Another Season of Disrespect...It Does Not Have to End This Way

[G-Man]

Dear Mr. Cuban

Your Dallas Mavs are off to what is clearly a remarkable season, but no one who's zip code doesn't start with 75 even notices. The Mavs have swept Miami and Boston, and beaten the Lakers the only game they've played. Last week they held national media favorite Amare Stoudemire scoreless in the 2nd half of their showdown with the resurgent Knicks. I check out ESPN's Daily Dime and what do I see? Of the 10 articles there, 4 are about Lebron, and so is the video. Not even a mention of the Mavs. Two nights later, they beat Boston, the team leading the East... what do we see on the Weekend Dime? Nada. It takes a SuperBowl vacation. Eight straight wins after losing Caron Butler? It gets us crickets from the national press.

Hollinger ranks the Mavs 9th, even though they have played the toughest schedule. Not that the NBA did the Mavs any favors. Is it just coincidence that the teams with the weakest schedules are, from the bottom up, Atlanta, Lakers, Chicago, Miami and Boston... the teams a cynic would say the NBA most wants to get out to a hot start?

With so little national press, maybe only Mavs fans know the only reason the Mavs don't have the league's best record is that they lost their 2nd strongest scorer for the entire season, and the Uber-man for 8 games.

Is it because of the lack of playoff success, or the year the Mavs blew it in the finals? Probably both. And its likely to be this way until they win a championship.

So please, Mr Cuban. Make that big trade. Replace Caron with a legitimate big time scorer, no matter what it costs. This team is too close to lose in another 1st round because the opponent figures out what the Spurs know...all they have to do to win is shut down Jet. I don't care how many years Steven Jackson has left on his huge contract, or what it takes to rent Melo. Kevin Martin or Iggy would do too. Standing pat and hoping that Peja and/or Roddy are healthy and enough risks wasting another one of Dirks few remaining MVP quality years.

This is about more than winning a championship. Its the only way to get our respect back. Win the big one, and the financial rewards will more than foot the bill. Mark, you've done everything in your power so far to get us this far, and we love you for it. This is not a time to be penny smart and pound foolish. Its a time to roll the dice and invest in the future. Dirk and Jet and Tyson are clearly giving it their all. (I, too, have done my part by buying a season ticket package for 20 years.) So please dig deep and give us that 2nd scoring option that demands a double team. Just think how great it could be, celebrating on Miami's home court. The players, the fans, and you, Mr Cuban, deserve no less.

[xrobx]

Dear Mr. G-Man

We love our boys in blue.

Sincerely yours,
Mark Cuban

[41mvp]

great post G-Man!!!

[She_Growls]

I like your post G-Man! Cuban owes Dirk and he needs to make it happen. I say rent Melo..

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by She_Growls

I like your post G-Man! Cuban owes Dirk and he needs to make it happen. I say rent Melo..

Hell no! You don't slap that f ing idiot in the middle of this. One of my main reasons against that as far as on the court is, Melo doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself. He wants to be in New York so when the going gets tough and it's time to fight out of a hole in the playoffs or when your back is against the wall, you don't want a guy that is a rental to be locking arms with you. A guy that is most likely not even remotely interested in being back here no matter what he is offered. I just can't see him giving everything he has for the cause.

[FINtastic]

I have to say that I disagree with the OP entirely. You don't get anywhere by making bad trades just to make a trade. The Mavs need to continue to be in opportunistic trade mode, and if nothing comes along that upgrades our team for a reasonable price then we should be willing to sit pretty. Personally, I think all the pieces are currently in place to make a title run; it's up to Carlisle to figure out how to make them fit together.

[SMC0007]

We'll if you can replace Caron and not involve Rod then you have to do that to fill his void in case Jet, JJB and Marions production falls off a bit in the playoffs.

[41mvp]

Sorry for me question but who know what's mean ''Höhn''?

[92bDad]

Can the Mavs make a Cliff Lee type of trade?

In other words, get a bonafide superstar for chump change...A Star that is willing to give it his all for the Mavs, even on a rental basis?

Is there such a thing in the NBA? I know we keep hearing about Melo...but would he be willing to give it his all??? Is there anyone else possibly available that has some skins on the wall and proven he can perform in the Post Season?

Oh and while the Mavs are at it...can they also continue to do what the Rangers did, which was to stay off the radar until everyone looked up and realized that they were in the Championship round...I sure would like to see the Mavs be the SURPRISE team that makes it and ultimately WINS the Championship!!!

[LSMF]

Originally Posted by G-Man

Dear Mr. Cuban

Your Dallas Mavs are off to what is clearly a remarkable season, but no one who's zip code doesn't start with 75 even notices. The Mavs have swept Miami and Boston, and beaten the Lakers the only game they've played. Last week they held national media favorite Amare Stoudemire scoreless in the 2nd half of their showdown with the resurgent Knicks. I check out ESPN's Daily Dime and what do I see? Of the 10 articles there, 4 are about Lebron, and so is the video. Not even a mention of the Mavs. Two nights later, they beat Boston, the team leading the East... what do we see on the Weekend Dime? Nada. It takes a SuperBowl vacation. Eight straight wins after losing Caron Butler? It gets us crickets from the national press.

Hollinger ranks the Mavs 9th, even though they have played the toughest schedule. Not that the NBA did the Mavs any favors. Is it just coincidence that the teams with the weakest schedules are, from the bottom up, Atlanta, Lakers, Chicago, Miami and Boston... the teams a cynic would say the NBA most wants to get out to a hot start?

With so little national press, maybe only Mavs fans know the only reason the Mavs don't have the league's best record is that they lost their 2nd strongest scorer for the entire season, and the Uber-man for 8 games.

Is it because of the lack of playoff success, or the year the Mavs blew it in the finals? Probably both. And its likely to be this way until they win a championship.

So please, Mr Cuban. Make that big trade. Replace Caron with a legitimate big time scorer, no matter what it costs. This team is too close to lose in another 1st round because the opponent figures out what the Spurs know...all they have to do to win is shut down Jet. I don't care how many years Steven Jackson has left on his huge contract, or what it takes to rent Melo. Kevin Martin or Iggy would do too. Standing pat and hoping that Peja and/or Roddy are healthy and enough risks wasting another one of Dirks few remaining MVP quality years.

This is about more than winning a championship. Its the only way to get our respect back. Win the big one, and the financial rewards will more than foot the bill. Mark, you've done everything in your power so far to get us this far, and we love you for it. This is not a time to be penny smart and pound foolish. Its a time to roll the dice and invest in the future. Dirk and Jet and Tyson are clearly giving it their all. (I, too, have done my part by buying a season ticket package for 20 years.) So please dig deep and give us that 2nd scoring option that demands a double team. Just think how great it could be, celebrating on Miami's home court. The players, the fans, and you, Mr Cuban, deserve no less.

G-Man this is a great post, I really wish somehow we could get Cubes to read this. Our team we have now is a different group from years past, the chemistry is there, the defense is there, and the toughness is there. We have players on this team that want to win that elusive ring, because they know their time is running out. I know they're gunna give it their all in the playoffs, but the West is just too tough for us not to have that second scorer. If we could get a good trade for Prince, Iggy, Jackson or someone who could at least take some pressure of Dirk then Cubes/Donnie should take it.

[Ninkobei]

I say keep Caron. He's a good dude and seems to get along well with everyone. Once Roddy/Peja get in the rotation we can finally get rid of Cardinal the starter.

It is bad business to trade someone just because he got injured. It makes everyone else think they could be just as expendable.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Ninkobei

It is bad business to trade someone just because he got injured. It makes everyone else think they could be just as expendable.

He has an expiring contract - we can sign him again this summer.

And any NBA player who doesn't already know they're expendable in this business is completely naive.

[deamon]

Agree with G-Man.
No big trade -> No championship

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by FINtastic

I have to say that I disagree with the OP entirely. You don't get anywhere by making bad trades just to make a trade. The Mavs need to continue to be in opportunistic trade mode, and if nothing comes along that upgrades our team for a reasonable price then we should be willing to sit pretty. Personally, I think all the pieces are currently in place to make a title run; it's up to Carlisle to figure out how to make them fit together.

Co-sign (mostly).

[BGMaverick9]

Mavs Building Momentum in Time For Run in the West

As we mentioned here, the Mavs have come a long way within the span of two-to-three weeks. In six games, the All-Star break will arrive and there will be just under 30 games left in the regular season. The marathon that is the regular season will turn the corner heading into the home stretch. Dallas is in the midst of an eight game winning streak, the longest active streak in the NBA. At the 50-game mark of the season, Dallas find themselves a solid 20 games above .500 (35-15). Coach Rick Carlisle has mentioned that the team is "building momentum" and "making strides." They have made those strides on both ends of the floor. Over the last eight games, the offense has really found its groove by averaging 103.6 points per game. It does not hurt to have a healthy Dirk Nowitzki back in the mix as well.

The Mavericks have had to endure their ups and downs, but the team knows what the elixir is to fix their woes, playing tough defense. "At the beginning of the season, we were on a roll and communicating out there," center Tyson Chandler said. "In training camp, there was such an emphasis on defense. We were out there, we were executing and this team has always had firepower on the offensive end. With the injuries, we got away from that. We started focusing too much on offense and how we could make up for Caron and Dirk being out. Not only could we not make up for the offense, but we stopped on the defensive end. Now that we've got guys back healthy, we're starting to come back to our roots and focus on defense." The intensity has gone up and the results are backing that up. During their winning streak, the Mavericks are allowing 95.7 points per game.

more at http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2011/2/...un-in-the-west

[dude1394]

I liked the post gman. I'm not entirely sire that the folks you mentioned will do the job but I do hope cubes is looking short term today as much as possible. So trading carom, roddy, wood, draft picks get you who? Or doesn't have to be a decent deal as well. To what lengths? Very interesting position.

Of course gman can always mail this straight to cubes. His track record says that if he thinks a trade will get us there he'll make it.

[jthig32]

Saying this team can't make it out of the first round because previous teams haven't made it out of the first round is lazy.

I'm all for a trade under the right circumstances, but I'm not looking to sell the farm for just anything. Acquiring Steven Jackson or Iggy and their bloated salaries could put several years of Dirk's prime at risk, as opposed to just this year.

If anything, Dirk's play this season, and the revelation of Tyson Chandler, should have people readjusting their view of our window. It's legitimately open for several more years. You can't blindly hinder yourself moving forward to marginally increase your chances this year.

[G-Man]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Hell no! You don't slap that f ing idiot Carmelo, in the middle of this. One of my main reasons against that as far as on the court is, Melo doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself. He wants to be in New York so when the going gets tough and it's time to fight out of a hole in the playoffs or when your back is against the wall, you don't want a guy that is a rental to be locking arms with you.

I see your point, but I think any superstar quality player would love to be the one who sticks it to the Superfriends...even one as selfish as Anthony. He's never been my favorite, but talent-wise he is exactly what we need. I wouldn't give up Roddy for a rental, but if he's willing to come here and make a run at a ring, I can't see how it would hurt. He gets Butler's minutes, so he doesn't upset anything in the rotation. Our bench would be killer, Jet would be wide open, Roddy would have room and time to grow.

Its a chance I'd be wiling to take, and an opportunity Melo would be leaping towards, if he was smart.

[BGMaverick9]

Originally Posted by G-Man

I see your point, but I think any superstar quality player would love to be the one who sticks it to the Superfriends...even one as selfish as Anthony. He's never been my favorite, but talent-wise he is exactly what we need. I wouldn't give up Roddy for a rental, but if he's willing to come here and make a run at a ring, I can't see how it would hurt. He gets Butler's minutes, so he doesn't upset anything in the rotation. Our bench would be killer, Jet would be wide open, Roddy would have room and time to grow.

Its a chance I'd be wiling to take, and an opportunity Melo would be leaping towards, if he was smart.

Roddy won't be here if the Mavs get Melo. There is no way the Mavs find a deal involving Melo that involves Roddy staying in Dallas.

I'm not sure I see any specific reason other than pure competitive nature for a player to want to stick it to the Heat. As far as I understand, they're all a group of friends (Wade, Anthony, LeBron, Paul, Bosh etc etc.).

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by jthig32

Saying this team can't make it out of the first round because previous teams haven't made it out of the first round is lazy.

I'm all for a trade under the right circumstances, but I'm not looking to sell the farm for just anything. Acquiring Steven Jackson or Iggy and their bloated salaries could put several years of Dirk's prime at risk, as opposed to just this year.

If anything, Dirk's play this season, and the revelation of Tyson Chandler, should have people readjusting their view of our window. It's legitimately open for several more years. You can't blindly hinder yourself moving forward to marginally increase your chances this year.

Absolutely. Good post in general. Chandler has dramatically changed this team in so many ways. The athleticism closely followed by the attitude helps out so much.

I have been interested in getting Jax here but after a close up of last nights bitchfest he put on (granted some of it may have been legit), I'm now against it. There's a delicate balance to maintain on a team between attitude, patience, grinding thru the BS calls etc. and it does matter. Imo, Chandler has done a great job in the last two games of holding back and continuing to fight especially mentally. We need those types of guys, guys who are not above the influence of Kidd, Dirk and RC.

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by G-Man

I see your point, but I think any superstar quality player would love to be the one who sticks it to the Superfriends...even one as selfish as Anthony. He's never been my favorite, but talent-wise he is exactly what we need. I wouldn't give up Roddy for a rental, but if he's willing to come here and make a run at a ring, I can't see how it would hurt. He gets Butler's minutes, so he doesn't upset anything in the rotation. Our bench would be killer, Jet would be wide open, Roddy would have room and time to grow.

Its a chance I'd be wiling to take, and an opportunity Melo would be leaping towards, if he was smart.

You're not even getting into the Melo discussion without Roddy.

[BGMaverick9]

At this point, you might as well look at guys in the $3-4 million range in terms of targets. I still think Prince is likely target of a player they'd like to acquire using Butler's deal. If they can't go that route, they'll look at the exception route. If THAT doesn't work, they'll look at the buyouts.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by G-Man

I see your point, but I think any superstar quality player would love to be the one who sticks it to the Superfriends...even one as selfish as Anthony. He's never been my favorite, but talent-wise he is exactly what we need. I wouldn't give up Roddy for a rental, but if he's willing to come here and make a run at a ring, I can't see how it would hurt. He gets Butler's minutes, so he doesn't upset anything in the rotation. Our bench would be killer, Jet would be wide open, Roddy would have room and time to grow.

Its a chance I'd be wiling to take, and an opportunity Melo would be leaping towards, if he was smart.

Yeah thing is tho, I don't think he is smart .

I want to win really bad, but Melo just doesn't do it for me. I'm afraid it tarnishes Dirks legacy if he were to win it all with Melo here. I would hate to win it all and then have every moron in the world saying "Well look Melo went and won Dallas a ring." A f-ing renta player that doesn't want to be here. I'd nearly rather expire Dirks window trying to win one where there is no question that he could have done it all along if he had legit *help* like Chandler. Ya know, pieces that fit around Dirk and people that want to be around our guys and with our team for years to come.

[OSUmavsfan]

Originally Posted by BGMaverick9

At this point, you might as well look at guys in the $3-4 million range in terms of targets. I still think Prince is likely target of a player they'd like to acquire using Butler's deal. If they can't go that route, they'll look at the exception route. If THAT doesn't work, they'll look at the buyouts.

The most recent Melo rumor has Minny sending Brewer to the Nuggets. I wouldn't mind trying to use our exception and a first rounder to try to get Brewer as part of the trade. The Nuggets may consider it as it would save them from paying Brewer, who may leave after this season, and they could end up with 3 or 4 firsts overall.

[Axilla]

a month ago, i might have been more inclined to agree, but at this point the *currently constructed* Mavericks have proven that they can A) spread the offense around B) rebound C) play team defense D) show aggression E) take care of the ball F) outscore opponents.

this has a lot to do with a team mentality and also individual assertion as both aspects have evolved. (See zone-defense as well as JJ's emergence as a reliable figure)

We've shown that we can beat anybody who thinks they are good, home or away.

I'd wait to see what roddy/Peja bring to the table before making a big move

[mavs777]

Other than your B I agree

[rmacomic]

And what happens when we sell the farm for a legit second star like Anthony and we still don't win a title? Will all those screaming for Cuban to make a move still support him or find another way to blame the MBT for not doing enough? I for one like this team, moreso than any in recent years. I would like to give them the chance to see what they can do this year before blowing up half the roster for a guy who may or may not put us over the top. Where would the Lakers be if they had decided to ship Gasol off after their finals loss to Boston? They could have gotten any number of guys that were being hyped that summer. Instead they let that group stick together, and it has paid off for them. In my opinion one of the biggest problems this team has had is a lack of cohesiveness.

[Axilla]

Originally Posted by mavs777

Other than your B I agree

during our win streak

Mavs rebounds - Opponent rebounds

vs NJ: 39-39
vs LAC: 30-34
vs HOU: 40-42
vs ATL: 41-38
vs WAS: 50-45
vs NYK: 54-34
vs BOS: 33-34
vs CHA: 44-40

i think this suggests that the mavs have improved greatly in that particular area--only being outrebounded 3 times by slim margins

[mavs777]

Originally Posted by Axilla

during our win streak

Mavs rebounds - Opponent rebounds

vs NJ: 39-39
vs LAC: 30-34
vs HOU: 40-42
vs ATL: 41-38
vs WAS: 50-45
vs NYK: 54-34
vs BOS: 33-34
vs CHA: 44-40

i think this suggests that the mavs have improved greatly in that particular area--only being outrebounded 3 times by slim margins

Those numbers only show so much, we have been shooting great so that leaves a lot less defensive rebounds out there for the opponent, I wonder our rebounding % during those games, I still do think our rebounding is average, and we should try to get a backup 4 that can really rebound

[Lor20]

Originally Posted by mavs777

Those numbers only show so much, we have been shooting great so that leaves a lot less defensive rebounds out there for the opponent, I wonder our rebounding % during those games, I still do think our rebounding is average, and we should try to get a backup 4 that can really rebound

dirk is clearly not 100% yet. whenever he plays hurt you can see it in his rebounding stats (just look up any of the last few seasons... whenever he has a bunch of games iwth low rebounding he had ankle sprains)

once he is back to 100% i expect him to be back to his 8ish average.


on the whole topic.... i dont think im for an all in to win it this year move even though kidd is clearly starting to run out of gas and marion and terry are on the decline as well.

a trade that has both a positive impact this season as well as perspective... i'm all for it.... but we are 33-8 (or something) when dirk and tyson are playing.... you dont blow that up mid season.

[spreedom]

Not saying that it's not possible, but the odds of winning a championship after making a huge in-season trade are ridiculously low. I'm all for trying to improve the team this offseason via free agency or trades, but let's not be delusional and think that Rasheed Wallace to Detroit is the rule. It's the extreme exception and shouldn't be used as a benchmark for successful team management.

We're playing pretty great ball since Dirk's returned and started to get his legs back, and I think we should ride it out unless we're talking a relatively minor trade with one of our exceptions or a smaller expiring contract.

[chumdawg]

Originally Posted by spreedom

Not saying that it's not possible, but the odds of winning a championship after making a huge in-season trade are ridiculously low.

How would you know? You don't have much of a sample size, and on top of that you have a *lot* of examples of teams who didn't make a move and then didn't win anything.

Great post, G-Man. Love the spirit!

[Dirkadirkastan]

G-Man, I love the first half of your post, but I found the whole part about a lack of media respect necessitating a trade to be a bit of a non-sequitur. The forum is split down the middle on whether the Mavs could/should make one type of trade or another, but trades and contender status have nothing to do with the media. So the fact your entire post was merely setting up a desperate and unspecific trade request really took the air out of the balloon.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

How would you know? You don't have much of a sample size, and on top of that you have a *lot* of examples of teams who didn't make a move and then didn't win anything.

Clyde Drexler to Houston and Rasheed Wallace to Detroit.

Those are the only significant trade deadline moves that have ever resulted in rings.

[chumdawg]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Clyde Drexler to Houston and Rasheed Wallace to Detroit.

Those are the only significant trade deadline moves that have ever resulted in rings.

Which means...what, do you think?

[grndmstr_c]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

Which means...what, do you think?

That the right trade can be the difference in a championship run, but finding the right trade is extremely difficult.

[Thomas86]

I agree with the first part of G-Man post but I'm not so sure about the other part, I still think the Mavs need to make a trade but not a big like last season...I think a guy like Tayshaun Prince would fit right in and SJax had his audition and didn't do jack with it.

I still don't trust Terry and Kidd in the playoffs because the Spurs showed in the playoffs that Terry and Kidd can be game planned for, I'm all for the Mavs making a trade I just don't the Mavs to make a big trade that might hurt the team chemistry in the long run like last season.

[chumdawg]

Originally Posted by grndmstr_c

That the right trade can be the difference in a championship run, but finding the right trade is extremely difficult.

Each year 16 teams qualify for the tournament, and 15 of them fail to win. Can any conclusions be drawn from that?

[grndmstr_c]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

Each year 16 teams qualify for the tournament, and 15 of them fail to win. Can any conclusions be drawn from that?

That the rules specify that 16 teams make the playoffs and only one can win the championship, I should think. Not a particularly difficult or enlightening thought exercise, that one. Or am I missing something?

[dirno2000]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Clyde Drexler to Houston and Rasheed Wallace to Detroit.

Those are the only significant trade deadline moves that have ever resulted in rings.

I would add Mychal Thompson to the Lakers in 87' and Bison Dele to the Bulls in 97'. PJ Brown was a role player but he was huge for the Celtics in 08'.

If you lower the bar a bit there are deals like Jackson/Harrington for Murphy/Dunlevy that didn't lead to championships but made teams better.

Not trying to argue for or against a deal just adding to the list. Hard to say that we NEED to make a trade. We just need to be opportunistic. If the right deal is there pull the trigger.