Current Mavericks

[Coach]

This is who the Mavs have (or will soon) under contract for next season after the draft last night:

PG: Harris, Delk, Spanoulis

SG: Finley, Stackhouse, Howard, Steffanson

SF: Nowitzki, Najera, Wahad

PF: Walker, Fortson, Leattner

C: Bradley, Podkolzine

Here are the free agents:

Nash, Daniels, Best, Williams

I thought I would share that because it's been hard to keep up the last couple of days. Several of the guys can play more than one position, I just put them somewhere to get an idea of they are dealing with right now.

Is this a good team to keep? Who do they trade for Shaq? You can see if the salaries match here.

Personally, I don't see how Stackhouse stays, and I think they would like to get rid of dopehead Leattner, but if he stays, he does add some depth and his contract comes up after next season. Harris was a good pick if Nash is going to be gone...or even if he will stay because Nash does wear down with the way he goes all out all the time.

Edited June 25, 2004 by Coach

[Guest e-bone]

The Mavs are in a good situation right now. They have so many players that have trade value, there is no way that they are done dealing. Podkolzine is very intriguiging, and I kind of hope the Mavs hang onto him to see just how good he turns out to be. I bet that the Mavs either keep him, or he is included in a trade for Shaq that involves Nash, Walker, and a couple of other people.

[Greenblood94]

Every time I see video of Pavel Podkolzine, I see the second coming of Gheorghe Muresan...

[Coach]

No, he's far from that.

The reason all the NBA scouts fell in love with him was his agility, ball handling, and outside touch...not exactly the things you heard about Mursean (sp?..who cares) when he came along.

I'm afraid he may be too outside oriented, but I haven't seen him play, and am not gonna pretend I have, so I can't say anything.

[Guest e-bone]

All I know is that he is huge. One thing that is strange is that I've seen him listed at 245lbs and 300lbs, which is a pretty big difference. If he weighs 245lbs, then he is skinnier than Shawn Bradley, and that is not a good thing. If he weighs 300lbs, then weighs about the same as Yao Ming. Also, since he is 19 he still has a few years to fill out. Another thing I would like to see is if he has relatively short arms like Yao, or if he has longer arms.

[UNTLifer]

Lloyd, Nemphius, Blab, Garnett, Farmer, Wennington, Bradley. Podkolzine, etc.... Just another in a long line of big white men with limited skills.

[Guest e-bone]

Lloyd, Nemphius, Blab, Garnett, Farmer, Wennington, Bradley. Podkolzine, etc....  Just another in a long line of big white men with limited skills.

When did you see him play?

[PerryG2480]

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

[Coach]

I'm with you on that. Steve Nash is my favorite Maverick, but Dirk and Shaq would be next to unstoppable. No player is bigger than a team, so as much as I like Steve, I'm a Mavs fan first and foremost.

[UNTLifer]

When did you see him play?

He averaged 2 pts. and 2 boards a game in the ITALIAN league. That is all I need to know.

[Guest e-bone]

He averaged 2 pts. and 2 boards a game in the ITALIAN league. That is all I need to know.

All you need to know is that he 19 years old, and 7'5" tall. He was playing in professional leagues against grown men while kids his age in the U.S. were playing in high school against 6' pip squeeks. I can't believe you are writing off a player because he didn't dominate European pro leagues in his middle teens.

[Coach]

Also, overseas, veterans get all the PT no matter how good the young guys are. They say it's like every coach is Larry Brown and they won't play young guys over older ones no matter what they show in practice.

[UNTLifer]

All you need to know is that he 19 years old, and 7'5" tall. He was playing in professional leagues against grown men while kids his age in the U.S. were playing in high school against 6' pip squeeks. I can't believe you are writing off a player because he didn't dominate European pro leagues in his middle teens.

And by the time he matures, his contract will be up, he'll become an unrestricted free agent and some other team will reap the benefits, if there are any.

You enjoy being confrontational, don't you.

[Coach]

Darko Milicic averaged a whopping 7.6 points in his european career, and he was taken ahead of Carmelo Anthony.

The young guys just don't get a lot of PT over there, it's not so much an indication of his skills (none of us have seen him play and can really have an opnion on that), but an indication of his ranking on his team due to experience and age.

[Guest e-bone]

And by the time he matures, his contract will be up, he'll become an unrestricted free agent and some other team will reap the benefits, if there are any.

You enjoy being confrontational, don't you.

You do realize that Mark Cuban is the owner of the Mavericks, not Donald Sterling? If Podkolzine turns out to be good, I seriously doubt that Mark Cuban would let him get away. It took a few years for Dirk Nowitzki to mature and adjust to the NBA, and he was then signed to a long term contract. Based on that, I fail to see how you came to your conclusion, since there has been nothing to idicate that Mark Cuban is going to start pinching pennies anytime soon.

I'm sorry if it seems I am being confrontational. I'm really a nice guy, but I get irritated when people say things that aren't very smart.

I just went back and re read this thread, and I don't see how you think I'm being confrontational. Is it because I have a different opinion? Because if it is, then that goes along with what I've seen on this board. If you don't share someone's opinion they start questioning your loyalty or say you are negative or confrontational.

Edited June 26, 2004 by e-bone

[UNTLifer]

You don't see how you are being confrontational?

but I get irritated when people say things that aren't very smart.

Sorry if I took this comment as a shot at my thoughts on the Big Russian. I hope he pans out, but I see him being another European bust along the lines of the guy they picked from Serbia years ago. Anstey from Australia was another big white guy they said could run the floor like no other big man. I wonder where he is now?

[Coach]

Look at it this way, they traded a future 1st round pick for him. That will probably be a pick in the mid to high 20's, so that isn't a very high price to pay for a gamble at all.

Also, like I pointed out with Milicic's European stats, young guys don't get to play much over there. Darko averaged 7.6 points per game over three years, and that was enough to be drafted 2nd overall over Carmelo Anthony. Using European stats to translate into NBA potential is next to impossible. Donnie Nelson said he has been watching this guy play for years and wanted him enough to trade for him.

I am very skeptical of this guy, but until I see him play I will give Donnie the benefit of the doubt. I will also try not to be too hard on him at first, because everyone was writing off Dirk after his first year and I'm sure glad the Nelsons didn't follow suit and gave him time to mature and become an elite player.

I don't expect Podkolzine to be Dirk, or half a Dirk, but I think it is a relatively safe gamble to see if there is something there.

Edited June 27, 2004 by Coach

[Guest JohnDenver]

Look e-bone ... you are very confrontational.

You say thing like (sic):

"You aren't very knowledgable about basketball"

"Anyone who knows anything about basketball..."

"Obviously you ...."

You add an extra rub to each of your posts. It isn't about differing opinions, it is about subtle insults with your opinions.

Perhaps you are just one of those people, but it is hard to imagine you can't see it.

[Guest e-bone]

You don't see how you are being confrontational?

Sorry if I took this comment as a shot at my thoughts on the Big Russian. I hope he pans out, but I see him being another European bust along the lines of the guy they picked from Serbia years ago. Anstey from Australia was another big white guy they said could run the floor like no other big man. I wonder where he is now?

I said that after you said I was being confrontational in response to you saying that the Mavs wouldn't be able to sign Podkolzine after his first contract was up, even though Mark Cuban signs every player he wants to keep without exception. I thought we were debating since we have different opinions, but you seemed to take something personally. So I would like to know why you think I was being confrontational before that.

Back to the debate. Sure, there have been busts, but there has been players like Dirk who have exceeded expectations and become top tier players in the NBA. I'm not expecting Podkolzine to be near as good as Dirk, but the fact remains that he is 7'5" and he doesn't have to be as good as Dirk to be a contributor to the team.

[Guest e-bone]

Look e-bone ... you are very confrontational.

You say thing like (sic):

"You aren't very knowledgable about basketball"

"Anyone who knows anything about basketball..."

"Obviously you ...."

You add an extra rub to each of your posts. It isn't about differing opinions, it is about subtle insults with your opinions.

Perhaps you are just one of those people, but it is hard to imagine you can't see it.

PMs would seem a better way to handle this, instead of being confrontational about it.

I really am not a confrontational person, anyone who knows me would tell you that. But while I'm not confrontational, I don't really kiss up to people and sugar coat everything I say to make sure that no one is offended. I would think we are all mature enough here to not get offended by what is said on an internet message board, especially when people are debating on things in which they have differing opinions. Oviously that is not the case all of the time, or we would not be having this discussion.

I guess part of the problem is that I word things badly sometimes(like what I said to Perry, which I apologized for), other times I just get really irritated when people say things that are not very well thought out, and sometimes it's both. Either they didn't think through what they are saying or they are talking about something in which they have nothing substantial to base their opinion on.

I am not shy about voicing my opinion and I'm not going to put a smiley face at the end of every post and beat around the bush just to make sure that everyone likes me and will be buddies with me. I don't really think that is something I can change, so maybe if people know that then they won't think I'm trying to start an argument for the sake of starting an argument.

Edited June 27, 2004 by e-bone

[Coach]

There was just a scout on ESPN Radio talking about Pavol.

He said that he went to Europe to a camp that Pavol was in, Donnie Nelson ran the camp. He said that Pavol was dominant and showed a ton of skills and emphasized that he was NOT Muresean. He also said that Pavol was rated as high as the 3rd best pick on some people's board, and they got him very cheap. He said to be patient and could pay off big.

I thought that was interesting that Donnie had his eye on this guy for a long time and was operating in relative obscurity until that big man's camp where Pavol ran the point and wowed all the scouts. They still got him for a good price though. I want to see him play, everyone is insisting this is a 7'5 guy with good movement and passing.

[Guest e-bone]

From what I've been reading, it seems he dropped to the 21st pick because he was injured somehow a month or two before the draft.

[UNTLifer]

I said that after you said I was being confrontational in response to you saying that the Mavs wouldn't be able to sign Podkolzine after his first contract was up, even though Mark Cuban signs every player he wants to keep without exception. I thought we were debating since we have different opinions, but you seemed to take something personally. So I would like to know why you think I was being confrontational before that.

Back to the debate. Sure, there have been busts, but there has been players like Dirk who have exceeded expectations and become top tier players in the NBA. I'm not expecting Podkolzine to be near as good as Dirk, but the fact remains that he is 7'5" and he doesn't have to be as good as Dirk to be a contributor to the team.

I think John Denver pointed out how you are confrontational and have been in the past. You can chalk it up to "I don't sugar coat things....I speak my mind, etc..." but when you make personal comments about someone's post, expect to get feedback from them. If you are going to dish it out, don't be upset when it comes back around to you.

[Guest e-bone]

I think John Denver pointed out how you are confrontational and have been in the past.  You can chalk it up to "I don't sugar coat things....I speak my mind, etc..." but when you make personal comments about someone's post, expect to get feedback from them.  If you are going to dish it out, don't be upset when it comes back around to you.

Don't worry, I'm not getting upset. I want people to tell me when I'm wrong or out of line, because I don't feel bad about doing the same to others when we are debating something or if I think someone says something that doesn't make any sense or is not logical.

I now ask for the third time, please tell me what I said in this thread that made you say "You enjoy being confrontational, don't you.". I would really and truly like to know what I said for you to say I was being confrontational to you.

[UNTLifer]

I now ask for the third time, please tell me what I said in this thread that made you say "You enjoy being confrontational, don't you.". I would really and truly like to know what I said for you to say I was being confrontational to you.

Like I and JD stated earlier, it is not necessarily just this post, this tone seems to be a common one when you disagree with people. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with having a differing opinion, but when you use phrases such as: "I get irritated when people say things that aren't very smart" people tend to react. The above quote is just another way of saying, "Don't be a dumba$$" which tends to make people defensive.

I don't really care if you agree with my opinion or not. I still think the 7'5" Russian, that averaged 2pts and 2 rebounds in the Italian league, is not worthy of a 1st round draft pick. Just My opinion.