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Whenever someone talks about the Dallas Mavericks you always hear about Nowitzki, Howard, and Kidd. You hardly ever hear the name "Terry" come up...

Jason Terry's Worth to the Mavs

by Waleed Ershad (Scribe)

14

187 reads

History

November 25, 2008

NBA, Dallas Mavericks, Jason Terry , History

Whenever someone talks about the Dallas Mavericks you always hear about Nowitzki, Howard, and Kidd.  You hardly ever hear the name "Terry" come up.

Antagonists of the Dallas Mavericks like to talk about Dirk Nowitzki's softness, his no inside game, him being a seven-foot jump shooter, or him being a choker. Or they talk about Josh Howard's jump-shot happiness, calling a time-out at the wrong time, marijuana, drag racing, or unpatriotic remarks.  Or they talk about Jason Kidd's wife abusing or his old age.

Protagonists of the Dallas Mavericks like to talk about Nowitzki being one of the greatest power forwards ever to play the game (certainly the best Maverick), the best big-man shooter of all-time, and the player that revolutionized the game of basketball forever.  Or Howard's heart for the game, rebounding prowess, and defensive skills.  Or Kidd's leadership skills, rebounding talent, and passing ability.

But a player that nobody seems to mention is Jason Terry.  Nobody likes to talk about his lack of passing skills and floor leadership for the one-guard, but the lack of height and defense for the two-guard and his erratic streakiness.  Then there is his shooting flair, passion for the game, and optimistic attitude.

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It's about time he got his respect.

The "Jet" has been a key component of the Dallas Mavericks' attack ever since he was traded there in 2004. 

He averaged 12.4, 17.1, 16.7, and 15.5 points per game during his four-year run with the Mavs.  This lack in scoring can mainly be attributed to the rise of Josh Howard's game. 

But Terry seems to make the Mavs go.  People forget that during their run to the 2006 NBA Finals, Terry was the second option behind Dirk.  While people may criticize him for not playing his position right, the same can be said about Dirk, and he is definitely one of the best power forwards ever to play the game.  A great player is a great player and people will always try to find a flaw in his game.

The Mavs beat Indiana yesterday to increase their win streak to five.  During this run, he has averaged 21.5 points per game.  He has increased his level of play during the absence of Josh Howard.

He has adjusted to his bench role and wants to contribute in any way the team needs him to.  In fact, he has always been loyal to the Mavs.  In the free agency summer of 2006, he waited just 12 hours to re-sign with Cuban and the Mavericks.  That is what makes him so valuable to this team.  He is always there to show his enthusiasm and optimism, even when the going gets tough.

This is what he had to say about the Mavs' recent struggles:

"Priceless," he said Monday. "Adversity at the beginning of the season is very priceless. You'd rather have that now than at the end of the season.

"We're happy with where we're at. We'd like more wins, but as far as learning and developing, we're moving along."

Well, Jason Terry, you are "priceless" to the Mavs' team, staff, and fans!

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comments (14) write a comment »

  1. Your'e right, Jason Terry is never blamed for a loss, celebrated for a win or even noticed because of the play of Dirk, the contraversy of Howard and the arguing over the Kidd trade. He played a major role last night against the pacers and was named the player of the game, but that's it. That will be the most praise he will get all season.

    1. Exactly! Thanks for the comment Taylor

  2. Instead of acceptance of his role of coming off the bench, Jet looks like he's taking ownership of it.

    Dirk got Westen Conf. player of the week, no mention of Jet.

    1. Yeah haha good point Janet. I hope he can grab the 6th man of the year

    2. Yeah, me too. He came in second to Ginobli last year. To be placed with that kind of company DOES say alot about JET's value to the MAVs. To be considered for 6th man he has to consistant in coming off the bench. NO STARTS!

    3. Yeah hopefully Josh Howard can return against the Lakers to Terry doesn't have to start.

    4. Yeah hopefully Josh Howard can return against the Lakers so* Terry doesn't have to start.

    5. Amen!!! And Gerald Green's get much needed minutes. Latest word I've heard, has Stack making peace with himself and the MAVs. Antoine Wright breakout game might be the results of Stack accepting the coach/player role.

  3. Jason Terry is 'that guy' who stirs the pot we call, The Mavs, for years now. We used to call him Olive Oil, for fun, back in Tucson...real creative comedian too. On the court, he's more of a floor leader than you can imagine. His intelligence, regarding scoring opportunities, morphed him into a scoring-type of guard from his freshman/soph days at U-of-Arizona.

    But his, that herky-jerky quickness, has always enabled him to efficiently run a half-court offense...when focusing on that type of scheme as a bench-player, even better than a Steve Nash or a Marty Blake or a Jose Calderon per say. And that same quickness of his allowed him to do the Unthinkable, when he broke the PAC-10 single-season steals record----------AS A 6TH-MAN!

  4. I always find it funny that Terry brings that same tenacity and selflessness as someone like Manu Ginobili, but never gets mentioned in the same breath.

    I've watched all but two Mavs games this year, and the one constant, especially at home, is Terry's attitude. He's always getting the crowd fired up, he's the first one to jump up and slap someone on the back after they hit the and-one.

    I never had a problem with him running the point, but Avery seemed determined me make Harris the guy, and then, you can't start Terry over Kidd.

    The main issue with him at the two is his size. I like his defense a lot, but to someone big and quick like a Kobe or a Jason Richardson really makes it hard on him.

    1. Yes, Terry's heart for the game is awesome! He's always optimistic, cheering on his teammates, telling the crowd to get louder, etc. He deserves recognition. But he won't get it since he isn't the "man" on the team or doesn't have 3 rings.

      Unfortunately, he can't guard those big 2-guards, you're right. Although, he does guard PGs well like Chris Paul and Steve Nash/ That's why Rick is trying Wright and Green. But they don't have that fire or shot-range.

      If only he would've grown a couple inches taller!

  5. How do you like Carlisle's wild3-gaurd lineup? And j-kidd a sm-forward on d? Carlisle is smoking somethin again. Kudo's to the coaching staff for tonights win. Who were those guy in the Mav uni's?
    They looked the best so far.

    1. It's crazy! I've never seen anything like that. Not only is it 3-guards, but not one of them is over 6'3. All point guard sized. But it has worked! Good win!

    2. Hey, if the opponant want to play SUPER SIZE, we'll go super small(and super fast).

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About the Author Waleed Ershad (scribe)

  • 7 articles written
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