MVN - Most Valuable Network

Devean George signs two-year deal, stays a Maverick

This time last February, it seemed like there was no way Devean George would remain a member of the Dallas Mavericks.

 What a difference six months makes.

As reported by Mark Stein of ESPN, George has agreed to return to the Mavs in a 2-year deal rumored to be worth somewhere between $2 and $4 million.

For those who dislike the 30-year old veteran, it’s time to pull out your pitchforks. After spending last season dealing with injuries and problems with attitude, it’s almost unfathomable to see what made Donnie Nelson want to bring the guy back. Maybe it’s the presence of new coach Rick Carlisle, or maybe it’s just that there wasn’t anything better available on the free agent market.

Now, I know what Devean George can bring to the table when healthy. He’s a bona fide hustle player, known for being a perimeter defender and energy guy. He’s not afraid to put his body on the line or stand up for his teammates. However, you do eventually have to look at the statistics. The guy shot 36% from the field last season! That is viewed as abysmal by any standards. He played in all 5 first-round playoff games, but never managed to post an assist. This is also abysmal for a guy who has the credentials to play point forward.

If George comes out next season and plays at the same level he did in 2006-07 (a pretty solid year by my reckoning) I will thank Donnie for bringing him back. My only concern is that giving this guy playing time will take away from players such as Antoine Wright, who is 24 and has the potential to be a much better offensive player than George.

We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out, but for right now this seems like just another underwhelming signing in the Mavericks’ offseason.

Inside the Mavericks’ 2008-09 schedule

Today the NBA released its 2008-09 schedule.  Marc Stein has a nice look at all the must see games throughout the league this season, and the Mavericks made his list multiple times.  It all starts on October 30 when Dallas will welcome Ron Artest and the Rockets.

“The Mavericks are one of two teams (along with Charlotte) that must wait until Thursday for their opening game, giving Mavs fans more time to fret that the Rockets’ acquisition of Ron Artest reduces Dallas to the third-best team in Texas.”

He might be right, but I’m still not sold on the Artest-McGrady-Yao threesome working out in Houston.

Here’s the Mavericks’ team schedule.   After the opener against Houston, the November schedule has a brutal 10 out of 15 games on the road, including games at San Antonio, Denver, Houston and the L.A. Lakers.  The month of December begins with a seven game homestand, followed by a pair of three-game road trips to each coast.  Dallas will spend Christmas in Portland and will be at the tail end of an incredible five nationally televised games on Christmas Day.

January will also be spent mostly on the road, and will end with a three-game string of nationally televised games where Dallas will visit Detroit and Boston before hosting Golden State.  February is home-heavy while March has the Mavs playing 10 of their 16 games on the road and includes stops in Oklahoma City, New Orleans and Phoenix.  Their season ends with some likely playoff-deciding games in April against Phoenix, New Orleans (twice), Utah, and Houston.  Luckily for the Mavs, only one of those games are on the road.

All in all the Mavericks will be on national television a healthy 21 times.  Only 83 more days until the season gets started, but at least now we have the Olympics to temporarily whet our basketball appetite.  Stay tuned to Showboating for more on Dirk Nowitzki and Germany’s showing in Beijing, and be sure to check out NBA Outsider for coverage of Team USA.

Josh Howard’s reputation takes another blow

I typically do not like to meddle in the off-the-court activities of athletes, but some news today regarding Mavericks star Josh Howard has again made me concerned about whether or not this guy is the right player (or the right person) to be on our basketball team. Less than four months removed from admitting and apologizing for offseason marijuana use, Josh Howard is in the news again after being charged with speeding (94 mph in a 55 zone) and reckless driving after engaging in what appeared to be speed racing in his hometown of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Now this story will more than likely disappear before the start of basketball season, since Josh was after all not arrested for drug use or any other major felony. However, shouldn’t there still be some concern from the Mavericks simply from a PR standpoint? Basketball is in its most basic form a competition, but there are more variables at play here. There are kids around the country wanting to be like these guys, and time and time again we hear about poor decisions leading to citations and arrests. While I don’t believe it’s fair to judge a person based on a single offense, it really starts to get me worried once there are multiple stories out there on a person. This is the third time in the past four months we’ve heard of Josh Howard making a bad decision off the court, including his choice to have a late-night birthday party the night before a playoff game. This isn’t just about basketball anymore–it’s about responsibility.

What should be done?

Even though a member of my own favorite team is involved in this incident, I think this is a great chance for the Mavericks or the NBA to take a stand. Howard should be fined and suspended a game for his actions, especially when you consider he could have easily been seriously injured. If there was one wrong move the guy might have never been able to play again, let alont live a normal life. Someone has to hold athletes up to a high standard, simply because they play such a vital role in today’s culture.

Plus, it’s not like it is an altogether difficult thing to stay out of trouble. Name another player on the Mavericks cited by the police for anything this summer, even a parking ticket. It never makes the news if it happens. All of the rest of these guys–Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Erick Dampier–they have chosen to publicize themselves off the court by being active in the community. Former Maverick Michael Finley was the best example of that, a class act willing to go the extra mile to be a solid role model. Now in this case Howard was in North Carolina for a basketball camp, but that should be even more of an indicator to him to make sure something like this doesn’t happen. Could you imagine going in front of a hundred kids and trying to explain to them why you have a court date for speed racing? I’ve been lucky enough to meet Josh on two occasions and he was very polite and kind to me, but that sort of personality needs to be the one he has at all times when he’s in the public eye. From a fan perspective I find it easier to root for teams with guys I want to root for. You can be tough and aggressive on the court (see Jerry Stackhouse) but once you get away from the guy your attitude has to change.

Someone needs to help Josh out and soon. He was likely already on the trading block before this incident, and I’m sure this is doing nothing but making new coach Rick Carlisle nervous about the future of his All-Star player. He can easily still turn it around, but rooting for Josh is becoming more difficult by the minute.