Rondo+Mavs=Dynasty? Or Short Marriage

When the trade for point guard Rajon Rondo happened, I’ve got to admit I was stoked. I mean it was pure genius how Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson re-tolled the roster and brought it back into title contention in just a few short years. Now the Mavs have an All-Star point guard that can help guard the elite point guards in the West and help cement another title for Dirk Nowitzki.

That dream didn’t last long.

Now that the NBA season is winding down and the march to the playoffs is starting, the Mavs are struggling to co-exist in the Rondo-era. Even with the addition of Amar’e Stoudemire, the team is still trying to find its identity. Though the defensive numbers have improved dramatically since adding Rondo, the offensive end is still a mess. You would think adding one of the elite point guards in the game would elevate it, but sometimes you can’t force certain players with certain teams.

The Mavs run a flow offense, which generally means that there are no set or called plays. It is about playing the pick-and-roll and creating spacing all across the court. Rondo, however, is a much different point guard. He prefers to have the ball completely in his hands and to use most of the shot clock. This is not what the Mavs are comfortable with, especially when you have a ball-dominant shooting guard in Monta Ellis. Ellis needs the ball in hands to create shots and drive to the basket.

That brings us to another problem with Rondo and that is he sucks on the offensive-side of the ball.  He currently is shooting .408 percent from the floor and a dreadful .382 percent from beyond the arc. Even his free-throw percentage is at a career low .280 percent. These numbers aren’t what the Mavs need in their point guard.

Add in the fact that Rondo and head coach Rick Carlisle are fighting on-court over play calling, you got yourself a very volatile situation. If the Mavs don’t have a long playoff run, they will have to make some tough decisions this off-season with their All-Star point guard.

Dallas Cowboys:

Yesterday I mentioned that I figured it would be time for Cowboys fans to get used to the fact that Demarco Murray won’t be returning. I bet a lot of them are wondering then, who will replace him next season? That is going to be a tough question to answer, but of course there are some interesting candidates. We all know of Adrian Peterson, but I figured that will be a pipe-dream because of the mess he has up there in Minnesota. We could name draft prospects and I am sure Melvin Gordon or even Todd Gurley would be a great addition.

The name I am focusing on is free agent running back Mark Ingram. The former Heisman trophy winner hasn’t made a huge impact in the NFL, but in the right situation he could flourish. The Cowboys don’t need a home-run hitter or a workhorse like Murray, but behind this offensive line Ingram and other backs can contribute big time. Ingram, at the right place, would be an incredible fit for this team.

Texas Rangers:

If the Rangers are going to do anything this year, they really need Yu Darvish to make a huge impact. I know he is coming off injury, but he has to make an impact and be one of the top pitchers in the league this season. If he isn’t in the conversation for the Cy Young award, don’t be surprised if the Rangers aren’t in the conversation for making the playoffs.

Quote of the Day:

“It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up.”

— Vince Lombardi

EA gets Mike Florio's job!

In less than three months, I will be graduating with a degree in Journalism and I am confident in getting a job very quickly. It won’t be at some small-town newspaper, but I am gunning to be running NBC’s Pro Football Talk. After what Mike Florio pulled these last two weeks over the Dez Bryant situation, I am supremely confident I could do a better job without any experience necessary. Florio started this insane witch-hunt over a mysterious video tape that allegedly shows Bryant doing something criminal. Here he talks to Shan and RJ on 105.3 The FAN about the tape for the first time and created a media fire storm.

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/02/20/mike-florio-on-rumors-holding-up-dezs-contract-talks/

Luckily, the firestorm has died down as facts have replaces speculation and there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of any videotape. As I am writing this, so far all the incidents that Bryant has been involved in have been known to the Dallas Cowboys. My point in all of this is to implore all reporters to replace rumors and speculation with cold, hard facts. Now, let’s get back to talking about real sports.

Dallas Cowboys:

The Cowboys are gearing up now in free-agency as we now know what they plan to do and it is what we all expected they would do. According to Mark Lane of Fox Sports Southwest, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said they plan to put the franchise tag on Bryant by the deadline tomorrow. The tag will pay Bryant roughly $13 million in 2015. The Cowboys believe this will only be a placeholder and allow the team to continue to have more time to work out a long-term deal with Bryant.

"We just don't want to lose his rights," Jones said. "We think Dez is a, you know, unique player and certainly a big part of what we do in terms of what we've done, our success, and certainly going forward."

I am not surprised by the move, because why would the Cowboys want to let go their second-most important player. The franchise tag just prevents Dez from getting interest from other teams and allows the both sides to talk over a long-term deal until July 15^th. In my opinion, this will get done by the Summer time and at the latest by the deadline. The Jones family is known to get stuff done around deadlines.

Yet, the pessimistic fans out there are worried and yelling about why haven’t the Cowboys backed up the money truck to Dez’s front door. There are two answers and they are quite simple to understand. 

First off, the Cowboys aren’t in the business of paying big-time contracts to players anymore. Their sins of the past have come back to haunt them and that is why they have been in terrible cap situations over the years.  With Stephen Jones running the show now, there has been a change in philosophy. They don’t want to pay the big bucks until they know for sure they can trust the player and it will pay off in the end. That leads me to my second point on the hesitation of the Cowboys to pay the “big bucks”.

It has nothing to do with off-the-field issues; it has to do with health. I am thinking the team is worried about the amount of back issues that have crept up over the past few years. While it hasn’t affected Bryant in terms of missing games, it has concerns. If these back issues keep coming up, why pay big money for a player that could miss games.

Regardless, according to Mike Fisher of CowboysHQ.com, the Cowboys were close to deal with Bryant in October, but he switched agents. That pushed back negotiations back to square one. The Cowboys and Bryant’s new agent, Tom Condon, finally talked on the phone and it seems like negotiations will start soon. Like I said before, I believe they will get Bryant locked up and he will be a Cowboy-for-life.

Another All-Pro Cowboy won’t be returning to join Bryant next season, in my personal opinion. Mark Lane also reported that Stephen Jones said it is likely running back Demarco Murray will test free agency.

"[Murray] is probably going to, you know, get some peace and see what's out in the market and then we'll talk and see. I do believe deep down he'd love to stay in Dallas."

Murray, who had a MVP-caliber season last season, knows this will be his last chance for a big contract. Running backs these days only get one chance at the big one and after that it is chump change. That is just how running backs are valued these days in the NFL. So what would make sense for Murray in the long run? Take less money and stay on a good team and compete for a title or go to another team simply for the money?

What I think will happen is that he will leave to the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have a lot of cap-room, they desperately need a running back, and they are poised to get to the Super Bowl, especially if they add a player like Murray.

So Cowboy fans, start trying to imagine life without Murray and let us start trying to piece together the search for his replacement.

Tomorrow’s preview:

We are going to talk about the Rondo problem with the Mavs, Texas Rangers talk, and we look into the multiple options for Demarco Murray’s replacement.

Great inspirational Sports Quote of the Day:

“I always felt that my greatest asset was not my physical ability, it was my mental ability.”

– Bruce Jenner

The Return of EA SPORTS DFW!

After a long delay, the EA Sports DFW blog is back to a triumphant return. A lot has happened to the DFW sports scene since we last talked and we have a lot to cover.

Dallas Mavericks:

A lot to digest with this team and I still can’t come up with a definite feeling towards this squad. They are talented, but too many times this team has come up short in trying to live up to our expectations. They started out the year having one of the more efficient offenses in NBA history but had one of the more dreaded defenses in the league. The trade for Rondo started with so much hype and now has many fans questioning the move. Now, new forward Amare Stoudemire is the new hope for this Mavs team that is still trying to put all the pieces together. In his Dallas debut against the Charlotte Hornets, Stoudemire had an impressive outing off the bench with 14 points and three rebounds in just 11 minutes of playing time. His offensive game and rebounding skills look to help this Mavs squad this is struggling to find bench help. If Amare can follow up with even more impressive outings down the stretch, then fans can have some optimism going into the playoffs this year.

Dallas Cowboys:

There isn’t any down time for America’s Team and the drama is building up as Free-Agency nears. According to Mike Florio of Pro-Football Talk, apparently there is a video of Cowboys All-Pro receiver Dez Bryant doing “Ray Rice type things”. My take on this is that it is complete b.s.  First off, if this was something to deal with any law being broken, wouldn’t we hear something from law enforcement trying to see this tape? Also, I am sure this would be a huge story that nay reporter would want to break. Yet, we still have multiple reporters including Mike Fisher of 105.3 the Fan has no clue of. The Cowboys have also expressed puzzlement over the existence of this video. The video doesn’t exist, trust me Cowboys fans. It doesn’t seem plausible.

Yet, there is something to be concerned about with Dez Bryant. The contract negotiations aren’t going well and it does seem that a franchise tag might be coming. According to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News, Stephen Jones said the Cowboys are “leaning” towards applying the franchise tag on Dez.  

Jerry Jones even said that they haven’t really talked to Dez’s new agent since the change was made mid-season. So what is the hold up? I am thinking that there is still no trust between the front-office and Bryant and they aren’t comfortable with guaranteeing big money towards him. The only other plausible reason this isn’t happening is maybe Dez and his agents want a ridiculous contract.

Regardless, this is a bad situation because franchising him will not only take up significant cap space, but it will piss him off. Dez did say not to test his loyalty. Jerry is sure testing it right now.

Texas Rangers:

As pitchers and catchers are reporting in Arizona for spring training, there is a bit of excitement for the Rangers from myself. Yes, they were unbearable to watch last season as injuries derailed this team but I think there is room for optimism. Yes, we don’t have Ron Washington here anymore bringing his leadership to this franchise, but Jeff Banister is just as capable of bringing that same intensity. Also, this team is finally HEALTHY! We can finally see what this team was meant to be last year, with some minor additions. While I don’t think this team will compete for a title, they are surely in the race for the division title. So let’s relax and just be happy baseball is back!

Dallas Stars:

Do I really have too? No? Thanks..

Follow me at @easportsdfw for more updates and my thoughts on sports.

It's the most wonderful time of the year

It’s the most wonderful time of the year

It might be the best time for sports fans here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. You have the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars back in the playoffs, the Texas Rangers have started their season and the Dallas Cowboys are about to start the draft process. Too bad it might end badly for all the teams involved.

Dallas Mavericks:

The Mavs made it back to the playoffs, but they unfortunately drew the most dangerous San Antonio Spurs team that I have ever seen. I seriously think Tim Duncan brought some voodoo magic back from the Virgin Islands and that is why they have been so good for so long. We saw that magic happen again in Game 1 Sunday afternoon. For most of the game the Mavs had control of game, they even led by 10 points with about eight minutes left in the game. Then the Spurs went on a 15-0 run and eventually took the lead and the win. During that stretch, Dirk and Monta combined for two points and a whole bunch of misses. Dirk, your leader and top offensive weapon, finished with only 11 points. He had 30 points in the regular season finale against Memphis.  Dirk and Monta need to be better! They have their chance at redemption tonight. Bad news is that the Spurts might be on their A-game as well.

Dallas Stars:

What a time for Stars fans in the Metroplex. A young team on the rise, the Stars returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Like the Mavs, they got stuck playing the number one seeded Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks took the first two games in California, but the Stars kept it close. Now back in Dallas, they dominated Ducks from the start, taking game 3 with a 3-0 win. The franchise should be happy and the fans should be proud. This team can be the shining light for a city that is full of heartbreaking sports teams.  The bad part is that the Stars are going to lose this series because the Ducks are just better. The Stars are too young to win this series. I could be very wrong and I want to be wrong. Regardless, with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin leading this team, there could be another Stanley Cup coming to Dallas.

Texas Rangers:

This team really has broken my heart. All the potential with Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo joining the offense really had me thinking World Series. Then the injuries happened and then my hopes went down the drain. Then Prince Fielder all of a sudden couldn’t hit the ball and the pitching became insanely terrible. While I do believe this team is going to get healthy and be competitive, there are things that worry me, especially when Matt Harrison rejoins the rotation. It is still early to tell how good or bad this team can be, but it will be fun to watch.

Dallas Cowboys:

Well usually there is no good news with this team, so all I will say is this. They need to hit on some quality picks in this draft, or they will be missing the playoffs once again. For more Cowboys coverage, go read my articles at www.thelandryhat.com.

Let’s just hope the sun shines again on the Metroplex.

Mavs return with a breath of fresh air!

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 6^th 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!

Fourth of July Mash-Up

Ehsan Azad

Fourth of July Mash-Up

                So it has been awhile since I last updated my blog, and I know you are all just dying to hear my thought on the world of sports. Ok, maybe not, but I am still going to tell you because a lot has happened since I last wrote.  So since today is a holiday, I thought it was time for another mash up.

·         The Dwightmare is almost over as he begins to announce his decision on Friday. I personally can’t wait until this is over. I just know he will take that extra 30 million that the Lakers are offering and try to make it work with Dantoni and Kobe. If he comes to the Mavs, Great, but I am not going to get my hopes up. Honestly, I rather have LA get him than the Rockets, because as you may know, Houston sucks. Plus, we can focus on Lebron coming here next year, am I right?

·         The last time I wrote, Aaron Hernandez was looking to be the starting tight end going into training camp with Gronk recovering from injury. Now, he is the starting wide out in a Boston area prison.  So apparently, Hernandez is some thug from Florida that has an anger problem, kills two people and kills his close friend for supposedly ratting on him. All of this is alleged and he is innocent until proven guilty, but damn the evidence is sure piling up against him. Seriously, Hernandez, if you are going to delete the video at your house, delete the part where you are holding a gun and saying you can trust people.  But, it doesn’t matter, because this was all in God’s plan. God wanted Gronk hurt, Hernandez to become a killer, and then Tebow will become the starting tight end. True story.

·         The Rangers have rebounded from their abysmal June and have reclaimed first place. They still need a trade for a big time hitter, because their offense is still dragging around. It’s embarrassing to only score 2 runs at the ballpark where you have a jet stream. Maybe their July will give us a hitter than can actually hit the ball.

·         Cowboys training camp is coming up soon and I cant wait. Best time of the year because it means football is almost here. Time for my early pre training camp prediction, Cowboys will go 18-0 into the Super Bowl and Romo will throw a last second pick to seal the doom for the Boys. Or not. Maybe they go 0-16?

·         Quick reminders, the EA Sports Show will be back July 16^th, don’t miss it. IF you want to hear previous episodes, tweet me at @easportsdfw  and ill give yall the links.

Everyone have a safe and fun fourth of July, and Dwight Howard please come to Dallas!

Pick your Poison

Ehsan Azad

Pick your Poison

                It finally happened! The evil, unthinkable act of horror will be showcased at the NBA Finals. The San Antonio Spurs will face off against the Miami Heat. If you are a Mavs fan, this must be painful to watch. But, if you had to pick, who do you pick?

                If you are a sports fan, you will always look for person to root for if your team isn’t playing. That is just human nature and it won’t change. But, this year is that one rare example of wishing for the option of killing yourself. On one corner is the Maverick’s arch rival and in-state nemesis the San Antonio Spurs. Not only have the Spurs won four championships and have been a thorn for the Mavs in the playoffs, they continue to show how much more better their front office is after being so consistent at winning for 13 years.  On the other side, you have their Finals rival, the Miami Heat who “beat” the Mavs with help from the Refs and the epic revenge in 2011 when they beat the star studded big Three of the Heat. So who will I root for?

                Simple answer, I will be rooting for the Heat. The Spurs for years have made me sick. They have won four championships in 13 years and they never seem to get old. Gregg Popovich must have installed the fountain of youth in the locker room. They also find players you never hear d of and put them in positions that make them stars. I might respect them but I sure do I hate their guts!

                So it’s a simple, go root for the Heat. It was inevitable and you can say they only won because they colluded and built a super team. You don’t need Spurs fans throwing in Mavs fan’s faces their 5 championships, that plain just hurts.