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kriD · 11-02-2006, 05:58 AM

Mavericks must overcome Cuban Crisis of last season

By Randy Galloway
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

A special thank-you to David Stern, who this week used his commish muscle to apply the icing on an excellent Mavericks' off-season.

Game 1 of a new campaign begins tonight for our one local organization with true championship aspirations. An organization, by the way, that didn't allow the shell-shock of last June to linger through the summer and into fall.

Come May, can the Mavs survive San Antonio again in the playoffs? Don't know yet, but at least we get a very preliminary look at the situation, since it's the Spurs who provide the competition in this opener.

Otherwise, it's a better team, deeper and more talented, than the overachieving bunch that took out Pop and Co. one spring ago. For that, credit the work of Avery Johnson, Donnie Nelson and Mark Cuban.

Getting past the Spurs was the best of times in Mavs franchise history. The worst would come four weeks later.

But after the greatest collapse in NBA Finals history, the Mavs' "must-do" checklist was long and tricky.

Until this week, however, I had eliminated all items except two, thanks to an aggressive off-season of player procurement.

One of those remaining checklist items can't be answered until the playoffs, when we find out about the psychological hangover of that tank job against the Miami Heat.

The other, of course, was the Cuban Crisis.

I'd like for Avery to be honest with us, and admit how many NBA coaches phoned him over the summer to say something like this:

"You will never win a championship with THAT owner."

OK, Avery ain't talking. But I'm guessing about 10, and would put the over/under at five.

You know the story here. Was Bennett Salvatore's whistle on Dirk Nowitzki in Game 5 at Miami merely an honest mistake, or a stick-that-in-your-loud-mouth message to Mr. Cuban?

Cuban's stock answer was he actually has more respect for NBA refs than to think something like that.

But whatever the number of private coaching calls Avery took after the Finals, those Johnson fraternity members don't believe that. I don't either.

It's one of those grassy-knoll guessing games, but common sense says Mark is killing the Mavericks with, among other things, his constant baseline buffoonery.

Using softer tones than that, Nowitzki had the same opinion a couple of weeks after the Finals. He, of course, was speaking for the entire team.

The Cuban Crisis was hanging over the Mavs, until...

This week, Stern announced a mysterious "Code of Conduct" for his owners.

The details are sketchy, and so are the penalties.

Cuban, of course, took it personally. He got all hissed off, again, at the commissioner.

Get this: Cuban thinks the new Code of Conduct is aimed right at him.

You are correct, Mark.

In a way, Cuban has a legitimate gripe, but if the new Stern law actually benefits the Mavericks by toning down the owner, then who cares if Mark is being profiled?

Hopefully, he's huffy enough to shut up, which is no certainty by any means. But if Mark is at least muzzled during games, that would help.

Stern is attempting to do the Mavs a favor here. Thanks, man.

All other things being equal on the floor, this team is good enough to get back to the Finals and, this time, win it all.

For one thing, the roster depth is greatly improved because of the addition of seasoned veterans. One fatal misconception a season ago was that depth was a strength. That theory was quickly exposed as the Mavericks advanced through the playoffs.

But by not disturbing the core, the Mavs win-now, off-season additions were point guard Anthony Johnson (the key newcomer, in this opinion), swingmen Greg Buckner and Devean George and front-line utility man Austin Croshere.

All four of those should be an upgrade over any comparison to a season ago.

Avery wants to build the Mavericks with the same mold of the organizations he knows the best and respects the most -- Gregg Popovich's Spurs.

The off-season moves reflected that.

At the moment, all is well. Let the games begin.

11-02-2006, 05:58 AM	#55
kriD Platinum Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Germany Posts: 2,039	Mavericks must overcome Cuban Crisis of last season By Randy Galloway Star-Telegram Staff Writer A special thank-you to David Stern, who this week used his commish muscle to apply the icing on an excellent Mavericks' off-season. Game 1 of a new campaign begins tonight for our one local organization with true championship aspirations. An organization, by the way, that didn't allow the shell-shock of last June to linger through the summer and into fall. Come May, can the Mavs survive San Antonio again in the playoffs? Don't know yet, but at least we get a very preliminary look at the situation, since it's the Spurs who provide the competition in this opener. Otherwise, it's a better team, deeper and more talented, than the overachieving bunch that took out Pop and Co. one spring ago. For that, credit the work of Avery Johnson, Donnie Nelson and Mark Cuban. Getting past the Spurs was the best of times in Mavs franchise history. The worst would come four weeks later. But after the greatest collapse in NBA Finals history, the Mavs' "must-do" checklist was long and tricky. Until this week, however, I had eliminated all items except two, thanks to an aggressive off-season of player procurement. One of those remaining checklist items can't be answered until the playoffs, when we find out about the psychological hangover of that tank job against the Miami Heat. The other, of course, was the Cuban Crisis. I'd like for Avery to be honest with us, and admit how many NBA coaches phoned him over the summer to say something like this: "You will never win a championship with THAT owner." OK, Avery ain't talking. But I'm guessing about 10, and would put the over/under at five. You know the story here. Was Bennett Salvatore's whistle on Dirk Nowitzki in Game 5 at Miami merely an honest mistake, or a stick-that-in-your-loud-mouth message to Mr. Cuban? Cuban's stock answer was he actually has more respect for NBA refs than to think something like that. But whatever the number of private coaching calls Avery took after the Finals, those Johnson fraternity members don't believe that. I don't either. It's one of those grassy-knoll guessing games, but common sense says Mark is killing the Mavericks with, among other things, his constant baseline buffoonery. Using softer tones than that, Nowitzki had the same opinion a couple of weeks after the Finals. He, of course, was speaking for the entire team. The Cuban Crisis was hanging over the Mavs, until... This week, Stern announced a mysterious "Code of Conduct" for his owners. The details are sketchy, and so are the penalties. Cuban, of course, took it personally. He got all hissed off, again, at the commissioner. Get this: Cuban thinks the new Code of Conduct is aimed right at him. You are correct, Mark. In a way, Cuban has a legitimate gripe, but if the new Stern law actually benefits the Mavericks by toning down the owner, then who cares if Mark is being profiled? Hopefully, he's huffy enough to shut up, which is no certainty by any means. But if Mark is at least muzzled during games, that would help. Stern is attempting to do the Mavs a favor here. Thanks, man. All other things being equal on the floor, this team is good enough to get back to the Finals and, this time, win it all. For one thing, the roster depth is greatly improved because of the addition of seasoned veterans. One fatal misconception a season ago was that depth was a strength. That theory was quickly exposed as the Mavericks advanced through the playoffs. But by not disturbing the core, the Mavs win-now, off-season additions were point guard Anthony Johnson (the key newcomer, in this opinion), swingmen Greg Buckner and Devean George and front-line utility man Austin Croshere. All four of those should be an upgrade over any comparison to a season ago. Avery wants to build the Mavericks with the same mold of the organizations he knows the best and respects the most -- Gregg Popovich's Spurs. The off-season moves reflected that. At the moment, all is well. Let the games begin.