Nash, Nowitzki flourish without each other
04:08 PM CST on Wednesday, December 29, 2004
We spent most of the summer wondering how Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash
would handle their separation.
It turns out that both players are having career seasons.
We’re not saying that Nowitzki and Nash are better off without each
other. They are the Nick and Jessica Simpson of the NBA. OK, there’s
probably a better example than that, but you get the idea.
With the Mavericks, Nowitzki and Nash were able to share their
responsibilities and obligations to the team. Nowitzki was the best
player, Nash the most important. Both were comfortable in those roles.
Nash’s departure took both players out of those roles. Nowitzki has had
to carry the Mavericks and has the ball in his hands almost every trip
downcourt. Nash has been asked to lead a young, athletic team in Phoenix
and accelerate their development.
The result: Nowitzki ranks in the top 10 in the league in scoring (26.3
points) and rebounding (10.1) and owns career highs in both of those
categories. Nash leads the league in assists (10.9), a career high, and
has a 52.2 percent field goal percentage, also a career high.
It’s much too early to talk about the league’s Most Valuable Player. But
if you took a vote right now, Nash and Nowitzki would be in the top five.
In that order.
- David Moore
Q: As a relatively new Mavs fan, I am surprised at how many fans
wrote in complaining about chemistry, expecting instant results. I would
believe that my fellow fans would let things gel and then make their
opinions (assuming management does not do something foolish now, like
get Jason Kidd). Are management’s constant changes to the roster the
cause of this or just the result?
Glen Harper, Budapest, Hungary
MOORE: If all fans in Hungary are as thoughtful and understanding
as you, I can think of 30 NBA coaches who would love to coach in
Budapest.
People are conditioned to want instant results and form instant
opinions. The Mavericks are a work in progress and should be judged
right now by the progress they are -- or aren’t -- making rather than
what the can become. You also hit something else right on the head.
The willingness of owner Mark Cuban and coach Don Nelson to change the
roster in recent years feeds into the perception that another major deal
is right around the corner. It’s not, but if the Mavericks aren’t
rocking along at or near the top of the league, some fans just assume
that Cuban is about to pull the trigger on another deal.
•••
Q: Is it too early to start worrying about Erick Dampier’s
production? He’s really slumping lately, and a guy his size should be
able to pick up more rebounds and points in the paint in his sleep.
Michael P. Reaves, Manhattan, N.Y.
MOORE: It’s not too early. More than a third of the season has
been completed, and Dampier is averaging nearly four points and five
rebounds less than he did last season. The question is this: Is Dampier
not getting enough minutes to be successful or is Nelson not giving
Dampier more minutes because he doesn’t deserve them? It’s a little bit
of both. Nelson has a quick hook with Dampier and tends to forget him
once he’s on the bench. But Dampier is also prone to early foul trouble,
and Dirk Nowitzki said the other day that the Mavericks are a different
team when Dampier isn’t coasting on the court.
Dampier’s production and minutes have been on the upswing the past week
or so. It could be a sign that he’s more comfortable with the system and
Nelson is more comfortable with leaving him on the floor.
•••
Q: Is Marquis Daniels’ ankle still limiting his offensive
production, or are his reduced numbers caused by a more balanced lineup,
and will they stay that way throughout the year?
Doug Daniels
MOORE: There’s no question Daniels’ ankle is still bothering him.
Some nights you don’t see any effect. But others, he may tweak it early
and he doesn’t look right the rest of the game.
The scoring you see from Daniels now -- 9.6 points per game -- is about
the average you can expect the rest of this season. He’s not a primary
option, in part, because he wasn’t there early to establish his role.
Others, especially Josh Howard, have earned some of Daniels' minutes and
points. The Mavericks would like to see more assists from Daniels the
rest of the way because much of the offense runs through him when he’s
on the court.
•••
Q: I know that before the season there was a lot of debate in
Dallas about whether or not to trade Dirk for Shaq. I have heard that
the Lakers would, and I have heard there was no way they would take the
deal. I am just wondering what your feelings were about the deal then
and if you have changed your mind since Dirk has looked much better this
year than last.
Mike Neustadt
MOORE: We can’t say for sure what was going on behind the scenes.
There were whispers that Kobe Bryant had let it be known that he didn’t
think he and Nowitzki would be a good fit, so the Lakers didn’t pursue
him. But Cuban also declared publicly that he would not include Nowitzki
in any package to obtain O’Neal. We’ll never know if Cuban made that
statement independently or only after gauging the Lakers' level of
interest in Nowitzki. The Lakers' preference was also to move O’Neal out
of the Western Conference.
But let’s put all that aside for a second. My feelings: Nowitzki is a
wonderful player who will be averaging 25-plus points a game long after
O’Neal has retired. But I believe if the Mavericks could have acquired
O’Neal and re-signed Steve Nash, it would have contended for the title
this season. I don’t know if the same can be said of this group.
•••
Q: What kind of career do the Mavs realistically think Josh
Howard can have? Do they expect a Bryon Russell-type career or can he do
more, like say a Doug Christie? Or can he be a multiple-time All-Star?
John
MOORE: Howard is averaging 12.2 points in his second season.
Russell has averaged more than 12 points just three times in his 12
years in the league. It’s fair to say the Mavericks expect Howard to be
more than the next Bryon Russell.
The Christie comparison is a good one. Howard is an aggressive defender
who isn’t afraid to mix it up, an outstanding rebounder and a player who
can sting you for 20 points on any given night. He also doesn’t need the
ball in his hands to be effective, which is a big plus and allows him to
fit into any style of offense you play.
If Howard can have as long and productive of a career as Christie, the
Mavericks would be happy. I don’t know about multiple All-Star Games. As
good as Christie has been, he’s never been invited.
•••
Q: The Mavericks have rotated their starting point guard quite a
few times. Are the Mavs likely to continue having Jason Terry at point
for the opening tip, or will Darrell Armstrong gain the upper hand?
Scott Godfrey, Tasmania, Australia
MOORE: I’m not sure about this, Scott, but my guess is the
Mavericks considered calling you this season to ask that you send Shane
Heal their way if you bumped into him Down Under.
Nelson came out the past week and said that he had one point guard who
was too old (Armstrong), one who was too young (Devin Harris) and one
who wasn’t really a point guard (Terry). He also has one who is retired
(Avery Johnson) sitting next to him on the bench.
Terry should gain the upper hand, but he hasn’t yet -- at least not on a
consistent basis. Harris should also get more playing time as the season
unfolds. Unless Terry or Harris really comes on, Nelson will rotate this
position the rest of the way and use Armstrong for spot duty.
•••
Q: Will the Mavericks be looking to make a trade to shore up the
backup center position before the trade deadline? If so, who could
likely be packaged in a trade?
Rick Henderson, San Marcus, Texas
MOORE: No.
Shawn Bradley and Calvin Booth are giving the Mavericks the sort of
production they want in limited minutes. There are so few centers in the
league, the most productive backup minutes at the position actually
belong to Nowitzki. There’s not a backup center in this league who can
stay with him and allows the Mavericks to go with a smaller, quicker
lineup.
•••
Q: With the acquisition of Vince Carter, do you think the Nets
are taking Jason Kidd off the market? If so, what are the prospects for
a Mavs midseason move to shore up the point guard position?
Josh Branson, Evanston, Ill.
MOORE: Kidd can force the trade issue. Still could. But despite
all the trade rumors you’ve heard swirling around, I never got the
impression he was on the market.
The last person the Nets want to trade is Kidd. Even with Kenyon Martin
gone, management believes it can build a championship contender around
Kidd. Carter, along with Richard Jefferson and Kidd, gives New Jersey an
explosive offensive trio. The idea now is to go out and surround them
with some big, athletic players who can run the court and do the dirty
work.
That’s easier said that done. But New Jersey has a better chance of
building a competitive team that way than it would if it traded Kidd.
•••
Q: Why would the Nets refuse to pay Kenyon Martin big money, then
turn around and trade most of what they got for Martin for a soft,
injury-prone, defensively weak and overpaid Vince Carter? It makes no
sense to me.
John Whitlock, Brantford, Ont.
MOORE: I don’t want to put words into your mouth, but it sounds
as if you’re not high on Carter.
Nets owner Bruce Ratner came out a few weeks ago and conceded his
mistake. He blamed the blunder on listening to a group of minority
investors who had more basketball knowledge than him argue that Martin’s
contract was one they couldn’t absorb. The Nets traded Martin to Denver,
the minority investors eventually dropped out of the deal, and Ratner
was left to deal with the fallout.
Ratner came to realize if he didn’t make a major move, he risked
alienating Kidd and the fans. Even if you don’t like Carter -- and I can
tell you don’t -- you must admit the Nets didn’t have to give up all
that much to get him.
