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Lamar Odom: HandsyFirst and foremost, J.J. Barea, Caron Butler and Tyson Chandler are all gone. We are told, over and over again, by the owner that the Mavericks are gearing up for financial "flexibility" under the mean ol' collective bargaining agreement that the owners essentially pushed upon the players.
Remember: The owners won the lockout battle.
What Mark Cuban doesn't really get is that most people understand the new rules. In the future, the penalty for exceeding the luxury tax line is going to be more. No longer can exceed the limit and pay a measly fine. There are teeth to the rules. Again, that the owners set up.
We understand. Cuban noting that the Mavericks are being financially responsible -- like they always have -- is such utter bullshit that it makes my skin crawl.
Cuban is blaming the new CBA for the Mavericks' cost-cutting measures in an effort to go into next summer with a crapload of cap space to get Dwight Howard, Deron Williams or Chris Paul.
Fact is, Cuban's been free and easy with his cash since he bought the team. We understand fully the penalty behind going over the luxury tax line. We also understood that throwing long-term and expensive contracts at Raef Lafrentz, Shawn Bradley, Jason Terry, Brendan Haywood, DeSagana Diop and Michael Finley (who Cuban was paying to play for San Antonio) were not good ideas.
And look at the money spent on Jason Kidd (picking up the $20 million owed from New Jersey), Antoine Walker, Erick Dampier and untold others.
Cuban talks out of both sides of his mouth. On certain days, he's fiscally responsible. He refused to pony up for Steve Nash and now Chandler. The next minute he's calling Bradley the cornerstone of his franchise.
If you look at it this way, look at the cash Dampier and Lafrentz took from this franchise and look at the franchise's best point guard and center walking away when they wanted to stay.
The Mavericks would have been smart to bring Chandler back and in a lockout-shortened season go for another title or two under Dirk Nowitzki without having to hope to get one of the big three (all of which I think will be under long-term contract with another team by May 2012).
However much I might not stand Cuban and his spin control, I'll be damned if the guy doesn't turn in a pretty nice free agency period. The victims:
Lamar Odom
Shocked (SHOCKED!) that the Lakers essentially gave him away. Shocked. Obviously, we don't know what was said or how Odom was able to escape. He was unhappy at being bandied about in trade talks, especially the Chris Paul deal. Instead of reassuring him or revamping trade deals, the Lakers simply let him go for a protected first-round pick, which the Mavericks would have fucked up anyway. Odom's turned into a tremendous player. He has length and can play the three, four or five. He's a good rebounder and passer. Still, shocked that the Lakers let him go. Plus, he's reasonably compensated and coming off the books after the season. Kudos here.
Rudy Fernandez and Corey Brewer
I would only assume that the Odom deal -- unrealized, clearly, by most teams when the Mavericks sent their first-round pick in the 2011 draft to Portland -- made this happen. Fernandez and Brewer were shipped to Denver for a 2016 second-round pick. With Odom, Fernandez would have barely seen the court and Shawn Marion is virtually untradeable with his rather silly contract (although I like him on the team). Brewer would have been behind Fernandez. Everyone keeps pointing to game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers as Brewer's shining moment. You don't keep players on the roster for a 10-minutes stretch in a season. He's an athletic body that couldn't shoot. A killer in the NBA. No love lost here.
J.J. Barea
As noted yesterday, he was going to get overpaid by somebody. The fact that it was the Minnesota Timberswolves should tell you something.
Vince Carter
I'm pretty sure that Cuban, Donnie Nelson and Rick Carlisle are in "Fuck it. We have a title" mode. There's not a bigger locker room killer than Carter. He's quit on more teams than some players have played on. He's all offense. And let me tell you something: The Mavericks are going to start him at the two-guard and it will be a disaster.
Delonte West
Man, if Carter weren't going to kill your chemistry, West surely would. He's an edgy, marginally talented point guard, who has bipolar disorder and who probably slept with Lebron James' mom (I know we're supposed to think this was bunk ... but doesn't someone come out and call it as such at some point?). The Mavericks will rue the day they signed this guy.
Brian Cardinal
The Custodian is back! Cardinal, for as much as he doesn't do, is more valuable than Carter and West combined.
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