Last year, David Murphy emerged as a rising star in the Texas Rangers organization.  The Josh Hamilton, "prodigal son" story overshadowed Murphy's achievements for the majority of the season, but his stats don't lie. Murphy hit .275, with 15 homers, 28 doubles and a .321 on-base percentage in his first full season in the majors. After beginning the 2009 season a woeful 0 for 29, Murphy has rebounded and now leads the team in on-base percentage (.368), is second on the team in batting (.284) and has been the one consistent bat in a very anemic line-up. Murphy continues to be patience and shows extreme discipline at the plate, even as the rest of the roster swings from their heels. He's proven that he has bright future in this league, which makes the manner in which Ron Washington uses Murphy that much more perplexing.

As of this point in the season, Murphy has appeared in only 69 games, while Nelson Cruz, a free swinging slugger with questionible defensive skills, has appeared in 82 games and can do no wrong in the eyes of Washington. Obviously, Murphy does not look like, nor does he play like the typical Rangers' slugger. Over the past few years, well decades, Rangers' fans have grown accustomed to sluggers in the mold of Josh Hamilton--large, hulking figures who can smash the ball 400 feet with consistency. Murphy is tall, lanky, knows how to work a pitcher and makes his living as a contact hitter. Yet since becoming a Ranger, Murphy has had to scrap to get playing time in the outfield.

Cruz, on the other hand, fits the Rangers prototype and has produced the power numbers (23 HR's) that make Rudy Jaramillo smile, yet he fails to show the consistency of Murphy. Since being called up by the Brewers in 2005, Cruz has been a virtual yo-yo, bouncing back and forth in between Triple-A and the big leagues.  Through it all, the Rangers have remained committed and given Cruz every opportunity.

If the Rangers need a baserunner to manfacture runs, I'd rather have Murphy's eye. If the Rangers need a hit in the bottom of the 9th with a runer in scoring postion, I'd rather have Murphy at the plate. If the Rangers need a great defensive stop in the outfield, I'd rather have Murphy's glove.  Even in this modern age, home runs are a luxury, not a necessity, and as such I can think of no point in a baseball game where I would rather have Cruz over Murphy, but this manager seems to disagree on every point. One player puts up impressive numbers, yet can't impress the skipper. One player is terribly inconsistent, but is heralded as the next great Rangers' outfielder. It's just one more reason I continue to question Ron Washington as the manager of this team.

Entering the off-season, I felt the Mavericks' three biggest needs were to address the center, shooting guard and lack of athleticism. It appeared that the Mavs had addressed the center situation by singing an offer sheet for Marcin Gortat; however, we all know how that worked out. While several rumors have swirled around regarding other potential deals to address the center position, none have materialized as of this time.

Acquiring Shawn Marion improves the athleticism of this team to some extent and the flashes that Rodrigue Beaubois has shown in his brief NBA Summer League career suggests tha the too could add some athleticism to this team. Yet this team still lacks the athleticism of many of their Western Conference counterparts.

The only thing the Mavs have done at the shooting guard position is the signing of Quinton Ross, who the front office says will provide defensive help and shoot the three. What they really mean to say is that Ross is just another Antoine Wright.  If we assume that the Mavericks will move Josh Howard to the starting shooting guard position, we can set the depth chart--Jason Terry will come in off the bench and get a majority of the minutes at the 2 and Ross will fill in, as needed, in specific situations. Theoretically, the Mavs are three deep at the 2 position.

I love what JET brings off the bench, but neither Ross nor Howard excite me.  My suggestion? Go for a change of pace, sign Von Wafer.  The little I saw of Wafer last year, I liked. He would instantly add a level of athleticism to this team that is asbsent. 

How would the rotation work at four deep? The move would make Josh Howard expendable. He could be shopped to someone like New Orleans, for Tyson Chandler, or to Charlotte, near his home, for someone like Emeka Okafor.

The Mavericks starting line-up would look something like this:

PG - Jason Kidd

SG- Von Wafer

SF - Shawn Marion

PF- Dirk Nowitzki

C - Emeka Okafor/Tyson Chandler

I realize the move has it drawbacks.  One, Wafer's limited body of work and lack of starting experience. Terry would still get a majority of the minutes at the 2, but would start as a change of pace. Think of the way the Nuggets used Dahntay Jones last season (18.1 MPG, 5.4 PPG). Wafer put up better numbers (19.4 MPG, 9.7 PPG) as a reserve.

Could you get Okafor or Chandler for Howard? It's worth shopping around. I hope the Mavs learned from the Gortat fiasco and would have a deal in place for Howard before inking Wafer. This is the key piece to making the deal work. If you can't move Howard for an upgrade of Dampier, then there's really no sense in pursuing Wafer. However, if the Mavs are serious about addressing two of the most glaring weaknesses, they should at least give Wafer a casual glance.

The top story  on the NBA page of ESPN.com features a story about the potential trade of Carlos Boozer to the Chicago Bulls, a fascinating proposition indeed. (The potential trade involves Tyrus Thomas, a freakish athlete that would be perfect for the Mavs, but I digress.)

ESPN buried the lead. If you read the entire story you learn that Bulls were potentially the 4th party in the Shawn Marion trade, before dropping out. If the Bulls had stayed in the trade, the Mavs would have received Tim Thomas from the Bulls in addition to Marion from the Raptors.  As I've previously stated, I'm glad to have Marion, but I would have loved to have Tim Thomas as well.

Can you imagine how awkward it would have been for Thomas to be on the same team with Dirk, after the infamous kiss (and Dirk's subsequent 50+ plus performance) in the 2006 playoffs?

Would that be more awkward than John Kitna playing on the same team with Bradie James?

Thus far, the most compelling news of this NBA off-season has been the jail sentence of the Denver Nuggets' J.R. Smith. Out of all the adjectives in the English language,  "underwhelming" best describes the Mavs draft picks--a Euro point guard, a mid-major project and a guard with potential who will spend a year in Greece. At first glance, I was equally unimpressed with the organizations interest in the 6-11 Marcin Gortat.

I'll be the first to admit, I don't watch much Orlando Magic basketball, and  Gortat's 3 ppg and 4 rpg average doesn't instill a lot of confidence. However, Gortat got those numbers as a back-up, averaging 12.6 minutes per game; Erick Dampier averaged 5/7, as a starter, in 23.0 minutes per game, so if the numbers hold, Gortat wouldn't be much a drop off--production wise--from Dampier.

Perhaps the most exciting prospect Gortat brings is his youth. The Mavs looked old against the Nuggets and looked middle-aged against an ancient Spurs team. They need some youth. I still hope that Ryan Hollins is the future at center for this team, but a Gortat/Hollins combination is younger than a Dampier/Hollins combination and should translate into more energy on the court.

In order for this to be relevant, the Mavs must remain committed to the youth already on the team. This means going out and resigning Brandon Bass and ironically making sure Jason Kidd signs his three year offer. Kidd will be instrumental in shaping the future of this franchise. If we expect any of the young guard prospects on this team to develop, it will require Kidd's experience and tutelage. Additionally, the Mavs must make sure they turn the expiring contracts of Jerry Stackhouse and Dampier into youthful contributors during the course of this off-season. I know it may be asking for too much, but it would be nice to get a young prospect in exchange for Devean George.

As I step back and look at it, the Gortat signing has potential as the first piece in a much bigger off-season puzzle for the Mavericks.  In order for it to work, the Mavs must make additional, more substantial moves this off-season.

As a Rangers' fan, I should be accustomed to being frustrated. This team did a great job of teasing us all earlier this season, but now reality is beginning to set in.  We might hold on to first place for another night, but it won't be long.  The weaknesses of this team have been exposed and until they are addressed, the team will continue to struggle and slide down the standings.

I spent a majority of the day listening to local talk radio dissect this Rangers team. The general consensus among the talking heads was that this team woes begin and end with the offense, especially one particular player.

Let's be realistic, this Rangers team is a mess right now. No one person is to blame.  The main problem with this team is much bigger than the offense; it's the philosophy that if they continue to play the game the same way, they will get different results. This is foolish, and dangerous, thinking.

Their "balls to the walls," "swing for the fences" offensive mentality has a place in the baseball world. When your pitching staff has an ERA in the 5's, you have no choice but to play big offensively. If you have hot sticks in your line-up, by all means, ramp up your offensive attack. However, this is a ball club that's getting decent production out of their starting pitching and bullpen. By Arlington standards, this pitching staff is phenomenal.

On the flip side, this is a team that is struggling at the plate and its' not all Chris Davis. From Ian Kinsler in the lead-off position, right down through the heart of the order, and down to the batting cellar with Salty and Davis, with the exception of Michael Young, there is no offensive consistency on this ball club. Potential ? Yes. Production? Hell no!

Some out there seem to think that by sending Davis down to the minors, the Rangers' offensive woes will magically disappear. They seem to believe that Davis possesses some freakish power that not only drains his athletic prowess, but also that of his teammates.  I'll be the first to admit that sending Davis down is a great idea. I'm a native East Texan and I love to see East Texans succeed, but keeping Davis in the majors is bad news for both the Rangers and Davis. However, that move alone will not resurrect this team.

What this team needs more than anything is a return to the basics of baseball, especially offensively.  It sounds so cliche, but be patient at the plate, take the first pitch, work the count, make the opposing pitcher throw strikes. There's nothing wrong with a walk, but if you see a pitch you like on a 2-1 count swing, make contact and "hit it where they ain't."

The home run is not the only scoring option in this great game, especially if you know how to play "small ball." Personally, I don't know how you can make it to the majors and not know how to bunt, but from what I understand there are several players in the Rangers' line-up who cannot bunt effectively. University of Texas head baseball coach Augie Garrido, a master of small ball, has said that he would bunt Babe Ruth in certain situations. The Rangers would be well served to adopt this philosopy, especially with their current struggles. Work a walk to lead off an inning, lay down a bunt, move the runner to second, instruct the next hitter to not swing until the pitcher has thrown a strike and then to make contact.

Of course offensive fundamentals mean absolutely nothing if you play with such poor defensive fundamentals that your catcher can't even return the ball to the pitcher without an overthrow.