In the Spotlight - Dallas Mavericks
So it appears as though two "one and dones" is what happens when an owner spends more time prancing around a dance floor in sequined muscle shirts, trying to buy the Chicago Cubs, and attempting to oust the Yahoo board of directors than rectifying the inherent problems on his basketball team. If losing to Golden State in the first round wasn't a wake-up call then the stinging loss to the Hornets should be for Cuban & the Mavs. Although Avery wasn't the only culprit, it was clear that the team started tuning him out and he had to go. Rick Carlisle has been successful everywhere he's been, so he may very well be the right guy.
Wait, one quick thought about Cuban's role in the Yahoo fiasco: Talk about biting the hand that fed you. If I'm not mistaken, Cuban's company received nearly $6 billion dollars from Yahoo and he personally walked away with about $2 billion of that windfall. I don't know about you, but if someone gave me a couple billion dollars I wouldn't even think of meddling in their business affairs. But that's just me. OK, back to the Mavs.
Dallas clearly needs to clean house and a trade to acquire a top ten pick along with a few quality players should be explored. I'd strongly consider making a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks (see In the Spotlight profile from May 20th for two deals that work under the cap). Bringing in Redd, Villanueva, Mo Williams and the #8 pick would give the Mavericks the versatility they need to get to the next level. The three players who would be headed to Milwaukee (Josh Howard, Jason Terry, and Brandon Bass) are solid. However, all of them are expendable. Particularly Terry because of his advancing age, large contract, and the fact that he wears his socks up to his knees.
With the eighth choice, I'd take a mobile big man like Darrell Arthur, Anthony Randolph or one of the Lopez brothers. Any of these guys would be be an improvement over Erick Dampier in the transition game. Dampier is grossly overpaid and has one of the worst contracts in the league. Like it or not, the Mavs are stuck with him. They're also stuck with Jason Kidd and it's obvious that he can no longer cover most point guards anymore. However, if Mo Williams is in the fold, Kidd can can slide over to check the opposing team's shooting guard while Mo can cover the PG's.
If the team chooses not to make a major trade, then the bench needs a major overhaul. Out with Eddie Jones, Jerry Stackhouse, Juwan Howard, Devean George, and Malik Allen. In with Hustler, Preacher, D.C, Swish and Bull. Although some would prefer Moses Guthrie and a few of his Pittsburgh Pisces teammates, I'd target the Cadwalader 5. Although a bit undersized, each one of these players brings something of value to the table...even Bull. He'd be able to teach Nowitzki a thing or two about toughness and there's nobody alive better at setting picks. If it isn't possible to land any of them, I'd switch gears and go after unrestricted free agents Mickael Pietrus, Quinton Ross, and Matt Barnes. I'd also try to sign restricted free agent Emeka Okafor to a deal with Desagana Diop as a possible fall back option if the Bobcats decide to make their big man an offer he can't refuse.
Of course, the Mavericks could bring back the same cast of characters, win 55 games, and be eliminated once again in the first round of the playoffs next season. We'll see what happens...
Wait, one quick thought about Cuban's role in the Yahoo fiasco: Talk about biting the hand that fed you. If I'm not mistaken, Cuban's company received nearly $6 billion dollars from Yahoo and he personally walked away with about $2 billion of that windfall. I don't know about you, but if someone gave me a couple billion dollars I wouldn't even think of meddling in their business affairs. But that's just me. OK, back to the Mavs.
Dallas clearly needs to clean house and a trade to acquire a top ten pick along with a few quality players should be explored. I'd strongly consider making a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks (see In the Spotlight profile from May 20th for two deals that work under the cap). Bringing in Redd, Villanueva, Mo Williams and the #8 pick would give the Mavericks the versatility they need to get to the next level. The three players who would be headed to Milwaukee (Josh Howard, Jason Terry, and Brandon Bass) are solid. However, all of them are expendable. Particularly Terry because of his advancing age, large contract, and the fact that he wears his socks up to his knees.
With the eighth choice, I'd take a mobile big man like Darrell Arthur, Anthony Randolph or one of the Lopez brothers. Any of these guys would be be an improvement over Erick Dampier in the transition game. Dampier is grossly overpaid and has one of the worst contracts in the league. Like it or not, the Mavs are stuck with him. They're also stuck with Jason Kidd and it's obvious that he can no longer cover most point guards anymore. However, if Mo Williams is in the fold, Kidd can can slide over to check the opposing team's shooting guard while Mo can cover the PG's.
If the team chooses not to make a major trade, then the bench needs a major overhaul. Out with Eddie Jones, Jerry Stackhouse, Juwan Howard, Devean George, and Malik Allen. In with Hustler, Preacher, D.C, Swish and Bull. Although some would prefer Moses Guthrie and a few of his Pittsburgh Pisces teammates, I'd target the Cadwalader 5. Although a bit undersized, each one of these players brings something of value to the table...even Bull. He'd be able to teach Nowitzki a thing or two about toughness and there's nobody alive better at setting picks. If it isn't possible to land any of them, I'd switch gears and go after unrestricted free agents Mickael Pietrus, Quinton Ross, and Matt Barnes. I'd also try to sign restricted free agent Emeka Okafor to a deal with Desagana Diop as a possible fall back option if the Bobcats decide to make their big man an offer he can't refuse.
Of course, the Mavericks could bring back the same cast of characters, win 55 games, and be eliminated once again in the first round of the playoffs next season. We'll see what happens...
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