating point guard at the end of his career. Can you honestly say that the Mavs are better than the Suns, a healthy Spurs, a healthy Lakers or even Utah after this trade? They lose youth and speed at the one position in a conference deep in those areas (CP3, Deron Williams, Tony Parker, even Steve Nash). The Mavs window of opportunity is now the same 2 years as the Suns, the one team they can match up with in all five positions including the lack of depth on the bench. Maybe in the long run the Mavs can thank Devean George for allowing them to sleep on the trade and passing on it tomorrow.

Or Devean George will be forever banished to the medical ward with tendonitis, a frequent injury at the end of his Laker career. Either way, thanks Devean for showing Mavericks fans why I blew out my voice-box booing the LeDev era in Los Angeles.

Tables Have Turned, Mavericks Now Own The Warriors

by Brett Edwards

After a year in which the Warriors completely dominated Dallas, both in the regular season and the playoffs, it appears that the Mavericks have finally figured them out. As Kenny Smith screamed repeatedly during the dunk contest where Vince Carter was doing ridiculous things, "IT'S OVER!" Dallas dominated from start to finish, and the Warriors must now be wondering if they'll ever win a playoff series again.

The "BALLGAME!" play in this one came late in the fourth, when Dirk blocked Stephen Jackson's shot attempts twice on the same possession, then Stackhouse finished with an acrobatic spinning layup on the other end to seal the deal.

By his teammates accounts, Dirk played his best game of the year.

"He exorcised some of his demons," Jerry Stackhouse said. "It's something that needed to be done."

"He just refused to allow them to double-team him," added Jason Terry. "This was definitely his best game of the year. I liked everything he did."

Even a couple of the Warriors, who are occasionally a little cranky in defeat, were nothing but complimentary towards Dirk:

"I think Dirk just played his game, like the MVP," said Stephen Jackson. "I thought he played great. I think if I could put my hand on one thing it was that he was more patient on the block. I think he just stayed under control. He definitely carried them tonight."

Warriors forward Al Harrington noticed, too.

"Dirk was aggressive. He wasn't passive," said Harrington, who scored 21 points. "He was determined to put his team on his back and play at an MVP level."

So I don't think the Mavs have anything to worry about anymore when it comes to playing the Warriors. But Golden State has plenty to worry about when it comes to thinking playoffs. Now that they have lost their edge on Dallas, who exactly do they think they can beat in the first round? Obviously not San Antonio or Phoenix, and we know what happened when they met up with Utah. The Lakers? Doubtful, considering they were very lucky to beat them last time, and before that one they had lost nine in a row to L.A.

Unless GSW can somehow get one of the top three seeds in the West, there's just no way they're winning a playoff series this year.

Photos: Dirk Gets His MVP Trophy

By Craig Kwasniewski

If an MVP is awarded and no one is around to hear it- does it make a sound? (Or something like that.)

Yesterday Dirk Nowitzki finally received the 2006-07 NBA Paper Weight MVP Award. One of the weirdest running subplots in the past few days was how, when, where and if ever will they give the trophy to Dirk considering his Mavs got blasted out of the first round by Tha Dubs. I was kinda hoping that Stern would present the trophy LIVE via videophone from the tunnel at the AWWWWW BOOOOO!!! Arena.

Anyway, here's some photos of the presentation and of the HUGE crowd attending the event, congratulations Dirk:

Warriors Rule, Mavericks Suck

by Brett Edwards

Is that what you wanted to hear me say, Warriors fans? Well there you go. And surprisingly, it's not that hard for me to admit. After watching Golden State thoroughly outplay Dallas for five of the six games (the exception being Game 2), it's been sinking in for a while now.

The Mavericks had the unfortunate honor of being matched up in the first round with the one team in the entire league that they can't play with. Even more unfortunate was the fact that Dallas could have knocked the Warriors out of the playoffs by beating them the last week of the season, but instead conceded the game by rolling out a lineup that would have gotten killed in a D-League game. Based on the way the games have gone though, I don't know if Dallas would have had a shot even if they had tried to win.

What's most unfortunate though is the fact that the Clippers really should have made the playoffs instead of the Warriors. I mean, had they showed up in the first half of a Sunday afternoon home game against Sacramento, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. Warriors fans pointed out that the Clippers lost the last game of the season so Golden State would have been in anyway, but the Clippers only lost because they saw that GSW had clinched the final playoff spot by beating the Blazers. After that the Clips had nothing left to play for.

So whoop it up, Warriors fans, you deserve it. Dallas may have been the best team during the regular season, but they simply could not handle the quickness and sharp-shooting of the Dubs. With Dirk still the likely winner of the MVP, it looks like Craig might just get his wish.

Why I’m Pulling for a W for the Dubs

By Craig Kwasniewski

I'm pulling for Golden State simply to see Nowitzki receive the MVP award in the TNT studios at halftime during a Detroit-Chicago game (they'd never think of doing it during the Warriors – Rockets series) and not in front of the home crowd. Would Dallas drop an MVP banner posthumously next season? Would Stern present the award "Live via Satelite" from the Toyota Center in Houston or would he do it on the cheap and go "Live via Videophone?" I was hoping for it last year with Nash and I’m begging for it now. That'd rank right up there as the most awkward moment of the season, easily surpassing Charles Barkley shoe-horning himself into that Nowitzki XXXXXL jersey last Sunday.

BTW – To the people of Golden State of Mind, not all of us here are Warrior haters (just the Spurs and Heat). But I agree with Brett, paying $72 dollars for a tee shirt is insane.... insane I tell you! Unless you’re some film industry loser that shops at Fred Segal hoping to end up at on Perez Hilton, there’s no reason to pay more than $45 for a tee-shirt of any kind.

Would You Pay $72 For This T-Shirt?

by Brett Edwards

Some fool did exactly that. The Golden State Warriors bandwagon is officially out of control, with the give away "WE BELIEVE" shirt from Game 3 going for $72 on eBay. So not only are Warriors fans loud, but now they're rich and stupid too?

Alright, maybe that's a little harsh, but after all I'm in bitter Mavs fan mode after the Warriors have taken three of the first four games of this series and are on the brink of eliminating Dallas from the playoffs. I guess 67 wins in the regular season doesn't mean jack when you're matched up against a team that's basically doing exactly what you do, but doing it better so far in this series.

I'm guaranteeing a Dallas win in Game 5, but the way the Warriors are pulling shots out of their ass at home, they appear to be on their way to taking this series in six.

The Most Entertaining Ejection

By Craig Kwasniewski

A Stephen Jackson ejection has to rank right up there with the greatest moments in the NBA.

He's right up there with a LeBron breakaway dunk, a sweet high-banking jumper from D-Wade or a sick baseline fade-away from Kobe.

So last night, I'm out with the wife having a few libations, watching the game out of the corner of my eye. You know how it is... you're listening to the many benefits of installing wooden floors in the living room, trying to look interested while glancing at the game. Suddenly I see Stephen Jackson getting tossed and shouting many (many, many, many) expletives at the refs while being escorted (and saved) by teammate Matt Barnes into the tunnel.

I had to get up and watch the drama up close; just to see if any crazy shit might happens (you know, because Jackson's completely insane). Those Mav fans that were taunting him totally put their lives on the line.