Do you let Ellis walk in the Summer?

[tsar]

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

I think fewer and fewer folks would disagree at this point that keeping Rondo is more important than keeping Ellis (assuming the Mavs could only keep one). Among the more intelligent Mavs fans I know--including members of this forum--it's pretty much a consensus.

Now, maybe there's a solid argument to the contrary, but that definitely appears to be the way sentiment is trending.

Ellis needs to prove that he can produce in the playoffs - he fell off last year: his FG% dropped by 5% (that's pretty significant) and his assists were cut in half. I also have noticed him pass a lot less out of the lane if he can't get to the basket - it's like he's always trying to finish the shot now, no matter the degree of difficulty. I'm sure it has a lot to do with defenses adjusting but a player has to adjust as well, and not just by taking more jump shots at the sacrifice of drives. Ellis is what he is and I don't think he'll adapt or grow his game more - you have to take the good with the bad, and I really like the guy, but I think the inconsistency is really going to hurt in the playoffs.

I am ready to eat crow, but Monta does have to show he does indeed 'have it all' this postseason.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by Bryan_Wilson

I've been on the Wes Matthews wagon for a while. I also like Green just not as much as Matthews. I really think that if they are paired with Rondo Parsons and Dirk it would fit well. Some question whether we will have enough driving ability with Monta gone and it's a valid concern but Parsons, Rondo, JJ and Harris all have the ability to get in the paint to provide some optimism. And I won't even go into about how much of a better defender and rebounder those two are to ellis as it's pretty obvious.

The only 2 issues I have with letting Ellis go are- Who will step up and be a guy who can consistently get a score when you need it and he likely will have to create his own shot. Teams are just bullying Dirk at the end of games and are not allowing him to establish himself in the post. He's being pushed so far off his spots that even when he can establish himself it's further out than is ideal and the shot's are more difficult. Teams are then sending a defender as soon as he makes the first dribble making him pass and forcing someone else to make the shot. The other is obviously the cap. I think Matthews and Green will be valued in a rather lack luster free agency(Green less so but may want to stay in spurs system) and with a cap increase around the corner I think they will get deals better than Dallas could offer which is primarily why most, myself included, consider "Plan A" to be retaining both. I think unless TC took a pay cut and Rondo getting a reasonable amount and not the 10-14m that keeps floating around it's unrealistic.

I also am 100% with you that the knee jerk is pretty strong with Ellis(rondo and parsons too for that matter) and if you disliked his 39% shooting for 2 months you can't simply say all is cured after 1 good game. Even the point of injuries aside when he was healthy at the start of the year he was still attacking the rim less than he did last year and he is pulling up much more this year than he did last year his shots were just falling. In the playoffs for a 7 game series teams will live with Ellis having a hot game shooting jumpers because it's incredibly inconsistent and to date has shown nothing to indicate it could be sustained for a playoff series.

All good points B_W but I think Parsons and Rondo will step up immensely if Ellis isn't on the team.
I also think Aminu could elevate his game if he can become more consistent with his shot. Then trade Felton/Powell and possibly draft pick for another useful wing player.
My hope is that Monta opts in and takes a bench role, we resign Rondo, Chandler, Aminu, Barea, RJ, and CV, sign Cole Adrich, and then trade Felton/Powell and draft pick for a near starter quality SG who can shoot 3s and play D.

[LSMF]

I think Monta has become underrated on this team. He does so many different things for this team but people still want this guy gone just because of his recent slump? It's been pretty obvious this guy has been playing through injuries. He played through those injuries because he felt the team needed him (Which we absolutely did). Actually, I wish Monta had taken some games off to get healthy. I'm convinced the team would have started sinking in the standings and then the same folks currently saying they want him gone would be praying that he got healthy ASAP.

If you roll out this lineup:
PG Rajon Rondo
SG Wes Matthews
SF Chandler Parsons
PF - Dirk
C- Tyson Chandler
I can almost guarantee there will be non-stop complaints of "No one can drive to the rim on this team!" next season. However, I hope Monta leaves so some folks can get exactly what they want. Then we'll have to find another scapegoat for this team's struggles. I'm out.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by LSMF

I think Monta has become underrated on this team. He does so many different things for this team but people still want this guy gone just because of his recent slump? It's been pretty obvious this guy has been playing through injuries. He played through those injuries because he felt the team needed him (Which we absolutely did). Actually, I wish Monta had taken some games off to get healthy. I'm convinced the team would have started sinking in the standings and then the same folks currently saying they want him gone would be praying that he got healthy ASAP.

If you roll out this lineup:
PG Rajon Rondo
SG Wes Matthews
SF Chandler Parsons
PF - Dirk
C- Tyson Chandler
I can almost guarantee there will be non-stop complaints of "No one can drive to the rim on this team!" next season. However, I hope Monta leaves so some folks can get exactly what they want. Then we'll have to find another scapegoat for this team's struggles. I'm out.

I don't think the argument is necessarily that people want him out as much as it is that he should have a different role next season or if it comes down to Rondo or Ellis several of us prefer to keep Rondo.
I think everyone wants this thing to work but its basically Ellis carrying this team on his back or Rondo leveraging the entire team. Some of us prefer the latter.

[dirt_dobber]

I'd be perfectly happy if the ENTIRE team came back next year - Felton

[DevinHarriswillstart]

I just hope all of the doubt leads to Ellis and the team being motivated. I have no problem being the dark horse in the playoffs...again.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

I just hope all of the doubt leads to Ellis and the team being motivated. I have no problem being the dark horse in the playoffs...again.

Same here but I'm wondering if we have some success in the POs and Ellis is performing well as basically our catalyst if that would drive Rondo away next season.
It seems there is a very fine line in keeping everyone happy on this team and am wondering if RC will ever be able to find a permanent sweet spot.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by rimrocker

Same here but I'm wondering if we have some success in the POs and Ellis is performing well as basically our catalyst if that would drive Rondo away next season.
It seems there is a very fine line in keeping everyone happy on this team and am wondering if RC will ever be able to find a permanent sweet spot.

Well Rondo said Ellis is like a brother to him. I don't know why he'd lie about that, so I think him coming back would also include Ellis coming back.

What Ellis needs to be is super Ellis throughout the playoffs. Team can't afford for him to score 38 one night and 11 on 20% shooting the next.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Well Rondo said Ellis is like a brother to him. I don't know why he'd lie about that, so I think him coming back would also include Ellis coming back.

What Ellis needs to be is super Ellis throughout the playoffs. Team can't afford for him to score 38 one night and 11 on 20% shooting the next.

That is the problem though with Ellis. He needs to understand that when he is playing well opposing teams' defenses will adjust and focus more on him. That is when he needs to become more of a team player.

Spurs will probably do everything they can to shut him down Friday night and when/if they do he needs to defer to others and understand he is doing his job as a decoy.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by rimrocker

That is the problem though with Ellis. He needs to understand that when he is playing well opposing teams' defenses will adjust and focus more on him. That is when he needs to become more of a team player.

Spurs will probably do everything they can to shut him down Friday night and when/if they do he needs to defer to others and understand he is doing his job as a decoy.

And I think he was doing that a lot more earlier in the season. He was taking what the defense gave him. Since the injury, he has definitely forced a lot of shots that he should know he shouldn't take.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Well Rondo said Ellis is like a brother to him. I don't know why he'd lie about that, so I think him coming back would also include Ellis coming back.

And that could very well be true but Ellis does take the ball out of Rondo's hands and that is where Rondo is at his best.
Just because they get along well doesn't mean they are a good backcourt duo. I think it will be an ego thing with Rondo and he will prefer to go to a team like the Kings where he can be the leader.

[Thebo]

I find it interesting that people think about 'if it's between the two' to choose Rondo. If it's to choose between the two then you are choosing Rondo for a max contract. No other reason why there should be a reason to choose between the two of them.

Also, letting Ellis go in hopes to resign Rondo... With the risk of ending up with no quality point guard and shooting guard? So far I see that only Ellis, between the two of them, would accept less money than he is offered somewhere else - he is still chasing his first championship and wouldn't want to end up in Bucks; likewise it is with Tyson Chandler who had his Knicks' experience.

Perhaps people want to try to do what was done with Deron Williams? "Hey. look, we just let players who carried our team go - come now, you can carry us to the promised land". Why should Rondo come back if you let Ellis walk for nothing and promise only hope that perhaps Afflalo will join the Mavericks? If you talk about getting Matthews/Green then you are only dreaming at this point, things may change in summer but so far, hardly any reason for any of them to leave their teams. Unless of course half of the Spurs team retire but even then they'll have money to spend on Green.

When you talk about keeping/resigning Rondo you should first talk about how are you going to convince him to stay? Main and probably only serious bidder for his services will be Lakers. I can easily imagine Lakers throwing him 14M at minimum. They will have money to spend. Perhaps no other team gains as much of the cap raise as the Lakers do since for them not only cap raises but Kobe's salary comes off the books as well. All that the Lakers have to sell on Rondo is - come here, we will have crappy 2015/2016 season but we also have promised young talent Julius Randle and with bad record we'll get another good pick, once Kobe's contract is over we'll have young talents and get free agents - because you know, it is Los Angeles. Even the Rondo-Bryant backcourt fits better than Rondo-Ellis as in old age Bryant may see it fit better when he catch-and-shoots it more than driving to the basket and getting injured while dunking.

Would Rondo take less than 14 to join Lakers? Probably, if it includes the signing of Kevin Love who might be on the market for a new team this offseason.

Besides the reason of Jim Buss doing weird stuff, it is hard to see why Lakers would not be willing to throw full money at Rondo. It works out for them in the cap wise in any case and it isn't like there's any other big marquee Point Guard to go after.

Would you be willing to match Lakers' offer? Would it even be enough and would you be willing to lose both in the case where you let Ellis walk?

What do the Mavs have to offer? Chance to compete for the title? It would work if Rondo didn't already have a championship. Rondo showed in Boston that he'll help the team to win a title but he won't carry the team to the playoffs.

Originally Posted by rimrocker

I also think Aminu could elevate his game if he can become more consistent with his shot. Then trade Felton/Powell and possibly draft pick for another useful wing player.
My hope is that Monta opts in and takes a bench role, we resign Rondo, Chandler, Aminu, Barea, RJ, and CV, sign Cole Adrich, and then trade Felton/Powell and draft pick for a near starter quality SG who can shoot 3s and play D.

First of all, why oh why would any starter caliber player in their contract year want to accept a bench role? Besides, who are you going to start over him? JJ Barea or Richard Jefferson? Secondly, don't you think that Mavs already tried to trade Felton this season? Felton + Powell + late 1st round draft pick will fetch you who? I hardly doubt any that are averaging over or close to 10 mpg in any team - yes, even the Knicks.

Aminu needs to be able to hit corner and perhaps wing threes. Also, his finishing touch really needs help. If he would be able to finish on a consistent basis, he perhaps wouldn't even need to be such a threat on the 3PT line. Just develop a runner and you'd be close to what Marion gave you. Question only remains how do you fit both, Parsons and Aminu.

I still find that Ellis taking a lot of shots is primarily the fault of Carlisle. I'm not the one to question his judgment in that but it is coach's decision to run plays for Ellis and to give the ball to Ellis. Parsons still needs some time to develop, Dirk had problems of his own + early double teams and if you count Ellis out, are you going to let Rondo and Chandler shoot the ball? Main issue with Ellis is that he gets easily frustrated - you can very well see an easy layup missed by him and him getting really frustrated after that, making us all beg for coach to substitute him for about a minute.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by Thebo

First of all, why oh why would any starter caliber player in their contract year want to accept a bench role? Besides, who are you going to start over him? JJ Barea or Richard Jefferson? Secondly, don't you think that Mavs already tried to trade Felton this season? Felton + Powell + late 1st round draft pick will fetch you who? I hardly doubt any that are averaging over or close to 10 mpg in any team - yes, even the Knicks.

Aminu needs to be able to hit corner and perhaps wing threes. Also, his finishing touch really needs help. If he would be able to finish on a consistent basis, he perhaps wouldn't even need to be such a threat on the 3PT line. Just develop a runner and you'd be close to what Marion gave you. Question only remains how do you fit both, Parsons and Aminu.

I still find that Ellis taking a lot of shots is primarily the fault of Carlisle. I'm not the one to question his judgment in that but it is coach's decision to run plays for Ellis and to give the ball to Ellis. Parsons still needs some time to develop, Dirk had problems of his own + early double teams and if you count Ellis out, are you going to let Rondo and Chandler shoot the ball? Main issue with Ellis is that he gets easily frustrated - you can very well see an easy layup missed by him and him getting really frustrated after that, making us all beg for coach to substitute him for about a minute.

Terry was a starter quality player in his prime and took on a backup role.
And trading Felton this year vs trading next year (expiring) is completely different. And the point isn't to replace Ellis with an all-star but with someone who would be a better fit...much like Stevenson on our championship team.
Rondo, Parsons, and Dirk would probably be much better...addition by subtraction.

I think Cuban learned (or should have) back in 2003 that you can't just take a bunch of decent misfit players and turn them into a championship caliber team. That was disaster and this situation has a lot of the same similarities. Only this time Dirk isn't 25.

And I have no problem with RC giving Ellis the green light but I do think he needs to let him know there are other players on the team that are quite capable of making shots. When Ellis draws a lot of attention there should be a Dirk, Parsons or Harris wide open or a Chandler under the basket. Monta doesn't seem to understand that when he is in "hero" mode.

[IgnoranceIsBliss]

Originally Posted by LSMF

I think Monta has become underrated on this team. He does so many different things for this team but people still want this guy gone just because of his recent slump? It's been pretty obvious this guy has been playing through injuries. He played through those injuries because he felt the team needed him (Which we absolutely did). Actually, I wish Monta had taken some games off to get healthy. I'm convinced the team would have started sinking in the standings and then the same folks currently saying they want him gone would be praying that he got healthy ASAP.

If you roll out this lineup:
PG Rajon Rondo
SG Wes Matthews
SF Chandler Parsons
PF - Dirk
C- Tyson Chandler
I can almost guarantee there will be non-stop complaints of "No one can drive to the rim on this team!" next season. However, I hope Monta leaves so some folks can get exactly what they want. Then we'll have to find another scapegoat for this team's struggles. I'm out.

So many things? Monta does one thing well. Inefficient volume scoring.

You can't rely on an undersized 2 guard who can't defend, can't shoot, and can't get to the FT line.

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Well Rondo said Ellis is like a brother to him. I don't know why he'd lie about that, so I think him coming back would also include Ellis coming back.

What Ellis needs to be is super Ellis throughout the playoffs. Team can't afford for him to score 38 one night and 11 on 20% shooting the next.

But that IS ellis. Always has been. I thought itd be different in Dallas, but its really not.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by Melonhead

But that IS ellis. Always has been. I thought itd be different in Dallas, but its really not.

It was also Terry.

People whined and whined about how we'd never win a ring with Terry, because he was streaky, too small, too poor defensively, too cocky, and would have one game where he was 10/14 and the next game he'd go 4/21.

[DirkMFFL]

.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

It was also Terry.

People whined and whined about how we'd never win a ring with Terry, because he was streaky, too small, too poor defensively, too cocky, and would have one game where he was 10/14 and the next game he'd go 4/21.

Dirk and Marion were 32 and Chandler was 28.
Big difference when your best players were in their prime to make up for Terry's slump periods.
Terry played a part in that championship no doubt but I think those other 3 along with Stevenson, Haywood, Kidd and Barea had a little bit to do with getting that championship as well.
Monta is trying to play Dirk's role now but at least Dirk learned how to pass when he was double-teamed and was an mvp caliber player, not a borderline all-star trying to take on an mvp caliber player's role.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by DirkMFFL

Long time lurker but I hate to admit but we have way too many racist mavs fans. I just moved from another board cause I couldn't take it but I just realized the same racist have moved here. Sad is the top poster here named dude1394 is a racist from Europe. I hope he didn't forgot about Hitler. I'm ashamed being a mavs fan. Goodbye

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=268&f...t=13293352&p=3

Ok so you point out one but say there are way too many.
I don't see anything in this thread that has anything to do with racism except your post.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

It was also Terry.

People whined and whined about how we'd never win a ring with Terry, because he was streaky, too small, too poor defensively, too cocky, and would have one game where he was 10/14 and the next game he'd go 4/21.

Terry has a career TS% of .561 for the playoffs. And he was the 2nd option on offense. Compare that to Ellis's .485.

[Bryan_Wilson]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Terry has a career TS% of .561 for the playoffs. And he was the 2nd option on offense. Compare that to Ellis's .485.

To be fair that is a bit misleading. Monta's post season career consists of when he was 21 with gsw and a year with the bucks. His one playoff series I care about was against the eventual Champs, with us, where his TS was .508%. Take that into account with the fact Terry was playing as a 2nd option with prime Dirk and you can say Terry's numbers were skewed to a degree as well. Dirk last year shot .480% TS in the Spurs series. He had a bad series and never got going. If Monta shoots in the .520-.550% TS range and we lose then it will be because the others did not contribute enough. His regular season TS is .522% for his career in Dallas, so a slight uptick is all anyone should be asking for from Monta. The starting lineup is what it is talent wise because we need everyone to show up not just Monta.

Fact is if Monta is option 1 he needs help. He needs to show up himself but without a superior talent like we are accustomed to, everyone is going to have to carry their share on a consistent basis. It all starts with defense because this offense is great after getting stops and attacking. This team can be much better than last year's team defensively just for the simple additions of TC and Rondo over Daly and Calderon. For whatever reason they only seem to lock in defensively in spurts.

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

It was also Terry.

People whined and whined about how we'd never win a ring with Terry, because he was streaky, too small, too poor defensively, too cocky, and would have one game where he was 10/14 and the next game he'd go 4/21.

But he was a piece of the offense. Monta feels the need to be the only piece sometimes. He is a huge piece to the offense as of now, bigger than Terry, and Carlisle encourages him to always have the ball in his hands. And I dont see Monta ever being willing to come off the bench anytime soon. But I do remember those complaints when Terry first came over. My thing is we've seen this everywhere Monta has been, so he'll be much harder to rein in than Terry was.

[FreshJive]

If there is any truth to what McMahon said on his Grantland interview, then the Mavs absolutely cannot re-sign Monta. There will not be an amount that will be reasonable from the team's standpoint, and also keep Monta happy. If the Parsons friction is true, then he is also damaging the chances that they will see a reasonable return on their investment in Parsons.

[tsar]

Originally Posted by FreshJive

If there is any truth to what McMahon said on his Grantland interview, then the Mavs absolutely cannot re-sign Monta. There will not be an amount that will be reasonable from the team's standpoint, and also keep Monta happy. If the Parsons friction is true, then he is also damaging the chances that they will see a reasonable return on their investment in Parsons.

Is there a summary of the interview somewhere? Transcript maybe?

If you have a link to the audio could you provide it? I saw it on my twitter feed the other day but can't seem to find it anymore.

Thanks in advance!

[FreshJive]

Tsar. This is from a mavsluvr a poster on Fish's site. I haven't listened to it yet to verify the accuracy.




Grantland’s NBA After Dark podcast had a segment on the Mavs.



Tim McMahon was the phone-in guest. Tim said that his reporting is based on conversations with several people in the Mavs organization, and that the sources reach a high organizational level.




How confident are you that the Mavs’ chemistry issues are real?



McMahon: No one wants to hear that the Mavericks have locker room issues. Some people are accusing me of sensationalizing this, but believe me, there is no way that I report that Monta’s moodiness is causing problems without running that way high up the flagpole with several sources within the Mavs’ organization.

And if Rick Carlisle has to refer to the locker room publicly, and say he’s not going to air what he believes to be the issues, and direct the press to the players for answers, how much more proof that there is a problem do you need?




Things haven’t seemed to work out on or off the court since the Rondo trade.



McMahon: We need to be careful about assuming that the off-court issues are a result of the Rondo trade. That isn’t necessarily the case. And we also have to be careful just comparing on-court performance pre- and post- Rondo. The Mavs’ schedule was very soft in the early part of the season. And they weren’t going anywhere with Jameer Nelson. Something had to be done.




What are some of the off-court issues?



McMahon: The Rondo-Carlisle relationship still isn’t perfect. Rondo wasn’t very happy about being benched at the end of the game against the Spurs, for example. But Monta’s moodiness is a much bigger problem.



An example is Monta’s attitude toward injuries. He hurt his hip in a game against the Clippers. The next night, Carlisle rested most of the starters against Denver. They tried to get Monta to rest, but he refused. He played terribly, and Carlisle pulled him in the third quarter. He pouted for two or three weeks over being pulled. Not only that, but he refused to get treatment on the hip, and refused to sit out and rest to give it a chance to get better. He insisted on playing, even though he was obviously impaired. The fact that Carlisle was afraid to simply tell him that he had to get treatment and rest indicates just how much the organization is walking on eggshells around Monta. It is very frustrating for the Mavs organization.




How is the locker room, aside from Monta?



It’s not great. Ten or eleven guys are going to be free agents next summer, and most of them are way more worried about their numbers and their next contracts than they are about contributing to the team. It’s definitely not the one-for-all atmosphere that existed in the older days.




Wouldn’t Carlisle rather have a core group, instead of cycling through a whole new group of guys each season?



McMahon: Carlisle would much rather have a core. So would Mark and Donnie. But they just haven’t been able to assemble the right group. Right after the championship, they were very confident that they were going to get Dwight Howard and/or Chris Paul right after the lockout year. Then Paul got traded to the Clippers, and Howard opted in to his contract with Orlando, and that plan fell apart. Their idea after the championship has been that they were going to get some more elite players to take the torch from Dirk, and they have tried, but it just hasn’t happened.




Why can’t they get an elite free agent?



McMahon: I honestly don’t think that it’s a case that they can’t, just that they haven’t. Not many have been available, the Mavs were close runners-up in some situations, and the fact that they haven’t yet won the chase has been mostly due to individual circumstances. The Mavs are highly thought of around the league by players and agents, but a lot of factors go into a free agent’s decision that aren’t necessarily negatives about the Mavs.




Do Rondo and Monta get along?



They’re a bad on-court fit, but off the court, Rondo is really the only guy in the organization that Monta is close to. They’re good friends.




Monta originally seemed so happy.



McMahon: Originally, he was thrilled to escape Milwaukee. They had offered him $12M, and he thought that he could get that much somewhere else where he could win. Then, when he went out on the open market, there was just no interest. The Mavs’ initial offer was one year at $6M. That’s what they initially thought he was worth. If Devin Harris hadn’t had a toe problem, they wouldn’t have signed him at all.



But Monta was initially very excited about playing with Dirk and for Carlisle. He wanted to build up his value. The offense was revamped totally around him, and Dirk was delighted to take a second banana role at his age.



Then, last summer, along came Chandler Parsons, who got three years and $46M. Several people in the organization believe that Monta has a serious problem with Parsons, and that it stems from jealousy over the contract. Monta has been slow to accept Parsons, and there has been friction behind the scenes. Monta barks at Parsons. Parsons is very anxious to make it work – you may have noticed him making a point of hugging Monta on the court.




How far do the Mavs go this year?



McMahon: I think that if they got out of the first round, most fans would be happy with that.



Grantland crew: Anything can always happen, but it’s pretty hard to imagine that they will get out of the first round. But maybe it’s a situation a little bit like the Lakers – they have a beloved aging star who will finish his career there. They probably won’t win another title, but as long as they’re competitive, the fans will still enjoy the team. They’re a fun watch.




Will Monta be a Mav next year?



McMahon: At this point, it’s almost a toss-up. We’ll have to see how the rest of the season and the playoffs go. If the Mavs want to keep him, they will have to pay him as much as they’re paying Parsons. And that will be a big pill to swallow, for a 30-year-old one-dimensional player who relies almost entirely on explosiveness and can be a major pain in the butt. They’ll have to weigh how much they think he can contribute on the court, and whether he is worth the headaches off the court.

[Underdog]

^If 100% true, then this paints a very dreary picture of our beloved Mavericks.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

If Monta was so peeved about Parsons contract, then why did he play great for the first three months? He could have mailed it in and requested a trade. I just don't know if I buy that.

Now, his stubbornness playing through injury is definitely an issue. He should have rested. But love it or hate it that's Monta for you. He's the competitive type that doesn't want anything to keep him off the court.

[Kante]

Meh, like Devin said, why now?

The injury thing is bothering me, rest, heal and then go all out. No one cares about the streak...

[FreshJive]

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/grantla...er?id=12558454

Tsar, audio link.

[FreshJive]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

If Monta was so peeved about Parsons contract, then why did he play great for the first three months? He could have mailed it in and requested a trade. I just don't know if I buy that.

Now, his stubbornness playing through injury is definitely an issue. He should have rested. But love it or hate it that's Monta for you. He's the competitive type that doesn't want anything to keep him off the court.

I don't think Monta is the mail it in type. I think it is less likely that McMahon would make this stuff up, than Monta's early season effort being indicative of anything.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by FreshJive

I don't think Monta is the mail it in type. I think it is less likely that McMahon would make this stuff up, than Monta's early season effort being indicative of anything.

Well three months isn't just "early season." And it certainly is indicative of something. I can understand Monta being a little concerned that Parsons is making almost twice as much as him but not having as good of a season up until Monta's hip injury. I don't think he is making it up per se, but I also think there is plenty of grey area in the "Monta doesn't like Parsons" realm of the conversation. I know that Monta doesn't like Tim...that much is for sure. And hey, if Monta plays great from here out, then kudos for Tim lighting a fire in him with all of this.

[Kante]

Ellis said in his last postgame interview twice or more times "next question" and i read somewhere that it was directed to McMahon.

[Bryan_Wilson]

Monta's early season could just be something simple like going out there and showing you are worth the money in a contract year type situation. His hip injury came about the same time as Dirk being chosen as All Star replacement I think, so the 2-3 weeks of pouting could be from him getting snubbed from all star despite his good play at the end of games early on and not just for being benched for a bad performance.

I have reservations about the veracity of this simply because of guys like TC, Dirk, RC, and Rondo. If there was an issue of any sort of significance regarding things like money, during a push for playoffs and seeding, or anything that would impact a locker room, they don't seem like the types to just let it fester. RC called parsons fat for putting on weight to play some PF in off season, he benched rondo for ignoring a play call. He benched parsons for a missed assignment on Defense. I don't see him just shrugging his arms at alleged issues monta is causing in a locker room.

I'm not saying there isn't any truth but I think he is overstating some off handed remarks or speculation made from within the organization. RC also seems to be rather short with Tim in interviews these days. If this is 100% true though then we have more than just a Monta problem we have a culture problem.

[FreshJive]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Well three months isn't just "early season." And it certainly is indicative of something. I can understand Monta being a little concerned that Parsons is making almost twice as much as him but not having as good of a season up until Monta's hip injury. I don't think he is making it up per se, but I also think there is plenty of grey area in the "Monta doesn't like Parsons" realm of the conversation. I know that Monta doesn't like Tim...that much is for sure. And hey, if Monta plays great from here out, then kudos for Tim lighting a fire in him with all of this.

I agree about the grey area. It's also possible that his sources in the organization are not the biggest Monta fans, and it is coloring their read of the situation. That's why I prefaced my statement with "if true." I do think the Mavs are going to get a lot out of Monta for the rest of the season if he is healthy.

[Thebo]

Originally Posted by rimrocker

Terry was a starter quality player in his prime and took on a backup role.
And trading Felton this year vs trading next year (expiring) is completely different. And the point isn't to replace Ellis with an all-star but with someone who would be a better fit...much like Stevenson on our championship team.
Rondo, Parsons, and Dirk would probably be much better...addition by subtraction.

It's a huge difference settling into backup role when you have multi-year contract than taking it in your last year.

After the current CBA was implemented, expiring contracts have held little to no value. I even remember an article mentioning it. Besides, with cap going up by such a huge margin, there's no reason to take on Felton's little salary. By making that trade you would get back an equal salary worth around 5,5M - perhaps you could name a few players you'd like to see traded for and who would be realistic options - within that salary number.

But I have to admit that Monta's moodiness is something to be dealt with. Perhaps Mavs went wrong by building offense around him when they got him in free agency. Should've shown tougher love and less freedom.

Originally Posted by FreshJive

McMahon: And we also have to be careful just comparing on-court performance pre- and post- Rondo. The Mavs’ schedule was very soft in the early part of the season. And they weren’t going anywhere with Jameer Nelson. Something had to be done.

So, is MacMahon admitting that he was trolling earlier this year when he absolutely hated the Rondo trade and mostly noted how much worse the offense had gotten? It very much looks like he is following the trends of this board by first wanting Rondo out and now wanting Ellis out. What's next? Trade Parsons for 3 and D guy, resign Aminu for 4 yr/20 mil starter position and everyone else, letting Ellis to come off the bench?

Current situation actually makes you wonder why Mavs didn't experiment with Ellis for Afflalo trade if they knew about locker room problems with Monta. Surely Nuggets would've accepted that deal and I wouldn't have minded it also.

I still think the bigger issue about this is how Mavs can convince Rondo to stay? And how much are the Mavs willing to offer/match for him? I do feel that Rondo would go for the highest bidder so the issue about how much is too much needs to be considered also.

Having Ellis without Rondo or Patrick Beverley would in my eyes be as good as not having Ellis, too. Mavs may very well end up in an situation where they have to let both go in the hopes to rebuild as fast as possible. I do believe that Parsons could become nice number 1 option for the future and having Beverley in the team would keep Mavs in the playoffs' hunt.

[FreshJive]

It will be tough if everything McMahon says happens to be true, and the Mavs somehow pull off a first round upset behind strong play from Monta.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Thebo

So, is MacMahon admitting that he was trolling earlier this year when he absolutely hated the Rondo trade and mostly noted how much worse the offense had gotten? It very much looks like he is following the trends of this board by first wanting Rondo out and now wanting Ellis out.

You might be closer to the truth than you think... There are a few well-repected members of this forum who seem to have caught his ear on Twitter... And obviously the conversation flows in both directions, so there's a bit of a feedback loop between D-M and TMac.

[DirkMFFL]

Please don't post anything from Mike Fisher website. That site is a cancer. I like this forum since people are more calm and don't get into fights just cause one person doesn't agree with the other.

[Thebo]

Originally Posted by DirkMFFL

Please don't post anything from Mike Fisher website. That site is a cancer. I like this forum since people are more calm and don't get into fights just cause one person doesn't agree with the other.

He only posted a transcript which was accurate - after I had read the quote I also found time to listen to the podcast. There were some bits and pieces left out but nothing of value.

[DGM]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

If Monta was so peeved about Parsons contract, then why did he play great for the first three months? He could have mailed it in and requested a trade. I just don't know if I buy that.

Now, his stubbornness playing through injury is definitely an issue. He should have rested. But love it or hate it that's Monta for you. He's the competitive type that doesn't want anything to keep him off the court.

That's on Rick. He's the coach and he knows what's best for the team. We could all see that Monta needed some days off. Rick has to put his foot down. A healthy Monta is a star player. Monta slowed by injury is average at best.