Are you blind? Are you the only person in the world that doesn't see it? T-Mac, Yao, and the talent that they have the ability to attract can be quite the force. Dirk Nowitzki and co. who beat us in a game 7 with Michael Finley most probably won't be. All indications point to their having peaked. Without Michael Finley, the Mav's lose that series. He didn't have an amazing series, but he hit the big shots when the team needed them...more than Dirk can say. And, besides, the Rockets played without Juwan Howard. Say what you want about Howard, but he was the third most talented player on the team at that point. Our power forward rotation included Ryan Bowen, Clarence Weatherspoon, and Scott Padgett. Any of the 30 starting PF's in the league, and the Rockets win that series. The Mav's will probably hold onto Dirk, and they may not need to enter full rebuilding mode, but changes are needed.
Cuban, as an unofficial GM, has been a mixed bag. He subscribed to Paul Allen's wallet strategy, and got about the same results. Still, his lows beat out Isiah, and he made some gutsy moves (nearly grabbing Shaq, Rashard Lewis). He just didn't take chemistry or the long term picture into account. Time will, tell, but he was most likely smart for letting Nash walk instead of signing him to a near max, 5 year deal. Cuban, as an owner, has been extremely good. Dallas could have cared less about their team when he arrived, and I personally question if they would have caught bball fever when the Nash-Finley-Dirk trio started making noise. Winning doesn't always mean diehard fans - ask the Nets about that. Cuban changed the franchise's climate and mentality, and he got the city to buy in. Mentally, he made them believe this was a first class team, and the franchise became one. AAA is one of the nicest around the country, and the fanbase is levels above what it was. You can't ask more from an owner, even if those fullpage ads in SLAM were a little hokey. Evan
Maybe you should ask them: Losing Finley is a major blow, even if he is on the downside of his career. Daniels and Howard are certainly good, but they are very certainly trying to fill voids at this point, especially at PG. Evan
The only player of the trio that may grow into a star player is Josh Howard. Marquis and Devin didn't even get much playing time. Dallas minus Finley + Christie = weaker Mavs next season.
Marginally weaker without Finley and the younger players improving should make the Mavs at least equivalent to last year. Don't get your hopes up.
If losing Finley is "a major blow" why did he Mavs waive him? Think about it. Cuban used "financial flexibility" as an excuse to waive an aging player with not much left in the tank. Just what financial flexibility is Cuban talking about since the Mavs are over the cap? If Finley was so valuable why didn't Cuban simply keep him since Cuban is all about winning? The likely answer to that question is Cuban and Avery wanted to go in another direction.
2nd on the team in mins played, 2nd in scoring, 3rd in assists, lead team in 3 pointers made and 2nd in % (40.7%), I'd say he was pretty important to the team. He's obviously declining, but he's still playing at a starter's level. He was grossly overpaid in comparison to his production, and this saved Cuban $51 million. The Mavs waived him, but you'll also notice how bad they worked to keep him from staying in the West (first via trade, then by setting conditions on his buyout arrangment based on where he signed). If KVH had been signed for three more years, you could bet the farm he'd be the one on the curb. Evan
he needs to buy the pirates. they suck. they have a nice ballpark, but they have no money. the penguins wouldn't sell to cubes.
