August 04, 2004

I feel bad for Antoine, it really seemed like he did whatever Nellie asked this past season. When he was traded to Dallas it really sounded like he was going to be an integral part of the team, but by the end he was barely getting minutes. In sum, he is the victim of Raef LaFrentz's contract. Well....maybe. 'Toine was experimental from the start, and had some seriously lackluster numbers beginning about 70% through the season. He did perform better than I anticipated when we first learned he'd be a Mav, but for the money (he was the highest paid Mav this past year) he just wasn't worth it. I feel worse for Jamison who was a team player with a capital T and is now stuck on another shit team that has no chance at playoffs. Tony Delk is one of those streaky scorers who can single handedly shoot you into or out of a game. He just seemed out of sync all season. The Mavs thought he could be their sparkplug off the bench like Bobby Jackson. It just didn't happen. Part of that was due to injury and part of it due to Nelson electing to use Travis Best as Nash's relief while playing Eastern Conf. teams that had strong guards (like the 76ers). Best is a far superior defensive player than Delk is. That said, Tony had some great games here, but I'm not about to pour out a Shiner in tribute to his departure. As far as Kidd goes, the local media has tossed it out there (well, until Quincygate started today) and for the money and the questionability, the common consensus seems to be "nyet". Then again, Cuban and Nelson are Cuban and Nelson, so little would surprise me. But Jason Terry? Alan Henderson? I dunno. The Mavs are a playoff team, but I'm seriously wondering how Nellie makes all these pieces fit. You're not alone. I was talking with a coworker (who is a fellow Mavs fan) today at lunch and we were discussing the lineup for this year. Yeah, they'll likely make playoffs, but with the moves that other teams in the West have made (Houston, Denver) Dallas has lagged off into a likely 5-7 seed, which is, essentially pointless. Our consensus was, hell, blow it up, rebuild around Howard, Harris, Daniels, and Nowitzki. Toss this year (and Finley) to the masses, and see what happens. Six weeks ago, I committed to going into a ten game package with a friend. Somehow, I'm not as at ease with that commitment as I was previously. Sure, the games will be fun, but I'm sad to look at a team whose best chance at glory was two seasons ago.

posted by Ufez Jones at 09:01 PM on August 04, 2004

Honestly, dusted: yes, I'm a bit underwhelmed by the Mavs (seeming) lineup, but I still stand firm with my Shaq-hatred, as I did this time last year with my Malone-hatred. You can call it cutting off the nose to spite the face, but I still don't think Shaq, with all of his health and motivation concerns, would be the panacea for the Mavs' ills. I'm more disgruntled at the loss of Jamison and Nash, with the end result being Stackhouse, Laettner, and ??? than I am the possible Shaq deal. Nobody here, media, fanboy, or otherwise, thinks that Dirk has the leadership capabilities that will result in a valid team. That said, he's one hell of a player, and still young, so he probably is worth hanging on to (depending on his next round of contract talks). That said, unless something else happens, my expectations for the Mavs will be a bit lower this year than they have in the past.

posted by Ufez Jones at 11:03 PM on August 04, 2004

I hear you, Ufez. I didn't watch Jason Terry much last season (he played in Atlanta, 'nuf said), but his stats sure look good. ESPN is saying that he may be turned right around in a trade for Kidd. Kidd is such a huge gamble that only someone like Cuban would consider it, but the payoff would be huge if he got healthy.

posted by dusted at 12:51 AM on August 05, 2004

I'll agree with you that the trade was beneficial, Weedy, from the standpoint of where the Mavs were a week ago. Delk is pretty much a non-issue and Walker just didn't quite mesh like the Mavs had hoped. Terry's got decent numbers, but as trox pointed out, he's more of a shooting guard than a point guard. The major point for me is where the Mavs stand as a team now compared with where they did last season. Last season you had major playing time for Nash, Dirk, Finley, Walker, Jamison, Howard, Daniels, and the rotating centers. Now, it's Dirk, Finley, Stackhouse, Terry, Daniels, Howard, Harris, rotating centers (including Laettner?). Which would you rather have? As far as the potential for a Kidd trade, everyone knows it's a huge gamble that will either pay off big time or blow up in Cuban's face. Ideally, if something is able to be fanangled, the Nets will pick up part of his salary. I'm not sure what else would have to be thrown in to get Kidd, but I'd be hesitant to toss in one of the young prospects along with Terry to get him here. He's still very good, with the potential to be great, but he's not the player he's been in the past. The Mavs have lost ground in the West, still have yet to find a solution at Center (arguably the most important position for the Conference) and are still very shaky defensively. I don't see them competing for a championship with this team, so the season seems to be a bit of a crapshoot.

posted by Ufez Jones at 10:43 AM on August 05, 2004