GM will need to be creative with Dallas Mavericks' roster

Post #1 » by **HMFFL** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 5:00 am

Donnie Nelson.

Nelson's charge isn't to come up with a slogan that looks good on a T-shirt or banner. It's to find a way, with precious little to spend, to improve a roster that has plenty of openings.

The Mavericks could have up to eight spots available by the end of the month. Nelson, the team's president of basketball operations, must figure out how to fill the roster even though the club has no first-round pick and is so far over the salary cap its options are limited.

"I think creative is the operative word," Nelson said.

The Mavericks have eight players under contract. If veteran guard Eddie Jones retires or opts out of the final year of his contract, only seven players will be signed for next season.

The Mavericks expect Jones to inform them of his decision by July 1.

Link

mavsfoty · Post #2 » by **mavsfoty** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 5:11 am

Well no real surprise here. I'd love to say anything after Boston just won the title a year after stinking to high heaven but I don't think we have the ingredients in the cupboard to make trades of Ray Allen and KG proportion. I hope upon hope I'm proved wrong but this is the biggest summer Dallas has had in the Cuban Era.

Pointguard01 · Post #3 » by **Pointguard01** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 6:46 am

mavsfoty wrote:Well no real surprise here. I'd love to say anything after Boston just won the title a year after stinking to high heaven but I don't think we have the ingredients in the cupboard to make trades of Ray Allen and KG proportion. I hope upon hope I'm proved wrong but this is the biggest summer Dallas has had in the Cuban Era.

Well I agree, but one thing to consider is that Dallas doesnt have to go from zero to contender. We are already a, umm top 10 team I'd say, so we dont have to have two major trades. We do need one, but the Lakers showed that it can be surprising. I still have doubts, but there is a chance we could pull something off. But there sure as hell better be change or its going to be ugly next year.

ppp000 · Post #4 » by **ppp000** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 7:37 pm

I would say there needs to be major changes, not tweaks. The 'we love our team' philosophy they used last summer was wrong and I thought so at the time. The team has been broken ever since the 06 finals, and I think that was the best chance they had. West is only getting younger and tougher.

I think the window is shut tight without any significant changes. Dirk is great, but needs allstars around him. Kidd is not an allstar anymore. Josh even if he returns to his old form would still need to raise his game x2 to be an allstar in the West. Terry, Stack, etc= downside. Only guys with potential are Bass and Wright.

I think Mavs give it another run next season. And then rebuild. No way this team with "tweaks" is going far. Still no inside presence, mediocre D, mediocre O.

dirkforpres · Post #5 » by **dirkforpres** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 8:24 pm

Between Howard, Terry, and Bass, im sure we can get a lot done this offseason if we really try to find a deal for them. The MLE is definately not enough to make us any better than we were last season, trades are necessary

Teffer10 · Post #6 » by **Teffer10** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 10:26 pm

I just don't think we will improve that much with a Howard trade. His value as a player is higher than it will be in a trade situation. If he is packaged with Bass we could probably improve but not enough imo.

We might be a top 10 team but we are headed in the wrong direction. At the beginning of last season we were considered a top 4 team or better with decent trade assets. If we were a young top 10 team with a lot of potential that would be another story.

Time to start rebuilding...that is the best strategy for our future. It is frustrating as hell to see that the FO cannot understand this.

ppp000 · Post #7 » by **ppp000** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 12:19 am

yup, all I'm saying is prepare for a mediocre season. You know that Cuban is going to give Kidd an opportunity to have a full training camp and under a new coach who will let him have more freedom, yadda yadda. Josh's value is at an all time low and we would be better off keeping him. So basically, we'll dump a couple of the dinosaurs and get some replacements on the bench. Basically, nothing drastic which means more of the same team that barely made the playoffs and another season wasted for Dirk. I would be highly surprised if the team made it past the first round next year with the same starters.

After that, maybe the FO will finally make big changes and rebuild b/c unless we get lucky with some trade (very unlikely scenario..mavs are never lucky), this team is going downhill fast and it's too bad that they can't come to terms with that.
Jet was on the Dan Patrick show just recently saying that the Mavs and Hornets are the two top teams in the West and Mavs could be in the finals next season :rofl:

Whatever gets him through the night I guess...

Teffer10 · Post #8 » by **Teffer10** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 4:50 am

This FO overvalues Dirk and doesn't seem to understand that we have virtually nothing that other teams would want.
I agree this will be a very average season at best and there is a possibility that we might not even make the POs.

When this FO finally figures out that it isn't going to win a championship in the Dirk era, it will be too late for the present and future. At least they could make some moves now to give us some hope for the future. I just don't want to end up like a Knicks fan where my only basketball entertainment is this board and waiting in anticipation on the next stupid move by our basketball gurus.