<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Dallas soap opera: We know how players get a coach fired. They just curtail their effort. But how do players get an owner fired? It turns out padded slippers and fluffy towels aren't enough to overcome Mark Cuban's insincerity, disingenuousness, hypocrisy and pretension. Anyone get the picture here? The Mavs players surely have. They are 17-12, which would be cause for celebration with the Bulls. But the Mavs were 25-4 at this time last year. And they're 4-10 on the road, the only top Western team with a losing road record. There has been talk of Dirk Nowitzki's bothersome ankles and Michael Finley's injuries and slump. But insiders and players say the same spirit and drive are gone, emptied by the double dealing and personal aggrandizement of owner Cuban. It's one reason why All-Star guard Steve Nash talked of going to Toronto when he becomes a free agent. Players are confused about the constant personnel changes, like the deals for Antoine Walker and Antawn Jamison that have left only five players from last season's conference finals team. Even now, Cuban is talking about taking on troublesome Rasheed Wallace. Promises to popular veterans like Tim Hardaway and Nick Van Exel were broken. Players were upset with Cuban's obsessive courtship of Pat Riley last season that held up coach Don Nelson's extension. Now, insiders say, Cuban will dump Nelson the minute Riley says he'll come aboard. To no one's surprise, Cuban is blaming Nelson and his staff for the struggles this season. "The issue isn't so much with our players as it is with our coaching staff just drilling them and drilling them and drilling them to death," Cuban said last week. "In terms of personnel, I wouldn't change it for anything." Until he does. Dallas has now become one of the most unfriendly places in the NBA for players. </div> Chicago Tribune
Its not Nellys fault. All those trades they did. I suggest they trade Bradley. they had the chance, but nooo, they got rid of Lafrentz. Sad. Trade Bradley, and two players and a draft pick and go for Sheed or Mutumbo.
I read that Sam Smith story. Cuban's rebuttal is at http://www.dallasbasketball.com It's an idiots report. Sam has an axe to grind although I'm not sure why. Most of the moves he mentions have Nellie's signature all over them, not Cubans.
I told you guys that Cuban is overrated as an owner. Then people said that Mavs players like him, so it shouldn't matter. Apparently they are tired of his off the court choices, I am sure they are tired of his antics during games as well.
I've always imagined that the sweetest block in the game would be when a player directs a swat from the paint right at Mark Cuban's forehead as he stands up to wave his arms or somethin. That'll sit his [censored] down...
I don't see why Cuban traded Lafrentz. Lafrentz brought so much to the team. And Nick Van Exel pretty much helped the Mavs win in the playoffs but if Nash leaves, they won't have a PG and then they'll struggle. I don't see why Cuban made the moves he made. The Mavs need a big thing to happen to spark a streak or else Nelson will be fired...which i hope not to see anytime soon...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting pchotsauce:</div><div class="quote_post">I don't see why Cuban traded Lafrentz. Lafrentz brought so much to the team. And Nick Van Exel pretty much helped the Mavs win in the playoffs but if Nash leaves, they won't have a PG and then they'll struggle. I don't see why Cuban made the moves he made. The Mavs need a big thing to happen to spark a streak or else Nelson will be fired...which i hope not to see anytime soon...</div> So much to say, so little time. You brought up several things. LaFrenz had talent, but no brains. LaFrenz is only valuable if he can stay in the game. He couldn't. He fouled out so fast in some games, he was a detriment to the team. His fouls not only put him on the bench, the disrupted the Mavs offensive flow of the game. Furthermore, LaFrenz had to be individually coached before every game as to where he was supposed to be on the court during designed plays. He couldn't remember. For the price the Mavs paid, they were not getting the minutes or the production a starter should be getting. His minutes were more like bench minutes, and his usefulness to this team suspect. LaFrenz was initially brought in as a guy who could bring the opposing center out to guard him leaving the paint open for other Mavs players. The media had Shaq in mind, but it was a way of negating all opposing centers. This was only partially successful. He wasn't on the court enough, didn't understand the set plays, and his 3-pointers didn't scare opponents enough. LaFrenz was way overpaid for this team and he wasn't changing the soft, white image of the Dallas Mavericks. NVE is a different story. NVE was a great addition during two playoff series, but he had pedestrian statistics for the regular season. As a two guard, it left Dallas defenseless in the backcourt while he was in there with Nash. This "small ball" idea was interesting at times but it didn't solve the problem in the paint for the Mavs. We were still getting torched inside with our matador defense. Now the question of why the Mavs didn't beef up their interior is another question. I don't know the answer. I think they tried but could acquire the right personnel. They missed. Jamison and Walker were trades of opportunity, not trades of need. They took advantage of a situation in GS and Boston. At some point, Nelson will need to prove to Cuban that he can get this team to play defense. Nelson isn't getting the job done in that department. Yes, we need an interior player with a mean streak, but we also need a stronger emphasis on man-to-man defense if this team is going to go any farther in the playoffs. My feeling is that Nelson cannot coach the current personnel to accomplish this. He will either have to go at some point or new personnel will be needed at SG, SF and C. I think Dirk and Nash would be fine if they were surrounded by good defensive help, but I thinkit's more likely that Nelson gets put on a short leash.
So...you mean to tell me that Lafrentz did nothing in games? You gotta be kiddin me....Lafrentz brought a lot to the Mavs fouled out or not....You know how many players on teams in the NBA don't run the plays. Don't bash Lafrentz like he was a waste of minutes because he wasn't. Lafrentz scored when needed to and defended and rebounded at will. Gimme a break with the no brains crap. And NVE....he crushed whether it be at 2 or 1. When he's at 1, he's more deadly, the small ball started many fast breaks believe it or not and what does that have to do with the inside game? The inside game doesn't involve guards. If involves Lafrentz and how he defended. Granted Shaq outweighed him, he still did his best. Nelson will get the job done and get new personell....SG is stacked and SF is stacked...he needs to worry about C before anything else. So before you bash the Mavericks, show me what NVE and Lafrentz didn't do in games besides score, rebound, and win games for the Mavs.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting pchotsauce:</div><div class="quote_post">So...you mean to tell me that Lafrentz did nothing in games? You gotta be kiddin me....Lafrentz brought a lot to the Mavs fouled out or not....You know how many players on teams in the NBA don't run the plays. Don't bash Lafrentz like he was a waste of minutes because he wasn't. Lafrentz scored when needed to and defended and rebounded at will. Gimme a break with the no brains crap. And NVE....he crushed whether it be at 2 or 1. When he's at 1, he's more deadly, the small ball started many fast breaks believe it or not and what does that have to do with the inside game? The inside game doesn't involve guards. If involves Lafrentz and how he defended. Granted Shaq outweighed him, he still did his best. Nelson will get the job done and get new personell....SG is stacked and SF is stacked...he needs to worry about C before anything else. So before you bash the Mavericks, show me what NVE and Lafrentz didn't do in games besides score, rebound, and win games for the Mavs.</div> Excuse me. This is "bashing" the Mavericks? What I'm saying isn't a secret, and it isn't something I made up. Rose-colored glasses don't make the Mavericks any better. Changes do. The Mavs weren't going to win with LaFrenz or NVE. That's why they were traded. If you like Don Nelson so much, then you have to know those players were traded for a reason - reasons I largely agree with. The Mavs didn't get back what they needed, but they may eventually with as much trade bait as they have. PC, I don't say this to be mean, but you need to look only so far as NVE's regular season statistics and Raef's salary compared to his game to understand why they won't work in Dallas. If Raef, NVE, and Don Nelson were all great in your eyes, they would all still be working together. NVE had a .412 FG% at 12.5 PPG. - Jamison = .511 FG% at 15 PPG - Neither play defense well, but it helps rebounding substantially as Jamison gets twice as many rebounds as NVE. Obviously, better value was had for the money. LaFrenz was playing 19 MPG (4 minutes less than the year before) and scoring 9.3 PPG (4 points less than the year before). It doesn't take much to realize that Raef wasn't working out here. And again better value could be have for the money (Walker = 38 mpg and 17 ppg.). NVE had a great attitude for the playoffs. It's an attitude Don Nelson needs... but doesn't really have. It's the coaches job to know how to prepare and motivate teams, not a bench player's job.
