When you think about this year's NBA playoffs, you think of the San Antonio Spurs...and their dismantling of LeBron James and his Miami Heat. A close second would be cramp gate, then Donald Sterling. What should come second is game 7 between the Spurs and the Mavericks in this year's first round.
It seems like eons ago now, but Dallas...for the most part...outplayed San Antonio in that series. And if not for the Mavs 4th quarter shooting slump in game 1, then who knows how these playoffs would have turned out. One thing's for sure, we'd have to scrap that list I just mentioned and start from scratch.
Yep, Dallas was just that close.
While scrolling through twitter the other day, I came across a quote from Mavs owner Mark Cuban that froze my thumb in it's tracks. His comments regarding Dallas' approach to this year's free agent feeding frenzy...
"I think some of these guys are opting out just to create leverage, and they'll go back. Then there's some that really want to go to different teams. We'll try to put ourselves in position to get them."
Translation...."I'm not blowing up a good thing again."
In the aftermath of the Mavericks first world title, Cuban essentially threw a hand grenade into the locker room....jettisoning off player after player in an attempt to clear up cap space. His goal was to land one of the many prized free agents that hit the market the past few summers.
Well...those prized free agents chose other destinations, and Cuban was forced to build his roster from the clearance rack. Memo to head coach Rick Carlisle, with what you've done with those last few rosters, it's time to talk highest paid coach in the league money my brotha....
But I digress.
It's hard to fault Mark Cuban for his approach. Free agency is like the lottery, you have to be in it to win it. And he did it to make his team better in the long run, a lot more than most fans can say about their owner. Looking back, I'm sure the only thing he wishes he would have done different was to have a plan B.
Which brings me back to his comments.
This time Cuban went out and got some insurance first, bringing back center and fan favorite Tyson Chandler last week in exchange for some role players. This immediately upgrades them on the defensive side of the ball, where they need help the most.
It sounds like Cuban isn't falling for the old LeBron banana in the tailpipe trick again. Instead, he's turning his focus to building on the pieces he has in place. Cuban has a playoff roster, a state tax free location, and 26 million dollars in monopoly money (cap space).
Curious to see how he plays his hand this time around. Let the free agent games begin! follow @plcolter
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment