Maverick’s Off Season Moves Smart, Strategic
July 26, 2010 by rabernethy · Leave a Comment
This year’s NBA free agency made a big splash, mostly in South Beach. While other teams made high profile moves and Lebron James broadcasted his decision on prime television, the Mavericks acquisitions were expected and relatively quiet.
They managed to keep Dirk Nowitzki at a discounted rate and they re-signed center Brendan Haywood. In typical Maverick fashion, they also traded away Eric Dampier for center Tyson Chandler from the Charlotte Bobcats.
The Mavericks moves also received their fare share of criticism. Everyone expected them to keep Dirk, but many felt Brendan Haywood was overpaid. Their have also been questions about Tyson Chandler’s health status. Despite all this, the Maverick’s free agency was both smart and strategic. Read more
Dallas Round-Up – Rangers Move Up To First; Mavs Looking To Blow It Up?
May 13, 2010 by Guest Contributor · Leave a Comment
Before you settle into some Preakness betting, you should check out the status of the Texas Rangers, who are making moves up the ranks in the American League West, while the Dallas Mavericks wonder if they should start all over again.
Texas Rangers
The Rangers have had a great week, sweeping Kansas City at home in a four-game series, and they had split the first two games of their three-game set with Oakland heading into Thursday afternoon’s finale. The last week has been kind to Vladimir Guerrero and Josh Hamilton, the duo that many thought would power the Rangers to the top of the division, and over the last seven days, they’ve shown why. Guerrero had a .348 average in six games last week, along with four homers and eight RBIs. Hamilton wasn’t far behind with a .296 average, three homers and nine RBIs. If they continue to hit like this, the Rangers will have one of the premier power duos in the entire majors, but Guerrero and Hamilton have to stay healthy. As for the pitchers, C.J. Wilson and Derek Holland both had excellent starts against the Royals and Athletics, and Wilson is being counted on for the win in Thursday’s finale against Oakland. Coming up this week, the Rangers will head to Toronto for the weekend before returning home for meetings with Guerrero’s former team, the Los Angeles Angels, as well as a visit from Baltimore. The Rangers’ MLB betting odds are looking up.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks are still sorting through the rubble of their first-round implosion against San Antonio, and even though NBA championship odds thought they would challenge Los Angeles for the Western Conference title, all there is another opening-round exit for a team that has won 50 games or more in each of the last 10 seasons. Dirk Nowitzki is the biggest question as he has a $21.5 million player option, which many think he’ll take, but he has to wonder about the state of the team. Will Jason Kidd be moved after an awful postseason, especially if they try and give more minutes to Roddy Beaubois? Shawn Marion is another piece of trade bait who didn’t perform that well, especially own the stretch. They would probably like to move Erick Dampier as well, but with $13 million owed to him next year, it may be hard to find a dance partner. The Mavericks don’t have much in the way of cap room unless they make some moves, but they’re becoming the NBA’s version of the San Jose Sharks. However, even the Sharks broke through this year, which means that maybe next year will be the Mavericks’ time if you’re going to bet on sports.
Mavericks Spurs: Game 3
April 22, 2010 by Matt Lawrence · Leave a Comment
So I was wrong in thinking that the Mavericks were going to win last night, however I didn’t take into account that they would shoot under 40%! The Mavs kept coming back on the Spurs and getting my excitement levels up, but it wasn’t to be. It didn’t help the Mavs that Richard Jefferson found his game last night, and Dirk couldn’t make a bucket in the first half.
Hopefully the Mavs can get it together before the games in San Antonio. I think Norm put it best on 1310 the Ticket when he said you can tell much about these teams after these first 2 games. I guess we will see during game 3, here is the TV Channel and ticket information for game 3 between the Mavericks and Spurs.
NBA Playoffs Round 1: Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs – Game 3
Mavericks-Spurs Day / Date: Friday | April 23 2010
Mavericks-Spurs Game Time: 8:30 PM
Mavericks-Spurs TV Channel: ESPN
Mavericks-Spurs Tickets: Mavericks Playoff Tickets on StubHub!
Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs: Game 1
April 16, 2010 by Matt Lawrence · Leave a Comment
By now you have probably heard that the Dallas Mavericks will be facing the San Antonio Spurs in the First Round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs, and I wanted to look at the stats before things tipoff on Sunday. Below you will find the usual game information including the tv channel, Mavericks Playoff Tickets, game time. First, I want to take a look at the story that the statistics tell, and by that I mean team stats.
Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Regular Season Stats
The first stat that I wanted to look at is point differential and what I found was pretty surprising. The Spurs had the better differential, beating opponents by an average of 5pts.
Dallas Mavericks: +2.72
San Antonio Spurs: +5.08
The next stat I looked at was the FG% and this went in the Spurs favor as well. While this doesn’t change my opinion that the Mavs will take it in 6, it makes me feel like this thing might not be as easy as everyone thinks.
Dallas Mavericks: .464
San Antonio Spurs: .473
The last stat I want to look at is Rebounds per Game, and as you might expect because the Spurs are considered a superior team defensively. If that is what you thought you are correct, but the difference was still pretty close just like the other stats.
Dallas Mavericks: 41.70
San Antonio Spurs: 42.78
The Spurs look better in each of the categories, but the Mavericks aren’t that far behind in any of these categories. I stand by my prediction of the Mavericks taking it in 6, I think that San Antonio is at the end of the line and the Mavericks made better additions to their roster, and as my Dad always says “Stats are for the losers”.
NBA Playoffs Round 1: Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs – Game 1
Mavs-Spurs Day / Date: Sunday | April 18 2010
Mavs-Spurs Game Time: 7:00 PM
Mavs-Spurs TV Channel: TNT
Mavs-Spurs Tickets: Mavericks Playoff Tickets on StubHub!
Full Series TV Schedule
Dallas Mavericks Schedule March 2010
February 26, 2010 by Matt Lawrence · Leave a Comment
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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Josh Howard is out Caron Butler is in
February 15, 2010 by Matt Lawrence · Leave a Comment
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 Sports Report: Mavericks – Stars – Texas Rangers
February 5, 2010 by Matt Lawrence · Leave a Comment
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, 3rd 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 1st 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-10th 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.
Dallas Mavericks Schedule February
January 29, 2010 by Matt Lawrence · Leave a Comment
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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Dirk Nowitzki Surpasses 20,000 Points
January 13, 2010 by Matt Lawrence · Leave a Comment
Dallas Mavericks superstar Dirk Nowitzki surpassed 20,000 points with 10:57 left to go in the 4th quarter of the Mavericks-Lakers game on Wednesday January 13 2010. Dirk received the ball from who else but Jason “Jet” Terry, the duo has been a staple of the Mavericks offense for quite a while now.
During the Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Lakers game broadcaster Mark Followill stated that Dirk Nowitzki will move into the top 30 scorers in NBA history assuming that he stays healthy this season. Dirk finished the game with 30 points 16 rebounds in the Mavericks loss.
Congratulations Dirk! Here is the YouTube video of Dirk Nowitzki passing 20,000
Sports Betting – Dallas, Texas Teams Roundup
December 18, 2009 by Guest Contributor · Leave a Comment
Dallas Mavericks (19-7, 1st in Southwest)
While no one paid much attention to the Dallas Mavericks in the sportsbook when they were leading the Southwest Division after November, they are finally starting to garner some national praise now that they are still in the lead in late December.
Even so, most pundits still believe that the San Antonio Spurs will win the division, the Mavericks have been doing their part so far by winning 19 of their first 26 games.
The Mavs have won five straight and won comfortably on Wednesday, something they haven’t done consistently this year. The Mavs have had some trouble holding on to big leads. A prime example was the 21-point first half lead against New Orleans on Monday that they let slip away. They eventually won by just four points.
The good news, though, is they are 8-1 this year in games decided by five points or less.
Dallas Stars (14-9-10, 4th in Pacific)
The Dallas Stars were road warriors in the first month of the season but now all of the sudden the magic is gone.
It took eight road games for the Stars to lose their first contest in regulation but recently, they’ve been doing a lot more losing away from home. Those who wager on sports have seen the Stars lose five of their last six games on the road.
There hasn’t been a significant change in philosophy or talent to spark the change, which makes them an enigma right now.
Dallas is struggling. They have notched points in five of their last six games but they only have two wins in their last seven games.
One culprit that can be blamed recently – just on Wednesday – is the penalty kill. Those gambling online should note that the Stars had killed off 42 of their last 44 prior to giving up two power play goals to Carolina en route to a 5-3 loss.
Texas Rangers (Offseason)
It was supposed to be a quiet offseason in Texas given the ownership conundrum but the Rangers were anything but that at winter meetings.
The Rangers shipped off Kevin Millwood and $3 million to the Baltimore Orioles for Chris Ray and Ben Snyder, then used the savings from the deal to sign Rich Harden to a one-year, $7.5 million contract.
Harden comes with the injury risks but he has the upside to be a No. 1 starter as he previous was in the West with the Oakland Athletics.
The simple sportsbook 101 shows that Millwood was just 62-63 in 125 starts with Texas while Harden was 43-24 over that same span.
