Movin' On Up

After nearly two years of D-Town Sports action, the run is finally coming to an end. I enjoyed every step of the ride, and hopefully some of you will follow me to my next venture. I know you've all been eagerly anticipating The D-Town Sports Decision for the last few weeks now, so here it is:

In this winter/spring, this is very tough, in this winter/spring I will be taking my talents to (two-and-a-half hours away from) Myrtle Beach and join Hoopsworld.com.

All Lebron-theatrics aside, I'll be joining the esteemed HoopsWorld crew to write about the Charlotte Bobcats and other stories around the NBA. I'll put up my direct location on the site very soon here on D-Town Sports, as well as dates for live chats coming up likely in March -- so if your interested in the NBA, check me out.

Thank you to everyone who supported and/or read my blog, and even those who just stopped by on accident while browsing the web for something else.

(UPDATE: Browse all of my HOOPSWORLD articles right here.)

Interim No More

The hiring of Jason Garrett (above) gives this Cowboys' team hope to compete next season. (AP Photo/Miles Kennedy)

As bad as the Dallas Cowboys were this season (and they were outlandishly bad), interim head coach Jason Garrett took over mid-season and rallied a beaten and demoralized team to a strong finish. In the midst of the toughest stretch of the season, the eighth coach in Cowboys history guided his team to a 5-3 record -- coaxing the type of team-wide effort from the players that was lacking through the first eight games when Dallas started a dismal 1-7.

His reward? A freshly minted four-year contract, signed late last week, along with a guarantee from owner/gm Jerry Jones of "final say" on all roster moves and each member of Garrett's coaching staff.

"Ultimately, we're going to feel good about the decisions we make as an organization," Garrett said in his introductory press conference as the Cowboys' head coach. "We'll communicate, we have very similar football values and we'll come to the right conclusions together."

This marks a stark contrast to the way Jones has done business as the general manager of this team for the majority of his time as owner/gm of the Cowboys. Jones not only realizes it's time for a change on his part, but the value of Garrett -- and here's why:

Fourth Quarter of Doom - Magic Pound Mavs 117-107

Mavericks' sloppy final frame, smoldering 3-point shooting from the Magic and Hedo Turkoglu's (15) spectacular all-around night lead to Orlando winning franchise-record ninth straight contest. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

It appears as though the mighty Dallas Mavericks (26-10) have gone from from the "Streak Busters" of the NBA, to the "Second Half Strugglers" in just a matter of weeks. Reminiscent of what happened just two nights ago against Oklahoma City, the Mavericks laid an egg in the second half -- particularly in a horrendously played fourth quarter -- after a strong first half.

The Orlando Magic (25-12) dominated the fourth, forcing four turnovers and going on a 26-3 run; this after Dallas took an 85-82 lead just over a minute into the final frame. The huge push put Orlando up 20 points with under four-and-a-half minutes to play and Dallas would wave the white flag soon thereafter, pulling all of it's starters with 2:55 left in regulation.

"We just started playing hard," Magic center Dwight Howard said of his team's 37-26 fourth-quarter surge. "We're trying to be consistent with the way we play. We've got to learn our lesson, that we can't expect to play only half the game."

What makes this so troubling is how well the Mavericks started out of the gate for the second straight contest.

Second Half Struggles - Thunder Beat Mavs 99-95

It was a tale of two halves as Kevin Durant (above) and the Thunder came out with a vengeance in the second half to prevent Dallas from sweeping the season series. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Although the final outcome was to be expected, considering the Dallas Mavericks (26-9) were missing both Dirk Nowitzki and Caron Butler, the way this game played out was certainly a surprise. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who thought Dallas would score 30 points in the first quarter and shoot over 50 percent through three quarters without two of the top scorers on the team... and still lose.

That's how it unfolded -- The NBA: Where amazing happens -- as Dallas was quick out of the gate against the Oklahoma City Thunder (24-13), putting up 55 points in a first half that Mavs' coach Rick Carlisle termed "our undoing" due to a rash of Mavs' turnovers that allowed the Thunder to keep it close going into the second half.

"We had 10 turnovers for 12 points, and a lot of them were timely," Carlisle said.

The turnover story was a combination of poor ball handling by the Mavericks and quick hands by OKC as the Thunder accumulated nine steals in the first half. Let's delve into how things all got started, and how it subsequently fell apart for Dallas.

Rangers Snag Beltre To Six-Year Deal

Adrian Beltre (in uniform) gives the Rangers' offense some added pop, while providing the defense with a Gold Glove caliber fielder at third base. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

After losing Cliff Lee to the Philadelphia Phillies and missing out in acquiring starter Zach Grienke from Kansas City, the Texas Rangers needed to secure an impact signing to make sure this offseason would not be a failure.

That's exactly what they accomplished, signing third baseman Adrian Beltre to a six-year, $96 million contract. Playing for the Boston Red Sox last season, Beltre hit .321 with 28 homers and 102 RBI in winning his first career American League Silver Slugger award.

"We all know that the Rangers have a really good team. I want to win," Beltre said. "This team is willing to do whatever it takes to get to that next step. That's one of the factors to make my decision to come here easier."

We'll delve into how Beltre's signing helps this Rangers' ballclub in a myriad of ways, but first lets get into how his contract will work.