Friday Roundup

by Wes Cox on Jan 22, 2010 10:34 AM CST in News

Rejected, not dejected: Dirk Nowitzki OK with All-Star snub | DMN
"I think it's an honor either way, whether you're voted in by the fans or the coaches," Nowitzki said Thursday, when the starters for the Eastern and Western conferences were announced. "It really never made a difference to me, starting or not. To be there and be part of the weekend, especially in my new hometown, is an honor." Nowitzki finished third among West forwards in fan voting. Denver's Carmelo Anthony and San Antonio's Tim Duncan are the starters.

Mavs Donuts: Dirk Won't Start -- But He Might Star | DB.com
The point guard for the West is Steve Nash. Nash is not only one of Dirk�s closest friends, but also possessor of a great understanding of basketball�s big picture. Don�t you think Nash will attempt to put Dirk in position to bask in some spotlight? "He's one of the top players in the game, so he'll be there," Nash said. "It will be fun to play with him again back in Dallas on the same team. It will be strange, but also a lot of fun."

Jason Kidd dishes out direction for Mavericks | DMN
"He's leading the team as well as he ever has," coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's got a real pulse on the team and a good hand on the controls. He does a lot of directing and gives the guys a lot of confidence." Which happens when you give them easy baskets, too. Kidd has put on a point-guard clinic the last two games, dishing out 17 assists against Boston and 15 against Washington.

Mavs interested in deal for Kings' Martin | Marc Stein - ESPNDallas
Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that Dallas -- reluctant until recently to make Josh Howard available in trade discussions -- is prepared to part with the struggling former All-Star swingman in a deal for Martin. The Kings, though, have been telling teams that they are not ready to field offers for Martin, determined to give his fledging backcourt partnership with hot-shot rookie Tyreke Evans an extended period of evaluation

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we better

boo the hell out of tim duncan when he is introduced… i know i will be booing

go mavs, go colts, go rangers, go baylor

by zkmavz on Jan 22, 2010 11:26 AM CST reply actions

hardly duncans fault

that the ballot-makers were dumb enough to list Duncan at forward, instead of center. Duncan is just as deserving of starting as Dirk.

As for Martin, yes please, please please. Make it happen, now. I’d be sad to see Josh go, but this is exactly the kind of move the Mavs need(have to?) make.

I’d take Udrih in a deal, too. He’s having a pretty good year, and I think he’s a big upgrade as a scoring point guard over Barea or Terry.

Terry, Howard and Caroll for Udrih, Martin and Kenny Thomas? Money-wise it works. Kings would have to see value in Terry’s contract, which they might not. I’m not as crazy about taking Nocioni and letting Gooden go, though.

by Alan Smithee on Jan 22, 2010 12:07 PM CST reply actions

a few years ago

the balllot people put duncan as a center… but the whiny spurs complained to the NBA and got their way…

go mavs, go colts, go rangers, go baylor

by zkmavz on Jan 22, 2010 12:16 PM CST up reply actions

small correction

I missed the part about Gooden possibly coming back if the Kings cut him.

If they can really get him back, this would be fantastic. A Kidd/Martin/Marion/Dirk/Damp lineup with Terry and Gooden as your primary reserves? Wow. That would have to be one of the best 7 man rotations going.

by Alan Smithee on Jan 22, 2010 1:35 PM CST up reply actions

who would back up Marion in this scenario?

by JayKim41 on Jan 22, 2010 1:56 PM CST up reply actions

well

If the Mavs acquired Nocioni, he would. If not, probably Quinton Ross and James Singleton, which is the way its been with Howard out. Undoubtedly, if the trade were to go through, you’d also see some small-ball lineups with Martin(who is 6’7 and long), Terry and Kidd. It’s possible Tim Thomas could play there, too, or maybe even Najera.

Another potential positive would be that sending Barea away could also open the door for more minutes for Beaubois.

by Alan Smithee on Jan 22, 2010 2:04 PM CST up reply actions

The Kings

already have a plethora of SF’s.. Why would they deal away their best scorer for a hobbled, out of his prime, jumpshooting SF?

by JayKim41 on Jan 22, 2010 12:12 PM CST reply actions

re:

Well, Howard is 29, only a year and a half removed from being an All-Star, and can play the 2. He also has a team option for next year, so the Kings would be able to either keep him if he returns to form, or drop him and free up $10 mil in payroll.

The Kings also seem pretty desperate to unload long-term salary, and they’d be shedding a lot of that with Martin and Udrih/Nocioni.

by Alan Smithee on Jan 22, 2010 1:29 PM CST up reply actions

Stein updated

UPDATE: One source close to the situation said Friday that the Mavs would have no interest in a Martin deal if the Kings insisted they take on an additional player with a long-term contract such as Nocioni or Udrih.

I made a list of proposed Howard trades a couple of days ago. Kevin Martin and Iguodala made the most sense. Sacramento has Evans and Casspri so Martin is superfluous. Getting salary relief would be welcome especially since the cap and luxury tax thresholds are probably going down after this year.

I’m surprised the Mavs aren’t willing to take on the contracts for Nocioni or Udrih. I thought that was Cuban’s strategy right now, take advantage of the fact that you have money and the other owners don’t.

I didn't know what a mancrush was. Derek Holland showed me.

by DerekSTheRed on Jan 22, 2010 2:50 PM CST reply actions

Ouch

I hope that’s not true(or that they change their minds). Being willing to take on a longterm contract would likely be one of the only attractive qualities for Mavs as a trade candidate. What else can they really offer?

The Kings would have to be stupid or broke to do a Martin for Howard swap without dumping another bad contract, and I doubt Dallas would give up Dampier, since he’s a) their only real center, and b) their ace in the hole for the summer trade market.

Now, if Cuban or Donnie or someone else within the organization has some strategy to lure a Wade/Bosh/LeBron level talent to Dallas in the offseason, then obviously I’ll be wrong, but as it stands right now, looking at the team’s age, talent level and available resources, I think this type of deal(the Martin trade, that is) is an absolute necessity. The Mavericks, in my opinion, are not good enough to get past the 2nd round, let alone the finals. Their best player, who also happens to be the best player the franchise has ever had, will be 32 at the start of next year, and the Mavericks do not appear financially able to simply buy the type of player they need to push themselves over the top. Simply put, their window is closing fast.

by Alan Smithee on Jan 22, 2010 3:47 PM CST up reply actions

Drool....

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yls5ybr

by bbob on Jan 22, 2010 6:11 PM CST up reply actions

No way Toronto does that.

I didn't know what a mancrush was. Derek Holland showed me.

by DerekSTheRed on Jan 25, 2010 8:30 AM CST up reply actions

I would prefer Iguodala over Martin,

but I would be happy if we did get Martin for Howard straight up.

They call me the cloud, because I make it rain.

by srdmad on Jan 23, 2010 4:07 PM CST up reply actions

re:

Sacremento won’t do Howard for Martin straight up; they’d be crazy to. That’s why I’m really hoping the report that the Mavs won’t take another contract on is false, because that’s the only way a deal will happen, I think.

I think Martin is a great fit, personally; infact, he’s tailor made for Dallas. He’s a guy who can get 20 a night without any plays being run for him. Kidd would absolutely love him, because he moves so well without the ball; he can spot up, shoot off the screen or cut to the basket. He’ll also get to the line a lot, which is something the Mavs need badly. He’s not a good defender, but that’s not quite as important when you have Marion and Kidd with him on the perimeter.

Iguodala’s a very good all around player, and definitely would make the Mavs perimeter D a force to be reckoned with, but he’s not a high percentage guy, and he needs the ball a lot. Not as good a fit, I don’t think. Martin could come in and the Mavs could still run the offense through Kidd and Dirk.

by Alan Smithee on Jan 23, 2010 7:00 PM CST up reply actions

It's probably true

that we would have to take another contract to get Martin, but is Martin really that good that it would be worth getting him while taking another bad contract? My guess is that we wouldn’t have the cap space to sign a big FA, but I suppose we could trade Martin in a sign-and-trade to get Joe Johnson or Wade.

They call me the cloud, because I make it rain.

by srdmad on Jan 23, 2010 11:52 PM CST up reply actions

Well

My belief is that a starting lineup of Kidd-Martin-Marion-Dirk-Damp is championship caliber. Is Terry, Nocioni/Udrih and spare parts enough of a bench to put the Mavs over the top? I don’t know. I think that 7 man rotation is the best one the Mavs have a reasonable shot at running out there come playoff time, though.

I don’t think it’s very likely the Mavs could get someone like Wade. If so, then yeah, I’m on board. Of the other guys mentioned(Iguodala, Butler, Johnson, etc.), I’d take Martin. Maybe you can make the case that Johnson is more versatile, but is he better? I don’t think so, and even if he’s at about the same level of production, I certainly don’t think he’s a better fit. He also is going to cost more, both in dollars and what it would take to bring him to Dallas.

I don’t think another high volume shooter is going to work for the Mavs. Where is Joe Johnson going to get his shots? The value of a guy like Martin, somewhat like Dirk, is that he scores without requiring a large portion of the team’s possessions. He makes threes, piles up the free throws, and doesn’t turn the ball over. That means he’ll get his points, and still leave plenty of shots for Dirk, Terry, Marion, etc. A guy like Joe Johnson, or Andre Iguodala, needs more shots and more possessions to produce at the level we’re accustomed to seeing.

by Alan Smithee on Jan 24, 2010 11:21 AM CST up reply actions