Sam Smith:
Mavs should send Dirk packing

Sam offers unique insights into the futures of some of the leagues biggest stars, including Dirk, Bosh, LeBron, Wade and Iverson... just to name a few.

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Posted by Sam Smith | asksam@bulls.com | 11.17.08 | 7:15 a.m. CT

Should the Mavericks build for the future by moving their star player?

Mavs owner Mark Cuban, in his bid to persuade baseball owners and Tribune Co. owner Sam Zell he is the right buyer for the Chicago Cubs, has been calling around to baseball owners and executives to lobby them and assure them of his support, I'm told. I've got an idea for Cuban. Tell Jerry Reinsdorf if he supports your bid for the Cubs, you'll trade him Dirk Nowitzki. Actually, I don't see that makes much sense with the Bulls for Nowitzki, but in the developing disaster which is the current Mavericks, perhaps it is time for them to make a move with Nowitzki.

If you saw the Mavs in Chicago Thursday succumb weakly to the Bulls, you know this is an aging Mavericks team that looks like it will struggle for the playoffs after being in the Finals two years ago. They stole one in overtime in New York Sunday to go to 3-7 as they scored the last seven points of regulation to tie. Nowitzki obviously has been frustrated, calling out the team on several occasions for "not playing the right way" or "not trying hard enough." You've got old legs in Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse, and a detail oriented coach in Rick Carlisle who has a want-to-run-but-really-can't-much-anymore aging Jason Kidd. Hey, I give the Mavs some credit for making a final run last season with the trade for Kidd, which is working out badly for Dallas. But that's what it was: A final run.

Cuban fancies himself a great salesman and recruiter, and Carlisle reiterated before the season to Dallas media: "Every player in the league wants to play here, seriously. We've got the best facility; we've got the best physical setup in terms of proximity of airport and where everybody lives. Guys want to be here. There were a bunch of guys that were dying to come here for below market value this summer because they love Dallas."

If that is true, and Cuban is able to deliver as he says he can (though he bought a team that had Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Michael Finley, so it's not like there's been a parade of talent there since), then perhaps it's time to cash in the 30-year-old Nowitzki when you still can get some bigtime talent. We always see teams wait too long, like with Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett in recent years. The idea, obviously, for the Mavs would be to get some talent and salary cap room for them attract one of the big time free agents from 2010, like LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade or Amare Stoudemire. Kobe? Carlos Boozer?

Could the Bulls pull off something with Drew Gooden (expiring this summer), Larry Hughes (expiring next summer), Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas and Kirk Hinrich and perhaps take back some Mavs bad money, like DeSagana Diop? What about a team like the Bucks anxious to win and eager for a star with a young center in Andrew Bogut and pieces like Charlie Villanueva, Michael Redd, some draft picks and they take back Erick Dampier. Would Nellie want Dirk back in Golden State with a ton of good, young players and a hugely underrated Andris Biedrins. The key would be Dallas getting a young center to support their free agent. You know the Clippers would give up Chris Kamen. Brook Lopez, Vince Carter and some big expiring deals, like Bobby Simmons and Trenton Hassell from New Jersey? Eddy Curry. Nah?

Everyone I run this by tells me no way Cuban trades Dirk. I applaud the Mavs for taking a shot with Kidd. I believe in trying to win when you can. That run clearly is over and the way down is ugly and painful. Unless perhaps you cash in some big chips and try to create some new excitement. I'd certainly be considering it.

— You figure Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo, staring down that 2010 free agency clock with Chris Bosh, had to be horrified last week when the Raptors were losing to the Celtics and Paul Pierce's big finish. Pierce, by the way, slimmed down and without the lousy attitude that haunted much of his career until Kevin Garnett showed up, has been the league's best pressure player this season. Pierce hit the Raptors for a game winner and 22 in the fourth and though you could quibble with the Raptors trying to defend him one-on-one with Jason Kapono, it was amazing, startling, really, to see the Raptors purposely avoid their star, Chris Bosh, because he was being defended by Kevin Garnett. Yes, Garnett is probably the game's best overall defender, but, geez, can you imagine any great player willingly being a decoy to set up, exactly whom on that team? "I think I can be utilized - utilize myself - a lot better, and put (Garnett) in the post and just (see) what happens," Bosh told Toronto reporters. "I think we could have ran some more cross screens. We ran the cross screen one time and we got a foul, and we didn't go back to it. We kept doing the same thing. I think next time I'll ... say, 'Hey, let's run this.' I feel like I want to be the best player on the court every night." Bosh didn't get a shot in the fourth quarter. Raptors coach Sam Mitchell is an old mentor and huge admirer of Garnett, but this is the kind of embarrassment that players don't forget. Who knows if Mitchell is vulnerable now, but Colangelo has put a lot into this team with the expensive acquisition of Jermaine O'Neal and says its his best there. But the Raptors have been an unimpressive, middle-of-the-pack team thus far as Bosh's name has joined LeBron James and Dwyane Wade as the free agency objects of interest after next season. Their coaches seem to be catering much more to James and Wade than goes on in Toronto. Sunday, the Raptors started Andrea Bargnani, a Colangelo favorite and not so much so for Mitchell, at small forward and beat Miami even without the injured Jose Calderon. Though Bosh has never said anything to suggest he'll leave Toronto, where he is a local star, perhaps the most intriguing scenario is the Pistons'. One theory going around is they'll let go Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson (perhaps after offering them one year deals for next season) and go after Bosh. Then with Bosh, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rodney Stuckey, they'll still have enough money to sign James. So would James, by then still unlikely to have a championship, want to take a chance on one with what is likely to be a weak roster in New York? Or go to a smaller market in Detroit-still close to home in Ohio-and walk into a sure championship or Finals team? If the Pistons can pull it off, it would be the coup of the decade and rival deals that built championship teams in Boston and Los Angeles. Joe Dumars would be the new Red Auerbach.

— So who are those guys, the dream backcourt of Indiana U.-Purdue U at Indianapolis rookie George Hill and one time Bulls second rounder Roger Mason Jr., Ime Udoka replacing Bruce Bowen and Fabricio Oberto or Kurt Thomas at center. Oh, yeah, and Tim Duncan. As former Rockets coach and philosopher Rudy Tomjanovich so eloquently put it: "Never underestimate the heart of a champion." Crippled by injuries to Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, creeping age and budget issues hitting many teams (the Nuggets have been ignoring George Karl's pleas for the return of Juwan Howard to try to further cut spending), the death of the Spurs has been greatly exaggerated. Rarely are there comparisons with the words of Mark Twain and Rudy Tomjanovich, though rarely was Twain able to devise anything involving the Dream Shake. The devastated Spurs won two of three last week and again Sunday in Sacramento, holding an improving Knicks team to its fewest points of the season, holding the Rockets scoreless the last four minutes in winning, going to the wire and missing a winning last shot in Milwaukee and yielding just over 80 points per game. Parker and Ginobili are scheduled to return next month and you'd be foolish to write off the Spurs. This could be one of Gregg Popovich's best coaching jobs. "These guys are just tough," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Been tough. Are tough. Will be tough."

— We always believe things were better in those old days, so what's the deal with all these sprained ankles these last few seasons, players missing week and even months, like Tony Parker, Josh Smith, Deron Williams and Kevin Martin. Tom Abdenour, the veteran trainer for the Golden State Warriors and head of the trainers' association-and everyone really has been guessing-says the tests available now are so much more sophisticated. "The things we were running around calling shin splints we found out with MRI's are stress fractures," said Abdenour. "It used to be a challenge to get an MRI. No more. Maybe we just said to play on now we understand and step back, (order) rest and rehabilitation and from there Before you just sucked it up. The shoes now you'd think are better, but back then you had so many more guys wearing hi tops (Converse), but I don't know." Dr. Brian Cole, the highly regarded head physican for the Bulls, speculates the size and weight of the players along with the speed of the game could be leading to more such injuries. "I can only say if you look at what's changed, probably size, body mass, the energy of the game, the velocity from a physics standpoint," noted Cole. "Also, how have things changed under the basket (where feet are stepped on and perhaps are much larger), what players are willing to tolerate, what is the willingness to play on it? I cannot say guys are not willing to play with things now as much as then. I don't know the truth of that. It's hard to point to one thing."

— D'Antoni on Zach Randolph getting 14 rebounds in a win over the Jazz. "It's unbelievable," D'Antoni said. "The guy can't jump at all." That said, the Knicks still seem anxious to trade Randolph, who continues to raise possibilities with his ability to score in the post and (what in Sunday against Mavs). The Bulls have been rumored among those interested, though as the team tries to open the court to feature Derrick Rose, one wonders the effect (assuming Randolph drops his off court embarrassments) of a player clogging the middle and holding onto the ball like Randolph does. It's what some believe has happened with the 76ers with Elton Brand as the 76ers were most successful before pushing the ball and opening the court. Though there was Randolph's 28 and 18 Sunday against the Mavs. Not bad. A post presence, finally? And it's not like going with so many good guys has gotten the Bulls that far. Though I admit I'd avoid Randolph....nice line in one of the New York tabloids in the Knicks' win in Memphis. "They set a club record by making 19 three-pointers, nearly one for every fan inside the vacant FedEx Forum." The Grizzlies are last in the league in attendance with Sacramento and Philadelphia close. The Bulls are second to Detroit...DePaul's Wilson Chandler had 27 in that Memphis game, more than he scored in any college game. "He has certain attributes that just fit perfectly with the system we're trying to implement," D'Antoni said. "He's the perfect fit for us." You just read the first Stephon Marbury-free Knicks item.

— Back to back wins over the Hawks doesn't establish championship credentials yet for the Nets, though after beating the Bulls and barely losing in Boston you'd have thought the Hawks were the '96 Bulls. Still, what it does point out is the disastrous last second Bobcats switch from drafting Brook Lopez, which Michael Jordan and Rod Higgins assured Lopez they would do, to Larry Brown's apparent, as the story goes, demand for D.J. Augustin. Lopez is coming on as the player who should have gone fourth to Oklahoma City, which needs a center along with the Bobcats. It's a great break for the Nets, who probably will fall out of the 2010 LeBron sweepstakes with their new building in Brooklyn now highly questionable. But they've got some young talent and getting Devin Harris for the aging, declining Jason Kidd was a master stroke as Harris comes off three straight games of at least 30 points. For Dallas, it was the inevitable danger of a fan/owner making deals as Mark Cuban, inexplicably, also gave the Nets two No. 1 draft picks in the trade general managers are most laughing at this season. Guess I missed that question in their preseason poll.

— Though Antonio McDyess is expected to return to the Pistons, some general managers are saying they're being told if they extend out a full exception or use a big trade exception McDyess will sign with their team....Richard Hamilton still seems to be in a bit of a funk over the loss of ball distributor Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson, though Iverson is trying to move the ball. Hamilton is 22 for 69 since Iverson arrived. Heck of a win for the Pistons in Los Angeles last week as Kwame Brown replaced Amir Johnson in the starting lineup and had a double/double in controlling Andrew Bynum. Said Phil Jackson: "He outplayed Andrew [Bynum] in a game that was essentially a matchup." Ouch. Brown also was effective in a win in Sacramento and may be another Pistons surprise pickup.

— Scott Skiles has the Bucks hanging in with a tough opening schedule and predictably playing their best defense in years. Skiles is now starting UCLA rookie Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who had 17 rebounds against Memphis (Ok, who doesn't?). One scout before the draft gave me the best description of Mbah A Moute: "He's Ron Artest without the crazy."...hey, let's give Ron a break. There was a fight and suspensions between the Suns and Rockets last week and not even a mention of Artest...in the meltdown of the Wizards, the East's worst team, I'll be surprised if they don't come calling to try to get Larry Hughes now that Hughes is back and playing well. I'm told the then three-team deal with Denver was close until Hughes was hurt, though with the subsequent Iverson deal things may have changed...the Wizards are raving about rookie JaVale McGee, a Chicagoan, whom they're likening to Dwight Howard, though not quite as strong. McGee told Washington reporters he dunks on extra high baskets to practice with the highest at 12 and a half feet.

— Shaq and Grant Hill have been talking about purchasing the Magic one day, but there's little love for either in Orlando the way they both left (what, they couldn't get Penny Hardaway in the parnership?), and Magic ownership, with a new arena coming, says there won't be any sales. "We want our kids to be involved with this team," Magic president Bob Van der Weide told the Orlando Sentinel. They see Shaq and Hill as runaways, not like their sons...the Ft.Lauderdale Sun Sentinel refers to the Heat's small front line as "Tiny Town" in its reports.….New Orleans is showing me. I didn't think a pro franchise could make it there anymore, but they're averaging a solid 17,238, over 90 percent of capacity. The Hornets are way down on Mike James and you could see them trying to do something to enhance their bench.

— O.J. Mayo is the leading rookie scorer at 21 per game as he's even, effectively, been playing point guard with the continued poor play of Mike Conley, averaging 5.5 points on 31.8 percent shooting and seven percent on threes. The Trailblazers have been talking about a deal to pair Conley with Greg Oden, but the word is Portland now has taken Travis Outlaw off the table in talks. You feel good for Oden, who after that miserable return against Miami had two nice efforts with 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in a win over Minnesota Saturday after 11 points, 11 rebounds and four rebounds against the Hornets Friday. The Bulls see him Wednesday. Teammates said the usually upbeat Oden had become moody, but recovered after he found out he could play. "I knew if I worked hard at it, it would eventually come," Oden told Portland media after Saturday's game. "Before, I didn't know. But guys have been saying 'You killed in college. It ain't no different here. All you have to do is work for it and it will eventually come.'"….Minneapolis media seem on a watch with Randy Wittman and keep asking him about his job security. GM Kevin McHale keeps saying they have the talent to be much better. Not exactly a vote of confidence….looks like the end of the line for Maywood and DePaul's Steven Hunter with knee surgery which could be career ending…Detroit media noted the omission when the Trailblazers last week retired the dual No. 30 of Terry Porter and Bobby Gross. It was pointed out Rasheed Wallace also wore that number. Wonder how they missed that?

— Tracy McGrady may not win many playoff games, but he's got a winner in a documentary he made-3 Points-on his 2007 trip to Darfur refugee camps in Chad. The film shows McGrady grow from naïve and privileged at the start to educated and driven as he visits with the refugees from the mass genocide that has take place in the Sudan since 2003. "One thing I promised the kids and all the people there was that I would make sure their words are heard," said McGrady. Congratulations to NBA players for helping the world not forget about the tragedy there with the hope the U.S. can get more involved. The Bulls Luol Deng long has been a major activist....the Lakers' Lamar Odom was all huffy again after the Pistons beat the Lakers Friday as a pattern is developing, as he saw it, of Lakers coach Phil Jackson reducing his minutes and role. The Bulls play the Lakers Tuesday. Odom, reluctantly coming off the bench, is a free agent after this season and with Kobe Bryant likely to opt out and seek a new, longer deal with the Lakers, the belief is the Lakers cannot afford to retain Odom. The Bulls looked hard at him in 1999 when they took Elton Brand No. 1, but Odom was having personal problems then and refused to meet with Tim Floyd. Who knew he was the smart one? Odom's an intriguing talent who could be an ideal power forward with some post presence in the East, though he prefers to handle the ball outside.

— Kings coach Reggie Theus looks like dead man walking as Kings co-owner Joe Maloof went off on Theus last week in media interviews where you almost expected to hear him screaming, "I'm a man!" The talk already is WNBA Monarchs coach John Whisenant is waiting in the wings to replace Theus. Maloof took a bit of a shot at GM Geoff Petrie, said to be no great fan of Theus, saying the organization's rebuilding plan wasn't well thought out. Maloof said the offense stinks and is boring, the defense is poor, more young players should be in the game and they should run more. Maloof didn't say what he'd done with his many coach of the year awards. Forget that top scorers Kevin Martin, Francisco Garcia and Brad Miller have been out much of the season. The Kings aren't that bad at 4-7 with an opening Eastern trip, though near low league attendance clearly has Maloof panicking. His family has long wanted the franchise in Las Vegas. Maloof told the Sacramento Bee: "Reggie's future depends upon Reggie and how he develops our young players (his contract expires after this season). Just like anything in life, you have to look at your wins and losses, look at your success." Theus said anyone who knows basketball understands he runs a defined system with lots of movement. The interesting element in this for Theus, the popular former Bull, was he was one of the young coaches on the Bulls coaching wish list last spring, but Theus felt loyalty to the Kings and didn't want to ask for a release. Even Rush Street Reggie can be naïve.