Mavs Midseason Press Conference

[fearthebrow]

Welcome to the first ever Dallas Mavericks Midseason Press Conference! Today, we will discuss our team's performance up to date. Let's rewind to the offseason first as the team underwent a significant makeover.

We traded for point guard Ricky Rubio. We signed free agents Josh Smith and Wilson Chandler. We drafted power forward Tom Collins in the second round and added a few other free agents to round out the roster. Then, we had an average training camp, so there was a lot of uncertainty going into the season.

Today, we sit in 6th place in the Western Conference with a 28-19 record. The Southwest Division is once again the Southbest with the Grizzlies, Pelicans, and Rockets all pulling their weight. 4 out of 5 teams may make the playoffs. That's impressive.

Meanwhile Bradley Beal keeps rolling averaging a career high 25.7 points per game.

Ricky Rubio has been stellar averaging a career high and league leading 12.6 assists per game. He's second in the league in steals with 2.6 per game, and he's averaging a career high 6.9 rebounds per game. He has recorded 5 triple doubles this year. He is arguably one of the best players in the league.

Finally, Josh Smith has been fantastic, producing on the offensive end, cleaning up the boards, and locking down opponents on the defensive end of the court.

These guys are working well together, not to mention our bench players who are helping us in a tremendous way. Dwayne Wade has been great. Initially brought in to coach Beal, help with maturity issues, and teach him how to cook, Wade was forced into the rotation due to Wilson Chandler's injury.

The silver lining with Chandler's injury is that Wade and Wayne Ellington have both shown that they belong in the rotation. We feel great about our depth.

Another guy I want to recognize is Gerard Carlsen. He's been consistently solid, and that's all we can really ask for. He puts in the work during the practice and produces on the court. We'll continue to put him in position to succeed.

There is still plenty of season to go, so there will not be any letting up on our part. We will continue to work hard and get the job done. We are determined to succeed. Questions anyone?

[digiskunk]

What do you think is holding your team back from winning this division? Do you find your team equally as viable as the Grizzlies and Pelicans? How does your team stand apart from those two?

[NOLa.]

The trade for Rubio and signing of Smith has helped your team tremendously. You have to choose: who’s had the biggest impact of these two to your teams recent success?


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[fearthebrow]

What do you think is holding your team back from winning this division? Do you find your team equally as viable as the Grizzlies and Pelicans? How does your team stand apart from those two?

I think we can compete with anyone. What's holding us back from winning the division right now is our start to the season. We started off the season up and down trying to figure things out, at one point having an 11-10 record. Since then, we've gone 17-9 including wins against the Grizzlies, Cavs, and Blazers in the most recent sim. With our big three of Rubio, Beal, and Smith, our team always will always have a chance.

[fearthebrow]

The trade for Rubio and signing of Smith has helped your team tremendously. You have to choose: who’s had the biggest impact of these two to your teams recent success?


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That's a tough question. Both have been great, but Rubio is our floor general and makes it all happen. I hate to choose though... Smith has been awesome, playing small forward, power forward, and center at times. His versatility makes him a matchup nightmare for opposing teams.

[ballsohard]

Everyone knows the Charles Tardiff drama from the offseason. From the RFA debacle to the Bucks gloating from his signing. Do you feel vindicated that hes now out for most the season and your team looks a lot better than the one he signed with?


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[fearthebrow]

Everyone knows the Charles Tardiff drama from the offseason. From the RFA debacle to the Bucks gloating from his signing. Do you feel vindicated that hes now out for most the season and your team looks a lot better than the one he signed with?


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I think the Charles Tardiff debacle will sting forever. He's the best second rounder in the history of our franchise and maybe the league. I had not heard about the Bucks gloating until now, but now that I have, I won't forget that next time the Bucks GM asks for a favor. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

[IamQuailman]

Everyone knows the Charles Tardiff drama from the offseason. From the RFA debacle to the Bucks gloating from his signing. Do you feel vindicated that hes now out for most the season and your team looks a lot better than the one he signed with?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I think the Charles Tardiff debacle will sting forever. He's the best second rounder in the history of our franchise and maybe the league. I had not heard about the Bucks gloating until now, but now that I have, I won't forget that next time the Bucks GM asks for a favor. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

Weird, I didn't know I gloated. News to me.

[fearthebrow]

Everyone knows the Charles Tardiff drama from the offseason. From the RFA debacle to the Bucks gloating from his signing. Do you feel vindicated that hes now out for most the season and your team looks a lot better than the one he signed with?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I think the Charles Tardiff debacle will sting forever. He's the best second rounder in the history of our franchise and maybe the league. I had not heard about the Bucks gloating until now, but now that I have, I won't forget that next time the Bucks GM asks for a favor. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

Weird, I didn't know I gloated. News to me.

Honestly, I’m happy that Tardiff got the contract that he deserved. Tough luck for the Bucks that he went down. No ill will towards the GM. He got him fair and square, and we have moved on. Our focus is on the present and the future. Any other questions?

[ballsohard]

You may collect 3 Points