Ehsan Azad
Mavs return with a
breath of fresh air
It feels good to be updating my personal sports blog after
such a long delay. Though I have been busy with other writing gigs, this is
where I started, so I am trying to make a conscious effort to re establish my
blog. I will try to update this blog daily with all sports facets and everyday
life. The inspiration is from my writing muse himself, Richie Whitt. So hopefully
this is as successful as his blog has worked out. You will find anything Mavericks, Texas
Rangers, College football, or any other sport featured on my blog. If you want
Dallas Cowboys content, find me at thelandryhat.com for all the best Cowboys
news and views.
For my first article back, it is fitting that we cover
something that has been put on the back shelf for a long time as well,
Mavericks basketball. Today marks the
return of the Dallas Mavericks season and I couldn't be more excited for a
season than I have in years. I am usually a big fan of basketball as soon as
the Cowboys have been eliminated from playoff contention, so around
November-December usually. But this
year, with so many new faces on the roster and with some intriguing performances
during the pre-season, this could be a fun season for the MavsFansForLife.
The biggest news is that it looks like Dirk Nowitzki is back
to his championship form. The guy is finally
fully healthy, has some new teammates to refresh his outlook on the game, and a
new sense of proving doubters wrong. For awhile now, the NBA world had thought
Dirk had gotten too old and lost a step or two after the championship run. It
seems that is fueling this new–look dirk and the Association better be ready
for a Dirk that is going to put up some MVP numbers this year.
The other big story-lines is the new-look back court of Jose
Calderon and Monta Ellis. Since Jason Kidd and Jason Terry left, the Mavs
struggled to find suitable replacements to fill the void at the guard spots.
This year, they may have found the best options at both positions. In Calderon,
they have a savvy veteran point guard who knows the game very well and can efficiently
run the offense without turning the ball over. He also can shoot from the
outside, which is one big asset to have in your point guard. Monta Ellis, who has been trying to shed his
reputation as a volume shooter, has really changed his game during the
pre-season. He is taken higher percentage shots than he has in the past, he can
get to the basket and finish at the rim, and his two-man game with Dirk is
absolutely fantastic to watch on the court. Look for the Mavericks offense to
be one of the best in the league because of these three men working together.
The bad news is that their defense has been shot to hell!
With only Shawn Marion and foul-prone center Samuel Dalembert as the only true
defensive players, look for a lot of 114-112 games from the Mavs this season.
So that brings me to my annual season prediction for the
Dallas Mavericks, and it is much better than it was last year. The Mavericks
will win 50 games at least and make it to the playoffs with the 6th
seed in the Western conference. Sadly, that is as far as they go, since the
West is very good this year.
So let’s get ready for a fun and exciting Mavs season and
root for the return of Dirk!
