12/26/12: Mavericks chat with SportsDay beat writer Eddie Sefko

OK, Merry Christmas everybody. Sorry I'm late. Technical difficulties.

by Eddie Sefko 12/26/2012 7:12:36 PM
Why is nobody holding Cuban accountable for this mess that the Mavs find themselves in? He thought he was so smart but instead has tanked two seasons in a row coming off of a championship.

by ajax 12/26/2012 7:12:45 PM
Not sure what you're hearing, but that's about all I hear -- how this is Cuban's fault. But bear in mind, you have to give him all the credit in the world for the title if you're going to hold his feet over the fire for the current situation. We don't know what the Mavericks would have looked like if you put Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea in the rotation. They wouldn't have most of the other players they have now, that's for sure. But whether it would be any better than what we're seeing now, nobody can be sure. And stop it already with those jokes about "how could it be any worse?"

by Eddie Sefko 12/26/2012 7:14:46 PM
Rumor is LA and Minn need a third team to facilitate a trade sending Gasol to the Timberwolves. Should the Mavs get involved and try to snag one of Minn's young big men?

by Big Kev 12/26/2012 7:15:03 PM
Yeah, absolutely. But what would Minnesota want in return? They're not going to give up Love obviously. Pekovic isbecoming a valued commodity all over the league. Hard to see them sending him elsewhere. And if you're interested in Derrick Williams, that's fine. He's got loads of talent although questions linger about his want-to.

by Eddie Sefko 12/26/2012 7:16:42 PM
Sorry, hit the wrong button. Hate that you can't make paragraphs in this chat. What I was going to say is that the Mavericks have only Shawn Marion and O.J. Mayo to dangle.Marion would be a great fit for the Lakers. Doesn't need the ball and plays great defense.But that's also what every team needs, including the Mavericks.I'm still not convinced Gasol is going anywhere.

by Eddie Sefko 12/26/2012 7:17:51 PM
The Mavs aren't a playoff team, correct?

by Yvgeny 12/26/2012 7:17:55 PM
Not willing to go there yet. The West has four pretty bad teams in Phoenix, Sacramento, New Orleans and Portland. The Mavericks could still scoop up a lot of wins from those teams. And Utah and Houston and even Minnesota still have a lot of proving to do. Still think 42-44 wins is likely for this team. Whether that makes the playoffs remains to be seen. But there sure are a lot of teams around .500 in the West.

by Eddie Sefko 12/26/2012 7:20:29 PM
Which direction will Cuban go once another off-season goes by without a big name free agent? Will they try to rebuild?

by Mark 12/26/2012 7:20:36 PM
Southeast...toward the Cayman Islands, not to be confused with the Kaman Island. The Mavericks are pretty inventive when it comes to making bold moves. Let's wait and see how the soap opera in LA plays out -- and for once, it's not the Clippers' soap opera.

by Eddie Sefko 12/26/2012 7:22:40 PM
Are you concerned over how little of a boost Dirk gave the Mavs, or is it too small of a sample size to really judge anything yet?

by Lance 12/26/2012 7:22:45 PM
Way, way too small. Come on, the dude played only 20 minutes and it was a huge blowout. Let's get 10 games or so to see how the coaching staff works this thing out.

by Eddie Sefko 12/26/2012 7:23:53 PM
What's the ceiling for this year's team?

by Tim 12/26/2012 7:23:56 PM
Well, it's getting lower and lower by the loss. It was actually encouraging to hear Rick Carlisle say that this is not a championship team. No use sticking the head in the sand at this point. But it could still be a playoff team. I'm losing hope in that regard, but don't think the door is closed. Like I said earlier, there are so many average/bad teams in the West that one little hot streak of going 8-2 or 9-3 and you pass a lot of people.

by Eddie Sefko 12/26/2012 7:25:18 PM
Within like a month when for sure Dirk is most likely back in the starting lineup, how do you see OJ Mayo and Dirk Nowitzki meshing together?

by exclaimpoint 12/26/2012 7:25:23 PM
That'll be the big challenge for Carlisle and his staff. They have to figure out not only how to maximize that two-man game, but figure out how to get Kaman involved. If he's you're No. 3 scorer, you have a chance to be a pretty decent offensive team. Carlisle has shown in the past to be pretty good at optimizing the available talent he has. Should be fun to see if the pick and roll becomes even more important to their success than it already has been this season.

by Eddie Sefko 12/26/2012 7:27:01 PM
Should the Mavericks have an interest in Drew Gooden, who is just sitting in Milwaukee during a youth movement? He is not a perfect player but is a heckuva rebounder and has been here before.

by sshattuck 12/26/2012 7:27:17 PM
He's getting a little long in the tooth, but you're right, he is a solid rebounder. Always has been. Whether or not the Mavericks have anything to offer that would get Milwaukee's attention is the question. By the way, the Mavericks have been outrebounded in six consecutive games. Not surprising that they are 1-5 in those games. So yes, finding a rebounder would be nice. But let's face it, the list of needs for this team doesn't end there.

by Eddie Sefko 12/26/2012 7:28:43 PM
Can Mayo play pg?

by GW 12/26/2012 7:28:46 PM
Not on a regular basis. He gets the benefit of being the guy who gets rid of the ball because of the trap and that's why you've seen his assist numbers go up recently. But that's not his bread and butter. With Dirk back, he should get more clean looks at the bucket than he was getting the last two weeks, whe good teams figured out that stopping him rendered the Mavericks pretty punchless offensively.

by Eddie Sefko 12/26/2012 7:29:57 PM