At the end of the Golden State debacle, I PLEADED for the Dallas Mavericks to enter the 2007-2008 season with a fresh, new look roster. It didn't matter who - Dirk, Josh, Devin - anyone could be available for a trade and should be dealt at the highest possible value. As much as I admire Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson for being loyal, I can't help but say, "I told you so." The Mavs got bounced in the 1st round yet again to an inexperienced playoff team. And not just bounced, but overwhelmingly overmatched. The New Orleans Hornets made the Mavs look slow and clueless. And now the Dallas basketball franchise must think long and hard about what to do this off-season. I sensed at the end of last year's GS series that the team was already heading towards a nose dive. But because the Mavs aren't competely without talent, they were able to make the playoffs. But making the playoffs as a 7th seed this year as opposed to the top seed last year only has delayed the inevitable. The only thing that changes this off-season is that people have now exposed every single weakness about the Mavericks. The Warriors exposed just how unathletic and inconsistent the Mavs' players can be. The New Orleans Hornets and the entire '07-'08 campaign have exposed the fact that Avery Johnson is not as good of a coach as everyone thought. This season was littered with multiple puzzling coaching decisions. The removal of players in key parts of the game. The delayed putting back of players in key parts of the game. The lack of motivation in players that could be sparked by a keen coach. The decision to have Josh Howard inbound the ball at Dirk's toenail against the Lakers instead of the team's best passer Jason Kidd (who for some reason was on the floor as the worst three point option except for Erick Dampier). The inability to put his players in position to be successful. The inability to allow his players to play to their strengths. The inability to game plan to exploit the opposition's weaknesses. The inability to be creative on offense. The inability to build a strong defensive team by someone who prides in defense. One can argue that the Mavs don't have the players to play with Avery's scheme. That's beside the fact because the head coach uses what he has to become successful. Dirk Nowitzki is not Tim Duncan. So why isolate him on every single play? The lack of creativity on offense was torture. It went something like this: Devin Harris/Jason Kidd/insertMavPGhere dumps into Dirk who is POSTING UP on the wing at the THREE POINT LINE. Dirk backs his man down 2 inches as the other 4 players stand and count the tiles in the arena roof. Dirk then does something magical offensively or clanks a tough shot off the rim. That, my friends, was the Mavericks primary offensive weapon. Real scary. So here we are one year later after begging the Mavs' brass to shake up the roster. Not only do I believe the roster needs to be stripped for parts, but now I question the head coach. The sad thing is that I see no hope for this team. There is nothing that can be done to salvage the Mavericks unless they steal a highly productive or elite player like the Lakers' stealing Pau Gasol. The Mavs have no cap room. They have no draft picks high enough to select a new savior. They have no tradeable commodities or contracts. They are stuck. The trade for Jason Kidd was supposed to be the jump start. But for whatever reason, he was stuck bringing the ball up to half court, passing to Dirk, and then retreating to the corner for the duration of the 24 second clock. For whatever reason, (I think Avery) he was never allowed to freely roam the court in the fast paced game he thrives in. Looking back on the Kidd trade, it didn't matter whether the trade was a success or not. I believed at the time and believe now that the Mavs were destined for the same doom in the 1st round no matter if it was Kidd or Harris. The only thing negative is that a young point guard was sacrificed. However, Devin has never proven to be an elite point guard capable of leading a championship contender like a Parker, Billups, or potentially Deron and Paul. Thus, the trade was just a trade. My only regret was that the Mavs didn't trade Josh Howard because he could have netted more value. This off-season, once again everyone's roster spot isn't safe. Trade everyone if you have to. Maybe you keep Avery. Maybe this was his bad year. Maybe he's the next Jerry Sloan who just cannot win a championship but is a very effective coach. The next couple years will be tough for Mavs' fans to swallow. After luring everyone with their recent run of success for the past 8 years, many will find the Mavs irrelevant. The days of Donald Hodge and Lorenzo Williams might come back and the Mavs' fan base will once again dwindle and show that Dallas fans are the worst in the whole world. All my friends who have suddenly become Mavs' fans will abandon the team. It is sad, but the Mavericks must face the realization that they are in rebuilding mode. It makes me sadder because of one other reality. Dirk Nowitzki is a warrior with nothing to show for. *BEGIN DIRK RANT* After seeing him pretty much break his leg against the Spurs, he played through the pain with an annoying ankle brace and played some of the best basketball of his career in the closing stretch of the regular season and the playoffs. Everyone else in the league can claim that he's not clutch, and they make a valid point. I don't believe he's clutch, but he is the guy whom I want to have the last shot in the game. (And for those people who don't say he's clutch but love Tracy McGrady. I question why the love for a guy who hasn't gotten out of the first round and why the hate on a former MVP who made the NBA Finals. If the Rockets come back against the Jazz, it's a lot to celebrate but not nearly enough to supplant the post-season contributions of a guy who once scored 50 on the Suns to take a grip on a Western Conference Finals series) Not one person can argue against Dirk's passion to win, his ability to play through pain and make amazingly quick recoveries from injury, and his desire to simply play the game. I never quite understood why people hated Dirk. You hate Bruce Bowen because he's dirty. Cleveland can hate Jordan because of "Jordan over Ehlo." You can hate Karl Malone because of his attitude. You can hate Dennis Rodman because he's a jerk. But what is there to hate about Dirk? Because he's a big man who can't post up? Because he can't drain a game winning shot when Lebron has been struggling to do so as well? It's never occured to me why he is hated. I know he's ugly when he tries to celebrate big shots. I know he's ugly period. But I know that's not a valid reason to hate on an NBA player. I know Dirk Nowitzki as a man who should be admired for a sweet offensive game with the best jump shot to ever come from a 7-footer. I admire him for his intensity. I admire him for learning to pass up the jump shot and take it to the rim. I admire him for being a good (not great) defender. I've seen what people have typed on message boards. I've also heard from my own friends. They hate Dirk Nowitzki. I'm sorry, but I cannot respect their basketball intellect on this issue. There is sports' hate. I hate Tim Duncan because he's whiny. I hated Reggie Miller for his flailing of legs to get bogus defensive foul calls. There are legitimate grounds for sports' hate. But I've never heard any message board posters, and I've never heard from any of my friends any legitimate reasons to sports' hate on Dirk. Yes, his play can be maddening. Yes, he passes up on too many shots. But he is an amazing, decorated basketball player. And it's a shame to see his season come to an end. It's a bigger shame that the next couple years in Dallas do not look so bright. It's an even bigger shame that I sit here saying that the long term success of the Mavs should come at the expense of Dirk Nowitzki if needed. When I say everyone on the Mavs' is expendable, I mean Dirk as well. And it's a shame that it has come to this. This season, you never knew what Josh Howard, Jason Terry, or any other Mav would bring on any given night. They all choked. But Dirk showed up every night contributing in whatever way was possible. This season, and especially this playoff series against New Orleans was true MVP material. His numbers weren't MVP worthy, but he once again proved how valuable he is. So strap in Mavs' fans. It will be one long rebuilding process. | 
