Why not Stock up for the playoffs?

[uberfan]

In addition to considering Williams, why not another perimeter defender?

There was a blurb in one of the NY papers today that Shandon Anderson was offered for TAW. I don't know if that was true or not, but why wouldn't Mavs want to do it? Anderson is a good perimeter defender and has decent though not great offense.

Dallas trades: Tariq Abdul-Wahad ( ppg, rpg, apg in minutes)
Dallas receives: SF Shandon Anderson (7.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.2 apg in 23.3 minutes)
Change in team outlook: +7.7 ppg, +2.6 rpg, and +1.2 apg.

New York trades: SF Shandon Anderson (7.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.2 apg in 23.3 minutes)
New York receives: Tariq Abdul-Wahad ( ppg, rpg, apg in games)
Change in team outlook: -7.7 ppg, -2.6 rpg, and -1.2 apg.

TRADE ACCEPTED

[seelenjaeger]

Maybe because no one would to this trade?

[seelenjaeger]

About NY Media:

What's Cookin'?
A Real Trade Possibility, Plus NY Panties


By Mike Fisher and David Lord -- DallasBasketball.com
How, dear dinner customer, do you want your trade gossip prepared and served?
Do you want it goulashed together and then zapped in the microwave? Or do you want it handled with the finest culinary grace?
BARRYSTICKETS.COM
SONICS COVERAGE
JAZZ COVERAGE
The chefs at DB.com are in the kitchen, preparing realistic guidance for you of a Mavs acquisition. But they are concerned that while you wait, you’ll duck out the side door for a 7-11 burrito-and-Slurpee appetizer.
So allow us first an explanation of what we believe are the facts behind the Mavs acquiring a new center. And after that, we’ll get into New York cooking and why, as one reader so delicately puts it, “our panties are always in a wad’’ regarding so many Mavs trade rumors:
Yes, the acquisition of a center is a consideration by management. And no, they won’t have to give up much to do it, if the move goes according to plan. “The plan’’ can include Dallas’ use if its own "Trade Exception" of about $1.35M to use in a swap. Such an exception allows a team over the cap to take a player whose salary is less than that in a trade, without sending a player back in return. This will allow the Mavs to shop for a cheap player without having to match salaries.
Another possibility: the Mavs may look for a team with a need to dump salary. Sometimes the guy’s current team just wants to get rid of salary. Scott Williams in Phoenix is a rumored player who might qualify. He has been injured and is on the end of the bench of a team going nowhere. He has playoff experience, with the Bulls of the Jordan era. NBA rules make him untradeable this year, but Phoenix reportedly might release him to sign elsewhere for a playoff run, if he so requested. His agent is said to be exploring the options.
Other teams who are mired in mediocrity may also want to save some money. The Mavs might be able to help, by sending along a Trade Exemption (or effectively a salary reduction) to that team.
In the right situation the Mavs might even get more than a "scrub center" in an end-of-the-bench trade. Just as a point of reference, last year Dallas had a salary slot open and a willingness to take on a player if someone was looking to dump payroll and avoid Luxury Tax. The terms? Reportedly, Dallas wanted a No. 2 pick to take on said player. Ultimately, they didn’t find a deal they liked.
Obviously, a player obtained in such a fashion would be of questionable ability. But they are merely looking for a second- or third-string center in such a deal, so the ability and price for such a player will be fairly low anyhow.
What about centers who have a bit more ability, and whose teams will want something in return? What might the Mavs have to offer?
Besides a Trade Exception (which would reduce the other team's payroll), the Mavs have the following to offer for the cheap end-of-the-bench center:
CASH: The NBA limit for cash in a trade is $3M. For a team going nowhere, a big chunk of cash for a backup player can be quite desirable to an owner.
DRAFT PICK: With previous trades and NBA rules, the Mavs couldn't offer a No. 1 in the 2004 or 2005 draft - nor, for a second- or third-stringer, would they want to. They do have No. 2 choices every year (Denver's in 2004, their own thereafter), and they also have No. 1s in distant years in the unlikely event they find a cheap guy they want badly.
MARQUIS DANIELS: If you were a GM from another club, you would ask the Mavs about him. He is young and cheap, and he has an NBA future. But the Mavs may not have minutes for him, and the better he looks the harder he will be to keep from getting away in the expansion draft or in free agency this summer or next. His contract and potential makes him far more desirable to another team than names such as Delk or Najera, or the guy Dallas would love to dump, Tariq Abdul-Wahad. If the Mavs are offered a young center with some potential, could he be dealt? We hope not, but sometimes you have to give up something you like to get something back you need.
Now, why do we bother with all this technical CBA X-and-O’s mumbo-jumbo? Really, wouldn’t it be easier to just throw another pot of Rasheed Wallace on the stove?
As DB.com reader “Scott E’’ writes: Hey Fisher, why do you always get your panties in a wad when someone in the media floats a Mavs trade rumor? Is it because your journalistic integrity is so much higher than these other hacks?
Um, yeah, maybe. Or maybe the DB.com guys just have more free time than the other hacks, so we do a little homework.
Meanwhile, let’s go to New York, home of the most creative hacks in the NBA. Another Mavs fan, “Chicago JK,’’ makes the brilliant point that so many of these Mavs/NBA rumors are started by New York writers who claim to have inside sources in other cities, but whose rumors so rarely come true. At the same time, right under the noses of the incredibly well-connected Vesceys and Lawrences are two New York teams, the Knicks and the Nets, who in the last two months have created four of the largest NBA stories of the season. …
And the local New York papers never got a sniff of any of them!?
The NY papers knew nothing in advance about the hiring of Thomas, the trade for Marbury, the hiring of Wilkens or the firing of Byron Scott. … but they know exactly what trades the Mavs and two dozen other teams are working on?
How can it be that the two teams the NY papers are least plugged into are the Knicks and the Nets?
We’ll tell you how it can be: Because the NY papers are so busy stumbling over themselves to print the gossip as quickly as possible that they have found themselves plugged into NONE of the teams.
So if, as we assume, the Mavs end up closer to a minor deal for a backup center instead of a some flashy, gossipy blockbuster of a Finley/Jamison/Walker trade, we’ll be more encouraged than ever to offer up a second helping of “Journalistic integrity.’’
Well-done. --BACK--

[uberfan]

Meaning, you wouldn't do it, or that the teams involved wouldn't do it?

[Poindexter Einstein]

I saw that too, and was astonished that the Mavs would turn down ANYTHING for TAW. But on reflection, it does seem to make some sense, as follows ....
(1) Contracts are about identical, including length, so Mavs dont save any money.
(2) Anderson may not be good enough to get off the bench in Dallas. He would be getting minutes behind Howard, Finley, Jamison, and likely Daniels and Delk. If I was the coach, any spare swing position minutes would go to developing Daniels. So Anderson would likely be the 13th man on the roster, like TAW - thus being on the IL
(3) TAW's contract is paid by insurance if he stays on the IL, while Andersons wouldnt be.
(4) If Anderson is obtained, but then put on the reserve list errrr ummmm I mean the injured list, it costs Dallas money but doesnt help the team.

[LRB]

Nice points PE. Right now we need low post help and possibly another backup PG incase Nash suffers an injury. Positions 2 and 3 are already log jamed and it would be hard for Anderson to get off the IL.

[madape]

Wow, Chicago JK getting some love in the local press. (Does Fisher still count as press?)

[uberfan]

Originally posted by: Poindexter Einstein
I saw that too, and was astonished that the Mavs would turn down ANYTHING for TAW. But on reflection, it does seem to make some sense, as follows ....
(1) Contracts are about identical, including length, so Mavs dont save any money.
(2) Anderson may not be good enough to get off the bench in Dallas. He would be getting minutes behind Howard, Finley, Jamison, and likely Daniels and Delk. If I was the coach, any spare swing position minutes would go to developing Daniels. So Anderson would likely be the 13th man on the roster, like TAW - thus being on the IL
(3) TAW's contract is paid by insurance if he stays on the IL, while Andersons wouldnt be.
(4) If Anderson is obtained, but then put on the reserve list errrr ummmm I mean the injured list, it costs Dallas money but doesnt help the team.

Yes, I thought about most of those things as well, especially the insurance angle. However I would have to think that Anderson is a better defender than Delk and possibly Daniels at this stage of his development. As long as Delk is injured and Daniels is out, our perimeter defense is Howard, Finley and Best. I don't see Jamison as a perimeter defender and Walker will hopefully play more inside in the playoffs on D. On the other hand, maybe the plan is to activate TAW towards the playoffs if that would not affect the insurance and if we need more perimeter D. Who knows.

[kg_veteran]

Originally posted by: madape
Wow, Chicago JK getting some love in the local press. (Does Fisher still count as press?)

That is impressive. Take a bow, JK...

[seelenjaeger]

Actually my main point is that Anderson is hardly a better defender than Tariq. So if we have to spend the money, we can simply PLAY Tariq.

[MikeB]

Other than the insurance angle this is a no brainer. Anderson is not a great player and he definitely isn't worth the contract he has...but...while not a great player he IS a player. He can defend and isn't a huge liability on offense..unlike TAW. I am a big fan of Daniels but if he sees any playing time in the playoffs and we aren't up or down 30 I would be very surprised. Anderson could help if needed come playoff time much more than Daniels could and we will probably lose Daniels anyway at the end of the season...either to another team who can pay him more or to the Bobcats in the expansion draft.

[Usually Lurkin]

TRADE ACCEPTED

doesn't this qualify a thread for residence in another area of d-m.com?

[seelenjaeger]

Originally posted by: MikeB
Other than the insurance angle this is a no brainer. Anderson is not a great player and he definitely isn't worth the contract he has...but...while not a great player he IS a player. He can defend and isn't a huge liability on offense..unlike TAW. I am a big fan of Daniels but if he sees any playing time in the playoffs and we aren't up or down 30 I would be very surprised. Anderson could help if needed come playoff time much more than Daniels could and we will probably lose Daniels anyway at the end of the season...either to another team who can pay him more or to the Bobcats in the expansion draft.

Huh? The Tariq Abdul-Wahad or Oliver Saint-Jean I remember is far from beeing an offensive liablity nor a bad defender. What exactly are you basing your opinion at?

[Poindexter Einstein]

I dont think there is a major difference in ability between TAW and Anderson.

And TAW is on the perma-injured list, because he isnt going to play enough anyhow to be worth bothering with. At least this way, they can save some money. $5M is nothing to sneeze at - it would cost that much extra, just to play TAW a bit here or there. For a 4th string swing man, not worth it.

C --- Bradley, Fortson, Najera/new C
F --- Dirk, Walker, Jamison
sw --- Howard, Daniels
G -- Finley, Delk
PG --- Nash, Best

I dont see anyone in the that top 12 that would clearly be replaced by either Anderson or TAW. And the 13th man is IL bound.

[LRB]

Originally posted by: Usually Lurkin

doesn't this qualify a thread for residence in another area of d-m.com?

Yes it does.