[jthig32]

I definitely agree that people are nuts to compare the Jefferson deal to the Gasol deal.

However, downplaying the significance of the Jefferson deal and how it effects us is very naive, in my opinion.

The Bucks and the Wizards were two teams that people thought might be willing to shed salary and give away a good player. Both of those teams are now off the market. And Richard Jefferson makes the Spurs MUCH, MUCH better. So a direct rival has just gotten significantly better.

Also, maybe I'm in the minority but I'd have been perfectly happy to have the Stackhouse chip cashed in for Jefferson, used the MLE on a contributor, re-signed Bass and Kidd and gone to work next season with the knowledge that Josh is probably going to play out of his mind and that Damp is a fantastic trade chip over the next year+.

I have absolutely no expectation that Stack is going to net a better player than Jefferson, and based on Mark's recent comments and the fact that I haven't heard of the Mavs even SNIFFING this Jefferson deal has me very, very concerned that we're about to experience the biggest let down of an offseason in recent history.

So call me a whiner if you want. I am absolutely NOT the guy that over reacts to ever little trade that the Spurs or anyone else does. I'm usually the person on the other side explaining why it wasn't a good fit for the Mavs. But I have a very bad feeling about this offseason right now.