Let me try to explain simply: Miles, Prybilla and LaFrentz are in the deal to match salaries.
Who you want is Aldridge and Fernandez. They are not "garbage". Are you old enough to remember when Dallas traded for Dirk and Nash? Nash was a third string point guard at Phoenix. Dirk was playing in the 2nd division of the German League. You make deals like this based on potential--and you need to be good enough to make those judgments.
Rodriguez, Fernandez, Kaponnen and Freeland are young European players with enomorous potential. One or two of them, on average, should be NBA stars. If you are a fan of basketball, then you should know that.
Absent a steal like the Lakers getting Gasol, the Mavs don't have enough talent and can't get enough talent to compete for the Western Division championship.
The Mavs are an old team. Except for Bass, the youngest decent player the Mavs have is Josh Howard. He turns 28 on Monday. The only first round draft choice the Mavs have is 2009. Even assuming they get a player that is useful with that choice, Dirk will be 31 by 2010 when, in his second year, that player could potentially be significant help. Kidd would be 37.
The choice is two or three years of diminishing play, or starting again now and retooling while the Mavs have significant trade assets in Dirk and Kidd.
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