Cuban - Harris top 5 PG

[itsgotime]

I don't know if you've been reading what I've been writing lately, but JET and Stack leaving this team is my priority one. My thinking with JET being included instead of Stack is that from here on out I think JET is going to finish out his contract much better than Stack is going to finish his out.

I figure that adds a bit more value to give to the Nets if they are rebuilding or retooling. In a rebuild, you still want someone like JET in there telling the young uns that the coach is right and to stay on point. JET is a VERY likeable guy and would do that for them (that is if they can't move his smaller, overvalued contract). I'm not sure Kidd or Carter would.

He also gives them the opportunity in the draft to get the best PG or best SG. They get the better option of the two positions when they draft. JET can play either position just as well (not necessarily great, but he's still a good player and is a clutch player who will help win some games). Then in a couple years when they've identified their 1 and 2 of the future, JET makes a really good 6th man/lockerroom presence.

I don't think the Nets want Diop (especially) or Bass (maybe) with all the big men they have up there already, so I think we're in the clear with them. George and another more movable 1 1/2 year contract plus a draft pick or two. I'm thinkin '08 and/or '10? '11 is about the year that we need to start being protective of our draft picks, (whisper) that's about the year that I would like the Mavs to tank the season to get the top draft pick ala SA.

Either JET or Stack is a selling job, but no one is knocking on the Nets door to pick Carter up. This might be a deadline type of deal (the best offer they can get type thing). A lot of it depends on how motivated they are, obviously our FO isn't all that motivated.

[mrmreg]

Ahh, mmreg gets all upset and reads the facts the way he want to. A boo hoo!

I'm not upset in the least.

What facts did I misread?

Harris is a top 10 PG whether you want to admit it or not.

Fact or opinion?

My opinion, he isn't. Some goofy PER stat doesn't make it so. There may be a handful of PGs around the fringe of the top 10 with whom someone could make a case for Harris being better. I think he's a league average player, so 15th best or 10th best when you're talking subjective rankings, not all that much different. Either way, nothing special.

You Harris hating bias never seams to be lifted.

Again, I don't "hate" Harris, just see him for what he is. Average player who's failed to live up to expectations given where he was drafted. If he'd have been Deron Williams, for example, this franchise probably has a title. He obviously (to some) isn't, so it's water under the bridge. I do think that if this franchise is really hanging its hat on Harris to some day lead them to a title, they'll continue to be disappointed. Despite what Cuban may say, I still hold out hope he's a better judge of talent than that.

[DDansby123]

-= original quote snipped =-
I do think that if this franchise is really hanging its hat on Harris to some day lead them to a title

This is a key point. Whether you think Harris is a top-10 PG, a top-5 PG, or a scrub, many here have argued that Devin is THE key piece for us, ostensibly saying that our championship hopes rest primarily on his shoulders. Am I the only one concerned by that?

We're not really arguing that Devin Harris is the key to our championship hopes, per se. The argument, in actuality, is that PG play is the key, and I'd say most of us are in agreement on that. In that light, it should be easy to understand why some of us want Jason Kidd running the point.

[Teffer10]

If we could come up with some trades that would net us a lineup of:

Kidd/Barea
Miller/Jones/Hassell
Howard/George
Dirk/Bass
Damp/Diop

I'd say that we should be aggressive in doing so.
I don't think that is unrealistic in the least but we would have to obviously give up Harris.

Possibly this:
Harris/Stack/Draft Pick and filler (Juwan Howard?)for Kidd.

3-Way with Miami and Memphis:
Miami trades J. Williams
Receives: Terry

Dallas Trades: Terry and R.Terry
Receives Mike Miller

Memphis trades: Miller
Receives J. Williams and R. Terry

I think that would be the best lineup in the West. We may have to give up a little more like Bass or Diop to make that work, but I'd still consider it for that starting lineup which will get most of the PT in the POs anyway.
If we had to sub Diop for Juwan Howard in that deal, we could probably get Allen or Magloire back in the deal. Also, we could trade Juwan Howard for Booth if we needed more defense at the center spot.

[Twinkie defense]

The problem is, if/when Harris is a top 5 PG, where is Dirk? Does Dallas want to be a real good team for the next few years, or win a Championship?

[JES12]

The problem is, if/when Harris is a top 5 PG, where is Dirk? Does Dallas want to be a real good team for the next few years, or win a Championship?

We can be both and I don't see why so many people on this board can't realize that.

And getting big names does not guarantee a championship and really any regarding the PG, I doubt gets us any closer as any PG that would be available would either be a downgrade or cost half the team salary wise.

[DDansby123]

The problem is, if/when Harris is a top 5 PG, where is Dirk? Does Dallas want to be a real good team for the next few years, or win a Championship?

It's not quite that black and white. Obviously, nobody we could realistically bring in would guarantee a championship, and there's no guarantee that Harris won't become a guy who can lead us to a championship.

The other reason it's not so black and white is that it's not just Dirk who is/will be declining in coming years. Looking at PER, offensive efficiency has dropped significantly for Dirk, JET, and Stack this season. Those are three of our key offensive pieces from last season, and also the oldest. Harris has improved significantly offensively and we've added Bass, but Howard has dropped off slightly.

So the question isn't where will Dirk be, it's will the improvement of guys like Harris and Bass be able to counter the potential declines in guys like Dirk, Terry, and Stack. As I pointed out before, when you look at the numbers, the offensive production this season is virtually identical to what it was last year and the year before. Again, we're treading water here.