SB Nation User Blog: zkmavz

Amare to Houston?

zkmavz — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:36:02 -0000

keep in mind this is a peter vescey story and he's a moron... but if they got amare for old balls tmac... just kill me now

Columnist Peter Vescey's NBA sources indicate the Rockets are "leaning toward" trading Tracy McGrady, Carl Landry and Aaron Brooks to the Suns for Leandro Barbosa and Amare Stoudemire.
Stoudemire has been disgruntled in Phoenix for a while now, and ESPN's Ric Bucher reported on Thursday that he will indeed be traded. The Suns would acquire two solid young players in Landry and Brooks, while gaining financial flexibility with T-Mac's expiring $22 million contract. So far nothing is official, but stay tuned throughout what promises to be a hectic draft day. Jun. 25 - 12:22 pm et

Link to Story

Shaq Traded To Cle for Crap

zkmavz — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:31:02 -0000

Saw the story on yahoosports.com... another one gets away? phoenix is gonna be good next year huh?

The Cleveland Cavaliers have reached an agreement in principle to acquire Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal(notes), a league source told Yahoo! Sports late Thursday night.
Cleveland will send Ben Wallace(notes), Sasha Pavlovic(notes), the 46th pick in Thursday’s draft and cash to the Suns for O’Neal.

Link to Story

more words more words more words

Mavs Eye Pick No. 5

zkmavz — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:47:10 -0000

from ESPN insider...

Mavs eye pick No. 5?

The Mavericks are said to be interested in the fifth pick and the prospect of drafting Jordan Hill.

The teams have made nice in the past, most recently in the swap that secured Antawn Jamison in 2004. The Mavericks also were kind enough to relieve the Wizards of Juwan Howard in 2001.

The Mavericks apparently are willing to part with either Jason Terry or Josh Howard to sweeten a potential deal. The Mavericks would be obligated to accept an expiring contract of the Wizards, the one belonging to either the Etan Thomas or Mike James. -- The Washington Time

damnit... poor dirk

zkmavz — Wed, 20 May 2009 04:32:47 -0000

Link to Article

The woman arrested at Dirk Nowitzki's house on May 6 says she is pregnant with the child of the Dallas Mavericks' star and that they had been engaged.

Cristal Taylor spoke to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram from jail in Beaumont, Texas.

"I've known Dirk for seven years -- and, no, I didn't tell him everything about my past because I was afraid," Taylor said, according to the newspaper. "But I mean, now I'm pregnant and alone and broke because he is my only source of income."

Taylor said that Nowitzki has not contacted her and likely does not know that she is pregnant. She said that she didn't know before she was arrested.

"I didn't even know," she said, according to the newspaper. "Nobody knew until they tested me in Dallas."

Taylor said that she was tested at the Dallas County Jail where she was held for one week before a transfer to Beaumont.

where is irsay?

zkmavz — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:02:19 -0000

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/05/08/nfl.owners/index.html

SI.com identified the five best and five worst owners in each of the four major team sports. The method was not scientific but based on numerous factors, some of which are indisputable and some of which are intangible. Among the criteria used to evaluate owners was the willingness to spend money to improve the team; the stability and capabilities of the front office and management; the amenities at the team's venue; and the club's culture and interactivity with fans. Of course, weighing heavily in the decision was the team's success or failure on the field. (Note: Records are through 2008 season.)

Don't Tease Me...

zkmavz — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:21:20 -0000

Chris Paul To Mavs?

Picture Chris Paul in a Mavericks uniform.

That might make it easier for MFFLs to watch this weekend's home-and-home series with New Orleans if Paul dominates Dallas, as he does most times the Hornets and Mavs meet. But it's also a realistic scenario for next season.

The thought has apparently crossed Mark Cuban's mind. Rumor has it the Mavs brass let the powers that be in the Big Easy know before the trade deadline that they'd take the Hornets' two worst contracts off their hands in a package with Paul. I'd wager the value of Paul's four-year, max contract extension that kicks in next season that the Mavericks will put on the full-court press with that proposal this summer.

Acquiring Paul, a perennial MVP candidate who hasn't even hit his prime yet, and a couple of his overpaid pals would be a no-brainer basketball deal for the Mavs. For the Hornets, such a deal would make sense only because of the dollars.

The Hornets are a prime example of a team that might have to make a desperate, cost-cutting deal due to the economy. They play in a small market still recovering from Hurricane Katrina and are in luxury-tax territory. That awful combination led them to trade Tyson Chandler for spare parts in the middle of a playoff race, although Oklahoma City's doctors ultimately vetoed that deal.

Cuban can put together a heck of a bailout package for the Hornets, the bulk of which would consist of the expiring contracts of Jerry Stackhouse, Josh Howard and Erick Dampier.

(Quick contract primer: Stackhouse is on the books for $7 million next season, but he can be bought out for $2 million, making him especially attractive to cost-cutting teams. Howard is due $10.89 million next season and has a team option for 2010-11. Dampier, who didn't reach the incentives to guarantee his 2010-11 salary, will make $12.12 million next season.)

Who would the Hornets want to get rid of so badly that they'd be willing to part with Paul? Peja Stojakovic ($13.39 million next season and $14.26 in 2010-11) would definitely be part of the deal. Chandler ($12.3 next season and $13.2 in 2010-11) probably would be included, too. Morris Peterson (due a total of $12 million over the next two seasons) or James Posey ($19.5 million over three seasons) are other possibilities.

Stojakovic's contract ranks among the worst in the league. He's had a very good career, but he's an oft-injured 40-percent jump shooter these days. But he is the starting small forward for a playoff team.

The Mavs would probably prefer to take Chandler, even with his massive contract, over Peterson or Posey. He'd provide an instant upgrade over Dampier and give Paul the comfort of continuing to work with his pogo-stick pick-and-roll partner. Chandler's athletic, gritty style -- rebounding, blocking shots and finishing -- would be a perfect complement for Dirk's game.

If it's Posey, the Mavs would be getting a savvy role player who has a couple of rings. If it's Peterson, well, that's a small price to pay for the league's best point guard.

Add it all up, including the millions saved by buying out Stack and avoiding the luxury tax (plus the $3 million Cuban seems to toss in with every trade), and this trade trims over $100 million from the Hornets' expenses over the years. That could be tough to turn down for a business-minded owner like George Shinn, especially if New Orleans fans don't pack their arena for playoff games.

For a basketball-minded owner like Cuban, the chance to make Paul a Maverick is worth pursuing.

Cuban has repeatedly said the Mavs will be "opportunistic" in the trade market and are willing to take on salary if the right situation presents itself. This is the kind of deal Cuban is referring to -- actually, this is the best-case scenario of that kind of deal.

"I want to win," Cuban said last night when asked about his willingness to take on significant salaries under the right circumstances. "If I think it puts us over the top, hell yeah. I'll just go get another job at Dairy Queen."

It's not just talk coming from the brash billionaire. Cuban proved with the Jason Kidd trade last season that he's willing to write the necessary checks to significantly improve the Mavs' chances of winning.

OK, so the Kidd deal hasn't panned out as planned. Hey, if Cuban can get Paul here, Devin Harris will be a distant memory.

Strasburg Pitching in Fort Worth on Friday

zkmavz — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:40:40 -0000

San Diego State plays TCU this weekend... Strasburg scheduled to start Friday... anyone going to see him?

GoFrogs.com

Full Story on Yahoo

SAN DIEGO – The radar gun blinks wildly. It’s not used to this. No one makes it strain to read out a third digit. It looks like binary code, not the speed of a pitch from a 20-year-old kid: 101.

It keeps showing up, 101 again and again, and as scouts peek at the number, they ask aloud what everyone else in the baseball world wonders: Will Stephen Strasburg someday throw a baseball harder than anyone has before?

Two men holding radar guns as well as his pitching coach said he has touched 103 mph this season. Only three others have done that, and all were major league relief pitchers, not juniors in college. Strasburg is a starter for San Diego State, and his velocity levels off in triple digits, something never seen, not from Nolan Ryan or Randy Johnson or any of the modern fireballers since the advent of the radar gun.

So it’s no surprise that Strasburg is dominating college like no pitcher ever has. He has 74 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings, meaning only 29 outs have come via batted ball. He fanned 23 batters in one game last year, and in seven outings with Team USA last summer, culminating with the Beijing Olympics, he struck out 62 in 41 innings.

DWade Douchebaggery

zkmavz — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:27:12 -0000

Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade today was fired from his endorsement contract with a chain of charter schools originally named after him and catering to high school dropouts.

Wade, 27, didn’t fulfill his obligations to the D. Wade’s Schools, said Mavericks in Education CEO Mark Thimmig. Those included appearances in TV commercials.

“We need to move on; the dropout rate is at epidemic levels,” Thimmig said. “This contract made Dwyane Wade the biggest celebrity committed to turning around the national dropout crisis.

“He was supposed to participate in marketing campaigns and public appearances, but he has not been engaged.”

Wade received an undisclosed number of shares in the schools when he signed on.

Thimmig said he’ll go on the hunt for another celebrity pitchman, “one with strong family values.”

LINK TO STORY

Pats Close to Trading for Peppers

zkmavz — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:23:32 -0000

The trade that sent Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel to the Kansas City Chiefs appears to be only the first phase of some major wheeling and dealing by the New England Patriots this offseason.

The second phase, NFL sources say, is likely to involve a trade that would send Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers to the Patriots in exchange for the second-round pick (34th overall) they received from the Chiefs on Feb. 28.

According to league sources, the Patriots and Panthers are hoping to complete the deal at some point between the March 22-25 NFL owners meetings and the start of the draft on April 25.

Peppers, on whom the Panthers have placed a franchise tag that assures him of a one-year contract worth $16.68 million, would be converted to outside linebacker in New England's 3-4 defense.

LINK TO STORY

Mavs vs. Spurs Links (Made During Wes's Nap)

zkmavz — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:23:03 -0000

David Moore Not Impressed Until Mavs beat good team on the Road

JJT says mavs will go as far as Dirk can take them

Photos from last nights game... i had no clue we wore the Los Mavs jerseys...

"It parted like the Red Sea," said Howard, who played with a sore left ankle. "I was going to shoot the jumper, but when I saw that, I had to change it up. This was big for us. We've shot ourselves in the foot a few times lately. We needed this."- Josh Howard

Ha... he was going to shoot the jumper... shocker

we can cheer for Pops again!

TRES POINTER!!!!

"I put it on my shoulders," Duncan said. "I really played an awful game on both ends. I've got to clean that up. ... They were real physical and I felt I got fouled on a couple things. But everybody feels like they get fouled sometimes. I tried to play through it, then started compounding by missing layups and missing shots. Frustrating night." - Tim Duncan

awwww poor baby

In case you have been asleep like Wes...

mike fisher over at DB.com says we saw a preview of rick's playoff rotation

You have all probably read all of this today... but i thought I'd post it anyway... GO MAVS!