duncan228
06-25-2009, 12:42 AM
San Antonio Spurs just got better; the Dallas Mavericks didn’t (http://www.star-telegram.com/287/story/1452656.html)
By Randy Galloway
Our guys — Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers, Stars — just don’t do these kinds of deals:
The San Antonio Spurs, about as small-market as you can get on the pro sports landscape, gave up "nothing" and added a $29 million, major front-court piece this week in Richard Jefferson.
For the Mavs’ loyal fan base, sweating through the summer’s first heat wave, a logical and loud response was, "Where the bleep were we?"
Mark Cuban, I have been notified, answered the Jefferson steal by tweet (OK, the first time I ever Twitter, shoot me). "Winning the summer is not the ultimate goal in the NBA" was his catty comeback.
Thanks, Mark, except you left your rear end hanging out there in the left lane of I-35. The Spurs’ history suggest they win much more than summers.
Bottom line: The Santones just got better in late June, and the Mavs didn’t need another club in the Western Conference of the NBA to get better. Too many in the West are already better, and others are getting better.
It’s not like our guys — Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers, Stars — won’t do the big deals or the expensive deals.
But the key element in the Spurs hanging a good punch on the West brethren was giving up "nothing," meaning a collection of expiring contracts for aging players who were on their way out anyway. Find a financially troubled sucker — in this case, Milwaukee — and pounce.
No reminder, of course, is needed about how the LA Lakers obtained Mr. Gasol, and totally turned around a docile franchise.
But the last blockbuster deal around here was the Cowboys in October. They got a receiver. They needed a receiver. They still need a receiver. Rampant concern over Roy Williams being the right receiver is obviously legitimate.
Meanwhile, what sours that trade is Jerry Jones gave up half the Ranch — Valley Ranch — to make it happen, and then had to award Roy with a contract almost equal to Jerry’s suite prices at the Boss Hawg Bowl.
If it was a steal, the Detroit Lions did the stealing, at least based on early returns.
The last time the Mavericks made a major deal, Cuban temporarily hushed those "Mark has zipped his hip pocket" critics by throwing around millions to bring Jason Kidd here.
Beyond the money, however, Cuban gave up half of downtown Dallas in the transaction. Although there are those still defending this trade, it was and is a huge bust. (The usual disclaimer: Yes, I wrote approvingly of the deal when made. But give me some credit for admitting six weeks later that I was stupid.)
Only the Rangers, and GM Jon Daniels, have scored dramatically in a major deal of late. Of course, that was the Mark Teixeira transaction.
In that case, the Rangers were sellers.
At the moment, while mired in a bat-hell of a June, the Rangers are in a position to be buyers.
Despite a miserable month for run production, the division appears wide open as ever, with the Angels using one hot streak to wipe out the divisional lead. And pesky Seattle has also drawn close.
But that’s been more about what the Rangers haven’t done in June, as opposed to those divisional foes suddenly having what could be defined as a long-term surge.
On the trade market, however, selling is one thing. Buying to stay alive in a divisional race is another. The foolishness of "wait ’til 10, and we’re in," is the worst kind of cop-out. If there’s a chance to win a division, go for it now.
The pitching still says the Rangers have a great chance to win now. The hitting, however, has reached such a woeful level, there’s a current concern about exactly where the expected rebound will come from.
Check the proven bats in that lineup. How many are there? Even when Josh Hamilton returns, how many are there? And by proven, I mean players who have an established track record.
Michael Young does. Ian Kinsler might be considered close. Andruw Jones once did, but he’s a veteran starting all over. Otherwise, the long-term track record is not there.
But the Rangers, as buyers, have to do be aggressive, don’t they?
Do sumpin.
And there is absolutely no way the Mavericks just sit there all summer, which would be a repeat of last summer.
The Cowboys, we assume, have done what they are going to do, for better or worse.
But when the Spurs stepped up this week and stole a very good player, without disrupting an aging but super-talented core, it was a direct hit on our local jock kingdom community.
Others do. We don’t. At least not lately.
By Randy Galloway
Our guys — Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers, Stars — just don’t do these kinds of deals:
The San Antonio Spurs, about as small-market as you can get on the pro sports landscape, gave up "nothing" and added a $29 million, major front-court piece this week in Richard Jefferson.
For the Mavs’ loyal fan base, sweating through the summer’s first heat wave, a logical and loud response was, "Where the bleep were we?"
Mark Cuban, I have been notified, answered the Jefferson steal by tweet (OK, the first time I ever Twitter, shoot me). "Winning the summer is not the ultimate goal in the NBA" was his catty comeback.
Thanks, Mark, except you left your rear end hanging out there in the left lane of I-35. The Spurs’ history suggest they win much more than summers.
Bottom line: The Santones just got better in late June, and the Mavs didn’t need another club in the Western Conference of the NBA to get better. Too many in the West are already better, and others are getting better.
It’s not like our guys — Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers, Stars — won’t do the big deals or the expensive deals.
But the key element in the Spurs hanging a good punch on the West brethren was giving up "nothing," meaning a collection of expiring contracts for aging players who were on their way out anyway. Find a financially troubled sucker — in this case, Milwaukee — and pounce.
No reminder, of course, is needed about how the LA Lakers obtained Mr. Gasol, and totally turned around a docile franchise.
But the last blockbuster deal around here was the Cowboys in October. They got a receiver. They needed a receiver. They still need a receiver. Rampant concern over Roy Williams being the right receiver is obviously legitimate.
Meanwhile, what sours that trade is Jerry Jones gave up half the Ranch — Valley Ranch — to make it happen, and then had to award Roy with a contract almost equal to Jerry’s suite prices at the Boss Hawg Bowl.
If it was a steal, the Detroit Lions did the stealing, at least based on early returns.
The last time the Mavericks made a major deal, Cuban temporarily hushed those "Mark has zipped his hip pocket" critics by throwing around millions to bring Jason Kidd here.
Beyond the money, however, Cuban gave up half of downtown Dallas in the transaction. Although there are those still defending this trade, it was and is a huge bust. (The usual disclaimer: Yes, I wrote approvingly of the deal when made. But give me some credit for admitting six weeks later that I was stupid.)
Only the Rangers, and GM Jon Daniels, have scored dramatically in a major deal of late. Of course, that was the Mark Teixeira transaction.
In that case, the Rangers were sellers.
At the moment, while mired in a bat-hell of a June, the Rangers are in a position to be buyers.
Despite a miserable month for run production, the division appears wide open as ever, with the Angels using one hot streak to wipe out the divisional lead. And pesky Seattle has also drawn close.
But that’s been more about what the Rangers haven’t done in June, as opposed to those divisional foes suddenly having what could be defined as a long-term surge.
On the trade market, however, selling is one thing. Buying to stay alive in a divisional race is another. The foolishness of "wait ’til 10, and we’re in," is the worst kind of cop-out. If there’s a chance to win a division, go for it now.
The pitching still says the Rangers have a great chance to win now. The hitting, however, has reached such a woeful level, there’s a current concern about exactly where the expected rebound will come from.
Check the proven bats in that lineup. How many are there? Even when Josh Hamilton returns, how many are there? And by proven, I mean players who have an established track record.
Michael Young does. Ian Kinsler might be considered close. Andruw Jones once did, but he’s a veteran starting all over. Otherwise, the long-term track record is not there.
But the Rangers, as buyers, have to do be aggressive, don’t they?
Do sumpin.
And there is absolutely no way the Mavericks just sit there all summer, which would be a repeat of last summer.
The Cowboys, we assume, have done what they are going to do, for better or worse.
But when the Spurs stepped up this week and stole a very good player, without disrupting an aging but super-talented core, it was a direct hit on our local jock kingdom community.
Others do. We don’t. At least not lately.