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Haha, that's funny.Guard Greg Buckner, a strong defender and team leader
Mavericks in no hurry to add veteran
Team says nothing imminent as rumors of free agents swirl
02:08 AM CDT on Wednesday, August 8, 2007
By CHUCK CARLTON / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]
The Mavericks would still like to add another veteran player.
They just don't need to do it immediately.
Donnie Nelson, the team's president of basketball operations, tapped the brakes on thoughts that a deal was imminent.
"This could go all the way to the first day of training camp," Nelson said Tuesday. "We have no sense of urgency to do anything right now. We'll do a deal when it's right for us and not sooner."
Since the Mavericks agreed to terms with Eddie Jones last week, Internet rumors have swirled about Chris Webber possibly being the Mavs' final acquisition. One variation had both Webber and fellow unrestricted free agent James Posey coming to Dallas.
Nelson indicated that the Mavericks are pondering all options – restricted and unrestricted free agents, trades with a jammed roster and the status quo.
Internet rumors have swirled about Chris Webber possibly checking into the Mavericks' lineup. Realistically, the Mavericks are probably looking at Webber and P.J. Brown as part of their short list. But offering either the full $5.3 million mid-level exception would be unlikely, because the luxury tax essentially doubles the expense at the Mavericks' payroll level.
Moreover, Webber remains a strong possibility for the Detroit Pistons. The Motor City is his hometown, where he was a high-school legend and where he's currently hosting a museum exhibit of African-American letters and do ents.
His father, Mayce, told SLAM magazine he hopes his son returns to the Pistons, for whom he finished last season.
The Mavericks continue to look at restricted free agents like Mickael Pietrus of Golden State and Sasha Pavlovic of Cleveland, even if they are cluttered at small forward. The return of Matt Barnes to Golden State for $3.5 million could force the Warriors to consider a sign-and-trade deal for Pietrus.
One player not likely to arrive is Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal, who is seeking a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers.
"Those situations are long shots for us," Nelson said.
Crowd control: The Mavericks' depth could prove a challenge in training camp, though it's a problem Nelson welcomes.
"We've never had a problem with having too many good players," he said.
With the signing of Eddie Jones and draft choice Nick Fazekas, the Mavericks now have 15 players under guaranteed contracts. That's not counting unsigned rookie Reyshawn Terry and forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu.
The Mavericks must decide whether to cut Mensah-Bonsu by Aug. 31. Otherwise, his salary becomes guaranteed for next season.
Nelson said the team has not yet made a decision. Mensah-Bonsu, because of his potential and $687,000 salary, would be attractive to other teams.
Several veterans could have value, both to the Mavericks or other teams.
Guard Greg Buckner, a strong defender and team leader, could be rendered expendable by the acquisition of Jones and the return of Jerry Stackhouse and Devean George.
And if the Mavericks sign another big man, D.J. Mbenga might be the odd man out, though the team loves his athleticism and potential.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...s.3767171.html
Haha, that's funny.Guard Greg Buckner, a strong defender and team leader
Fine with me...I'd have been fine with the exact team as last season...
i'd do ager, barea, & buckner for pietrus or pavlovic....just getting rid of dead weight anyways. anything more valuable than that (which is what they'd want) and screw it.
JJB is always going to be a defensive liability in this league. , I can post him up. He should take some HGH or moose steroids, if he were 6'6, he'd be an All-Star.
Well that team did win more than 60 games, if not for GS who knows what would of happened? I don't think they need a "roster change" Dirk needs to come through more. It's sucks the one time he came through had to be against the Spurs.
Yep...I don't know why so many people freaked out after the GS series and still are now...
ONE time?Dirk's come thru many more times than in just the Spurs series...
Mavs better makes some more changes......
Yeah, well sorry only the Spurs series sticks out in my mind.Yep...I don't know why so many people freaked out after the GS series and still are now...
ONE time?
even still, his track record for underachieving in the playoffs outweighs the times he came through, especially as of late. Dirk's got it in him, but does he have it in him for 16 playoff wins?ONE time?
Just say NO to Chris Webber.
Why? Is he not an upgrade over Cro or KVH?
That's true of any team and player that hasn't won a le. Here's the list of guys who have "led" their teams to a le since 1987, when I started following the NBA:
Magic Johnson
Isiah Thomas
Michael Jordan
Hakeem Olajuwon
Tim Duncan
Shaquille O'Neal/Kobe Bryant (take your pick as to who was more important)
Dwyane Wade
04 Pistons are the exception to the rule.
And here's the guys who have "led" their teams to a Finals berth in that time:
Clyde Drexler
Charles Barkley
Patrick Ewing
Gary Payton
Karl Malone and John Stockton (take your pick as to who was more important)
Allen Iverson
Jason Kidd
Dirk Nowitzki
99 Knicks, 00 Pacers and 05 Pistons were more "team" efforts.
I refuse to call Dirk Nowitzki a playoff failure. T-Mac or Garnett, sure, but not Dirk.
Fixed.
If you really want Dirk lumped in with this group, then great. Maybe in 20 years i can appreciate having a great player like Dirk on the Mavs, but right now I want them to win a ing championship, and if Dirk is of the "Barkley/Malone/Ewing" mold, then that's not good enough and changes need to be made.
Yeah, I want a le too. Who else out there is available in a trade that is better than Dirk? Nobody. This team for better or worse is going to have to add on and build around what is already there. Kobe, Duncan and Wade aren't coming here in exchange for Dirk.
Yeah, Dirk has never come through in the clutch. He blows. My bad.
No, thank you. It's not fun watching your guards funnel the guy they're guarding to the paint only to find no one's home. Besides, there's no more room on the Pistons' roster, and we just re-signed Amir; I don't wanna watch all that speed and athleticism sit on the pine to give an aging veteran satisfactory floor time.Moreover, Webber remains a strong possibility for the Detroit Pistons.
IMO, the Mavs are good to go as currently constructed. But, if Avery can convince Chris to come in off the bench and be happy with 15-20 minutes a game, go for it.
Dallas desperately needs to change its roster. They've only got 1 All-Star caliber player (Dirk) supported with a bunch of jump shooters.
I guess we're out of luck, since Tim Duncan is the only non-fluke player in the NBA.
You can walk around it all you want, but the fact is that Dirk has yet to come through in the playoffs when it matters (championship).
I recall Dirk missing key free throws in the Miami series.
Did he even lead the team in scoring during the GS series? Or was it Howard? Dallas is really in trouble when Josh Howard is the one leading in scoring.
Dirk is a playoff failure.
Any player can show up for 82 games during the regular seasons, jack up a bunch of shots, make a lot, etc. Any player could do that all day. It's the playoffs that matter. That's where the men show up.
How well did D-Rob do in the playoffs before he got Timmy?
And once again you miss the big picture, but that's not a big surprise. In the last 20 years, there's only about 6 or 7 guys who have come through "when it matters," according to your criterion. So it's no mark of shame to put Dirk behind Magic, Isiah, Jordan, Hakeem, Duncan, Kobe, Shaq and Wade. Mark Cuban is more important to the long-term success of the Mavericks franchise and ability to win a le than Dirk. An owner financially committed to winning means the Mavericks are eventually going to win a le, like it or not. Maybe Dirk will be the one to lead this franchise to a le or maybe not, but it's going to happen. The Mavericks were the worst team in all of professional sports in the previous decade and now a perennial le contender. See Red Sox, Colts, St. Louis Cardinals. It's coming.You can walk around it all you want, but the fact is that Dirk has yet to come through in the playoffs when it matters (championship).
I recall Dwyane Wade missing 2 key free throws with a chance to ice Game Six. What's your point? Tim Duncan and Shaq can't shoot free throws.I recall Dirk missing key free throws in the Miami series.
Absolutely right.
I loved watching Michael Doleac show up for 82 games during the regular season, jack up a bunch of shots, make a lot, etc. Any player can do it. All day, too.
Michael Doleac has a ring and Dirk doesn't, ergo, Michael Doleac > Dirk.
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