Mavericks = Yankees ....READ THIS

This is an article I copied from a Mav's fan website, read this first:

Having trouble coloring within the lines? Just move the lines apart, and widen them. That’s essentially what Mark Cuban and Don Nelson have done by scrapping any real hopes for near-future cap space and entering the race to accumulate the highest payroll in the league.

The Nelson/Cuban regime, or to be more precise, the Cuban/Nelson regime, began the millennium with a working plan that had the Mavericks positioned with limited cap space this offseason, and MAJOR cap space next offseason. Shortly before free agency began, Cuban began publicly criticizing that and similar strategies as the “absolute worst way to go”. The formula of creating cap space and then wooing Super Stars like Grant Hill and Tim Duncan was not going to work in today’s NBA according to Cuban. It worked this offseason for Orlando, who got 2 of the best free agents in the league. However, Chicago has failed miserably trying to woo the same Super Stars to the windy city. Cuban began espousing a blueprint that makes the cap nearly trivial.

The Mavericks haven’t made it to the top of the pay scale yet, but they are moving up the charts with a bullet. Mark Cuban has made good on his promise to spend loads of money on the players. Part one of the Cuban/Nelson Doctrine is to acquire as many legitimate NBA players as possible, regardless of how ugly the contract they bring with them may seem. One benefit to having a multitude of veteran contracts is that it gives the Mavs braintrust the ammunition to create, or get in the middle of, complicated multi-player trades. You need look no further than the example of John Wallace, who seemed to be an ill fit for the Mavs at the time of his acquisition. His contract was imperative to the completion of the Laettner trade. Also included in that deal was Eric Murdock, another player the Mavs acquired as trade fodder that helped complete a deal. Included in these deals were also different sums of Mark Cuban’s cash. Normally right up to the league maximum of $3 million per transaction.

The effect of no longer having to worry about cap space is the same effect as not having to worry about salary expense. If and when mistakes occur, the damage, if any, is minimal to the overall player acquisition strategy. For example, the reason the Steve Nash contract was terrible for the Mavericks at the time was because the only strategy for acquiring an All-Star caliber player was via free agency and cap space. Nash’ contract severely impacted the amount of money the Mavs would have available to acquire a legitimate starter, let alone an All-Star. If Nash didn’t play up to that contract, the Mavs were stuck with an overpaid Point Guard and no salary slots available to improve the top-end of the team. Today, if Nash doesn’t develop into the 20 point 10 assist player that Nellie projected him to be, he can slip into an over paid backup slot, or be packaged with other players (and the obligatory $3 million from Mr. Cuban) in a trade to acquire a better player. I’m just picking on Nash for the example, so, none of the above is a reference to how he is playing.

Another example of the new Mavs approach is Loy Vaught. Loy Vaught has appeared on every NBA beat writers “All overpaid Team” in the last couple of seasons. But for the Mavericks, the acquisition of Loy Vaught is a “no lose” proposition. The Mavs have nothing other than salary expense invested in him. If Vaught doesn’t end up being as frisky as he has looked in the preseason, he and his contract, much like the eternally ineffectual Hottie Williams, may end up in a much more significant deal down the road. The philosophy of recognizing salary dollars as part of the teams “investment” in players is a thing of the past for the Mavericks. It simply doesn’t matter anymore. The Dallas Mavericks will pay above market for as many of their players as they possibly can. Once that dogma is digested, the freedom that it creates for the organization is startling. The organization can take chances on players that Cap-focused teams wouldn’t dream of touching. To some extent, Christian Laettner also falls into that category. They are players with talent who the league has deemed overpaid and thus not worth the “investment” (i.e. salary) their contracts stipulate. The Mavericks were the only team in the NBA willing to pay career backup Howard Eisley a starting Point Guard’s salary. Thanks to the flexibility created by a roster full of contracts, a pocket full of cash, and no fear of cap-killing contracts, Eisley ended up with the Mavs.

Adding to this strategy is Cuban’s first class treatment of the players in every other outlet possible. In fact, it’s Royal Treatment, far beyond what most commoners would consider first class. From buffets, flight arrangements, hotel accommodations or new high-tech chairs for home games, Cuban and the Mavericks do it Royally. Those expenditures have already created a positive reaction to the franchise from players around the league. In about 8-10 months, Mark Cuban has completely changed the perception of the Mavericks among the player fraternity. Players today have a predilection towards playing for the Mavericks. A remarkable change from as late as January 2000. It’s a mindset that not only keeps players on their way into Dallas smiling, but also the ones on their way out of town as well. Who could argue that John Wallace benefited greatly from his cup of coffee in town?

No strategy short of acquiring Shaq-Fu guarantees a World Championship. Not all of the Mavericks player acquisitions from this offseason will be successful. But the franchise’s big picture goal, competing for the NBA title, will not be torpedoed if any of those deals go south. By redefining their player acquisition strategy, Cuban and Nelson have created a margin for error you could drive a truck through. Unwilling to stand still and wait for success, you can bet that Cuban and Nelson will put the strategy to work during the season and certainly each and every offseason. If they err, look for any lingering effects to be washed away by a sea of green.

My Comments:

Now we all know that Mark Cuban is a spender, I mean ****, he's got the West All-Stars coming off his bench...but is he turning this league into MLB? Sure there's a soft cap (just like baseball) and sure the figures aren't anywhere near the MLB's (the Mavs spend a good 120 mil less than the Yanks), but what Cuban is doing is no different from Steinbrenner, yet the Mavericks get absolutely no criticisms from the media, other teams, and the like.

Why? I can't answer this question because I, like other people, tend to not like the Yankees. But I dislike the Mavericks more, probably moreso because of tonight's defeat of the Rockets.

Cuban has assembled a team of very wealthy superstars, which could be the centerpiece of any team they played on. They happen to play on the Mavs though, and create an unstoppable team. It's not possible to double-team everyone, as we all know.

Look at this 5-man combo the Mavs could throw out:

Dirk Nowitski
Antawn Jamison
Michael Finley
Antoine Walker
Steve Nash

On any other basketball team, each of these guys would have demanded a double team. You can't double team them all, so you try and keep them out of the paint. So the Mavericks either make backdoor cuts (since some 3 point shooters must be respected and therefore double-teamed, leaving forwards cutting to the basket), or they drain the jump shot, which they have been doing startlingly efficiently.

So what's my point? My point is that there is not a way to stop the Maverick offense. The essential principle of any defense is to get the ball into a players hands and have him miss the shot or turn the ball over. This is done by keeping the ball out of 'key players' hands. [See: Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady] But, a defense canNOT keep the ball out of EVERYONE's hands, and that's what they have to do to stop the Maverick's offense.

The only way to beat the Mavericks then, is to outscore them, and to do that you have to have as many great players as the Mavs, and as many good shooters. This comes at a price, a price that most teams [NY, Portland, LA excepted] are not prepared to spend. The Mavericks, as much as people will not accept it, are buying a basketball team. Granted, Nelson has improved his defense significantly, and Mark Cuban has made some pretty good roster decisions, but could he have done it without his budget? No.

To sum it up, let's figure out a way to get overspending teams like the Mavs, the Knicks, the Trail Blazers, the Lakers down into the stratosphere. Just because this isn't Baseball doesn't mean we can't complain about the financial issues hehe. The Mavericks, along with some other teams, are sucking up talent and turning into the Yankees, let's not let it get out of control.

PS: Note that when the Yankees buy a player, the player will as a hitter bat maybe 4-5 times a game, and if a pitcher pitch every 4-5 days. But when the Mavericks get Antawn Jamison, he plays daily, as does Antoine Walker, Steve Nash....


- Here's to the Rockets....

 

Dallas may not be as free-spending as the Yankees yet, but the trend has been in that direction...and let's not forget that the Mavs have sold out something like 20 straight games..a team that sells out that often is going to make money...and there's also revenue from licensing, food sales, and tv contracts. And as for the arguement that the Mavs don't go out and buy free-agents, sure, I'll give you that. But what other team spends $76 million on Raef LaFrentz?

And here's something to think about...Aaron Boone, on the Yanks, is a number 8/number 9 hitter. On the Reds he was something like a 3/4.

Antawn Jamison was Golden State's number 1 scoring option. On the Mavericks, he's a candidate for sixth man of the year.

Don't telling me about ****ing parity...