Deron to Dallas: Step 1 Complete

Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea were not re-signed by Mark Cuban. The Mavs came out very sluggish to start the 2011-2012 NBA Season. Dirk Nowitzki took two months to start playing like Dirk. Lamar Odom took one game to start playing like a new, humdrum Lamar Odom. Jason Terry lost a shooting touch he has possessed for seven straight seasons. Kevin Durant had a very friendly shooter’s role on his game-winning shot in Game 1 of their sweep over the Mavs. The 2011 NBA Champions failed to respectably defend their championship.

Even though there are so many disappointments to be pointed out from this absurd lockout season, right before it comes to a close, the Mavs had the balls – the Ping-Pong balls bounce their way.

The Brooklyn Nets needed nothing more than one of the top three picks of Wednesday’s NBA Draft Lottery. This was the only way they would hold onto this pick and obtain the piece that would complete the Dwight Howard-to-Brooklyn puzzle. Since they landed the No. 6 spot, their pick now goes to the Portland Trail Blazers, who also have the No. 11 pick, and the Nets temporarily lose their almost destined chance of bringing Superman to town which would have consequently kept Deron Williams in town.

Instead of having this clear advantage in the free-agent market, the Nets have a disgruntled Gerald Wallace in place of an alluring first-round pick while the Dallas Mavericks’ aspirations continue to survive.

Now, Williams has not given any hints or clues relating to where he will end up going. Unlike his superstar-moving counterpart Dwight Howard, D-Will never waivers about what he wants in a franchise or allows people to tell the world what he is going to do. He even recently came out to embarrass Adrian Wojnarowski of CBS Sports and his “source.”

“I would love to know who Adrian Wojnarowski source is bc he knows more about what I’m thinking then I do – maybe they can help me decide?” Williams sarcastically tweeted.

Even though there is no clear sign where the Texas-born player will be headed next season, the Mavs still live to dream another day. If there had been a No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 pick in Brooklyn, the Mavs could say goodbye to their chance. But that didn’t happen, so Cuban and his staff will continue to put together an attractive selling package for Mr. Williams.

Understand this: The Brooklyn Nets and the Dallas Mavericks will do everything they possibly can to convince Deron Williams to wear their respective uniform for the next 82-game NBA season. The Nets crave a media-attracting face that can be attached to this move to Brooklyn while the quickly aging Mavs absolutely require a bridge player that can slowly but surely take the reins from Dirk Nowitzki so he won’t be forced to be a 20+ scorer when he is getting close to his 40s.

Since the Nets didn’t receive the draft position they wanted and Deron Williams will undeniably test free agency once July 1 rolls around, everybody has to play the waiting game now. However, once the date hits, this game won’t last for long. Williams said he wants to choose his next destination before he begins playing in the Olympics. Training camp starts July 6 in Las Vegas and team practices start July 17 in England.

Until Williams makes his organization-changing move, the Mavs will have to settle on a hope for a franchise point guard. Will they get him? I can’t tell you that. His teammates can’t tell you that. His agent can’t tell you that. Even Chris Broussard can’t tell you that.

Only Deron Williams has the answer.

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Easy as 1, 2, 3

 

Bringing D-Will to Dallas should clearly be the Mavs main priority going into this offseason. Well, that priority is in the hands of some Ping-Pong balls.

The NBA uses a lottery system to decide the top three draft picks. Landing the worst record in the NBA will not guarantee the No. 1 overall pick, but it gives the best chance in a game of chance.

 

How the lottery system works:

1. Fourteen Ping-Pong balls are labeled 1 through 14.

2. Each team will receive a certain number of 1,000 possible four-number combinations. (There are 1,001, so one is not provided to the teams.) The worst the record, the more combinations for a team. For example, the Charlotte Bobcats – the team with the worst 2011-2012 record – will be given 250 combinations and the Washington Wizards – the team with the second worst record – will be given 199 combinations and so on until all 14 teams have their appropriate digits.

3. After the balls tumble in the lottery machine for 20 seconds, four Ping-Pong balls come out in a timely manner. The team that received that four-number combination (the order does not matter) automatically takes the first pick.

4. The balls are then replaced, and the same process takes place to decide who will take the next two spots in the draft. If the one combination that is not assigned comes out (what are the odds? oh wait…), officials go through the process again.

5. After the top three picks, the rest of the teams take their placement based on their record. Therefore, the Bobcats can be no lower than fourth.

 

Right before the NBA trade deadline this year, the Portland Trail Blazers sent swingman Gerald Wallace to the New Jersey (soon-to-be-Brooklyn) Nets for some insignificant players and a significant 2012 draft pick protected through No. 3.

What this means is if the Nets land the No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 pick in the draft lottery Wednesday, May 30, that draft pick stays in Brooklyn. If they only fall down to No. 4, off it goes to Rip City.

The Nets finished with the sixth worst record in the league at 22-44. Receiving 63 combinations for this placement, the Nets have a 6.3 percent chance of getting the top pick, a 7.1 percent chance of getting the second pick and a 8.1 percent chance of getting the third pick.

 

So, how do all these numbers for the Nets relate to the Dallas Mavericks?

If these Nets do have luck on their side and get one of these top three picks, consequently keeping the pick, they just landed the key to bringing Dwight Howard to their franchise, and it will then happen.

Through recent transactions and statements made by management, it is blatantly obvious that the Nets main concern is to win right now (which looks to be a difficult task for their franchise of late) instead of building for the future. They have a star point guard in Deron Williams that does not waiver like D12; he knows what he wants in an organization. As an unrestricted free agent this summer, he will choose where he wants to go and not where others tell him to go – what a crazy thought…

If the Ping-Pong balls bounces in the Nets favor, they will use their pick to package a deal for Howard. There is absolutely no other scenario with a top three pick in Brooklyn.

With Howard in Brooklyn, a haven for any professional sports league franchise, there is no doubt that D-Will will choose to sign an extension with the Nets. Yes, Dallas is his hometown, and yes, owner Mark Cuban has always treated his players very well. But come on. Brooklyn? Dwight Howard? Jay-Z? Williams would go no where with Superman flying into town.

The Mavs have one mission this summer: bring Deron Williams home. Don’t be confused – it doesn’t matter what Cuban or Carlisle says to the media because they have to be politically correct about this issue. There are other free agents such as Roy Hibbert, Steve Nash and Eric Gordon that would be solid pieces for the franchise… but target A, B and C is Deron Williams, and everybody in the Mavericks front office knows this.

Not only would this move allow the Mavs to have a franchise point guard for years to come since D-Will said he plans to stay with his next team for the rest of his career, but it leaves the option of Dwight Howard somewhat open. Even though the idea of the “three Ds in Big D” that has swirled through Mavs fans minds seems more unlikely than the New York Knicks deciding to let Jeremy Lin go, Williams coming to Dallas is step one in that two step process, leaving the idea in General Manager and President Donnie Nelson’s dreams.

With a package sending Howard to Brooklyn for another package with a top three pick, the Mavs would have to go to their backup plan… which would be a very apparent backup plan.

Convincing Williams to wear the blue and white instead of the black and white is exceedingly better than any other conceivable Mavericks plan for a multitude of reasons. The main one though pertains to the fact that Cuban forced a “bridge year” on his franchise this last season in order to make a big splash in this summer’s free agent pool. What this means is that Cuban let four key components to a championship squad go (to the great dismay of the Mavs fandom) because of the thought of signing Deron Williams and Dwight Howard this summer. He gave up the legitimate chance to repeat as champions for a tasty future.

Since Howard signed an extension with the Magic for one more season, that leaves Cuban with one fish. The fish that swam through the Colony in Dallas 11 years ago.

So, this Dallas hope of D-Will coming back will stay alive or quickly die with the picking of four white Ping-Pong balls. This hope can all but be dashed as Brooklyn would get their pair of superstars that could match any other superstar duo in the league.

This hope no longer lies in the hands of Deron Williams.

This hope lies in the hands of the official who manages the lottery machine. Good luck, Mark.

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The Unpostable Mavs Post

I cannot write about the Dallas Mavericks and their 4-0 series loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder just yet.

I cannot write about how this team looked too old, too unmotivated and too unqualified to take down the young, electric Thunder. I cannot write about how the Mavs didn’t understand the concept of a hard foul when Russell Westbrook or James Harden pounded the paint throughout this series. I cannot write about how Jason Terry had one of his worst seasons in Dallas, unable to find any consistency at any point this season. I cannot write about how Terry personified the entire team and their inability to find their stride and look like a team defending their championship title with pride. I cannot write about Lamar Odom’s detrimental impact on the team for the first 57 games of the season and how he was doing some tough sit-ups while his team lost all hope of repeating as NBA champs. I cannot write about Brendan Haywood finishing up one of the worst campaigns from a Dallas Maverick starting center with his 2012 playoffs average of 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds. I cannot write about the silver lining in Shawn Marion, who did everything he could on the defensive side of the court in order to fill Tyson Chandler’s void. I cannot write about how Rodrigue Beaubois once again lost his playing time down the stretch because his coach could not put his faith in him. I cannot write about the future for this Dallas Mavericks franchise…

Why?

Mark Cuban.

Because the ball is in his court now. He made the decision to turn this into a (I hate to say this) “bridge” or “rental” year by letting Chandler, J.J. Barea, Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson go elsewhere. He gave all of this up for the enticing chance to sign two particular guys. Since Dwight Howard opted-in with the Orlando Magic for one more year, there is one man left.

There is one man that can make up for a year that started off slow and ended with a crashing halt. There is one man that can excuse a 2011-2012 roster that had no chance of doing anything in the playoffs – even if Mr. Kardashian had played like his old self. There is one man that can be a player to “make plays” as Dirk said the team needs in the future. There is one man that can change Cuban from one of the most hated DFW owners (move out of the way Jerry) to the skilled and savvy entrepreneur he proclaims himself to be…

Who?

Deron Williams.

This unrestricted free agent holds the Dallas Mavericks franchise and the new Brooklyn Nets franchise in the palms of his hands.

Until he drops the ball on one of these teams and dribbles his way to the other, I cannot write about the Dallas Mavericks 2011-2012 season that could have been.

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Dunkin’ Deron

What a dunk from Deron Williams as he contributed 28 points and 8 assists during Monday night’s game against Cleveland.

The Nets starting forwards also played major roles in their team’s effort to win their 16th game of the season. Gerald Wallace brought 27 points and 12 rebounds to the table and Kris Humphries put up 13 points and 11 rebounds.

What did the Nets get out of all of this?

Another loss… their 17th loss at home. If they keep this up, Brooklyn has no chance of having a dunking point guard to entertain them next year…

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Point Guard Power

 

 

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D-Will Pours in 57

If tonight showed the nation anything about D-Will, it would be that he needs to be out of New Jersey.

In a back and forth game between two of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference, the New Jersey Nets defeated the Charlotte Bobcats, 104-101, due in large – gigantic part to Williams’s out-of-his-mind play.

This Sunday has already been filled with some great NBA basketball. After Rondo made history with his own performance, Deron Williams decided to keep the extreme level of point guard play going with the monster show he put on against the dreaded Bobcats. (Too bad only 13,564 people showed up to see the performance.)

MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	PTS
38	16-29	4-11	21-21	6	7	57

…Wow.

When some of the best players get in a certain zone, they seem to make shots no matter who has a hand in their face or who challenges their shots. Williams had one of these nights.

Whether he was pulling up for a jumper or crashing into the lane, he just kept scoring and would not allow his team to leave Time Warner Cable Arena without the win… and they barely got it.

Who will Deron Williams be playing for in the 2012-2013 NBA season?

That’s the problem right now for D-Will and hopefully he realizes it. In order to take down one of the worst NBA teams in the past decade, this point guard had to carry his team to victory and not in a good way. While the rest of his team crawled towards the finish line, Williams was sprinting but kept having to go back to push his team forward. This image represents the entire Nets 2011-2012 season.

I don’t care if the Nets are playing in New Jersey or in Brooklyn or in Paris or on the moon, Deron Williams will not win if he re-signs with the team. It doesn’t matter how good he plays or the impact he has night in and night out – this team doesn’t have what it takes.

Now, I understand Dwight Howard’s destination for the next NBA season plays a factor, but D-Will can only go off what he has in front of him… which is something hard to swallow.

 

*Deron Williams’s 57 points stands as the New Jersey Nets franchise record, a career-high and the 2011-2012 NBA season-high for most points in a single game.

*Only five point guards in NBA history have scored more points in a single game than Williams – Pete Maravich (68), Jerry West (63), Allen Iverson (60, 58), Gilbert Arenas (60) and Fred Brown (58).

*Williams shooting 21-21 from the free throw line puts him three free throws away from the all-time record for most free throws made in an NBA game without a miss. Dirk Nowitzki holds the record when he shot 24-24 from the line in Game 1 of the 2011 Western Conference Finals.

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East All-Star Reserves – Happy for Hibbert

Chris Bosh - 7th All-Star Appearance

Joe Johnson - 6th All-Star Appearance

Roy Hibbert - 1st All-Star Appearance

Paul Pierce - 10th All-Star Appearance

Deron Williams - 3rd All-Star Appearance

Luol Deng - 1st All-Star Appearance

Andre Iguodala - 1st All-Star Appearance

 

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Is the Grass Greener in Brooklyn?

Even with the current NBA lockout, Jay-Z has no intention of slowing down his work with his Nets.

The New Jersey Nets stated earlier this year that they will be moving out of New Jersey and into New York in the 2012-2013 NBA season. As a part owner of the team, Jay-Z just recently came out and made it known that they will become the Brooklyn Nets once this transition takes place.

Not only will Jay-Z be implementing this new name into the organization, but he will also be commemorating the move by having multiple concerts. He even pointed out his similarity to LeBron James when he mentioned he will have “maybe one, maybe two, maybe three” concerts for the modified team.

Even though this is a great move for a franchise that has struggled to be significant since the Jason Kidd era came to a close, will it be enough to put the Nets back into NBA relevancy?

I have a hard time believing this move will spark a revival for these struggling Nets. The fact that they followed up a 12-70 season with only a 24-58 2010-2011 season even with multiple acquisitions such as Derrick Favors (now a Jazz), Jordan Farmar, and Deron Williams shows an inability to improve. Their offense also reflects their stumbling ways, being dead last two seasons ago and improving only two spots higher this past season. I believe they will actually make progress in the next season, maybe even achieving 40 wins. But there is one reason we can’t count on that lasting long: Deron Williams.

During the most recent NBA season, the Nets wanted a change; Devin Harris was their trading bait and they wanted a buyer. They first went for LeBron, then went for ‘Melo, and finally ended up with Williams by means of a trade with the Utah Jazz. However, I believe when #8 becomes a free agent in the 2012 offseason, he will decide against continuing his tenure with the New Jersey (or Brooklyn) Nets. Even though some people might believe this is my partisanship showing its true colors, I am a firm believer Williams will be a Maverick for the 2012-2013 season, just as his point guard predecessor decided to do. Not only has he shown support for the Mavericks and Rangers, but Dallas is his hometown, something that always stays close to an athlete (just ask Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James – well maybe he’s a bad example). Furthermore, he would be able to effectively and comfortably transition into the starting role as Kidd is coming to the end of his career. Other than Brendan Haywood’s recent mammoth of a contract, the Mavericks have efficiently signed all of their players, including Dirk with his pay cut. If simply signing him off the free agent market ends up being too much of an economic burden, a sign-and-trade that brings Deron to Dallas is just as plausible. So, the possibility of Dallas having another ex-Net point guard seems very real.

Now, I know I focused on the possibility of Williams moving to the Big D, but I did this for a reason. The Nets have made it known that they intend for Williams to be the face of this new Brooklyn team. Averaging a double-double in points and assists the past four seasons shows his consistency and explains the reasoning behind the Nets desire to revolve the future of their franchise around the Colony boy. If D-Will does in fact leave the Atlantic Division for the Southwest Division, there will be many baffled Brooklynites. What I would suggest the organization do is what the Nuggets did – execute a sign-and-trade. This way, at least they get something out of the deal rather than an empty roster spot (just ask Cleveland how it feels).

Moving to Brooklyn is a smart and constructive change for the Nets organization; change is always good for any business in any field that is struggling to increase its value. It might in fact bring about just what this team needs and lead them to success. However, the hope the Nets staff and fans are putting in this young man will quickly disintegrate if he moves to another team, and even with the positive relocation, in the end, the Nets might find themselves right back where they are today. Sub-par.

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