Not Being Okay with Mediocrity
By Albert Nguyen
What a wild ride this year. Although the Mavericks endured countless ups and downs throughout the season, some would have to consider that the team ultimately exceeded expectations. The so called "experts" predicted that Dallas would miss the playoffs this year. However, not only did Dallas continue their streak of 50-win seasons and a playoff berth to 8 years in a row, they managed to advance out of the first round. Of course, they ran into a much more talented and deeper team in the Denver Nuggets in the second round, but they still averaged 107 points a game while shooting 48% from the field. The numbers suggest that Mavericks are still potent offensively mainly due to Dirk Nowitzki's brilliance and Rick Carlisle's play calling coming out of time outs, but their shortcomings defensively became even more glaring during the series.
With three of the four players who averaged more than thirty minutes this year above thirty years of age, it is quite apparent that the Mavericks are in desperate need of some youth and athleticism. Many will argue that the championship window of this current core of Mavericks have long been shut, so it is up to Mark Cuban and the rest of the front office to decide whether or not that is true or not. If they genuinely believe that it is time for a drastic change in the personnel, then the braintrust must be firm in what they want and what they are willing to give up. I am a believer in if you have Dirk Nowitzki on your team, you will always have a chance, so I want to see the team build for now instead of loading up for the future. Here are some of the moves that I would love to see this offseason that goes along with this point:
1. Get Chris Bosh
Toronto is allegedly in salary dump mode. With the economy the way it is, owners are rushing to get under the luxury tax for the next couple of seasons. However, the biggest reason why this dream might come true for the Mavericks is because of how public Bosh has been on wanting to come back to his hometown of Dallas to play. Bosh would be a great move for the present as well as the future.
2. Get Richard Jefferson or Gerald Wallace or Rudy Gay
The Bucks are looking to move one of their big salaries (Jefferson or Redd) before they commit major dollars to Ramon Sessions, so if Dallas can package a deal including Jerry Stackhouse's 7 million expiring contract and other assets, Milwaukee would have to at least look at what Dallas offers if they are seriously looking to get rid of their inflated contracts.
The Bobcats' head coach, Larry Brown, has been a big fan of Josh Howard ever since he entered the league, and when you couple that with the fact that Howard is from North Carolina, there could be some substance to the rumors. Realistically, it may be a stretch because Charlotte's biggest issue coming into the offseason is deciding what to do with the DJ Augustin and Raymond Felton situation; Michael Jordan and company are not going to do anything until they get that sorted out first.
Nobody has really talked about acquiring Rudy Gay, it may be because of my personal bias towards the ex-UConn star, but I feel he would be the perfect compliment for Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki. OJ Mayo clearly took over the leadership role on the Grizzlies during his rookie season, forcing Gay to frequently defer to the young point guard. Thus, it may be smart for Memphis to use Gay in a deal to bolster their front line. I would give up Josh Howard and Brandon Bass in a deal for Rudy Gay. Most importantly, this would mean that Dallas would still hold their most valuable trading asset (Jerry Stackhouse's contract), to work with to improve the team.
3. Get Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson
They are both free agents coming into the off-season (so one or both would have to be acquired via sign and trades) and both are clearly on the downsides of their careers. However, if they are teamed up with Dallas's tandem of Kidd and Dirk, that might be the push to encourage a renaissance in their respective careers. Iverson gives Dallas a legitimate scorer to play alongside Dirk while Rasheed gives them the defensive toughness and offensive repertoire at the center position that Erick Dampier has never provided.
4. Get Chris Kaman
It is no secret that Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, is always in a cost cutting mindset. And with their bottleneck at big man with Zach Randolph, Marcus Camby, and Chris Kaman, Kaman may be the odd man out. I am not as high on Kaman as most, but he is a talented big man who can be more than serviceable on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. His biggest downfall as a player so far in his career is trying to stay healthy. With the Clippers winning the lottery, and Blake Griffin being the projected #1 pick overall, this makes Kaman even more expendable.
5. Get Ron Artest
I would offer Mr. Artest the entire Mid-Level exception if I were Mark Cuban. Ron Artest has publicly expressed his desire to re-sign with the Rockets so maybe this deal was over before it even began. But, if there is any chance that the Mavericks could acquire such a talented and physical player, they must seriously look into what they can do.
Of course there are many more rumors ranging from guys like Vince Carter to Chris Paul, either way Dallas is in dire need of infusing new talent and blood into their lineup. You cannot be standing still when your team is clearly mediocre, it is now Cuban's time to put his money where his mouth has always been, especially since so many owners around the league are scrambling to clear up cap space for the summer of 2010.
Copyright © 2009
Email: alnguyen84@gmail.com
By Albert Nguyen
What a wild ride this year. Although the Mavericks endured countless ups and downs throughout the season, some would have to consider that the team ultimately exceeded expectations. The so called "experts" predicted that Dallas would miss the playoffs this year. However, not only did Dallas continue their streak of 50-win seasons and a playoff berth to 8 years in a row, they managed to advance out of the first round. Of course, they ran into a much more talented and deeper team in the Denver Nuggets in the second round, but they still averaged 107 points a game while shooting 48% from the field. The numbers suggest that Mavericks are still potent offensively mainly due to Dirk Nowitzki's brilliance and Rick Carlisle's play calling coming out of time outs, but their shortcomings defensively became even more glaring during the series.
With three of the four players who averaged more than thirty minutes this year above thirty years of age, it is quite apparent that the Mavericks are in desperate need of some youth and athleticism. Many will argue that the championship window of this current core of Mavericks have long been shut, so it is up to Mark Cuban and the rest of the front office to decide whether or not that is true or not. If they genuinely believe that it is time for a drastic change in the personnel, then the braintrust must be firm in what they want and what they are willing to give up. I am a believer in if you have Dirk Nowitzki on your team, you will always have a chance, so I want to see the team build for now instead of loading up for the future. Here are some of the moves that I would love to see this offseason that goes along with this point:
1. Get Chris Bosh
Toronto is allegedly in salary dump mode. With the economy the way it is, owners are rushing to get under the luxury tax for the next couple of seasons. However, the biggest reason why this dream might come true for the Mavericks is because of how public Bosh has been on wanting to come back to his hometown of Dallas to play. Bosh would be a great move for the present as well as the future.
2. Get Richard Jefferson or Gerald Wallace or Rudy Gay
The Bucks are looking to move one of their big salaries (Jefferson or Redd) before they commit major dollars to Ramon Sessions, so if Dallas can package a deal including Jerry Stackhouse's 7 million expiring contract and other assets, Milwaukee would have to at least look at what Dallas offers if they are seriously looking to get rid of their inflated contracts.
The Bobcats' head coach, Larry Brown, has been a big fan of Josh Howard ever since he entered the league, and when you couple that with the fact that Howard is from North Carolina, there could be some substance to the rumors. Realistically, it may be a stretch because Charlotte's biggest issue coming into the offseason is deciding what to do with the DJ Augustin and Raymond Felton situation; Michael Jordan and company are not going to do anything until they get that sorted out first.
Nobody has really talked about acquiring Rudy Gay, it may be because of my personal bias towards the ex-UConn star, but I feel he would be the perfect compliment for Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki. OJ Mayo clearly took over the leadership role on the Grizzlies during his rookie season, forcing Gay to frequently defer to the young point guard. Thus, it may be smart for Memphis to use Gay in a deal to bolster their front line. I would give up Josh Howard and Brandon Bass in a deal for Rudy Gay. Most importantly, this would mean that Dallas would still hold their most valuable trading asset (Jerry Stackhouse's contract), to work with to improve the team.
3. Get Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson
They are both free agents coming into the off-season (so one or both would have to be acquired via sign and trades) and both are clearly on the downsides of their careers. However, if they are teamed up with Dallas's tandem of Kidd and Dirk, that might be the push to encourage a renaissance in their respective careers. Iverson gives Dallas a legitimate scorer to play alongside Dirk while Rasheed gives them the defensive toughness and offensive repertoire at the center position that Erick Dampier has never provided.
4. Get Chris Kaman
It is no secret that Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, is always in a cost cutting mindset. And with their bottleneck at big man with Zach Randolph, Marcus Camby, and Chris Kaman, Kaman may be the odd man out. I am not as high on Kaman as most, but he is a talented big man who can be more than serviceable on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. His biggest downfall as a player so far in his career is trying to stay healthy. With the Clippers winning the lottery, and Blake Griffin being the projected #1 pick overall, this makes Kaman even more expendable.
5. Get Ron Artest
I would offer Mr. Artest the entire Mid-Level exception if I were Mark Cuban. Ron Artest has publicly expressed his desire to re-sign with the Rockets so maybe this deal was over before it even began. But, if there is any chance that the Mavericks could acquire such a talented and physical player, they must seriously look into what they can do.
Of course there are many more rumors ranging from guys like Vince Carter to Chris Paul, either way Dallas is in dire need of infusing new talent and blood into their lineup. You cannot be standing still when your team is clearly mediocre, it is now Cuban's time to put his money where his mouth has always been, especially since so many owners around the league are scrambling to clear up cap space for the summer of 2010.
Copyright © 2009
Email: alnguyen84@gmail.com
