Dallas early offseason in review (HW/bondom34/dbrandon/Texas Chuck)

[HartfordWhalers]

Dallas Offseason in Review

HartfordWhalers Review

Key Losses:
Chandler Parsons
Zaza Pachulia

Barnes was swapped for Parsons. http://bkref.com/tiny/DycQB
Bogut was swapped for Zaza. http://bkref.com/tiny/7u5Xa

I will say more throughout on those moves, but in short, I liked em.

Losses:
David Lee
Charlie Villanueva
Raymond Felton
JaVale McGee
Jeremy Evans

Guys who are no longer good

Draft:
#46 A. J. Hammons

Who? Seriously though, a legit 7 footer in the second round who showed the ability to block shots isn't a bad pick. Course, when the guy is out of his prime age wise before his rookie deal ends it is suboptimal, but thats why they call it the 2nd round.

Trades:
Jeremy Evans and a ton of cash to Indiana
Conditional 2nd rounder for Andrew Bogut and a 2nd

Grossly overpaid to move Evans. Paid 2m more than Cleveland did to move Sasha Kaun. Not sure why they had to pay that much (or Cleveland so little).

Bogut is a really nice get. Just really nice solid pickup that retains flexibility and anchors a defense next to Dirk before Dirk fades away for good.

Free Agency:
Dirk Nowitzki 2/$50m (last year is a TO)
Harrison Barnes 4/$94.4m
Dwight Powell 4/$37.3m
Deron Williams 1/$10m
Seth Curry 2/5.9m
A.J. Hammons 3/$2.6m (all gtd)
Partially guaranteed 3 year deals to: Dorian Finney-Smith, Nicolas Brussino, Jonathan Gibson, Kyle Collinsworth (2 years), and Quincy Acy (2 years) and Jameel Warney (1 year)

Last things first -- Quincy Acy was a great signing. This is the type of hustle guy that might not have tons of skills, but helps set an atmosphere and somehow is more successful than they should be. But I have trouble seeing how he gets minutes.
Seth Curry is a great low cost high upside flier after his breakout in Sac.
Deron being 1 year combined with Bogut at 1 year and Dirk at 1 year (team option should mean nothing is gtd year 2 unlike early reports that said 5m was, I believe).
Powell seems popular among Dallas fans, although I'm not sure I see all of the attraction. At least he got 13m less than Tyler Johnson right?

Barnes is the big move. Is it a boatload of cash to someone who did nothing but low volume score as the 5th man on a team of studs, still costing off his high school ranking now 5 years later; an albatross of a contract? Is it locking up the prime of an up and coming great player who couldn't shine because of all the other greats on his team, a steal in value and long term talent? This debate gets pretty polar. I will just say, I like the risk, and support the taking of it. I think Barnes can carve out a Marvin Williams type role as a reasonable floor, and has a bunch of upside over that. So, the risk doesn't scare me at al, and the youth and talent infusion is worth the cost. Honestly, I like the move. Just don't push me to support it with that much.

Dirk gets a ton of money for being Dirk.

Current Depth Chart: (as usual this is a rough draft taken from bbinsiders)
PG: Deron Williams, J.J. Barea, Seth Curry, Jonathan Gibson, Kyle Collinsworth
SG: Wesley Matthews, Devin Harris
SF: Harrison Barnes, Justin Anderson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Nicolas Brussino
PF: Dirk Nowitzki, Dwight Powell, Quincy Acy, Jameel Warney
C: Andrew Bogut, Salah Mejri, A.J. Hammons

Needs: Dirk to look like last year's Tim Duncan not last year's Kobe. Harrison Barnes to be worth his contract. Bogut to be healthy. Powell to keep his mojo going. Seth Curry to show the end of last year wasn't a fluke. Oh, and Mathews to return to his better days.

Additional Thoughts: If I say Powell scares me more as a contract than Barnes, I am crazy right? Probably, but I'm still considering it.

In general teams in that 40-45 win area have 2 goals --
1) Get/keep the vets that will keep you relevant as a 1st round out in the playoffs
2) Get/grow the opportunities to outgrow that range.
3) Don't take risks that handicap your future

Bogut, Deron back as well as Powell and Barnes does 1 pretty well.
For the 2nd, they managed to roll over cap space without taking a step back -- which is super important as the Lakers found out that cap space alone doesn't do it. They have the upside of Barnes (if you believe in that), and Powell. If Dallas performs like last year, there is no reason they cannot be a big player in 2017 free agency and take a big step then.
For the third, this all comes down to Barnes. But, I like his risk better than Parsons, given health and age.

Projected Win/Loss: 48-34. Outperforming expectations.

Off-Season Grade: A

bondom34 Review

Key Losses:
Chandler Parsons
Zaza Pachulia

Losses:
David Lee
Charlie Villanueva
Raymond Felton
JaVale McGee
Jeremy Evans

Draft:
#46 A. J. Hammons

Trades:
Jeremy Evans and cash to Indiana
Conditional 2nd rounder for Andrew Bogut and a 2nd

Free Agency:
Dirk Nowitzki 2/$50m (last year is a TO)
Harrison Barnes 4/$94.4m
Dwight Powell 4/$37.3m
Deron Williams 1/$10m
Seth Curry 2/5.9m
A.J. Hammons 3/$2.6m (all gtd)
Partially guaranteed 3 year deals to: Dorian Finney-Smith, Nicolas Brussino, Jonathan Gibson, Kyle Collinsworth (2 years), and Quincy Acy (2 years) and Jameel Warney (1 year)

Current Depth Chart: (as usual this is a rough draft taken from bbinsiders)
PG: Deron Williams, J.J. Barea, Seth Curry, Jonathan Gibson, Kyle Collinsworth
SG: Wesley Matthews, Devin Harris
SF: Harrison Barnes, Justin Anderson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Nicolas Brussino
PF: Dirk Nowitzki, Dwight Powell, Quincy Acy, Jameel Warney
C: Andrew Bogut, Salah Mejri, A.J. Hammons

Needs:
Depth behind Dirk, youth, and possibly a PG upgrade. They've got the market on backup PGs covered but Williams could possibly be a spot they'd look to be better at.
Additional Thoughts:
I can't hate on Barnes too much even though I don't like the contract at all. Honestly a healthy Parsons is better, but his health seemed to be a question. Barnes was getting money from someone, and Dallas needs youth, so I get it. Its way too much money, but for some reason it doesn't feel as awful here. Bogut fits really well, and if Dirk can hold up well this season they're a solid playoff team again. I do hope Barnes doesn't bury Anderson's minutes though as I honestly see him as a really good prospect. The Bogut trade was a great value grab in a salary dump.
Projected Win/Loss:
42-40
Off-Season Grade: B-

dbrandon Review

Key Losses:
Chandler Parsons
Zaza Pachulia

Chandler's knees scare me, but he's solid healthy. Switching Zaza for Bogut is a net positive.

Losses:
David Lee
Charlie Villanueva
Raymond Felton
JaVale McGee
Jeremy Evans

Yeeeaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh this is all fine

Draft:
#46 A. J. Hammons

Solid enough prospect at this point in the 2nd round. I like it.

Trades:
Jeremy Evans and cash to Indiana
Conditional 2nd rounder for Andrew Bogut and a 2nd

Both of these are good. Getting Bogut is big.

Free Agency:
Dirk Nowitzki 2/$50m (last year is a TO)
Harrison Barnes 4/$94.4m
Dwight Powell 4/$37.3m
Deron Williams 1/$10m
Seth Curry 2/5.9m
A.J. Hammons 3/$2.6m (all gtd)
Partially guaranteed 3 year deals to: Dorian Finney-Smith, Nicolas Brussino, Jonathan Gibson, Kyle Collinsworth (2 years), and Quincy Acy (2 years) and Jameel Warney (1 year)

A couple of these stand out.

Getting Powell locked up early is a good idea. I really don't like Harrison Barnes, but maybe Carlisle works some dark magic and turns him into something more than a slightly-mechanical Swiss Army knife.

I actually like Seth Curry a lot, especially on that deal. Acy is a good value signing, and I like Finney-Smith as a prospect.

Current Depth Chart: (as usual this is a rough draft taken from bbinsiders)
PG: Deron Williams, J.J. Barea, Seth Curry, Jonathan Gibson, Kyle Collinsworth
SG: Wesley Matthews, Devin Harris
SF: Harrison Barnes, Justin Anderson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Nicolas Brussino
PF: Dirk Nowitzki, Dwight Powell, Quincy Acy, Jameel Warney
C: Andrew Bogut, Salah Mejri, A.J. Hammons

Needs:

Young players so they can start planning ahead for after Dirk's retirement. PG is a real problem. They desperately need Williams and Bogut to stay healthy, and Wes needs to get back to something approximating his pre-injury offensive form.

Additional Thoughts:

A very solid offseason for Dallas. They're still kind of stuck in the middle, but I like a lot of their fringe moves, and the Barnes signing is the kind of gamble that they need to take, whether I like him or not. Parsons's knees just scare me too much to commit long-term money to him.

It looks like Donnie Nelson is starting to prep for the post-Dirk future. They've got long-term money locked up in a couple of guys that will probably bridge the gap after Nowitzki retires into the rebuilding phase.

I actually like their bench a fair bit. There's a good mix of savvy vets and interesting young guys--I LOVE Anderson.

The starting lineup is pretty solid, if old and a little injured.

Projected Win/Loss:
50 wins
Off-Season Grade: B+

Texas Chuck Review
Key Losses:
Chandler Parsons
Zaza Pachulia

Parsons is the big one for me. Not all Mavs fans agree and him missing the playoffs both seasons was a real downer, but his ability to create offense is going to be missed. I love Zaza and he was great for us the first half of last year, but we asked too much of him and he wore down. His reduced role in GSW will be perfect and he will be a significant player for them.

Losses:
David Lee
Charlie Villanueva
Raymond Felton
JaVale McGee
Jeremy Evans

We will miss Felton a bit. Tough guy, played hard, everyone loved him. Wasn't afraid in big moments. Rest of that is addition by subtraction really.

Draft:
#46 A. J. Hammons

I mean whatever. Don't expect him to be a factor in Dallas any time soon.

Trades:
Jeremy Evans and a ton of cash to Indiana
Conditional 2nd rounder for Andrew Bogut and a 2nd

Moving Evans cost a lot, but it allowed Dallas to keep Dirk's cap hold allowing them to pay him $25M so while the raw value is bad, it cleared a roster spot and got Dirk taken care of so I'm fine with it.

The Bogut deal is great. We get a legit starting center for nothing but cap space. I'm still stunned he couldn't get value back. I was posting deals sending Bogut to teams for value shortly before free agency. So crow eating for me on his value--but softened because my team benefited.

Free Agency:
Dirk Nowitzki 2/$50m (last year is a TO)
Harrison Barnes 4/$94.4m
Dwight Powell 4/$37.3m
Deron Williams 1/$10m
Seth Curry 2/5.9m
A.J. Hammons 3/$2.6m (all gtd)
Partially guaranteed 3 year deals to: Dorian Finney-Smith, Nicolas Brussino, Jonathan Gibson, Kyle Collinsworth (2 years), and Quincy Acy (2 years) and Jameel Warney (1 year)

Dirk is fine. I would have rather kept Parsons over Barnes, but once we turned our back on that, Barnes is okayish. I think he's overpaid and fits better next to a 28 year old Dirk, but hopefully it works. I think the Powell money is stupid. I love the kid. Works and plays hard, really smart guy, but.... he's just not that good. And I'm not sold that he's going to be. Deron is fine. I don't love him, but he was the best option left and he wants to be here. I'm cautiously optimistic about Curry. I know he can shoot and Nancy Leiberman who was on the Kings staff has been in Dallas all summer raving about the guy. I expect nothing to come of the ungtd signings. Gibson can score and Brussino intrigues me but nothing is likely to come of any of it.

Current Depth Chart: (as usual this is a rough draft taken from bbinsiders)
PG: Deron Williams, J.J. Barea, Seth Curry, Jonathan Gibson, Kyle Collinsworth
SG: Wesley Matthews, Devin Harris
SF: Harrison Barnes, Justin Anderson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Nicolas Brussino
PF: Dirk Nowitzki, Dwight Powell, Quincy Acy, Jameel Warney
C: Andrew Bogut, Salah Mejri, A.J. Hammons

Needs: Health Potions. Starting 5 is solid if we can keep them on the court. But other than Barnes there are reasons to be concerned about all of them. We need another big. I'd like another wing with size, but we are used to playing small.

Additional Thoughts:

We swung big, but unrealistically. Then we did what Donnie do--scramble around and somehow piece together a respectable roster.

Projected Win/Loss: 44-38 I think it could conceivably be a lot worse than this with one or two injuries, but Rick and Dirk keep managing to find a way and I won't bet against them despite my concerns. Enough vets to win games against teams that don't know how yet.

Off-Season Grade: B- I feel like losing Parsons was a mistake. But the moves they made are all reasonable enough. Nothing great, but slightly above average mainly on the strength of that Bogut deal.

[loserX]

Best move: getting Bogut for nothing. Related: being the kind of organization that makes players want to go there even if the Mavs aren't considered contenders...the team's best assets continue to be Cuban, Nelson and Carlisle.

Worst move: making Parsons their lead recruiter on Mike Conley, then turning their attention elsewhere and watching him get recruited away by Mike Conley. Getting Barnes as a replacement is fine, getting him on a big contract was necessary, but this still looks sloppy.

More of the same from Dallas: dream big, come up with a good Plan B and keep on fighting until Dirk is done. You may or may not like the plan, but they do a good job of the plan. It's a good solid B for me.

[HartfordWhalers]

More of the same from Dallas: dream big, come up with a good Plan B and keep on fighting until Dirk is done. You may or may not like the plan, but they do a good job of the plan. It's a good solid B for me.

See, this is an A for me. Go for the gold, and when its unrealistic still place to take another medal and start training for the next Olympics where you will also have a shot at the gold.

If you have to get Durant to get an A, I don't think A means what it should mean. Granted, I strongly debated an A- but still, B is just way too low for me.

[Andre Roberstan]

More of the same from Dallas: dream big, come up with a good Plan B and keep on fighting until Dirk is done. You may or may not like the plan, but they do a good job of the plan. It's a good solid B for me.

See, this is an A for me. Go for the gold, and when its unrealistic still place to take another medal and start training for the next Olympics where you will also have a shot at the gold.

If you have to get Durant to get an A, I don't think A means what it should mean. Granted, I strongly debated an A- but still, B is just way too low for me.

Only reason it's not an A from me is because I don't like Barnes.

[Texas Chuck]

Worst move: making Parsons their lead recruiter on Mike Conley, then turning their attention elsewhere and watching him get recruited away by Mike Conley. Getting Barnes as a replacement is fine, getting him on a big contract was necessary, but this still looks sloppy.

I'm not sure the Mavs ever sent Parsons to be their lead recruiter on Conley fwiw. Now I think Parsons thought it was a lock that he was going to re-sign in Dallas on a max deal and so he was working on his own to recruit guys to come play with him prior to free agency, but all reports at the beginning of free agency was that Dallas wasn't going to give Parsons a max deal and that they pretty much encouraged him to go sign somewhere else.

That said, I agree whole-heartedly that Dallas messed up the Parsons deal. He wanted to be here. And Dallas wasn't realistically sign both Whiteside and Conley so it never made sense to cast him aside like that. Especially when having him in place could only help in the pursuit of those guys.

For all the shots Cuban has taken at Morey about loyalty, his actions have made it pretty clear that the loyalty doesn't really extend to players outside of Dirk.

[Slava]

I like this offseason. I'm not sure if they were rewarded for their patience when everyone was throwing money out of their windows at the first sign of free agency or merely got lucky when Durant chose Golden state thus freeing up Bogut and Barnes in a salary dump but if it works, it works.

I like the idea of paying Barnes, he had natural athleticism, a sweet shooting stroke and nice balance and foot work. He might not be worth what he is getting paid anywhere else but in Dallas. It would however have been interesting how much golden state valued him if Durant chose to sign elsrwhere.

Other than that, their season swims or sinks based on health. Bogut, Dirk, Matthews are all injury prone. I don't like the idea of sticking to deron at point but the options are scarce and Carlisle usually ends up getting more out of Barea anyway.

They have a very good bench with Powell, Acy, Anderson and curry. Carlisle is as good as it gets.

I'll go with 48 wins and a seven game first round exit against the clippers.

Rating - A

[loserX]

More of the same from Dallas: dream big, come up with a good Plan B and keep on fighting until Dirk is done. You may or may not like the plan, but they do a good job of the plan. It's a good solid B for me.

See, this is an A for me. Go for the gold, and when its unrealistic still place to take another medal and start training for the next Olympics where you will also have a shot at the gold.

If you have to get Durant to get an A, I don't think A means what it should mean. Granted, I strongly debated an A- but still, B is just way too low for me.

I don't think you have to get Durant. But I would have preferred Parsons over Barnes, and I don't think Dallas management handled it well either. IMHO, their plan didn't result in them staying the same, it resulted in them getting worse. So I can't give that an A.

If you prefer Barnes over Parsons, obviously you will (and did!) grade higher!

[Texas Chuck]

I like this offseason. I'm not sure if they were rewarded for their patience when everyone was throwing money out of their windows at the first sign of free agency or merely got lucky when Durant chose Golden state thus freeing up Bogut and Barnes in a salary dump but if it works, it works.

I think we do have to call it largely luck. Tho to the point loserX made--they obviously do some things right to be able to take advantage of that. For instance the Warriors gave Bogut a choice between Dallas or Houston and he chose Dallas. That has to mean something. And while I don't what other options Barnes had(if any?), he chose Dallas too.

[Slava]

I'm not sold on thinking that Barnes is a clear downgrade from Parsons. Dallas had Parsons for a while and at this time he is what he is, an injury prone 3rd option on a decent team.

I don't mind folding the Parsons card and rolling the dice on Barnes. If they get lucky and Barnes shows improvement, they will have come out better for it, even otherwise I'd take an average player I can rely on for 82 games than an above average guy who has unreliable injury concerns.

[Texas Chuck]

I'm not sold on thinking that Barnes is a clear downgrade from Parsons. Dallas had Parsons for a while and at this time he is what he is, an injury prone 3rd option on a decent team.

.

I think that's fair. Tho sadly for Dallas Parsons would be a 1st option on a mediocre team. And even if Dirk managed to still be the first option, Parsons would be relied on heavily.

In some ways Barnes will be better for Dallas than Parsons, but I'll admit to being nervous that even offensive wizard Rick Carlisle can get a quality offense out of this group. We have a glaring lack of shot creators.

[gom]

Loved the Mavericks offseason, especially the signing of Barnes, Curry, & Acy. AJ Hammons was a great pick and they also did well signing undrafted guys like Dorian Finney-Smith. Great season. Solid A for the Mavericks.

[Slava]

I'm not sold on thinking that Barnes is a clear downgrade from Parsons. Dallas had Parsons for a while and at this time he is what he is, an injury prone 3rd option on a decent team.

.

I think that's fair. Tho sadly for Dallas Parsons would be a 1st option on a mediocre team. And even if Dirk managed to still be the first option, Parsons would be relied on heavily.

In some ways Barnes will be better for Dallas than Parsons, but I'll admit to being nervous that even offensive wizard Rick Carlisle can get a quality offense out of this group. We have a glaring lack of shot creators.

I think the two players who do matter after Dirk are Barea and Bogut, for Carlisle everything comes out of that pick and roll. Bogut is a great passer and a really smart offensive player, you just gotta hope he comes back healthy from there Olympics.

Even otherwise there's plenty of centers bound to be available at the trade deadline like Koufos, buyer's remorse candidates like Mahinmi, Biyombo or even old friend Tyson Chandler who will all do a job.

[Mr. E]

Bogut for nothing is one of the best moves of this offseason.

[jayjaysee]

We are far enough into the offseason that I have convinced myself that;

Curry will be better than he was last season thanks to Rick.

Barnes will look a lot better with more opportunity and rhythm, and will be on the court more minutes than Parsons. He struggled so much because he never was allowed rhythm, yup..

Powell is a legit third big and will play quality minutes to keep Dirk/Bogut fresh and can play a lot of minutes at center with Acy at PF.

Dirk hasn't aged again and Deron won't mind getting benched for Curry. Wes will be a slightly worse version of his Portland self, opposed to a slightly better version of his Dallas shell.

So with all that being clearly proven fact, the offseason grades as an A.

I think it was what most Dallas fans expected, so none are disappointed and few are excited. A disappointing success, solid B.

I think we need another center though, Powell and Dirk are both capable of playing either big but I would like Mejri, and probably AJ, never playing and Bogut's health is something I still haven't convinced myself of.

[Darren]

B simply to let the guy who intentionally screws them for a couple of seasons. The guy passed up a better situation in Portland simply to screw us. We get screwed again. But at the very least, that's the last time he screwed us from within. We'll only get better in a long run.

After finishing the offseason, they've got a B+ for me in Bogut's deal. Without the Bogut deal, it's likely a C. They have a chance to get an A depending on how Harrison Barnes develop. However, they also get a chance to disappoint to C with injuries and failure in player development.

I would wait until the staff recruitment is finished. It's way too early to grade the offseason. So far, they've added 3 coaching staff. 1. A NBDL coach I dislike from the SL games. He's probably not better than Nick Van Exel. 2. A big man coach I know nothing of. From what's shown in Hammons, it's still hard to evaluate. 3. A ball-handling coach who seems to be top-few guys in this particular areas.

I don't know how to evaluate them without actually watching some games.

[The Sparest]

I'm not sold on thinking that Barnes is a clear downgrade from Parsons. Dallas had Parsons for a while and at this time he is what he is, an injury prone 3rd option on a decent team.

I don't mind folding the Parsons card and rolling the dice on Barnes. If they get lucky and Barnes shows improvement, they will have come out better for it, even otherwise I'd take an average player I can rely on for 82 games than an above average guy who has unreliable injury concerns.

I was down on the Barnes signing at first, but I am coming around on it. From what I've heard from the Mavs and Cuban, they were wary of giving Parsons another big contract after the 2 season ending injuries. So they basically decided to gamble on Barnes improving instead of Parsons remaining healthy. I won't fault them for that.

Overall, I like what they were able to do this off season, and the move for younger players with potential over aging vets on the bench.

[Texas Chuck]

but I would like Mejri, never playing .

From a purely basketball standpoint I agree. From an entertainment standpoint tho? Cocky Salah is the best thing we have going for us. Guy plays like Greg Stiemsma but thinks he's Dikembe. And its awesome.

I'm thinking about making him my new JJ.

[Mr. E]

B simply to let the guy who intentionally screws them for a couple of seasons. The guy passed up a better situation in Portland simply to screw us. We get screwed again. But at the very least, that's the last time he screwed us from within. We'll only get better in a long run.
.

Just curious how Parsons choosing to go to Memphis screwed Dallas. What am I missing here?

And should it be worth noting that Parsons has left both of his NBA teams in a manner that did not go over well with the franchises or fans?

[HartfordWhalers]

B simply to let the guy who intentionally screws them for a couple of seasons. The guy passed up a better situation in Portland simply to screw us. We get screwed again. But at the very least, that's the last time he screwed us from within. We'll only get better in a long run.
.

Just curious how Parsons choosing to go to Memphis screwed Dallas. What am I missing here?

And should it be worth noting that Parsons has left both of his NBA teams in a manner that did not go over well with the franchises or fans?

I put both those leaves on the team left. Each knew he wanted max money and when push came to shove said he wasn't worth it. But yeah, Parsons didn't choose Memphis over Portland to screw Dallas, and I'm not sure it really effects Dallas much at all which of the two he picked.

[Texas Chuck]

B simply to let the guy who intentionally screws them for a couple of seasons. The guy passed up a better situation in Portland simply to screw us. We get screwed again. But at the very least, that's the last time he screwed us from within. We'll only get better in a long run.
.

Just curious how Parsons choosing to go to Memphis screwed Dallas. What am I missing here?

And should it be worth noting that Parsons has left both of his NBA teams in a manner that did not go over well with the franchises or fans?

I put both those leaves on the team left. Each knew he wanted max money and when push came to shove said he wasn't worth it. But yeah, Parsons didn't choose Memphis over Portland to screw Dallas, and I'm not sure it really effects Dallas much at all which of the two he picked.

Yeah Parsons didn't remotely screw Dallas. He wanted to re-sign and the team told him they didn't think he was worth a max nor was he a top priority for them.

I don't think Parsons leaving either Houston or Dallas is any kind of negative reflection on he or his former teams. He rightfully wants to get paid and in both cases the situation he jumped to made a ton of basketball sense for him too. If Gasol is even 80% of his old self Memphis is going to very interesting this year because we've all said for years they need another scorer/creator and Parsons is that.