[eddie sefko]Team that wins Dwight chooses can’t afford to sit back and relax

Ahhh Eddie Sefko, the exiled one



Sefko: Team that wins Dwight chooses can’t afford to sit back and relax
By Eddie Sefko / Reporter
esefko@dallasnews.com
10:03 pm on July 3, 2013 | Permalink
http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/2013...ooses-cant-afford-to-sit-back-and-relax.html/

Dwight Howard is expected to have a decision on his future by Friday.

Just like everything else in NBA free agency, believe that at your own peril.


A year ago at this time, a sensible soul like Jason Kidd said he was going to re-sign with the Mavericks, then showed why all commitments are nonbinding until the signing period begins July 10.

Kidd changed his mind and ended up in New York.

The moral is that, even if Howard makes a choice in the next day or so, don’t think for a moment that he might not still be open to new arguments on why he should waffle. It’s not like a good, stiff breeze hasn’t made him change directions once in a while.

The reasoning behind that theory is simple. If Howard decides Houston is the right place for him, can you really see Mavericks owner Mark Cuban sitting back and saying, “Oh well, we tried and we lost. Again.”

Not likely. Whether it be by working behind the scenes with other free agents to show Howard the creativity the Mavericks’ honchos can display or simply letting him know that they are there for him if anything happens in Houston — mosquito bites, traffic snarls, whatever — might make him think twice about his decision.

Similarly, if the Mavericks get the nod from Howard, do you honestly think they will heave a big sigh of relief and think the finish line has been reached?

Of course not. If the Mavericks are smart, they would sequester Howard in Dallas at a high-dollar hotel with anything he needs and have Dirk Nowitzki sit with him 24/7 until 12:01 a.m. on July 10.

No matter what Howard does, the rest of the NBA continues to move and shake.

But the good news for the Mavericks is that most of their backup plans in case Howard chooses somebody else still are in play. Andre Iguodala, Ellis, Andrew Bynum and Mo Williams — all linked with the Mavericks in national speculation — remain on the free-agent board.

Iguodala was believed to be in advanced negotiations with Sacramento on a four-year deal, but that apparently fell through. That’s good news for the Mavericks. And it is smart on behalf of key free agents falling in behind Howard to wait because whichever teams lose out on Howard will have a lot more money to spend on the leftover free agents than other teams that might be wooing them.

In other words, the Mavericks’ money is going to get spent on somebody. If it’s not Howard, then they’ll have their pick of many other quality players — and probably will be able to name their price and have leverage in the negotiations.

Follow Eddie Sefko on Twitter at @ESefko