mavs
Charlie V is Dirk Nowitzki
It wasn’t Steph Curry and his undefeated Warriors, nor was it my Fisher bashing that pushed me to write about basketball again nor was it Kobe’s last dance, it was the hairless mamba. Thank you for the readers that still visit my blog, despite my nonexistent contribution of late. I work and I coach, so I apologize for not writing. Here we go…
My brother is a die-hard Mavs fan and I don’t blame him. He’s 8 years younger than I am and has already witnessed a championship season, a feat my Knicks haven’t accomplished in my lifetime. Little bro loves Dirk, (who doesn’t?) and his Mavs are regularly atop the Western conference standings year after year. Great management and fantastic coaching. Rick Carlisle finds lost players and makes them system contributors every season. The list is long, players that fall off the radar only to return to the Mavs to maximize their potential, the sure sign of an elite coach and franchise. Here is a recap of said players: JJ Barea, Devin Harris, Raymond fukin Felton, Mcgee (on the way), Deshawn Stevenson, Peja Stojakovic ( championship season) and many others. Great coaching, defined roles and most importantly wins, good for them.
Enter one Charlie V, an NBA rat, not a gym rat, just a player that seems to hang around longer than he should. After signing a huge contract with Detroit, he disappeared and disappointed then withered away on NBA benches. All of a sudden he comes out gun slinging this season with Dallas, acting like Dirk coming of the bench. This was funny for 2 reasons, first off Charlie V doesn’t look like a solid NBA power forward, sure he can shoot, but he has tiny shoulders with lazy and uninterested body language. The second reason is its freakin Charlie V, how is this not hilarious? He’s draining floaters, put back dunks and shoots with the confidence of a young Drazen Petrovic. The jokes continued all throughout our Mavs league pass watch. I would say “Dude, Charlie V is going Dirk on ‘em.” and it was somehow true. In today’s fantasy infused social media Steph curry religious like fanfare, Charlie V has gone unnoticed clocking 11 minutes per game. I’m here to change that with the standard per 36 mins stats. I know it doesn’t account for stamina or efficiency, but as you can see Charlie V is a mini Dirk Nowitzki. As funny as it is, the truth is kinda in the numbers. His per 36 minute stats destroy Vucevic’s stats from Orlando for example. Here is how he has become a mini clone of Dirk.
Go on NBA advanced stats and match him with other starting power forwards and you will see the light of Charlie V. At first, I wondered how Chalie had the legs, since he looked old at 21, he’s still only 31 and doing this!
If you catch the Mavs this season, keep an eye out for the hairless mamba, ready to launch Steph Curryesque threes if given the opportunity, or brick his life away. We will never know, but here’s a shout out to Charlie V and all the minis out there. The unheralded clones of greats, that nobody will likely remember. The proverbial we shall not forget the Mavs’ bench assassin that entertained when the stadium was empty.
Much love and basketball,
Rambeeni
Dark Horses Battle out West
The wild wild Western conference playoff picture is as competitive as its been, since Motombo cradled the ball in on the floor of Key Arena. The dominant Thunder, timeless Spurs, and the Clippers now on steroids; are clear favorites, with the Rockets and the Warriors lurking. It’s essential for these NBA title contenders to swiftly get past pesky teams without using up their Mojo. The finalist must finish these underdogs off swiftly, to make a legitimate championship run. With the east so top heavy (Indiana, Miami, Upton), the western road must be as easy as possible. Let’s take a look at the teams that could challenge these western conference powerhouses.
Rambeeni Basketball 