Great success! The Mavs’ streak hits eleven and looks to grow. The team is starting to deplete with various injuries but it seems to be serving as a blessing for the club. Terry is out for a couple of weeks after face surgery, Dampier continues to sit and Haywood left the Kings game with a back injury. All three are crucial to the Mavs success but have given chances to players starving for minutes, Roddy Beaubois in particular. Catching the Lakers for the No. 1 spot in the West is looking more and more obtainable.

Monday, March 8, 2010, 7:00 PM CT vs. @ Minnesota Timberwolves (14-49) FSSW
For the second time in less than a week, the Mavericks take on the abysmal Minnesota Timberwolves. Although last Wednesday’s match-up was blatantly overlooked by the Mavs’ faithful, we only won by three points, which is in large part thanks to the injured Jason Terry. Plus this time star forward Al Jefferson is back in the lineup. The mug shot explains it all. This guy is pissed. Look for him to attack a depleted Mavs’ front-court. That brings up another crucial issue for the Mavericks. In order to extend this streak to a dozen, the Mavs may have to be without either big man in the midst of the JET’s absence. With 6’8 Eduardo Najera and 6’7 Shawn Marion patrolling the paint, problems are almost assuredly going to arise. Hopefully Haywood will be fine come game time as he is listed probable for Monday’s contest. Keep an eye on former Mav seven-footer Ryan Hollins. A chip on his shoulder remains from his time spent in Dallas.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 7:30 PM CT vs. New Jersey Nets (7-55) FSSW
Welcome back to Dallas, Devin. Remember all of the ill will generated toward the Mavericks organization after the Kidd-Harris trade? Hopefully by now that is settled. Don’t forget that the Mavs helped the Nets achieve history last fall handing them their 18th consecutive loss. The Nets should return the favor by granting us our 13th straight win. The Nets are awful and the Mavs can use this game as a practice. Pass the ball around, run the offense and continue to assimilate Roddy B into the lineup. In fact it would make perfect sense to give Dirk the night off. After all, his back can’t be any less sore.

Saturday, March 13, 2010, 7:30 PM CT vs. New York (21-41) FSSW
It is obvious that I am overly confident in these Mavs but could we have been blessed with a better schedule for this week? It comes as perfect timing for Terry to take the necessary time off and for the Mavs to continue to gel and get better. New York’s got nothing. They lost to the Nets by 20 Saturday. They are on the second night of a road back to back and have not looked up to par as of late (as if they ever have). David Lee is a diamond-in-the-rough. He can wreak havoc on the Mavs down low but he alone will not be enough. Our arsenal of talent should put these Knicks to rest and stretch the streak to 14.
Prediction (3-0)
A short, spread out week is all the Mavericks need to continue their remarkable streak. However, I am slightly threatened by the T-Wolves. Corey Brewer played exceptional in our last meeting and they do have a decent set of bigs. The Nets and Knicks I am sure are already warming up their team planes for an expedient exit after their assured embarrassment in the AAC.

Related posts:

1. Mavs Forecast: March 1
2. Mavs Forecast: March 22
3. Mavs Forecast: March 15

Every one take a deep breath and close your eyes for a moment of silence. That was for Josh Howard’s ACL. The man who swore he was going to “stick it” to the Mavs is out for the remainder of the season. It reminds us all that karma is a you-know-what. Donnie Nelson has to be charged with some kind of insider trading, am I not correct? Is there a deeper conspiracy? Did Donnie talk to a burning bush? No, Nelson is sheer genius.
After Monday’s game the real news to me is Brendan Haywood. Twenty rebounds? Is that possible for anyone not named Russell or Chamberlin? Unbelievable. Haywood is a freak. His 263 pound frame and his seven-foot-tall stature make him one of the best defensive presences in the game. Randy Galloway is quick to acknowledge Haywood as the “greatest center in Mavericks history.” But is this lofty claim legitimate? You would be surprised to find out. Let’s take a look at the top three centers in Mavs history.
No. 1 James Donaldson
Our new generation of Mavs fans probably couldn’t even put a face to this name. How can such a young franchise have had such a dinosaur? For God’s sake he’s older than my dad. But this English import is my pick for the Mavs’ all-time greatest center. Numbers don’t lie. The only center in Mavericks history to represent the team in the all-star game left the NBA with career totals of 8,203 points, 7,492 rebounds and 1,267 blocks. Not to mention the man stood at seven-foot two-inches tall. This is, as Donaldson would say, “a bloody good legacy.”

No. 2 Sam Perkins
Sam Perkins, aka “Big Smooth,” aka “the-guy-who-was-drafted-right-after-Jordan,” was a national champion at UNC and the Mavericks first answer at center. Although his rookie year was his only season to start at center, the Mavs lack of anything at the position still lands him in my top three. Perkins was an incredible talent. People tend to forget the mid-to-late 80s for the Mavs. They weren’t a bad team. Perkins scored a career high 45 points in a Mavericks uniform and still is the only Maverick to have a 30 point, 20 rebound game. Tip of the cap to you Big Smooth, one year playing the five lands you on this MFFL’s all-time greats list.
No. 3 Erick Dampier
At this point you either think I am a moron or the Mavericks have really, REALLY always sucked at center. Well ladies and gentlemen agree with the latter. One thing that Dampy has going for him is consistency. Big No. 25 has been a Maverick for six years now and was acquired at a costly price. His seldom surges of intensity and broad shoulders have made him intimidating to his counterparts, but a lack of inspiration and a consistent cowardice has limited him from being a dominant big man. However he did proclaim early in his Maverick career that he was the second best center in the league behind Shaq. Shaq was quick to refute Dampier’s claim.
Haywood has an edge about him. Maybe it’s his New York roots or his dunk-first mentality. Whatever it is he could be crucial in a Maverick run for a title. Can he shut down the other Western Conference bigs such as Andrew Bynum or Nene? Well he has earned the respect of the East’s finest. “Most people don’t realize that he is among the top four in the league in blocked shots this season,” Dwight Howard said in a recent ESPN.com article. “So he definitely should be up there.” Howard, who was a guest writer for a January ESPN awards watch article, had Haywood ranked third on his list of defensive players of the year. All I can say is: win a title with Dallas and take over this blemished list.

Related posts:

1. Mavericks Trade Deadline Analysis
2. Mavericks close to acquiring Butler
3. Mavs Forecast: March 8

Mavericks/Wizards Trade

This was a simple case of a buyer buying and a seller selling.  The Mavericks were in search of another big man to pair with Erick Dampier in hopes of making a stretch run.  The last the Mavericks had a decent tandem in Dampier and DeSagana Diop, they went to the NBA Finals.  Caron Butler and Josh Howard were both in a desperate need of change and this trade provided that new scenery for both of them.  Clearly this was a move influenced by saving money for the Wizards.  While they were looking only to deal Butler, Haywood was soon demanded from the Mavericks in order to justify absorbing Stevenson’s inflated contract.  Wizards save money and the Mavericks, talent-wise, get into the conversation with the Lakers.  Win-win.

Blazers/Clippers Trade

You can’t help but feel for the Blazers.  All season long they have been ravaged with injury after injury.  Heck, even their head coach had to miss time.  With Greg Oden out for the season and Mr. Vanilla Gorilla himself Joel Przybilla, the Blazers have been lacking a true center.  They knew that in order to be competitive they would need to have a true center for the second half of the season and Marcus Camby will provide just that.  For the Blazers, Outlaw and Blake have become expendable as Martell Webster, Nicolas Batum, and Jerryd Bayless have continued their maturation processes this season.  For the Clippers this trade was an opportunity to get back two role players for one.  Further, Camby’s older and redundant with the pieces they have.  With Blake Griffin coming back next season and Kaman’s All-Star season, you can’t blame the Clippers for getting what they could for Camby.  Win-win.

Timberwolves/Knicks Trade

I’m going to be perfectly honest.  This one was a bit of a head-scratcher for me.  It’s conceivable that Brian Cardinal will never see game action in a Knicks uniform.  The more interesting side of this is that Darko stated quite clearly earlier this season that he has absolutely no intentions of staying in the NBA when his contract expires this summer and that he fully intends on going back to Europe to play.  So with all the glitz and glamour of the United States, for all the millions of reasons that people want to come or stay in America, answer me this, “what in the world does Minnesota have to offer?”—Mall of America—correct for 200 points.  Good luck with that sales pitch Kevin McHale.

Wizards/Cavaliers/Clippers Trade

The Cavs got their man on Thursday when they were able to acquire Antawn Jamison formerly of the Washington Wizards.  For the Wizards, this trade more-or-less completed their ‘blowing-up’ of the roster.  In return for Jamison and the recently-acquired Drew Gooden, the Wiz got a 2010 pick as well as the promising SF/PF Al Thornton from the Clippers.  The Clippers, to a lesser degree, had a bit of a firesale themselves as they shipped off Thornton and Camby and only got expiring contracts in return.  It is believed that the Wizards have no intentions of keeping Ilgauskas and will soon buy him out and he will then boomerang back to Cleveland after a grace period “no shorter than 30 days” per the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.  There’s a chance that Gooden too will boomerang back to the Mavericks if he is bought out by the Clippers.

Sixers/Bucks Trade

Basically this deal was consummated as a result of the Sixers’ admiration of Jodie Meeks.  The Sixers were hopeful to snag him in the second round but before they were able to, the Bucks beat them to the punch.  Everyone else in this deal has small, expiring contracts.  The second round pick compensates the Bucks for giving the Sixers their 2009-10 second round pick Jodie Meeks.

Bulls/Bobcats Trade

This was another questionable trade in my honest opinion.  It was no secret that the Thomas had soured his welcome in Chicago with the coaching staff and moving him out of town was a priority.  Nevertheless, I have to think they could’ve gotten a little more than they did for him.  Acie Law may have the potential to be a Nate Robinson type player on down the line and Flip Murray has the ability to be a solid role player but the Bulls already have too many guards and their presence just seems to further complicate and already-present logjam.  With Bulls unable to move either Jannero Pargo or Kirk Hinrich, they currently have seven players that play either SG or SF.  The one redeeming quality of this trade for Chicago is that they acquired a future first round pick.  With the pick being protected, frankly I think the Bulls settled in this trade—especially when you consider that they essentially gave away Thomas to a team within their conference.  Bobcats get a huge thumbs up; Bulls—not so much.

Bulls/Bucks Trade

Unlike their other trade, the Bulls made out well on this deal.  Salmons filled a nice role last year for them in replacing the injured Luol Deng.  With Deng being back and playing well, Salmons has struggled this season to find any sort of consistent playing time.  Alexander and Warrick bring great youth and potential to this Bulls team that now has a solid crop of young forwards between these two and their two draft choices Taj Gibson and James Johnson.  Furthermore, they secured the option of swapping first-rounder this summer and it’s always nice to have more options moving forward.  The Bucks get a solid contributor to put alongside Brandon Jennings and Carlos Delfino—both of which have had their moments of brilliance and disappointment this season.  With another solid SG/SF in Salmons, the Bucks won’t be forced to play small with Ridnour and Jennings out there at the same time but they still have the option to utilize that as a tool.  Going from ‘able to’ rather than ‘have to’ is important here.  Win-win for both squads.

Spurs/Bobcats Trade

This was simply a money move for the Spurs.  Ratliff wasn’t playing much and with them being over the tax threshold, they saved close to $1.3 million.  The Bobcats probably won’t use Ratliff all that much but he does give them another big and another notch in the favor bank to the San Antonio Spurs should these two teams deal in the future.

Jazz/Grizzlies Trade

Again, this was another money move for the Jazz.  The Jazz made this move to save money by not having to pay as much in taxes this year and could be under the tax threshold next season if their financial position stands.  Nevertheless it’s got to be difficult for Jazz fans to watch a bona fide starter walk for a future draft choice that may or may not pan out.  Times are tough financially and it’s this part of the NBA, the business side that makes it tough to be a fan of a small-market team.  This was a home run for the Grizzlies and an unfortunate reality for the Jazz.

Kings/Wizards Trade

The Wizards decided to part with the sparsely used McGuire in a deadline cost-cutting move.  The Kings got themselves a solid glue guy with a decent amount of upside.  Last season McGuire played upwards of 26 minutes per game in his second season.  He averaged nearly a block and a steal per game.  He was very efficient and well-rounded in his ability to grab boards, dish out dimes, and score the rock.  The Kings look at this as virtually a no-risk potentially high reward move.

Celtics/Knicks Trade

This was yet another silly deal by the Knicks.  Whether he was locker room cancer or not, you have to figure the Knicks could have either gotten more for Robinson, or if they were set on shipping him away for free, they least they could do is ship him to the Western Conference.  In return, the Knicks got three expiring contracts and a conditional second round pick that is likely to never materialize to anything.  So when it boils down to it, the Knicks knowingly gave away Nate Robinson to a Conference foe for essentially nothing.  There’s such a thing as enhancing the favor-bank between GMs and there’s also being stupid.  This deal in my opinion, would have to fall in the latter category—Celtics by a landslide in this one.

Knicks/Rockets/Kings Trade

This was a good move for all teams in one facet or another.  For the Kings, they were able to rid themselves of an injury-prone SG who has become expendable due to the blossoming of rookie Tyreke Evans.  Likewise, Rodriguez didn’t figure into their future plans so getting something rather than nothing for him was a goal heading into the trade deadline as well.  Although they did get something, it wasn’t much of a something.  They were fortunate to get Carl Landry who could fit nicely as a off-the-bench energy player.  If Martin continues to have the bad injury luck in the future, this move will look more and more brilliant for the Kings, if he bounces back, this could similar to a Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown deal.

If this were a poker game, the Knicks would surely be standing up because they are, for all intents and purposes, all-in at this point.  The Knicks really paid a lot here in order to shed Jared Jeffries’ contract.  Jeffries and Eddy Curry are the two larger contracts that extend beyond this summer for the Knicks.  That being said, the Knicks were desperate to move one of them in order to have more flexibility in trying to lure to big name free agents this summer.  If they do well in free agency, those two future picks will be relatively worthless and the only asset they really lost would be Jordan Hill.  If they don’t do well, they pretty much just sealed their mediocrity for the next half-decade.

The Rockets appear to have made out the best of the three teams.  Jordan Hill and Hilton Armstrong will help to fill the glaring hole that has been present all season down low with Yao Ming being out.  Also they should provide a little bit of an insurance policy should Yao not be able to ever play in the NBA again.  As stated above, those picks from the Knicks could be gold or also could be essentially equivalent to when the Lakers sent to first-rounders to the Grizzlies in the Gasol deal (worthless).  Lastly, although he has an injury-prone past, assuming that Martin can bounce back and stay healthy, he will provide them with a much-needed explosive scorer from the 2-guard spot.  Perhaps the most underrated part of this deal for the Rockets is how Martin’s presence will help Trevor Ariza.  Ariza has never been a go-to guy and that has been glaringly obvious this season as he currently has the worst field goal percentage in the league (of the players that qualify in terms of shot attempts).  Having a like Martin will allow Ariza to play that second fiddle role that he thrives so well in.

Kings—decent move.  Rockets—good, maybe great move.  Knicks—only time will tell.

As we hit the home stretch heading into the post-season teams have made their moves solidifying them as either contenders or teams preparing for this summer’s free agent frenzy.  Stay tuned ladies and gentlemen, this ought to be fun to watch…

Related posts:

1. Camby, Haywood, Iguodala closer to being shipped
2. Wizards not through dealing?
3. Bulls trade Thomas to Bobcats

Dampier went to an Oklahoma City hospital immediately after the Mavericks’ 99-86 loss Tuesday to the Oklahoma City Thunder to have the injury surgically repaired.

The injury occurred when Dampier challenged a Russell Westbrook layup with 2:54 remaining in the game. Dampier, who was called for a foul, rushed to Mavericks athletic trainer Casey Smith. Blood gushed out of the finger after the bone ripped through the skin.

“It was frustrating,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said after the new-look Mavs lost. “I’m not going to make excuses about the trade. Right now, I’m just concerned about Damp’s situation.”

Brendan Haywood, who was acquired in the seven-player trade with the Washington Wizards over the weekend, will replace Dampier in the starting lineup.

Dampier, who had 13 rebounds and three blocked shots in the loss, has dealt with a variety of ailments during the season.

The 34-year-old center was rushed to a Detroit hospital on Nov. 15 after experiencing dizziness and numbness in his arm during pregame warmups. He missed eight games while undergoing a battery of tests to make sure it was not a life- or career-threatening condition.

Dampier has missed another six games since early January because of a left knee effusion, a condition that causes swelling and soreness. The Mavericks hoped that the All-Star break would allow him to fully recover from that condition.

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1. Granger out indefinitely
2. Paul to miss remainder of season with finger injury
3. Trade official, Mavs get Butler

As of right now, the Rockets currently are on the outside looking in.  They are sitting half a game out of the playoff hunt behind the Phoenix Suns for the eighth and final playoff spot in the west. The Rockets have trudged through the month as they have gone 4-7 thus far in January. I realize that it’s only mid-season right now and the playoffs don’t start until the end of April, but the recent woes beg the question “Is it time to get some help?” The answer is yes.

The best way to get help is by trading Tracy McGrady. He currently isn’t doing anything for the Rockets other then collecting paychecks and not playing any basketball in the mean time.  You could say that currently, he’s about as useful as Erick Dampier in a non-contract year. 

It’s debatable how much value he has beyond the scope of his huge expiring contract.  Teams like the 76ers, the Heat, even the Bulls have claimed some interest simply because of the enormous salary relief that would result from such a deal. So now that a market has been established and there is certainly a cluster of organizations interested in acquiring McGrady the question becomes “Where can the Rockets get the best bang for their buck?”  In my opinion, the list should start with the Chicago Bulls.

A trade of intrigue would be if the Bulls could send Brad Miller and Luol Dang to the Rockets for Tracy McGrady. The salaries match up, such a move would allow the Bulls to be a bigger player in this summer’s free agent class, and it would allow the Rockets to upgrade their personnel. The Rockets’ frontcourt would benefit through the added size and a little bit of shooting at center that Brad Miller would inject.  Luol Deng is a player who is still tapping into his potential and although he’d be a long-term commitment contractually, he’s a two-way, team player who is alright with playing within the scope of a team.  If I were the Rockets’ GM and this deal were on the table, I’d pull the trigger.

While on the subject of the Bulls, another point to make note of is that the Bulls recently parted with Aaron Gray in exchange for Devin Brown.  Although the deal may seem insignificant, the implications that follow are what interest me as a Rockets fan.

Here is an excerpt from a blog from the Daily Herald in Chicago

By trading center Aaron Gray to New Orleans for veteran guard Devin Brown on Monday, the Bulls are clearly hoping to move John Salmons or Kirk Hinrich before the Feb. 18 trade deadline.

The idea is to trade one of those guards for an expiring contract and create even more cap room to pursue free agents this summer. Such a deal won’t be easy, because few teams are willing to take on add salary to their payrolls right now, two sources confirmed.

That being said, with both Hinrich and Salmons being available at pennies on the dollar, I think dealing with the Bulls becomes that more attractive.  Furthermore, as a GM, Daryl Morey would be foolish not to explore this option further.

Regardless of what deal the Rockets make, if they want any chance at making a playoff run this season, they need to have a big man heading back to H-Town.  Just because you have a team who works hard and hustles on every play isn’t enough in this day and age in the NBA. Those things help and will certainly be extremely valuable come next season when Yao Ming is back.  Nevertheless, I think we can all agree that the status quo needs to change.  Complacency is a good team’s worst enemy and something needs to happen in order to give this grinding Rockets team a chance, a realy fighting chance, come playoff time. 

As a unit they pushed the Lakers last season to a game 7 even after Yao went down to injury. So clearly the talent and roles are there, all they need now is that difference maker.  Stay tuned Red Nation…

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2. T-Mac—Deal or No Deal?
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Chandler responded with his highest rebound total of the season in a single game with 14 on Sunday.  He then had this to say, “I think it’s bull personally.  When you lose and play like we do, you can’t say that someone else is the problem.  I don’t feel like we’re good enough to point fingers.”

Let me just say from an unbiased third party perspective, both of you guys are at fault.  First of all, Tyson we can all point fingers.  I’m not saying it’s correct all the time or even appropriate, but when you are getting paid $11.8 million there’s needs to be some accountability. 

As far as Wallace goes, you know that this guy (Chandler) has a track record of being lazy.  You know that he’s about as useful consistently as Erick Dampier in a non-contract year.  The only exception is when he has a teammate named Chris Paul that can throw him alley-oops.  Other than that, he’s pretty much worthless offensively (minus put-backs) and he essentially gets rebounds out of sheer height rather than effort. 

Moral of the story, winning solves everything.  Kiss, make up, and PLEASE (for goodness sake) don’t lose to the Nets again.

Related posts:

1. Chandler Shelved for a Week
2. Dampier out indefinitely with dislocated finger
3. Countdown from 30: #27 Charlotte Bobcats

A key concern right now for both Mavs fans and Rick Carlisle is the battle at the 5 spot. Most people would not consider it a true battle, as Dampier has started every game that he has participated in this season. Drew Gooden was brought in during the offseason as an afterthought to the Marcin Gortat fiasco. Gooden has nearly averaged a double-double multiple seasons during his career as a starter for both Cleveland and Chicago. Most Mavs fans and the general NBA observers considered the Drew Gooden singing, at $4.5 million, a great move. It was cost effective if nothing else.

Most expected Erick Dampier to have a great season. It’s his M.O. After averaging roughly 8 points and 6 rebounds during the 2002-03 season with Golden State, Dampier exploded. In 2003-04, his production increased to roughly 12 points and 12 rebounds per game, including a massive increase in his field goal percentage. There is truly no way to explain this craziness except to say that he was in a contract year. He received a massive contract offer from Dallas in the summer of 2004. This move led to a large amount of criticism from the media of both Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson. The signing essentially marked the end of the road for the relationship between the Mavericks and franchise guard Steve Nash. Nash signed a similarly lucrative deal with the Phoenix Suns during the same summer.

Dallas brass and Dampier himself have been criticized for the signing not leading to a high level of production. The Mississippi native has not played at anywhere close to the same level since arriving in Dallas. Most pundits predicted that he would be overpaid even before the ink dried.

This long period of ostracism has created a buzz anytime Dallas has signed a new big man. Gooden created a buzz due to his past production. Recently, Dampier has been doing his thing, producing above his career averages in his second big contract year. Some Mavs fans are falling back in love with Dampier, while throwing Gooden to the wolves. They may have a point. With Dampier shooting at his most efficient rate in his career and rebounding at the second highest rate in his career, Gooden is becoming very forgettable.

Gooden had a hot streak in late November, averaging around 10 points and 8 boards per game. What I failed to mentioned is that Dampier was out with a mysterious illness for nearly every one of those quality games. With Damp back to full strength, his production has far surpassed any hot streak that Gooden can boast.

Truth be told, Gooden has the second lowest true shooting percentage in the NBA (among players over 6’ 10”), behind only Vladimir Radmanovic. That stat alone is grounds for judgment as an “inefficient” player. In the time of guys like John Hollinger, you do not want to be called inefficient. Hollinger believes that player efficiency rating equates to wins, outright. Gooden does bode well in that category.

At this point, most fans, including myself, wouldn’t mind if Gooden saw a bench more time on the pine, riding the Dampier “contract year bandwagon” as long as he is willing to let us. Gooden has never been efficient at any point in his career, and that is not likely to change now. Coach Carlisle is not an idiot, and I expect that you can see Dampier manning the pivot for as many minutes as his little heart and (not so little) foul total can handle.

Related posts:

1. Gooden Named Starting C
2. Mavs Sign Drew Gooden
3. Countdown to 30: #7 Dallas Mavericks

As part of the fantastic 2003 NBA draft class, Josh Howard was selected a disappointing 29th overall. That fact was only disappointing to him though, as he was one of the top players in the top basketball conference in America. The Mavericks were thrilled to have him. Despite his lack of size, ball handling ability, and off-court issues, he was clearly an outstanding talent that couldn’t be passed up. For that reason, the Donnie Nelson felt as though he lucked into the best value in the draft. This was something that was a necessity though. Teams like Dallas and San Antonio make a living by not having rebuilding years. They must make a living by drafting diamonds in the rough outside of the lottery. Josh Howard fits the mold perfectly.

A grizzled veteran now, Howard enters his seventh season with Dallas, although this is not the way he wanted to begin the season. After an injury plagued 2008 that saw Howard play in only 52 regular season games, most Mavs fans were ready to see him back to full strength for the duration of the season. This has been a problem for Howard. He has a wiry frame, lacking any kind of significant bulk. He has had numerous ankle and knee injuries in recent years, due in part to his game revolving around getting to the rim on a regular basis. He did even more of this in his early years, before the list of injuries began piling up.
So, we find ourselves at the beginning of the 2009 NBA season with a serious summer of transactions on the horizon for 2010. Josh Howard has certainly had his ups and downs with the Mavericks during his career, but recently the downs seem to have been coming around a bit more often. With his recent injury history, and the Mavs apparent lack of PT available, does Donnie dare trade a piece of his core in order to build for the future?

Howard is due $10.89 million this season, with a team option for 2010-11. With Erick Dampier rocking like it’s 2003, Rick Carlisle’s dream of putting Dirk Nowitzki at center to make room for Josh Howard in crunch time may not be an option at the moment. Young JJ Barea has emerged as a very solid option off the bench, and contributions from Quinton Ross and the ever-improving Rodrigue Beaubois have made the possibility of trading Howard more and more likely.

There is no reason to believe that any riff has developed between Howard and the Establishment, but there doesn’t have to be. Jason Terry is playing well, and also has a longer term contract, so he probably isn’t going anywhere with his price tag and age. Howard appears to be the most marketable trade bait right now, if a team wants an expiring contract. We know that the Mavs are exploring the possibility because rumors surfaced of Donnie Nelson offering Howard up to a few teams in the lottery this summer in order to try and grab Arizona forward Jordan Hill in the draft.

His recent injury will probably have no bearing on management’s ability to shop him, nor will it be reason to. In the 2 full games he has played, Dallas scored over 120 points in both and won convincingly. This may be a thought that Donnie and Mark are dwelling on. On the other hand, an aging lineup with too many ball hogs may not lead to the best chemistry. If there were a time and a player that Dallas needed to move in order to build some draft options for the future, the time is now, and the player is Josh Howard.

Related posts:

1. Josh Howard done for season
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This signing will allow flexibility for both the club and Gooden moving forward. Both parties can assess if they are a good fit for one another. If so, both sides will have a year’s worth of experience to draw upon in order to determine a fair and appropriate multi-year deal next summer.

Gooden stands 6-10 and can play both the PF and C positions. Drew is entering his ­­ 8th year in the league with career averages of 12 points and 8 boards in just over 28 minutes of play. He brings length and athleticism to the Mavericks frontline. His presence will allow the Mavericks to match up with smaller teams in addition to helping to improve their pick-n-roll defense against the league’s more mobile centers.

Offensively he excels in the open court and shows range out to about seventeen feet. He lacks a polished back-to-the-basket game but he uses a combination of quickness and shooting range to be effective. He also has a baby hook that is not terrific but adequate. Much like Brandon Bass, he’ll step out and punish lazy defenders by knocking down jump shots and when defenders press out on him, he’ll simply drive past them.

Gooden is a very good rebounder, especially on the offensive glass. He doesn’t gamble much on defense nor is he much of a shot-blocking presence from the weak side, but he holds his ground effectively and leverages his strength to his advantage.

You can expect to see Gooden get 24-28 minutes off the bench backing up both the PF and C positions. Essentially he replaces Bass in the rotation but is more of a center than Bass ever will be. Consequently, it is realistic to expect him to have a larger role in terms of playing time than Bass the previous two years. Drew will also get the opportunity to spot start against smaller teams while Dampier slides to the bench.

Related posts:

1. Gooden Named Starting C
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