Roster trimming trade

[Simon2]

Dallas trades: C Shawn Bradley (3.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.3 apg in 11.7 minutes)
C Pavel Podkolzine (3.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.3 apg in 11.7 minutes)
Dallas receives: PF Donyell Marshall (14.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.5 apg in 36.5 minutes)
Change in team outlook: +11.4 ppg, +7.2 rpg, and +1.2 apg.

Toronto trades: PF Donyell Marshall (14.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.5 apg in 36.5 minutes)
Toronto receives: C Shawn Bradley (3.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.3 apg in 66 games)
C Pavel Podkolzine (3.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.3 apg in 66 games)
Change in team outlook: -11.4 ppg, -7.2 rpg, and -1.2 apg.

TRADE ACCEPTED

Toronto gets some centers that they badly need. P-Pod will flourish if given the playing time that he won't get here. Bradley will be a good starting center for them. Toronto gets decent contracts on centers that they need.

Dallas gets Donyell Marshall as Dirk's backup. I like his game and he's still a pretty good player. Contract expires as well.

[vinnieponte]

Not a bad trade, yet I haven't seen him much in Toronto how are his numbers when on the floor, hell any trade getting rid of Bradley works in my books.

[Simon2]

PF Donyell Marshall (14.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.5 apg in 36.5 minutes)

That's in 36.5 minutes. I think that will be cut in half if he lands here. My only fear is that Nellie uses a Double D (Dirk Donyell) combo in the end. The other D will be sitting on the bench.

Originally posted by: vinnieponte
Not a bad trade, yet I haven't seen him much in Toronto how are his numbers when on the floor, hell any trade getting rid of Bradley works in my books.

[dalmations202]

I like the idea of Donyell Marshall, but I really hate this trade.

Finally, Shawn Bradley is in a place where he can be maximized and utilized as a defensive force to block shots, and change games without being over used, and poeple want to give him up. Why?

He blocks shots much better than anyone else on the team. He has a nice set shot. He rebounds, OK. PPod hasn't even played a game yet, and Dallas gave up a first round pick for him, and people are already trading him off.

Marshall, I like, because he is a 3/4 tweener.
*Donyell Marshall SF 6' 9" 230 Connecticut*
He can guard some of the bigger SF, like Kirilenko and Peja.

Problem with the trade is, that it adds one more 3 to an already overflowing 2/3 spot with people fighting for playing time. I have no problem with Marshall coming, but the trade needs to moved at least one of your four 2/3 tweeners to do it. Marshall is going to get 22-30 min a night...if he is Dirks backup, he might get 13 from there. He isn't a 5, and that leaves him taking 10-17 away from the SF position. Who is going to give up the time then out of the 4?

IMO, if you get Marshall, then Stackhouse, Howard, Daniels (who can't be moved till Dec) or Finley have to be part of that deal. In fact, if you wait till Dec 15 -- it could be straight up Daniels for Marshall.

[Maringa]

I don't believe Pavel can be traded until after December.....Once you sign a drafted rookie, he's yours until December. Had they not signed Pavel, they would be able to make the trade.

[DubOverdose]

This trade won't happen for a simple reason: Donnie is expecting Pavel to be >>>>DM eventually

[LRB]

Terribly trade. Donnyell Marshal would be nice in limited minutes (i.e. probably no more than 12 per game) as a backup for Dirk. He's an aging player and is on the decline with his talent. Bradley is one of the best, if not the best shot blocker in the game today. He's an excellent backup for Dampier allowing both of them to be highly agressive defensively since we have 12 fouls between them and still Booth to add another 6. Pavel is a project, but has the potential to be one of the best if not the best center in the league someday. It would be stupid to give him up just to clear roster space. Especially since we traded next years draft pick for him. Booth can fill in the 12 minutes per game for Dirks backup if need be or even Benga possibly. We just give up way too much for way too little in this trade.

I wouldn't mind having Marshal, but not at this price.

[Simon2]

Last year, the Mavs didn't have a lot of centers but Bradley didn't see a lot of pt. Now, that they added Booth and Dampier, he won't see any daylight. Doesn't make sense if this year he gets a lot of pt when last year he rode the bench most of the time.

Marshall comes in as a PF backup and insurance in the SF position. His main role will be PF.

Originally posted by: dalmations202
I like the idea of Donyell Marshall, but I really hate this trade.

Finally, Shawn Bradley is in a place where he can be maximized and utilized as a defensive force to block shots, and change games without being over used, and poeple want to give him up. Why?

He blocks shots much better than anyone else on the team. He has a nice set shot. He rebounds, OK. PPod hasn't even played a game yet, and Dallas gave up a first round pick for him, and people are already trading him off.

Marshall, I like, because he is a 3/4 tweener.
*Donyell Marshall SF 6' 9" 230 Connecticut*
He can guard some of the bigger SF, like Kirilenko and Peja.

Problem with the trade is, that it adds one more 3 to an already overflowing 2/3 spot with people fighting for playing time. I have no problem with Marshall coming, but the trade needs to moved at least one of your four 2/3 tweeners to do it. Marshall is going to get 22-30 min a night...if he is Dirks backup, he might get 13 from there. He isn't a 5, and that leaves him taking 10-17 away from the SF position. Who is going to give up the time then out of the 4?

IMO, if you get Marshall, then Stackhouse, Howard, Daniels (who can't be moved till Dec) or Finley have to be part of that deal. In fact, if you wait till Dec 15 -- it could be straight up Daniels for Marshall.

[Simon2]

I only added him for the money. I guess adding 3 mil in cash will do as well.

Originally posted by: Maringa
I don't believe Pavel can be traded until after December.....Once you sign a drafted rookie, he's yours until December. Had they not signed Pavel, they would be able to make the trade.

[Simon2]

Marshall is only 31. I don't think that's aging. He's probably just hitting his prime. Not sure about your rating of Bradley, he's has a lot of potential but there's one simple reason why he needs to be traded. Nellie won't play the guy. He's just wasting his years on the bench when he can be a contributor for another team. Incidentally, Bradley is 32.

Originally posted by: LRB
Terribly trade. Donnyell Marshal would be nice in limited minutes (i.e. probably no more than 12 per game) as a backup for Dirk. He's an aging player and is on the decline with his talent. Bradley is one of the best, if not the best shot blocker in the game today. He's an excellent backup for Dampier allowing both of them to be highly agressive defensively since we have 12 fouls between them and still Booth to add another 6. Pavel is a project, but has the potential to be one of the best if not the best center in the league someday. It would be stupid to give him up just to clear roster space. Especially since we traded next years draft pick for him. Booth can fill in the 12 minutes per game for Dirks backup if need be or even Benga possibly. We just give up way too much for way too little in this trade.

I wouldn't mind having Marshal, but not at this price.

[dalmations202]

Last year, the Mavs didn't have a lot of centers but Bradley didn't see a lot of pt. Now, that they added Booth and Dampier, he won't see any daylight. Doesn't make sense if this year he gets a lot of pt when last year he rode the bench most of the time.

Marshall comes in as a PF backup and insurance in the SF position. His main role will be PF.

So you are going to take a player who averaged playing 36min a game last year, and put him in a position to be a backup to Dirk, but not take minutes from another position? ?

I really think Dirk will average over 35m a game, but I left it there for him. That only leaves 13m a game for Marshall.

Think he would like this role? I like Marshall more than that, and think he deserves 22-28m a game. Problem is, you don't have those minutes for him on this team, with the four 2/3 still here.

I would prefer they did a Stack/Henderson for KVH than this, and I am not a huge KVH fan. His skills just match what the Mavs need more than this trade. The Mavs lose on the talent standpoint, because Stack is a better player than KVH.

[Ninkobei]

I like the center lineup we have now. Heck, with all the young talent we have on this team we might not even need a backup for Dirk. Surely Daniels or Howard or one of our current guys can do it for a measily 10 minutes per game. I wouldn't be surprised if Nellie tried a two PG rotation w/ Terry and Harris out on the court at the same time. I'm not sure if this team can afford any more turnovers than they've had already. Half the team has changed already. I think we need to keep what few remaining players we have from last year so we don't end up like the team USA. Yah they are all awesome players but they don't know how to compliment each other yet, not saying that they can't, but it might not happen until its too late.

P.S. God forbid that Madape sees this thread.

[LRB]

Originally posted by: Simon2
Marshall is only 31. I don't think that's aging. He's probably just hitting his prime. Not sure about your rating of Bradley, he's has a lot of potential but there's one simple reason why he needs to be traded. Nellie won't play the guy. He's just wasting his years on the bench when he can be a contributor for another team. Incidentally, Bradley is 32.

31 is old by nba standards for someone who's played almost 30 minutes per game for 10 seasons. It's not over the hill, but the player has most likely peaked and is on the downhill side. Meaing that they aren't likely to get significantly better and are more likely to get worse than better. Marshall is still capable of playing at a high level, but I don't want him playing center nor do I want Dirk playing center or sitting on the bench to get Donyell minutes. We already have a logjam of minutes at the 3 so there really isn't much for him there. We need a good backup for Dampier more than for Dirk. Bradley is the next best center on our roster by a long ways after Dampier. If Nellie is too stupid to play Bradley then Nellie needs to go instead of Bradley.

Yeah Shawn is older than Marshall, however Pavel is more than a decade younger than Marshall. Bottom line is Marshall would be an overpriced luxary while Bradley is a cheap necessity and Pavel is an even cheaper investment in the future. If it was Stackhouse for Marshall, then I'd do the trade by all means. However that's not the trade that you proposed.

[Simon2]

Booth is Dampier's backup. After that, its Benga. Heck, even Dirk can pitch in a t C sometimes. I guess your concern is minutes for Donyell, you are right. He won't get a lot being Dirk's backup. I just want to get the best possible backup as possible. If that means turning a starter into a backup, that's ok by me.

Originally posted by: LRB

31 is old by nba standards for someone who's played almost 30 minutes per game for 10 seasons. It's not over the hill, but the player has most likely peaked and is on the downhill side. Meaing that they aren't likely to get significantly better and are more likely to get worse than better. Marshall is still capable of playing at a high level, but I don't want him playing center nor do I want Dirk playing center or sitting on the bench to get Donyell minutes. We already have a logjam of minutes at the 3 so there really isn't much for him there. We need a good backup for Dampier more than for Dirk. Bradley is the next best center on our roster by a long ways after Dampier. If Nellie is too stupid to play Bradley then Nellie needs to go instead of Bradley.

Yeah Shawn is older than Marshall, however Pavel is more than a decade younger than Marshall. Bottom line is Marshall would be an overpriced luxary while Bradley is a cheap necessity and Pavel is an even cheaper investment in the future. If it was Stackhouse for Marshall, then I'd do the trade by all means. However that's not the trade that you proposed.

[BaylorTMW]

I would much rather do a 3 for 1, and get it all out of the way...

Donyell is a solid player, but i dont think he will fit in here. He is a 3/4 guy and well, we need more of a pure 4 and to dump one of our 2/3 guys probably...

[SeriousSummer]

My turn to try to clear up the roster--be warned this is a Seri-ous set of moves:

Current Roster (if the Dampier deal goes through as reported)

Michael Finley
Dirk Nowitzki
Alan Henderson
Jason Terry
Jerry Stackhouse
Erick Dampier
Tariq Abdul-Wahad
Calvin Booth
Marquis Daniels
Shawn Bradley
Evan Eschmeyer
Devin Harris
Pavel Podkolzine
Josh Howard
Didier Ilunga-Mbenga
Avery Johnson
Jon Stefansson
Dan Dickau

1. Trade Finley for Antonio Davis. This is a salary cap move. Two years of Davis instead of four of Finley. We're aiming to get under the cap in 2006 or at least under the luxury tax number (I'm hoping Mark will give me half the money he saves that way).

2. Trade Bradley and Stackhouse for Marion. We need a true small forward. Our 2/3 rotation is now Marion-Daniels-Howard. That's plenty.

3. Let Avery coach. We don't need him at point.

4. Buy out Eschmeyer and TAW--unless one or both of them agrees to retire. Neither one of them will ever play for the Mavericks and we're not going to save them as trading chips, because we're done taking on salary. Might as well take the hit now.

5. Cut Henderson. He can't play. We're not using him as a trading chip (see above). His salary comes off the books either way. We don't need him sitting on the IR (besides, Mark can give me the front row seat he'd fill up otherwise).

6. Cut either Dickau or Stefansson. We have our core group of young guards in Terry, Harris, Daniels and Howard. The coaches can keep one more, so they have to choose. Of course, if some fool wants to give us a draft choice for one of them we do that instead. (Because they are so cheap I might relent on this).

Final roster

Center--Dampier/Booth/MBenga/Pavel
Power Forward--Dirk/A. Davis
Small Forward--Marion/Howard
Shooting Guard--Daniels/Stefansson or Dickau
Point Guard--Terry/Harris

Twelve players is enough. We are two deep everywhere (the young centers are for future use) and everybody is playing their natural position. We've also got players 26 or younger for every position, so we're well positioned for the future. In the 2005 draft we try to find a young power forward that can take over for A. Davis in 2006-07--because we're just letting his contract run out. We also let Booth's contract run out.

Roster in 2006

Center--Dampier/MBenga/Pavel
Power Forward--Dirk/2005 Draft choice
Small Forward--Marion/Howard
Shooting Guard--Daniels/Stefansson or Dickau
Point Guard--Terry/Harris

[LRB]

Let me start with the worst of the moves:

5. Cut Henderson. He can't play. We're not using him as a trading chip (see above). His salary comes off the books either way. We don't need him sitting on the IR (besides, Mark can give me the front row seat he'd fill up otherwise).

80% of Henderson's salary is covered by insurance and he has an expiring contract. This is a valuable commodity. We should A) try to use it to get something, like a pick possibly, even a 2nd rounder is better than nothing. B) failing to gain something for him send him to a team under the cap enough to absorb his salary + cash to pay the noninsurance part + extra million to make it worth their while. Team makes money taking on an expiring contract that they might use in a trade or just keep on IR for a $1million dollar profit. If we can't do A or B, then and only then do we cut him.

1. Trade Finley for Antonio Davis. This is a salary cap move. Two years of Davis instead of four of Finley. We're aiming to get under the cap in 2006 or at least under the luxury tax number (I'm hoping Mark will give me half the money he saves that way).

Another poor move IMO. Fin will be younger than Davis is now when Fin's contract is up. We also needs Fin's outside shooting. Fin's contract is for too much but so is Daniels. Sure Daniels is for 2 years shorter, but that's 2 years for a little used scrub where Fin can give us a very useful 30+ minutes. No thankyou.

2. Trade Bradley and Stackhouse for Marion. We need a true small forward. Our 2/3 rotation is now Marion-Daniels-Howard. That's plenty.

This would be a good trade IMO. Of course I'd rather do Booth + Stack, but if we can get Marion it would be worth it whether it's Booth or Bradley.

4. Buy out Eschmeyer and TAW--unless one or both of them agrees to retire. Neither one of them will ever play for the Mavericks and we're not going to save them as trading chips, because we're done taking on salary. Might as well take the hit now.

I think TAW might have some value for a trade because of insurance paying for 80% of his salary. If nothing else I'd see if Charlotte would take him off our hands for 3 million cash. They'd essentially make a small profit on TAW this year. Doubtful that they would do it, but it can't hurt to try. But if all else failed cutting them would be right. I don't see anyone wanting Esh.

3. Let Avery coach. We don't need him at point.

Offer Avery more money to coach if he retires as a player. If he doesn't take it, then cut him.


But we only need to get down to 15. Getting to 12 like you say is suicidal. And we need more than 3 players to play the 2-3 positions. If there were no injuries, 3 players would be fine. That's not the case in the NBA.

[LRB]

[quote]
Originally posted by: Simon2
Booth is Dampier's backup. After that, its Benga. Heck, even Dirk can pitch in a t C sometimes. I guess your concern is minutes for Donyell, you are right. He won't get a lot being Dirk's backup. I just want to get the best possible backup as possible. If that means turning a starter into a backup, that's ok by me.

[quote]
Originally posted by: LRB

Originally posted by: Simon2
Marshall is only 31. I don't think that's aging. He's probably just hitting his prime. Not sure about your rating of Bradley, he's has a lot of potential but there's one simple reason why he needs to be traded. Nellie won't play the guy. He's just wasting his years on the bench when he can be a contributor for another team. Incidentally, Bradley is 32.

It's doubtful that Donyell will be happy with extremely limited minutes, less than half his career average is what I mean by extremely limited. An unhappy player is not going to be as good to us. And the last thing that we want is Dirk playing center. I can't understand why you'd even mention that.

Also, Booth is a much poor backup center than Bradley is. If you really want the best, we should keep Bradley. We're looking at probably around 18 minutes of need at backup center versus 10 to 12 at backup PF.

[SeriousSummer]

Let me start with the worst of the moves[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]uote

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Cut Henderson. He can't play. We're not using him as a trading chip (see above). His salary comes off the books either way. We don't need him sitting on the IR (besides, Mark can give me the front row seat he'd fill up otherwise).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



80% of Henderson's salary is covered by insurance and he has an expiring contract. This is a valuable commodity. We should A) try to use it to get something, like a pick possibly, even a 2nd rounder is better than nothing. B) failing to gain something for him send him to a team under the cap enough to absorb his salary + cash to pay the noninsurance part + extra million to make it worth their while. Team makes money taking on an expiring contract that they might use in a trade or just keep on IR for a $1million dollar profit. If we can't do A or B, then and only then do we cut him.


Quote

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Trade Finley for Antonio Davis. This is a salary cap move. Two years of Davis instead of four of Finley. We're aiming to get under the cap in 2006 or at least under the luxury tax number (I'm hoping Mark will give me half the money he saves that way).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Another poor move IMO. Fin will be younger than Davis is now when Fin's contract is up. We also needs Fin's outside shooting. Fin's contract is for too much but so is Daniels. Sure Daniels is for 2 years shorter, but that's 2 years for a little used scrub where Fin can give us a very useful 30+ minutes. No thankyou.

I have to admit that you're right on Henderson. Instead of cutting him, let him sit the year out on the IR so the Mavs can collect insurance. I don't see any point in trading him. I suppose one option would be to send Henderson & cash to a team under the salary cap. That team could make a little money if the cash is more than 20% of his salary and the Mavs could save some money by avoiding the luxury tax. That should get him off the roster in a win-win move.

As to Finley, I think his salary is going to be a crippling cost to the Mavs over the next four years. I'd make almost any move to get him off the roster. I think Howard and Daniels will both be far better players by the end of this year, let alone four years down the road. If you really need a three-point specialist, then bring one in. The cost would be negligible compared to Finley's salary.

[LRB]

As to Finley, I think his salary is going to be a crippling cost to the Mavs over the next four years. I'd make almost any move to get him off the roster. I think Howard and Daniels will both be far better players by the end of this year, let alone four years down the road. If you really need a three-point specialist, then bring one in. The cost would be negligible compared to Finley's salary.

We won't get any real savings from trading Fin for at least 3 years. So you're only talking about saving 2 years of his salary while making the team much worse for 2 years in the process. Still even when we get savings we won't be under the salary cap anytime before Fin's contract would expire. All this move would do is reduce Cuban's expenses somewhat. However if it cost the Mavs a shot at a championship, then Cubes could come out on the short end of things still because of less revenues for an also ran versus a champion. So this is a gamble. I'll prefer to take the finacial gamble that gives us the best talent.

[lonny22]

Cutting the Mavs salary is an exercise in futility. They make trades because they have the high salaries to do it. The Mavs will never get far enough under the cap to sign big-time players, so their best option is to stay over the cap and keep trading salaries.

I can't understand why everybody gets bent out of shape about salaries. I want Cuban to spend the money it takes to have the best team. That's a lot more important than how much money he spends that doesn't come out of your pocket. If it takes $100 Million to win a title, then so be it.

The Hawks had well over $30 Million to spend in free agency and got NOBODY. The Bulls have done the same thing in previous years. On the other hand, the Mavs keep trading extra PF's for players at all the other positions. I'll take the Mavs offseason.

Look at the current roster. Through trades, we have effectively gotten:

Dampier/ Eschmeyer/ Dickau/Dirk/Stackhouse/Harris/Booth/Terry/Henderson/Abdul-Wahad

FOR

Najera/Flores/Popeye/Tractor Traylor/Rigaudeau/Harvey/Eisley/Etan Thomas/H. Davis/Alexander/Vaught/Laettner

I didn't include Finley or Bradley since they went in fire sales. My point is the Mavs trades make the team better.

[SeriousSummer]

I don't think losing Finley will make the team much worse. As he ages he is becoming more and more one dimensional--as a spot up shooter. He's a weak ball-handler as a two and a weak rebounder as a three, and as he gets older his defense is bound to suffer.

I still think he has value and is a better player than A. Davis, who admittedly isn't that great. If we could get Marion, then he and Josh Howard get all the minutes at the three. Daniels should get the bulk of the minutes at the two. He's a better ball handler, better defender and better rebounder than Finley. He isn't as consistent as an outside shooter. Admittedly, Josh Howard doesn't help as an outside shooter. Perhaps Terry, Harris, Stefansson or Dickau will develop enough to give the Mavs a few minutes at guard.

So there is a need Finley fills, but it's one of the easier needs in the league to find someone to fill. This is especially true because Finley doesn't have a quick release.

A. Davis only gets minutes when Dirk rests, so he doesn't make a large contribution, but it is a role we need filled. In fact, it's almost the only role on

I guess the bottom line is that I think we need to play someone that plays more athletically at the 2/3 than Finley does. Not that Finley is short on natural athleticism, but except to rise straight up and shoot, he rarely uses it in his game.

I also look at the chances of winning a championship somewhat differently. If you don't have a dominating team, and I don't think the Mavs have or will have one, then the next best chance is to have a good team that competes year after year and hope that you finally break through. I think, in the current NBA, that requires good financial management. Owners like Mark Cuban or the Maloofs may be willing to lose money (even a lot of money) over the short term. Over the long term, the team needs to be profitable.

In other words, I'd break the bank to Shaq and Dirk together. I wouldn't pay the luxury tax to keep Mike Finley. If we weren't doing that, then maybe Mark Cuban would feel that he could have kept Steve Nash.

Or in three years maybe he'll feel that he can afford to pay MBenga and Josh Howard enough to keep them (if they are worth it). If he's still paying on Finley's contract--and having it doubled by luxury tax--he may decide he has to let MBenga or Howard go (or Podkolzine the next year).

If the Mavs can drop a couple of contracts over the next two years, then they ought to remain at least contenders of some sort so long as Dirk plays at a high level. That should be for another three to six years if he avoids serious injury. I think the Mavs should look at remaining competitive for that entire time, and that means trying to avoid contracts that result in paying players when they can't contribute (in an amount equal to their cost) for the time period.

[LRB]

The Mavs need shooting to space the floor and Fin can do that. Howard and Daniels just haven't proven that they can consistently hit outside shots anywhere as well as the Mavs need. Stack is not a good outside shooter. Fin also provides important leadership. But the most important fact is that Fin is a lot better player than Davis. We need to get the most value out of the money spent. A max contract backup to your best player is not getting max value on money spent in any shape form or fashion. Booth is perfectly capable of filling in at PF for Dirk to 10 to 12 minutes per game.

Trading Fin for A Daivis doesn't get us someone to play more athletically at the 2 and 3. 3 of the 4 guys we have now play athletically and Fin is capable of doing so, just doesn't much. But regardless A. Davis doesn't play the 2 or the 3.

In 3 years Howard and Benga might be total busts and we're still paying luxary taxes and going to the lottery without any championship trophies. I'll take my best shot now, instead of something that I have no idea what it is happening to give me another possibly better but most likely not shot.

[dalmations202]

Originally posted by: LRB
The Mavs need shooting to space the floor and Fin can do that. Howard and Daniels just haven't proven that they can consistently hit outside shots anywhere as well as the Mavs need. Stack is not a good outside shooter. Fin also provides important leadership. But the most important fact is that Fin is a lot better player than Davis. We need to get the most value out of the money spent. A max contract backup to your best player is not getting max value on money spent in any shape form or fashion. Booth is perfectly capable of filling in at PF for Dirk to 10 to 12 minutes per game.

Trading Fin for A Daivis doesn't get us someone to play more athletically at the 2 and 3. 3 of the 4 guys we have now play athletically and Fin is capable of doing so, just doesn't much. But regardless A. Davis doesn't play the 2 or the 3.

In 3 years Howard and Benga might be total busts and we're still paying luxary taxes and going to the lottery without any championship trophies. I'll take my best shot now, instead of something that I have no idea what it is happening to give me another possibly better but most likely not shot.

I'll agree with all this. Dampier makes ADavis not needed.

I hope you are wrong though. As I am seeing what is being built, the Mavs should be "contending for a title" every year; now and in the future 5-7 years. Of course injuries, etc, will make a huge difference, but the parts are in place --- if they develop.

[LRB]

dal22 I think we have a good chance of being competive for at least 5 to 7 years. We have Dirk and good group of young players. However rember how Terry Davis was in a car accident and was never the same or Drazen (sp?) Petrovich was killed. Or tons of players who have freak accidents on the court. That's why I think if we have a good shot we need to take it.