From
HOOPSWORLD.com
Mavericks: Jason Terry To Be Sacrificed?
By Bill Ingram
Jun 23, 2007, 09:40
The Dallas Mavericks need a big man, and they believe they can get one in the draft. Of course, to move into the first round, where the Mavs don't currently hold a pick, someone's going to have to be sacrificed. As much as I hate to say it, it's sounding more and more like Jason Terry is the one who will ultimately be sent out to get the piece the Mavericks feel they need to get to the next level.
It's not entirely fair to Jet, who has done everything he's been asked to do and then some. He has become as close to Avery Johnson as anyone on the team, and it's Jet who gets the fans going when the upper crust Dallas fans forget that fan participation is an important part of a team's home court advantage. The only thing Jet doesn't have is about three more inches of height to make him a true off guard.
The point guard position is going to be turned over to Devin Harris. Harris is a much better decision-maker than Terry, and though he lacks the veteran savvy of the Jet, the Mavericks feel he's ready to take the next step. That said, Terry is a proven NBA starter, and benching him simply is not an option. The choice, then, is to trade him and use his value to fill another need.
Scanning the internet rumor sheets yields a plethora of proposals for Terry. Minnesota needs another scorer in the backcourt now that they've traded Mike James. The Memphis Grizzlies are also in the market for another backcourt threat, and Terry could help tremendously as a mentor to Rudy Gay. Both of these teams have top ten picks in the draft and it's possible the Mavericks could land UNC's Brandan Wright or Florida's Joakim Noah. It's also been suggested that they might be able to get Darko Milicic from Orlando for Terry, though the Magic are very high on Milicic and it's unlikely they take a small for a big. Never mind that fact that the Mavs already have two centers on their roster and would need to move one of them to justify taking on a third while giving up a starter.
The Mavericks aren't looking to make major changes this offseason, and after winning 67 games it's tough to blame them for that approach. It could easily be argued that Jason Terry, who was a big part of those 67 wins and knows Avery's system inside and out, is more valuable than the player he might bring back in trade. But the rumors are out there, and where there's smoke there's usually fire. Jason Terry could be the one who gets sacrificed to bring in the low post scoring threat that the Mavs currently lack.
© Copyright 2007 by HOOPSWORLD.com, a Basketball News Exclusive
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_22433.shtml