2014 Offseason Thread

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Should Mavs make Isaiah Thomas a priority?

Short answer? Yes.

Long answer? Yes, because:

4th among PGs in PER
9th among PGs in TS%
5th among PGs in value added
5th among PGs in estimated wins added

Dude has a solid jumper which could become elite, knows how to play to make others better, is a master of the pick-and-roll (for Dirk/Chandler), has superhuman speed, and despite his small size, actually improved the Kinds defense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfyDD6Qe7Lw&t=6m30s
just sick defense

[sefant77]

Aminu is like a bigger version of Crowder but without the solala three. But im fine with getting him cheap. Its good to have another defensive specialist on the roster.

Would be nice when Crowder could lift his percentage to 36-37% to become a Stevenson type player. RC could create some nice balanced backcourt rotations with Ellis/IT/Harris/Crowder.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Should Mavs make Isaiah Thomas a priority?

Count me in. I don't know about keeping Marion, but you could certainly do an Aminu and probably Harris and Carter that situation.

You'd still have a formidable 4/5 and scorch teams with quick guard play. And although Thomas doesn't have ideal size, I still like Thomas/Ellis/Aminu/Dirk/Chandler defensively more than last year's time by a good margin.

[sefant77]

Dirk 8
IT 8
Deng 10
Harris/Aminu splitting MLE
Carter room

[spreedom]

Originally Posted by hayth.james.g

What's your suggestion for spreading the floor? He is very limited offensively.... he would be a rotation guy or starting?

I certainly think he could start for us... honestly, with Dirk and Monta on the floor, our offense is going to be really, really good more often than not. I would rather spend the rest of this offseason finding complementary defensive pieces for the starting lineup and for heavy rotation minutes. Not sure where Aminu fits in that regard but depending who we get to start at point guard, he might be okay in the starting lineup.

Speaking of guys that used to play for New Orleans... I think Greivis Vasquez might be worth a look too. With his size, he and Monta would have a little flexibility in defensive assignments. He looks like he can play SG or PG, so we'd be able to give him some minutes next to Devin as well. I'm thinking once the rest of the big name point guards are off the market, Vasquez could be a steal for a team that waited on him. And that would be another situation where having a versatile defender at SF could be really helpful.

My mindset this offseason quickly settled 100% into "find quality role players" instead of "find Dirk's successor".

[sefant77]

2011 Marion couldnt spread the floor either, it was before he found back his Suns three pointer.

I also expect Ellis to be a better shooter from downtown next year.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Dude has a solid jumper which could become elite, knows how to play to make others better, is a master of the pick-and-roll (for Dirk/Chandler), has superhuman speed, and despite his small size, actually improved the Kinds defense.

Could you imagine the pick-and-roll possibilities with Thomas/Ellis/Dirk/Chandler on the floor?

[FreshJive]

I have no idea what the kings are doing, but if IT2 can be had for 8 mil I'm down. Monta can eventually be traded if needed.

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by sefant77

Dirk 8
IT 8
Deng 10
Harris/Aminu splitting MLE
Carter room

We don't get the MLE. Just the room exception.

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Could you imagine the pick-and-roll possibilities with Thomas/Ellis/Dirk/Chandler on the floor?

I think if we go for Thomas, Harris doesnt come back. He wants at least 4m, and he isnt a 30min a night guy. And we'll still have PG problems.

Or just sign Thomas. Problem solved. I love Harris though, but the market is crazy right now and he isnt someone to overpay for.

[grndmstr_c]

A lot depends on whether and to what extent Sac is willing to go north of the tax line. If you think they're completely closed off to it, just work out a deal with Thomas and get it done if/when the max-level guys pick different teams. With the exception of LeBron I'm not sure there's a better bang-for-buck talent on the market than IT at 8 per. If Sac seems like they're willing to pay a little tax I wonder if they'd be on board with an IT for Wright + Mekel S&T. Dallas could then use their cap space to re-sign Dirk, Devin and some front court reinforcements, hopefully use the room exception on Vince, and then execute the S&T for IT. They'd be very small in the backcourt, but they'd be scary fast with a ton of offensive production on tap.

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Short answer? Yes.

Long answer? Yes, because:

4th among PGs in PER
9th among PGs in TS%
5th among PGs in value added
5th among PGs in estimated wins added

Dude has a solid jumper which could become elite, knows how to play to make others better, is a master of the pick-and-roll (for Dirk/Chandler), has superhuman speed, and despite his small size, actually improved the Kinds defense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfyDD6Qe7Lw&t=6m30s
just sick defense

Right after that, it shows his weaknesses on defense. Taller pgs shoot right over him and he had trouble pgs penetrating and shrugging him out of the way. I like him and would be thrilled to have him on the team. But I worry having 2 undersized guards on the court together.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by Melonhead

Right after that, it shows his weaknesses on defense. Taller pgs shoot right over him and he had trouble pgs penetrating and shrugging him out of the way. I like him and would be thrilled to have him on the team. But I worry having 2 undersized guards on the court together.

I've also read he's not much of a 3pt threat and isn't a great playmaker.
I haven't seen the guy play much so can't be too judgmental other than what I read but it seems that his greatest attributes are similar to Harris and Monte (basically penetrating and getting to the basket) so I'd rather have Harris at half the price.
The intriguing thing to me is that he's still young and coachable and could very well be a star someday.

[Underdog]

@JaredZwerling: I'm told Mo Williams just met with the Dallas Mavericks. Positive momentum, but obviously team is waiting on Melo first before Mo & others.

@espn_macmahon: @JaredZwerling reports that local resident Mo Williams had Mavs meeting today. But re-signing Devin Harris still PG Plan A.

[tsar]

Ugh. Say no to Mo, please...

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by Underdog

@JaredZwerling: I'm told Mo Williams just met with the Dallas Mavericks. Positive momentum, but obviously team is waiting on Melo first before Mo & others.

@JaredZwerling: local resident Mo Williams had Mavs meeting today. But re-signing Devin Harris still PG Plan A.

FYI, that second tweet was McMahon mentioning Zwerling, not retweeting him.

[Melonhead]

Deng intrigued by S&T clippers possibility. Expected to meet with Doc today.
Per Woj..

GOT DAMN CHASING STUPID SUPERSTARS. HERE WE GO AGAIN

[Melonhead]

Sefalosha agrees with hawks 3/12m

Dominos are falling.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

^The Hawks can have Sefolosha at that price, but yeah, Deng to the Clips would be unfortunate.

[Underdog]

@WojYahooNBA: Free agent Luol Deng intrigued with Clippers sign-and-trade possibilities, sources tell Yahoo. He's expected to speak with Doc Rivers today.

[jthig32]

As Michael Dugat pointed out on twitter, I don't buy that the Cavs would have any interest in the kind of pieces the Clips would have to send to Cleveland for a SnT.

[sefant77]

Clippers have just trash to offer...so whats the point for the cavs...a late 1st?

[sefant77]

Marc Stein ‏@ESPNSteinLine 41s

ESPN has learmed that Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks have agreed to terms on three-year deal

My guess 3rd year player option

[DevinHarriswillstart]

We got our first free agent!

Marc Stein @ESPNSteinLine · 2m
ESPN has learmed that Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks have agreed to terms on three-year deal

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by sefant77

Marc Stein ‏@ESPNSteinLine 41s

ESPN has learmed that Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks have agreed to terms on three-year deal

My guess 3rd year player option

At least they arent waiting around for Melo and Cuban can move on to Parsons/Deng etc

[Underdog]

‏@ESPNSteinLine: Dirk always likely to be first major free agent to decide. Sources say sides agreed today to three-year pact believed to be in $30M ballpark

[jthig32]

If it's a traditionally structured contract (with max raises each year) it would put his starting salary at ~9.3Mil, based on my calculations.

[sefant77]

confirmed, 3rd year player option and again no trade clause

[fluid.forty.one]

So 3 years.. How high could he realistically get on the all time scoring list?

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by jthig32

If it's a traditionally structured contract (with max raises each year) it would put his starting salary at ~9.3Mil, based on my calculations.

Not too bad, although I do wonder about the third year when Dirk is getting over 10mill at 38. Still, franchise/hall-of-famers/all-around good guys you can't overpay and Dirk should still be one of the best shooters when he's 50.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by fluid.forty.one

So 3 years.. How high could he realistically get on the all time scoring list?

Realistically? 6-7 is safe. 5 is possible.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by fluid.forty.one

So 3 years.. How high could he realistically get on the all time scoring list?

Dirk scored 1,735 points last season: 1,810 points behind Shaq (#6), 4,633 points behind Wilt (#5), 4,914 behind Kobe (#4), 5,506 behind Jordan (#3)... He ain't catching Malone.

[EricaLubarsky]

So we have about 18mill left?

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

So we have about 18mill left?

16.4

Still wiggle room with Dirk deal done?
By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com

To the surprise of nobody who has been paying attention, Dirk Nowitzki gave the Dallas Mavericks the Tim Duncan discount.

The exact details of the deal reported by ESPN.com’s Marc Stein aren’t known yet, but it’s a three-year contract in the $30 million range with a player option for the final season. Duncan’s deal with the San Antonio Spurs that expires after next season is for $30 million over three years, with a player option that he exercised for next season.

If Nowitzki’s deal starts with a $10 million salary, the Mavs have approximately $16.4 million in space under the salary cap, which is projected at $63.2 million. They also have the cap room exception (about $2.7 million per year for no more than two seasons) at their disposal and can exceed the cap to sign players to minimum contracts. The Nowitzki deal could start with a salary as low as $9.3 million and average $10 million over three years with 7.5 percent annual raises. In that case, the Mavs would have approximately $17.1 million in cap space.

A quick look at the Mavs’ cap picture:

Tyson Chandler: $15,096,888
Dirk Nowitzki: $10,000,000 (estimated)
Monta Ellis: $8,360,000
Brandan Wright: $5,000,000
Raymond Felton: $3,793,693
Jae Crowder: $915,243
Ricky Ledo: $816,482
Gal Mekel: $816,482
Minimum cap holds (4 at $490,180 each): $1,960,720
Cap commitments (including minimum holds): $46.76 million

[hayth.james.g]

Originally Posted by Underdog

16.5

Yep, not including assets in Wright, picks, and cash. I'll be surprised if they don't at least consider getting some value from Wright while his stock is high. I like him but he's not a center.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by Underdog

16.4

or 17.1

[jthig32]

It's either 16.5 or around 17. Still some question out there whether you have cap holds for 12 roster spots or 13. I've been using 13.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

or 17.1

Yeah, if the $9.3m figure is accurate for this season... That's not a bad chunk of change.

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Not too bad, although I do wonder about the third year when Dirk is getting over 10mill at 38. Still, franchise/hall-of-famers/all-around good guys you can't overpay and Dirk should still be one of the best shooters when he's 50.

They put in a player option for the third year, so one could speculate that he might take another pay cut around that time if he's in a situation where he's not worth the money anymore and the Mavs want to use it elsewhere.

[Underdog]

@espn_macmahon: Miami, Houston, Chicago, Dallas among teams expressing interest in Shawn Marion. Wants to play 2 more years. Market could be $5M per range