Dallas Mavericks Schedule March 2010

There is lots to be excited about in regards to the Dallas Mavericks. The team was able to get rid of some team kryptonite in Josh Howard which is a plus by itself. However when you add to this that we got Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood in return this deal was definitely a steal for the Mavericks. The only player I didn’t want to see go is Drew Gooden, even though he is one of the most inefficient players his hustle factor was there every night.

The Mavericks schedule in March will be pretty friendly as we make our playoff push, because of this only 2 games will make it to National Television. Tickets are still available for upcoming games, and I recommend checking out StubHub if you are planning to head to the games. There are two don’t miss games in the month of March, both the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets will swim through town.

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Dallas Update: Mavericks – Stars – Texas Rangers

Dallas Mavericks (33-21, 1^st in Southwest Division)

The Dallas Mavericks have been a sports betting enigma so far this season but they are hoping that a recent trade deadline acquisition will help right the ship. The Mavericks are just 8-10 in their last 18 games and their division lead has shortened to just one game in the Southwest.

The Mavericks made a move to find that consistent No. 2 scorer behind Dirk Nowitzki this week and that man is tabbed to be Caron Butler of the Washington Wizards. The Mavs had to part ways with Josh Howard but in turn they received a former All-Star in Butler and Brendan Haywood, who is all of the sudden a valuable addition now that Erick Dampier is hurt.

Overall, this team is still a big mixed bag but they did improve themselves. We’ll see if they can mesh down the stretch of the season and become a true playoff contender. At this point, fans are skeptical.

Dallas Stars (28-21-12, 4^th in Pacific)

The Dallas Stars are on break right now as the Winter Olympic Hockey tournament takes place and the only topics where they have come up is NHL trade rumors.

The Stars would be on the outside of the playoffs looking in should they start today but the good news is that they are just one point out of it and just three points out of seventh.

The good news for Dallas is that eight of their first 11 home games will take place at home, where they have been dominant this year. They are 18-6-5 at home and have just two regulation losses there since the start of January.

If they want to make a serious push, now will be the time when the NHL is back.

Texas Rangers (Offseason)

Baseball betting tips are just around the corner as teams start to report shortly. This year, there is far more optimism for the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers went into last year with a pitiful pitching staff and a weak group of outfielders. Now the pitching is there and it’s the hitting that needs the focus.

New hitting coach and former Colorado Rockies manager, Clint Hurdle, is in charge. His first order of business will be to get the 2,633 swings and misses down to a more reasonable number and make the team more patient at the plate. The Rangers were the worst in both categories last year.

If they can improve on that, a playoff berth is not out of the question.

Josh Howard is out Caron Butler is in

The All Star weekend was great for the Dallas Mavericks, Dirk won his All Star event for team Texas and the Mavs pulled of a 7 player deal. This trade has the potential to fix all of the roster questions that have surrounded the Mavericks for most of this season. Below are the players that are are coming and going.

The trade between the Mavericks and Wizards
Mavericks Get:
G/F Caron Butler
C Brendan Haywood
G DeShawn Stevenson

Wizards Get:
G/F Josh Howard
F/C Drew Gooden
F James Singleton
G Quinton Ross

On Dunham and Miller this morning they reported that Gooden and Howard were the Mavericks least efficient players. Haywood and Butler are the Wizards most efficient players this season.

J-Ho for Caron Butler
The biggest part of this deal is no doubt the fact that the Mavs were able to get rid of Josh Howard and his off court distractions. Caron Butler is a guard / forward that will fit better than Howard at the 2-guard spot. Another plus about Caron Butler is that from all of the accounts that I have heard he is a good guy on and off the court.

Josh Howard seemed to lose his game after his barrage of off season incidents and injuries, J-Ho never returned to the production level that the Mavs counted on in their championship run. Caron Butler improves the Mavericks 2-guard situation and can create his own offense and play a little defense, something Howard forgot how to do at some point.

J-Ho vs Caron Butler Stats 2009-2010
Josh Howard
31 Games 26:41 PPG 12.5 FG 40.1 3PT 26.7 FT 79.0 RBS 3.6 STL 0.7
Caron Butler
47 Games 39:23 PPG 16.9 FG 42.2 3PT 26.3 FT 87.7 RBS 6.7 STL 1.5

Butler has better numbers in almost every category.

The other major swap in this trade is the Mavericks F/C Drew Gooden for the Wizards C Brendan Haywood, the rest of the players were included to get the salaries right. Gooden was a nice player, but we needed him to be a true 7 footer and you can’t teach height.

Haywood is a true center that averages just under a double double a game, this will allow the Mavericks to have 2 true centers again. Watch for Haywood to edge Dampier by the end of the season for the starting job at center.

By Playoff time I believe the Mavericks lineup will be:
PG Jason Kidd
- Backups: Rodrigue Beaubois, Jose Juan Barea
SG Caron Butler
- Jason Terry, DeShawn Stevenson
SF Shawn Marion
- Caron Butler, Eduardo Najera, Matt Carroll
PF Dirk Nowitzki
- Tim Thomas, Eduardo Najera
C Brendan Haywood
- Erick Dampier, Eduardo Najera

Conclusion
If I had to score the trade I would put it at Mavericks 3 – Wizards 1. The Mavericks get 2 points for getting rid of Josh Howard and replacing him with 2-time All Star Caron Butler. The Mavs get one more point for acquiring a productive center in Haywood, I think I would take him over Gortat as well. However the Mavs lost some depth in this deal which is why I give the Wizards 1 point. Don’t get me wrong though this trade is definitely lopsided in the Mavericks favor. Gotta love owner Mark Cuban and GM Donnie Nelson.

Dallas Mavericks Trade For Caron Butler

According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks have just completed their rumored trade with the Washington Wizards, and the deal will be announced later tonight.

The biggest pieces in the trade are Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood going from the Washington Wizards to the Dallas Mavericks, and Josh Howard and Drew Gooden moving from the Dallas Mavericks to the Washington Wizards.

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Dallas Update: Mavericks – Rangers – Texas Rangers

Dallas Mavericks (32-20, 1^st in Southwest Division)

It’s good that the All-Star game is happening in Dallas this year as it might be the first time that NBA betting fans have seen quality basketball in Dallas since the turn of the calendar.

Sure, the Mavericks are still in first place but it’s time for their fans to be concerned.

The Mavs, who long had held the second-best record in the West, are just 10-11 since December 31^st and worse yet, this is a team that had to climb out of a hole to eke out a win in Golden State and then were lost – to mildly put it – to the Denver Nuggets by 36 points.

It’s fairly clear that this team, while they have won 32 games, is not anywhere near contending for a championship. While some fans are hoping that the Mavs can get a boost from a swingman like Caron Butler or Kevin Martin, the reality could also be that if they don’t get that secondary scorer, that they head south and cost Rick Carlisle his job.

Dallas Stars (26-21-12, 5^th in Southwest)

The Dallas Stars are at an interesting spot at this point. While they are just a hop and a skip outside of the playoffs, the reality is that they don’t really have what it takes for a long playoff run. They may be realizing that as the Stars made a peculiar move this week to acquire goaltender Karl Lehtonen.

A few years ago, handicappers giving betting tips would have raised an eye brow if the Stars, who are equipped with Marty Turco, would acquire a netminder. But nowadays, Stars fans see the potential writing on the wall as this acquisition might mean that Turco’s tenure in Dallas is over.

With the trade deadline approaching and the Stars spinning their wheels, don’t be surprised if they ship off Turco, one of their lone assets, and get some pieces to build for the future.

Texas Rangers (Offseason)

Sportsbetting fans know that the Texas Rangers have long been short on pitching but they might get the jump on a couple of live arms who haven’t been allowed in the US over the last five years.

Alexi Ogando (26) and Omar Beltre (28) have met with Texas Rangers General Manager twice over the last two years and helped them get their visas. That may give the Rangers the inside track on the pitchers now that they have come over.

The Rangers will have the opportunity to add them to their 40-man roster shortly, which means they’ll have to cut ties with two others.

Both of these pitchers are mature and MLB betting fans know that it mean that may make an impact sooner rather than later for the Rangers.

Dallas Sports Report: Mavericks – Stars – Texas Rangers

Dallas Report

With only days away from the big game, everyone has been weighing in on their opinions on the Super Bowl odds and making their last NFL picks of the season. There are other sports going on in Dallas of course and some major moves and decisions will be made on all of the teams in the area in the coming weeks.

NBA: Dallas Mavericks (31-18, 3^rd in Western Conference)

-       Dallas has struggled since the start of 2010 going only 9-9. A big reason for the slide is the lack of outside shooting. Jason Kidd is not shooting at the clip he was last season, although he has markedly improved the play of those around him including Dirk Nowitzki who is having a 1^st team All-NBA type season.

-       Dallas had suffered three consecutive losses at the hands of the Suns, Blazers (112-114 OT loss where Andre Miller came out of nowhere to score 52) and Jazz before clipping the Warriors last night by 9 at home. The Mavs have played well against the poorer teams in the league but their ability to beat playoff teams is not there. F Josh Howard’s name has been in the air in trade talks as the Mavs try to trade the disgruntled F for a shooter or two. Dallas currently has enough guns to make the playoffs, but if they don’t add some alternative options on the perimeter, they will give Dirk a hernia as he tries to carry this team to a title. Look for Dallas to pick up a couple of wins this week vs. Minnesota on Friday and at Golden State on Monday. The Mavs face a big test on Tuesday when they go to Denver to face the Nuggets.

NHL: Dallas Stars (25-20-11, t-10^th in Western Conference)

-       The Dallas Stars received news that Owner Tom Hicks, who recently made an agreement to sell the Texas Rangers, is now being forced by creditors to sell the Dallas Stars as well. Hicks’ debt is unknown but people are that betting management understand that it is clear he can no longer function as an owner and stay financially soluble. The Stars stars may not be moved until the team is sold meaning G Marty Turco could end up staying with the team. Turco has fallen out of favor due to his sloppy play this season in favor of G Alex Auld. The Stars were 2-1 in the last week with a 3-2 victory over the Avalanche at home last Friday, avenging a 4-0 shutout earlier in the week in Colorado. The Stars then lost to a tough Phoenix team 4-2 at home Sunday and beat up on Minnesota 4-2 on Tuesday in Dallas. The Stars get to face the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets tonight but will have to face Phoenix twice, Calgary and Chicago in the next week.

MLB: Texas Rangers Offseason News

-       The Rangers have been dealing with a peculiar story this week as they try to get a couple of prospects cleared to enter the United States. Pitchers Omar Beltre and Alexi Ogando have been banned from the U.S. for their roles in a human-trafficking ring in 2005. The two pitchers had their Visa’s revoked for having fake marriages to bring prostitutes into the U.S. The guilt is clear and the two pitchers are showing remorse and have will show their support for The Women’s Committee in Defense of Human Rights, a Dominican based support group. The Pitchers will likely start in AA or AAA this year but Beltre has a plus fastball and may see some major league work this year. The pitchers were two of 30 detained in that 2005 bust.

Venue & Location Guide: 2010 NBA All Star Game

The 2010 NBA All Star Game & Festivities will be in Dallas / Arlington this year. There will be 3 different venues for the various All Star Events. The All Star Game will take place at the Death Star (Cowboys Stadium) which should provide plenty of seating for anyone who wants to see the game on the biggest HD screen in the world. All of the other All Star events will take place at the American Airlines Center except for the NBA All Star Jam Session which is the 3 day fan event, which will take place at the Dallas Convention Center. Below you will find the TV Broadcast, Ticket, and Event Location information for the 2010 NBA All Star Game. Read more

Dallas Mavericks Schedule February

The Dallas Mavericks lead the NBA Southwest Standings at the beginning of February. Coach Rick Carlisle shook up the team’s starting lineup, Jason “Jet” Terry is now starting at 2 guard. Terry has responded with great shooting, he replaces Josh Howard who has not been consistent this season to say the least.

The NBA schedule for February 2010 will have the Mavs playing 13 games, 7 on the road and 6 at the American Airlines Center. The two games that I recommend going to see if you live in Dallas are against the Lakers and Suns. Below you will find what TV channel and game time for the Mavs. Cheap Tickets for the Mavericks games are still available at StubHub.com!.

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Dallas Sports Teams Report

Dallas Report 1/28/10

With the Super Bowl odds up and NFL predictions all but a thing of the past, let’s see if the midseason blues are affecting the Mavericks and Stars and talk some offseason Rangers.

NBA: Dallas Mavericks (30-15, 3^rd in Western Conference)

Last Three Games: Dallas 81 @ Philadelphia 92, Dallas 128 @ New York 78, Milwaukee 107 @ Dallas 108

Dirk and the Mavs were flat in a no-show performance in Philly last Friday against a weak 76ers team. On Monday, they were only slight favorites against the resilient Knicks but they had no answer for the Mavs and had their spirits broken early and often as the Knicks were pulverized, 128-78. 50 points is the worst margin of loss in Madison Square Garden history. Following the massacre, the Mavs eked out a big win against a competitive Bucks squad 108-107. The Mavs are now 13-4 in games decided by 5 points or less. The Mavs look more like a realistic threat for the title every day.

NHL: Dallas Stars (23-19-11, 10^th in Western Conference)

(L) @ Vancouver 4-3 1/21 (W) @ Edmonton 4-3 1/22 (L) @ Colorado 4-0 1/24 (W) Calgary 4-3 1/27

The Stars had a heartbreaking loss last Thursday night in Vancouver when the Canucks scored the game winner with less than 30 seconds left in the game. The next night, the Stars knocked out the lowly Oilers in similar fashion with James Neal lighting the lamp with under a half minute to go. The Stars then traveled to Colorado and got blanked by the surprising Avalanche. Last night the Stars got into a duel with the fast-fading Flames and pulled out a shootout victory 4-3. The Stars have been shuffling net-minders with Marty Turco and Alex Auld splitting the duty both going 1-1 as the NHL trade rumors continue to swirl about Marty as no one’s job(except the top line’s) is safe as the Stars make a push towards the playoffs.

MLB: Baseball Betting: Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers have a new owner. Nolan Ryan and his group have an agreement to purchase the Texas Rangers from owner Tom Hicks for an estimated 500 million dollars. The Rangers may not be able to get out from under the shadows of rampant steroids use and over-spending that has plagued the franchise during Hicks’ reign. More importantly, one would expect the team’s focus to shift towards pitching with the great fireballer in charge of the team.

Player News

Rangers Sign Closer Frank Francisco to 1 year deal to avoid arbitration.

-       Francisco was a breakout pitcher last year for the Rangers. He was especially dominant early in the season before being slightly derailed from his groove by injury. The Rangers were smart to keep him at a 4 million dollar price tag. If he can do this in two consecutive years, he may be worth a long-term deal.

Rangers sign INF Khalil Greene

-       Greene was once a promising young star who had been derailed by a host of physical and mental ailments. Greene has been on the comeback trail and has always had some pop. The former starting shortstop also has a good arm and range. He will add nice depth to the infield.

NBA All Star 2010: Tim Duncan over Dirk Nowitzki?

Tim Duncan has been announced as the starter for the West in the 2010 All Star game that will take place at the new Cowboys Stadium. This means that our beloved Dirk will not get to start, even though he is playing lights out this year. The NBA All Star voting has become somewhat of a joke lately, I mean how do people vote for Allen Iverson? the only lasted 3 game with the Grizzlies and finally after a few weeks the 76ers decided to pick him up. Iverson is starting for the East despite the fact that he is having the worst season of his career.

Let’s look at Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan to see if Duncan actually deserves to be the starter for the West. I am in no way saying that I think that Duncan doesn’t deserve to be an All Star. However as you can see by Allen Iverson being voted a starter, and Tracy McGrady almost being voted in despite only playing 6 games this year, something is definitely wrong.

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