The deals the Mavs didn't make

[Drbio]

Deals Dallas Didn't Do: A Call About C-Webb?

by Mike Fisher and David Lord – DallasBasketball.com

And then there are the deals Dallas didn’t do.
On Thursday, the Mavs surprised everyone by acquiring backup PF Keith Van Horn from the Milwaukee Bucks in a last minute swap before the trade deadline. They did so for Calvin Booth and for Alan Henderson, who has been released by Milwaukee and might therefore boomerang back to Dallas.
However, Van Horn was not the only big man that moved in last minute deals. Chris Webber, Antoine Walker, and Nazr Mohammed were some of the more talented players that were dealt in the shuffle, and we wondered about some of those other options for the Mavs.
We caught up with Mavs executives Donnie Nelson and Mark Cuban, who shared with DB.com this inside glance at trade day. We asked Cuban if, when it became apparent that the Kings were serious about trading Chris Webber, the Mavs had some serious interest (if the Kings price was reasonable) in getting him. “No. We never even talked about it,’’ Cuban said. “If we went after CWebb, we would have to play Dirk or him at the 5 all game. That made no sense.’’ How about other big men – or big names? We hear the Mavs had dangled before them Cliff Robinson and Donyell Marshall, and that Dallas was certainly answering the phones on those calls. The Mavs say that the Van Horn deal was the only one that ever got close, and even then, only because Milwaukee pushed so hard for it on Wednesday night after making their own in-house commitment to a financial future tied to Michael Redd. Said Donnie: “We were not trying to do anything. We like our team. Only a no-brainer deal would we be interested in, and when this fell into our laps, it was clear that it makes us better.’’ Added Cuban: “Milwaukee came to us. We weren’t out there looking.’’ Cuban said that overall, “It was actually a boring day. But maybe that’s an evaluation that speaks to how comfortable this organization now is to the hectic nature of what in the NBA is a sort of holiday. Because Donnie said the Mavs stayed on top of all the possibilities. … with two notable exceptions: 1) Milwaukee’s Michael Redd: Dallas has always thought highly of him. Any conversation? “Nope,’’ Nelson said. “They wouldn’t have listened. Keeping Redd was the only reason they were on the phone. 2) Atlanta’s Antoine Walker, the ex-Mav oddly shipped back to Boston: “Nope,’’ Nelson said, this time chuckling. “Been there, done that.’’

[XERXES]

Bringing Walker back would have made me cry. Can you imagine? The insanity!

[Drbio]

The guy has been playing great ball, but I agree.....insanity indeed.


For the Celtics situation though...I think that was a pretty good move and Ainge swallowing his pride to pull the trigger was impressive don't you think?

[u2sarajevo]

Walker is to me what Najera is to Murphy.

[Dooby]

I can't believe Marshall wasn't moved. Did you guys see what Robinson went for? 2 second rounders. That is chump change.

[Drbio]

Originally posted by: u2sarajevo
Walker is to me what Najera is to Murphy.

That's harsh.

[mary]

Originally posted by: u2sarajevo
Walker is to me what Najera is to Murphy.

Yes, but what if Atlanta calls you up and offers him for Calvin Booth and Alan Henderson, with an under-the-table agreement to release Henderson?

[EricaLubarsky]

I dont want Walker for any price, unless they are giving us two first rounders and Walker to us for Booth.

[madape]

How appropriate will it be to see Walk lead his team to the Eastern Conference championship. I think a Mavs/Celtic matchup in the finals would be very fun to watch. As would a Celtic/Spurs matchup. I know who I'd be rooting for in that series. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]