Mark Cuban admitted to Randy Galloway two days ago that prior to the 2007-2008 season, the Mavericks could have traded Dirk for Kobe straight up. And yet Cuban and Nelson didn’t want him. Do what? They didn’t want Kobe? The most driven player in the entire league? The self-starter?
On top of that, Dallas could have traded Josh Howard for Pau Gasol. That was an option briefly discussed, but the Mavericks sat on it and Gasol was gone to L.A. Nice going, guys.
Imagine it. Devin Harris at point. Kobe Bryant at shooting guard. Brandon Bass at the small forward. Pau Gasol at power forward. Erick Dampier at center. Jason Terry, Tyronn Lue, and DeSagana Diop coming off the bench. Sounds pretty good to me.
Devin Harris slashing to the hoop, dishing out to Kobe. Kobe fakes outside, lobs it in to Gasol. Bass and Dampier down low for the rebound. Where’s the downside here? True, Devin isn’t the ultimate point guard, but Kobe would have either straightened him up or pushed him out. Same with Damp. I can picture Kobe giving Damp the verbal tongue lashing he’s always deserved. In response, we’d see an extra five points and 4 rebounds per game from Damp.
Kobe won’t settle for laziness. He gets the best from his teammates or he makes them leave. Call it a strength or call it a weakness. Dallas needs someone with real passion for the game. Kobe would have been the spark Dallas hasn’t seen since Finley carried the team before Dirk.
Ah, what would have been. So much for that. Instead, we have a Round One playoff elimination, Jason Kidd, pot smoking Josh Howard, and no backup center or driving force behind this team.
Add Kobe and Gasol to the list of historic tragic misses that have come to be expected from your Dallas Mavericks.
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Associated Press - Vince Carter racked up 21 points in his Orlando debut and Brandon Bass added seven of his 13 points in the final two minutes to lift the Magic to a 110-105 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the preseason opener for both teams on Monday night.