Chris Broussard on how to fix Clippers

[Ghazi]

1 ) Trade Baron Davis

[+] EnlargeGetty Images
Bye, bye, Baron? One fix would be to deal Davis.
As great as Baron can be, he's just not motivated playing for a lousy team in his hometown. Plus, his body has been fragile his whole career, so logic says that should only become a bigger problem with age. So, the Clips have to trade him now before it's too late. Granted, that's difficult, given the fact that he has four years, $54 million left on the deal he signed last summer, will turn 30 in April and has the rep as a coach-killing malcontent. But if the Clips could find the right team that needs to make a drastic move to contend and is willing to take on the risks involved, the timing is right. And such a team happens to exist in Dallas. So offer Davis ($11.25 million) and Marcus Camby ($10 million) to for Jason Kidd ($21.372 million). This trade works under the salary cap, immediately puts Dallas near the top of the Western Conference, and saves the Clippers $61.65 million over the next four years.


Unlikely, but that'd be pretty sick IMO albeit highly risky.

[Findog]

Don't want Baron's contract.

BTW, Broussard, here's how you fix the Clippers: have Sterling sell the team. Everything else is rearranging deck chairs.

[DPG21920]

That would be jacked up to see Baron in a Mavs uni.

[Tully365]

I think it was Al McGuire years ago who said a team can have one player with a bad attitude, but not two or more... because then they breed.

[Ghazi]

Don't want Baron's contract.

BTW, Broussard, here's how you fix the Clippers: have Sterling sell the team. Everything else is rearranging deck chairs.

Fuck the future! I wanna win now now NOWWWW!!!

[monosylab1k]

Don't want Baron's contract.

Why the hell not? I read that trade scenario and I jizzed in my pants.

It would never happen though, not even the Clippers are that stupid.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

B-Diddy
Antoine Wright
J-Ho
Dirk
Camby

If J-Ho didn't play like a big idiot that team could actually make some noise.

[turiaf for president]

holy shiet can u imagine that lineup? davis terry howard dirk camby? i would be terrified to see taht lineup in the playoffs

[turiaf for president]

Why the hell not? I read that trade scenario and I jizzed in my pants.

It would never happen though, not even the Clippers are that stupid.

yea but they are cheap. if they can get out of 65 million dollars, i can see sterling backing this deal if the mavs add a 1st round pick

[IronMexican]

Lets hope LAC wont

[Ghazi]

It wouldnt be stupid of the Clippers at all IMO. saving $65 mill, the Mavs would be the ones taking a huge risk on baron's health and bad contract and would possibly end up looking stupid. BUT I LIKE THAT RISK BABY

[turiaf for president]

It wouldnt be stupid of the Clippers at all IMO. saving $65 mill, the Mavs would be the ones taking a huge risk on baron's health and bad contract and would possibly end up looking stupid. BUT I LIKE THAT RISK BABY

agreed on the risk of baron heathwise, but its not like the mavs were going to have cap space to sign anyone this offseason or the next for that matter. howard dirk erick and terry are all on the books so in terms of freedom to sign a star FA, they are not risking much.

[monosylab1k]

yea but they are cheap. if they can get out of 65 million dollars, i can see sterling backing this deal if the mavs add a 1st round pick

I understand what a huge deal this would be purely from a money standpoint, but let's remember that only 1 other time in NBA history has a trade of this magnitude been made where one team gave up so much while getting so little in return, claiming that the cap relief was their motive.

And we all know that collusion, and not cap relief, was the true motive.

[Bandwagon Spurs Fan]

The Clippers exist only for the Lakers to have 2 more homegames than everyone else.

[Austin_Toros]

that trade actually does have benefits for both teams, especially the clippers.
doing the trade means the clips can free up that logjam they have at centre and they can get rid of Baron (a player they signed probably because Brand left)

[ginobili's bald spot]

That sounds more like a "how to fix the mavs" trade to me.

[Findog]

Why the hell not? I read that trade scenario and I jizzed in my pants.

It would never happen though, not even the Clippers are that stupid.

Because I don't trust either one of those guys to stay healthy and I don't like their contracts. I think the Mavs should get younger, not older. I'd only do that deal if I felt it gave them a legitimate shot to win it all this year, and I don't think it does.

[Ghazi]

Youth is overrated.

[monosylab1k]

Because I don't trust either one of those guys to stay healthy and I don't like their contracts. I think the Mavs should get younger, not older. I'd only do that deal if I felt it gave them a legitimate shot to win it all this year, and I don't think it does.

If we're gonna do a youth movement, we need to just blow the whole thing up.

[Ghazi]

The best way to win a championship is to win 15-20 games, hope to luck into the #1 pick a year where a superduperstar is coming out, and then hope that superduperstar isn't a bust.

[mystargtr34]

Because I don't trust either one of those guys to stay healthy and I don't like their contracts. I think the Mavs should get younger, not older. I'd only do that deal if I felt it gave them a legitimate shot to win it all this year, and I don't think it does.

Dude, a lineup of...

Davis
Terry
Howard
Dirk
Camby

Is fucking scary.

That automatically undoes the Devin Harris trade and turns it from Franchise crippling bad one - to a pretty damn good trade. Theres incentive for the Clips to do that trade too, they free up their logjam at the 5. And they also become major players in 2010.

[Findog]

Dude, a lineup of...

Davis
Terry
Howard
Dirk
Camby

Is fucking scary.

That automatically undoes the Devin Harris trade and turns it from Franchise crippling bad one - to a pretty damn good trade. Theres incentive for the Clips to do that trade too, they free up their logjam at the 5. And they also become major players in 2010.

I would do that deal in training camp. 5/8's of the way through the season? Maybe.

[Ghazi]

It's not a scary lineup, it's just a good lineup. Just one of those teams that wins 55-60 games but doesn't win it all, and is never remembered (Blazers/Kings earlier this decade, Mavs/Suns of past, Pistons every year except '04, etc).

[mystargtr34]

It's not a scary lineup, it's just a good lineup. Just one of those teams that wins 55-60 games but doesn't win it all, and is never remembered (Blazers/Kings earlier this decade, Mavs/Suns of past, Pistons every year except '04, etc).

Better than winning 45-50 and exiting in the first round.

[Ghazi]

Agreed :toast

Which is why I wouldn't be opposed to such a trade. I do wish for our beloved Mavs to win a title but I'd prefer a deep playoff run to 9th or a 1st round exit.

But Davis's contract doesn't seem to fall in line with the Mavs plans.

[mytespurs]

Don't want Baron's contract.

BTW, Broussard, here's how you fix the Clippers: have Sterling sell the team. Everything else is rearranging deck chairs.


Bravo! That would be a great start! Firing the coach would be near the top as well. :toast

[iggypop123]

sounds like a good trade but cuban wont do luxury tax anymore. and bussard needs to learn how to speak. whats up with his style of speech

[monosylab1k]

The best way to win a championship is to win 15-20 games, hope to luck into the #1 pick a year where a superduperstar is coming out, and then hope that superduperstar isn't a bust.

Keep wavin those pom-poms! Don't give up on Dirk and Jet and the gang cuz they're so super awesome and the bestest ever! :cry

The best way to win a championship is through smart scouting and signing quality role players. Not by keeping a bunch of 30-somethings around and surrounding them with D-Leaguers.

[monosylab1k]

Once again, Mavs fans show their lack of any balls whatsoever. Everyone cries and cries and cries and cries and cries and cries and cries and cries and cries and cries and cries and cries and cries and cries and cries for a trade to happen, but when a trade idea that makes sense actually gets brought up, they shit all over it without a second thought. Fucking incredible.

[Findog]

Let's trade Dirk for Shaq! Shaq's got 4 rings and a championship pedigree. We've got to make a move for the sake of making a move.

Show me a trade that either sets up Dallas for a Kevin Pritchard style rebuild job, or makes us a powerhouse team again like Boston, and I'll sign on the dotted line. A trade that gets us a second-round exit as opposed to our guaranteed first-round exit is not something I'm interested in.

[monosylab1k]

Let's trade Dirk for Shaq! Shaq's got 4 rings and a championship pedigree. We've got to make a move for the sake of making a move.

Show me a trade that either sets up Dallas for a Kevin Pritchard style rebuild job, or makes us a powerhouse team again like Boston, and I'll sign on the dotted line. A trade that gets us a second-round exit as opposed to our guaranteed first-round exit is not something I'm interested in.

In other words you're taking the Cuban approach of "I'm waiting for a miracle to fall into my lap" rather than taking a risk and trying to make a move that helps.

[Findog]

In other words you're taking the Cuban approach of "I'm waiting for a miracle to fall into my lap" rather than taking a risk and trying to make a move that helps.

The Mavs "took a risk" last year to get better and it ended up knocking them from really good to mediocre. This isn't even a real trade proposal, it's a guy writing an article.

[monosylab1k]

The Mavs "took a risk" last year to get better and it ended up knocking them from really good to mediocre.

Yeah they went from the 6 seed before the trade to the 7 seed afterwards. Huge dropoff. And they were a mediocre team before the trade anyways, they lost a 7 game series to a 42 win team. No possible way you could call them a "really good" team after that.

This team became elite because they tinkered with the roster constantly, finding things that worked, dumping things that didn't work. What the hell exactly is the point of staying status quo and praying for a miracle?

[Findog]

Yeah they went from the 6 seed before the trade to the 7 seed afterwards. Huge dropoff. And they were a mediocre team before the trade anyways, they lost a 7 game series to a 42 win team. No possible way you could call them a "really good" team after that.

They were 35-17 when Devin got hurt. They were mediocre without him, before the Kidd trade and after. If Devin's fragility made him expendable, so be it, but that trade was dumb. 35-17 is really good, I didn't say they were elite or a powerhouse team. They should've fired Avery after GS and made a trade in the summer of 2007, not a panic move last year at the deadline. You don't win 67 games or go to the Finals if you're not at the very least very good. That's not an excuse to keep the team together for too long like they did, but if the Kidd trade has taught us anything, it's that you don't "take a risk" just for the sake of making a move.

[Rogue]

B Davis and camby are still good players though they are not constant. camby is gonna significantly upgrade our defense in the paint while B Davis will bring us some new strategies to apply in our offense. Our players lack the abilities to break into the rim in half-court offense, but Davis can dribble the ball into that zone whenever he wants. I would like to trade Dampier and Josh Howard for those two guys, let B Davis start at SG and take the PG work when Kidd rests on bench.

[Findog]

This team became elite because they tinkered with the roster constantly, finding things that worked, dumping things that didn't work. What the hell exactly is the point of staying status quo and praying for a miracle?

Funny, but I thought they went from pretty good under Nellie to elite under Avery when they stopped making huge trades for big name players at the deadline every year and developed some continuity with the same core, along with a new commitment to playing defense. I agree that substantial changes needed to be made after GS and they lacked the balls because of how great the regular season was, but you want to sign off on every trade proposal that comes down the pike.

[monosylab1k]

They were 35-17 when Devin got hurt. They were mediocre without him, before the Kidd trade and after. If Devin's fragility made him expendable, so be it, but that trade was dumb. 35-17 is really good, I didn't say they were elite or a powerhouse team. They should've fired Avery after GS and made a trade in the summer of 2007, not a panic move last year at the deadline. You don't win 67 games or go to the Finals if you're not at the very least very good. That's not an excuse to keep the team together for too long like they did, but if the Kidd trade has taught us anything, it's that you don't "take a risk" just for the sake of making a move.

How the hell is "we give you our 35 year old point guard, and you give us two All-Star caliber players in return" making a move for the sake of making a move?

Again, it seems like even in trade speculations or even pulling trade ideas out of a hat, anything less than "James Singleton for LeBron James" isn't good enough for Mavs fans. And even then they'd bitch that making a Singleton/James trade leaves the bench too thin.

[Findog]

How the hell is "we give you our 35 year old point guard, and you give us two All-Star caliber players in return" making a move for the sake of making a move?


With Kidd, we go out in the first round. With those two guys, we go out in the second round and lose flexibility for 2010. No thanks.

[Findog]

mono, if you were a Suns fan, you would've been jizzing your pants over them dumping an aging two-guard that has seen better days and an underachieving finesse player for a legit scoring 2-guard. How has that move worked out for Phoenix?

[monosylab1k]

Funny, but I thought they went from pretty good under Nellie to elite under Avery when they stopped making huge trades for big name players at the deadline every year and developed some continuity with the same core, along with a new commitment to playing defense.

Well I guess if you just stopped Nellie from tinkering a couple years earlier, things would have been even better even quicker, right? No Jet, no Stack, no Harris, yeah the constant tinkering is what hindered the team.

[Findog]

Well I guess if you just stopped Nellie from tinkering a couple years earlier, things would have been even better even quicker, right? No Jet, no Stack, no Harris, yeah the constant tinkering is what hindered the team.

Nellie would've moved two of those three guys at some point for a big name at the trade deadline.

[monosylab1k]

mono, if you were a Suns fan, you would've been jizzing your pants over them dumping an aging two-guard that has seen better days and an underachieving finesse player for a legit scoring 2-guard. How has that move worked out for Phoenix?

Blaming J-Rich for the Suns' problems is about as dumb as blaming Kidd for the Mavs problems. If D'Antoni was still around running SSOL with this current Suns team, you'd be shitting yourself at the thought of playing Phoenix.

[monosylab1k]

Nellie would've moved two of those three guys at some point for a big name at the trade deadline.

Better than giving Devean George a hefty raise and a guaranteed spot in the rotation.

[Findog]

Blaming J-Rich for the Suns' problems is about as dumb as blaming Kidd for the Mavs problems. If D'Antoni was still around running SSOL with this current Suns team, you'd be shitting yourself at the thought of playing Phoenix.

Diaw and Bell can play defense, Richardson cannot. The Suns are already porous with a core of Shaq, Nash and Amare. And they'd still be pretenders with D'Antoni coaching that team. At least this way they are closer to a necessary rebuild job.

There's three kinds of teams in this league: contenders, pretenders and rebuilders. If you're pretenders like the Mavs and Suns are, you shouldn't want to stay there. If there's a trade that launches a good rebuild job, do it. If there's a trade that makes you a powerhouse team, do it. If there's a trade that gets you from the first round to the second round, I don't see what the point is.

[Rogue]

How the hell is "we give you our 35 year old point guard, and you give us two All-Star caliber players in return" making a move for the sake of making a move?

Again, it seems like even in trade speculations or even pulling trade ideas out of a hat, anything less than "James Singleton for LeBron James" isn't good enough for Mavs fans. And even then they'd bitch that making a Singleton/James trade leaves the bench too thin.
Harris wouldn't be as good as he is if he hadn't been traded to Nets. He's got more space and freedom in New Jersey where there is no other good player except carter. Kidd is 35 but still an all-star level PG that can change the game when needed. Harris is among the best PGs in the east where there are not so many good PGs as the west.

But the real problem with our team is not the PG, even terry can play PG pretty well. We are lacking in a dominant center who should play some good defense at least, Dampier used to be the "west's best Center except O'Neal" but even today's O'Neal is way better than dampier in his prime. Dirk is not pretty good at defense due to his softness, but he has to do those dirty works himself. We pay Dampier 11m/yr but his contributions are even less than Hayes who just takes 3m from rockets team.

[monosylab1k]

If there's a trade that gets you from the first round to the second round, I don't see what the point is.

So we sit and wait for the miracle.

[Rogue]

Blaming J-Rich for the Suns' problems is about as dumb as blaming Kidd for the Mavs problems. If D'Antoni was still around running SSOL with this current Suns team, you'd be shitting yourself at the thought of playing Phoenix.

No one has blamed kidd for our problems. Our problems is with the Center position. The only way the clippers can make us give Kidd to them is to put Kaman on the negotiation. camby is a good defender but he is not less crappy than dampier in offense. clippers had hold a huge ambition before the season began, but their moves and signings has totally turned out to be failures. I don't think B Davis is going to do a better work than kidd is doing, but we can replace him with terry if Davis really sucks or gets injuried. What we urgently need is a capable center who can take the place of Dampier, and Kaman is among the best center in the west I think. If clippers refuse our trade offer that involves Dampier, we would negotiate with them on our b-plan that sends Kidd to them for Kaman and B Davis.

[Ghazi]

I'll repeat my thoughts from the game chat.

In 2003 the Mavs had a championship team but the season was derailed due to Dirk going down for the final 3 games and Kerr hitting a bunch of fluky bullshit jumpshots in the 4th quarter. Run and gun and no defense can't win a title? I don't buy that, it was pretty damn close that year. Let's just assume that we get past the Spurs if Kerr doesn't make bullshit jumpers and Dirk doesn't go down, anyone think the 49-33 fucking nets would beat us because they played defense? I don't, we'd run their cuckold asses outta the gym.

In 2006 the Mavs had a championship team but Wade hit some fluky bullshit jumpers, Payton hit some fluky bullshit jumpers, and the refs decided that a 6'6 black shooting guard is more marketable than an unconventional German forward. 97 fucking free throws? You fucking kidding me bro? "Oh but he drove to the basket". Get the fuck outta here with that bullshit, touch foul for the clinching free throws in game 5? You fuckin serious? That's why our beloved Mavs are ringless? Granted, our beloved Mavs could've played better, but that doesn't justify the shaft.

There was nothing special about that Cheat team. Defense? Okay nothing special. Offense? Likewise. They turned it over like a motherfucker. Toughness? http://youtube.com/watch?v=vfuJS0SBSac I beg to differ. Jason Williams and Antoine fucking Walker, fuck that shit.

In 2007 the Mavs had a championship team but a bunch of GS scrubs started hitting some fluky bullshit jumpers and Nelson grossly outcoached Avery.

:)


Anywho, it takes some luck to win a championship... our beloved Mavs... those years right there, 3 chances to win a title, and we were fucked whether it be injuries, fluky bullshit jumpers, or the refs.

We should be thankful that our beloved Mavs even had a chance. I love our beloved Dirk and I believe the 2006 Finals were rigged fluky bullshit, but we had some nice bounces that year and most years I dont think he can be the best player on a championship team barring insane depth, multiple stars, defense, etc. Dirk as the 2nd best player on a team is a scary thought though, but few teams would have him at that.

I guess our beloved Dirk just isn't "that" great or is too unconventional.

Other than some flukes like the 2004 Pistons, in general you need a superduperstar to win a title. There's a reason half the franchises in the NBA don't have titles, because there aren't that many superduperstars. Jordan, Hakeem, Duncan, Shaq, Kobe, Lebron, D-Whistle the wheelchair bitch who doesn't deserve his ring, etc. We can't be mad at our beloved Dirk for not being of this caliber.

I foresee the future belonging to Lebron James, for he is the best player in the game regardless of what the KoME nuthuggers say. God a youth movement? So we can wait 5 years for them to develop? By then Lebron's probably got a J, it's fucking over.

Now we descend into mediocrity, so? It's happened a many time before... the Kings/Blazers earlier this decade, the Pistons/Suns now, the Spurs to a lesser extent now... Boston/Cleveland/Orlando/LA were shit 2-3 years ago, its a cycle my beloved Mavs fans. You think we were gonna win 55 forever? The lottery and mediocrity are inevitable and occur for all NBA teams, some less than others though due to front office collusion or draft luck :)

We're all sour about our beloved run coming to an end without a ring, but fuck the circumstances that led to it occurring. Bennett Salvatore is a scumbag Zionist.

It just happens my beloved friends.

[Indazone]

That trade would make the Mavs into instant contenders. But as I said before...this isn't the land of Oz and there isn't a magical Wizard to make all things right. Can't give Mark Cuban brains, Can't give Dirk a heart, and cant take the coward out of J-Ho.

Neither does clearing cap space necessarily help the Clippers. All one has to do is look at the Chicago Bulls who for years kept a significant cap space available in the hope of picking up a franchise player. That player never materialized.

[monosylab1k]

That trade would make the Mavs into instant contenders. But as I said before...this isn't the land of Oz and there isn't a magical Wizard to make all things right. Can't give Mark Cuban brains, Can't give Dirk a heart, and cant take the coward out of J-Ho.

Neither does clearing cap space necessarily help the Clippers. All one has to do is look at the Chicago Bulls who for years kept a significant cap space available in the hope of picking up a franchise player. That player never materialized.

Stop crying, you sniveling ass! Stop your nonsense. You're just the afterbirth, Eli. You slithered out of your mother's filth. They should have put you in a glass jar on a mantlepiece. Where were you when Paul was suckling at your mother's teat? Where were you? Who was nursing you, poor Eli- one of Bandy's sows? That land has been had. Nothing you can do about it. It's gone. It's had. You lose.

[Ghazi]

They were 35-17 when Devin got hurt. They were mediocre without him, before the Kidd trade and after. If Devin's fragility made him expendable, so be it, but that trade was dumb. 35-17 is really good, I didn't say they were elite or a powerhouse team. They should've fired Avery after GS and made a trade in the summer of 2007, not a panic move last year at the deadline. You don't win 67 games or go to the Finals if you're not at the very least very good. That's not an excuse to keep the team together for too long like they did, but if the Kidd trade has taught us anything, it's that you don't "take a risk" just for the sake of making a move.

Personally, I don't think the Mavs went from really good to mediocre at the very point Kidd became a Mav, although the record of 16-13 after the trade would indicate otherwise. Now hear a beloved Mav fan out, I simply think we became victims of poor luck and the timing caused people to connect it to Kidd.

Poor luck you say? Well our beloved Dirk missed 5 games (1 suspension, 4 injury) and we went 2-3. Let's assume Dirk playing would've turned one of those losses into wins (17-12)

Then, we went 1-7 in games that went down to the final minute... . Some may attribute this to a lack of coaching, execution, whatever... but I attribute it to fluky bullshit (in any case, I certainly wouldn't attribute it to Kidd). A weird bounce, a fluke shot, a turnover etc etc... some of these things are completely random in games decided in final minute... so let's adjust 1-7 to 4-4 :D... (20-9)

So, although we went 16-13 after the Kidd trade last year, I don't think we played as bad as our record would indicate. 7 of those losses were in the final minute (3x LA, 1x SEA, 1x PORT, 1x SAS, 1x BOS), 3 were without Dirk (1x GS 1x DEN 1x HOU), 1 was v the Spurs when our beloved Dirk went out for the final 15 minutes, 1 was v the Hornets when Kidd had only practiced once with the team, and 1 was to the Jazz legitimately Our margin of victory in games Dirk played was +7.8, which would be right there with Orlando right now if it was this year, and +5.8 overall which would still be 5th in the league right now.

Of course, that all went to shit in the playoffs, but still... we've had perimeter problems for years and Devin, Kidd, Jesus Christ, it doesn't matter who is the PG when our 2nd offensive option is shooting 28%.

Now this year it's different, Kidd's production is more or less the same but the margin is only +1.6, defense has regressed badly and part of me thinks we miss Stackhouse, inefficient as he was a guy who could come off the bench and give 8-10 points.

Well, our beloved Mavs are mediocre now, but in the 2nd half of last year, I thought we were good. It wasn't just an instant transition IMO.

[mogrovejo]

Personally, I don't think the Mavs went from really good to mediocre at the very point Kidd became a Mav, although the record of 16-13 after the trade would indicate otherwise. Now hear a beloved Mav fan out, I simply think we became victims of poor luck and the timing caused people to connect it to Kidd.

Poor luck you say? Well our beloved Dirk missed 5 games (1 suspension, 4 injury) and we went 2-3. Let's assume Dirk playing would've turned one of those losses into wins (17-12)

Then, we went 1-7 in games that went down to the final minute... . Some may attribute this to a lack of coaching, execution, whatever... but I attribute it to fluky bullshit (in any case, I certainly wouldn't attribute it to Kidd). A weird bounce, a fluke shot, a turnover etc etc... some of these things are completely random in games decided in final minute... so let's adjust 1-7 to 4-4 :D... (20-9)

So, although we went 16-13 after the Kidd trade last year, I don't think we played as bad as our record would indicate. 7 of those losses were in the final minute (3x LA, 1x SEA, 1x PORT, 1x SAS, 1x BOS), 3 were without Dirk (1x GS 1x DEN 1x HOU), 1 was v the Spurs when our beloved Dirk went out for the final 15 minutes, 1 was v the Hornets when Kidd had only practiced once with the team, and 1 was to the Jazz legitimately Our margin of victory in games Dirk played was +7.8, which would be right there with Orlando right now if it was this year, and +5.8 overall which would still be 5th in the league right now.

Of course, that all went to shit in the playoffs, but still... we've had perimeter problems for years and Devin, Kidd, Jesus Christ, it doesn't matter who is the PG when our 2nd offensive option is shooting 28%.

Now this year it's different, Kidd's production is more or less the same but the margin is only +1.6, defense has regressed badly and part of me thinks we miss Stackhouse, inefficient as he was a guy who could come off the bench and give 8-10 points.

Well, our beloved Mavs are mediocre now, but in the 2nd half of last year, I thought we were good. It wasn't just an instant transition IMO.

Agreed, that's mostly lack of luck. Teams generally win 50% of their very close games, no matter how good or how bad they are.

I don't think that trading for Kidd was necessarily a bad move - Kidd has became underrated and Harris overrated due to fantasy productivity. The problem for the Mavs is that Kidd needs to be surrounded by intelligent players, not the guys they have there except Dirk.