I just read a piece that brings up a decent point, but one that is a little bit too overdone for the persons in the comparison.  Yes, Mark Cuban needs to keep his championship coach, but, I don’t think he’s a braggadocio like Jerry Jones.  See, Jerry Jones thought, well, he thought:

1.  He’s smarter than Jimmy Johnson

2.  He’s smarter than all the people Jimmy Johnson hired

3.  He’s smarter than everyone in the world

4.  Because he’s got all the money, he must be in control of EVERYTHING

5.  That the championships would just keep coming because, well, once you win three in short order, of course you’ll keep winning more

Right?

Not right.  Mark Cuban knows that.  He has his championship coach, and while he won’t give Rick Carlisle a lifetime contract with a services clause, I think he will most definitely be willing to keep him around for the rest of Dirk’s career and into the transition that will occur post-Dirk.

Remember, Mark Cuban is a loud-mouth and he makes some people crazy, but he is highly concerned with the product that he is putting in front of the fans.  He is not overly concerned with his ego.  He keeps it up by being an owner on the front line of the CBA negotiations, but he does not use the team to satisfy his ego.  He uses the team to win so that the fans are happy.  That’s how this works.

Now, do I think that it would be easy for Cuban to take the Mavs in the direction that the Cowboys have been taken under Jerry Jones, yes, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.  I think he knows better than that.

So, let’s not get down on Mark, because he’s the best owner in sports (or at least in the top three.)  We should all be thankful for that.

In a previous article, I wrote about what I thought the Mavs would do this off-season; either bring in a few younger players or keep a core group of experience. It seems as if Jason Terry has confirmed what will happen in Dallas over the summer.

After the disappointing 4-0 loss to the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs, Jason Terry spoke to the media about what will happen over the off-season. He said we should expect a lot of change. “They got a lot of decisions to make. You see what happened right there, we’re not going back out there with the same look, I’ll tell you that. That’s not it.”

It turns out that the Mavs may look for 4 new starters around their 7ft German, Dirk Nowitzki. There are several free agents now in Dallas, including starters Jason Kidd and Delonte West, as well as bench players Jason Terry, Ian Mahinmi, Yi Jianlian and Brian Cardinal. I think some of these may stay, but the majority of them will be left looking for another team.

Along with the free agents, the Mavs will be looking to make a few trades. Despite their age, players such as Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood still hold quite a lot of value on the trade market. These guys could be traded for some decent and hopefully young players in return.

It seems certain that one of either Delonte West or Jason Kidd will depart Dallas in the summer, as the Mavs have a plan to bring in a new guard. New Jersey Net’s guard Deron Williams is a free agent and the Mavs showed interest in him throughout the regular season. If Williams does come back to his hometown, I think he will partner Roddy Beaubois on the point, with Vince Carter playing a bench role.

After winning the title one year and then being swept the next, expect a lot of change in the upcoming off-season in Dallas and keep your eyes peeled for a big addition or 2!

Jack Campbell was drafted to the Dallas Stars in their first-round pick back in the summer of 2010. Back then, the Stars were unsure of where their goaltending future lied. Since then, the swift development of Kari Lehtonen and the emergence of Richard Bachman have given the Stars a very decent goaltending unit.

With the establishment of a very good starting goalie and a young backup, Jack Campbell’s progress can be given time to make sure he is in the correct shape to make the big step up to the NHL.

When goaltenders are drafted into the NHL, it normally takes around 5 years of development before they are given a starting role. With around 2 years gone since he was drafted, the Stars coaching team have said he is coming along nicely at the speed they anticipated.

Why are Stars fans pretty excited to see this guy? Well, his IIHF World Junior Championships record is something to be admired. He has already grabbed 4 medals (3 goal, 1 silver) are the most by an American goaltender, and his 9 World Junior victory ranks him second behind the great Al Montoya.

Campbell has completed 2 seasons in the Ontario hockey league which involves some very competitive hockey. His numbers weren’t where he perhaps would have liked them to be (.889 and .892 respectively), but he still showed progression which is what the Stars management want to see most. It is also thought by many that playing in the OHL may even be a better experience for Campbell than what the World Championships offer the young American.

Speaking about Jack Campbell, Stars direction of player personnel, Les Jackson, had this to say: “That’s a great growing experience for any kid. To be named the top player at that position in your country for your age group, and to be recognized as such for three years in a row, that’s a great chance to see how you match up against the best players your age. It’s a good way to measure you own abilities and see where you fit.”

It will probably be a few more years before we see Jack Campbell in a Stars jersey. But like many people, I am looking forward it as he looks a great prospect.

Going into last night’s game with the Baltimore Orioles, the Texas Rangers started to feel a bit of pressure for the first time this season, losing 4 of their last 6 games. They responded to the rough patch with a huge win, rolling the Orioles 14-3 at Oriole Park.

Brandon Snyder, the first baseman, was the standout man for the Rangers. He hit 1 homer as well as recording 6 RBIs, which is a career-high for the 25-year-old. He helped the Rangers end the Orioles’ 5 game-winning streak.

The Orioles selected Snyder as their highest pick back in 2005. Returning back to Baltimore was a very special moment for him. In an interview after the game, he said: “I’m probably going to have to wake up tomorrow and read something to make sure it happened. It’s a special night, being back in Baltimore, but the biggest thing is having my family there.”

It has been quite a remarkable season for the Orioles so far. For the last 14 seasons, they have recorded a record below .500, but prior to last night’s game, they had the best record in the MLB, thanks to winning 5 from 6 in Boston and New York. They could definitely be a surprise package this season.

The 2 teams go at it again tonight as the Orioles look to break a 6 game skid against the Rangers. Jake Arrieta will be on the mound for the Orioles. He has a record of 2-2 so far and an ERA of 3.52. In his last game, the right-hand pitcher went through 8 innings scoreless in his teams 5-0 victory of the Yankees in the Bronx.

On the mound for the Rangers will be Neftali Feliz, who has a 1-1 record with an ERA of 3.81 so far. In contrast to Arrieta, Feliz had a terrible time on the mound in his last game. He allowed 6 walks, 4 runs and 4 hits in 5 innings in the close loss to the Blue Jays.

There is a lot of rain in the Baltimore area tonight, but hopefully they can get out and play some ball. First pitch is at 7.05pm EST.

Jamie Benn, the Stars centreman, is over in Europe representing Canada in the 2012 World Championships. He was Dallas’ main an through the course of the 2011/12 NHL regular season, and he is carrying that form into the World Championships.

Canada destroyed France by 7 goals to 2 yesterday. Benn showcased his talents, scoring 2 goals, grabbing an assist and gaining a +/- rating of 4. The Victorian native is playing alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Edmonton Oilers and Patrick Sharp of the Chicago Blachawks. The trio have formed a formidable line, linking together for 11 points against the French.

Benn isn’t the only Dallas Star playing well in the tournament as Loui Eriksson recorded 2 goals in Sweden’s victory over Denmark yesterday. The Stars’ leading points scorer in the 2011/12 season also leads the tournament with 6 points.

Kari Lehtonen is the other Star to thrive in Europe. He has played one game and recorded an impressive shutout. He had an awesome season with Dallas and seems to be carrying that form into the World Championships.

The 4 other Stars in the World Championships aren’t enjoying as much success as Benn and Eriksson. Goligoski struggled in his last game, recording no shots in a 4-2 loss to Slovakia. Richard Bachman is still struggling for ice time, with the Stars goaltender currently playing the backup role to Jimmy Howard, the Red Wings goalie.

Philip Larsen, the young Danish defenseman, recorded an assist in his team’s loss to Sweden. Tomas Vincour didn’t make the final roster for his team’s latest game, as his Czech team went onto defeat Norway 4-3.

Loui Eriksson and Jamie Benn are likely to go deep in the competition, and will both build up valuable experience to bring back to Dallas for the next season. Jamie Benn is currently a free-agent, but Joe Niuwendyk will certainly ensure his future in Texas before he thinks about doing anything else.

Despite not making the NHL playoffs for a fourth straight season, it is great to see several Stars showing their talents on a world stage.

I know that the NBA is a business in which millionaire owners are trying to make money.  I understand that, but seeing the effects of not having Tyson Chandler on the Mavs would be enough for me to admit that it was not a wise decision to let him go.  You get him on your team, suddenly everything gels, and then you let him go and you’re a mess?  Am I missing something here?  I think we just saw the reasons why the Mavs needed Tyson Chandler so badly this year.

When you  hear Mark Cuban talk about it, it’s confusing:

“We went through it every which way we could and tried to figure out the best way to be successful.  Given what happened, I think we put together a damn good team. Like I said, one break, one call, one bounce, we’re having a completely different conversation and you’re thinking how smart we are instead of saying how stupid we are.”

Really?

He said that, if they had re-signed Tyson Chandler, they would not have been financially flexible enough to field a team that would have been competitive.  I find that very hard to believe.  I think that Chandler made you competitive, so, little other flexibility was required.

Maybe I’m missing something, but, to me, the biggest difference in this year’s team and last year’s team was the fact that Chandler was on last year’s team and not on this one.  That alone would have prevented a sweep, likely gotten the Mavs out of the low seed they got, and probably won them many more games just based on defensive prowess.  I mean, maybe I’m crazy, but, I just don’t see how you can not regret this.  I know living with regrets sucks, but, this is one I’d consider.

Going into game 4 last night, Jason Terry said that his Mavs could replicate what the Boston Red Sox did in 2004. The Sox fell down 3-0 in the first round of the playoffs against the Yankees, but managed to pull it back to win 4-3, and then later lift the World Series. So, Jason was confident and the boys looked pumped, but they didn’t have enough to force a game 5.

Dallas looked good in the first half last night at the AAC. They slipped behind early but after a great run towards the end of the second, both teams entered the locker rooms with the score tied at 47-47. Throughout the first half, the Mavs showed glimpses of being a title contending team, but couldn’t sustain it on a consistent basis.

As the game went on, both teams were exchanging baskets, several with a lot of finesse. As the previous games in the series showed, the Mavs just weren’t able to get the points when it counted the most, and fell short once again. It finished 103-97 to the Thunder, with Dirk impressively scoring 34 and Harden grabbing 29. For such a young starting 5, Oklahoma are a very dangerous outfit and I think they will represent the West in the NBA finals.

So, where now for the Mavs? Their ageing roster is constantly spoken about within the media, so is it time for a bit of a rebuild perhaps? There are still some immensely talented players within the group, but I think this year proved that the current core group of guys will not be able to bring success again.

It is a tough one. Despite the roster being very experienced, taking the each player one by one shows they can still all play NBA basketball. I think the Mavs should keep a few, but also move a few on, leaving roster spots for much younger guys to build experience and come up through the ranks. For example, Brendan Haywood could be given a bench role whilst Ian Mahinm and Roddy Beabouis provided with a starting spot.

It will be interesting to see what happens in Dallas over the off-season. It was an average regular season and a very poor playoff campaign, especially for a team defending a title. Next season can only be better and the Mavs will be firmly focused and getting stronger for next time.

A miracle will have to happen now if the Mavs are to go any further in the 2012 post-season. They are down 3-0 to the Thunder after losing last night at the AAC. Ok, perhaps the officials have made some bad calls over the course of the series, but at the end of the day, OKC have more talent and a lot more youth on their side.

With a very experienced roster, are we now starting to consider a few of them calling it a day, especially Dirk?

He is 33 years of age and has played over 1000 games of NBA basketball. Not only has he played over 1000 games, but the majority of those games have consisted of playing a lot of minutes and having the pressure of the franchise on his shoulders. He has responded to it all in admirable fashion, but surely his body is feeling it all now?

In recent NBA off-seasons he has expressed how he is playing too much basketball, especially as he represents his home country of Germany as well. Recently he has even said he was bored of basketball at one point.

He has got what every NBA player pulls a jersey on for, a ring. Not only has he got a ring but he also has a finals MVP to his name, 11 all-star appearances and 4 times on the All-NBA first team; just a few of his remarkable achievements.

In 2010, Dirk put pen to paper to sign a 4-year deal, meaning he is scheduled to play another 2 seasons of basketball. This could be the case, but I think the Mavs will need to find another big player to be averaging over 20 points a game and therefore reducing the pressure on Dirk’s shoulders. Somebody like Dwight Howard or Deron Williams, 2 players that Dallas were heavily linked with over the course of the season are the types of players that the Mavs now need.

One thing I am pretty confident of though is that Dirk will end his career in Dallas. He has been the face of the franchise, and the place holds a special place in his heart.

Whether the 7ft German retires now or in 2 seasons time, he has been a great servant to the Mavericks and will go down as one of the best to have played the game.

The defense of the Dallas Mavericks 2011 NBA title seems to be coming to a screeching halt at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder.  You can’t deny, at this point, that the Mavericks just don’t have an answer for anything that the Thunder are throwing at them.  I mean, we could easily try to figure out some other way to make it better, but when you’re down 3-0, there’s probably no coming back.

The Thunder have gotten over their one slip-up and won game one in dramatic fashion.  After that, there was really nothing left for the Thunder to do.  The Mavs can’t guard or isolate Russell Westbrook.  They can only contain Kevin Durant, and the rest of the Thunder are merely picking away at what’s left of the Mavs.  That’s how this series has gone.

What does this mean?  Well, for one, it means that the Mavs are not good enough as they are currently assembled.  They needed Tyson Chandler, and they don’t have him.  They need some more youth, and they needed an 82-game schedule.  Without any of those things, it’s very hard to be the Mavs.  Without any of that, it’s very hard for them to win anything.

I’d like to believe that a little tweak here and there will be enough, but we’re also staring Dirk’s old age in the face.  JT’s, Kidd’s.  All of those guys are getting older and the Mavs aren’t getting any younger.  Until they do, this could be a recurring storyline.

I don’t want to sound all “doom and gloom,” but how else are we supposed to put it?  They simply are not good enough as they are currently constructed.

I’m looking forward to seeing what they do in the offseason, because there is nothing else for them with this lineup.  Change is needed, sadly.

The Big 12 has offered its commissionership to Bob Bowlsby, Stanford’s athletic director.  I won’t pretend to speak on what Bowlsby is capable of or what he brings to the table.  I will simply ask one question that is not a judgment of Bowlsby or any other commissioner at all.

Does the commissioner really matter in Big 12 country?

I don’t think that it does.  Sure, having a good commissioner would be nice.  It would actually be very nice.  It would be a good thing to have someone on the front line asking for the commitment to the cause that is required to keep the conference strong.  However, the real issue is the commitment to the cause that most people are not willing to provide.  Teams have left the Big 12 because they don’t believe in the Big 12 (or the southwestern/midwestern) values of the former Big 8 and now the Big 12.

That’s actually far more important than anything else that the conference can possess.  Having a commissioner is great, but having schools and university presidents and athletic boosters that believe in those things is vastly more important to the success of the conference than simply getting a commissioner who is qualified on paper.

If you have Texas A&M leaving the conference, willing to break up their rivalry with Texas (which is bigger than life,) or Missouri leaving and breaking up their rivalry with Kansas (which might be bigger than that,) you have to wonder where loyalty and commitment to ideals went in sports.  I know, it went in piggy banks, but, no commissioner can suddenly make everyone decide to value the Big 12 and its old roots again.

That’s what is really needed.

I wish Mr. Bowlsby all the luck in the world, but, I think there’s more to it than just finding a new frontman.  We need to reintroduce old-school values to the equation.