Well all I have to say it's about damn time. 1st they had the obstacle of Devean George blocking the original trade then the NBA said if Stackhouse is in the trade and gets bought out (which was BS of Stern making up a rule on the spot, sure he spoke to early but there's really no rule against it) And finally former Maverick great Keith Van Spare gets to collect a cool 4 million to park his ass on the New Jersey Nets bench.
So the final deal is Jason Kidd, Malik Allen and Antoine Wright for Devin Harris, Desagana Diop, Trenton Hassell, Maurice Ager (probably the worst Maverick I've had to suffer through, but I'm to young to remember the early 90's Mavs) and Keith Van Horn will be getting 4 million to report to New Jersey for 30 days.O what a joy it must be to have made a 100 million dollars in your career for being a 6'10 white guy that had a decent shot at a point in his career then just spiraled downward at the end of his career and is only 32 years old. Dallas also gave up 2 1st round draft picks the 2008 1st rounder is lottery-protected and the 2010 1st is unprotected (which is stupid if this team just collapses in the next couple years) I believe the Mavs also sent 3 million in cash and a 1.6 million dollar trade exception.
When the trade went down I was pissed, I'd been advocating to keep Harris all along and go after Mike Miller or Ron Artest and that option seems less likely now. I think Mark Cuban panicked and gave way to the pressure of the media and maybe even the pressure of Dirk. I've sort of backed off and accepted the loss of Harris (though I'm not happy with it) but I hate losing a guy like Diop and the draft picks just as much especially if we start to tank in 2010 (though I don't forsee it) this trade could prove costly. We now need a big man because I don't expect anything by Malik Allen. We need another trade that can get us a backup big man like Kurt Thomas in Seattle or maybe even sign PJ Brown. Just someone who can man up against the like of Tim Duncan or a Shaq or Andrew Bynum.
The fact remains is the Mavericks averaged a putrid 86.7 points per game without Devin and are 7-7 without him and in 5 of those games the Mavs score only 82 points or less including 67 to Detroit and 82 to New Jersey where they had 2 8 minute streches without making a field goal and 76 points to the 76ers where they scored a franchise low 23 points in the 2nd half. So when he was hurt his impact was obviously felt and Jason Terry especially struggled running the point rarely pushing the ball up court and rarely trying to penetrate leaving the offense often stagnant.
Let's look at all the games Devin has had this year against the top teams in the league this year:
vs. Cleveland
in 2 games he went 7-17 for 11 ppg 5.5 assists per game and 3 steals per game. Not his best showing especially the 2nd game but no one played good the 2nd game in Cleveland where they lost 88-81.
vs. Golden State - he played a big part in beating this team both times we played them this year.
in 2 games vs. them he scored 21 and 17 points shooting 50% from the floor and 14-15 for free throws. He also averaged 6 assists 4 rebounds and was a big factor in Baron Davis and Monta Ellis combining to go 7-24 in the 2nd meeting.
vs. San Antonio I'm only going to show the 1st game played between the 2 not because he had a bad game vs. them the 2nd time but because the Mavs all year have played down to teams level when they were missing players. In the 2nd game the Spurs played a Duncanless Spurs team and lost.
vs. San Antonio Mavs win 105-92
Harris goes 8-13 for 18 points 5 assists and 3 steals. Did I mention he held Tony Parker to 1-11 shooting, I'm going to miss Harris owning Parker, he's one of the only people quick enough to keep with him and can continuously penetrate past him.
vs. Houston
game 1 Dallas wins 100-94 Dallas falls behind 74-57 and is sparked to comeback by Devin Harris at the end of the 3rd. Dallas outscores Houston 38-20 in the 4th and takes the lead at the end by a key 3 point play by Devin Harris over Yao Ming.
Finishes with 22 points on 7-13 shooting with 3 steals 5 assists.
game 2 Dallas wins 96-83
Harris goes 5-7 for 14 points 7 assists and 5 steals
And judging by stats Rockets PG's combine to go 3-16, not bad defense eh?
vs. New Orleans
game 1 Devin struggles this game and not surprisingly Dallas loses in OT
Devin goes 3-8 for 8 points 5 rebounds 5 assists and 4 TO's and Chris Paul is a rebound shy of a triple double
game 2 Dallas wins 89-80
Devin goes 3-7 for 10 points 3 rebounds and 2 assists but when he was on the floor he was 18 points better than his opponents. And Chris Paul was not his usual self only distributing 3 assists.
vs. Denver probably Dallas worst defensive performance of the season
Iverson lights up Dallas for 35 and Devin Harris and Jason Terry combine to go 7-21
The 2nd time Devin played Denver was his last game as a Maverick he was in foul trouble prior to getting hurt he had 6 points and 1 assists with 4 fouls in 12 minutes.
vs. Utah Mavs were 1-1 vs. them but both times Deron Williams lit us up one of the only guys Devin struggled with.
The 1st game where defense seemed to be ignored Devin had 10 points and 12 assists to go with 7 boards and 2 steals.
game 2 Dallas had 5 days off and was the day after Christmas I'm sure they mailed in this performance.
Devin goes 4-4 and 8-10 from the line for 18 points 5 assists and 4 Turnovers.
vs. Phoenix Dallas wins 108-105
Devin Harris goes 8-16 for 21 points and 6 assists and 3 steals. And during this game you could tell how much Dallas struggled when he and Dirk left the court. The problem was seeing Steve Nash go for 21 and 18 dimes though Devin isn't completely responsible for all that he has had trouble defending the Pick and Roll
vs. Detroit Dallas wins 102-86
Devin goes 7-12 for 19 points and 4 assists and 2-3 from the 3 pt. line. Dallas took control of this game though in the last 3 minutes of the 3rd quarter where Devin Harris had a 3 pointer and helped setup another 3 pointer as the quarter closed. Don't forget that the Mavericks could only manage 67 points the next time these 2 teams met, Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton couldn't keep Harris in front of them.
vs. LA Lakers Dallas wins 112-105
Devin Harris scored 18 points on 5-10 shooting and 8-9 shooting free throws. This was after being limited in the 1st half with a sprained ankle (the 1st time he experienced pain in his ankle)
This is what Yahoo Sports had to say about his big plays in the 4th:
It was point guard Devin Harris who made some of the biggest plays down the stretch. Harris made a layup off a wraparound pass to Erick Dampier that bounced off the center and ricocheted back to the point guard. Harris also had a three-point play off a tough driving bank shot from the right wing and set up Jason Terry for a victory-sealing 3-pointer.
And that was just against the top teams they played, the numbers might not look at impressive but he did take over at times to put the game out of reach and to seal games like the Laker and Piston games. And sometimes what he did just didn't show up in the box score like taking a charge or penetrating the lane and dishing in the corner and that man's pass led to an open shot (like an assist in hockey)
All I know is the Spurs are breathing a sigh of relief now that Harris won't be giving Parker and the Spurs nightmares. The Lakers are probably relieved too since he played great the last time they met. I think Kidd will matchup decently vs. Nash because I always thought he played Nash well. It will be interesting if Kidd can keep up with Deron Williams and Chris Paul too, which will be his 1st opponent tomorrow in a Mavs uniform. Because Harris had no problem against these guys as evidenced by the Mavs 8-2 record in our division and 23-7 overall vs. the West.
I just think he was a scapegoat because this team was lifeless the past couple weeks and his teammates started to believe the media that we actually needed Kidd. The national media wasn't convinced that Harris could helped and grossly undervalued his presence on the team when healthy (hell even the local media did) And now they still don't think we're going to win (I'm skeptical right now but it's really because we don't have a quality backup to Erick Dampier)
But maybe it wasn't just Harris and the lack of assists that was the problem, maybe it's a mental block they have because I can't recall the last time this team played so bad on the road. Right now they are 12-15 on the road. The last time they had a losing record on the road was Nash's last year and that whole disaster with the 2 Antawn and Antoine. They finished 16-25 on the road but did have the best home record in the league at 36-5. The Mavs look like they're headed down that path now. Since Nash left the Mavericks have been 29-12 on the road in 04-05, 26-15 in 05-06 and last year they were 31-10. It's hard to explain, I don't really know how the Golden State series could affect them here but maybe they're just scared and less relaxed in a rabid environment unfamiliar to them. There offense often gets stagnant and if there jumpshots don't fall they're in for a long night.
The Mavs are 23-3 at home compared to 12-15 on the road.
They average 103.5 points per game at home compared to 95.2 points on the road, a full 8 points difference, that's huge!
They shoot 48.2 percent at home while only 44.3 percent on the road
They take 16.2 3's per game at home (making 5.8) and shoot 35.7% while on the road they take 17.6 3's and shoot only 32.2%
They're also shooting 3 less Ft's per game on the road
They're averagign 21.5 assists at home while only managing 18.4 on the road (though I'm sure both will go up)
Suprisingly turnovers are down on the road but the Mavericks are forcing over 6.6 steals every home game compared to only 5.1 and are getting half a block less per game.
Last year the Mavericks average 2.2 points more then this year but shot more efficiently nearly 46% and nearly 36% shooting 3's.
It's also interesting to see how consistent we are at home, our lowest scoring total at home this year is 81 and 2nd lowest was 89. On the road the Mavs have scored 90 or lower 9 times. Devin Harris didn't play in 6 of those games.
I'm sure I come off as anti-Kidd but I'm just trying to show how important Devin was to this offense that some people in the media seem to want to ignore because we're getting a future Hall of Famer (but who know's when we'll break down) I think the goal for our team should be to beat the Spurs, no matter how good the Lakers and Suns are (and they're probably better then us now, but we haven't seen any of those teams at full strength) But we gave 2 key crucial parts that helped us beat the Spurs, Diop is a great defender against Duncan possibly the best in the West and Harris gives Parker nightmares.
I don't know if Kidd will be able to keep up with the Tony Parker's or Chris Paul's of the world. So if we can't trade for a guy like Kurt Thomas or lure PJ Brown out of retirement I don't see us winning this year because there will come a game where the refs will pick on Dampier and give him 2 cheap fouls and who will come in? Brandon Bass? Juwan Howard? Maybe go small with Devean George at PF because he's versatile enough to defend almost any type of player. But I will give this trade a chance and in a couple weeks I'll be as optimistic and homeristic as ever (sports is about the only thing I'm ever optimistic in) For what it's worth I'm not one of the people against the trade because of the age difference between Harris and Kidd, I just see big things from Harris especially now that Jason Terry isn't backing him up and he'll get more then 30 minutes a game.
Also I like the trade for the Suns, I didn't see them winning with Marion, having Shaq allows them to be versatile with there lineups, you can have him play the 5 or take him out and let Amare or Brian Skinner play Center. Either way Shaq's a good enough passer he knows how to start the fast break with the outlet pass (much like Bill Walton on the Trailblazers and Wilt Chamberlain with the Lakers) Suns fans should just hope he's commited on the defensive end and running the P'n'R with Nash.
I'd also like to say I loved All Star Saturday night, you can't go wrong with a TNT broadcast with Charles and Kenny and Reggie Miller and Kevin Harlan made some interesting comments as well (like when Reggie called the top of the 3 pt. line the "titty" and repeated it a dozen times) Dwight Howard had one the best dunk contests ever and Gerald Green's cupcake dunk was awesome as well. It got shafted by the judges though, sorta like Dwight's sticker dunk last year. But Dwight brought the creativity and showmanship with the cape and he controlled the building with his every move. Though he never got rim with the Superman dunk by definition it was a dunk and I think the way he threw the ball at the rim like he did made it even cooler.
Anyways I don't think the NBA has ever been in a better state right now, they have young guys that aren't trouble makers, aren't sexually assaulting people getting gun charges or pulling out there guns, they're genuinely likeable guys. Who can hate guys like Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Deron Williams, Brandon Roy and if Greg Oden gets healthy he'll be a great addition to the league with his personality. And that's only naming a few, I feel like the league is getting a new influx of talent not seen since the early 80's. I just hope people can shake the perception of NBA players because of a few bad apples, because the league was way worse 10 15 and 20 years ago. I just hope people can realize these guys aren't mailing it in night after night and all about the money and don't have 15 man entourages with bitches and ho's running rampant. If people get these perceptions that the NBA carries out of there head they'll realize this is the best sport to watch for the common man. I find it easier to watch a random basketball game that my team isn't affiliated with much more than baseball and football, and pit a team like Phoenix vs. the Lakers that makes for great basketball.
But this is one of the most exciting times in league history with the Western conference being arguably the best conference in the history of basketball rivalling the NFC of the late 80's and early 90's and the AFC of the last 5 or so years and the Eastern conference in the 80's. But when you have 9 potential teams to get 50 wins in 1 conference you know you have something special. Then you have teams like the Pistons, Celtics, Cavs and Magic in the Eastern conference. The Celtics/Pistons series can be an epic series if they happen to meet each other but Lebron might will his team to victory like last year despite having some of the worst talent in the league. The 2 games of the C's and Pistons were some of the most intense grind it out games of the year. And the league is salivating over the possibility of the Lakers and Celtics meeting in the finals, and if Bynum comes back healthy and the team gels it's a possibility because the C's have some of the best defense I've seen in some time just swarming to the ball.
Isn't it funny how Kobe wants a trade in the summer and then 6 months later his team is a top team in the league and bends over Memphis for Gasol to make there frontline the tallest in the league. My how things always work out for the Lakers. But I did think that the Lakers could be scary this year before the season (but I thought that last year until they got the injury bug)
Finally just get read for the 2nd half because it's going to be one of the most exciting 2nd halfs in league history whether or not Dirk, Kidd and the Mavs are in it or not.
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