Mike Fisher and David Lord have written a segment, in which they give us a preview of some ways that the Mavs could pull a Ron Artest deal.  They say its proactive scoop, that there have been internal conversations within the Mavs organization on how realistic it is that we could somehow land him here and undoubtedly fill our black hole at the 2/3 (assuming Josh is not included in the deal).   And to be frank with you, if these conversations werent going on, I would be worried.  But are the Mavs and Cuban gutsy enough to roll the dice on this?

Really, IMO, and I brought this up the other day, what are the Mavs intent from here on out?  Is is Championship or bust?  Is it just make it out of the 1st round?  How about make the playoffs even?

It's fair to say that with Cuban, its always championship or bust.  I dont know though that I get that same feeling with Rick.  Just my initial impressions of him have been that he is a little bit more passive about that subject than the last general was here. 

So if we are at a point where it is Championship or bust, is this the roster that is going to take us there?  I mean, can an even older core group of guys + Diop put us over the Hornets, Spurs, Lakers, and Celtics this year?  To say the spare roll players that have been brought in are somehow going to put you over the top, seems to suggest that you are blinded by the reality at hand, and they have a rude awakening coming.  Sure the spares will get you a game or two in the playoffs, but they arent what win championships.  Look at the Celtics and Spurs.  Both have some of the best "Big 3's" in the league, and win championships with some of the worst spares parts.

So if the Mavs are in a win-it-now mode... while I dont fully expect anything to be done at least before the season starts, I fully expect a move to be made by the trade deadline this February.  This of course, is assuming we are in the bottom half of the playoff picture around then, and are not looking as though we could contend.  If no move is made at that point, then the trade for Kidd was pretty much pointless IMO. 

So a move for Artest makes sense for all the reasons above, as long as Josh, Kidd, and Dirk are retained.  I dont really see our "Big 3" a true big 3, because we just dont know what to expect from Kidd and Josh.  I think it was a little reaching for Donnie to say our Big 3 can run with the best of them, when he should have said, our big 3 in their primes (yes Dirk was in his prime, but Kidd and Josh playing at their top levels?  Hardly) could run with any big 3 in the NBA.  We know what they are capable of, but last we saw them play, one looked really old, the other looked as though his head was elsewhere, and the other on one leg looked probably the best he has looked his whole career.

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Artest link

I guess Miami wants in on the bidding also, as they could be looking to deal Marion for Artest and Thomas.  It also says that the Maloofs have come out and told him to just calm down, as they are probably trying to position themselves for the best deal they can get for him.

"He has to balance the way he acts," Joe Maloof said by phone. "He's got to control his emotions a little better. You've got to try and keep your cool a little bit.

"Take a deep breath and quit flying off the handle with comments that don't make sense. I hate to say it that way, but that's how I feel. It doesn't make sense to me."

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Mavs Summer Ball

Box Score

We beat the Wolves last night.  Bench was unbelievable.  Rhodes, Terry and Foster all looked good I thought. 

Art Garcia asks us to put the brakes on the comparison of BB and Singleton.

James Singleton has heard the comparison plenty this summer: He’s this year’s Brandon Bass. Nice words, to be sure, but perhaps it’s a good idea to tap on the brakes just a bit....

But the road for Singleton has taken a few extra turns. Bass did stick in the league at first, though he played a bit role with the Hornets before the Mavericks came calling last summer. Singleton, a Murray State product via community college, took his show to Italy for two years before landing with the Clippers....

Singleton, who turns 27 on Sunday, isn’t the same wrecking ball as Bass. He’s a 6-foot-8, 230-pounder who can fill in some at power forward in pinch, but is best suited to play on the wing. President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said his defense, especially against high-scoring swingmen like Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady, sold the Mavs on Singleton.

More on Singleton here at Mavs.com, in which he did a Q&A.

MC: Some have compared you to Eddie Najera, which is a good thing in these parts.

JS: I’m not afraid to take a charge, and I’m not afraid to get in there and get scrappy. Every team has one or two guys that do that. I think I can bring that to this team. I’m just trying to fit in with everybody. This team has a lot of experienced veterans, and I hope to learn from all of them. We also have a good coach and a good staff so I’m just eager for the opportunity.