That’s the sticking point that they don’t really acknowledge.

AJM and Z seem to infer that Harris would have likely led the team to a championship within the same window as Kidd’s working with.

I view this trade as an acceleration of the Mavs’ window of contention: we’ll find out real soon if they can win it with Dirk, which works out perfectly. Harris is irrelevant. If Dirk doesn’t win (which he would have done with or without Harris), then the team is blown up, Kidd is dumped, and everybody moves forward.

Considering that I made this point right when the trade was made:

In all likelihood, within the next 2-3 years Avery will be gone, the team will be more of a 5-9 seed, and it will be a matter of how to rebuild (with or without Dirk and Howard), while it would be more like a 3-5 seed type of team with Harris, Diop and the picks. That’s worse, but, really, it would be time to reshuffle anyway. If nothing else this will indicate when it’s time for Avery to go and to start over to some degree.

if he can find a way to get rid of Damp’s contract.

Raymond Felton, Adam Morrison, and a 1st rd pick for Josh Howard.

2 expiring contracts and a 1st round pick. Felton gets a try out for PG of the future.

Bobcats drafted DJ Augustine in the 1st rd this year.

So if you could choose between having Harris at his contract and letting him go for nothing, you’d choose nothing? Because everything else dealt away in that deal was already coming off the cap.

I suppose I’m not understanding the distinction you’re drawing. I don’t think Harris’ contract was a drag necessarily, but instead of 43 million over 5 more years, you have ~21 million that Kidd’s making this year, plus whatever he made last year (I’ll assume it’s ~20 million).

That’s essentially a dead even swap in salaries, except the Mavs gain 4 years. Now, am I advocating the position that moving Harris was a priority because of his burdensome contract? Absolutely not. I think it’s a reasonable price.

The question essentially becomes this: do you believe the Mavericks would have won a championship in those 4 years with Harris? As I explained in the other thread, I think this team would have won a championship or sunk to the basement with or without Harris. He wasn’t a sufficient condition to winning a championship. Since I accept that, I’m fine with the Mavs getting a guy they feel is sufficient to win a title.

They and I may be wrong, of course, but that’s why I believe the expiring contract “back out” they have is so critical—it shaves off 4 years of salary that I don’t believe would have been fruitful in the sense of producing championships.

Where did this talk start?

that the Mavs should probably go into rebuilding mode after this season if they miss the playoffs or get knocked out early. I think they got some nice pieces in Wright, Green, Foster and Bass, but its going to have to take alot of work from Donnie Nelson and the scouting department, which used to be so highly regarded.

Why are people like AJM and Z, who were very vocal in their dislike of Avery and his affect on this team not even entertaining the idea that with a freshly motivated team and a better offensive approach, this team might just be good again?

Before last season, this was unequivocally an elite basketball team. Many, many things went wrong last season, and they won 51 games. They got bounced in the first round with one of their three best players (Josh) playing like he’d never played basketball before, and an offense that completely wasted the talent Kidd has left.

Now, maybe you didn’t think Avery was the problem, but rather the roster. Fine. I understand your position on this season being a waste. But I know what AJM and Z felt about Avery, so I don’t for the life of me understand AJM’s stance that this team is going to drop another 10 games off of last season. It just doesn’t compute.

Swap Harris for Kidd, and you’ve got an intact core of a team that was absolutely elite over a three year stretch. You’ve got a coach that will play a legitimate center for the majority of most games, and is willing to at least talk about an offense that takes advantage of Kidd.

So the idea that they got rid of a problem coach, and did little with their roster, and are yet going to be SIGNIFICANTLY worse than a disappointed campaign last season just doesn’t make a bit of sense.

had a quote about being in between having and building? What was it?

Just saw he got waived.

I clicked on his page.

He’s 30 years old.

Damn. I had no idea he was that old.

Go C’s!

I got a 75 on a discussion thing for my sport management class because I disagreed that Mark Cuban was the only factor in making the Mavericks good.

I am pissed, my status is not noticed. But it will be. soon.

So, I’m too lazy to see if this has been discussed or not, but I just want to bring up that this idea that Avery wanted Harris out doesn’t seem to be true (I believe AJM and Z brought this up but I certainly thought it might be true as well). Seems like the Kidd trade was all Cuban or Nelson.

It’s really neither here nor there but thought it was worth mentioning.

One of the apparent new features of Mavs broadcasts at home, the Mavs dancers music piped into the broadcast, not just via the arena. First words from the broadcast team as they’re wrapping up the dance, “They are the best!” in true Bob Ortegal form.

will be in the running for Most Improved Player of the Year. He looks good out on the floor.