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Dirk Nowitzki saw the comments made by San Antonio guard Tony Parker.

Read them. Digested them. Then dismissed them like they had come from another Charles Barkley or Bill Walton.

It was Parker who said he was a big fan of the Jason Kidd trade because it meant he wouldn't have to get hassled on defense by Devin Harris anymore, nor would he have to guard one of the few point guards who can match Parker's quickness.

"I saw that," Nowitzki said of Parker's comments. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see. We like our chances against anybody. That's how you got to look at it in the West. Everybody's so tough, and it's so tight that you got to be able to beat anybody."

Then Nowitzki couldn't help himself. He had to slip in a little sarcasm about Parker.

"Ultimately, they're still the champions, so whatever he says is going to be right because they've won three or four [titles]," Nowitzki said. "They're still the team to beat.

"It's just speculation. Nobody ever really knows what's going on. All the so-called experts give their opinion, but nobody's ever right. We'll just see what happens."

Kidd said he's not concerned about Parker's thoughts on the trade, but added he could never have envisioned himself in his younger years saying something like that.

"I just go out there and do my job," Kidd said. "When I look at the best point guards, [John] Stockton and Gary [Payton], even later in their careers, I always respected them because I always thought they were the best until they left the game.

"Everyone has the right to their opinion. I guess that is how he feels."

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SaintofKillers wrote:I don't know why we're being hypocritical about Parker's comments. When Shaq got traded to Phoenix our guys went on record to say they're happy because Trix gave Dirk a lot of problems.

FreakOfNAture wrote:Can you point me to a comment made by a member of the Dallas Mavericks that said this? Not just fans or maybe even Cuban's big mouth, but an actual player?

"I'm happy to see Shawn Marion go to the East, personally," said Mavericks coach Avery Johnson. "I don't know how happy I am to see Shaq in the West, but it's give and take with a lot of those situations. If Shaq is 100 percent and gets re-energized, he obviously can be a handful. But I'm just glad that it didn't happen that Shawn Marion was able to stay in Phoenix."

As for how the trade affects the Suns, Johnson added: "I know they're not as fast. The floor's not as spread as it was. Hopefully, [Steve] Nash won't have as many driving lanes."

Added Devin Harris: "They play an up-and-down game, and he's sort of a half-court player. That's kind of contradicting itself. Maybe they're trying to change a little bit to concentrate a little more on the half-court set."