Barkley considers hopping on Mavs bandwagon
A team that was like a “pretty girl with no brain” has earned Barkley’s respect after a trade that transformed the Mavs’ personality.
“The one thing they were missing was defense and toughness and rebounding,” Barkley said during a Monday appearance on ESPN 103.3’s Galloway and Company, making a good point despite the sloppy math. “And they got all three of them with Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood. They’re bigger and they’re tougher. Also DeShawn Stevenson. I like his game. He’s a little crazy. I think every team should have a crazy guy who’s like a wild card.
“They could score with anybody. The key was defense and rebounding. They got all that with those three guys and they didn’t give up anybody.”
Barkley has always been a huge fan of Jason Kidd, whom he calls the best leader the NBA has seen since Magic Johnson. But he didn’t believe the Mavs had a chance to beat the Los Angeles Lakers or Denver Nuggets until after the seven-player blockbuster deal went down over the All-Star break.
According to Barkley, the Mavs now have three players (Butler, Stevenson, Shawn Marion) who have a chance to slow down Kobe Bryant or Carmelo Anthony. If Haywood and/or Dampier are healthy, the Mavs have a solid last line of defense.
Suddenly, a squad Barkley had considered “a little girly team” looks like legitimate contenders.
Tim MacMahon
ESPNDallas.com- Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009
- Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks
- Worked at Dallas Morning News for six years
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Jeff Caplan
Jeff Caplan joined ESPNDallas.com in December 2009. Jeff covers the Mavericks, Rangers and colleges. He has a wealth of experience in the area, covering multiple beats in his 11-plus years with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
Marc Stein
Marc Stein began writing for ESPN.com in 2000 and signed on full-time in 2002 as Senior NBA Writer. He also makes regular appearances on "SportsCenter," "NBA Shootaround," "NBA Fastbreak," "NBA Coast To Coast," ESPNEWS, ESPN "First Take" and ESPN Radio.
Jeff "Skin" Wade
Jeff Wade joined ESPNDallas.com in November 2009. He is one half of "The Ben & Skin Show," heard weekdays from 9a-12p on 103.3 FM ESPN, and also works as sideline analyst for the TV broadcast of all Maverick home games.
103.3 FM ESPN PODCASTS
Play Podcast ESPN's Stephen A. Smith chimes in on the Dallas Mavericks' season, their free agency plans and more.
Play Podcast Mike and Mike join Ben and Skin to discuss Jerry Jones' window and the Mavs future. They don't see Dirk Nowitzki leaving even if the Mavs miss out on the dream of Deron Williams or Dwight Howard.
Play Podcast Mavs F Dirk Nowitzki says he's too old to stay with a rebuilding franchise but couldn't imagine himself leaving the city of Dallas.
Play Podcast Is the Dwight Howard to the Mavs dream alive? Dwight still wants out of Orlando and it could open the door for the Mavs to put a proposal together.
Play Podcast Mavs guard Delonte West dishes on his desire to return to the Mavs, his relationship with Lebron James and how he ended up hanging out with Dez Bryant over the weekend.
Play Podcast Ben and Skin discuss the three most important figures for the Rangers, Mavs, and Cowboys. Who is the most vital to the ultimate success of each organization?
TEAM LEADERS
| POINTS | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Dirk Nowitzki
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| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| Rebounds | S. Marion | 7.4 | ||||||||||
| Assists | J. Kidd | 5.5 | ||||||||||
| Steals | J. Kidd | 1.7 | ||||||||||
| Blocks | B. Wright | 1.3 | ||||||||||
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