Wednesday Morning Donuts: Mavs' Old Habits

Mike Fisher -- DB.com

    DONUT 1: Old habits die hard. That goes for players, coaches and media/fans, who seemingly feel into some familiar patterns as the Mavs lost their opener, 102-91, to the visiting Wiz. To wit:

    DONUT 2: Old Habits Die Hard, Coaching Dept: Quinton Ross was given the start, provides Dallas with its defensive stopper, and at 6-6 keeps Dallas from being undersized. And by all accounts, he played well. (Check the box; He’s the only guy in the eight-deep rotation with a positive plus/minus, at +7.) But he played only 19 minutes, as coach Rick Carlisle tried to keep Dallas afloat with the gimmicky SmallBall trick of the 3-PG Attack.

     Is Quinton Ross really an answer?

     If you’re gonna shoot 39 percent anyway, and he’s only going to take two shots anyway, maybe.

     DONUT 3: Old Habits Die Hard, Players Dept: A lack of defensive intensity + Over-reliance on the jump shot = an 11-point loss to a team that was an eight-point underdog.

    Sound familiar?

    I cannot pinpoint the individuals who are specifically guilty of the former; without film study, I don’t want to indict anybody for the unforgivable crime of opening-night defensive lethargy. But the jump-shooting issue? There were attempted good moments at the rim by JJB and his “fearless’’ tight-rope dances to the basket, by Damp, Marion and Dirk. But otherwise? Nada.

     The Mavs seemed to want to outscore Washington when, given that club’s makeup, it would’ve been much easier and much smarter to try to out-defend them.

     DONUT 4: Old Habits Die Hard, Media/Fans Dept: This ain’t our first rodeo. So why do we always, every year, act as if it is? It’s a big one-of-82, no doubt. But why do some of us act like we are now 1/82^nd down the road to being put out of our misery?

     Enjoy … not the lost, but the anticipation of things getter better.

     I hope.

     DONUT 5: Let’s be honest here without being cynical: Two Mavs from last night picked right up where they left off last spring. That would be Jason Terry, who in the playoffs last season left his jumper somewhere between San Antonio and Denver … and Drew Gooden, whose work last night will be familiar to Spurs fans who saw him do the same nutty stuff for them down the stretch in ’08-’09.

    Here’s a free scouting report from The 75-Member Staff to Drew Gooden: Go check your history. You are NOT a high-percentage shooter from the baseline. Free-throw-line extended? Maybe. In the paint? Definitely. Baseline 17-footers? Absolutely not.

     Drew, trust us on this.

     DONUT 6: Care to place a bet on the Mavs this year? They are 20/1 to win the NBA title. Or, at least they were before last night.

     DONUT 7: Your DallasBasketball.com T-shirt is here! The “DallasBasketball.com classic’’ and “The UberMan’’ and the “Fish for Lunch’’ and “The DUST Chip’’ are yours for the taking! Please visit the DB.com Store today!

    DONUT 8: L.O. and Khlo have love tattoos. Awwww. … But kids, let me caution you: Tattoos, you cannot get annulled.

    DONUT 9: From The Wall Street Journal: “To Control Spending, Teams Cut Rosters, Coaches, Scouts, Holiday Parties and Even Texting.’’

    DONUT 10:  How did ex-Mav Antoine Walker blow all that money?

    DONUT 11: Big Baby is bloodied, Big Baby is broken and Big Baby is, well, a Big Baby.

   DONUT 12: When publications like Forbes Magazine dabble in sports, they usually get it wrong. But I’ll offer this note without further comment: Forbes’ newest edition rates Damp in the top five “most overpaid NBA players”… and he’s ranked just behind ‘Gana Diop.

   DONUT 13: Part of Rick Carlisle’s pregame pep talk to the fellas was “First to 100 wins.’’ … a goal made very difficult if the fellas never even get to 100.