What now?

[madape]

Well, it looks like Cuban really screwed this up. Ditching Malone to go after the moronic Bleeding Kidney chase is just about the dumbest move he could have made. I don't trust the idiot to salvage anything out of the disaster he's created, but something needs to be done. Should we be content with Pippen? Will it take the whole mid-level to sign him now that we've struck out on everyone else? Do we have any chance at PJ Brown, Rasho Nesterovic, Brad Miller? Olowakandi? What about Derrick Coleman? Tyrone Hill? Is it too late to get anything done?

[Dooby]

I imagine we will try and split our MLE between Coleman and Pippen.

Re: Pippen, I thought Ron at LMF made a good point in dismissing Pippen as a viable option- You can be old or injured, but not both. Pippen is both.

[Simon2]

Originally posted by: Dooby
I imagine we will try and split our MLE between Coleman and Pippen.

Re: Pippen, I thought Ron at LMF made a good point in dismissing Pippen as a viable option- You can be old or injured, but not both. Pippen is both.

I really hope the Mavs just don't make a move just to make a move. Pippen is not the answer because his health is not going to hold up. His attitude issues aren't too exciting as well.

[madape]

I would be VERY satisfied with Coleman and Pippen right now.... but then again right now ANYTHING would be ok. Just give me something, please.

[seelenjaeger]

Guys - I don´t see why you are all expecting Malone to sign here "if just courted right". This guy signs for 1.5 million. He couldn´t care less about courting, he cares for the best shot at the Ring. And I doubt that choosing to play alongside Shaquille and Kobe can be blamed on Cuban.

Throw away your cockiness please, there´s slim to nothing we could to get Malone if he really wants that Ring and the Lakers bite.

[TripleDipping]

Coleman is definitely more than a servicable big man and Pippen can be effective if he plays controlled minutes.
I share the same sentiments with Madape: I'll be ecstatic if we can get those 2 at this point.

[MFFL]

Originally posted by: seelenjaeger
Guys - I don´t see why you are all expecting Malone to sign here "if just courted right". This guy signs for 1.5 million. He couldn´t care less about courting, he cares for the best shot at the Ring. And I doubt that choosing to play alongside Shaquille and Kobe can be blamed on Cuban.

Throw away your cockiness please, there´s slim to nothing we could to get Malone if he really wants that Ring and the Lakers bite.

Malone would have been here if a high level representative of the Mavericks would have been at Malone's house at midnight.

[Hitman]

Originally posted by: Dooby
I imagine we will try and split our MLE between Coleman and Pippen.

Re: Pippen, I thought Ron at LMF made a good point in dismissing Pippen as a viable option- You can be old or injured, but not both. Pippen is both.

Very true about Pippen.

Coleman is such a cancer Dooby. He really is. I saw him play for years in Jersey, and he is not a guy you want around and at this point in his career, in the West, I don't he helps much.

I say we start thinking more about the small forward position. Raef is due for a solid season, we could always trade for a Grant type midseason if we need.

What about going after Odom or Maggette? Sterling is going to match the MLE, most likely, but can we swing some sort of sign and trade there?

[Dooby]

seelenjaeger is the winner of the "None of this is Cuban or Nellie's fault" contest. Of course, David should have won, but....

Malone was very interested in the Mavs up until July 1st, when he found out Cuban was in Miami and his first call was to NJ. We all know that. The lakers were interested; SA was not; SAC was not; Dallas was. These are the 4 best teams in the West/League. Cuban pissed Malone off by publicly stating he was plan B.

[MFFL]

I posted it before but I would still go with splitting the MLE between Pippen and Askrabic.

And then pray.

[OutletPass]

Since Coleman was mentioned, here are his stats: Last year he was a 9.4 point and 7 rebound guy with Philly....

YEAR TEAM G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
90-91 NJN 74 68 35.2 .467 .342 .731 3.60 6.60 10.30 2.2 .96 1.34 2.93 2.90 18.4
91-92 NJN 65 58 34.0 .504 .303 .763 3.10 6.40 9.50 3.2 .83 1.51 3.82 2.60 19.8
92-93 NJN 76 73 36.3 .460 .232 .808 3.30 8.00 11.20 3.6 1.21 1.66 3.20 2.80 20.7
93-94 NJN 77 77 36.1 .447 .314 .774 3.40 7.90 11.30 3.4 .88 1.84 2.70 2.70 20.2
94-95 NJN 56 54 37.6 .424 .233 .767 3.00 7.60 10.60 3.3 .63 1.68 3.07 2.90 20.5
95-96 PHI 11 11 26.7 .407 .333 .625 1.20 5.40 6.50 2.8 .36 .91 2.55 2.70 11.2
96-97 PHI 57 54 36.9 .435 .269 .745 2.80 7.30 10.10 3.4 .88 1.32 3.23 2.90 18.1
97-98 PHI 59 58 36.2 .411 .265 .772 2.50 7.40 9.90 2.5 .78 1.15 2.66 2.40 17.6
98-99 CHA 37 29 31.8 .414 .212 .753 2.10 6.80 8.90 2.1 .65 1.14 2.43 2.60 13.1
99-00 CHA 74 64 31.7 .456 .362 .785 1.70 6.90 8.50 2.4 .46 1.76 2.34 2.60 16.7
00-01 CHA 34 3 20.1 .380 .392 .685 1.40 4.10 5.40 1.1 .29 .62 1.24 1.60 8.1
01-02 PHI 58 58 35.9 .450 .337 .815 2.90 5.90 8.80 1.7 .72 .88 2.05 2.70 15.1
02-03 PHI 64 35 27.2 .448 .328 .784 2.40 4.70 7.00 1.4 .83 1.08 1.50 2.70 9.4

Career 742 642 33.7 .448 .298 .769 2.70 6.70 9.50 2.6 .79 1.38 2.66 2.70 17.

[seelenjaeger]

Malone was "very interested" is one thing. Malone signing is another.
Malone was "very interested" in LA aswell.

Was there a LA representative in town early?

You´re basing everything on assumptions and "what if´s", instead of facing the facts. Malone signed for a ring, and not for money or courtship. He signed to play with ONeal and Kobe. And Payton.

It´s soo easy to blame it on someone, so hard to accept that we were just not good enough.

Mavericks are NOT the best shot at a title. By playing style. By players material. That´s why we lost.

[Evilmav2]

What about going after Odom or Maggette? Sterling is going to match the MLE, most likely, but can we swing some sort of sign and trade there?

The Clips never sign and trade... and the MLE isn't enough for us to play chicken with the Clippers by tendering offers for any of their restricted free agents. That is a game for the Nuggets, Jazz, and Heat to play...

At this point of the FA period, in order for the Mavs to improve, we either sign a stop-gap guy or two, or else contemplate trades. We have already squandered away the great FA opportunities of this offseason, and we are now presented with the unpalatable options of standing pat like the Kings, or making a move that breaks up the big 4...

[MFFL]

So maybe Coleman and Askrabic. We HAVE to go with Askrabic because we need the possiblity of hitting a home run.

Normally I would not have bothered with Askrabic but we need a chance to salvage something now.

[Dooby]

Originally posted by: Hitman

I say we start thinking more about the small forward position. Raef is due for a solid season, we could always trade for a Grant type midseason if we need.

What about going after Odom or Maggette? Sterling is going to match the MLE, most likely, but can we swing some sort of sign and trade there?

I am so confused by these 2 statements. Second statement, first. S&T with the Clippers will be dismissed out of hand until they actually do it. You are lucky I don't post my flamethrowerer picture.

Second: Small forward; Raef and Grant in the same sentence? While, I too expect Raef to be better this year (can he be worse?), unless a player has been consistent in the past or shown consistent imrpovement, you may not count on that player's imrpoved production or return to form. Raef has shown nothing, so you may not count on him for anything beyond last year's production. Second, there was a Grant trade on the table, with Ward in Miami in a future-failed PG experiment, you can count that original NVE trade out. And I don't see how you can get a Raef-Grant trade to work.

[Dooby]

Anyway, nothing matters at the moment. The ball is not in our court. The ball is in San Antonio's court. We are going to get San Antonio's table scraps. Goody.

With young players, we are even going to have to follow Denver.

[MFFL]

Anyway, nothing matters at the moment. The ball is not in our court. The ball is in San Antonio's court. We are going to get San Antonio's table scraps. Goody.

With young players, we are even going to have to follow Denver.

And Utah. Don't forget that they have a lot of cap room as well. Miami has a lot of cap room too.

Table scraps, mmm good.

[jacktruth]

And if Malone was plan A, and Mourning signed with the Nets, people would be saying "We should have gone after Mourning."

And if we went after Mourning as plan A, and Mourning signed with us, people would be saying, "I'm glad we went after Mourning and not Malone."

[MavsFanFinley]

I zoomed through the free agent list to see what was left. I did this quickly so I might have skipped over someone, but I split it into two groups. 1) The big men left but appear to be going elsewhere, but I'm trying to be hopeful. 2) It's not necessarily attractive, but it's guys I think we can get to split the MLE or accept the small exception.

1) Olowokandi, PJ Brown, Rasho, Brad Miller, or Juwan Howard

2) Elden Campbell, Derrick Coleman, Alton Ford, Donnell Harvey, Robert Horry, Stephen Jackson, Jumaine Jones, Jerome Moiso, Charles Oakley, Pippen, Byron Russell, Brian Skinner.

[Hitman]

[quote]
Originally posted by: Dooby

I am so confused by these 2 statements. Second statement, first. S&T with the Clippers will be dismissed out of hand until they actually do it. You are lucky I don't post my flamethrowerer picture.

Second: Small forward; Raef and Grant in the same sentence? While, I too expect Raef to be better this year (can he be worse?), unless a player has been consistent in the past or shown consistent imrpovement, you may not count on that player's imrpoved production or return to form. Raef has shown nothing, so you may not count on him for anything beyond last year's production. Second, there was a Grant trade on the table, with Ward in Miami in a future-failed PG experiment, you can count that original NVE trade out. And I don't see how you can get a Raef-Grant trade to work.

I am throwing a couple of thoughts out there. I was saying that I think small forward is more of a concern for us the center. Raef, though he sucked last year, did show signs in the playoffs and has at times in his short career been considered an above average NBA center who was desired by many teams. I guarantee you that more teams would want Raef on their roster then Derrick Coleman, whose teams always play better when he is not on the floor (this is from ABCs game of the week this year, and the numbers were staggering -- the announcers were shocked at the discrepancy.)
I wasn't speaking of a Grant-Raef trade, i was saying that there will be *something* like that available midseason, wheter it be a Kurt Thomas or someone in that vicinity. There almost always is.

And of course I can not get into Sterling's mind, I was suggesting a sign and trade is something we could look into. Maybe after giving the max to Brand and signing a couple of other guys to LTDs, he might want to get rid of Maggette or Odom for a couple of our guys who are serviceable but have contracts expiring in a couple of years. Will he for this? Of course, like you, I have no idea. Just throwing it out there.

[Jeremiah]

You know, I wonder, if we got someone like Scottie Pippen, or traded someone for Ron Artest (perhaph AJ to give them caproom?), to improve our perimeter defense, wouldn't that make it a lot easier on Raef? Wouldn't he have to worry less about blocking a shot on every possession because he'd have more confidence that the guys on the perimeter wouldn't get burned? That sounds logical to me, but I'm not sure. whaddya'll think?

[Rhylan]

I'd still take Pippen with the $1.5m, just because I'm an old Bulls fan..

BUT.. it's time to go young. All the "missing piece" veterans are gone or all but gone.

Since our GM is in Maui, he's probably still in bed. OR.. still up playing poker with Willie. So, I'm sure there's no plan yet.

[OutletPass]

At this point, as Dooby pointed out, I think we're looking at table scraps.

It really looks like the only way to get bigger, younger and more defensive will be through a trade in-season.

Off MFF's list, I think we go Jumaine jones and maybe SJackson (though I'm not in love with him at all)

Just an idle prediction...not what i'd really like to have....i'd love PJ but he's going for more than we can offer.

Funny how things work...we could always get Donnell back...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[Dooby]

On a side note, if you are San Antonio, you have to be really disappointed right now. The two biggest FA's are staying put. The next big option for SA is Kandi or Brad Miller. And unlike Denver, you need to fill up your roster to field a competitive playoff team.

[OutletPass]

Not so sure about that, Dooby. The SA fans were in full riot mode last night.

look at it from their perspective.

They don't have to give up parker and either rose/bowen/manu for absolutely no reason.
And they avoided a 4 yr. horsecollar with the biggest medical risk in the NBA.

If I was A SA fan, I'd be happy right now. They still have their players and their money. on the down side, they do only have 7 players under contract (if you count TD).

[Jeremiah]

I'd be happy sending an offer sheet to James Posey's agent for 3 or 3.5/yr for 3 years. and while I was cool on Stephen Jackson, he is 6-8 220, so it's reasonable that he could play SF well. He has been on two finals teams in the last 2 years, and he's 25, so I wouldn't mind putting a 3 year offer on the table for him either.

[Hitman]

Yeah, I would take Stephen Jackson as well. Excellent small forward, good size, good D and can hit the open jumper.