The Mavericks Report

[#1MavsFan]

The Mavericks Report
by "Maven" Dawn Santoianni
HOOPSWORLD.com
Aug 25, 2002, 1:22pm
The calendar says late August, the heat is sweltering in Dallas, it is another full two months before the start of the NBA season and the summer doldrums are here. But the Mavericks continue to grab headlines, despite another week waiting on Rashard Lewis to end his game of chicken with the Sonics. There’s a Dream to Dallas offer, the continuation of the bizarre Wang Zhizhi saga, an old rumor that was regurgitated as breaking news, rumors of Kemp sightings, and the upcoming World Championships featuring 3 Dallas players. Not bad for a summer with so little happening in the free agent market.

The Mavericks may be seeing through Rashard’s “show me the respect” façade, and have started talks with Popeye Jones. Long-time Dallas fans fondly remember Popeye as one of the hardest working players in basketball, and for what he lacks in hops and athleticism, he makes up for in attitude and hustle. And while Popeye would be a nice addition, he is not a player that is going to transform the Mavericks into title contenders. The question is would Alonzo Mourning?

Even though the Mavericks expressed interest over a month ago in acquiring Zo from the Heat, apparently a slow news day prompted the big sports media mogul to report the stale trade talks. Of course, little investigation or thought went into the reporting, otherwise you would have heard with Zo making $20.6 million this coming year, the only way the Mavericks could make a trade work under cap rules is to package Van Exel with two other players. Tariq Abdul-Wahad, Shawn Bradley and Van Exel would work cap-wise, but while the Heat need a point guard, they are trying to cut large contracts, not carry someone else’s heavy baggage. And even if the Mavericks could lure the Heat into parting with their franchise player with an offer of LaFrentz and Van Exel plus luggage, since LaFrentz is a base year compensation player, the only way a trade works is if they included another long contract. Forget trying to make it work with Wang Zhizhi or Eduardo Najera either. Both would also be base year compensation (BYC) players in any sign and trade, causing Dallas to give up more than they are getting back. In fact, the only way it works both cap-wise and with an offer Miami would accept is to package Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel. Yeah, right. And so, you get to the meat of it: Mark Cuban inquired whether Zo could be had for Van Exel, Abdul-Wahad and Bradley, Miami says “get real”, Miami says how about Finley and Van Exel, Mark says “get real.” End of story, end of fantasy. Of course, there’s always the possibility the Mavericks could try and get a third team involved, but other than the Big 4 and Van Exel, who do the Mavs have of interest? Wang and Najera. Darn, that BYC rule again.

There is one trade with Miami that works, though. Brian Grant for Nick Van Exel straight up. Salaries are a match, the Heat get a point guard, the Mavs get a rebounding big man. Then again, Grant is coming off a bad year and posted numbers considerably lower than Kurt Thomas. The Mavs and Knicks never did pull the trigger on that deal (with New York likely ready to do it) so there is no reason to think the Mavericks are parting with Van Exel except for a big name.

The Wang Zhizhi situation continues to get weirder. After flying into Oakland to meet up with his Chinese teammates and coaches at the behest of a publicized threat by the Chinese government, Wang heads back to Los Angeles on his own. What happened during those meetings between Wang and the team are unclear, although a CBA official was present. I can only think that since Wang did not stay with the team, his involvement has not yet been secured. With the World Championships only days away, the chances of Wang’s participation are looking dimmer and dimmer. Unless Wang gets back into the good graces of his government, it is unlikely he remains a Maverick. The kid has tremendous potential, but it probably won’t be realized in Dallas. Toronto reportedly offered up the Dream and Mamadou N'Djaye to Dallas for Wang Zhizhi and filler. While some might argue that rather than letting Wang walk, Dallas should get something in return via sign-and-trade, the reality is the Mavericks don’t need to give away a roster spot to a player who will probably remain on the IR the entire season. It also seems that the Mavericks management is intent on not involving themselves in Wang’s business unless the issues with his government are resolved.

If you’re like me, you’re wondering what Shawn Kemp could possibly offer the Mavericks. He may be available, but you don’t dance with the ugly girl just because she’s standing there. Kemp might have been a dominating player once, but that was years ago, before substance abuse and weight gain turned him into a joke. I don’t care if he’s been working out. There are too many Dairy Queens in the Dallas area. Memo to Mark: JUST SAY NO.