A little debate

[Richard]

What do you guys think of this proposition?

It seems some think we shouldn't hold the mavs braintrust "accountable" for not finding players who can win in the playoffs because for six years the mavs just haven't had the "good fortune" to have a top player fall in their laps with a high draft pick. First, it seems to me that is pretty much an insult to Dirk.

But, more importantly, it gives those in charge of such decisions way more room to fail than NBA reality supports. Probably the most successful team the last 5 years or so, though I haven't checked the record, is Sacramento. Did they have that great player/pick fall in their lap? No, they had a gm good enough to trade for Webber, when he was out of favor, then convinced him to stay in little ol Sactown.

Best team in the East of late? NJ. Does it have one of those great players you can only get by draft luck? Jason Kidd fits that bill, but he was acquired just like Webber. Out of favor in Pho and traded for by a good GM.

How about the greatest player of the last decade, Shaq. Sign and trade by the greatest gm of our time, Jerry West.

Reigning MVP? A "lowly" no. 5 pick in the draft. The mavs have had several that high without being smart or good enough to get an MVP. And, trading up to get a 5 is generally doable by any gm with the smarts and ammo our's has had over the last 6 years.

Best youing big man in the playoffs? Jermaine O'neal. A 17th pick and traded for. Best big man developing, perhahps Jonathan Bender, again, traded for.

Phoenix has added at least two good big men with midlevel picks recently.

To get a good big man you might sit around a wait for a draft pick to fall in your lap, or go out and get a good gm who knows one when he sees one and how to make the moves necessary to get one. Or, we can just keep picking up finesse big men like the best running big man in the NBA (drafted higher than J O'Neal), Laettner, Howard, Wang, Raef, Jamison, Walker.

With all the high school kids and foriegn players, there is less certainty and more room for smart gm's to do well than ever before.

So, when it comes to holding our braintrust accountable for not adding the talent the core needs to move to the next level - can the excuses.

Its simple. To be the best team in the league like we want, you have to have the best "gm". Or at least one that can beat his competitors for a few years together. Your talent guy has to be good enough to beat HIS competition year in and year out for awhile before you have the talent to beat the other teams on the court. Even Duncan would not be getting rings without the Ginoili's, and Parkers, and Rahso's who were added late first, second round and by trade by smart talent guys who knew what a balanced roster meant and what Duncan needed around him.

Forget the mythical big man or perimeter defender. The FIRST thing this team needs to get to the next level is a gm/talent guy/director of basketball operations/'whatever" that can beat our competition's gm. Until then, don't expect the players who go up against teams who have been loaded with better talent and better balance to pull rabbits out of their hats and beat better teams.

BTW, there is one player at the moment who has proven he has the skills necessary to carry a team to the NBA Finals that is out of favor with his team. What to do, what to do? Better yet, who to trust to do it?