If the raps want to trade for someone, we’ll have to aim low, unless we want to trade Bargs, which I wouldn’t want to do. We have NOBODY to trade for anyone good. Graham is not good enough to play in the NBA, Moon is less than average, Kapono might be decent for the right team, and Hump is a blockhead.

I think we might have to be happy with this team, unless we sign some free agent or pull over a euro.

“Raptoronto wrote: That’s why any team that unexpectedly catches fire at the end of a season gets a question mark beside their name in my books.”

True in any sport, the best example are the BlueJays, those guys end the season of with such a bang that the GM is teased enough to not blow up the whole operation hoping what he saw in September was the “real” team. Come April its back to the same old nonsense. The Jays have been stuck in this cycle for the last 13 years.

Scouting report: Stackhouse is a very strong right-handed driver who earns free throws by beating defenders with a quick first step and then exploding toward the rim. He doesn’t explode quite as well at 33 but still can get by people; when he doesn’t, he’s added a step-back jumper that he uses quite a bit from short and middle distance. Though he’s only a mediocre perimeter shooter he’s outstanding from the foul line, which nicely complements his ability to get to the stripe.

Stackhouse is a reasonably competent wing defender who has the size to play small forwards and still moves fairly well. He doesn’t gamble or take himself out of plays, but he isn’t much of a factor from the help side, and despite being a strong leaper has become completely useless on the boards.

Stackhouse’s health is another concern, as he’s virtually guaranteed to miss 20 games with some kind of hamstring problem — in his four seasons in Dallas he’s had 92 absences.

2008-09 outlook: Stackhouse will be the Mavs’ sixth man, and given the club’s depleted bench he might play more than the 24.1 minutes he averaged a year ago. Of course, to do that he has to be on the court, and he’ll probably only be available for 60 games or so.

Nonetheless, expect him to pump out another season of double-figure scoring, strong foul shooting and a shooting percentage right around 40. He’s 33, but when healthy he still has quite a bit of zip in his step — and as the go-to guy for Dallas’s depleted second unit, he’s going to need it.

ALSO: Stackhouse will not play in the Mavericks’ Tuesday night meeting against the Bobcats, the Star-Telegram reports.
Spin: Stackhouse has been vocal about his displeasure with his role and recently asked to be released or bought out. The 14-year veteran appears to have likely removed himself from the active roster for the time being as his agent explores the options for his client.

= likely signed by top 5 team to chase rings

Arse i see your point and he has the right skills but it makes me worry to see that the even the Mav’s dont want him lol

With the Mavs off to a poor start and Jerry Stackhouse already openly discussing the possibility of a buyout, it’s not too early to start thinking about rebuilding scenarios. (It is too early to start implementing them, mind you, but it’s not too early to begin discussing them). Dallas is already in position to get under the cap in 2010, which is also the season that Dirk Nowitzki can opt out of his contract, but has very little in terms of young talent (even Josh Howard is 28) and no cap room coming until then.

Jerry Stackhouse anyone?

The 1st 20 may not be a complete tell all, (Lakers last year), but still much more telling then anything else. Boston went out on a tear, and won it all. So…

Joey, it’s Peddie ; )

But the man, also, says a few other thing regarding this, that IMO are pretty telling in what he really thinks or stands. I think the door is very much closed, not open as some tend to think.

Did anyone hear MLSE CEO Richard Petty on the Fan 590 yesterday, saying that “the door is open” for BC to go over the tax level, if the right deal comes along, at the trade deadline ?

Read it on Ryan Wolstat’s Courtside blog on the Sun.

I think it was mostly for PR reasons. The CEO of a sports enterprise will not make a bonehead comment and loose all respectability by saying, No we will not be going into the tax threshold now or ever.

Interesting observation, but how are you defining signifcance? Higher correlation would be my guess (as opposed to a regression). This is my interpretation of the correlation, in the first 20 games, all the best players play. Then during mid-season, there are injuries and what have you. Then during the ‘final 20′ if you are comfortably within a playoff spot, you can coast. The NHL is like any other sport, you have the best players ready for the playoffs, you win.

I love this site — it’s off to a great start.

Particularly, I love Arsenalist’s in-depth analysis. However, his bias against Mitchell infects his writing far too much and in doing so he loses credibility. This credibility is lost because anytime Mitchell is worthy of criticism, that criticism is devalued when it’s delivered by someone who is constantly criticizing Mitchell.

Wrong.

If anything, he just gained my respect. Your entitled to say harsh/mean things if your knowledgeable about what it is your write about. People love that believe it or not. Sam Mitchell is a lousy coach. I wish more people in the media can be like asenalist and be upfront about his coaching faults.

Nobody gets paid here. In fact all the expenses of the site: graphics, hosting, promotions, software etc are all being paid out of pocket by the five people who started this thing. We really don’t want to put ads on the site unless we really have to.

——————
re: I know what you’re saying Flux, I don’t mean “wait until one quarter of the season is done” if we’re something like 1 and 8, you know? But we’re above .500 and I don’t think we’ve seen the best of this team (or maybe the worst). So I’m willing to wait for a little while longer and then evaluate what the team is like. I tend to think that the end of the season is key, like the last 20 games or so when teams start making real pushes for playoff positions. Although, if a team is already out of the picture, then of course the first 20 games mean something! I don’t know, but I like to reserve judgment for a few more games.
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An interesting tidbit of info, perhaps, for the ’stats hounds’ in these parts.

Saw an interesting correlation last week, in the NHL, re: the Win % of teams that eventually go on to capture the Stanley Cup, in a given year, which showed that ‘How a team peforms in its first 20 games of the Regular Season had a higher significance level than what that team’s Win % was in the final 20 games of the Regular Season‘. In sharp contrast to ‘conventional wisdom’, how a dominant team starts the season [or not] has a stronger correlation to its eventual finish, as the Champ, than how it does ‘Coming the Down Stretch’, i.e. when the playoff battle supposedly heats up.

Have yet to see a similar set of stats [showing significance either one way or the other] pertaining to the NBA.

I haven’t broken down every foul that JO’s has gotten, but it seems to me that at least ’some’ of his ‘fouls’ are attempts at drawing charges. The dipping of the shoulders and what-have-you are things that regular glass-cleaners do. Perhaps JO (six-time all-star) should get the benefit of the doubt.

P.S. Wicked site.

P.P.S. Do writers get paid to write on the site. It may be a stupid question but something that I would love to have answered.

P.P.P.S
on http://www.battersbox.ca I’ve read the excellent articles they post there about the Jays, and it has been implied that people get paid to write there, any comments?

My call: 92-87 Raps.