PerryG2480

Seriously bad news. Yeah, he could only play 30-35 minutes a game, but when he was out there he was usually great. I mean how many games did he have last year where he had more than 10 assists? He wasn't exactly turnover prone either. Ah well, let's start growing Daniels and Harris if we keep him.

I really hope this is just a rumor.

Everything sounds good. 5 minute quarters, turning off HFA if you can (coin flip otherwise), default rosters, etc. Also...no "cheesing" please. For example, choosing Missouri, selecting a deep route with 4 or 5 receivers, letting them go way out, and running Brad Smith out of the pocket into the open field for at least 10 yards every time. I've lost some very frustrating games to people who do stuff like that. <_<

I've got one more GameCube here and would definitely be game.

I kinda hope we get him here just so I can hear an interview between Shaq and his alter-ego...Newy Scruggs.

Wow, what a landslide. I love the NCAA games, and I don't think I've ever spent more time playing one game as I did with 2003. I too am REALLY hoping we get a "Mean Green" mention and an updated Fouts scoreboard into the game.

As much as I would hate to see Nash go, get Dirk and Shaq here together, and I'm pretty much happy.

Now they trade a future pick with Utah to bring in that really freakin' tall Pavel whatever guy from Europe. Hey, if nothing else, we've got a true center to try to grow into a star...at least we do for the moment.

Washington (Dallas) takes Devin Harris out of Wisconsin with the 5th overall pick. Who knows what team he'll actually end up playing for? This could mean lots of things...the first thing that crossed my mind, is Dallas planning on losing Nash to free agency or in a trade? Do they want to be that young at the point...especially with Daniels? They mentioned a possible trade down with Philly for the 9th pick and Glenn Robinson? PLEASE don't bring the Big Dog down here...he's not the same as he used to be...and does he do anything but shoot the ball and occasionally get a rebound? Sorry for the rant, this is all too confusing.

The team from two years ago did have a certain swagger to it. Van Exel and Bell added some attitude that is missed in my opinion. LaFrentz was a decent center away from the basket...but I don't really remember him being a better defender/rebounder than even Najera. Walt Williams was pretty much an inconsistent offensive spark off the bench, I'd take Jamison over him any day. Anyway, they had a good run in the playoffs that year, largely in part to Nick Van Exel. I don't know if that team would have fared any better against the Spurs or the Lakers this year though.

Man, Aaron...if that scenario you described turns into a reality, that would be too cool. The media is still saying that Shaq AND Dirk will not be in Dallas together, but who knows? I think the Lakers might want more for Shaq than Walker, Stackhouse, Laettner, and a top 5 pick. This is all too crazy...at the same time, I'm excited to see how it turns out. Great picture, by the way.

But there have been confirmed statements that Mark Cuban is working on a proposed trade to present to them. I think the first phone call will not involve Dirk. LA will say no without Dirk, and Dallas will hang up. Dallas will call back though, and I think they should.

http://msn.espn.go.com/espy2004/index.html One of the toughest ones to call was the "Best Play" category. I don't like the Lakers, but Fisher's shot with .4 seconds left was amazing. I had to vote for the Saints multi-lateral touchdown...let's not forget that they went on to miss the extra point!

Yeah, the T-Mac thing was a huge pipe dream. I think that this was a really good trade for the Rockets, and it's actually not too bad for the Magic either. Like e-bone said, get the Rockets a halfway decent point guard to go with McGrady, Yao, Howard, and Jackson...look out. Shaq talks continued this morning on the station. Everyone is still listing Dallas as a front-runner. I guess we'll have to see.

Found this article at NBA.com: Jun 19, 10:57 PM McGrady, Shaq going to Mavs? Magic star wants to play with O'Neal BY JOHN DENTON FLORIDA TODAY ORLANDO -- Magic fans already staggered by the declaration that Tracy McGrady has likely played his last game in Orlando might want to sit and brace themselves for this one. The coming days could evolve into what would assuredly be a Magic fan's worst nightmare. McGrady, expected to be traded any day now by the Magic, wants to play with Shaquille O'Neal next season. O'Neal, of course, jilted the Magic eight years ago when he shockingly left as a free agent for Los Angeles. Apparently, it was no coincidence that on the same day sources claimed McGrady has no plans of returning to the Magic and wants to be traded that O'Neal also told reporters that he wants out of Los Angeles. McGrady and O'Neal are part-time neighbors in suburban Orlando and friends to the point that McGrady often refers to Shaq as "my big brother." Now, the two have discussed in depth a plan that would unite them in Dallas while playing for owner Mark Cuban. "We talk all the time about it," McGrady told FLORIDA TODAY on Saturday. "Me and the Big Fella are trying to get to Dallas together now." McGrady said he didn't want to get into a war of words with the Magic and wasn't ready yet to officially disclose his desire to be traded. But a team source beat him to the punch Friday, admitting McGrady had asked out of Orlando and that a blockbuster deal would likely come this week. Magic general manager John Weisbrod didn't deny the report, but also refused to confirm it. He and McGrady's Los Angeles-based agent, Arn Tellem, have agreed not to discuss negotiations publicly until a deal is done. "I certainly will not confirm that T-Mac's going to be traded," Weisbrod said. "But I'm going to continue to say on T-Mac what I've said for the last month, which is that Arn and I are in discussions. We were in discussions late (Friday) night and we were in discussions early (Saturday) morning. We will be in discussions (Saturday) afternoon." It's a long shot whether McGrady and O'Neal can actually play in Dallas together. O'Neal is scheduled to make $27.7 million next season, while McGrady is due $14.4 million. Both can opt out of their contracts following next season. Under NBA rules, the Mavericks would have to send contracts within 15 percent of O'Neal's and McGrady's back to the Lakers and Magic to make the trades work. The Mavs have plenty of big-salaried players -- Antoine Walker ($14.6 million), Michael Finley ($14.6 million), Dirk Nowitzki ($12.5 million), Antawn Jamison ($11.3 million) and Tariq Abdul-Wahad ($6.7 million) -- but it's debatable whether the Lakers or Magic would want anyone other than Nowitzki. "It's news to me," Cuban wrote of the McGrady-Shaq plan in an e-mail Saturday. "I can only hope." Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Friday that "going into this offseason, it was our plan to be very active." A more likely trade option for the Magic could be with Houston or Indiana. Indiana was thought to have the edge, but the Rockets have apparently crept into the lead for McGrady's services. Weisbrod said he expects the McGrady matter to be resolved by Thursday's draft, when the Magic will pick first overall. One scenario is that the Magic will work out a trade with Houston or Phoenix, but not announce it for another two weeks. Because of base-year compensation contract rules, Houston point guard Steve Francis and Phoenix forward Shawn Marion can't be traded until after July 1. The All-Star players would likely have to be included in any deal the Magic works with those teams. Weisbrod even hinted that a deal might go down this week, but it would not be public until after July 1. "Yes, I expect to know," Weisbrod said when asked if he expects resolution in the McGrady matter before the draft. "I can't say that I would expect that to be public information. I have every intention of knowing where that's going when we make these (draft) decisions." The Pacers, meanwhile, have an overflow of talent at the two forward positions and are in great need of the scoring that McGrady, the league's two-time scoring champ, could provide. Also, the Pacers also are hungry to reload after getting beaten in the Eastern Conference Finals by Detroit. Indiana might be willing to offer a package that includes small forward Ron Artest, the league's reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and promising power forwards Al Harrington and Jonathan Bender. Because their three salaries equal $19 million, the Magic might have to include either Juwan Howard or Drew Gooden to make the trade work. "I had some conversations (with Weisbrod)," Pacers CEO/President Donnie Walsh admitted to the Indianapolis Star on Saturday night. "They listened and they were going to talk to McGrady and then they were going to get back to me. They haven't gotten back to me. We have interest and we talked about several players. That's where it was left." Another factor in a potential Indiana-Orlando trade is that McGrady and Pacers' Jermaine O'Neal are close friends. Both are represented by Tellem, as is Pacers veteran guard Reggie Miller. Tellem is one of the most powerful agents in sports and was originally against McGrady coming to Orlando when he signed in 2000. Tellem, who favored Chicago then, could be pushing now for McGrady to move on. "I don't know that I get a sense of Arn's personal opinion," Weisbrod said. "Obviously, Arn's responsibility is to represent the kid and I think obviously the kid's been all over the board emotionally. It's a tough thing and it's understandable, he's a little inconsistent but that's pretty understandable. That's a big decision, he loves Orlando and he's a young kid. I think now Arn's job is to stay close to him and make sure he's representing him however he feels that day." McGrady said his session with Magic owner Rich DeVos on Friday "was a great, great meeting. We're still working to try and get on the same page." But Weisbrod referred to the meeting as "window dressing" and "a non-factor of a meeting." Weisbrod was also quick to shoot down the notion that O'Neal might play for the Magic again. He played in Orlando from 1992-96 before bolting for the Lakers. He said he will likely talk to Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak in the coming days, but an O'Neal return was highly unlikely. "Obviously, we've gotten a lot of contact from various places on that subject and I would expect that I would hear from Mitch on that. When we talk about Shaq moving, they know in his mind and his heart this is the natural place he would want to go," Weisbrod said. "But if you look at the financial piece of that, it's almost an impossibility. "He's owed $58 million over the next two years and he's got an opt-out at the end of next year. So conceivably with that opt-out he can (play in Orlando), but short of that, it's pretty close to mathematically impossible. We'd be fielding a roster of seven guys."

Yeah, they just spent a few minutes talking about that on the Goodfellas. They are apparently friends and have houses near each other in Orlando. I think that it's a longshot, but who knows? I think I'd give up the Big Three, Walker, and Howard to make this happen. Your 2004-2005 Dallas Mavericks: Marquise Daniels Tracy McGrady Antawn Jamison Danny Fortson Shaquille O'Neal

Just heard another confirmation on ESPN radio that Mark Cuban IS working on a deal to get Shaq to Dallas. They went on to say it would most likely involve trading 2 of the Big 3 and some filler...even Shawn Bradley . I don't know how I feel about that...you've gotta figure it wouldn't involve Finley with Kobe and Kareem Rush already out there. I hope that Cuban wouldn't trade BOTH Nash and Dirk...I can live with one, but not both. I don't know what he's got in the works, but you've gotta figure it involves some outside-of-the-box thinking.

I agree with most of your points...and a couple we'll just have to agree to disagree, which is perfectly alright. I guess I just don't see Dirk as a superstar that can "lead" a team to a championship. That is yet to be proven though, I know. But without some help on the defensive side, mainly in the post, I don't see the current Mavs getting any farther unless Shaq, Tim, KG, and Webber all go down with injuries. I do like your idea about the trade with the Pacers though.

Cool enough. However, if the Shaq and Kobe points weren't even remote possibilities then why did the Goodfellas spend a good half hour on it this morning? Because it's fun to think about. I almost got tired of it, switched to the Ticket, and they were talking about it there too. I'm a huge Dirk fan, shoot, I'm a huge Mavs fan...have been for a long time. But I would rather see them play championship basketball than watch them be an offensive juggernaut any day. I think Dirk is a top 10 player in the NBA...maybe. If he weren't so one sided I might feel differently. Kobe Bryant IS a top 5 player in the NBA. And Shaq is still capable of putting up 36 points and 20 rebounds. Ask any NBA expert if Shaq is no longer dominant in a league that lacks true centers. I'm not saying it's something that will happen, as it most likely will not. But in my opinion, you'd have to at least consider it. What makes you think the Mavs are going to advance any further with the lineup the way it is currently? As for them playing real basketball, I must have been spoiled by the Jordan years. Those Bulls teams weren't shooting the ball lights out. They played solid defense. Having the best player ever helped a lot too. I don't want to ramble too much, but I think the personality of the Mavericks needs to change. If you're happy going to the first or second round of the playoffs and getting knocked out every year, then fine. As for my comparison of the players, I wasn't going for the literal comparisons there. I was simply making a point that I wish the Mavs would toughen up a lot. I know Finley is no Hamilton, and I know they play totally different styles. The fact of the matter is, they both get a lot of open jumpshots, one way or another. I know Nash plays a different style than Billups, and that's fine. But I don't remember seeing Nash take Kobe Bryant off the dribble and blow by him too many times either. Josh Howard could play a lot like Tayshaun Prince when it comes to hustle plays...he already shows signs. He doesn't need to be a huge offensive threat. How many times did you see Prince run down a loose ball...that doesn't have anything to do with being an inch or two taller. I know Ben Wallace is a rare find, but his tenacity, heart, and effort aren't even close to being matched by anyone on the Mavs right now. I guess a lot of my frustration stems from Don Nelson. I mean, how much of the Pistons' success was brought on by coaching? I don't remember hearing much about Ben Wallace before he came to the Pistons. He played for Rick Carlisle and Larry Brown, a couple of very defensively minded coaches. I think if we could get a coach like that in here, some of our more athletic players could become defensive stoppers (Howard, Daniels, like you mentioned). It's obvious we need a post presence...still. I don't know, bring in anyone...Ratliff, Dampier, I don't care. Push DEFENSE on them, not jumpshots. Sorry for the rant, but I feel that some major restructuring needs to be done when it comes to the Mavs. I know a lot of people have fallen in love with the eye-pleasing basketball...but I want to win championships, and I think when it comes down to it...so does Mark Cuban.

One more thing...They showed Karl Malone sitting on the bench in the final game as Darko entered the game. You could almost read his mind: "THAT guy has an NBA title."

Enlighten me then, E-bone. I was reiterating almost word for word what I heard Newy talking about on the Goodfellas this morning. Why not talk about it? It's interesting conversation, even if it has a very slim chance of ever happening. What about it exactly didn't make sense? Not that I need to prove anything to you, but it would be a safe to say that I know plenty about a sport I've been following fanatically since I was 5. Oh, and the second half of your sentence contradicts the first. No offense of course. And what's with the negative overtones on all of your posts? Just wondering.

Wow, that was a fun series to watch...I never thought I would have said that. The Pistons did it without any "superstars," and they did it with good defense, hustle, not settling for jump shots, and heart (I hope Mark Cuban watched every second of this series <_< ). There was a lot of talk on the sports radio stations this morning about O'Neal mentioning that he'd consider Orlando, Atlanta, and Dallas as places he'd like to play. It's obvious that Kobe and Shaq aren't extremely happy in LA, and if Jackson retires that could seal it. IF there is a chance that the Mavs could get Kobe or Shaq here in exchange for Dirk, Antoine Walker, and some filler....you'd have to at least consider it. I'm a huge Dirk fan, but he's not a top 5 player...and he doesn't really play at both ends of the floor. While I'm dreaming...if Steve Nash could toughen up and become a little bit more like Billups, I'd be happy. If Finley could consistently play at the level of a Rip Hamilton, that'd be good. If Josh Howard could turn into a Tayshaun Prince, I'd be ecstatic. And if we could get someone in here to play with the tenacity of a Ben Wallace, we'd be championship bound. Like I said, I'm dreaming.

Best LB in football right now. Pretty damn passionate about the sport. okay...Mario Elie?

Remember Ken Griffey Jr's gigantic head? Great episode. Dexter Coakley? Undersized, but effective. Will Bill try to replace him? Jamal Holloway

I can't say that I'm an original member of his fan base, but I was at the Groovy Mule a few years back. That was the first time I'd really heard him. I just remember that the music was good, and there was a lot of partying going on. I've been listening ever since. His music still carries some of that in my opinion (I haven't heard the "pop" versions you guys are talking about though). I know it's gotten way too trendy, but when you put on shows like that to college audiences, word is eventually going to spread. Anyway, I'll continue to listen to him and his band...but I had to give up my tickets, couldn't get out of work. <_<