I love my Mavs. But sports blogging isn’t my full-time job. Due to life circumstances, I’ve moved my sports coverage over to DallasProSports.com. I like to cover the Mavericks and the Cowboys, and it makes no sense to cover both on a Mavs blog or two run two separate blogs. So I created DallasProSports.com to allow me to cover both (and potentially the Stars and Rangers as well – if I can find a few writers). So I’m putting this site up for sale.
Four figure offers minimum.
It is ironic that I am the one actually writing this post, seeing how I really have no connection to Oklahoma and my good friend Daniel does. He is also one of those dreaded Sooner fans. I don’t hold it against him as it makes for some interesting friendly wagers.
As you know, the Seattle Supersonics are moving to OKC. They will NOT keep the Supersonics name or colors, in hopes that another team will move to Seattle once a new and updated arena is built.
Here are some teams you might see moving to Seattle:
You can get the “firsthand account” here. I know we expect PR specialists and reputation managers to get involved on behalf of high profile clients, but sometimes it’s too much.
Example. #2 draft pick Michael Beasley was injured during his first practice with the Miami Heat. All we heard up front was that he took an elbow to the chest and went to the hospital? Do what?
PR nightmare for Beasley and the Miami Heat. With rumors swirling that Pat Riley didn’t like Beasley as a fit for his team, the Heat have some BS to navigate too.
Eddie Jones, the newest addition to the Dallas Mavericks, will be announced on Monday. But why Eddie Jones – a 35 year old has been? I don’t have a clue and I don’t think the Mavs’ front office does either.
Why don’t these formally usable and talented NBA vets retire with some dignity? Austin Croshere signed with the Golden State Warriors today. I personally thought he was a good solid backup for Dirk. I am not mad we didn’t re-sign him, but it is obvious our bench, which is known for its depth, seems to be getting younger and less experienced or way too old.
I guess their thinking is to keep the core together. I am on board with that if the core is Dirk, Josh, Devin, Jerry and Diop. It just seems they could make wiser decisions for the role players. Why not sign Chris Webber if you’re going to go the “washed up/has been vet” route? At least he can pass the ball a bit and hit some 20’ jumpers.
Maybe Avery wants to transition Eddie into an Assistant Coach position. The Mavs need a big perimeter defender. Why not take a chance on Ron Artest? Off the court bs aside, he would put them over the top. I would like to see Baron Davis, Dwayne Wade, Tony Parker, Steve Nash or Kobe Bryant have their way w/ Ron Artest defending them in a Mavs uniform. Ron has an offensive game too.
Trade Terry to Sacramento for Artest – the dollars couldn’t be that different to make a trade. If that option is too much for the average cookie cutter hyper sensitive Mavs fan. Try this one on for size: Ruben Patterson. A ruthless defender and free agent, Ruben has also been known to be a head case and has had a problem with coaches before regarding his offensive game and complaining about not getting the ball enough.
Avery can’t handle players like Artest and Patterson? I bet he can. Is it about chemistry? I wonder if Pat Riley or Phil Jackson ever really worried about chemistry. Good coaches get their players to play their hearts out 40 minutes a night. The whole chemistry argument is played out.
The Mavs need to do something better than Eddie Jones. Matt Barnes, one of the guys that killed the Mavs in the playoffs, is a free agent. This guy is only 26 years old and definitely more productive than Eddie Jones would be.
Look at the roster this way:
1. Devin Harris/bench Barea
2. Patterson or Artest / bench Stackhouse
3. Josh Howard / bench George
4. Dirk Nowitzki/ bench Webber/Bass
5. Diop/ Bench Dampier
And you still have Buckner and Ager – a pretty deep bench.
How Boston, of ALL teams, managed to work out a deal with Minnesota defies logic. The Celtics are an automatic force to be reckoned with: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Big Baby, and Michael Olowokandi are an automatic NBA Finals Contender and national favorite. Expect Celtic apparel and product sales to skyrocket. Teenage guys will be sporting Celtic gear across the nation.
How did Dallas screw this up? Seriously. With Josh Howard, Jason Terry, Devin Harris, and a draft pick or two, the Mavs could easily have been a contender for the great Garnett (right, Sir Nathan?). Barea has proven to be as effective as Harris, so no serious worries about starting point guard. With Barea, Nowitzki, Garnett, Dampier, Stackhouse, Diop, George, and Reyshawn Terry, the Mavs would have been a powerhouse to be reckoned with. Put Barea at the 1, George/Stackhouse at the 2, Dirk in the 3 spot, Garnett at 4 and Diop/Dampier at the 5.
So much for daydreaming. Boston has an amazing lineup, assuming the Big Three stay healthy. Luckily for us, Dallas still has an exciting team. In all honesty, Garnett probably wouldn’t have been a good fit here. It was a great opportunity in theory.
Now back to the real world. The world where Dallas picks Fazekas instead of Big Baby, Glen Davis. Don’t keep your fingers crossed on that one. Prepare yourselves for the Stormin’ Mormon Part Two.
The commissioner David Stern is saying yes. While the truth remains to be seen, this seems unlikely. Not that every referee is crooked or addicted to gambling, but it would be rather naive to believe that it’s ever an isolated case. Expect more.
Of course, the way Tim Donaghy’s exposure came about was unexpected, to be sure. The NBA’s reputation has been seriously rocked by this scandal. Stern is doing his best to reassure the public that the games are being won and lost based on merit, not crooked refs.
The most important games possibly affected by Donaghy were the playoff series between San Antonio and Phoenix. It was the most important series in the 2007 playoffs. The winner was guaranteed to take the championship considering the remaining competition.
Unfortunately for Mavs fans, we still have no excuses except poor play and poor coaching to explain two years of startlingly poor performance.
You can read about the transaction between the Dallas Morning News and Mark Cuban, and draw your own conclusions. It appears that the DMN is a little sensitive to criticism from the Mavs nationally renowned owner, Mark Cuban. Michael Landauer writes, “Media don’t present assertions in a ‘wanna bet’ fashion. They use credible sources like the AP wire, hardly a sports blog.”
While this was a response to Mark Cuban’s assertion that the DMN must have received its misinformation about Chauncey Billups from a sports blog, it also appears to be a backhanded slap at sports blogs. Perhaps it is the fact that sports blogs are stealing readership away from traditional media sources that irritates Landauer so.
If your coverage of the Dallas Mavericks was losing popularity to joe blow with a WordPress sports blog, how would you feel? These big whig journalism / editorial types have nowhere to go but down or independent. Classical news reporting models (newspapers especially) are on the way out. Independent blogs and blog communities are in. And who knows how long we will retain that crown. Inevitably, something else is on the horizon which will challenge the then-supremacy of the blog.
Still, it’s sad to see the media responding with bitter sarcasm and resentment. Haven’t we all learned by now that bitterness is a sign of weakness?
Though many expected Chris Webber to retire from the NBA at age 34, Webber announced that he still wanted to play but that he was only interested in two teams. One of those teams is our beloved Mavericks. ESPN Radio announced that the Dallas Mavericks are interested in looking at the possibility.
Seriously? In what universe is this a good idea? Didn’t we learn not to trust cry babies with Antoine Walker? Chris Webber might even have Walker beat at that game.
Even if you were a fan of Chris Webber from the Fab Five days, those days are LONG GONE. Let’s not draw out an unnecessary career any longer than we have to. But by all means, keep looking for that missing element.
It was announced today on ESPN Radio that Devean George, despite having opted out of his last year, will indeed sign with the Mavericks on Wednesday. This is the second player in free agency to re-sign with the Mavs. Jerry Stackhouse agreed to a deal just a few days ago.
Rumors still about about free agents the Mavs are interested in, but nothing conclusive has been announced yet.
We will keep you posted.
