Five rules for managing the salary cap (and not paying Rashard the max)

[vjz]

Link

They are popping the champagne corks in Orlando this week, celebrating the signing of Rashard Lewis to a six-year, $113 million deal.

Congratulations, Orlando. Good luck with that.

History doesn't look kindly on this type of contract. The NBA salary cap can be brutally unforgiving. Manage it well, as the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs have done over the last five years, and your team has a shot to remain relevant and competitive year after year. Mismanage it, as teams such as the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves have done, and you have painted your team into a corner.

While owners obsess over finding GMs who have a great eye for talent, in the NBA, that's only half the equation. Front-line talent does win championships. But if you can't manage the cap in a way that gives a team a chance to add the right players to your star or stars, talent will take you only so far.

We've seen evidence of that in the past few weeks with Kobe Bryant demanding a trade and Kevin Garnett's agent looking for greener pastures for his client. No one doubts that Bryant and Garnett have been two of the 10 best talents in the league over the past decade. But because of bad trades and poor cap management, their teams have been unable to put the right players around them.

Here are the five rules every GM in the league should follow. As you can tell, most do not. In fact, a handful don't even understand them. And when it comes to the Lewis signing, I believe Orlando GM Otis Smith violated every single rule.

1. Don't bid against yourself.

In other words, don't pay a player more than necessary.

This rule seems obvious, but it's often violated.

In perhaps the most infamous case, the Knicks gave Allan Houston a six-year, $100 million contract even though the competition could offer him only a five-year, $56 million deal. The Houston contract ended up as a disaster for the Knicks.

There are a couple of reasons that the rule gets violated.

First, some GMs simply misread the market. They often panic, believing that if they don't offer a certain amount, another team will. Agents work overtime to fuel the perception of the rising market value of their clients.

In many cases, the battle between agent and general manager is not a fair fight. On one side you have the agent, a professional negotiator who spends all year thinking about how to drive up the player's price. On the other side you have GMs, many of whom are former players who have seldom handled negotiations. They usually had agents for that.

A second main reason is loyalty. Sometimes teams "reward" their own free agents for years of loyal service. The Pistons did that with Chauncey Billups this summer. On the open market, Billups wouldn't have received as much money as the Pistons are giving him. But they felt like he was a key fixture in the franchise and they needed to "make him happy." And, it's worth noting, Billups' contract is far smaller than Lewis'.

Overpaying based on loyalty is usually a bad idea, but it's understandable. There's a human element in every negotiation, and it's tough to tell a player that you value that you're going to lowball him because the market stinks in a given year.

So what about Rashard Lewis? Why did the Magic give him $113 million?

Was there a team out there that would have matched such an offer? No, not even close.

His previous team, the Seattle SuperSonics, could have given him a similar amount, but their offer was for far less.

The other team with enough salary cap room to offer Lewis a similar contract, the Bobcats, didn't want to spend anything close to that on Lewis. Other teams, including the Rockets, were interested in a sign-and-trade deal, but as a number of teams learned in the past week, the Sonics didn't want to take back any long-term salaries as part of a sign-and-trade. That eliminated virtually everyone else.

Not only did the Magic offer Lewis far more than any other team was willing to pay, but they also added an unnecessary sixth year to the deal. Without a sign-and-trade deal between Seattle and Orlando, which the Magic didn't need to do, Lewis was eligible by NBA rules to sign with the Magic for only five years.

The sixth year is worth $22.7 million, if paid in full. While only $10 million of it is currently guaranteed, a league source revealed that the remainder will be guaranteed if certain performance incentives are met. According to this source, it boils down to this: If Lewis remains healthy, he'll get the money.

The Magic could have secured Lewis with a five-year, $60 million deal. Of course, Lewis' agent and the Magic won't admit that, but that's what the market tells us -- along with a number of GMs and agents.

So when the Magic broke the first rule and "bid against themselves," the price was an extra $53 million.

2. Give the max to franchise players only.

More GMs are getting clued into this one, but it still gets violated with shocking regularity.

If you're going to give a player a maximum-salary contract, he had better be a franchise player. Pay a lesser player that much money and he becomes a millstone around the team's neck.

So who qualifies as a franchise player? I think the list is pretty small actually.

Here are the players who deserve it: Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash (the only guy on the list who doesn't have a max contract), LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Garnett and Yao Ming. You might consider a max deal for these players as well: Chris Bosh, Gilbert Arenas, Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony -- and for Dwight Howard, who signed a max extension on Thursday.

We can grandfather in a few other players who have shown they were max players in the past -- Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady and Jason Kidd -- though now those contracts seem pretty burdensome.

But here are some others players with max contracts: Zach Randolph, Andrei Kirilenko, Paul Pierce, Pau Gasol, Ray Allen, Joe Johnson, Antawn Jamison, Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis.

While some of these are very good players, they are not the kind of franchise players who deserve max dollars. What might have seemed like a good deal becomes a nightmare when you realize they can't carry your team. And those contracts make it very difficult to trade them away and get back similar talent.

We had two great examples of that on draft night. The Sonics received only the No. 5 pick, a role player and Wally Szczerbiak's bad contract from the Celtics for Allen. The Blazers sent Randolph to the Knicks and had to swallow a $30 million buyout of Francis' deal to make it happen.

Lewis just received a max deal, or very close -- as close as the Magic could offer. So is Lewis a max player?

Some questions: Was he the best player on his team? (No.) Was his team good? (No.) Is he the best player on his new team? (No.) Do we really need to ask any more questions?

3. Stay away from the luxury tax.

Owners hate the luxury tax -- the penalty that teams pay for going over a certain team salary threshold.

While owners like Paul Allen (Portland), James Dolan (New York) and Mark Cuban (Dallas) have shown they are willing to pay the luxury tax, even they have tried to slow down their teams' spending.

GMs have a way of talking their owners into paying the luxury tax for a specific player. But once the team is there, owners tend to scrutinize every move more closely. In some cases, they don't want to reach to bring in the next free agent, use the midlevel exception or pay a premium to retain their own free agents.

It's pretty clear why. When a team is paying the tax, a $5 million contract (plus the $5 million tax) means that $10 million in real dollars is going out the door. That's a lot for a role player who might not even be worth the first $5 million.

An unwillingness to pay the luxury tax limits a team's flexibility to make important trades, sign draft picks (that's why the Suns have traded or sold first-round picks for the past four years) and land free agents. It essentially freezes spending and freezes the team.

So what does this have to do with Rashard Lewis?

Starting with the 2008-09 season, the Magic will have approximately $60 million a year going to Lewis, Howard, Jameer Nelson (assuming he gets an extension) and six role players. If they add a draft pick and a midlevel contract, they will be very close to the luxury tax threshold.

That's fine if a combo of Howard, Lewis, Nelson, Hedo Turkoglu and J.J. Redick can deliver a championship. But if not, Orlando will have very little flexibility to make significant changes.

4. Keep your options open.

This rule really sums up the first three.

It's another way of saying, don't overpay. When you overpay, your ability to make additions and even subtractions to a team is damaged.

Again, let's look at the Magic. With so much money invested in two players (Lewis and Howard), and without a lot of supporting talent on the roster as trade bait, Orlando will find it difficult to make deals.

The team could try to use the expiring contracts of Carlos Arroyo, Pat Garrity and Keyon Dooling to bring in a player or players with longer-term contracts. However, if they do that, they'll run even more risk of crossing the luxury tax threshold (starting in 2008-09).

To take advantage of the flexibility that the Magic had before signing Lewis, and to keep their options open for the future (given that it will be extremely hard to trade Lewis), Orlando could have taken a different tack. Had the Magic decided to keep Darko Milicic (with a three-year deal) and pursue free agent Gerald Wallace, they potentially would have made themselves both more competitive and more capable of making moves in the future.

Wallace is more than three years younger than Lewis, and he just signed a six-year deal for about half of what Lewis did. Wallace averaged 18.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season, and posted a very similar player efficiency rating to Lewis. He also is a much better defender. While Wallace does not have the kind of outside shot that Lewis does, the Magic have players who do -- especially Redick and Turkoglu.

The combined production of Milicic and Wallace very likely will match or outpace what Lewis will do for the Magic this season. Essentially, Orlando is paying him the price of two players.

5. Don't give away assets.

This is the rule that most teams follow, which is why many around the league were shocked that the Magic didn't try harder to get something in return for Milicic. Say what you will about Darko -- whether you think he is a bust or still has potential, he is a roster asset.

The Magic mishandled the Milicic asset in several ways.

First, they gave up their 2007 first-round pick to land Milicic, without being committed to a strategy for this asset. (Detroit used that pick to draft Rodney Stuckey.)

Second, they chose not to keep a 22-year-old center, when they said it was their top priority and could have rearranged their roster slightly to do so. Now they have the thinnest frontcourt in the NBA.

Third, they essentially gave him away, rather than trading him for another player, a draft pick or a trade exception.

Fourth, they mishandled the entire episode to the point where they are ineligible to use the midlevel exception this year. With a sign-and-trade to move Darko to another team and receive an asset in return, Orlando could have stayed slightly over the salary cap and used the exception. By waiving Milicic, the Magic fell a little below the cap and lost their free agent exceptions. Now they can sign only minimum-salary players.

Darko's agent, Marc Cornstein, said more than 20 teams inquired about Milicic once he became an unrestricted free agent, and several teams attempted to work out a sign-and-trade with Seattle and Orlando to land Darko.

While Smith said publicly that the team was working feverishly to find a way to keep Milicic, Cornstein said that he received just one phone call from the team after it withdrew its qualifying offer, and the call wasn't related to a deal for Darko.

A source in Seattle also said that the Magic weren't very interested in exploring various sign-and-trade scenarios and in the end "just wanted to get their guy and be done with it."

Instead of asking Lewis to wait a few days while the team tried to explore trade options, the Magic waived Milicic early Wednesday to expedite the Lewis signing. Later that day Milicic agreed to a three-year, $21 million deal with the Grizzlies.

So where does that leave the Magic? The team gave Lewis one of the most lucrative long-term deals in NBA history -- along the lines of historic deals for O'Neal and Garnett. His sixth year salary of $22.6 million (if and when it becomes guaranteed) will be higher than that of all but two players -- Garnett and Tim Duncan. To get the right to pay him that much money, the team renounced or dropped qualifying offers to a whopping 12 players. Two key players for the Magic last season -- Grant Hill and Milicic -- are gone.

Once the Magic extend the contracts of Howard and Nelson, they essentially will be capped out for the next five years. This is their team.

If the Magic win and win big, no one will care about how much Lewis makes. But if they stumble, it could be the deal that sucks the Magic right out of Orlando.

Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.

[MavsX]

good freaking article

[Dr.Zoidberg]

And here the grading of some trades from Mavs darling Charley Rosen.

Of course the Rashard Lewis singing gets an A - despite the horrendous costs. And although he likes the re-singing of Stack he can´t deny oneself to end his evaluation with deprecatingly sentence and a C. The George singing also get only a C-. What an idiot.

Who scored big, who lost in dealings?
Charley Rosen

FOXSports.com,
Updated 9 days ago

Here's a case-by-case prognosis of the latest wheelings, dealings, and free-agent signings:


RASHARD LEWIS — ORLANDO

This is a coup for the Magic since Lewis is a proven scorer from both downtown and the pivot. His guaranteed point-production will take some of the heat off Dwight Howard and give the youngster more of a chance to continue developing his still-crude post-up game. If Lewis isn't a rugged rebounder, playing side-by-side with Howard will more than compensate. On the flip side, Lewis is willing to pass but is prone to turnovers. Plus he plays little defense — which will likely increase the possibility of Howard's picking up "help" fouls. GRADE — A minus


ZACH RANDOLPH — NEW YORK

Randolph can score in the low post and with his baseline moves. He's also proven to be a big-time rebounder. Unfortunately, the flaws in his game duplicate Eddy Curry's, i.e., poor defense, limited lateral movement, plus an inability to make timely passes and avoid turnovers. When both are on the court at the same time, the best fit is for Curry to be planted in the pivot while Randolph is positioned near the foul line. (Look for cross-screening high-low sequences to be employed to this end.) Randolph's accuracy from mid-range will mean that the inevitable double-teaming of Curry will have to be initiated from some other position. However, when Randolph is posted, then Curry's defender will be enabled to become the designated two-timer. It's therefore incumbent upon Curry to develop a passable face-up jumper during the off-season.
While this heavyweight duo increases the Knicks' potential to match points with most of their opponents, it also decreases the team's capacity to make swift and precise baseline rotations. And what happens to David Lee's playing time?
But Randolph's most serious drawback is his need to surround himself with his posse — his Hoops Family. He describes this group as being "like a charity." Yeah, with Randolph as the generous donor and the recipients as the whoop-it-up, carefree party hounds. Randolph claims that his adopted family will be left behind in Portland. It remains to be seen if this is true, and if so, then will this be sufficient to keep him out of trouble in the Biggest Apple of them all?
GRADE — B minus


JASON KAPONO — TORONTO

This guy is a one-trick pony, but he's one of the best at what he does — hitting standstill jumpers. Kapono is best suited to a ball club that runs a precision offense wherein he can fade and/or curl off weak-side screens — or on a team that features a dreadnaught pivot man (like Shaq in Miami). Too bad the Raptors don't fit well enough into either category. While Chris Bosh is a fearsome offensive force, he does most of his scoring on moves (or shots) from the high-post and the right-side baseline. Bosh's occasional ventures into the low post and some of his baseline forays will indeed attract the kind of double-teams that will place Kapono two swing passes away from open shots. But it remains to be seen if Bosh can recognize these situations and make the appropriate out-passes.
Also, can Kapono score enough points to make up for his inept defense and inadequate ball-handling skills?
GRADE — C minus


STEVE FRANCIS — PORTLAND

The word is that the Blazers plan to spend 20+ million to buy out Francis and cast him adrift. And it seems that several teams are lining up to rescue him. If Portland's proposal is eminently defensible, the wonder is that anybody else is interested in signing Francis.
While little Stevie not-so-wonderful can score points by the dozen and register plenty of assists as an adjunct of his tricky lane-penetrations, he also comes equipped with a considerable down side. These include abominable defense, a penchant for turnovers, a selfish mind-set, and, worst of all, a habit of making egregious mistakes in the clutch. GRADE — Incomplete, pending his ultimate destination


DAN DICKAU — NEW YORK

This guy can play — but only on offense. He's a clever passer, is surprisingly athletic, plays with admirable discipline, is an OK finisher, and can regularly knock down perimeter shots. If Dickau could adequately defend, he'd be a long-time starter for a marginal playoff team.
With an overstuffed roster, the Knicks will be hard-pressed to keep Dickau around — the most likely scenario being that Zeke will use him as a trading chip. In any case, if he does stick, Dickau will be a perfect backup point, and even useful as a third-stringer.
GRADE — C plus


CHANNING FRYE — PORTLAND

Sure he's soft and virtually defenseless. But Frye could also serve as a valuable go-to scorer on the Blazers' second unit.
GRADE — B minus


FRED JONES — NEW YORK

A trustworthy scorer and long-range shooter off the bench, Jones also plays professional-grade defense. Will the Knicks keep him or deal him?
GRADE — C plus


JAMES JONES — PORTLAND

JJ can do two things: Play aggressive defense and catch-and-shoot from long-range. As such, he's a valuable 11th or 12th man.
GRADE — C minus


KAREEM RUSH — INDIANA

Rush is a multi-talented player, the most significant of these being his knack for plugging 3-pointers and his court-vision. If his recent stint over the waters has advanced his maturation and willingness to work hard, then Rush could be a revelation.
GRADE — Either an A or an F


LUKE WALTON — LOS ANGELES LAKERS

This is a terrific re-signing for both Walton and the Lakers. For sure, Walton has developed into a dangerous 3-point shooter, and has also developed a semi-effective spin-and-fade move in the low post. But it's his passwork and high hoops IQ that makes him so valuable. More valuable, in fact, in the triangle offense than in any other game plan.

NBA watchers will recall the post-triangle careers of the likes of Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, and Luc Longley, all of whom could never duplicate their effectiveness elsewhere. The same is true of Walton. His skills are perfectly tailored for the triangle and would be much more marginal in any other system.
GRADE — A


VINCE CARTER — NEW JERSEY

By keeping Vince Carter, the Nets are severely limiting their own destiny. While Carter is a spectacular talent and is presumably a top-notch gate attraction, his habit of self-destructing in clutch situations prohibits him from being labeled a true superstar. When will Lawrence Frank learn that for the Nets to come up big in endgames the ball must be put in Jason Kidd's hands?
What the Nets should have done was to trade him (and J-Kidd) before last season's All-Star game. Or might there be a sign-and-trade deal in the works? GRADE — C minus

Link


Grading the free-agent comings and goings

Charley Rosen

Special to FOXSports.com,
Updated 46 minutes ago

As the pace of the free agent signings and re-signings quickens, let's evaluate what impact the latest changes of addresses might have on the players and the teams involved.

Grant Hill, Phoenix

Mike D'Antoni has wisely predicted that Hill will only play 25-30 minutes per game. Even so, there's no way that Hill's oft-injured, 35-year-old legs can keep up with Steve Nash and Co. In addition, Hill is a poor 3-point shooter, plays only moderately effective defense (which is, actually, business as usual in Phoenix), is notoriously soft, and has always been turnover-prone. Barring any further injuries, Hill does provide maturity and unselfishness as well as an excellent one-on-one option when the Suns are forced to take the air out of the ball. In other words, Hill's value will become more apparent in the playoffs. And by presumably pushing Boris Diaw out of the starting lineup, Hill's presence will also lengthen the Suns' bench. Grade: B


Darko Milicic, Memphis

Add Marc Iavaroni to the lengthening list of coaches who believe that they are the ones who can motivate Milicic. Getting him to play hard night in and night out. Convincing him to do something on defense besides blocking shots. To make quick, crisp passes instead of massaging the ball and casting longing looks at the hoop. To work to improve his post-up game. To avoid careless turnovers. To improve his free-throw shooting. To start behaving like a grown-up.
Good luck, coach. Grade: C-


Steve Blake, Portland

This guy can play. Offense, that is. He's smart, a dangerous spot-shooter, a more than adequate finisher, and a terrific passer. Blake's athleticism is surprising and is a definite upgrade over Jarrett Jack, who will be a superb backup. Blake's hustling but less-than-average defense will provide Greg Oden with numerous opportunities to block shots and pick up fouls. Still, this is a good move for the Blazers.
Now if they can only find some way to rid themselves of Darius Miles. Grade: B


Chucky Atkins, Denver

Here's the drop-it-like-it's-hot perimeter shooter the Nuggets have so sorely lacked. In addition, Atkins can drive both ways, excels in screen/rolls, has an excellent pull-up game, and would rather run than walk. However, he's a much better jump shooter than he is a finisher. At the other end, Atkins likes to pressure the ball and gamble on steals, but doesn't play solid contain defense. Also, since he's only 5-11, it's unlikely that Atkins can ever play in tandem with Allen Iverson. For Atkins, that unavoidable reality doesn't amount to very much leftover time or shots. Grade: C-


Mikki Moore, Sacramento

Despite his threatening glares, cheap shots and overly aggressive fouls, Mikki Moore is not nearly as tough as he thinks he is. Also, his defense is poor, he doesn't rebound well in heavy traffic, he's an inferior passer, and a habitual fouler. What he is, though, is an exceptional mid-range shooter. Strictly a one-trick pony. If Moore is a useful player, he's not the force that the Kings need in the middle. Grade: C


Jamaal Magliore, New Jersey

Magliore will bang around some in the paint and attack every up-for-grabs offensive rebound (much more so than he does on defense). If his post-up moves are somewhat stiff and studied, they can be effective against both poor and reluctant defenders that he can bully. Conversely, bigger, stronger opponents can make Magliore flinch. Passing is not his game, and double-teams turn him into a turnover machine. Magloire provides adequate insurance in case Nenad Krstic fails to make a full recovery from his injury. And, should Krstic be A-OK, his ability to knock down 15-footers just might compliment Magloire's inside presence well enough to constitute a relatively formidable front-court combo in the weak-kneed Eastern Conference. Certainly a much better alliance than Krstic and Moore would have been. Grade: C+


Derek Fisher, Los Angeles Lakers

All of the legalities haven't been fully satisfied, but this transaction will certainly be consummated shortly. When it is, the Lakers will have the experienced guard they've missed since Fisher signed with Golden State in 2004. His widely celebrated clutch shooting and stubborn defense will be welcomed, as will his total mastery of the triangle offense. Fisher compensates for his relative slowness afoot by smartly drawing charges and by avoiding egregious mistakes at both ends of the court. While he's not the tall, long-limbed backcourtsman that Phil Jackson pines for (which enables the quick-switching defense that PJ desires), Fisher is a huge plus. Not the least of what Fisher brings is the fact that during his previous tenure in L.A. he was the only player on the team who was close to Kobe. Grade: A-


Morris Peterson, New Orleans

Mo-Pete was often buried on the bench in the Raptors' overhaul, but he remains a slasher-driver-shooter-creator-runner who can score in a variety of ways. The more he plays, the better he plays. Look for him to have a big season with the Hornets. Grade: A-


Chauncey Billups, Detroit

Ever since Larry Brown left, Billups has lost his way. In Flip Saunders' iso-oriented scheme, Billlups basically delivers the ball to whichever teammate has been tabbed to take the shot. Billups gets to shoot only when the other guys are firing blanks, or when he's on the plus-side of a glaring mismatch. Gone are the days when Billups orchestrated a quick-hitting, cohesive team-offense and got his shots within the flow. Now he's just another guy waiting in line with a number in his hand. That's why his offensive output has been so erratic.
So, if the return to the Motor City is a good deal for the Pistons, Billups would have been better served gong elsewhere. Grade: A for the Pistons, C- for Billups


Gerald Wallace, Charlotte

Wallace was, and will continue to be, the best player on the Bobcats. The only soft spots in Wallace's arsenal are his propensity to pick up fouls (mostly because of his aggressive defense), his free-throw shooting, and his turnovers. In Wallace and Jason Richardson (if he stays healthy), Charlotte now boasts one of the finest sets of wingmen in the league. Grade: A


Matt Carroll, Charlotte

Every team needs a dead-eye shooter, and that's what Carroll provides for the Bobcats. The bonus is Carroll's athleticism and mobility. True, his defense is barely adequate and he mishandles the ball too often, but he's surely good at what he's supposed to do. Grade: B


Jerry Stackhouse, Dallas

Why change a good thing? Stackhouse is an explosive scorer who can still bust to the middle, shoulder an opponent to create space for his fade away jumper, or drain 3-balls from either corner. Sure, Stackhouse isn't a solid defender, and doesn't deliver in the clutch — but this only makes him a perfect fit in a team loaded with players sporting similar flaws. Grade: C


Devean George, Dallas

Along with Greg Buckner, George represents the only Mavs who can play major league defense in the backcourt. Too bad George has trouble staying healthy. But his being prone to missing clutch shots isn't a factor with Dallas since he's usually on the bench in the endgame watching others do the same. Grade: C-


Matt Bonner, San Antonio

A big-time long-distance shooter and earnest banger, Bonner is in the process of learning how to defend and play according to Pop's high standards. In granting him a three-year contract, the Spurs are demonstrating their belief that sooner rather than later he'll become a useful player. How could anybody question their judgment? Grade: B


Jacque Vaughn, San Antonio

He pressures the ball, makes good decisions, and even knocks down important jumpers. The perfect place for the imperfect player. Grade: B+


Fabricio Oberto, San Antonio

Where else would this guy have fit in so well? He can't jump, shoot, run, handle, block shots, move laterally, or use his left hand. But he can play bump and grind defense on post-up players until he picks up his usual early fouls. And he's always in the right place at the right time. Grade: A

Link

[vjz]

Originally Posted by Dr.Zoidberg

And here the grading of some trades from Mavs darling Charley Rosen.

:
:
RASHARD LEWIS — ORLANDO

This is a coup for the Magic since Lewis is a proven scorer from both downtown and the pivot. His guaranteed point-production will take some of the heat off Dwight Howard and give the youngster more of a chance to continue developing his still-crude post-up game. If Lewis isn't a rugged rebounder, playing side-by-side with Howard will more than compensate. On the flip side, Lewis is willing to pass but is prone to turnovers. Plus he plays little defense — which will likely increase the possibility of Howard's picking up "help" fouls. GRADE — A minus
:

Hahaha, Charley is a great writer... masterful use of sarcasm...

I hope.

[Tokey41]

You know... when the Spurs get a B+ for Vaughn and we get a C for Stackhouse it makes me wonder if Rosen has a bias that sportswriters aren't supposed to have. Either that or he's becoming senile.

[StackAttack]

These guys really never get tired of taking their stabs at us.

[dude1394]

I'm thinking that Rosen asked cubes for a loan or some other business proposition and cubes asked why he would invest in a no-talent hack.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Rosen is like the MrCranky movie reviewer where he just finds anything negative and exploits it ridiculously. Brilliant writing.....not.

Don't post anything that will give these people press and money. I learned the hard way when I posted what Skip Bayliss said.

[Dtownsfinest]

Did you guys think we deservd a A+ for Stack's signing lol? It deserved a C. Good move but had we not resigned Stack would fans have canceled their season tickets?

[Dr.Zoidberg]

I think to re-sign one of the best 6th men of the bench at least deserves a B-. There are not many players in the league which can come in a game and produce the way he can. He is not being discussed frequently as a 6th man of the year for nothing.

And above all I don´t like Rosen´s snidely remarks at the end of every Mavs note he writes.

[Dirkadirkastan]

Originally Posted by StackAttack

These guys really never get tired of taking their stabs at us.

He accuses the entire roster of being anti-clutch in BOTH our signing grades. I'm sure we won 67 games by missing all our clutch shots. Dumbass.

All Charley Pansy does is grade the players, not the signings. And he's not even very good at that.

[Dirkadirkastan]

Originally Posted by Dtownsfinest

Good move but had we not resigned Stack would fans have canceled their season tickets?

What a horrific way to evaluate free agent signings.

[rabbitproof]

Rosen loves drama.

[Underdog]

Rosen loves the smell of his own farts...

[Fidel]

Charley Rosen was never in the "decent article" race in the first place.

[Tokey41]

He also mentions that George is our only defensive backcourt player, hard to believe he would just forget Devin Harris like that. He could have a case to be the best defensive pg in the league and he's somehow not good enough for Charley.

Stacks signing was a B+, that firepower off the bench is a huge part of our identity and success. He certainly is more crucial to our success than Vaughn is to the Spurs.

[StackAttack]

I'm pretty sick of this whole image we have of being un-clutch. We had 4 game-winning or OT-forcing opportunities this season. We converted on 3 of them, and the 4th one...I'm willing to bet Dirk would've made it, considering how open he was, if he hadn't just played his 50th minute of the night.