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.

Mavs Grind Out 84-81 Win Over Blazers

The Mavericks showcased some shutdown defense all game long, while Jason Terry (31) displayed his fourth quarter heroics once again to lead the Mavericks to a close win over Portland. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

In a game where baskets were difficult to come by, Jason Terry provided just enough spark in the fourth quarter to give the Dallas Mavericks (26-8) their second straight victory. Terry scored seven of the Mavs' final nine points of the contest to put away the game.

"The fourth quarter is [Terry's] show," Tyson Chandler said. "He's done it over and over. He's so clutch, so much fun to watch."

Butler Done For Season

Dallas will miss Caron Butler's 15 points per game. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

After undergoing season-ending knee surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right knee, Dallas Mavericks' forward Caron Butler will miss the rest of the regular season.

Butler was making his way up the Mavericks scoring totem pole over the last few weeks, averaging 21.5 points per in the four games before his injury. The swingman was second in scoring among Mavs' not named Dirk Nowitzki at 15 points per, only a fraction of a point behind Jason Terry at 15.4, and had bumped up his shooting percentage for the season to 45 percent.

Needless to say, this is a huge blow to an already injury-riddled and struggling Dallas team.

Rebound Game - Mavs Take Down Cavs 104-95

Dallas bounces back against the lowly Cavaliers, holding a double-digit lead for the majority of the contest, led by Shawn Marion (above) and a revitalized, team-wide scoring attack. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

A healthy Dallas Mavericks (25-8) squad -- the "Streak Busters" of the NBA -- is something you don't want to see upcoming on the schedule when on a winning streak. On the other hand, the Cleveland Cavaliers (8-26) are the team you relish seeing -- especially when in the midst of a losing streak.

Shawn Marion (22) and DeShawn Stevenson (21) both set season-highs in points, while all five Mavericks' starters scored in double figures to snap a three-game losing streak in taking down the team with the second-worst record in basketball.

"We are beat up right now," Marion said. "We needed this game. We had a tough night in Milwaukee."

Cowboys Take Down Eagles' Backups - 14-13

Demarcus Ware (94), Terence Newman (41) and a stifling Cowboys' defense provided the spark to allow Dallas to squeak out a win against Philly's second-teamers. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

With third-string quarterback Steven McGee making the first start of his career, the onus was on the Dallas Cowboys (6-10) defense to make this a winnable game against the Philadelphia Eagles' (10-6).

The Dallas D proved up to the challenge; forcing four turnovers, accumulating six sacks and scoring a touchdown against backup quarterback Kevin Kolb and the rest of the Eagles' second stringers.

Boykins, Bucks Down Depleted Mavs- 99-87

Caron Butler went down, along with the franchise record eight-game road winning streak as Earl Boykins (above) and the Bucks handled Dallas in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

For the second time this season, the Milwaukee Bucks (13-18) have delivered a potentially serious blow to this Dallas Mavericks (24-8) team.

First it was the premature end to the Mavs' 12-game winning streak in Dallas just a few weeks ago. This time it's a lopsided victory with potentially far-reaching implications, not just because it handed the Mavs' their third straight loss, but more so because of the first quarter exit from Caron Butler due to an apparent right knee injury.

Butler joins Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion as important Mavericks to have missed time in an injury-riddled past week.

"We're short on bodies now, having some injury problems," Dirk Nowitzki said.