SB Nation User Blog: jonthefon

Getting that second late first-rounder and draft strategy from there

jonthefon — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:08:15 -0000

Since there seems to be a lot out there about us getting a second late first-rounder, I think it would be interesting to start some discussion on that.

A lot is being said about teams like Memphis and Minnesota open to dealing their picks at #27 and #28, but I wonder what it's going to take to get there. Sure, Washington might be shopping #5 but seriously, this draft isn't very top-heavy but deep in solid role players and picking #5 would probably cost us Howard or Terry and take Etan Thomas to get more of a "sure-thing contributor" rather than a real future star. I guess that's not entirely true, since the 2006 Draft looked rather weak but it hasn't been that bad with what it produced at the top.

To what extent would the Grizz and Wolves want for those late picks? I imagine mainly cap relief, but in what form? A shitty contract? Cash considerations? I wouldn't want the Mavs to take on an albatross to get one of those picks, but take on a fairly burden of a contract and provide cash considerations and I think they can get a pick. Or they might be idle once more just like last year...

And if they do get the pick, what becomes their strategy? Do they draft a swingman (most likely Terrence Williams now but I dunno, maybe Sam Young or someone) at #22 and hope a college PG falls to their later pick? (Collison may still be there, even Lawson, Patty Mills or Toney Douglas should both still be on the board at the end of the first round.)

Or rather, they just pick a point guard (Lawson, Collison, someone like Maynor or Teague could drop) and then use that later pick to get a swingman (more options here without picks being considered as reaches: Williams might hang around, Young, DaJuan Summers, Marcus Thornton, Dionte Christmas.)

I've been pondering on this for a while. The Mavs have never had so much viability in the draft since 2004. Any other thoughts?

JTF's Mock Draft and analysis of the Mavs' options

jonthefon — Mon, 25 May 2009 10:47:08 -0000

I'd like to get this drafting talk going as soon as possible, so I've decided to go with a mock-drafting the first round. Along with drafting choices for each team, I'll try and justify selection for each pick, and then stop a few picks before the Mavs' pick to see what could still be left on the board.

Now, I know there's been a lot of discussion about teams making their first-rounders available for a multitude of reasons, but I'll skip past that. I might hypothesise a little into certain teams trading down to get the players they're looking for and some, but that'll be it. For now, this mock draft will probably be held in its current context, because I have no clue what could happen between now and July.

So onto the mock. I'll source from three spots: NBADraft.net, ESPN.com's Chad Ford's Mock Draft 1.0 and DraftExpress. Right now, their takes on the Mavs' pick at #22:

NBADraft.net: Jeff Teague, PG, Wake Forest

Chad Ford: Ty Lawson, PG, North Carolina

DraftExpress: Tyler Hansbrough (God, please not let that be), PF, North Carolina

Right now, the Mavs' have a shitload of needs but at that spot #22, the only player they're probably going to get is either a point guard or an athletic swingman-type, unless a post scorer falls. I don't see them drafting a project forward, but I'll get to that later.

JTF's Mock Draft:

1. LA Clippers: Blake Griffin, PF, Oklahoma - The consensus #1, so I'm not going to go over this one. The Clips are going to find some way to dump Zach Randolph. I'm curious to see if we can really make that deal for Baron Davis and Chris Kaman.

2. Memphis Grizzlies: Ricky Rubio, PG, Spain - The Grizzlies have a problem here, as they're currently filled at center (Marc Gasol) and point guard (Mike Conley). This choice probably would've been made easier if it hadn't been for Conley stepping up in a big way down the stretch last season after being in trade discussions for a couple of months. But I don't see Memphis passing on a guy like Rubio, even if it's relegating Conley (who could probably net them some pretty good value considering his tools and recent performance). I suppose if Rubio really doesn't want play in Memphis or Oklahoma City, he could back out, but I think that would be unlikely right now. The last time this business came up with Dan Fegan and Yi, it eventually got sorted and that's probably what's going to happen here.

There's a chance that Memphis trades down just a little to get Jordan Hill (perhaps a deal with Sacramento, who could use a PG?), but if Rubio goes here and not to the Thunder, I'd be relieved. OKC would look shit-in-pants scary even with Westbrook playing off-the-ball (Rubio, Westbrook, Durant, Green and a solid center in Nick Collison).

3. Oklahoma City Thunder: Hasheem Thabeet, C, UConn - I'm not a big fan of Thabeet, but he seems like the obvious pick here (unless they're reaching for Hill), as a rebounding, shot-blocking presence in the paint, the guy they nearly got in Tyson Chandler. If he does those things right and keeps hitting that mid-range jumper which he's developing, while honing his low-post skills, the Thunder look in really good shape with all the other scoring they have. He feels kinda like a project to me though...or maybe it's a relapse of guys like Michael Olowokandi.

4. Sacramento Kings: Jordan Hill, PF, Arizona - The Kings really need a point guard. Really, really. I figure they're set at three positions (SG with Kevin Martin, PF with Jason Thompson and C with Spencer Hawes) and they have a number of swingmen to roll at SF. But Beno Udrih and Bobby Jackson aren't very encouraging, considering how Udrih managed to regress. Sactown might deal up to get Rubio or move down to get Brandon Jennings and if they do so, I still think Hill's going here. I'm a big fan of Jason Thompson but he's still rather erratic, which might be the case with Hill too. I like these two as a complement to one another but I'm not so sure it'll work, which is why I see some sort of trade involving this pick with the Kings.

5. Washington Wizards: James Harden, SG, Arizona State - Really, Washington? Selling a pick here for cap relief? I don't blame them but picking Harden here would finally give them a legit running mate with Gilbert Arenas in the backcourt, especially considering how DeShawn Stevenson took a massive step back since the playoffs debacle with LeBron. Picking Harden here would give the Wiz four capable scorers from all over the court, but I wouldn't be surprised if they decided that three is enough and use this pick as an asset to free up cap space (great GMship to give in to Gilbert and his demands for a max contract...)

6. Minnesota Timberwolves: DeMar DeRozan, SG/SF, USC - Is the Corey Brewer experiment in Minneapolis over? He's only been in the league for two years and suffered a tough injury, but is he really an NBA-calibre player? At one point, we were discussing the fact that DeRozan might even fall as far to where Dallas were (when they were #8 in the West), but that's out of the equation now.

7. Golden State Warriors: Brandon Jennings, PG, Italy - If Jennings is still there at #7, it should be a no-doubter for the Warriors. In that way, they have no reservations about letting Crawford go (as if they would even now, I guess), can move Ellis back to his natural position (and run the point when necessary). Jennings would probably settle things back into a natural order in the Bay, but until they fire Nellie, the Warriors are still doomed to mediocrity and losing 200-point games. Fun to watch though.

8. New York Knicks: Stephen Curry, PG/SG, Davidson - I kinda thought about Earl Clark here, because he seems just as good a fit in D'Antoni's system as Curry, and that the Knicks might've needed frontcourt help. Then I realized Clark hardly projects a PF or C (where they're running Al Harrington and David Lee) and they're mixing Wilson Chandler, Larry Hughes and Quentin Richardson at SF. Depending on how much his height disadvantages, Curry will either fit in quite nicely as a combo guard or struggle at shooting guard.

9. Toronto Raptors: Earl Clark, SF/PF, Louisville - I'm not envious of the Raptors. I think a lot of this choice will hinge on whether they can keep Anthony Parker in free agency this summer. I don't think Shawn Marion is coming back, which leaves an opening for Clark to join a frontcourt where he could alternate with Bargnani at SF and PF and see if Bosh can play center. If the Raptors let Parker go and reacquire Marion (probably not, they still need to find some way to keep Bosh in 2010), or even resign both, I see them picking up another guard, which I would say is either Tyreke Evans or Gerald Henderson. For now, I'm sticking with Clark.

10. Milwaukee Bucks: DeJuan Blair, PF, Pittsburgh - I don't see Charlie Villaneuva coming back (should command a lot after a stellar season), but I think they're going to be able to resign Ramon Sessions to continue the PG tandem with Luke Ridnour (who I think is a little underrated). Unless they're planning to unload Michael Redd or Richard Jefferson for financial reasons, I don't think they're going to pick a swingman, and with Villaneuva likely to leave, they'll need a replacement at PF. Blair's stock has dropped a little but he was brilliant on the boards in college and a solid post scorer, and I'm not hugely concerned about the weight.

11. New Jersey Nets: Gerald Henderson, SG/SF, Duke - I think this is where things start to go a little more skewed (maybe at the #10 pick for Milwaukee). The Nets are set in the backcourt with Devin and Vince Carter, and set at center with Brook Lopez. After that, there's plenty of holes. It doesn't look like Yi Jianlian will ever adjust to the pace of the NBA, but the Nets are probably going to give him another chance at PF and put Sean Williams and Ryan Anderson behind him. At SF, it's a complete mixed bag, with Trenton Hassell, Jarvis Hayes and Bobby Simmons all part of the mediocrity at the 3. I was weighing up either Gerald Henderson (seems more polished) or Chase Budinger (higher offensive upside), but I went with Henderson here mostly because he feels more NBA-ready. Henderson's size might be a problem, but then I'm guessing the Nets move Carter back to small forward.

12. Charlotte Bobcats: Tyreke Evans, PG/SG, Memphis - Weird situation here. The Bobcats might finally make a little noise in the East next season and they look all right at every position. They could do with reliable frontcourt help alongside Okafor, but there's nobody in that position. I think they're going to upgrade SG, because Raja Bell isn't going to be there for too long soon, and DJ Augustin is still a little short to play there constantly (like JJ). Actually, this team looks in pretty good shape. I think they could be the new Hawks, they have the assets to get a guy they need in a trade.

13. Indiana Pacers: Eric Maynor, PG, VCU - A lot of people have the Pacers with this pick, and I'd agree. The Pacers need a guy behind (or next to) TJ Ford in the case of injuries, and Maynor's a great fit. Biggest problem for Indy is their defence, which is porous, but I'm not sure how they fix that in this draft.

14. Phoenix Suns: Jonny Flynn, PG, Syracuse - The Suns love Flynn, and he's a perfect match for them with his athleticism and finishing skills at the rim. That up-tempo system in Phoenix probably means he's going to get plenty of opportunities to spark and score the basketball in transition, making him likely to be of more use than Goran Dragic in backing up Steve Nash. As for after that...I'm not sure he sticks as a starting point guard though. But for now, he'll work for the Suns unless they completely blow it up.

15. Detroit Pistons: James Johnson, SF/PF, Wake Forest - I think the Pistons are looking for some frontcourt scoring this summer, with Rasheed Wallace seeming likely to not return. I thought about a guy like Austin Daye here, but he doesn't really feel like a guy they would have implicit trust here. I can't say anything though since I'm no Pistons analyst...

16. Chicago Bulls: Wayne Ellington, SG, North Carolina - My guess is that one of Ben Gordon (too much in FA?) or Kirk Hinrich (trade if they resign Gordon) isn't coming back, which leaves the Bulls with a little bit of a hole at the 2 spot even if they go big and slot John Salmons, a natural small forward there. I like Ellington here as a cheaper replacement for Gordon, with that jumpshot he has.

17. Philadelphia 76ers: Jrue Holiday, PG, UCLA - Probably a big risk to pick a guy like Holiday here and then give him the keys to the offence after a tough year in UCLA playing off the ball, but the Sixers might not bring back Andre Miller, who should command quite a bit in free agency. Still, Holiday has great upside and time to develop and if necessary, I suppose Lou Williams and Andre Iguodala would be around to run that offence.

There's 17 picks down, so I'll stop and take a look at the prospects still on the board. Right now, I would rank them something like this:

Chase Budinger (SG/SF)

Ty Lawson (PG)

Jeff Teague (PG)

Patrick Mills (PG)

Austin Daye (SF/PF)

Terrence Williams (SG/SF)

Sam Young (SF)

BJ Mullens (C)

Tyler Hansbrough (PF)

There's still obviously some very interesting players still there. I've reiterated multiple times that I'd love to get Jeff Teague. I would be fine with any of Chase Budinger, Ty Lawson or Patrick Mills, and would be fine with Williams or Young, but would consider it a little bit of a stretch. If they pick Mullens (project center), Tyler Hansbrough or one of Gani Lawal, Nick Calathes or Austin Daye (not high on them as immediate contributors), I'd be pretty annoyed.

With four picks left until the Mavs' are on the clock, the chance they get any of the first four look pretty good. I'm not sure of Minny's intentions (I'm thinking they're getting a point guard), and Atlanta might pick one to replace Bibby, or get Mullens so they can eventually move Al Horford back to the 4 if it works out. I sense Utah might trade down to get Hansbrough (is he not the perfect fit for Jerry Sloan's system?), and New Orleans will probably choose a wing player (Budinger? Williams?) since they already have the league's best point guard. There seems a good chance the Sixers don't go for Holiday and go the safer route with Ty Lawson, so he could slip to us.

My theory is, there's three point guards plus a few slashers still on the board, and there's only four picks until Dallas picks. They have options to choose from and they better make one that makes sense.

Now only if we could get another early second-rounder...

[ego]Of course, it'd be awesome if this gets frontpage'd as an early "official" look at the Mavs' draft until somebody writes a better one.[/ego]

Who do we bring back?

jonthefon — Fri, 15 May 2009 06:52:54 -0000

From HoopsHype, the current list of Mavs' free agents and the amount going off the payroll stand at:

Jason Kidd (21.3 mil)

Devean George (1.6 mil)

Ryan Hollins (970k)

Brandon Bass (820k)

Gerald Green (820k)

James Singleton (800k)

Erick Dampier (option likely not to be exercised: 9.5 mil)

I'd like to hear some opinions on who we bring back. I'm thinking right now, that TDG's probably gone. I think the Mavs use their MLE on Bass (might get him for less), and look to get Hollins, Singleton and Green back on cheap money deals.

Which leaves Kidd and Damp. Of course, I'd like to see us resign Kidd, maybe go hard at him early for around 10mil. If he gets a similar offer from a team like Cleveland or a big one from a team looking for a veteran to mentor young guards, I think we don't have much of a chance. And Damp? There's some replacements at center on the market, but I dunno...

I'm just throwing it out there, but any chance the Mavs can go for Andre Miller over Kidd? Hell, maybe even Mike Bibby (but then again, he's fired too many daggers into the Mavs). I don't think so, it might be screwing our 2010 plans if we give them a multi-year deal.

Right now, the list of intriguing potential FA's I'm looking at. There's some guys I left out, (say, someone like Shawn Marion or a very cheap guy such as Ramon Sessions) because I doubt the Mavs want to, or have the pull or payload to go for them:

Chris Wilcox

Anthony Parker

Radoslav Nesterovic

Ron Artest (throwing it out there)

Drew Gooden

Raef LaFrentz (okay, just sentimental value. I think he's done unfortunately.)

Okay, that's a short list, but I was being kinda exclusive in terms of what I think we're looking to get. Of course, perhaps a need can be filled in the draft, which this year is stocked with nice role players in the mid and lower first rounds. But this team has a lot more to cover up, and it's good to get discussion up early and get over this playoff loss as soon as possible.

Any thoughts? Who do we keep out of that list? Who do we explore getting?

The home playoff loss.

jonthefon — Sun, 10 May 2009 07:12:54 -0000

Let's forget all the refs for a second. Let's forget that non-call and what Dwyade did in 2006. We wouldn't be having such troubles, feeling such gut-wrenching agony with every Mavs' playoff loss if it weren't for one thing.

That's the home playoff loss. One of the big reasons why the Mavs have no NBA championships is that they've lost critical playoff games at the American Airlines Center, which in all regards, should be a fortress. The best homecourt in the league, filled to the brim come playoffs time with a chunk of the city's over 1 million people population.

When the Mavs moved to the AAC from Reunion Arena, they were coming off a 53-29 season and a trip to the second round of the playoffs as a result of knocking off a strong, veteran-savvy Utah Jazz team. They were loaded with young talent, most namely a 23-year-old German 7-footer who could score from all over the court.

The move to the AAC brought an entirely new image to the Mavs. New uniforms, new logos, new colours, a much more modern facility. The fans responded and the new arena was packed full, game-after-game.

Come playoffs time, the anticipation for the Mavs was at its peak. In a three-game sweep over the Timberwolves, every three sunk by Dirk Nowitzki, Nick Van Exel or Steve Nash, every thunderous dunk ripped down by Michael Finley, even every block by Shawn Bradley was met with a roar. It was a clinical offensive display by the Mavs, polished off in Minneapolis. Hope was high as the Mavs readied for a showdown with top-seeded Kings.

They earned a split in Sacramento and considering what had happened previously, there were high hopes of heading back to Sactown for Game 5 with a 3-1 lead. But that came to a halt as the Kings offence worked mercilessly over two games: 115 layups over the entire series. The Mavs lost Game 3 after struggling to get their stops, handing homecourt back to the Kings. Then, they blew a 14-point lead in Game 4, even after both Vlade Divac and Chris Webber fouled out, with Mike Bibby sealing the game with a jumper over Dirk. A Game 5 in Sacramento was just not a task they could handle after two demoralising defeats.

It was a setback, but at the time, it was still early for the Mavs. Dirk was only 24. Nash and Finley were at their peaks. Bradley, LaFrentz, Van Exel, Najera formed a solid rotation behind the Big Three.

That blossomed in the 2002-2003 as the Mavs started 14-0, flashing their typical sparkling offence and showing new commitment on the defensive end. Eventually, they ended tied for the best record in the league: 60-22, and were headed to the playoffs again.

Both the Portland and Sacramento playoff series were epics in their own rights, but let's head straight to the WCF against the Spurs.

In a tremendous FT-shooting performance in Game 1, the Mavs fired 49-of-50 from the line after a first-up miss by Eddie Najera, stealing the game and homecourt advantage with a 113-110 win. A blowout loss in Game 2 ensued, but the Mavs had gotten what they wanted.

But things turned in Games 3 and 4 as the Spurs quickly found ways to exploit the Mavs and their weak front-court defence. In the most important storyline of the series, Dirk's season ended when he stepped on the foot of Manu Ginobili at a critical point in Game 3. With San Antonio holding a 3-1 lead like Sacramento did in 2002, the Mavs look buried once more. Then the Spurs shot out of the gates in Game 5 and led 44-25 and then later 70-53 in the third, and the Mavs seem pretty much done. Enter Michael Finley, who fuels an incredible comeback: he scores prolifically in the third quarter, with a three-pointer pushing the lead back to 72-64. The Mavs enter the fourth quarter down 74-81, but brings it down to 1 with a 6-0 run: Walt Williams scores on an up-and-under, Nash produces an incredible shot-clock beating floater and Van Exel makes a difficult layup. Then Nash ties it up with a three and gives Dallas the lead for good by assisting Raef LaFrentz on the go-ahead dunk. Finley buries the dagger.

Having fought back to 3-2, the Mavs found themselves with the momentum: a Game 6 win in front of a big crowd would send the series back to the SBC Center for a Game 7, and with rumbles of Dirk Nowitzki making a comeback for a possible Game 7, they had a good chance.

The Mavs took the initiative upon themselves and built a lead: the Spurs generally struggled after a tough collapse at home and Nick Van Exel knocked down a shot early in the fourth, the Mavs led 71-58.

And then came the collapse. Words cannot describe what I felt at the end of it: all I can remember from that was Stephen Jackson, Manu Ginobili and Steve Kerr, all taking times to nail three after three: [cliche]with each dagger feeling like a nail in the coffin[/cliche]. Total collapse: a 23-0 run allowed, the Mavs had no way of getting back even at home. And that was the first painful defeat: being eliminated in such a way, at home to end what had been a terrific and promising season.

2003-2004 came. Over the summer, the Mavs brought in more scoring: Antawn Jamison and Antoine Walker. The regular season was no biggie: everyone knew the Mavs had the talent and general make-up to make them, and it was all about getting deep into them and winning the championship. A third straight year playing against the Kings.

And another loss at home. Down 3-1 once again, after having been unable to win the first two at Arco, the Mavs went back to Sacramento, fought hard but got generally shredded by Mike Bibby, and a potential Dirk game-winner bounced off the rim, sealing a 119-118 win for the Kings and a first-round exit for the retooled Mavs.

2004-2005 was a complete change in personnel and a transition from offensive-orientated to balanced. The first-round series against Houston was another epic with its fair share of controversy: after Games 1 and 2 at home, the Mavs levelled it up in H-Town, and then won Game 5 after a contentious call on a play involving Michael Finley. A 40-point blowout win ensued in Game 7, and the Mavs were moving on.

And there was the Nash series. Everyone remembers his game-tying three over Jason Terry to send Game 6 into overtime. Another killer blow, the Mavs went on to lose: again, eliminated at home.

The road to the 2006 FInals was hardly smooth either: only an amazing, stunning, brilliant Game 7 road win in San Antonio avoided what would've been another big collapse as the Mavs lost Game 6 at the AAC. But they steadied up against the Suns, winning Game 5 on the back of Dirk's 50-point gem, and then giving the Suns a taste of their own medicine.

That trend continued in the playoffs: after a pretty close Game 1, the Mavs turned Game 2 into a blowout and went to Miami with a 2-0 lead and a great chance of winning one of the three back there, having swept the season series. Games 3 and 5 were among the biggest gut-punches of the all the Mavs' playoff defeats this decade, riddled by officiating fail. But Dallas had homecourt advantage and Big D should've been geared up for the biggest sporting events in the city's history (think about it: Brett Hull scored that goal in the third overtime in Buffalo, and the Cowboys win their Superbowls away from Texas Stadium). There would have been nothing like a Game 7 in Dallas, in that arena.

Only that Game 7 never happened. No matter how long a leash Wade got from the refs, no matter how bad both calls at the end of Game 5 were, no matter how inexplicable that Game 3 loss was, there was no way the Mavs should've lost the elimination Game 6 of the 2006 NBA Finals on their own homecourt. Wade led the way again for Miami with 36 points, but that was moreso his skill than the home cooking and the phantom fouls he drew back in Miami. The Mavs lost the game by two points, and that was by shooting cold, hard bricks for most of the game. Shooting bricks in an elimination situation, in front of a packed house filled with your own fans, is inexcusable. But it happened: the home playoff loss, the most devastating out of all of them.

I'll make the last two quick: the Game 1 loss to the Warriors gave them the belief ("We Believe" and such) to complete the upset with their homecourt advantage and their athleticism. The Game 4 loss to the Hornets was just a surrender, destroyed by Avery's poor coaching, Josh's marijuana revelation and a flurry of missed jumpshots.

And that brings us to tonight. Every time we look back at why the early 21st-century Mavs have never won a championship, look at the fact that they lost critical playoff game after critical playoff game in that fortress of theirs. Sure, hypothetically they mightn't have won those 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 or 2008 series even if they hadn't lost those home games, but each defeat was a killer.

Dallas @ Denver GDT2, Fourth quarter

jonthefon — Sun, 03 May 2009 21:31:55 -0000

Go Mavs...seven-point gap to make up

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Is having "too much youth" in a fantasy dynasty league a bad idea?

jonthefon — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:55:05 -0000

I'm playing a first-year dynasty league on Yahoo, a 10-team (yeah, I know, get out) 6x6 H2H.

There's a majors draft and a minors draft for minor leaguers (who qualify even if they've already made an impact in the majors: the threshold is either under 100 IP or 300 AB). Minor leaguers have to be moved onto the actual team roster once they surpass the threshold otherwise they become FA after three days.

In my majors draft, I mostly went for younger players with ceiling and picked up older guys only if they fell down the order (Dye, Dempster, Carpenter). I picked at #9 and #12, and I got Grady Sizemore and Ian Kinsler. Afterwards, I dealt Kinsler and Jermaine Dye for Phillips and Hunter Pence. Opening Day team ended up as:

C: Martinez

1B: Berkman, Loney

2B: Phillips, Hill

3B: Davis, Encarnacion

SS: Drew

OF: Sizemore, Pence, Bay, Ethier, Werth, Burrell

SP: Billingsley, Zambrano, Nolasco, Liriano, Josh Johnson, Wandy, Dempster, Carpenter

RP: Lindstrom, Francisco, Wheeler

Then came the minors draft, where I was picking #5. Because of a drafting error I made in not recognising Davis being under 300 AB's until about twenty picks later, I was lucky enough to have Davis reserved for me at #5. Afterwards, I picked:

Bumgarner

Cahill

Alderson

Holland

Morrison

Jennings

Main

Max Ramirez

Motte

Borbon

Beltre

Cunningham

Boscan

Tucker

As you've seen from the list, Cahill and Motte are already up in the majors, but I have plenty of time to wait and see if they pan out until they hit the 100 IP limit. But I'm a little worried that with all these guys bound to show up, I already have a bunch of young talent at the positions. Not sure about Martinez; Berkman will be replaced by Davis who'll probably lost 3B-eligibility; Phillips will be there; 3B might be a question mark; Drew will be at SS; Pence, Sizemore, Bay, Ethier will form a long OF; Loney, Werth, Hill will round things off. Pitching-wise, I have Billingsley, Nolasco, Johnson and Liriano and maybe Zambrano all ready to pitch plenty of strong innings. The other guys should be pretty strong back-up, and Wheeler will probably be dropped once the TB closer situation sorts out and Motte settles down.

And so the question here is: did I go overboard in drafting younger players and thus block whatever my minor league system may produce? Or it's a win-win situation in that I can contend for years to come and use my farm system as assets to pick up guys for a championship run? Or is all that irrelevant and I should be able to turnover quickly enough to accomodate?

What would be your strategy of running a dynasty league with minor leaguers?

The greatest Mavericks ever?

jonthefon — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:11:10 -0000

Me getting sentimental again. Remember, this is not the "all-time Mavs lineup": it is more just an assortment of the players who have served this franchise the best.

Again, this is just my personal list and it's kind of exclusive, feel free to add guys to the discussion:

Rolando Blackman: A great shooter and scorer, 4-time All-Star while in Dallas, including two clutch game-tying free throws in the '87 All-Star Game (confidence, baby!). Mavs' leader in scoring by a long margin until Dirk showed up. All-round good guy, dealt to the Knicks as part of the 90s rebuilding phase and was a game away (or maybe a Hakeem Olajuwon blocked shot away) from earning a ring that he probably deserved. #22 was retired in 2000.

Brad Davis: Never put up great figures but epitomised "fan favourite" on those high-scoring Mavs teams. Everyone knows about the moustache he had and of course he was the first Mav to have his number retired. Still out and about these days in Big D as an analyst and in development.

Derek Harper: Started on the 80s Mavs' teams: an able scorer and passer, but a very good defender. Probably unlucky not to earn a trip to the All-Star Game in his career but he performed enough for the franchise to earn a spot here.

Michael Finley: The most underappreciated Mav ever. He carried the load on a couple of mediocre Mavs teams and did the same while Dirk and Steve developed. Big shots all over. Then he stepped graciously back to second or third-fiddle, and stepped up when he was needed. Case in point: his 31 with Dirk out, fueled the Mavs' big comeback in Game 5 of the 2003 WCF when they looked down and out: his ridiculous fadeaway over Tony Parker to beat the shot clock was probably the dagger. In his last two seasons in Dallas, he was a little niggling to watch as he stepped back to the three-point line and didn't really attack the basket as Mavs' fans had previously seen him done. The Allan Houston rule meant his days were numbered in Dallas: I don't blame his decision to sign with the Spurs to have a chance at getting a ring. Most Dallas fans appreciated that. But apparently, Mark Cuban didn't. Yes, he signed with the @%*$ing Spurs, but Mark throwing Fin under the bus by organising a boo campaign was sickening. Nevertheless, Fin still should go down as one of the great Mavs: great dunker, deadly from the perimeter, classy when the franchise needed him to be.

Dirk Nowitzki: I'm pretty sure we're all familiar with him. Possibly the greatest ever Mav, but that's probably modern bias. Won't go too deep in with him, we all know that he's a helluva player. Already the franchise's leading scorer, generally brilliant in the playoffs, an absolute certainty to have his number retired, very likely to spend his entire career in Big D, and quite likely to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Only problem was the D, but then again, not many Mavs have been known for their defence.

Mark Aguirre: I thought a while about this. I guess based on his stats, Aguirre would've been a dead certainty for this list. He was a dominant scorer both inside and from mid-range, was always near the top of the league in terms of scoring, combined with Ro and co. for the 80s Mavs' playoffs and went to multiple All-Star games. But he won his rings in Detroit and apparently, in his final years in Dallas was a polarizing figure among fans and being traded to the Pistons didn't exactly cause a whole lot of grief at Reunion Arena. But he's on the list, because it really has to be said that he did a lot of mileage in the 80s for the Mavs.

Right now, that's probably all I can think of "deserving" to make my list. Any others I might have missed out on? Coaches? Dick Motta perhaps? Announcers?

The Mavs and playoff teams

jonthefon — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 03:54:42 -0000

From what I've compiled, the Mavs current have the following records against worthy-enough playoff teams in the league:

Boston: 0-2

Cleveland: 0-1

Orlando: 1-1

Atlanta: 1-1

Lakers: 0-2

Spurs: 1-2

Denver: 0-3

Houston: 1-2

Portland: 2-0

New Orleans: 0-1

Utah: 1-2

Phoenix: 1-1

That adds up to a 8-18 record against "real" playoff contender teams. The Mavs are 27-5 against all other teams, with losses to New Jersey, Sactown, Memphis, Clippers and Milwaukee. Adding to that, they've narrowly avoided defeat in way too many games against lower teams.

Which basically leaves me to conclude they're not in good shape against Western playoff teams. Yet for some reason, I keep thinking that they'll make noise come April.

Now if he did that more often...

jonthefon — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 10:11:57 -0000

Now if he did that more often...

The unofficial official draft talk thread

jonthefon — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:13:13 -0000

Seriously, you all knew this was probably going to pop up soon. Might be a little early since it's been tough to project our draft position the way we've played this season, but I'd like to get some discussion going.

Right now, there are a number of guys I'm looking at:

-Point guards: Jeff Teague obviously, is one guy I'd really like to get. I've also stated before that Darren Collison is also a nice target but he may be a stretch to get from where we would be drafting. I'm intrigured by Eric Maynor but I haven't seen much of him at all. Patrick Mills as well but I'm generally not as high on the shorter PGs. Is Jonny Flynn planning to enter the draft?

-Swingmen: Chase Budinger and DeMar DeRozan are obviously top of the list, if they fall far enough. Both should be slashing, explosive players at the next level. I'd sit DaJuan Summers just behind them but the way's he's played so far I think he's worth a lottery pick. Maybe Tyler Smith but I don't really have him on my radar.

There are a number of other things I probably forgot to talk about (big guys?) but may as well get this thing started.