On Monday, Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson mentioned at a press event that incumbent starting center Erick Dampier could come off the bench this season. Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News followed up to report that it's not a set-in-stone matter, and that Nelson was just generally speaking about the team's flexibility.
That got Matt Moore and I thinking -- err, talking -- about the Maverick rotation. Our discussion (with a somewhat relevant Magic-Cavs vignette) is after the jump.
One positive ramification of Jason Kidd ditching Dallas after 1-1/2 years in Maverick blue would have been that Mark Cuban and team management could finally have admitted that the Kidd-Devin Harris trade was an absolute mistake. But no, we're due three more years of Cuban barking in a hurricane, as Kidd has re-signed with Dallas through 2011-12. The Dallas Morning News reports the deal will pay Kidd $25 million over that span.
The Knicks had allegedly been offering $18 million over three years (the mid-level exception), which means the Mavericks paid an extra $2.3 million per season than anyone else realistically could for the 36-year-old guard. And, if you're keeping track, Harris, the now 26-year-old point guard Kidd replaced, the kid who is by most objective standards a superior player to Kidd, will be paid over the next three years a total of ... $25.3 million. Well done, Mavericks.
Jason Quick of the The Oregonian reports Portland bosses Kevin Pritchard and Tom Penn made a play for Orlando free agent Hedo Turkoglu early Wednesday morning, just as Orlando's other major free agent -- Marcin Gortat -- was getting flowers from the Rockets. Two Western contenders pilfering the Kings of the East, how quaint.
Portland is one of two teams (outside of Orlando) that makes perfect sense for Turkoglu from all angles. While the Blazers have a nice collection of small forwards, none offer the ball-handling skill that a team with shooter Steve Blake at point guard requires. Further, though Brandon Roy has shown to be a good leader, there's a real lack of veteran guardianship on the roster. As they say, Hedo has been there, done that.
Matt Moore set the table on Jason Kidd's impending free agency -- Dallas, New York, Cleveland and Portland figure to be the best options. Though Kidd has publicly said he'd give the Mavericks dibs, you'll be interested to know Kidd will spend Wednesday, the first day of the free agency period, in New York City chatting with the Knicks.
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports that Kidd will meet with Knicks president Donnie Walsh early Wednesday, hoping to get a commitment. NY cannot offer more than the mid-level exception (a starting salary of less than $6 million) unless Walsh works out a sign-and-trade with Dallas, which holds Kidd's Bird rights. But the Knicks certainly have a hole at the point. Chris Duhon, ahem, ain't getting it done.
HOUSTON -- Unexpected achievement in the face of incredible adversity isn't quite how the Houston Rockets saw their playoff run unfolding.
But that was certainly the theme that carried the Rockets, minus injured stars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, to within one game of reaching the Western Conference finals this season. One amazing night by McGrady or just the presence of aging Dikembe Mutombo in the paint might have been all the Rockets needed to avoid a Game 7 Semifinals in Los Angeles and overcome the Lakers.
It wasn't meant to be, but still it was enough to re-energize a franchise that seemed in serious trouble a few weeks ago because of it's often-injured stars and nondescript supporting cast. The Rockets hadn't been out of the first round of the playoffs in 12 years prior to this season.
It's been a postseason full of questionable calls. And no one's really been happy with it. Most times when a team's fans call foul (or no-foul) on the officiating, you can attribute it to homerism and turning a blind eye to a team's mistakes.
Of course, there are exceptions.
The Dallas Mavericks held a two point lead over the Denver Nuggets this afternoon with six seconds left. The Nuggets inbounded and Carmelo Anthony bobbled the ball before recovering and swinging left. Antoine Wright approached Melo at the wing in full knowledge of two facts.
1. The Mavericks had a foul to give.
2. With a one-possession lead on defense with a foul to give, you always foul to interrupt the play.
Wright came at Melo with two seconds on the clock. And that's where things went a little haywire.
DALLAS -- The biggest controversy surrounding the Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki was in the playoffs a few years ago when he yelled at teammate Jason Terry for missing a defensive assignment that cost his team a series.
But with the Mavericks down 0-2 to the Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals Nowitzki has moved into T.O. type territory. According to the Dallas Morning News and television station KTVT, Nowitzki kicked his girlfriend, Cristal Taylor, out his home on Wednesday morning and Dallas police arrested her on warrants accusing her of a probation violation and a theft charge.
KTVT reports that a friend of Taylor's said she was Nowitzki's fiancee. When Taylor was at a Dallas County jail, she took a urine test that determined she was pregnant.
In Game 1, Dallas committed a devastating 20 turnovers in its loss to Denver. Things were better in Game 2: the Mavericks coughed up the ball only 11 times, a decently low number considering the pace (93 possessions) of the game.
But of those turnovers, half came completely unforced. The Nuggets are a good defensive team, and all teams make mistakes. Every game. You expect the Nuggets to strip a few balls, force a 24-second violation or two. But on six plays in Game 2, Dallas lost possession because they lost focus, didn't communicate or got rattled. Those giveaways kill you, especially against elite great teams.
Cherry Picking recaps the previous day's NBA playoff action.
The Nuggets have been the most impressive team in the West to this point in the playoffs. They crushed the Hornets so badly that Byron Scott may lose his job and the roster might be overhauled before next season. And now, after a Tuesday night Game 2 victory over the Mavericks, Denver finds itself halfway to the conference finals.
Based on who they've played, though, should we really be considering them as a candidate for one of the best teams in the conference? All signs point to NO.
On Monday, Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson mentioned at a press event that incumbent starting center Erick Dampier could come off the bench this season. Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News followed up to report that it's not a set-in-stone matter, and that Nelson was just generally speaking about the team's flexibility.
One positive ramification of Jason Kidd ditching Dallas after 1-1/2 years in Maverick blue would have been that Mark Cuban and team management could finally have admitted that the Kidd-Devin Harris trade was an absolute mistake. But no, we're due three more years of Cuban barking in a hurricane, as Kidd has re-signed with Dallas through 2011-12. The Dallas Morning News reports the deal will pay Kidd $25 million over that span.
Jason Quick of the The Oregonian reports Portland bosses Kevin Pritchard and Tom Penn made a play for Orlando free agent Hedo Turkoglu early Wednesday morning, just as Orlando's other major free agent -- Marcin Gortat -- was getting flowers from the Rockets. Two Western contenders pilfering the Kings of the East, how quaint.
Matt Moore set the table on Jason Kidd's impending free agency -- Dallas, New York, Cleveland and Portland figure to be the best options. Though Kidd has publicly said he'd give the Mavericks dibs, you'll be interested to know Kidd will spend Wednesday, the first day of the free agency period, in New York City chatting with the Knicks.
HOUSTON -- Unexpected achievement in the face of incredible adversity isn't quite how the Houston Rockets saw their playoff run unfolding.
DALLAS -- The Mavericks were on the brink of ending their season and raising all sorts of questions about the direction of the team.
It's been a postseason full of questionable calls. And no one's really been happy with it. Most times when a team's fans call foul (or no-foul) on the officiating, you can attribute it to homerism and turning a blind eye to a team's mistakes. 
DALLAS -- The biggest controversy surrounding the Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki was in the playoffs a few years ago when he yelled at teammate Jason Terry for missing a defensive assignment that cost his team a series.
In Game 1, Dallas committed a devastating 20 turnovers in its loss to Denver. Things were better in Game 2: the Mavericks coughed up the ball only 11 times, a decently low number considering the pace (93 possessions) of the game.
