HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Game one of the NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat was exactly what we thought it would be.
It was a close defensive struggle. Dirk Nowitzki ‘got his’. So did The Big Three, who tallied 65 of Miami’s 92 points.
However, the difference was LeBron James. The much scrutinized King dominated both ends of the floor for his Heat.
Anyway, click the link, watch the highlights, and get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
--Oly Sandor.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: He’s a long way from the David Hasselhoff jokes.
Dirk Nowitzki has been arguably the best player in the 2011 playoffs, and tomorrow he’ll compete for a championship against the Miami Heat. Watch the video and get at us with thoughts in the comment box below.
--Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
How much does J.J. Barea concern the Heat? They're actually putting him in the same sentences as the league’s Most Valuable Player. With a straight face. “If you don’t treat him with the same type of respect as we did with Derrick Rose he can really come in and have an impact on the game,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I’m sure there will be some possessions where LeBron will be on him."
HoopsVibe`s Very Quick Call: Five years after losing a heartbreaking series to the Miami Heat, the Dallas Mavericks are heading back to the NBA Finals.
Fourth quarter defence, Shawn Marion, and Dirk Nowitzki were the keys to the Mavericks` 100-96 game-five, series-clinching win over the Thunder.
Click the link for video highlights and get at us with thoughts in the comment box below on the Mavericks winning the Western Conference.
--Oly Sandor.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: It was enough to almost make your forget Blake Griffin.
Key word: almost.
Instead of taking the easy lay-up, Mo Williams tossed it up for the Los Angeles Clippers’ other high-flying youngster: DeAndre Jordan. The end result was a Dirk Nowitzki poster job.
Get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box with thoughts on the Williams-to-Jordan alley-oop.
--Oly Sandor.
Despite Toronto losing Chris Bosh and making little progress this season, team president Bryan Colangelo is returning to run the team, according the several league sources. That could be good news for D'Antoni, whose offense has been a bad fit for Anthony.
D'Antoni, who worked under Colangelo in Phoenix, might be out of a job if Walsh leaves the Knicks at season's end. For now, the Raptors plan to bring back coach Jay Triano, despite their awful season. But if D'Antoni becomes available, Triano could be jettisoned. Whether it's D'Antoni or Triano, the Raptors want to build around rookie big-man Ed Davis and second-year guard DeMar DeRozan. They're said to be open to moving Andrea Bargnani, who has been anything but an impact player since entering the league in 2007 as the No. 1 overall pick.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: It would appear Toronto Raptors’ GM Bryan Colangelo is finally ‘being somewhat real’ about Andrea Bargnani.
Bargnani is a nice offensive player, with a skill-set that can create mismatches. That’s it, though.
Bargnani is not the next Dirk Nowitzki. Bargnani is not an All-Star. Bargnani is not, and never will be, a competent rebounder or defender. And Bargnani was not worth the first overall pick in the 2006 draft.
Face it: Colangelo’s experiment has failed. Miserably.
It’s only now with the cover of an extension that Toronto’s Former Golden Boy will admit making a mistake.
The Raptors gave Bargnani every chance to succeed. They had to. They had to justify drafting the Italian ahead of LaMarcus Aldridge or Brandon Roy –despite the swing’s recent injuries.
Returns on Bargnani were mediocre, but Colangelo still rewarded him with a 5-year, $50 million extension in 2009, despite being a year away from free agency.
And Bargnani still started and logged heavy minutes, even though his finesse game wasn’t a fit in Coach Jay Triano’s system.
Bottom line: Bargnani isn’t an asset. He’s a liability. The team is far better developing Ed Davis, Amir Johnson, James Johnson, and franchise face in waiting DeMar DeRozan.
Bargnani’s isn’t a bust. His game is simply better suited to being a sixth-man than a superstar. Similar to Danilo Gallinari with the Denver Nuggets, he could excel as a scorer off the bench.
That can’t happen in Toronto, though. Expectations will always be sky high and unrealistic because of management.
Look for Colangelo, a master of the deal, to cover himself by finding a taker for Bargnani. And when that happens, he’ll again spin the situation in a well orchestrated press conference.
After all, Colangelo can’t be totally real in a media hot-bed such as Toronto. With three national sports channels, two national radio stations, five daily newspapers, and demanding fans, he can only concede so much.
Such is life in Toronto, especially with a mistake like Bargnani.
--Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
The Mavericks don’t plan to rush to the trade market in the wake of Caron Butler’s knee injury, according to sources with knowledge of the team’s thinking.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Suppose Caron Butler’s knee injury forces him to miss the season. How do the Dallas Mavericks replace the scrappy and talented Butler?
Well, the Mavericks have $5 million in available cap space through an injury exemption clause on Butler’s $10 million salary. However, a trade isn’t a given. Expect Team Cuban to first try to fill the void internally through a platoon.
So DeShawn Stevenson and Jason Terry will get additional minutes. The promising Roddy Beaubois will also have an opportunity when he returns from injury in a few weeks.
Of course, Dirk Nowitzki, as the Mavs’ superstar, will ultimately be responsible for the team’s fate without Butler. However, the former MVP is still out with his own injury.
If Coach Rick Carlisle can’t find an in-house solution, then the Mavericks will look to add outside talent with a trade.
--Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
The Wizards will re-sign forward Josh Howard, according to a source. Washington acquired Howard along with Drew Gooden, James Singleton and Quinton Ross in a February trade with Dallas.
Howard will sign a one-year worth close to $4 million deal with the Wizards, Howard's consultant Derek Lafayette told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
“It would already have to be an unbelievable situation to go somewhere, for instance with LeBron or Wade just to play in Miami,” Dirk said (in the Gooogle-translated version). “I would only be changed if it was an incredible situation that would have been offered. (Had LeBron and Wade asked), that would have been a situation where I would have to consider.”
HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Suppose LeBron James and Dwyane Wade call. Suppose they suggest becoming teammates. Suppose they suggest doing this in the tropical and exotic location of South Beach.
What would you say?
Credit Dirk Nowitzki for being honest and admitting he’d have had interest. However, the German MVP would have likely stayed with the Dallas Mavericks.
Nowitzki is loyal. He wouldn’t turn his back on friend and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. He wouldn’t have left Dallas, where he has played his entire career.
Miami would have been an awkward fit, too. In the 2006 NBA Finals, Nowitzki and the Mavericks lost to Wade and the Heat -despite leading the series 2-0.
There’s no guarantee Nowitzki, a natural scorer, would gel with James and Wade. Chris Bosh, Miami’s third superstar, will be a better fit on-and-off court with The King and Flash.
Expect Nowitzki to continue leading a competitive Dallas squad. Perhaps his loyalty to the Mavericks will eventually be rewarded with an NBA championship.
--Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
The Dallas Mavericks got the answer they were hoping for Saturday night: Dirk Nowitzki has pledged to re-sign with the only team he's ever played for.
The deal, sources said, is worth at least $80 million and includes a no-trade clause, with Nowitzki making good on a longstanding offer to Cuban to take less than the maximum $96.2 million he could have received over the next four seasons in exchange for assurances that the Mavericks will use that financial flexibility to ramp up their efforts to acquire a top-tier sidekick.
HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Player and team got it done.
Like Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics, Dirk Nowitzki re-signed with the only team he has ever played for, taking far less than the maximum available salary so the Dallas Mavericks could find him a co-star.
The former MVP will still earn a good wage: $20 million annually for each of the next four seasons. Best of all, he gets his no-trade clause.
With Nowitzki returning, the Mavericks will now focus on upgrading the roster. Mark Cuban will try and ultimately fail to work a sign-and-trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers for Lebron James.
And despite the New Orleans Hornets' firm denials, Chris Paul is available. Expect Team Cuban to chase CP3.
However, Dallas had to have Nowitzki. He has been the franchise, and will be for years to come.
--Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at us in the comment box below.
Add one more marquee name to the most anticipated free-agent class in NBA history: Paul Pierce.
The All-Star forward has notified the Boston Celtics that he will opt out of the final year of his contract before Wednesday's deadline, which will make Pierce an unrestricted free agent for the first time.
HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce will finish what they started with the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics.
These star forwards will spend their entire careers with Team Cuban and the green-and-white, but first there is a little business to attend to.
Nowitzki and Pierce are opting-out of their current contracts, leaving millions of dollars on the table, and becoming free agents for two reasons.
First, they want to score lucrative extensions before player salaries are scaled back under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. And the Mavericks and Celtics can offer the most money.
Second, players with eight years service in the league and the last four with the same team are eligible for a no-trade clause. Nowitzki and Pierce have spent their careers in one place, so they'll demand - and likely get - this rare provision. Kobe Bryant is the only current NBA player with a no trade clause.
Expect Dallas and Boston to re-up with Nowitzki and Pierce early in the free agent process. And both will turn their attention to recruiting talent for their respective clubs.
After all, they won't be going anywhere. They'll be armed with no-trade clauses.
Got thoughts?
There are all kinds of people in that conversation. LeBron James has said he is the ringleader. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson ... it's a who's who of this year's free agent class. In terms of having a lot at stake, those players are at the top of the list with the owners, staffs and fans of the various teams.
But there is another interested party no one has mentioned: Nike, and its affiliated Jordan brand.
That is a giant corporation with a lot of branding tied up in basketball, and specifically the footwear of the best basketball players in the world, including James, Bosh, Wade and Johnson as well as Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki and dozens more who could change teams this year. Where they all end up will not just determine the fortunes of various NBA teams, but also the abilities of those players to inspire fans to buy shoes.
Link to article by Henry Abbott on ESPN Truehoop
Players like Chris Bosh, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade view themselves as brands and value their lucrative relationships with Nike.
These players have people whose job is to figure out the impact playing for a certain team will have on sponsors. For instance, fact or fiction, much has been speculated about Nike wanting James in the world’s largest media market, New York City.
Clearly, The Great Free Agent Chase of 2010 is about the business of basketball, and not so much the game of basketball.
Got thoughts on Nike’s role in the free agent summit?
Instead, they held a team meeting on Sunday, then spoke of the joys of the season and the hopes that it was only the beginning. Whether that future includes Amar'e Stoudemire is the big uncertainty.
Stoudemire said only that he would begin his evaluation process on Monday. Team owner Robert Sarver and general manager Steve Kerr wouldn't address the issue. Suns coach Alvin Gentry said "you would expect" Stoudemire to opt out of his contract and test the free agent market.
HoopsVibe's Quick Call: Today, I was listening to a radio show, where the hosts referred to Amar'e Stoudemire as 'fools gold'.
They complained that STAT doesn't play an ounce of defense for Phoenix and believed this would prevent him from getting a max' offer when he inevitably opts out July 1st and hits free agency.
These opinions aren't new. But reporter Bruce Arthur of The National Post raised an interesting scenario: Stoudemire opts-out and Steve Nash convinces his old buddy Dirk Nowitzki, who is also a free agent, to replace him in the Suns' frontcourt.
To be fair, Arthur classified this as a remote possibility. After all, Nowitzki has a bond with the Dallas Mavericks and owner Mark Cuban.
However, nothing is so far fetched that it couldn't happen in this current climate of free agency and change.
Who replaces Stoudemire if he leaves The Valley of The Sun?
The Dallas Mavericks are expecting star forward Dirk Nowitzki to opt out of his contract late next month and become an unrestricted free agent July 1, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com.
The Mavericks, though, continue to negotiate with Nowitzki on an extension in hopes of convincing him to preempt his free agency. They remain confident the leading scorer in franchise history will stay with the only NBA team with which he's played, even if Nowitzki winds up joining the most anticipated free-agent class in league history.
HoopsVibe's Call: In the words of EPMD, it's 'business never personal'.
Money is forcing Dirk Nowitzki to consider using his opt-out; he has little desire to leave the Dallas Mavericks. By becoming an unrestricted free agent this July, the former MVP can get more money from the current Collective Bargaining Agreement than if he played the final year of his contract and negotiated a new deal under the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.
However, it's in both Nowitzki and Dallas' interests to get a new pact done -and soon. After all, the big German, if signed, could be used to lure a top free agent this summer.
Mark Cuban understands that Dirk and the Mavericks - unlike Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith (EPMD) - should stick together, so expect the renegade owner to reward his star employee and friend with a massive extension.
Will Cuban keep Nowitzki? Why? Why not? Get at us in the comment box below with thoughts.
Cuban would not elaborate on whether a three-year extension might already be on the table for Nowitzki. That would be the longest addition the Mavericks could tack on at the moment. It could be worth the maximum allowed, approximately $75 million.
"I'm not proud of my inability over the last 10 years to have an impact like I want to have, so I kind of feel like I owe fans an apology, but that's just the way this business goes, but congratulations to the Spurs."
Cubes can't be pleased his franchise has flamed out in the first round yet again. If you're keeping score at home, the Mavericks were the first one seed ever to lose to an eight in a best-of-seven series, and yesterday they became the first two seed ever to lose to a seven over a full series. Still, there's always next season. - CYE
But in a moment of level-headed reflection amid the disappointment, Nowitzki added: "Everything's too fresh right now. I've got some time to think about some stuff."
Worry not, Dallas fans: Dirk's just butt-hurt after another disappointing series. Mark Cuban will do everything he can to remind Dirk that he's a Mav at heart, and the seven-footer will be back in Dallas next season. - CYE