Wasting away in Loserville Ridiculous. Denver's still without their three best frontcourt players and the Nuggets were coming off a back-to-back on the road. Got to win this game. No excuses.
Tyson Chandler
I like Chandler. I thought the Mavs should've always had Chandler years ago, pre-Dampier. They should've traded for him and spent that money they gave to Brendan Haywood on a shooting guard, who can play some D. He does a lot that doesn't show up on the box score. Very long and athletic. Still seems to fill up the box score. He hasn't had the blow-up yet, however. If he's going to get 26-30 minutes a night, I'd like 10-15 rebounds, at least.
J.J. Barea
Got to admit, the son of a bitch is consistent. You can almost guarantee a -15 or -20 in point differential when he's on the court. He is nothing short of a disaster. Used to, you'd get eight points out of the guy. Now you're not getting even that. It's extremely clear that the Mavericks are not deep and that they should have targeted Ray Felton, Jerryd Bayless, Mike Conley or Jordan Farmar to be the back-up point guard.
Shawn Marion
For me, the only bright spot off the bench. I think he looks way better than he did last year. Would not be shocked to find out he's healthier than a year ago. Scores with regularity and rebounds well.
The Zone
Where's the trashcan where we can put the zone defense? I actually understand Rick Carlisle's dilemma here. Jason Terry, Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki can't defend one on one. Frankly, no matter how good I think Caron Butler is, I'm pretty sure Carmelo Anthony could do what he wanted against him. Still, good teams with good coaches beat the zone. Always. Good teams do not play zone defense 48 minutes a night.
