11-23-2012, 09:16 PM
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#1
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Bee Cave, Texas
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Sources: Michael Finley eyes playing
Marc Stein ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/...er-sources-say
Former NBA All-Star Michael Finley is putting his front-office career on hold in hopes of extending his playing career, according to sources with knowledge of his plans.
Sources told ESPN that Finley, after participating in NBA pickup games all summer, continues to work out vigorously in pursuit of a contract that would give him one more run as an NBA player before shifting his focus to front-office work.
Late last spring, Finley began quietly working as an untitled but prominent member of the Dallas Mavericks' front-office team. The 39-year-old quickly convinced Mavericks owner Mark Cuban that he has promise as an executive, to the point that Cuban unexpectedly dispatched Finley alongside coach Rick Carlisle and president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson on what ultimately proved to be a failed recruiting mission to try to sign Deron Williams away from the Brooklyn Nets.
Finley then continued to work under Nelson through the offseason, but also never stopped training to keep alive his comeback bid. After Nelson publicly acknowledged for the first time in August that both Finley and former teammate Eduardo Najera were working as special assistants to the GM, sources say the Mavericks invited Finley to training camp as a player on a non-guaranteed contract before a minor calf injury scuttled that plan.
Finley has since shaken that injury and, through longtime agent Henry Thomas, is pitching himself to teams as a capable shooter off the bench and mentor to young players.
He has been determined to carve out one more playing niche after a lengthy recovery from ankle surgery during the 2010 offseason complicated his efforts to find a job in 2010-11. Finley then flirted with making a comeback in the D-League last season -- which is a path veteran players have increasingly used to get on the NBA radar -- but ultimately decided against it.
Sources say Finley has been encouraged by the positive impact Rasheed Wallace has made in New York after coming out of retirement -- as well as Jerry Stackhouse's recent move to Brooklyn and Antonio McDyess' reported desire to restart his career -- because he has privately believed for months he could have a similar effect on a team's locker room.
Finley last played in the NBA with Boston during the 2010 playoffs but was eager to try to win a job in training camp with the Mavs, even though Dallas entered camp carrying the league maximum 15 guaranteed contracts on its roster.
Along with Steve Nash, Finley teamed with Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki to form the trio that transformed the Mavericks from a horrific decade in the 1990s and launched the franchise's ongoing run of 12 successive playoff berths.
Finley left Dallas in 2005 when Cuban, looking to drastically reduce his luxury-tax bill, waived the two-time All-Star through the league's first amnesty clause. Finley went on to win a championship ring with rival San Antonio in 2007, but has remained one of Nowitzki's closest friends and most revered teammates.
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11-23-2012, 09:28 PM
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#2
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Moderator
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Obvious question is obvious - would he have any value on this squad if we had an open roster spot (like if we traded a player, say Roddy, without getting a player in return)?
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These days being a fan is a competition to see who can be the most upset when
your team loses. That proves you love winning more. That's how it works.
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11-23-2012, 11:13 PM
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#3
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Guru
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Location: Cowboys Country
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Bring back the Findawg!!
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11-24-2012, 01:44 AM
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#4
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 8,841
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Man Finley is my favorite Mavs player of all time. I'd love to see him wearing #4 again for the Ma....wait isn't that Darren's number now lol? But anyway I don't see how much harm he could do being a sharp shooter off the bench for minimum minutes. Especially if Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace are still in this league.
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11-24-2012, 02:17 AM
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#5
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Guru
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dtownsfinest
Man Finley is my favorite Mavs player of all time. I'd love to see him wearing #4 again for the Ma....wait isn't that Darren's number now lol? But anyway I don't see how much harm he could do being a sharp shooter off the bench for minimum minutes. Especially if Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace are still in this league.
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Yes, and I think it was rather rude for Collison to take that number. It showed a lack of respect. He should have known better.
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11-24-2012, 07:43 AM
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#6
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Platinum Member
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__________________
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11-24-2012, 08:05 AM
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#7
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Platinum Member
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Posts: 2,675
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Dirk-Nash-Fin should ride into the sunset together...
That would be a perfect
Last edited by markus1234; 11-24-2012 at 08:06 AM.
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11-24-2012, 09:02 AM
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#8
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Bee Cave, Texas
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I'm sure he sees guys like Troy Murphy playing and says to himself.....
"I could rebound better than that guy"
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11-24-2012, 10:41 AM
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#9
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Germany
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Serious...?
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11-24-2012, 01:00 PM
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#10
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Golden Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: POLAND
Posts: 1,551
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it is big joke
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No one loves Dirk any more than I do
MY HEART-WHERE DIRK NOWITZKI IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE AN ALL-STAR
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11-24-2012, 01:05 PM
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#11
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 16,054
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Finley didnt have any game left in boston last year or two.....
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11-24-2012, 01:16 PM
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#12
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Moderator
Join Date: May 2006
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It's a nice thought, but basketball-wise....no thanks.
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John Madden on Former NFL Running Back Leroy Hoard: "You want one yard, he'll get you three. You want five yards, he'll get you three."
"Your'e a low-mentality drama gay queen!!" -- She_Growls
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11-24-2012, 01:40 PM
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#13
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Old School Balla
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 13,097
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chumdawg
Bring back the Findawg!!
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In a heartbeat!
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11-24-2012, 01:49 PM
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#14
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Inactive.
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If we didn't already have Dahntay on the team, I could see him playing that role pretty well and replacing Carter as a 3 with a jumper.
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11-24-2012, 02:08 PM
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#15
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Moderator
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky
If we didn't already have Dahntay on the team, I could see him playing that role pretty well and replacing Carter as a 3 with a jumper.
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I'm not sure how Finley's going to "replace" Carter at any position when Finley would be, maybe (if we're generous), half as good as Carter at this point in their lives.
And I'm not even that high on Carter.
__________________
John Madden on Former NFL Running Back Leroy Hoard: "You want one yard, he'll get you three. You want five yards, he'll get you three."
"Your'e a low-mentality drama gay queen!!" -- She_Growls
Last edited by LonghornDub; 11-24-2012 at 02:09 PM.
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11-24-2012, 02:31 PM
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#16
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Guru
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I'm sure this will get mentioned during Cuban's availability tonight.
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11-24-2012, 04:00 PM
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#17
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The Preacha
Join Date: Sep 2003
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I see no reason that Fin couldn't play for the league minimum and hit some threes at the end of someone's bench.
I don't care.
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ok, we've talked about the problem of evil, and the extent of the atonement's application, but my real question to you is, "Could Jesus dunk?"
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11-24-2012, 06:13 PM
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#18
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Platinum Member
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Finley was a good shooter, but he was never a great shooter. As a perimeter player, only an all-time great shooter can think about coming back at 39, and usually even that's not a good idea. He has money problems, or what?
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11-24-2012, 07:29 PM
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#20
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Diamond Member
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bayliss
Finley didnt have any game left in boston last year or two.....
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I saw some games Finley played with the Celtics. I never understood why he never got more burn. His jumper was on. Him and Nate Robinson got no minutes for whatever reason when the Celtics were overplaying their veterans. It didn't look as if Fin couldn't still play. Just looked like he didn't get much opportunity
Quote:
Originally Posted by Budapest Maverick
Finley was a good shooter, but he was never a great shooter. As a perimeter player, only an all-time great shooter can think about coming back at 39, and usually even that's not a good idea. He has money problems, or what?
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Finley has been executive producing films including one of the most anticipated films in Hollywood, The Butler. He also made over 100 million as a player and didn't have gambling or strip club habits. HE should be okay money-wise. .
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11-24-2012, 07:29 PM
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#21
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Guru
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We have 3 or 4 Finleys on the team already.
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you just proofed how stupid you are - CRAZYBOY
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11-24-2012, 08:16 PM
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#22
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Guru
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I hate when "burn" is used in relation to playing time. It sounds idiotic.
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11-25-2012, 02:38 PM
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#23
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Guru
Join Date: Nov 2003
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Budapest Maverick
Finley was a good shooter, but he was never a great shooter. As a perimeter player, only an all-time great shooter can think about coming back at 39, and usually even that's not a good idea. He has money problems, or what?
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Fin was absolutely a great shooter
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11-25-2012, 03:16 PM
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#24
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Platinum Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 2,675
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Murphy3
I hate when "burn" is used in relation to playing time. It sounds idiotic.
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Rick Carlisle: Disappointing Lamar Odom owes franchise “pants on fire” effort.
Last edited by markus1234; 11-25-2012 at 03:16 PM.
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11-25-2012, 03:32 PM
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#25
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Guru
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I don't know if he qualifies as a great shooter... He was consistently a good shooter. I don't think I'd call him a great shooter.
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11-25-2012, 03:39 PM
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#26
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Guru
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Would you call dirk a great 3 pt shooter?
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11-25-2012, 04:01 PM
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#27
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Platinum Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 2,675
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Career .380 is where "great" starts.
Jet and Dirk are both .380 btw.
Last edited by markus1234; 11-25-2012 at 04:02 PM.
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11-25-2012, 04:03 PM
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#28
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Guru
Join Date: Nov 2003
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Quote:
Originally Posted by markus1234
Career .380 is where "great" starts.
Jet and Dirk are both .380 btw.
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Fin is career .375
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11-25-2012, 04:44 PM
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#29
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Guru
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Five-ofan
Would you call dirk a great 3 pt shooter?
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It's very difficult to compare Michael Finley and Dirk. Dirk has spent the vast majority of his career as the obvious #1 option. Finley spent most of his career as either a guy with a guy just as good as him drawing defenders or as something lower than the #1 option. It's kinda comparing apples and oranges.
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11-25-2012, 05:40 PM
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#30
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Guru
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I'm not remotely comparing them as offensive options just as 3 pt shooters. I'm a huge dirk fan
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11-25-2012, 07:38 PM
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#31
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Guru
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My point is that you can't just look at percentages... One is primarily a jumpshooter that doesn't have to create alot of his shots and one is a guy that exerts tremendous amounts of energy creating his own shot.
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11-26-2012, 12:35 PM
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#32
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Golden Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 1,534
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Finley would be the third best player on the mavs behind Mayo and Kaman. True story.
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11-26-2012, 12:44 PM
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#33
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Inactive.
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 42,997
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oilfieldtrash
Finley would be the third best player on the mavs behind Mayo and Kaman. True story.
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At Fin's age I'd put Dahntay, Crowder, Carter, Dirk, Marion and Wright above him too. Seeing as how four of those guys play the position that Finley would play, I just don't see it.
Fin was just never a great defender. If I wanted a situational guy to come in and shoot at the 3, I'd choose Carter (who is equally bad defensively but can create offense) --or better yet-- Dahntay Jones (who is perhaps our best defender and shoots 43% from three). Fin is nowhere near the defender that Jones is and I highly doubt he'd shoot 43% from three as well.
I love Fin as much as anyone but his age has relegated him to a very specific role as a jump shooter and veteran defender. He can't create the way that Carter can, can't defend/shoot the way that Jones can, and can't defend and rebound the way Marion can. It's great that he's transformed his game from a star offensive player to a role player, but we already have guys that do what he does-- better.
Last edited by EricaLubarsky; 11-26-2012 at 12:53 PM.
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11-26-2012, 01:00 PM
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#34
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 4,496
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As far as the Mavs are concerned, I'd be more excited to hear about Harper making a comeback after watching the Collison debacle against the Lakers. :-O
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11-26-2012, 01:11 PM
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#35
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Moderator
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Location: Austin, TX
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oilfieldtrash
Finley would be the third best player on the mavs behind Mayo and Kaman. True story.
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You are talking absolute, unequivocal nonsense. True story.
__________________
John Madden on Former NFL Running Back Leroy Hoard: "You want one yard, he'll get you three. You want five yards, he'll get you three."
"Your'e a low-mentality drama gay queen!!" -- She_Growls
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11-26-2012, 01:19 PM
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#36
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Germany
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oilfieldtrash
Finley would be the third best player on the mavs behind Mayo and Kaman. True story.
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11-26-2012, 10:26 PM
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#37
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Hudson, WI
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oilfieldtrash
Finley would be the third best player on the mavs behind Mayo and Kaman. True story.
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11-27-2012, 05:19 AM
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#38
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Platinum Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Budapest, Hungary
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Five-ofan
Fin was absolutely a great shooter
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I don't think so, no. A tier below great, yes. Very good. Also, Dirk pretty much destroys Fin on mid range stats, long 2's, and free throws. Dirk's not a great shooter because of his 3 point shot (he's good, but not great there), but everything else.
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11-29-2012, 05:53 AM
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#39
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Golden Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 1,534
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oilfieldtrash
Finley would be the third best player on the mavs behind Mayo and Kaman. True story.
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Am I still "crazy"? Actually he might have some competition for the third spot with Derek Fisher signing lol!
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11-29-2012, 09:15 AM
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#40
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Germany
Posts: 7,276
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oilfieldtrash
Am I still "crazy"? Actually he might have some competition for the third spot with Derek Fisher signing lol!
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Yes!
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