# mavz fans! wat u think of....



## Tristan (Jan 13, 2003)

this 

" “Ladies and gentlemen, meet your 2003-04 Dallas Mavericks starting lineup: Steve Nash, Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki, Jermaine O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning!’’ 
You say it’s a pipedream? I say it’s a plan. You say it’s too early, with the Game 6 elimination still looming? I say we encourage management to consider ideas while the iron is hot, while the bitterness stings. 
Follow along here as we start with the foundation – a deep-pocketed, creative and passionate owner, a one-of-a-kind legendary coach and his trusty sidekicks, and a roster of players that, as is, makes up one of the handful of elite teams in the NBA – and then stuff that foundation with figurative steroids. 
What’s missing? Rebounding skill. Defensive aggression. Interior offense. Athleticism and muscle with ‘tude. 

What if, in two waves of Cuban and Nellie’s magic wand, Dallas could solve those problems? 
It can be done. 
By acquiring Alonzo Mourning and Jermaine O’Neal. 
After the Game 6 loss, Nellie said, "We can't get there (to the next level) with what we have." That should be enough for you to accept that moves must be made. Meanwhile, Nick Van Exel was also talking. He mentioned the need for a powerful big man. 
I say, how about two of them? 
Step 1: Start with Mourning, the four-time All-Star and two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. When he was healthy – before a liver ailment sidelined him and threatened his career – he was considered a peer of Shaquile O’Neal’s. At 6-10 and 263 pounds, he is in perfect shape. He’s a young 33 – with little mileage on him in the last three years because of the illness. Doctors have cleared him to return again to the court, and the only question now is which court he’ll return to. 
Play again in Miami and remain part of another building process? The Heat could make that most inviting financially, and Miami is probably reluctant to lose its lone marquee player – in fact, through All-Star play and off-the-court positives, Zo is the all-time face of the franchise. 
We think Cuban and Nellie could sell Mourning on committing to Dallas, but not just for the $1 million vet’s minimum. We’re willing to spend the mid-level exception (probably about $4.9 million) as a show of faith in Mourning’s value and his good health. 
And you’ve got your center, the toughest position to find, an intimidator, a scorer, a rebounder, a defender, a champion. For his career, he averages 20.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2 blocks per game and is a shut-down man-on defender and team defender who doesn’t need the ball to be successful or happy. How many of these are there in the NBA? Three? Two? One? Would he be a Shaq beater? Put it this way: LA would be just as justified in wondering if Shaq would be a Zo-beater. 
Step 2, and this is a monster: Trade Nick Van Exel and Avery Johnson to Indiana for Jermaine O’Neal and Austin Croshere. 
Johnson might bring a little something to the table, just as Croshere might. But this deal is all about the salary fits (and the numbers do fit) and all about two teams filling others’ needs. 
Indiana is desperate for leadership and needs a point guard. Van Exel might be a problem in a losing situation, but the Pacers are on the brink of being about as good as anybody in the East. There is buzz that O’Neal – the 24-year-old budding superstar who, at 6-11 and 243, can dominate from any of the three front-court positions – does not want to re-up with the Pacers. 
So the Pacers – who would probably like to get more than just Nick for giving up O’Neal -- might have to deal or be left with nothing. 
O’Neal this year averaged 20.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game – and he would be just the second-best big man defender on this re-tooled Mavs team. 
(Sidebar issue: Would you rather give up Nick or Nash in such a deal? Which would Indy prefer to get? Which would Dallas prefer to give? I bet, when everyone involved starts exploring this, they’ll have the same debate you and I are having right now.) 
Scottie Pippen and Karl Malone? Not bad. But both would change the mood of the locker room. PJ Brown? Not bad, either, but not in the same class with J.O. and Zo. 
Two transactions. That’s all. And suddenly, an already superior team is vastly improved. The starting backcourt is Steve Nash (get stronger) and Michael Finley (work on driving and those handles). The frontcourt features Alonzo Mourning at center (welcome back!) and versatile forwards Jermaine O’Neal (keep maturing) and Dirk Nowitzki (more man-on defensive work and a jump hook, please). 
There’s no Nick off the bench; in fact, a backup point guard would have to be acquired. (That’s Step 3 – give us a few moments, OK?) Re-sign Raja Bell and he comes off the bench for guard defense, while Raef LaFrentz comes off the bench for offense, and Eduardo Najera comes off the bench for energy. That’s eight. 
Shawn Bradley makes sense as trade bait more than ever (he’s expendable here but valued elsewhere), but if he stays, he’s a changeup pitcher off the bench. Evan Eschmeyer probably stays as another alternative as a backup center who will rarely play. Tariq Abdul-Wahad has a contract and some potential. He stays. That’s 11. Maybe Antoine Rigaudeau gets another shot. That’s 12. A backup point guard is 13. Three guys whose contracts are expiring are in three different situations. Popeye Jones is probably out. Adrian Griffin has to figure a way to stay ahead of Tariq. And Walt Williams could go from being a WCF starter to being on the street. 
And speaking of the Western Conference Finals: What do you want to bet that a fivesome of Nash, Fin, Dirk, J.O. and Zo make you a perennial WCF entry?"

http://www.dallasbasketball.com/headline_C.asp?pr=


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## Lakers_32_4ever (Dec 30, 2002)

no im sorry.

Indiana can get better offers than AJ and NVE.

NIck has attitude issues.

NICK-ISIAH THOMAS = FIRE! Collapse... No way Indiana does that.

If they lose JO they get some cap. THey dont want an old downhill ballhog.

Tinsley, Harrington, Jones... the team has a decent future. They will not give JO away.

zO has not even mentioned dallas.... Dallas would not be a zo fit.

Croshere is still good anyways.

But zo is a reach, he can get better offers than Dallas. 

JO is just no. Zo is a reach, a maybe.

NEVer to Jermaine oneal. sorry, but dream on. 

Other ways to improve, but not Jermaine.


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## Lakers_32_4ever (Dec 30, 2002)

OH and since JO is a free agent, if you trade for him you still ahve to be able to sign him to a contract, and he wants the MAX!

Croshere wont leave you room for the mAX.. 

Even if you trade to acquire him, he is still a free agent.

You need cap room to increase his salary, and sign him to a max. You have no cap room.

ONly way i see that working, is if CUban shells out dough..
a lot of it.

JO can be acquired but not kept, as you have no room to sign him to a max contract in the offseason..

Sign and trade wont work, because salaries no longer match...


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## Obi-Wan Nowitzki (Jun 2, 2003)

*Zo and JO*

I haven't heard anything about Zo moving to Dallas, but personally, I believe that he's a GREAT fit. Jermaine and Malone can't play the kind of defense that he's capable of, even though I'd rather have Jermaine and/or Malone.

Jermaine is possible. The Pacers won't be in a position to say yes or no to a sign and trade if Jermaine says that if they don't trade him to Dallas and get NVE for him, then he'll go to the Spurs. Jermaine and Croshere for Avery and NVE would match up evenly. Max contracts are around $12-13 million a year, right? Well, Van Exel makes $11 and Avery makes barely less than $5. Jermaine would make around $12 million and Croshere makes around $7 million with a filler, that's possible.


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## LionOfJudah (May 27, 2003)

Having Zo and Jermaine O'Neal sounds great, but it takes away from the run and gun that Nash and Dirk are so good in.
I'm sure the addition of either two of the players would make the team better even though they would play a more boring style of basketball. (But more efficiant)

As much as the Mavs like to spread the floor, a scoring threat in the paint like JO makes the Mavs even better offensively. 
But I doubt he wants to take a back seat to Dirk


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## Obi-Wan Nowitzki (Jun 2, 2003)

*JO*

Considering that all the Mavs need to win the championship is a big man, why wouldn't JO want to go there. It's not like they give the ball to Dirk every time. The Mavs spread the ball around to everyone on the team. If Jermaine is getting all of the passes in the paint, why shouldn't he have a chance to be the leading scorer on the team?

And everyone is saying that it would screw up the run and gun offense. It's not like Jermaine is immoble. He's not Shaq. He can run up and down the floor.


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Lakers_32_4ever</b>!
> no im sorry.
> 
> Indiana can get better offers than AJ and NVE.
> ...


Nick HAD attitude problems. His mom being shot brought him back to earth. He understands the business aspect of the sport now. Plus Indianas still a winner and thats all he wants.

Zo does not care about money. Not one iota.


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## LionOfJudah (May 27, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Dragnsmke1</b>!
> 
> 
> Nick HAD attitude problems. His mom being shot brought him back to earth. He understands the business aspect of the sport now. Plus Indianas still a winner and thats all he wants.
> ...


Hell Zo got paid sick leave for the past two years, he shouldn't care about money.

IMO Nick wouldn't be a bad addition to a young Pacers team. If Isiah wants him to go in there and be a leader I think he would do it. With the Mavs he's their instant offense from the bench, he isn't there to play PG. He's there to jump start the running game.


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## Dragnsmke1 (Jul 29, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>stevemc</b>!
> 
> 
> Hell Zo got paid sick leave for the past two years, he shouldn't care about money.
> ...


Plus its starting to get to the point in the NBA where you just put the 5 best players on the court because almost everybody can get the ball into the front court.


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## Jacres318 (Jun 8, 2003)

O'neal will never come to dallas. Remember Lafrenz? He can score 20 points a game, but nobody gave him enough shots in the paint or anywhere else. Dallas is a run and gun team, not a post up in the paint team!

Zo will be awesome.................Untill he gets injured for the third consecutive year! He has never played a full season in his career, IN HIS CAREER!!!! We will have a big man for half the season then come down playoff time were screwed!

we need to trade for ben wallace!

Got another idea

Mavs get Ben Wallace

Knicks get Raef Lafrenz, (mavs)2003 & 2004 first rounds,

Pistons get Latrell Sprewell

Knicks love raef, no joke! Pistons need more offense and are getting another center anyway! You all know the mavs reasons. Didn't the knicks have problems with Spree at the front of the season? That will make them more willing to give him up. Plus, the knicks want to rebuild and the draft picks are the cherry on top!


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## LionOfJudah (May 27, 2003)

I dont' think Detriot will let go of Big Ben that easily.
But it would be sweet to have him starting the fast break by blocking shots and slinging them to Nash at half court.


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## Jacres318 (Jun 8, 2003)

I tried to even it out as much as possible. Look at it in the pistons view. They need to score more points and they don't have a true small foward except for cliff robinson. They get spree who can guard extremely well and put up 30 points if he needs to. They're getting milicic who is a center and will start ahead of wallace anyway. Plus, they want to free up some more time for Okur

g hamilton
g billups
f sprewell
f robinson/ malone
c milicic

Now a knicks perspective. They were having trouble with spree and were looking to deal him. They get raef who they were trying to trade for desperatly before the mavs got him. They will probably draft Wade to take Spree's spot anyway and they get two extra first round picks.

g frank williams/ chris thomas (they can draft him in the second round)
g allan Houston
f Dwyane Wade
f Kurt Thomas
c Raef Lafrenz

Now doesn't their lineup look better too! knicks help their self a lot and the pistons needed a scorer more than they needed wallace because they were getting milicic. They can also bring in malone and make robinson come off the bench!


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