Tagged: Dallas Mavericks

Corey Brewer's season: From chumps to champs

NBA Commissioner David Stern Presents The Larry O'Brien Trophy To The Dallas Mavericks Founder Don J. Carter Next To
Dallas Mavericks, NBA Champions

How often does a season take on such a drastic transformation from influencing one player into jumping off the edge of a cliff to jumping for joy, rocking a new, shiny piece of hardware on his finger? Corey Brewer did it. But, as we all know, it wasn’t easy.

Brewer started off the 2010-2011 NBA season as the veteran of veterans of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Only 24 years old at the time, he was the longest tenured T-Wolf on the squad and was looking to bolster a ton of the load in terms of defense and leadership on the court. Unfortunately for him, his offense never prospered and his awkward on-court demeanor didn’t quite fit the bill of a true con-court leader.

Even as a fan-favorite, Brewer was let go. He had to be. His development as a young NBA talent seized in front of our eyes as he continued to frustrate fans more than wow them. But again, even as a fan- favorite, it was difficult to let go. Whether it was the fact of losing our single perimeter defender with the ability to halt the best of the best from lighting it up, or seeing him go at such a young age where his NBA career was really just starting to look up, or even that goofy, awkward yet smily disposition he always sported that fans actually thought of as “sweet” or “cute,” it was painful to see him leave. It really was.

As Brewer left us to hit the Big Apple via the Melo deal, many thought he would do well there. Under a fast-paced offense where Brewer could utilize his length and athletic abilities, it seemed like he would fit in well while taking the backseat in terms of leadership to Amar’e Stoudemire, Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony. Mostly, many critics believed his defensive prowess, that tough, lay-down-your-life defense he was known for, would be a big score for New York. After all, they really did need some defense to pair with that powerful offense. The only problem was New York themselves didn’t see any use for Brewer and cut him loose quicker then a shark on the end of your fishing line.

After allowing teams to plead for his assistance in his brief time as a free agent, Brewer decided to take his talents to D-town, to join Dirk and co. as they assembled for a full-on assault in this year’s playoffs. They weren’t going to play the “soft” card this year and made it be known when they signed Brewer for extra help. Brewer came in and did exactly what they asked of him: To be a role player, igniting the defense and bringing the game’s pace and energy to a whole new level when he entered. It’s what he’s great at.

Even though Brewer’s stints in the postseason were minimized by Dallas’ immense depth at all positions, he still had his time. And that’s what I’m most thankful for, that he got his well-deserved burn in the postseason for having to suffer three painful, just dreadful, seasons in Minnesota. He went from being on the worst team in the league, having to be that catalyst as a starter and be a leader on the court when that was really never his calling. What he needed he received in Dallas and no amount of experience or playing time in Minnesota will ever make up for it.

With that, I stand here and applaud him in his season-long quest. But he doesn’t need my gratitude. No, he’s got a hefty prize to show for his intense and lengthy season: A championship ring. Ooooh, shiny.

Howls From Around the NBA: Dirk Loses Himself

8 mile final battle

You only get one shot/Do not miss your chance to blow/Cause opportunity comes once in a life time.
-Eminem

It’s not often in life that a person gets a real shot at redemption.

After all, a redemption story requires a life-altering disappointment and then a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make up for that disappointment. And if you can throw in a little revenge to sweeten the deal…well. It just doesn’t get much better than that, does it? Ask 8 Mile; it wasn’t enough for Rabbit to win the rap battle. He needed to destroy Papa Doc and his entire crew in the process.

But if we were to believe Mr. Mathers on the issue of opportunities, 2006 would have been the end of the road for Dirk Nowitzki.

I’m sure you remember, but I feel the need to remind you: in ’06, Dallas faced Miami in the Finals. Dirk led the Mavs to a 2-0 lead, before Miami came storming back and took the next 4 straight games to rip the championship away from Dallas. Dallas fans (including Mark Cuban) were incensed at the superstar foul calls Dwyane Wade had been getting all series as he drove to the basket. The rest of the NBA began to call the Mavericks soft. This description picked up steam as the Mavs lost in the first round three times in the next 4 years, and failed to make it back to the Conference Finals.

But the story on Nowitzki and the Mavs has been getting an upgrade this postseason.

For starters, Dirk has been going nuts. Averaging 28.5 points per game, Dirk has been performing at an efficiency level rarely before seen in the NBA. Bill Simmons likes talking about the 50-40-90 club, a rare NBA achievement in which a player shoots 50% from the field, 40% from three, and 90% from the free throw line. This postseason? Dirk is shooting 52% from the field, 60% from three, and 92% from the line.

Whoa.

But more than that: Dallas has been proving themselves tough. Not only did Dallas sweep the defending champion Lakers, they did it after two come from behind victories in games at the Staples Center. They were more talented, more composed, and mentally tougher than Los Angeles, who embarrassed themselves in game 4, committing petty and dangerous flagrant fouls in a blowout, sending their Hall-of-Fame coach off in shameful fashion. (It was awesome.)

The NBA blogosphere has been flooded with writers clamoring to be the first to say “Dirk isn’t soft, I’ve been saying it all along!” Which, of course, is utterly bogus; everyone has been calling Dirk and the Mavericks soft since ’06, there’s no doubt about that. Many of these same writers said that Portland would upset Dallas in the first round, and very few, if any, of these writers picked Dallas to beat Los Angeles in round 2. For the record, I include myself in this, I picked the Lakers in 5. Fool me once, shame on me.

Possibly the most fascinating storyline left in the playoffs is this: if Dallas advanced to the Finals, their opponent could be none other than the Heatles, who enter Sunday’s game with Chicago tied 1-1 as well. Obviously, the Heat are a very different team. But the sight of those red and black uniforms, as well as Dwyane Wade, the player who completely eviscerated them last time, would be enough to make even the most confident Mavs’ fan shake a little bit.

At which point, it will be up to Dirk to change the narrative. This postseason has people talking about him in an incredibly positive way, but the internet is a fickle beast. With Kevin Durant and the Thunder already giving the Mavericks just about all they can handle, it’s not implausible to say that this could be Dallas’ last real chance to win a title. Failing to grab the Larry O’Brien trophy could close the book on Dirk’s legacy, as his years begin to climb up there, and it would be a very bitter taste with which to leave Dallas’ fans, especially if they lose again to the Heat.

But if he succeeds, and Dallas wins it all? Well, take it from Rabbit. That would be redeeming indeed.

Howls from Around the NBA: A Familiar Face

Corey-Brewer-Dunking-Over-Derrick-Fisher-Wallpaper.jpg (640×385)
In case you forgot this wonderful moment...

Howls from Around the NBA is our newest series here at HTW. Tom will be highlighting anything and everything NBA providing some structured analysis and tasteful bits of information. Tom’s first line of duty: Reviewing Corey Brewer’s work in the playoffs and his importance to Dallas’ run.

To the surprise of nobody who has watched the Timberwolves since 2007, the Dallas Mavericks are glad they nabbed Corey Brewer when the New York Knicks inexplicably dropped him like he was hot after picking him up in the Carmelo Anthony deal.

Rick Carlisle, after Brewer scored 5 points in 8 minutes, played some very solid defense, and helped spark a 16-point comeback in last night’s instant classic 96-94 Game 1 win over Los Angeles:

“We needed energy. We needed enthusiasm. Ever since we got Brewer, he’s come into practice every day with a phenomenal attitude. He has worked to get better and has gotten better. He had opportunities to go to other teams for more money and as good a winning situation as ours was. You’re talking about a kid who won two national championships in a row, so he knows about big games. We got in a dire situation and he went in there and made some good things happen for us.”

Yeah, that’s a pretty comprehensive summary of Corey Brewer, wouldn’t you say? Energy. Enthusiasm. Phenomenal attitude/work ethic. A desire to win. You really don’t think you could have used that, New York, especially after being out-hustled and out-played in a blowout of a series against the Boston Celtics.

Whatever. It’s definitely good to see Brewer getting an opportunity to contribute to a contender, and I think I speak for every Timberwolves fan when I wish him the best of luck in the remainder of the playoffs. Hopefully he’ll get some more quality minutes as the series progresses.