Even though we at hoopandharm pulled the trigger a little early, I still think that this trade is going to happen. There is over a week until the deadline. I wouldn’t be surprised if this deal gets done by the middle of next week. I’m betting that George is going to be included. Here is an ESPN update.
Kidd to Dallas is a reality. While not as shocking as other recent deals, what shocks me is what Cuban gave up.
The Mavs have now lost most of their bench and will be down to only Dampier at the 5. I’m all for rolling the dice, but really? The main core of Nowitzki, Howard, and Terry do stay intact, which on paper is awesome with Kidd now in the mix. My major concern is that now, more than ever, you need be thinking about production from your center spot and that is something Kidd will not bring you. Avery can play with lineup combos, perhaps even bring Fazekas back up, but, while somewhat sporadic, the Mavs two-headed center, just lost one head. I would be worried about that loss of production if I was Avery Johnson. Let’s hope they have one more trade or free agent signing up their sleeve to completely solidify this lineup.
I’ll say this, there is a thin line between love and hate, and Cuban is definitely walking the line with this one. He could very well be run out of town if this doesn’t pan out and the post Kidd-era ends up with J.J. Barea at the point with no rings to show for it.
But the most important thing to Mavs fans today, the Kidd is back. Everything else will be completely irrelevant if this brings a championship to Big D. That is the one thing I really do like about this deal; it shows the Mavs are serious about NOW and that more than anything should please the fans.
Yesterday on Full Court Press, they were discussing their top 12 players in each conference THIS YEAR. Not to be outdone and because their lists sucked, I have decided to throw my two cents in. This is not an actual all-star team list, as I’m not basing it on picking a team or by position or any of that bogus nonsense. That would make too much sense. This is just a straightforward list of my top 12 players in each conference so far THIS YEAR. Let’s start with the east.
In no particular order:
Bron Bron
D-Wade
Jermaine O’neal
KG
Paul Pierce
Chauncey Billups
Michael Redd
G-Force
Dwight Howard
Caron Butler
Jason Kidd
Joe Johnson
And now the West. Again, in no particular order:
Nash
Kobe
Chris Paul
Dirk
Tim Duncan
A.I.
Melo
Yao Ming
Amare
Baron Davis
Deron Williams
Chris Kaman
I know there’s a few left off that have deserved it in years past(I’m lookin at you T-Mac), but they just haven’t really done it for me this year. Injuries also played a part in this(Did Arenas retire?) So, there you have it. I’ll compare this to the actual all-star roster when it’s announced. Should be interesting to see what top players are left off because of their position.
Happy New Year Hoopandharmers! Here’s what i’m amped about in tonight’s games.
- 13 games on tap
- Warriors back in big d for the first time since beating the Mavs last May. Can the Warriors make it 4 in a row?
- J-Kidd needs just 3 rebounds to pass Magic Johnson on the all-time rebound list for guards. UPDATE: 16 mins in and Kidd already has 3 rebounds. Magic who?
With the 07-08 season is finally upon us, I thought now would be as good a time as any to see who hoopandharmers think are the preseason favorites to win the NBA title. So….., who do you think?
My picks:
West Finals: Mavs V Spurs, Mavs in 6
East Finals: Celtics V Cavs, Cavs in 7
NBA Finals: Mavs V Cavs, Mavs in 5
Just a quick note about the parallels I can see from today’s Mets fans and last May’s Mavs fans. Both teams had strikingly similar finals/world series runs followed the next year by historical and embarrassing flame-outs that fell way below expectations and shocked the sports world. More than anything today, I hear the same cries from Mets fans for various players and managers jobs that Mavs fans had last May, but I think the Mets could learn a lesson from the Mavs and not blowup the team just because of their recent meltdown that led to missing the division title by 1 game. For the most part, this team is the same team came within one out of the World Series last year and was far and away the best team in the NL. And up until the last few weeks, they continued to look the part. Time will tell whether or not the Mavs were wise to basically stand pat this off-season after their equally disgusting meltdown against the Warriors in last year’s playoffs, but at this point I gotta believe that was the wise move. I mean let’s get real. The mavs cruised to 67 wins last season and were 2 and a quarter games from an NBA title the previous year. This is the only roster to have beaten the Spurs in the playoffs in recent years. So on the eve of training camp in Big D, things are looking good, and believe me Mets fans, with some patience in the off-season, a similar fate awaits.
