Puh-leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze let Miami win game 6 so we can shut Mark Cuban up! wink

Do you really think Cuban will shut up if Miami wins game 6? I think he'll still be ranting & raving--sometimes in an entertaining manner--about poor officiating, David Stern, and a possible league-wide conspiracy against him.....but if he mentions black helicopters, I say we shoot him with tranquilizer darts and release him back in the wild!


~Adam

[ June 20, 2006, 02:22 PM: Message edited by: Adam ]

That's true, he'll probably never shut up. But he'll be even more obnoxious if the Mavs win.

The NBA has fined Mark Cuban $250,000 for series of things, including but not limited to, coming onto the court and criticizing the officiating.

I still want the Mavericks to win if for no other reason than to see Cuban and Stern glare at each other. It would be sort of funny if Cuban hands over the check for his fine as Stern hands him the trophy!

~Adam

Congratulations to the Heat. This game was a carbon copy of the last three. Too much offense from D. Wade. Too many rebounds from Haslem, Walker, and Posey. Too many blocks by Mourning. Too little aggression from Nowitzski. Too much athleticism from the Heat.

Now look. Mourning screwed the Raptors but got his championship. Peyton followed Shaq around the league long enough to earn him another championship. Bad boy Jason Williams finally learned to play smart, accept his role, and quit jacking up threes from everywhere on the court. Shaq finally found a team with a superstar whose personality and temperamnet is a perfect lock-and-key fit for his game. And Pat Riley proved, once again, that he is one of the best coaches in the league.

The Mavs, along with the Suns, Lakers, and Kings, will remain one of my favorite teams. They can score at will, but this series exposed their one weakness; they need to go out and buy/acquire one or two quality big men; a couple of physical bangers and rebounders. Nowitzski can't be expected to rebound, defend, and carry the offense too; that's asking too much. I feel bad for Avery. He's a terrific coach and one of the league's truly good guys.

The Heat won this series, and I am happy for them. Shaq is my hero. D. Wade is now basketball's premiere superstar. But, for me, the Mavs are still the most fun team to watch in all of basketball. They now know what it takes to win a championship. Maybe next time they are in this position, they will play aggressively until the job is done, rather than hold the ball and nurse a fragile lead (e.g.; game three) and allow their opponents time to recover. Next time they have a 14 point lead with six minutes left in the fourth quarter, I bet everything I own (not much) that they will play with purpose and heart until the buzzer.

[ June 20, 2006, 09:34 PM: Message edited by: Thomas ]

I nominate Terry and Howard as the goats of this game. They shot a combined 12 for 38. I still don't understand why Avery didn't use Marquis Daniels more -- not only is he probably the best defender on Wade, he also was shooting well (4 for 5, in limited time).

So, I wonder if Cuban is still going to sell the Mavericks "in a heartbeat," (as he was quoted as saying today, if the NBA rules continue to be unfair to his poor team) or if he'll just go home and sulk.

Larry, I think the reason Avery didn't use Daniels more is because of rebounding. The Mavs were already at a huge deficient in that department, so they had to keep the taller, bigger guys in, even if they were not the best defenders on D. Wade, to try and offset that rebounding advantage. Avery was damned either way: The bigger guys couldn't handle D. Wade, and the one guy who could (Daniels), couldn't rebound. What's else could Avery do? He was screwed either way. But I do agree with you about Howard, Terry, they shot poorly, and even Stackhouse, as good as he is, is not physical enough for a guy who weighs 220 lbs. Why does he live on the perimeter? He's big enough and strong enough to help out with rebounding and defensive stops too.

P.S. Cuban isn't going anywhere. Dude loves that team. I hope he stays right where he is. I like him; his passion and bad manners are fun to watch.

[ June 20, 2006, 09:47 PM: Message edited by: Thomas ]

He was kind of a jackass in the press conference after game 5. I think he's been around Cuban too long.

Nice to see the Heat bring a trophy down to South Florida! I'm glad to see Wade get a ring, in addition to a Kobe-less Shaq, and Alonzo who has been such a hard worker over the years, who has done a TON for the local community.
GO HEAT!

Gosh, I don't know about Cuban. He has a lot of positive features, and when he's under control I think he's good for the game. But there's too much of the "look at me" prima donna in him. It's a distraction from his great team. And, although only the players could honestly say, I think he's a distraction TO his team as well. We've all noted that the Mavs spent too much time whining. Well -- that tone was set at the top. Even Avery got into it, stewing about the Stackhouse suspension.

I think the victim mentality undermined the team, and that's one of the two big reasons they feel apart. (The other, obviously, is Wade. Bet Shaq isn't complaining about being a sidekick now!)

Larry, Cuban can't be that bad. It was repeorted today that NFL commissioner Tagliabue is trying to interest him in purchasing the rights to a football team in the Los Angeles area. Not sure whether they mean an "expansion" team, which would require some tinkering with existing rules prohibiting expansion, or just a relocation of an existing team. Either way, a lot of people think the eccentric Cuban is the right man for the job, precisely because of his fiery personality.

Anyway, congrats to the Heat; particularly psychiatrist and coach, Pat Riley, and his collection of likeable freaks. It didn't take a genuis to recognize that once Nowitzski was neutralized, there was nobody else on the Mavs team that could take up his slack. The Mavs are the best in the league at running and gunning, but they are clueless when it comes to half court basketball, and, way too timid for sustained body contact.

[ June 21, 2006, 03:43 PM: Message edited by: Thomas ]

Congratulations to the Heat on their win. I am disappointed and it will take me a couple of days to get over it. One of the local sports talk shows started their show by playing the song "Hurt" by Johnny Cash. It pretty much summed up my feelings today. The Mavericks over achieved in my opinion this year based on their talent. It was a good run and they were able to beat the two teams that have knocked them out the last two years.

I agree, the Mavs need a scorer to help Dirk and they need someone they can pass to in the post. It is amazing to me the Mavericks got as far as they did with no scoring from their center and no one to throw the ball inside to. Cuban will do what he can to improve this team.

I know everyone in the media have just been lambasting Cuban but if it was not for him, we would still be a 10-20 win that we were for about a decade. He has done great things for the Mavericks. I just hope Cuban and the team learn from this. I have confidence they will.

Congratulations to the Mavericks and thanks for an entertaining two months. Now I can get more sleep.

There's no question that Cuban's willingness to open his checkbook and try to improve his team has been wonderful for the Mavericks. And if he really ends up with an NFL team in LA (I'll believe it when I see it), all I can say is that it will be hilarious to watch him act out in two cities at the same time.

By the way, the song "Hurt" is by Trent Reznor, whose original version is much darker than the Cash cover. And I believe that fact is relevant to the Mavericks, but I just can't quite articulate it. wink

I really don't think the Mavs overachieved to get to the Finals. I think that in the finals whenever the Heat made adjustments the Mavs could not keep up. It really was a case of experience; Riley has been in many finals, Shaq has 3 rings in 4 appearances, Payton has played in the finals. For the Mavs, Avery Johnson got there as a player but this was only his second year in the playoffs as a head coach.
As for Cuban, he rescued one of the worst franchises in the NBA and made it a winner and a desirable location and deserves credit. But the owner is not the show. I mean, how many people even know the name of the Heat owner (Micky Arison) or even the person who owns their favorite team? Let alone any other? But everyone knows Cuban. His antics were best summed up by a columnist who said looking at him you can see exactly how he looked when he was 8 years old.

Cuban says he intends to keep the team together for next season, and, that includes re-signing Terry. I don't see the logic in this at all. The Mavs are an excellent team, and, if they stay together, they will definitely make the play-offs again, but they won't win an NBA championship. They've been exposed. I can see the same secnario paying out next season. Double-team Nowitzski, take him out of the game, and take your chances with contact-shy and jump-shooting and spot-up shooters Howard, Terry, and Stackhouse. If the Mavs don't get some size and muscle in the middle to help out Nowitzski, the double-team-Dirk strategy is a script that will get played out in every game next season. And, those teams with the skill, muscle, and quickness to do this (e.g; Miami, Pistons, Bulls, Spurs, and Clippers) will give the Mavs fits next season if the current line-up is not changed to get some size in the middle (to improve rebounding), along with a heady, quick, and creative guard that can either drive the lane for lay ups or, at least, pull defenders away from Nowitzski, freeing him up for that sweet 15 ft fade away jump shot (that thing is money).

If they ask me, and they won't, I wouldn't resign Terry; I'd take my chances with Harris at point. Maybe the Mavs can get Speedy Claxton away from the Hornets (he's not happy here) as back-up. I also wouldn't re-sign Van Horn; a real cool dude and smart player, but the game has passed him up now. I'd also get rid of Diop and Dampier; they are useless.

I would try to sign a proven rebounder, somebody who loves that role and doesn't need the ball much. For example, the best rebounding free agents right now are Detroit's Ben Wallace (a real force in the middle), and Cleveland's Drew Gooden (another fearless rebounder), but they won't come cheap. For less money, the Mavs could go after San Antonio's Nazr Mohammed (not as good as Wallace and Gooden, but way better than Diop and Dampier), or even somebody like Alonzo Mmourning (if they could lure him away from his beloved Miamai, which I doubt).

One thing's for sure. If that line-up is the same next year, the Mavs will have the same problems in next year's play-off as they had in this one: too few rebounders; nobody to pull defenders away from Nowitzski; and a point guard-shooting guard-forward combo that can't drive the lane; is too timid to mix it up under the basket for rebounds; won't play physical defense; and spend all their time camped out on the three point line.

I can't believe that in all those close game with Miami the Mavs always seemed to settle for jump shots at the end of the game, while Miami always seemed to have Wade driving to the basket. In order for the Mavs to win, they (usually someone other than Nowitzski) had to hit a 20-25 ft jump shot. And we all know the outcome of the game depended on that one shot, as there was no way in hell they were going to get an offensive rebound and a second shot at winning the game; not against the bigger and stronger Heat. Now look at the game-winning approach Riley utilized to work the odds in his favor. He knew that with Wade driving the line, they would win whether he hit the shot or got fouled. Right now, Dallas has nobody that can drive the lane, nor anybody that can grab that critical rebound for a second shot put-back.

I can't be the only one out here who sees this. The Mavs need a big man AND a point guard, and the more physical and fearless, the better. They can beat any team in the West with finesse, but finesse isn't enough to win a seven game series against a powerhouse physical Eastern team like Miami or Detriot.

[ June 22, 2006, 10:46 PM: Message edited by: Thomas ]

Thomas, I agree with you about the Mavericks' needs, but given their relative lack of cap space and probable reluctance to pay luxury tax, I don't think they're in a position to do very much.

First of all, talented big men are the rarest commodity in the NBA, and I don't see where they are going to get one from (Gooden might make sense at the right price, but he's not a center; Wallace would bust through the salary cap, and I can't see Mourning signing with them). The Mavs are utterly and completely stuck with Dampier and his albatross contract. No one is going to trade for him. Cuban was a total sucker on that signing -- the only comparable signing that was worse was Isiah (who else) massively overpaying Jerome James. Dampier actually played better this season, and in the Finals, than I would have expected.

Diop on the other hand, was a real find. He's obviously very limited offensively, but he's a great defensive center and he's an *incredible* bargain. They'd be nuts to cut him lose. I think Nazr Mohammed would be a step down -- he was big time disappointing with the Spurs this year.

Devin Harris was supposed to be the speedy, penetrating point guard they need, and he was until he ran into the Heat's front line. Maybe he'll develop with time. I think they should keep Terry (so long as the price isn't exorbitant) -- he stunk up game 6 against Miami, but he was their 2nd best option all season.

I don't think Dallas will be back in the Finals next year. San Antonio has a better core in Duncan, Parker and Ginobli, and R.C. Buford is going to make the right moves to pick up younger, more athletic role players. Also, Phoenix with a healthy Stoudemire could be a marvel.

Well, Larry, I've been doing some digging. Seems like most Dallas fans and basketball analysts agree with you;; they like Terry and think the Mavs would be foolish to get rid of him. But I don't. He's too fragile to guard a physcial player like D. Wade. Whenever he got caught on D. Wade, you could almost feel Avery wince. He knew that Wade was going to post him up and have his way with him. I don't think he's a good defender. His ball-handling skills won't allow him to drive the lane. He is a good mid-to-long range shooter but apparently, not a clutch shooter. Maybe he got tired and didn't have his legs under him at the end of the fourth quarter, but whatever the reason, he failed to make his shots, and showed that he can't be relied on in the clutch. He couldn't have got tired from playing defense; that much we know. Finally, he's going to ask for significantly more money (reportedly $9-$10M) than the $6.6M he's receiving. I wouldn't re-sign him; I don't think he's worth it. And I doubt any NBA team would sign him to a 10M/yr contract either.

I also don't quite get your salary cap analysis. You are right about the Knicks, Isiah and Dolan are the laughing stock of the league and ought to be taken out back and horse whupped for the financial mess they created in New York.
(Newsflash: Isiah Thomas is not a good coach and is not likely to get any more from the current Knick players than Larry Brown did). I'll guarantee you that Marbury and his teammates also view Isiah as part of the problem and not the solution. But, back to the salary cap issue.

Cuban is the NBA's George Steinbrenner; he doesn't seem to mind spending. He hasn't shown any reservation about exceeding this year's $50M salary cap by almost $48M, despite the luxury tax obligation, so I don't think a luxury tax is going to figure much in next year's contract negotiations. He's got plenty of money and can easily afford the luxury tax. So, let's assume that the current payroll of $98M will be set for the 2006-2007 season. Now, we can look at his options.

The Mavs will definitely not re-sign Van Horn to a $15M/yr contract. If they do, Cuban is a fool. I love Keith, but, as is, he is not worth that kind of money, and he knows it. So, he'll become a free agent. The best thing for the Mavs is to allow him to be come a free agent, then convince him to re-sign for less money (e.g.; around $6M/yr) as a mid-level exception. IF they do this, Keith's salary will not be counted in the luxury tax. The Mavs need a back-up for Nowitzski and Keith already knows Avery's system. The $9M/yr they save ($15M-$6M) on this new Keith Van Horn deal could be offered to Ben Wallace, whose current salary with the Pistons is only $7.5M/yr. This would raise Ben's yearly salary by $1.5M and still keep the Mavs payroll at $98M/year.

But here's the good news. If they do not sign Terry, and promote Devin Harris to starting point guard, they save $3.7M/yr. Terry makes $6.7M/yr but Harris only makes $3M/yr. The $3.7M they save could be used to help lock up Josh Howard, something the Mavs are desperate to do before he becomes an unrestricted free agent next year.

Finally, I see your point about Diop. He makes the league minimum and is a young raw talent, so it wouldn't make sense to let him go. I also see your point about the Mavs center, Erick Dampier, and his long term $9.6M/yr guaranteed contract. I can't believe a savvy businessman like Cuban screwed himself by locking himself into a $9.6M/yr contract that doesn't expire until 2011. He must have forgotten his meds that day. There's not a team in the league willing to absorb that salary; and the Mavs would have to pay him even if they drop him from the roster. They could save a bundle, get much closer to the salary cap, and reduce their luxury tax obligation if they could find a way to get rid of Dampier. He contributes nothing to the Mavs, and, in my opinion, is completely useless. As for the salary cap and the Mavs payroll. They will never get under the cap; ever. That payroll is just too big. Dampier is a one lucky SOB.

[ June 24, 2006, 09:12 PM: Message edited by: Thomas ]

I don't think Terry is a particularly bad defender -- he's just OK. Only a great defender has even a chance against Wade, and Terry clearly isn't that. Kurt Hinrich seemed to do as well against Wade as anyone, but I don't think the Bulls are interested in trading him.

As for the salary cap analysis: first of all, there are two different things here (i) ability to spend, limited by an absolute salary cap, and (ii) willingness to spend and incur extra luxury tax. I don't know Dallas's specific salary cap situation, but I very much doubt they have the flexibility to make a sizeable offer to Ben Wallace even if they wanted to. And it's going to take at least $10m per to even have a slight chance of interesting him, since Chicago and others that do have a lot of cap room can easily offer that.

As for the luxury tax, I keep reading that Cuban doesn't want to incur more. Obviously he can afford it, but as a business decision it's certainly his right. It's not as if he's been pinching pennies on salaries.

Finally, Van Horn ain't worth much at this point. I'd bet they could sign him for a lot less than $6m.

I'm just making a hypothetical argument. Cuban has already said that they will do everything possible to re-sign Terry; called it priority number one, but hasn't identified which player(s) will be let go or traded to make room for the salary increase Terry is sure to demand. I think the Mavs will do just fine whether they keep Terry or promote Daniels. They'll probably win 60 games either way, so long as Nowitzski is still there.

I agree that Cuban does not want to waste more money on luxury tax,; he's already stated this. He's also stated that they would like to move closer to the salary cap, like the Suns, who are only a couple million over. But they don't have a lot of options. The only real big salary they can drop is Keith Van Horn's $15M/yr. But if you believe the rumors floating around the NBA, it is Daniels who is more likely to be traded, and, that Toronto guard and Houston transplant, James, will be returning to the Mavs next season. That could work financially but only if they don't re-sign Van Horn. The biggest mistake the Mavs ever made was trading Nash for the over-paid and under-acheiving Dampier!

See the following link for 2006 player salaries:
http://www.nationwide.net/~patricia/misc/s.../salaries06.txt

Personally, I'm more interested in what the Suns are going to do. The last few days have given us several reports of an impending Shawn Marion trade (e.g.; Dime Magazine). Although D'Antonio keeps denying this rumor, I think it has legs. The Suns desperately want to lock up their young protegies, Diaw and Barbosa, to long term contracts. Unlike Cuban, Suns owner, D'Antonio, is financially responsible and is not willing to exceed the salary cap, so they only way the Suns can get money to lock up Diaw and Barbosa is to find a team willing to accept Marion and absorb his whopping $14M/yr salary. Any team foolish enough to absorb Marion's salary will almost certainly have to give up a top five draft pick to work the trade to the satisfaction of the Suns. So, the Suns potential trading partners are very few.

Would the Raptors take Marion and give up their #1 pick? I doubt it, but a Mavs-Raptors trade could make sense if the Raptors offered James and a #1 pick to the Suns in exchange for Marion. The Suns would be ecstatic if this happened because it would cure all their problems; they could draft Aldridge or Thomas AND also acquire a quality back-up for Nash. But the Raptors are probably not interested in Marion and his $14M/yr salary. The Raptors need a rebounder and Marion is a good rebounder but a bad fit for the Raptor's plodding offensive scheme. So even though the Raptors are reportedly looking to trade their pick, I doubt they'd do that to get Marion. But I just can't see the Raptors wasting a #1 pick on Bargnani either, so I'm eager to see what the Raptors will do with that #1 pick.

The Bulls, who own the second pick, have stated publicly that they like LSU's Tyrus Thomas, and the shot-blocking, quick-footed Thomas is a defensive madman who looks to be a perfect fit for what the Bulls like to do defensively. The Bulls would also be asked to give up one of their young big men as well as their #2 draft pick to acquire Marion, and that's just not going to happen. They have worked hard to get where they are and Tyrus Thomas is a pefect fit for their physically gifted and youthful team.

That leaves the Bobcats, who own the third pick. But the Bobacts are reportedly wanting to keep their pick and draft Adam Morrison; slow as molasses, thin as a rail, and will get his ass handed to him defensively, but has the sweetest jump shots of anyone in the draft. The other problem is that the Suns wouldn't be interested in anyone on the current Bobcat roster because there's nobody there that can help them get to the NBA finals next year.

Portland owns the fourth pick, and would probably droll over Shawn Marion, but even if they were looking to trade their pick, they couldn't interest the Suns in this because the Trail Blazers have even less talent than the Bobcats.

The only way the Marion trade makes sense is if the Suns got a big man out of the deal, and, the only way that can happen is if they receive a #1, #2, or #3 draft pick in exchange for Marion, because both Aldridge and Thomas will be gone after that.

[ June 27, 2006, 12:30 AM: Message edited by: Thomas ]

Yeah, it's interesting how Marion, a player who got some serious mention as an MVP candidate, has suddenly become a salary cap albatross, at least in the rumor mill. He's a big part of the Suns' defense though (of which there isn't much), so I think the Suns need to be careful about trading him for a high draft pick (plus backup point guard, etc.) I'm not sure I'd trust Kurt Thomas to stay healthy for a full season.