<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p> It pays to be a "company man."</p> And what usually comes next is talking the "company line." There's also nothing wrong with that.</p> I've remained employed longer than I thought by making a habit of using both concepts.</p> Which brings me to the Mavericks, with a new NBA campaign just around the corner, and training camp having opened this week.</p> Nearly six months after Golden State quickly tarnished what had been a remarkable regular-season run, I'm now refreshed and ready to climb back aboard.</p> Flash back to May, however, and that was also me, yelping about "blow it up," and "thug it up." But I've been known to overreact.</p> Basically, the Mavericks spent the off-season doing almost nothing. It was like management replaced a hubcap that fell off, but they never lifted the hood and tinkered with the engine.</p> The "company line" all summer, and into the fall, was simple:</p> "We've got a good team. Why mess with a good team?"</p> The bottom-line comment from Donnie, Avery and Mark was that they merely looked around, considered a few minor options, didn't like the risk/reward ratio, and nothing major was ever considered.</p> That is obviously the message management wants the players to hear since the entire roster core is coming back for more.</p> But here's my disagreement with that:</p> Management had major moves on the table most of the summer, was ready to pop a big one, but there was either a lack of cooperation from a trading partner or the pieces for a blockbuster never fell into place.</p> When nothing happened, the fall-back company line was "we have a good team." That's not a lie. It is a good team, but, of course, a team with mental baggage from the last two postseasons.</p> If any of the following is wrong, I will know it immediately, because of phone calls from Donnie and Avery, and an e-mail from Mark. But it says here:</p> The Mavericks were heavily involved this summer in the Kevin Garnett trade sweepstakes, with two prized young players, Josh Howard and Devin Harris, in the mix.</p> Then again, if the Mavs hadn't been involved in the Garnett hunt, then management would qualify as incompetent. Why wouldn't it be?</p> The Timberwolves, however, showed minimal, if any, interest in what the Mavericks were offering, and eventually cut the monster trade with Boston.</p> The key Celtic involved in that package was 6-foot-9 Al Jefferson, a good player. But I'm still attempting to figure out how the Boston package to Minnesota was better than acquiring Howard and Harris.</p> The temptation is to say Timberwolves' management continued a recent trend of being basketball idiots, but regardless, Garnett is in Boston, and not here.</p> There will be those who praise the Mavericks for not making such a deal, since Howard and Harris are young players, with defensive skills, and in the case of Devin, a point guard the Mavs didn't have to lose.</p> My answer would be it's time to win now, and if you can land Garnett, do it regardless, and figure out the rest afterward. Privately, I don't think Donnie, Avery or Mark would disagree with that, but the phone lines and e-mail box are open, in case of rebuttal.</p> It also says here:</p> The Mavericks put a full-court summer press on veteran free agent Chris Webber, hoping to add him, bad knee and all. Webber was a much more productive player for the Pistons last season than most of us thought he'd be.</p> A red flag was waving, however, when the Pistons didn't show much interest in re-signing Webber, who is known to be trouble.</p> Again, however, the Mavs did the right thing. They went hard after Webber, and there were initial indications he was interested in signing here.</p> But even though the player is still on the streets (and was quoted this week as saying he wanted to return to the Pistons), the Mavericks suddenly lost interest in Webber within the last couple of weeks.</p> Something about figuring out they were being used to drive up the price for negotiations with the Pistons. Again, that's a team being hesitant about bringing Webber back in the first place.</p> So outside of adding old-timer Eddie Jones and a couple of other project pieces, the Mavericks are back as the same Mavericks.</p> That's not bad, but that doesn't mean they weren't attempting to do big things. And there's also always a case to be made for that old line about the trade not made being the best move you did make.</p> When it comes to Kevin Garnett, however, I'd have taken my chances. And privately, I don't think Donnie, Avery and Mark would disagree.</p> Randy Galloway's Galloway & Co. can be heard from 3-6 p.m. on ESPN/103.3 FM.</div></p> Source: Star-Telegram</p> Normally I don't post the entire article, but a lot of juicy info in here.</p>
