02/19/13: Mavericks chat with SportsDay beat writer Eddie Sefko

Eddie Sefko joins us a little after 1 p.m. depending on how practice goes, but ask your questions now and he will have them when he arrives. Thanks for your readership!

by SportsDayDFW 2/19/2013 6:44:56 PM
Howdy everyone. Mavericks just finished practice. O.J. Mayo's ankle is fine. Chris Kaman still isn't practicing. And a high-one visitor, longtime Portland coach Nate McMillan, was a visitor at practice for the second straight day. I can't imagine that anybody wants to talk about trades with all that going on, but let's get after it.

by Eddie Sefko 2/19/2013 6:58:54 PM
Hi, thanks for taking the time to answer our questions? We've allowed the 4th-most ppg because both our perimeter and interior D are horrible. Guys can easily get past Mayo and the short-armed Collison and aren't afraid to drive to the net because we don't have intimidating physical shot-blockers. Do you see us adding a Dalembert at the deadline, or have we written the season off and are going to go into in sell mode? Thanks!

by Kristen 2/19/2013 6:59:08 PM
Dalembert (expiring $6.7 mil deal) is one of the few people who makes sense for the Mavericks, but the Bucks are looking to extract a high price for him. When he was young with Philadelphia, I thought Dalembert had a chance to be really special. He's never developed since then, which is probably why he's been with so many teams in so few seasons. I'd take a flyer on him, if I were the Mavericks, but not if it means sacrificing one of the young fellows. I just don't think there's enough upside with Dalembert to justify giving up Crowder and/or James. The very best Dalembert does is help you get to the first round and there's an excellent chance he wouldn't be here next season even if they traded for him. But if you can get him for the right price, you could do worse.

by Eddie Sefko 2/19/2013 7:01:57 PM
Hi Eddie! Chances the Mavs makes a move before the deadline?

by Gonzalo 2/19/2013 7:02:03 PM
About 25 percent. I just haven't heard enough to get excited about. But it only takes one phone call to get things hotter and heavier.

by Eddie Sefko 2/19/2013 7:02:28 PM
Are the Mavs in on anything at the deadline? Seems like a perfect time to get younger and shed some salary.

by Jason 2/19/2013 7:02:34 PM
The thing is, they don't need to shed salary. They're in great shape on the cap for the summer. As long as they don't take on any extra money, they can wheel and deal in free agency. It'll be interesting to see if nsmes like Luke Ridnour, Wes Johnson, DeJuan Blair or Jose Calderon surface again with connection to the Mavericks.

by Eddie Sefko 2/19/2013 7:04:50 PM
any thing on the dwight howard front or is his recent behavior turning the mavs brass off?

by jason 2/19/2013 7:05:03 PM
Nobody is turned off. But the Lakers have made it abundantly clear that they aren't trading him. They'll ride out the season with him, then try to make him a Laker for life when free agency hits in July. I just got an email from one of the online bookmaking establishments that says the odds now are creeping close to even-money for the Lakers making the playoffs this season. If they don't, that's great news for the Mavericks and anybody else that wants to pursue Howard this summer.

by Eddie Sefko 2/19/2013 7:07:18 PM
I know it's tough to sell but what are your thoughts on Dallas thinking no FA is worth big money this summer, assuming Howard stays in LA, and holding the space into the summer of 2014 where a ton of big names are RFA or UFA? I know the urgency to get Dirk help is a big factor.

by James 2/19/2013 7:07:35 PM
It'll be a tough call. Can you make the case that bringing in somebody like J.J. Hickson and Brandon Jennings suddenly revitalizes the core of your team? Maybe. but it's not very high on the "wow" factor and does it vault you into relevance int he West? No, the game plan has to be Dwight or bust and if not, then maybe he 2014 summer is the way to go. But that's a long time to wait for help. In the NBA, it's practically another era. These guys are pretty creative when it comes to making things happen, so I wouldn't just arbitrarily write off the Mavericks right now. The next 48 hours before Thursday's 2 p.m. deadline are going to be very interesting.

by Eddie Sefko 2/19/2013 7:12:02 PM
Hello, I've seen mock drafts that have us either landing a big, e.g. Mason Plumlee who's an athletic big like Tyler Zeller who we could have had this season but traded away or; a PG e.g. Michael Carter-Williams who has great size for PG and could probably play both G spots. What position do you think requires the most urgent attention? Thanks!

by Kristen 2/19/2013 7:12:09 PM
It's got to be a guard or swing man. Aim high. Think Marcus Smart from Oklahoma State. But good grief, the draft is a million miles away. The Mavericks could be drafting anywhere from top three to 16th. Way too early to tell what's out there. There will be plenty of chats in the future to figure all that out.

by Eddie Sefko 2/19/2013 7:15:20 PM
I know it's hard do predict, but any hints what the starting backcourt next season would look like? Still Collison, Mayo or one or no one? What will it cost Dallas to holt both?

by Flip 2/19/2013 7:15:24 PM
Unless they snag Howard, I have a hard time seeing how both players stick around. Once the Mavericks bag a big fish, then they can afford to sign guys that they like and keep them around. A starting five of Howard, Dirk, Marion, Collison and Mayo isn't all that bad. Not saying it's a title contender, but it's a solid playoff team that has the potential to catch fire at the right time. And I still believe that there would be some interesting free agents that would be more than happy to sit around the 3-point line and wait for passes while Howard draws all those double teams. Yes, it's a dream right now. But as they used to say about the man who just turned 50, sometimes I dream....

by Eddie Sefko 2/19/2013 7:18:05 PM
do the mavs have any plans to bring in talent rather than possibly dump salary before the deadline?

by jason 2/19/2013 7:18:10 PM
Lots of plans. But very little hard news. There's a slim chance that somebody drops in their laps, but I wouldn't look for anything that's going to be a season-changer.

by Eddie Sefko 2/19/2013 7:19:33 PM
Eddie, quick question : Dallembert, Mozgov and Brendan Jennings have any chance to come in to Dallas in this trade dead line? And , if they come to amvs, would they make us a team with a real shot to the play offs!?

by Vinicius Henrique 2/19/2013 7:19:37 PM
As mentioned earlier, Dalembert is worth looking at. But Mozgov is a hit and miss and Jennings is going to be the sort of player that will require huge return for the Bucks. There are people in Milwaukee that think Jennings is going to be a star in the next few years. Good luck getting him. Mozgov is a nice name, but he's not good enough yet to make a huge financial commitment. Plus, Denver is not likely to help out one of their priimary competitors, which the Mavericks still fashion themselves as.

by Eddie Sefko 2/19/2013 7:23:07 PM
Clearly, spring training fever has hit Dallas and the Mavericks' chat has slipped down to the bottom of the totem pole. Sorry I can't drum up more interest before the trade deadline. But don't give up hope. Maybe by next week we'll have new players to chat about. See ya next week.

by Eddie Sefko 2/19/2013 7:23:56 PM