Mavs and Bulls Blockbuster Trade???

PerryG2480 · June 25, 2003

I know this is just speculation, but with the draft this close it deserves some discussion. ESPN.com has the story as a part of their Insider report, which you have to subscribe to. However, I've heard this on the radio today as well as Dallasbasketball.com. We would deal Michael Finley to the Bulls for Donyell Marshall, Marcus Fizer, one other player, and their 1st round draft pick (7th overall). How much better would this make us? Finley has had his ups and downs but is a great team leader. He showed me a lot in the playoffs this past season. Perhaps do it to beef up at power forward, and then use the 7th pick to get a shooting guard? What's everyone think of this?

GT(N)T · June 25, 2003

It always seems like the loser in a one-fer trade is the team that gives up the best player, in this case Finley. Bad trade unless there's someone at # 7 who the Mavs really want. This is a deep draft, so maybe...

IronMan4 · June 26, 2003

I don't think the Mavs will do that. The other player is Eddie Robinson. Robinson can jump as well as anyone in the league, Marshall is a servicable post forward and Marcus Fizer could be pretty good if he gets his head screwed on right. The Bulls have no use for him however with Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry. I think the Mavs would take Pietrus from France who is a SG and the best perimeter defender in the draft. Finley is a Chicago hero, and this trade would be great for the Bulls, it would vault them into the fray of the East, but I don't see the benefits for the Mavs that would outweigh trading a fan favorite and franchise pillar.

emmitt01 · June 26, 2003

I can tell you pretty much what the Mavs are thinking and that they are wrong in thinking this. They're thinking "hey, we have scoring so let's get some guys who aren't afraid to bang a little and play a bit of defense." Neither Marshall nor Fizer are amazing rebounders or defenders really. Either is pretty much Eduardo Najera with a little more scoring and a little less hustle. What they need is a b ig man, a real honest to goodness, no three pointer shooting, big man. This doesn't do that.

IronMan4 · June 27, 2003

The Mavs got Josh Howard in the first round, which I was excited about, they needed a perimeter defender more than anything else. That Finley trade will never happen now because the Bulls got Hinrich (good pick), and I think the Mavs wanted Pietrus (who went to Golden State).

They drafted some Chinese dude in the second round, but Cuban said that pick would be traded to Denver for Houston's second pick next year.

On another note, how in the heck does Luke Walton get drafted in the early second round? He averaged 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. If his last name wasn't Walton he would be talking to European teams right now. I guess he and Madsen will battle it out in the preseason to see who gets the right to sit at the end of bench and wave a towel as the token white guy.