DMN: Dismantling Dallas Mavericks isn't the answer

[HMFFL]

The problem with Mavs fans deriving any kind of solace from that is that the Mavericks have been (or at least have appeared to be) among those top five or six or close to it for several seasons.

Obviously, right now they don't belong in that group. Not top 10, either. New coach Rick Carlisle is just hoping to find something that gets his team into the top eight in the Western Conference.

But it's the overall play against the Lakers that compels the Mavericks to try to make it work with this group of players or something close to this group. Those who look at the 2-5 record and say "blow it up" and hope to get 50 cents on the dollar for any and all tradable players are supporting a cause that's unworkable for two reasons.

One is that in order to "blow it up," a franchise has to be in position to take advantage of becoming a bad team. The worst part of the Kidd trade is still to come. Dallas does not have a first-round pick in 2010, so the Mavericks can't afford to put a lousy team on the floor next season.

Second is that "blowing it up" seldom works in the NBA. Teams that become bad tend to stay bad for a long time. There is no rule that says once you reach a certain level of mediocrity, other bad teams are forced to give you Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

If you really think "blowing it up" is better than seeing what this team can get from Kidd before his contract expires, try to recall the 1990s when the Mavericks had a nine-year stretch in which their win totals were 28, 22, 11, 13, 36, 26, 24, 20 and 19.

That was a team that got blown up over time by the departures (for various reasons) of Mark Aguirre, Sam Perkins, Rolando Blackman, Roy Tarpley and, finally, Derek Harper.

Unless you want to relive the '90s, the only course is to plow ahead and hope this team learns to finish games when it plays with the energy it displayed Tuesday night.

It may not turn out pretty. But it's guaranteed not to be as ugly as "blowing it up."

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[itsgotime]

The article is right, dismantling for 50 cents on the dollar is not the answer. Let's dismantle it for a higher return, shall we?

[Realmavsman]

Nobody is proposing that we dismantle for 50 cents on the dollar. Have we reached such a low around here that the fact that we played the Lakers tough is something to be happy about?

I agree that not having our 2010 pick hurts on rebuilding team but I think part of the blowing up process would be to acquire some draft picks so maybe you that one back and more. Anyway I really do not want to wait until Dirk has little value before we start looking to move him. Yes, it will be ugly for a couple of years but is this team not already ugly?

[catalyst]

My son is ready to start cheering for a real team. I think the playoff brain freeze is making it too hard to complete a game.

[Blowitupalready]

Whoever wrote this article doesn't know anything about basketball in my opinion. The Mavs certainly did the right thing when the blew up the Mavs by trading away Donaldson, Harper, Blackman, etc... That team had peaked, was old, and was destined to win 20 games on their own soon without a shake up. Norm Sonju said he would rather die a quick death and rebuild than to suffer through such a painful decline and he was right.

Plain and simple, after the blow up, the Mavs did not have any luck and made alot of bad decisons.

The 91' draft was awful and Doug Smith sucked
In 92' the lottery balls did not give us Shaq or Zo but we were in good position to land them.
In 93' we get Mash but who thought his knees would give out so soon
Trading Kidd because Jim Cleamons wanted to run the triangle offense
Being too good in 94' to not have a chance to get KG in 95' lottery
Passing on Kobe Bryant in 96'

[studcrackers]

kobe was only going to the lakers, would have just demanded a trade from us, just to add to the last of your list