Mark Cuban confirmed that Kobe for Dirk was on the table

[carrao45]

Dirk is great...He's only good enough to be a sidekick though IMO

[sribb43]

Dirk is great...He's only good enough to be a sidekick though IMO

Just like Kobe was with Shaq or like Kobe was before Gasol...this arguement is so in' stupid. Kobe wouldnt have won without Shaq or Gasol just like Dirk cant win with JET or J-Ho as his #2. Also, take KG, he wasnt so great with Cassell, Wally or Sprewell but once he got Ray Ray and Pierce he all of a sudden is greatness.

All great palyers need stud #2 guys to win a championship, unfortuantely Dirk hasnt had that in his career. Dirk is not on Kobe's level but he can win if the right pieces are with him. Donnie + Mark = FAIL

[Ghazi]

Just like Kobe was with Shaq or like Kobe was before Gasol...this arguement is so in' stupid. Kobe wouldnt have won without Shaq or Gasol just like Dirk cant win with JET or J-Ho as his #2. Also, take KG, he wasnt so great with Cassell, Wally or Sprewell but once he got Ray Ray and Pierce he all of a sudden is greatness.

All great palyers need stud #2 guys to win a championship, unfortuantely Dirk hasnt had that in his career. Dirk is not on Kobe's level but he can win if the right pieces are with him. Donnie + Mark = FAIL

In fairness to the FO the '06 team, although in retrospect probably lucky to make the Finals, was pretty well constructed and deserved to win a championship . Good 3-PT shooting, decently good defense, good FT/FTA ratio, Dirk playing his absolute best, J-Ho being more paint oriented than he has been past few years, etc.... all of that has dissipated in the past couple of years though, despite keeping much of the '06 core.

Although nelly had his fingerprints on that team and is no longer with us

Perhaps the league has gotten better.

[Findog]

I'd like to see Dallas go after the combo of Emeka Okafor and Raymond Felton, two guys that I think have the potential still to become much better than what they've shown and would probably do better as complementary pieces in Dallas instead of building blocks in Charlotte. Dallas is looking to get more athletic and talented, and Charlotte is a miserly operation that would love to dump salary. Okafor still has a ton of money coming to him and Felton is expendable with DJ Augustin in the mix now.

Okafor is not exactly Bill Russell, but he can get you a double-double and defend the post. That's all the Mavs need at the center position. Certainly much better than what they throw out there now. He seems to be past his injury problems.

Felton to me looks like a potential Chauncey Billups in the making. Sometimes it takes guys a while to figure out how to play the PG position. Billups and Devin Harris took awhile to blossom. If Felton can add a reliable 3-pt shot, he instantly goes from mediocre to good. He shoots a terrible % from the floor if memory serves. Bet you he gets better looks alongside Dirk. He's a hard-working high-character guy, and he's a potential successor to Kidd. Maybe he won't ever be an All Star, but I can see him working out for us in a Derek Harper-esque fashion.

The big names come up in trade talks and rumors but there is a use for identifying underutilized talent on other teams and making it fit better for you. We've seen it with Ariza going from a scrub with Orlando to a VERY good complementary piece in Los Angeles. We've seen it with Brandon Bass getting buried on the bench in New Orleans and blossoming with Dallas. A lot of people will say "Okafor and Felton? meh...." but I think that's something the Mavs should look at.

[Rogue]

I'd like to see Dallas go after the combo of Emeka Okafor and Raymond Felton, two guys that I think have the potential still to become much better than what they've shown and would probably do better as complementary pieces in Dallas instead of building blocks in Charlotte. Dallas is looking to get more athletic and talented, and Charlotte is a miserly operation that would love to dump salary. Okafor still has a ton of money coming to him and Felton is expendable with DJ Augustin in the mix now.

Okafor is not exactly Bill Russell, but he can get you a double-double and defend the post. That's all the Mavs need at the center position. Certainly much better than what they throw out there now. He seems to be past his injury problems.

Felton to me looks like a potential Chauncey Billups in the making. Sometimes it takes guys a while to figure out how to play the PG position. Billups and Devin Harris took awhile to blossom. If Felton can add a reliable 3-pt shot, he instantly goes from mediocre to good. He shoots a terrible % from the floor if memory serves. Bet you he gets better looks alongside Dirk. He's a hard-working high-character guy, and he's a potential successor to Kidd. Maybe he won't ever be an All Star, but I can see him working out for us in a Derek Harper-esque fashion.

The big names come up in trade talks and rumors but there is a use for identifying underutilized talent on other teams and making it fit better for you. We've seen it with Ariza going from a scrub with Orlando to a VERY good complementary piece in Los Angeles. We've seen it with Brandon Bass getting buried on the bench in New Orleans and blossoming with Dallas. A lot of people will say "Okafor and Felton? meh...." but I think that's something the Mavs should look at.

Okafor and Felton are definitely the type of guys that can make significant changes to our team, but the problem is we can not get both of them, or even either of them. Felton is a free agent this offseason, which means he can choose whichever team he wants to join, obviously the Mavs are not very compe ive in this market. The only way for him to the Mavs is just a sign&trade, but we don't have the proper contracts to get such a deal done. We have to put a couple small contracts into a single package for Felton himself, as the signed player cannot be packed with any other player. But I don't think they Bobcats have any interests in the players like Wright, Shawn Williams who are the only proper contracts on our team that fits the need. I'm unaware if a double sign&trade works, if so then we can sign Bass and trade him immediately to the Bobcats for Felton.

Okafor would be even a bigger upgrade than Felton is to our team, but he is also more unaffordable, at least we cannot get himself without some outrageous contracts. If their purpose is to dump salaries, Boris Diaw and Mohammed should be the first two guys they consider removing, and Diop right behind them. Okafor has really been very disappointing in recent years as the 2nd overall draft in 04, but he is still easily the co-leader of the bobcats together with Gerald Wallace. And Okafor will surely be used as the bait which can make acceptable the hook inside, like Diaw, Diop, Mohammed and Radmanovic. Okafor will definitely put in the same package with at least two of the four guys mentioned before, anyway Okafor cannot make this package worth what to be payed in exchange for it. Comparably I would rather trade our expiring contracts for Camby and Diddy. http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMa...tradeId=nykhkp

Of course, Shaq is still our first target, though he is already damn close to Crab and his Cavs. The chance is always out there till the wed, I mean Donnie still is in the race and it would be stupid to give up the pursuit. Marriage is protected by the Law while relationship is not...

[Findog]

I think Felton can definitely be had for the full MLE. Plus I don't think the Bobcats want to part with Diaw. He looked terrific for them last year. Just needed to get out from under Amare's shadow.

[sribb43]

Felton is not the answer for the Mavs at PG...if he was the back up great but he is another one of those overrated Tarheels. He has to be one of the most inconsistent players in the league

[stretch]

having a better team around him i think would help Felton's game and %'s improve.

I would love to see Okafor/Felton in dallas. wanted them here for a couple years now.

[Findog]

Felton is not the answer for the Mavs at PG...if he was the back up great but he is another one of those overrated Tarheels. He has to be one of the most inconsistent players in the league

He's only 24 years old. I think he has the talent to get better. Jason Terry shot between 40-43% from the floor in Atlanta. With Dallas it's been between 47-50%. I think Felton has the potential to be a very good complementary piece. He's insurance for a post-Kidd 2010. Certainly helpful to have a veteran point if you're a veteran playoff team.

[mavsfan1000]

yeah bass would in he's pants! and dampier is getting old! good lineup! and kobe would end up like Iverson! Not good

Agreed. Bass is a low IQ power forward and undersized. He is not good enough to start on a championship team. And who would be the backup power forward? Big hole equals no championship with Kobe.