[外電] Dallas Mavericks' Cuban hopes for preemptive strike with
http://tinyurl.com/n8afou
Raid and plunder. That's what NBA teams do when free agency starts while also
trying to make sure they are not raided and plundered.
The second part of that equation led Mark Cuban to New York on Tuesday
evening, waiting for the clock to strike midnight so he could begin
convincing Jason Kidd that the Mavericks remain his best option when it comes
to finishing out his storied career as a fixture, not a rent-a-player, and
still keep a reasonable chance at a championship.
Not next season, necessarily. But before he officially calls it quits.
This shows the Mavericks are taking the prudent, if not splashy, course
during free agency. Keeping Kidd isn't the ultimate piece that will make this
off-season an unqualified success.
However, losing him would leave Antoine Wright as the last asset standing
from the Devin Harris trade of 16 months ago. Cuban would tell you – and
has, by the way – that the Harris trade is eons ago. He'd also point out
that the New Jersey Nets weren't even close to the playoffs last season, even
if Harris was an All-Star.
But if Kidd were to leave for the mid-level exception in New York or
Cleveland, the Mavericks would be left searching for a point guard and with
very few alternatives.
The Knicks are expected to begin wooing Kidd sometime today. And a phone call
from Cleveland's LeBron James is not unexpected. By then, Cuban will have
laid out the Mavericks' game plan to Kidd in financial and strategic form.
The smart money is on Kidd remaining a Maverick. If he does, it opens up more
opportunities for the Mavericks to make pitches to other teams' free agents.
And the landscape was changing by the minute Tuesday.
Milwaukee did not extend a qualifying offer to forward Charlie Villanueva,
who averaged 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds last season. The 6-11 forward plays
the same position as Dirk Nowitzki, but at seven years younger, Villanueva
could provide a nice companion piece to Nowitzki, who plays power forward
differently than just about everybody else.
Might the Mavericks get the Bucks' attention with the expiring contract of
Jerry Stackhouse and one (or more) of their players whose contracts end in
2010 (Erick Dampier or Josh Howard)?
Such a sign-and-trade would be a way to get Villanueva as much money as
Detroit could offer and more than Cleveland could. Surely it's an option
worth exploring.
Along with Villanueva, the Mavericks are expected to look at Rasheed Wallace,
Anderson Varejao, Trevor Ariza, Shawn Marion and Ron Artest, given what's
happened in Houston with Yao Ming's ankle injury. And there certainly will be
others.
But it all begins with Kidd, who really has a simple choice, although it may
not be easy. He can go to New York, where he has family and a home, but will
have to take the mid-level exception, probably between $5 million and $5.5
million.
He can stay with the Mavericks and make perhaps $10 million to $15 million
next season.
Or he can facilitate a sign-and-trade to Cleveland, New York, Portland or
somewhere else, which would at least give the Mavericks something in return.
外電說...
可以跟公鹿先簽後換比克
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