The Mavericks were No. 1 last season. They lost in the first round to Golden State.
It's doubtful the Warriors will be the top seed this season. Then again, the way West superpowers San Antonio, Dallas and Phoenix are going, perhaps each wouldn't mind seeing Golden State carry that torch.
When the Spurs fell Monday to, yes, the Warriors, it meant every team in the West had double-digit losses. Dallas last season didn't become the final West team to lose a 10th game until March 12 and Phoenix didn't get there until Feb. 3.
"I've never seen so many teams with double-digit losses so early," Nuggets guard Anthony Carter said.
But there isn't a lot of grumbling among the West's elite. Not that this is interrupt-soap-operas news, but there seems to be a renewed sense the NBA regular season is overrated.
"I know, ultimately, it comes down to the playoffs," said Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, whose team is 24-11 this season compared with a 27-8 start last season, when Dallas finished 67-15. "So whatever we do in the regular season, nobody is going to believe in us anyway."
Sounds as if Nowitzki has compared notes with Suns forward Grant Hill.
Jostling for Jones
Not surprisingly, there was interest in forward Bobby Jones after he was waived Monday by the Nuggets.
Jones said Portland was intrigued but needed to make a trade due to having the maximum of 15 players. He said San Antonio and Dallas also called his agent, although the Mavericks also have 15.
Jones chose Memphis. He signed a 10-day contract Thursday, which he hopes will lead to a deal for the rest of the season.
"I know they're not doing that well right now, but this is probably the best place for me to get some playing time," he said.
As for the Nuggets letting him go, Jones said "some of it was money and some was so they could have some open roster spots" for possible future moves. The Nuggets, deep into the luxury tax, saved roughly $820,000.
The Nuggets have a $2.95 million trade exception that expires today. But it's unlikely they will use it.
Link
