So far, Mavs have made the right moves
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Tuesday, August 5
11:33 AM ET
The Dallas Mavericks didn't win an NBA title last season. Odds are, they won't win the franchise's first title next season. But by not making any hasty moves this offseason, they may have given themselves the best chance to win that title in the very near future.
Let's not forget that this is the same team that tied the San Antonio Spurs, the team that did win the title last season, for the best record in the entire league at 60-22. That was a year after the Mavericks went 57-25 after going 53-29 the year before that and 40-42 the year before that.
But when you go from 40 wins to 60 wins in four seasons, any further gains during the regular season are, most likely, going to be incremental and may not even show up in the standings.
Michael Finley
Guard-Forward
Dallas Mavericks
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
69 19.3 5.8 3.0 .425 .861
Before Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley and Steve Nash became known as the Big Three, the Mavericks were outscored, out shot and out assisted on a regular basis. Then, in 2001, those three players were given their starting positions and things starting changing. Over the last three seasons, they went from outscoring their opponents by 4.3 points per game to 7.8. Over the last two seasons, they've out shot their opponents by a full percent in 2002 and 1.5 percent in 2003 and went from a 0.6 assist deficit to a 0.7 assist advantage in the assist category in that same span of time.
Those numbers led directly to an increase in wins mentioned earlier and history would indicate that the best way to keep improving the team is to keep these three together. After all, not many franchises are going to win a championship in the first year of combining superstars like the Lakers did with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Or even in their second season like the Spurs did with David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Even Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen spent four seasons together before winning their first title. Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant also took four years to do the same.
Steve Nash
Point Guard
Dallas Mavericks
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
82 17.7 2.9 7.3 .465 .909
But the Mavericks aren't anchoring their rotation on one or two MVP candidates. Rather, they're sending out three all-stars and key role players to get the job done. This model most resembles the Detroit Pistons of the late 1980s. And it takes a bit longer to do it this way. In 1981, the lowly Pistons, with only Bill Lambier to show on the roster, selected Isiah Thomas with the No. 2 pick of draft. Two years later, they hired Chuck Daly as their head coach. Two years after that, they drafted Joe Dumars. But they weren't even done yet.
In between would come the additions of Dennis "The Worm" Rodman, part- time comedian John Salley, James Edwards with his Fu Manchu and Vinnie "The Microwave" Johnson. In 1988, no one knew who these guys were so fans took to calling them the Bad Boys. While the Lakers were racking up banners with their Showtime style and the league as a whole was scoring points in the triple-digits, the Pistons focused on defense. In 1989, they won a franchise-best 63 games but still no title. It wasn't until 1990, nine years after going 16-66, did they get that championship by focusing on what they did have rather than what they didn't.
Dirk Nowitzki
Forward-Center
Dallas Mavericks
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
80 25.1 9.9 3.0 .463 .881
The Mavericks are in much the same position. Ten years ago, they finished the 1993 season at 11-71. Then came Finley, then Nash, then Nowitzki. Now, the Mavericks are the high-scoring team in a defensive- minded league and everyone is saying that they need a big, bruising interior presence to compete. And while a few minor moves may need to be made, their best chance to win that title remains in the hands of their Big Three players. Maybe not next year when Alonzo Mourning is a little more tired or Shaquille O'Neal a bit more satisfied. Maybe not the year after that when the contracts of Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant run out or Tim Duncan gets drained and Chris Webber gets bored.
As the Kings added Brad Miller and Mike Bibby at more than $22 million per season and the Timberolves contemplate re-signing Garnett and his $25 million season, the Mavericks, a team with a 7-foot-6 back-up center who still likes to run four-guard sets, need only something subtle, like an aging Adrian Dantley for a disgruntled Mark Aguirre, to perhaps repeat the success of another eclectic team.
-------------------------------------
Peep Show
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Tuesday, August 5
Updated: August 5
11:19 AM ET
Miami Heat: The Heat are ready to roll the dice on Lamar Odom and are betting a starting salary of $10 million per season and a contract for up to five seasons will be enough to make the Clippers back off. The Miami Herald is reporting the team could sign Odom to an offer sheet as early as today and then the Clippers will have 15 to days to either match it or part company with the versatile small forward.
Coleman
Philadelphia 76ers: The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that Derrick Coleman will remain a Sixer for at least two more years. The deal is worth between $10 and $12 million though Coleman is still trying to get a third year guaranteed in the deal. The Sixers had hoped to acquire another big an in the off season but were unable to do so, therefore making the re-signing of Coleman a necessity.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Just when you thought it was safe to fill in your final Minnesota roster, general manager Kevin McHale makes another move. With Gary Trent on the verge of re-signing with the team for the veteran's minimum, McHale has his sights set on another perimeter player first. And the Pioneer Press is reporting that player could be Jimmy Jackson. "There's always a chance something could happen with Gary, but right now we're zeroed in on adding another perimeter player,'' coach Flip Saunders said.
Denver Nuggets: Unless the Nuggets commit to Chris Anderson in the form of a guaranteed contract next season, he isn't committing to them. "The Nuggets have offered Chris a non-guaranteed contract, so, right now, I would say that's not really an option," Marc Fleisher, Anderson's agent, said in the Rocky Mountain News. "There are three teams, two in the West and one in the East, that have made him guaranteed offers." The Nuggets also waived guard Predrag Savovic.
Los Angeles Clippers: Olden Polynice is back. "The fact is, Kevin Willis has something left and keeps himself in excellent shape and he's older than Olden," said Clipper GM Elgin Baylor to the LA Times. "I'm not saying Olden will play 40 minutes a game, but there's no reason he can't give us quality minutes." Polynice will turn 39 in November and hasn't played in the NBA since the 2001 season with the Utah Jazz.
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Tuesday, August 5
11:33 AM ET
The Dallas Mavericks didn't win an NBA title last season. Odds are, they won't win the franchise's first title next season. But by not making any hasty moves this offseason, they may have given themselves the best chance to win that title in the very near future.
Let's not forget that this is the same team that tied the San Antonio Spurs, the team that did win the title last season, for the best record in the entire league at 60-22. That was a year after the Mavericks went 57-25 after going 53-29 the year before that and 40-42 the year before that.
But when you go from 40 wins to 60 wins in four seasons, any further gains during the regular season are, most likely, going to be incremental and may not even show up in the standings.
Michael Finley
Guard-Forward
Dallas Mavericks
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
69 19.3 5.8 3.0 .425 .861
Before Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley and Steve Nash became known as the Big Three, the Mavericks were outscored, out shot and out assisted on a regular basis. Then, in 2001, those three players were given their starting positions and things starting changing. Over the last three seasons, they went from outscoring their opponents by 4.3 points per game to 7.8. Over the last two seasons, they've out shot their opponents by a full percent in 2002 and 1.5 percent in 2003 and went from a 0.6 assist deficit to a 0.7 assist advantage in the assist category in that same span of time.
Those numbers led directly to an increase in wins mentioned earlier and history would indicate that the best way to keep improving the team is to keep these three together. After all, not many franchises are going to win a championship in the first year of combining superstars like the Lakers did with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Or even in their second season like the Spurs did with David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Even Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen spent four seasons together before winning their first title. Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant also took four years to do the same.
Steve Nash
Point Guard
Dallas Mavericks
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
82 17.7 2.9 7.3 .465 .909
But the Mavericks aren't anchoring their rotation on one or two MVP candidates. Rather, they're sending out three all-stars and key role players to get the job done. This model most resembles the Detroit Pistons of the late 1980s. And it takes a bit longer to do it this way. In 1981, the lowly Pistons, with only Bill Lambier to show on the roster, selected Isiah Thomas with the No. 2 pick of draft. Two years later, they hired Chuck Daly as their head coach. Two years after that, they drafted Joe Dumars. But they weren't even done yet.
In between would come the additions of Dennis "The Worm" Rodman, part- time comedian John Salley, James Edwards with his Fu Manchu and Vinnie "The Microwave" Johnson. In 1988, no one knew who these guys were so fans took to calling them the Bad Boys. While the Lakers were racking up banners with their Showtime style and the league as a whole was scoring points in the triple-digits, the Pistons focused on defense. In 1989, they won a franchise-best 63 games but still no title. It wasn't until 1990, nine years after going 16-66, did they get that championship by focusing on what they did have rather than what they didn't.
Dirk Nowitzki
Forward-Center
Dallas Mavericks
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
80 25.1 9.9 3.0 .463 .881
The Mavericks are in much the same position. Ten years ago, they finished the 1993 season at 11-71. Then came Finley, then Nash, then Nowitzki. Now, the Mavericks are the high-scoring team in a defensive- minded league and everyone is saying that they need a big, bruising interior presence to compete. And while a few minor moves may need to be made, their best chance to win that title remains in the hands of their Big Three players. Maybe not next year when Alonzo Mourning is a little more tired or Shaquille O'Neal a bit more satisfied. Maybe not the year after that when the contracts of Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant run out or Tim Duncan gets drained and Chris Webber gets bored.
As the Kings added Brad Miller and Mike Bibby at more than $22 million per season and the Timberolves contemplate re-signing Garnett and his $25 million season, the Mavericks, a team with a 7-foot-6 back-up center who still likes to run four-guard sets, need only something subtle, like an aging Adrian Dantley for a disgruntled Mark Aguirre, to perhaps repeat the success of another eclectic team.
-------------------------------------
Peep Show
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Tuesday, August 5
Updated: August 5
11:19 AM ET
Miami Heat: The Heat are ready to roll the dice on Lamar Odom and are betting a starting salary of $10 million per season and a contract for up to five seasons will be enough to make the Clippers back off. The Miami Herald is reporting the team could sign Odom to an offer sheet as early as today and then the Clippers will have 15 to days to either match it or part company with the versatile small forward.
Coleman
Philadelphia 76ers: The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that Derrick Coleman will remain a Sixer for at least two more years. The deal is worth between $10 and $12 million though Coleman is still trying to get a third year guaranteed in the deal. The Sixers had hoped to acquire another big an in the off season but were unable to do so, therefore making the re-signing of Coleman a necessity.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Just when you thought it was safe to fill in your final Minnesota roster, general manager Kevin McHale makes another move. With Gary Trent on the verge of re-signing with the team for the veteran's minimum, McHale has his sights set on another perimeter player first. And the Pioneer Press is reporting that player could be Jimmy Jackson. "There's always a chance something could happen with Gary, but right now we're zeroed in on adding another perimeter player,'' coach Flip Saunders said.
Denver Nuggets: Unless the Nuggets commit to Chris Anderson in the form of a guaranteed contract next season, he isn't committing to them. "The Nuggets have offered Chris a non-guaranteed contract, so, right now, I would say that's not really an option," Marc Fleisher, Anderson's agent, said in the Rocky Mountain News. "There are three teams, two in the West and one in the East, that have made him guaranteed offers." The Nuggets also waived guard Predrag Savovic.
Los Angeles Clippers: Olden Polynice is back. "The fact is, Kevin Willis has something left and keeps himself in excellent shape and he's older than Olden," said Clipper GM Elgin Baylor to the LA Times. "I'm not saying Olden will play 40 minutes a game, but there's no reason he can't give us quality minutes." Polynice will turn 39 in November and hasn't played in the NBA since the 2001 season with the Utah Jazz.
