Well, today the basketball season started for Mavs fans everywhere, as the first scrimmage of the season was open to the public. It was free to get in, and there were quite a few people there. For those who missed it, here's my thoughts on a few of the players. (I'll list by which team they were on...)
White Team:
Darrell Armstrong - Played agressive defense and had a good, high energy game. Made a few three pointers and some tough shots inside the arc. Good passing and ball handling. Grade= A-
Erick Dampier - Split minutes with Pavel, but Damp had the better game. Dominated early in the game. Some big dunks and a ton of rebounds. Went to the line and made almost all his free throws. Pretty good defensive prescence in the paint. Grade= B+
Kaniel Dickens - Didn't get very many minutes, but earned some hustle points from me. Grade= C
Josh Howard - Had a pretty good game although his shooting was cold from outside. I counted a ton of hard shots made after driving to the basket, either pulling up and fading or finishing the drive. Made his free throws. Had some good defensive help and a pair of steals, and some assists to go along with it. Grade= B+
Pavel Podkolzin - A rebounding monster. I counted 7, also hit the deck a couple of times diving for loose balls, which I love to see from the big men. His hands look a little stiff, so offensively I don't see him being a big threat, but he definitely makes an impact in the paint. Grade= B
Jerry Stackhouse - Probably had the best game for the white team, came on strong in the 1st and continued throughout the game. A few great rebounds, some 3's and a bunch of tough shots and assists. Grade= A+
Erick Strickland - Didn't play due to injury
Samo Udrih - I really don't know why we picked up this youngster, he looked like he had zero confidence or drive. Kind of lolly-gagging around and had a few turnovers. I was not happy to see him sub in. Grade= D-
Keith Van Horn - Played some good D on Dirk and really limited his shots inside. Made a couple of tough shots and both free throws when he went to the line. Played limited minutes but looked good. Grade= B+
Blue Team
Doug Christie - I think he had cramps, played limited minutes and spent almost the whole game behind the bench on the stationary bike. Too early to call, but he was playing hard in the beginning before he went out. Grade= B-
Marquis Daniels - Easily had the best game of anyone on the floor. Had a ton of steals and defensive help that led to turnovers. Rebounded very well, and made some very tough shots after getting to the basket. He was all over the court and really made an impact. Watch out for this youngster this season. Grade= A++
DeSagana Diop - Haven't seen him play hardly at all, but I was impressed. Stepped up defensively and challenged well, had tough rebounds on both ends. He made an amazing block once, and generally stopped who he was guarding. Good hands. I'm happy with this off-season addition, he should add some strength offensively to the center. Grade B+
Devin Harris - Started a little cold with a few turnovers, and I started to worry a little. Ended up having a helluva game, with some defensive plays that turned into dunks, and a couple of steals. He had some good assists and made some tough shots driving the baseline. Grade= B+
Rawle Marshall - Really impressed with this Rook. He had a monster dunk over traffic, and made some tough shots. Got limited PT, but showed his stuff. A real hustler, I like this kid a bunch. Grade= A
DJ Mbenga - Great rebounding game today! This guy is a beast inside, and made some good passes after grabbing offensive boards. Limited shooting, but no ball-handling mistakes while running plays through him. Grade= A
Dirk Nowitzki - Took him awhile to heat up, but ended up making a few 3's and some inside shots. Shot free throws very very well, and made some nice offensive plays/passes to open up his teammates. Still looked to lack floor leadership, so hopefully he'll liven up a bit when the season starts. Grade= B+
Josh Powell - Another good looking youngster, he's really athletic for how strong he is, and pulled down some boards over guys way bigger than him. Very high-energy player, keep an eye out for this guy! Grade= A-
Jason Terry - Strong game, no stupid mistakes, ran the offense well and made clean passes. Had some really nice drives and made some tough shots in a crowd, and got some steals and assists that led to fast break points. A very good game, JET still has it!
Grade= A
White Team:
Darrell Armstrong - Played agressive defense and had a good, high energy game. Made a few three pointers and some tough shots inside the arc. Good passing and ball handling. Grade= A-
Erick Dampier - Split minutes with Pavel, but Damp had the better game. Dominated early in the game. Some big dunks and a ton of rebounds. Went to the line and made almost all his free throws. Pretty good defensive prescence in the paint. Grade= B+
Kaniel Dickens - Didn't get very many minutes, but earned some hustle points from me. Grade= C
Josh Howard - Had a pretty good game although his shooting was cold from outside. I counted a ton of hard shots made after driving to the basket, either pulling up and fading or finishing the drive. Made his free throws. Had some good defensive help and a pair of steals, and some assists to go along with it. Grade= B+
Pavel Podkolzin - A rebounding monster. I counted 7, also hit the deck a couple of times diving for loose balls, which I love to see from the big men. His hands look a little stiff, so offensively I don't see him being a big threat, but he definitely makes an impact in the paint. Grade= B
Jerry Stackhouse - Probably had the best game for the white team, came on strong in the 1st and continued throughout the game. A few great rebounds, some 3's and a bunch of tough shots and assists. Grade= A+
Erick Strickland - Didn't play due to injury
Samo Udrih - I really don't know why we picked up this youngster, he looked like he had zero confidence or drive. Kind of lolly-gagging around and had a few turnovers. I was not happy to see him sub in. Grade= D-
Keith Van Horn - Played some good D on Dirk and really limited his shots inside. Made a couple of tough shots and both free throws when he went to the line. Played limited minutes but looked good. Grade= B+
Blue Team
Doug Christie - I think he had cramps, played limited minutes and spent almost the whole game behind the bench on the stationary bike. Too early to call, but he was playing hard in the beginning before he went out. Grade= B-
Marquis Daniels - Easily had the best game of anyone on the floor. Had a ton of steals and defensive help that led to turnovers. Rebounded very well, and made some very tough shots after getting to the basket. He was all over the court and really made an impact. Watch out for this youngster this season. Grade= A++
DeSagana Diop - Haven't seen him play hardly at all, but I was impressed. Stepped up defensively and challenged well, had tough rebounds on both ends. He made an amazing block once, and generally stopped who he was guarding. Good hands. I'm happy with this off-season addition, he should add some strength offensively to the center. Grade B+
Devin Harris - Started a little cold with a few turnovers, and I started to worry a little. Ended up having a helluva game, with some defensive plays that turned into dunks, and a couple of steals. He had some good assists and made some tough shots driving the baseline. Grade= B+
Rawle Marshall - Really impressed with this Rook. He had a monster dunk over traffic, and made some tough shots. Got limited PT, but showed his stuff. A real hustler, I like this kid a bunch. Grade= A
DJ Mbenga - Great rebounding game today! This guy is a beast inside, and made some good passes after grabbing offensive boards. Limited shooting, but no ball-handling mistakes while running plays through him. Grade= A
Dirk Nowitzki - Took him awhile to heat up, but ended up making a few 3's and some inside shots. Shot free throws very very well, and made some nice offensive plays/passes to open up his teammates. Still looked to lack floor leadership, so hopefully he'll liven up a bit when the season starts. Grade= B+
Josh Powell - Another good looking youngster, he's really athletic for how strong he is, and pulled down some boards over guys way bigger than him. Very high-energy player, keep an eye out for this guy! Grade= A-
Jason Terry - Strong game, no stupid mistakes, ran the offense well and made clean passes. Had some really nice drives and made some tough shots in a crowd, and got some steals and assists that led to fast break points. A very good game, JET still has it!
Grade= A
