I’ll Take Manhattan

In the history of trades, one will go down as the worst.

Allegedly, four centuries ago, the Dutch came up with a bunch of junk and gave it to a group from the Delaware tribe in exchange for Manhattan. Advantage Dutch, even though they never got to see Trump Tower erected. (Note: My son is 1/32 Delaware, but this didn’t get me a discount on my most recent trip to New York.)

In the history of NBA trades, two of the worst were made in the past year. Since I have a sportscast to anchor, I’ll deal with the deals in two parts. Today the spotlight shines, er, fades from the Dallas Mavericks. I like Mark Cuban. He’s a genius and he’s used that genius to become rich. Once he became rich, he remained the same person. Besides, who among us wouldn’t like to wear a t-shirt into some stuffy board meeting.

Cuban is now learning some lessons in the NBA: YOU CAN’T RUN YOUR PRO FRANCHISE LIKE A $100 FANTASY LEAGUE.

Jason Kidd was a great player in Dallas. Bringing him back because you loved the Mavs with Kidd once before is as bad of an idea as bringing back Alvin Harper as the missing piece to the Cowboys’ Super Bowl dreams. Dallas went from having the best record in the Western Conference last year and out in the first round to having a salary-cap strapped team with the seventh best record in the Western Conference and out in the first round.

Kidd is a stat-accumulating point guard who can’t play defense. Not even against Jannero Pargo, much less Chris Paul. Jerry Stackhouse was once a scoring machine and now is a shooting machine. Erick Dampier’s defensive prowess is manifest only against his shadow. Dirk Nowitzki can’t get his shot off without the help of a creative point guard (see Paul or formerly Kidd).

Now, I’m wondering how this team finished seventh in the West. Good news is this, Mavs fans: Cuban built an empire out of his dorm room at Indiana University. While he’s deconstructed a title-worthy team the past couple of seasons, he can build it again. However, it will have to be with different parts. Oh well, there’s always plenty of shopping to be found on Victory Lane.