Trade talk: Cuban not looking for 'big deal'...OR???

[MavsWiLLHaVeRinGs]

Trade talk: Cuban not looking for 'big deal'

01:20 AM CST on Sunday, January 31, 2010

Mavericks forward Tim Thomas was not present at Saturday's game. Owner Mark Cuban said the absence was because of to "personal reasons." Cuban declined to elaborate or offer a time frame for when Thomas might return.

The Feb. 18 trade deadline is almost three weeks away, so don't read too much into Cuban's words Saturday when asked about the Mavs' prospects for a deal.

"I don't see any bargains happening out there, so I'm not looking for any big deals," he said.

He did, however, note that the trade exception the Mavs acquired from New Jersey along with Eduardo Najera on Jan. 11 gives them some flexibility.

"Now that we have that trade exception, if somebody else has a big deal go down, we can demand a talented young player to pop in there," Cuban said. "That might be our best opportunity.

"We'll see. I think everybody waits for the perfect deal until the last second."

Brad Townsend



http://www.dallasnews.com...dnspocuban.ce7e707c.html

More spin or legit? If its spin, you spin around in circles you end up in the same place.

[kg_veteran]

Translation: Everybody keeps rebuffing me when I offer up Josh Howard, so I have to pretend like I'm not willing to give up more...

[DevinHarriswillstart]

^Bingo KG....Cuban's efforts lately have been pretty lame, especially with him defending Josh Howard.

"Josh has worked so hard to be a good teammate and fit in that it's taken a little of the edge off of him," Cuban said Thursday. "We've asked him to kind of change who he is a little bit, be – for lack of a better word – invisible. People were talking about him off the court. And he's done everything perfectly. He's been the ultimate professional and that sometimes takes an edge off of what happens on the court.

"It's like if they told me I couldn't yell at refs at a basketball game. That would be a hard change. Josh has done the equivalent."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...e.3f442ee.html

That sounds like a desperate man trying his hardest to up a player's value, but he's making too obvious.

"And he's done everything perfectly." ugh....

[kg_veteran]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

^Bingo KG....Cuban's efforts lately have been pretty lame, especially with him defending Josh Howard.

"Josh has worked so hard to be a good teammate and fit in that it's taken a little of the edge off of him," Cuban said Thursday. "We've asked him to kind of change who he is a little bit, be – for lack of a better word – invisible. People were talking about him off the court. And he's done everything perfectly. He's been the ultimate professional and that sometimes takes an edge off of what happens on the court.

"It's like if they told me I couldn't yell at refs at a basketball game. That would be a hard change. Josh has done the equivalent."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...e.3f442ee.html

That sounds like a desperate man trying his hardest to up a player's value, but he's making too obvious.

"And he's done everything perfectly." ugh....

Yeah, that's a pitiful defense of Howard's poor play. The Josh Howard of a couple of years ago, even with his unchangeable flaws, would make this team much better than it currently is. If he could still do that, does Cuban really expect us to believe the Mavs wouldn't ask him to do it?

[Usually Lurkin]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

^Bingo KG....Cuban's efforts lately have been pretty lame, especially with him defending Josh Howard.

"Josh has worked so hard to be a good teammate and fit in that it's taken a little of the edge off of him," Cuban said Thursday. "We've asked him to kind of change who he is a little bit, be – for lack of a better word – invisible. People were talking about him off the court. And he's done everything perfectly. He's been the ultimate professional and that sometimes takes an edge off of what happens on the court.

"It's like if they told me I couldn't yell at refs at a basketball game. That would be a hard change. Josh has done the equivalent."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...e.3f442ee.html

That sounds like a desperate man trying his hardest to up a player's value, but he's making too obvious.

"And he's done everything perfectly." ugh....

"she's got a good personality. I swear"

[Thomas86]

Cuban thinks he's Mitch Kupchak and thinks some team is just gonna hand over there best player to the Mavs for trash not saying Josh is trash but still, if Iggy goes to a team other than the Mavs messages boards are gonna explode with hate towards Cuban and the Mavs front office.

[dude1394]

Pretty weird last night when josh put up 17 and still couldn't beat out jjb on the floor.

[SMC0007]

He has to make a move. I don't care what he says, He isn't gonna tip his hand. Unless he is really gonna throw in the towel on this season and waste another year of Dirks prime. It's severe blind homerism if he honestly think we can compete as is, and he really needs to think about Dirk getting fed up with all the shenanigans. We need another guy who is capable of carrying an equal load from the 2 guard position this season.

[Thomas86]

Iggy and Sammy would fill 2 holes on this team, the Mavs could really use Sammy's size and shot blocking skills at the 5 spot after the way Andre Miller had his way in the paint, Iggy would make the Mavs younger and more athletic plus he could play the 2 spot and a little bit of PG when needed, I know Sammy's has a bad contract but Cuban need's to say if he's trying to save money or win a title this season, the Lakers have the highest payrolls in the NBA but there also #1 in the west and #2 in the NBA and made it to 2 back to back NBA Finals.


What makes me mad about this entire thing is that Cuban thinks he can just low ball teams and take the best players for nothing I mean really Cuban?......Dirk, Kidd, and Marion are not getting any younger and he doesn't want to see that, Cuban is putting way to much stock in the summer of 2010 and he's gonna end up very upset when nobody want's a broken down Josh Howard, the summer of 2010 is a pipe dream if you ask me.

[sefant77]

"I don't see any bargains happening out there, so I'm not looking for any big deals," he said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31g0YE61PLQ

[LonghornDub]

There's not gonna be a big trade. Everyone should probably just accept it. We gotta ride with the horses we've got.

[dalger]

I don't really want to ride that balky horse anymore--not when there are faster and fresher horses apparently standing right in front of you. I think that Kidd and Marion were good additions that were feasible and made sense. This time, we finally have the trade chips to be active and really make a difference which is necessary as our biological clock is ticking fastly. Josh's trade value won't be any higher during the summer than it is now. Our team won't be any younger in 2011 than 2010. The time is now.

If the next few weeks don't bring any changes, which might be the most realistic and eventually least disappointing expectation for a Mavs fan to have, then I'll be really annoyed--hoping that the FO knows what it's doing.

[LonghornDub]

I wouldn't mind at all a trade involving Howard, but I think folks need to recalibrate their expectations on that front. Right now, it seems as though many people will be surprised if a trade doesn't happen. Much more realistically, everyone should be expecting that no trade will occur and should then be pleasantly surprised if a trade does happen.

[SMC0007]

reverse sike ology

[GermanDunk]

Yesterday i tried to read an one mile long article on s.i. They mentioned the same, that Cubes is being considered to go big.

Here it comes

5 Reasons why 2010 is more important than 2011

Two contenders in particular can be expected to be aggressive while others are receding. "I see two guys who will play heavily in this market -- [Mavericks owner Mark] Cuban and [Cavaliers owner Dan] Gilbert," a GM said.

[mavsfan1000]

Translation: No one wants Josh Howard.

[quietsavant]

The rockets look destined to get butler/possibly with Haywood.
The cavs to get iggy
the mavs to wait for 2010

[dalger]

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

I wouldn't mind at all a trade involving Howard, but I think folks need to recalibrate their expectations on that front. Right now, it seems as though many people will be surprised if a trade doesn't happen. Much more realistically, everyone should be expecting that no trade will occur and should then be pleasantly surprised if a trade does happen.

It might be more realistic, but it shouldn't be. Even if we heard Cuban say that he didn't expect a lot to happen, deep down inside we should be at least a little confident in regards to our chances of landing a better player.

Expiring contracts are the best and pretty much only way to keep the current level or improve our team, either through resigning important players (Kidd) or replacing not-so-important with better players (Marion for Stack). The MLE is another possibility.

In order to remain competitive, we had to use Stack's semi-expiring contract last summer and trade him for a useful player. That's what we achieved and that's how it needed to be. It will be the same with Damp's semi-expiring contract this summer. We'll just have to take advantage of the opportunity to replace an average-to-good player with a good-to-great player.

The deadline for Josh is this February. He'll probably never be more valuable. Once again, we have an underperforming player whose contract pays him more than he's worth. Just like with Stack, this is a chance to improve this team again. It will be the same with Damp this summer.

We couldn't ask for a better scenario than having Josh and Damp's contracts expire. We've had a shortage of very good players at the 2 and 5 for years. This is the time to finally change that while not really losing valuable players in the process.

If we didn't achieve that, 2010 would be a failure as it relates to our FO. And I don't want to believe that failure is the "realistic" option with Donnie and Cuban.

[BGMaverick9]

I think it's possible a deal happens, I'm definitely not expecting a big one though. I'm thinking all the core players remain on board past the deadline.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by BGMaverick9

I think it's possible a deal happens, I'm definitely not expecting a big one though. I'm thinking all the core players remain on board past the deadline.

Does Josh Howard count as a "core player" these days?

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by dalger

It might be more realistic, but it shouldn't be.

Regardless of whether it shouldn't be, it is more realistic. The odds are decidedly in favor of no major trades before the trading deadline. And it's not necessarily for lack of effort by our FO. Trades aren't easy to complete. You have to get the mutual consent of (at least) two parties who have decidedly competing interests.

[BGMaverick9]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Does Josh Howard count as a "core player" these days?

Unfortunately...yes

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

Regardless of whether it shouldn't be, it is more realistic. The odds are decidedly in favor of no major trades before the trading deadline. And it's not necessarily for lack of effort by our FO. Trades aren't easy to complete. You have to get the mutual consent of (at least) two parties who have decidedly competing interests.

The bold might be true for the Mavs, but I think there is still a chance you see at least 1-2 major deals before the deadline. I definitely think you see Amare get dealt somewhere, and maybe T-Mac...

Last trade-deadline or even this summer, the thought was the dominoes need to start falling for the summer of '10 rush. Eventually it's gotta happen.

[kg_veteran]

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

There's not gonna be a big trade. Everyone should probably just accept it. We gotta ride with the horses we've got.

Geez, that's depressing. Thanks.

[Spurred1]

I think I'll expect the worse and hope for the best. My guess is that Cuban continues engaging in his LBJ/Wade FA fantasies and does nothing and then watches as the FAs either stick with their current teams or go to teams other than the Mavs. Then he can watch Dirk opt out and go to the Lakers for the MLE or join LBJ in Cleveland. You know what? Forget about hoping anything.

[Thomas86]

Originally Posted by Spurred1

I think I'll expect the worse and hope for the best. My guess is that Cuban continues engaging in his LBJ/Wade FA fantasies and does nothing and then watches as the FAs either stick with their current teams or go to teams other than the Mavs. Then he can watch Dirk opt out and go to the Lakers for the MLE or join LBJ in Cleveland. You know what? Forget about hoping anything.

I don't think the Dirk hates the Mavs/Cuban that bad to go join the Lakers and become a ring chaser so soon.

[EricaLubarsky]

My guess is Cuban et al are looking seriously at shaking up this team. Cuban has way to much money invested in the team to have players contributing almost nothing. Cuban just paid BIG for Marion over 5 years, and I doubt he's ready to just let this team be a 3-6 seed (6-7th best in the league overall) team, flirting with playoff mediocrity without either pursuing improvement or dropping major salary.

Howard's 11/23million immediately comes to mind. We also have gooden and Thomas expiring and Damp is expiring (although he'd still count against the other team's cap/tax until this offseason when he'd be a no-strings expiring). We don't have much in the way of incentives but we have the exception and hopefully some wily GM-work.

The article is poorly tagged. When I read that, I see Cuban looking actively, just saying that he's trying to get things lined up and other teams arent throwing Boshes away for free yet. It's like if a shopper was asked if they were going to buy a flatscreen TV on November 1st and they responded "I'm looking around but I'll probably see what deals happen after Thanksgiving" and then writing an article about how the consumer wasnt looking to buy anything.

"We'll see. I think everybody waits for the perfect deal until the last second."

That says pretty clearly to me that he'll be in the market but probably not making any purchases until closer to the deadline.

[dalger]

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

Regardless of whether it shouldn't be, it is more realistic. The odds are decidedly in favor of no major trades before the trading deadline. And it's not necessarily for lack of effort by our FO. Trades aren't easy to complete. You have to get the mutual consent of (at least) two parties who have decidedly competing interests.

Trades can be difficult to work out, I agree. The interests do compete in case all participating teams want to get better as a result of a specific trade. However, this does not necessarily have to be the case every single time. While one team might want to get better to make a run for a championship, like the Mavs, another team might just be interested in saving money and/or starting all over again. That's what makes expiring contracts so valuable as it gives teams a chance to reduce their payroll and, for example, go for a free agent thanks to being under the cap.

Apparently, the 76ers are one of those teams willing to part with a great player like Igoudala (and his huge contract), if the other team took Dalembert's big contract as well. They hope to eventually get better in the process, but the trade itself isn't intended to improve the team. That's a completely different approach compared to the Mavs and both approaches complement each other, I believe.

If a Josh/Gooden/JJB/Carroll for Igoudala/Dalembert trade was on the table, and I know this can only be an educated guess at this point, that's a deal a lot of Mavs fans would do. If that deal was on the table, it would provide our FO with a realistic opportunity.

A trade can be realistic in itself under certain circumstances and make sense for both sides. I'm just a little concerned that a trade might not be realistic for us simply because our FO doesn't want to entertain it based on questionable evaluations of certain Mavs players and their value--on the court and as trade chips.

I guess we'll eventually find out.

[fluid.forty.one]

Trade Josh Howard.

Please.

[jayC]

If you play poker you aren't going to show your cards to everyone. If you hear a gm's mouth talking they are lying.

[AO41]

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_ar...rd_is_focused/


"You have your teammates that are counting on you to do your job," Jason Kidd said of dealing with trade rumors.

"The big thing for us veteran guys who have been through it is to make sure that he's on board and that he's focused on doing his job."


Some comments from Kidd on Howard.....some may see it as nothing, but sounds to me like Kidd doesnt think Howard is giving it all?? And he prolly right...

[MavsWiLLHaVeRinGs]

There's definetely a stance change from the norm in that Cuban usually says "we'll be opportunistic" to now "I don't see any bargains happening out there, so I'm not looking for any big deals," Most likely Cubes is just trying not to "put the pussy on the pedastool" so to speak. i.e. act like he doesn't want something that he really does.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by dalger

Trades can be difficult to work out, I agree. The interests do compete in case all participating teams want to get better as a result of a specific trade. However, this does not necessarily have to be the case every single time. While one team might want to get better to make a run for a championship, like the Mavs, another team might just be interested in saving money and/or starting all over again. That's what makes expiring contracts so valuable as it gives teams a chance to reduce their payroll and, for example, go for a free agent thanks to being under the cap.

Apparently, the 76ers are one of those teams willing to part with a great player like Igoudala (and his huge contract), if the other team took Dalembert's big contract as well. They hope to eventually get better in the process, but the trade itself isn't intended to improve the team. That's a completely different approach compared to the Mavs and both approaches complement each other, I believe.

If a Josh/Gooden/JJB/Carroll for Igoudala/Dalembert trade was on the table, and I know this can only be an educated guess at this point, that's a deal a lot of Mavs fans would do. If that deal was on the table, it would provide our FO with a realistic opportunity.

A trade can be realistic in itself under certain circumstances and make sense for both sides. I'm just a little concerned that a trade might not be realistic for us simply because our FO doesn't want to entertain it based on questionable evaluations of certain Mavs players and their value--on the court and as trade chips.

I guess we'll eventually find out.

The point isn't that a trade can't make sense for all sides. Of course it can. If it couldn't, trades would never happen. But that's the exception, not the rule. Trades rarely happen, relative to the amount of trades that are discussed (even if only preliminarily), because it's hard to close deals in a super-competitive business when you have egotistical businessmen on both sides with competing interests. Even when there's something to be gained on both sides (which sometimes there is, as you point out), each side is going to have a tendency to hold out and try to get more out of it.

More to the point here, fans always get frustrated when the team doesn't make a trade that the fans feel is necessary. But it really doesn't make much sense to get frustrated about something like that. It doesn't necessarily (or even probably, for that matter) mean that the team didn't try to make a trade. Sometimes, it's just a matter of not finding any trade partner who's willing to budge.

[dalger]

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

The point isn't that a trade can't make sense for all sides. Of course it can. If it couldn't, trades would never happen. But that's the exception, not the rule. Trades rarely happen, relative to the amount of trades that are discussed (even if only preliminarily), because it's hard to close deals in a super-competitive business when you have egotistical businessmen on both sides with competing interests. Even when there's something to be gained on both sides (which sometimes there is, as you point out), each side is going to have a tendency to hold out and try to get more out of it.

More to the point here, fans always get frustrated when the team doesn't make a trade that the fans feel is necessary. But it really doesn't make much sense to get frustrated about something like that. It doesn't necessarily (or even probably, for that matter) mean that the team didn't try to make a trade. Sometimes, it's just a matter of not finding any trade partner who's willing to budge.

True. The fact that no team has made an impactful trade so far is indicative of tough negotiations in which every side is trying to get as much out of the discussed deals as possible. Even a team that really wants to sell, let's say the 76ers, won’t give Iguodala away now without trying to include Dalembert or Brand. If the Mavs decided to wait until the last day to see what they can get, e.g. Iggy straight up for Josh, I'd be obviously fine with it.

My concern is that our FO, again based on questionable evaluations and hopes for the summer of 2010, won't pull the trigger on a deal in which there's actually something to be gained. In that scenario, a trade wouldn't be unrealistic due to the fact that both sides couldn't find common ground (only technically). Instead, our FO just wouldn't be able to see the upside of that potential deal and decline it hoping for the biggest fish that there is in the summer which seems like a risky adventure.

I wouldn't accuse our FO of not trying. They certainly do. We can only accuse them of making debatable decisions. With that said, this whole discussion comes too early as we can hardly foresee the future and tell what's going to happen until the deadline. However, if Josh was still here four weeks from now and the Cavs basically traded Ilgauskas' expiring contract plus filler material for Iguodala, I'd at least be uneasy for many reasons.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

There's not gonna be a big trade. Everyone should probably just accept it. We gotta ride with the horses we've got.

And that is the reason why my passion for this team isn't one tenth of what it was in 2007. Not that I believe they aren't trying, but I just think the team is dead in the water until we get another "impact player." After three years of feeling this way, I find myself just not caring that much anymore. I remember when every single game mattered to me. If the Mavs lost, I was in a bad mood for however long it was before they won again. I remember when I would find myself bored and disappointed on nights when the Mavs didn't play. I couldn't wait for the next game. I was a Mavs junkie. The past couple of seasons... not so much. These days the Mavs lose, and I just don't care. It's the same damn thing every season. Dirk is another year older, we still don't have a shooting guard, and we still don't have a snowball's chance in hell against the Lakers.

People sometimes accuse me of being a fairweather fan, but I don't think that's fair. The team doesn't have to be competing for the title for me to get behind them, but they at least have to be active. I remember when the Mavs were struggling to get into the playoffs, how surreal and exhilarating it was when they finally made it. I don't think anyone had any delusions about that team having championship hopes that year, but when they came back from 0-2 against Utah, it felt like they might as well have won the whole thing.

Hope for the future is what keeps me interested in a team. The past couple of seasons, it really feels like they're just running out the clock on Dirk Nowitzki's career.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by dalger

My concern is that our FO, again based on questionable evaluations and hopes for the summer of 2010, won't pull the trigger on a deal in which there's actually something to be gained. In that scenario, a trade wouldn't be unrealistic due to the fact that both sides couldn't find common ground (only technically). Instead, our FO just wouldn't be able to see the upside of that potential deal and decline it hoping for the biggest fish that there is in the summer which seems like a risky adventure.

I wouldn't accuse our FO of not trying. They certainly do. We can only accuse them of making debatable decisions. With that said, this whole discussion comes too early as we can hardly foresee the future and tell what's going to happen until the deadline. However, if Josh was still here four weeks from now and the Cavs basically traded Ilgauskas' expiring contract plus filler material for Iguodala, I'd at least be uneasy for many reasons.

Exactly, and this is the legitimate concern that people should be worried about--our own FO misevaluating the situation. Problem is, it's almost impossible to tell whether our FO is at fault if a deal doesn't get done. It is much more likely that they just couldn't find a willing trade partner. The way we'd be able to tell, as you allude to, is if one of the players we're targeting gets traded for something that most of us would agree is objectively worth less than, say, Josh and his contract. If that happens, then the blame can more fairly be placed on the FO.

Although, sometimes even then it still wouldn't be our FO's fault. For example, you could imagine a scenario where the Kings trade Kevin Martin to an East team for less than they could have reasonably gotten from the Mavs, simply because they don't want to send him in conference. That's the kind of thing that, once again, is out of our FO's control and is all about other teams looking out selfishly for their own interests.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

Exactly, and this is the legitimate concern that people should be worried about--our own FO misevaluating the situation. Problem is, it's almost impossible to tell whether our FO is at fault if a deal doesn't get done. It is much more likely that they just couldn't find a willing trade partner. The way we'd be able to tell, as you allude to, is if one of the players we're targeting gets traded for something that most of us would agree is objectively worth less than, say, Josh and his contract. If that happens, then the blame can more fairly be placed on the FO.

Although, sometimes even then it still wouldn't be our FO's fault. For example, you could imagine a scenario where the Kings trade Kevin Martin to an East team for less than they could have reasonably gotten from the Mavs, simply because they don't want to send him in conference. That's the kind of thing that, once again, is out of our FO's control and is all about other teams looking out selfishly for their own interests.

Well one way to gauge the FO is their track record, which I must say speaks pretty poorly for them. The Marion deal was nice, but other than that, the FO has done a piss poor job since Nellie left in 2005.

[Thomas86]

I wouldn't put to much stock into what Cuban says because I still remember him sayin the Mavs weren't interested in Jason Kidd or Shawn Marion and both guys are Mavs now, I remember saying I wasn't gonna get excited about the Mavs untill they won a Playoff series and they did last season but it's hard to get my hops up about them this season.


Dirk is not 25 years old anymore to carry this team on his back every game but Cuban thinks Dirk still can, it's hurt seeing the Lakers and Cavs getting players to help Kobe and Lebron and the Mavs getting players well past there prime to help Dirk, the Mavs are made some good deal but I remember when they would get steals in trades like Nick Van Exel or Antawn Jamison but since Don Nelson let the doesn't happen anymore.

[fluid.forty.one]

Originally Posted by Thomas86

I wouldn't put to much stock into what Cuban says because I still remember him sayin the Mavs weren't interested in Jason Kidd or Shawn Marion and both guys are Mavs now, I remember saying I wasn't gonna get excited about the Mavs untill they won a Playoff series and they did last season but it's hard to get my hops up about them this season.


Dirk is not 25 years old anymore to carry this team on his back every game but Cuban thinks Dirk still can, it's hurt seeing the Lakers and Cavs getting players to help Kobe and Lebron and the Mavs getting players well past there prime to help Dirk, the Mavs are made some good deal but I remember when they would get steals in trades like Nick Van Exel or Antawn Jamison but since Don Nelson let the doesn't happen anymore.

Excuse me? The LeBrons (minus LeBron) are godawful.

[mac222b]

Philly, Sac, Wash, all of these teams are going to play potential trade partners off of one another and take it to the last minute to get the best deal possible. these GM's want to keep their jobs and snagging a 1st rd. pick or a young prospect like Roddy or Calathes can mean the difference in public and media perception of it being a fair, even deal. wouldn't be surprised if we WANT to do an Iggy&Dalembert deal but Philly wants some young talent back. i don't believe any of these teams are that desperate to trade an Iggy, Martin or Butler simply for cap relief.

[dalger]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

Well one way to gauge the FO is their track record, which I must say speaks pretty poorly for them. The Marion deal was nice, but other than that, the FO has done a piss poor job since Nellie left in 2005.

I wouldn't go that far. As LonghornDub explained, it can be difficult to accurately judge a FO's job for the simple reason that we fans usually don't have the necessary insights. The Mavs could actually be trying right now to land Iggy and maybe even Dalembert for a package including Josh, Gooden, Carroll and/or JJB. They reportedly thought about moving those players for Martin, so it's in the realm of possibility. Even if it were the Cavaliers who eventually landed Iguodala and Dalembert for Ilgauskas' expiring contract and other bench players, which could be considered as a package not superior to the Mavs' offer, this wouldn't exactly indicate that our FO did a "piss poor job". At least we couldn't tell for sure.

What we do know is that we have two expiring contracts that should and maybe even have to be used to improve our team. Josh and Damp are weak links in our rotation (Damp only to an extent) and not worthy of the money they're making, so it makes sense to replace them. Fittingly, their contracts are the ones to expire, so their trade value is relatively high.

Ultimately, the success of our FO will depend on whether they can get impact players out of Josh and Damp's expiring contracts or not. If not, we're likely to not win a championship with Dirk. It's pretty much now or never for our FO until the summer due to the two aforementioned expirings.

Having said all that, our situation could be worse. I'm still happy that we apparently never offered Josh/Stack for Carter. I'm still happy that we didn't trade Stack's contract for Salmons. I'm still happy that we didn't trade Josh/Stack for Shaq. All of these deals were quite popular among some people on this board. Waiting for the Marion deal to happen was a wise move, as far as I'm concerned. Oh, and I'm still happy that Richard Jefferson is playing in San Antonio and not here.