12/4/12: Mavericks chat with SportsDay beat writer Eddie Sefko

OK, folks. Sorry for running late. The NBA doesn't usually get cranked up in the morning this early. But I'll get to all your questions with fantastic answers.

Delonte West let the team down. They couldn't keep him around the way he was acting in the locker room and with the impact he was having with so many younger players. Yes, he could have helped. But he had to go. Fisher can be construed as a sign of desperation. But it's a risk-free gamble. They aren't paying him very much (the veteran minimum) and he's not going to hurt anything. It can only help.

I confess that I have never asked Brad about that. But I spend a fair amount of time sipping coffee (and maybe occasionally sipping a different beverage) with him on the road, and I will get to the bottom of this. But my guess is that anybody who is 6-3, which he is, probably has been able to dunk if he's a basketball player. Heck, even 5-10 J.J. Barea could dunk.

Well, he's ticked off about it. As he should be. Nobody likes to have somebody else brought in to take their job -- or infringe upon one's territory. Collison's most important job going forward is to make the most of this. The Mavericks' second-best player, Jason Terry, came off the bench for four seasons. Starting in this league is vastly overrated. Finishing games and being on the court at critical times when your team needs help is more important.

He mostly works with Dirk Nowitzki, but not during practices. Holger watches from the stands or the catwalk above the practice court and doesn't get involved with the team stuff. But after practices, he'll work with numerous players, not just Dirk. Where he does his work with Dirk is usually in the privacy of a vacant gym, some place where they can talk German, work on things that need to be worked on and get back to basics that have worked for Nowitzki for two decades. Holger is an invaluable source for the team. Having him around is good for Nowitzki and good for some of the other players, too.

Dec. 18 at home against Philadelphia. And that's purely a guess -- an optimistic one, at that.

Wouldn't you? Or, at least, wouldn't you be seeing what's available out there on the trade market? The Mavericks will be active players when the trade deadline gets closer. Mark Cuban said on Saturday that, since he's under the luxury tax for the first time in forever, he'll be more willing to take on salary for the right trade. That's a fundamental change for him and means the Mavericks are surveying all options with this team, which has some nice tradeable assets. The Mavericks like both of those young guards, but you have to admit, it's been painful watching them take one step forward and two steps back. The time may have come and gone for them to be able to "sell high" with either Beaubois or Jones.

Pony Up!!!!! They are relevant this year. And they have even better talent on the way.