I think Nowitzki gives them the unusual ability to switch assignments between off/def. I think they can go with Dirk at the 5 on defense against many teams, and at the 3 against many teams. And I think they can still make many of those teams put a PF on him, allowing the PF you trade Finley for to be guarded by centers. You just really can't guard Nowitzki with many SFs in the league.
thats right, i really depends on who they are playing and who the centre and SF is, he can't really guard any decent PFs, but depending on who the C is he can guard a lot of the them and besides the smallish quick SFs he can guard them, and if he really struggles to find someone to guard they can always go zone anyway. But the key is someone has to guard him, which is a nightmare, but that will be a nightmare with this trade or not, the key for the Mavs for doing this is improving their defense. and also giving them someone longish term to play with Dirk, which Fizer and the #7 pick would give them.
You can't really guard him with anyone. KG I guess is the prototype defender against a guy like Dirk.
Finley is too similar to Rose. The Bulls do not need any more shoot-first players. They need role palyers, specifically defenders and spot-up shooters.
Dallas-Minnesota, playoff series 2002, game 3: Dirk 39 pts, 17 rebs, KG 22/17 to finish a 3-0 sweep by the Mavs. Timberwolves Guard Wally Szczerbiak "He (Nowitzki) is a matchup nightmare." Dirk's Career Playoff Stats: 25.5 pts, 10.9 rebounds (compared to 20.1, 8.2 in the regular season, but that includes his rookie season when he got little playing time) Donyell Marshall: 12.1 pts, 7.7 rebs (compared to 12.2, 7.1 in the regular season) Not exactly sure how that makes them even comparable...Donyell's rebound numbers per minute are nice, but if one of the two does so much more than focus on rebounding only, you cannot really say the guy that kind of specializes on that is a better rebounder. Anyway, Dirk beats Donyell in every statistical category and that includes rebounds.
SJC- Did you not read my post from above? Dirk's #'s should be better by default, because he plays more mins, and his team plays are more frantic pace, that means more shots, which means more rebound chances. Marshall is more active on the glass than Dirk is. That is my basis for him being a better rebounder. And I said that KG would be the prototype defender, since he is versatile. I never said he shuts down Dirk. When star players in the NBA are on, there's no one in the world who can slow them down. This can be applied to Dirk, Kobe, T-Mac, etc. Dirk is probably the toughest one-on-one matchup in the NBA. That is why you have to double him, and force him to pass (his one offensive weakness) and hope the open shooters don't burn you.
SJG, Last year, Marshall barely played 30 min/game. He averaged 9 boards a game. As far as rebounding is concerned, he is a better rebounder than Dirk.
Not when we are talking about trades that are attempting to protect him. Their weakest position on defense is PF, as well. Nowitzki is an anomaly. You don't want him to guard the opposing teams best big man. He needs help. Dallas's overall strongest position is shooting guard, that is without argument, imo. The can afford to trade strength to beef up the inside help that Nowitzki needs. you are in denial. This is not a knock on Nitwitz. This is just the same reason people here say that Yao needs help inside.
Since I argue against it, it is not without argument. You are simply confusing "strongest position" and "deepest position".
Ask Marshall to score 25 points a game and still get the same rebounds that Dirk does. If Dirk only scored 13 points a game and totally focused his energy on rebounding like Marshall does, he would get more rebounds as well. P.S.: I know I am being a bit of a homer here - I am very predictable when it comes to defending Dirk .
I agree completely with your logic here. I disagree that Donyell Marshall (or even fizer) is the solution to their problems. Is he going to be able to put a body on Shaq or Tim Duncan (or even Chris Webber, as Dallas had problems with him, and eventually Yao) any better than Eduardo Najera? . Getting a power forward to play next to Dirk is fine, just fine, but then who plays Center? Dirk? If Dallas got a legitmate F/C type or a true C who could play, that would be fine, but I think with Marshall or Fizer, and subtracting Finley they are just running in place.
You are confusing best player with strongest position. Dirk doesn't even play the same position on both sides of the court or all game. He has no position. He is the phenomenal anomaly. Dallas plays 3 guards an incredible amount of minutes. This isn't depth at one position; this is putting your best 5 on the court. you are just so in denial, and think anything about their weak interior defense needs to be denied, because it might expose a weakness in uberman. man, you are just wrong. If PF was their strongest position, then why is their PF defense what loses it for them against the best in the West. They really can't beat 3 or 4 teams in a 7 games series with full health. That SG strength allows them to go 3 guards with oblivion and force the opposing team to sit a big man, which helps Nowitzki. You are just not considering both sides of the court. Their best position (in what it affords them to do as a team) is SG, because it allows them to spread the court and exploit their best player all that much better--Nowitzki. It also allows them to trade that position. Their worst defensive position versus the competition is PF. That is what they need to improve to get over the top.
Yes, I do not think it is the right trade for Finley, either. I'd hold off for a better PF and maybe throw LaFrentz in if that guy is big and brutish enough.
The Finley rumor was accompianied by a rumor of Rose to Minny for Terrell Brandon's contract, which will come off of the books.
I refuse to believe that Cuban & Co. are stupid enough to break up The Big 3 for Marcus Fizer and Donyell Marshall. You don't trade your 2nd leading scorer for a guy in Fizer that can't even have impact in the East and a role player in Marshall. This isn't even addressing their needs - Fizer and Marshall are supposed to be their tough interior defenders!?! What's with all the Nash and Finley trade rumors? Does continuity not stand for anything anymore? That team needs to keep those guys together andbuild on their success by adding Karl Malone or P.J Brown. Any trade of the Big 3 is just change for the sake of change.
why r ya'll saying this is a bad move. this would be great. Let the mavs return to old form and be sorry like they have been for their whole existence in the NBA great for houston fans two thumbs up!!!!!! Trade Trade Trade!!!!!
I like this trade from Dallas' standpoint. Fizer IMO is an interesting player. He seems to have really developed into an effecient low-post scorer before he got hurt last year. He could fill a need for Dallas. Marshall has always been a tweener in this league, but I agree that he is one of the better rebounders for his size. And his contract is reasonable. I have become a believer of Pietrus after I saw a few clips of his. This guy is a very gifted athlete (I mean he can really fly) and a very good defender. And he's got a pretty decent outside jumper. He can definitely help an NBA team right away. There is no doubt that Finley, at this point, is a better player than any of these guys, but he is also 30 years old and has a huge contract. I thought that he really lost a step last year. It's wise to trade him while his value is still high. Yes, Dallas wants to win now. But let's not kid ourselves. They are not just a little bit off from a championship. If Webber were not hurt, they would not have made the western finals in the playoffs. Before they can find a legit post defender and rebounder, they would never win the championship.
