New York, New York! Bringing a championship home

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How the Mavericks Won the Title

After a very good 55-27 season in 2027-28 the Mavericks were feeling pretty good about themselves but some pundits were calling them regular season warriors, not good enough when it counted. Their big men stocks were fairly average with a disgruntled Emmett Emerson and a old Joe Duggins starting at C and PF was not what other teams would class as scary. They had talent though with superstar in the making Jack Dawkins joined by elite defenders in Nashon Smith and Kelly Pryor while Julius Hobbs looked only a year away from really contributing but their depth and overall talent just wasn’t there to compete with the big boys.

After relenting to Emmett Emerson’s trade request which nabbed them Jeff Cunningham (while also trading away promising SG Curtis Anderson), General Manager Yaxley MacMillan decided to throw caution to the wind by trading away their second best defender in Kelly Pryor along with recently signed budding star PG Luke Owens for notorious Earl Oliver, who could fill up the basket but also give up many points at the other end. This was a strange tactic, as MacMillan teams usually went for defence before anything else but having Oliver, Cunningham and newly starting Julius Hobbs in the starting line-up threw that notion out the window in lieu of offence, offence and more offence. This team was never going to stop anyone, they were just going to outscore them.

They no doubt had talent, shown by Dallas earning the best record in the league at 62-20 and were named the favourites for the title even though there were doubts about their ability to get past more established teams like Utah, Portland, Washington and Miami. The first round was a breeze against Denver as the Nuggets’ big man Schulyer Vanderwerken only played two games and was hampered in both. Moving on to battle Portland, Jeff Cunningham rose to the occasion, limiting Jimmy Forrest enough for the Mavericks to move onto the WCF against Utah. In a huge surprise, the Mavericks swept the Jazz as Mark Lewis fouled out in all but one game which he had five fouls. In a stroke of luck, Dallas was met by Miami as many people thought that Washington would make it through the East. Again Jeff Cunningham showed off amazing defensive skills that were never apparent before this season, nullifying Eryk Charnowski to take home the championship and the Finals MVP to boot. Here are the players that made it happen –

#18 SG Kevin Dixon (Utah), 6’8”, 190lbs, 4 year pro
Season Stats – 22 games, 0 starts, 6.9 minutes, 2.4 points, 0.6 assists, 1.0 rebound, 0.0 steals, 0.1 blocks
Playoff Stats – DNP
Acquired by – Free Agency

Brought into the side to bolster their bench guard stocks, Dixon didn’t really play much but was very vocal off the bench. Astonishingly his defence is top notch, which was a huge reason why Earl Oliver was able to fire in the playoffs after being pushed to the limit in practice by Dixon.

#44 PF Jeremy Brown (Fresno State), 6’10”, 249lbs, 6 year pro
Season Stats – 22 games, 0 starts, 6.1 minutes, 3.4 points, 0.3 assists, 1.1 rebounds, 0.2 steals, 0.1 blocks
Playoff Stats – DNP
Acquired by – Free Agency

Brought in at the same time as Dixon, he was used in the same way: to push the starters to become better players in practice. Brown’s first season in the NBA since 2023 (five years ago), he loved being in the best league in the world and his constant enthusiasm seemed to rub off onto the other players.

#32 SF Brian Jenkins (Notre Dame), 6’5”, 209lbs, 9 year pro
Season Stats – 24 games, 0 starts, 12.2 minutes, 4.7 points, 1.0 assist, 1.4 rebounds, 0.4 steals, 0.2 blocks
Playoff Stats – DNP
Acquired by – Free Agency

This was Jenkins’ second stint in Dallas after playing significant minutes off the bench in 2025 (even starting seven games) he fit right in like a glove. A guy who could do it all took a back seat this season but when he was needed stood up and gave it his all. Probably won’t be back in a Dallas uniform next season by his shooting skills will not go unnoticed by other teams.

#1 SG Jerrold Wesby (UTEP), 6’4”, 222lbs, 4 year pro
Season Stats – 27 games, 0 starts, 6.1 minutes, 3.0 points, 1.2 assists, 1.2 rebounds, 0.2 steals, 0.1 blocks
Playoff Stats – 6 games, 0 starts, 3.0 minutes, 1.3 points, 0.3 assists, 0.3 rebounds, 0.2 steals, 0.0 blocks
Acquired by - Free Agency

His game in April against the Rockets was his shining light of the season, as he played a season high 13 minutes and had 8 points and 5 assists in the win. He didn’t get many minutes apart from that but will be able to tell his grandchildren that he played in the clinching game of an NBA Finals and scored a basket for the winning team which is more than 99.9% of the world’s population could say.

#53 PF Casey Floyd (North Carolina), 6’9”, 238lbs, 11 year pro
Season Stats – 50 games, 0 starts, 7.4 minutes, 4.2 points, 0.3 assists, 1.3 rebounds, 0.1 steals, 0.2 blocks
Playoff Stats – 10 games, 0 starts, 7.0 minutes, 2.9 points, 0.0 assists, 1.0 rebound, 0.0 steals, 0.0 blocks
Acquired by – Free Agency

As big a bust as anyone that has been drafted number one, Floyd has been a disappointing player all through his career. He did play decently in Indiana but was soon overtaken by other players there and signed with Dallas last season. He gave good support off the bench in 2027-28 and played well at the start of this season but with Julius Hobbs’ growth he was shunted to the end of the bench. He doesn’t mind though, as ever single media interview he has given has shown him with a massive smile on his face and showing off his championship ring whenever he can.

#25 PG Isaac Holdan (Massachusetts), 6’0”, 167lbs, 8 year pro
Season Stats – 61 games, 1 start, 13.6 minutes, 7.0 points, 2.4 assists, 1.7 rebounds, 0.6 steals, 0.0 blocks
Playoff Stats – 21 games, 0 starts, 7.1 minutes, 2.8 points, 1.0 assist, 1.0 rebound, 0.2 steals, 0.0 blocks
Acquired by – Free Agency

It’s not what Holdan did this season but what he did last season, where he started 15 games and missed only six regular season games playing at SG which is extremely overwhelming for a 6’0”, 167lb PG. He did the job valiantly and was pleased to see Earl Oliver come aboard so Holdan could slide back into the back up PG position. His minutes were reduced in the playoffs not because of his play but because of the retracted rotation for the post season.

#40 C Joe Duggins (Long Beach State), 6’11”, 255lbs, 8 year pro
Season Stats – 76 games, 2 starts, 12.2 minutes, 5.0 points, 0.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks
Playoff Stats – 19 games, 0 starts, 5.7 minutes, 1.8 points, 0.3 assists, 1.5 rebounds, 0.3 steals, 0.1 blocks
Acquired by – Trade

One of only two players that were on the previous championship winning Dallas teams, Duggins was acquired way back in the Jake Chase for James Harden/Matias Perez deal in 2023. He has been a rock for this team, playing in seven seasons while starting every game two years ago when they needed him the most. One of the coaching staff’s favourite players I don’t think Joe will be going anywhere anytime soon.

#23 PG Ryan Robinson (California), 5’6”, 154lbs, 12 year pro
Season Stats – 71 games, 1 start, 10.9 minutes, 5.6 points, 2.8 assists, 1.1 rebounds, 1.0 steal, 0.2 blocks
Playoff Stats – 21 games, 0 starts, 14.3 minutes, 6.5 points, 2.8 assists, 1.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 0.1 blocks
Acquired by – Free Agency

The other player that was in Dallas when they won their last championship, Robinson is the beacon for all of those small players that were told they weren’t tall enough to play. Standing 5’6” and weighing only 154lbs he made up for it with lightning quick hands and feet and a desire to excel at whatever he does. His attitude got on the nerves of his teammates at some stage during the year but they all recognise that every team needs a battler like Robinson if they were going to go all the way.

#48 C Issiah Hemhill (California), 6’11”, 269lbs, 6 year pro
Season Stats – 74 games, 1 start, 14.9 minutes, 7.5 points, 0.6 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 0.4 steals, 1.1 blocks
Playoff Stats – 21 games, 0 starts, 17.0 minutes, 8.6 points, 0.8 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 0.4 steals, 1.0 block
Acquired by – Free Agency

Hemhill nearly wasn’t signed by the Mavericks as MacMillan was very concerned about his almost non-existant defensive game. Luckily for Dallas though he was signed because for some reason he had the uncanny ability to pull an amazing game out of thin air to get his team the win. His play in the NBA Finals was also spectacular, averaging 10.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in the last five games of the series. A free agent this off season but I can’t see the Mavericks losing him unless someone pays out the nose for him.

#37 SF William Jones (Gonzaga), 6’9”, 217lbs, 11 year pro
Season Stats – 79 games, 3 starts, 18.2 minutes, 6.6 points, 1.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 0.7 steals, 0.1 blocks
Playoff Stats – 21 games, 0 starts, 16.7 minutes, 6.3 points, 0.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 0.2 blocks
Acquired by – Free Agency

When William Jones signed with Dallas people were shocked, he was only 31 years old and signing a two year minimum deal with a team that really isn’t going anywhere at the time was baffling. He could have commanded at least a MLE contract from another team but Jones saw big things for Dallas and he was right. All throughout the season and playoffs Jones was the dependable sixth man who would come in and act like a floor coach with his great personality, killer jump shot and warm smile that brought everyone into line. Having a guy like Jones on the team took a huge load off Jack Dawkins shoulders as being a 23 year old captain can be daunting.

#43 PF Julius Hobbs (Oregon State), 6’9”, 239lbs, 1 year pro
Season Stats – 82 games, 81 starts, 31.2 minutes, 11.8 points, 1.3 assists, 8.5 rebounds, 0.7 steals, 0.9 blocks
Playoff Stats – 21 games, 21 starts, 33.6 minutes, 11.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 9.6 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 1.1 blocks
Acquired by – Draft

The youngest player on the squad, Hobbs has made his presence known from the start, never leaving the side of older players asking a million questions at once. He is like a little puppy: cute, adorable, able to have boundless energy for some reason but also able to make dumb mistakes, but you can’t be upset at him because he is still learning. What isn’t silly is his uncanny ability to rebound the ball and it won’t be long before Hobbs will be a top three rebounder in the league. Too bad his defence is pretty dodgy.

#6 PG Nashon Smith (Miami (OH)), 5’11”, 256lbs, 8 year pro
Season Stats – 82 games, 79 starts, 33.8 minutes, 13.7 points, 7.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 0.5 blocks
Playoff Stats – 21 games, 21 starts, 36.6 minutes, 15.6 points, 7.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 0.3 blocks
Acquired by – Trade

Some pundits thought it was a mistake when Dallas traded away Tim Westbrooks for Nashon Smith when Reggie Dobbins was on the block but right now it couldn’t have been clearer. Smith is an unbelievable defender and will most likely again be a part of the All Defensive teams this off season and he is still only 28 years old. His personality just clicks with Jack Dawkins and the passes that these two made to each other looked almost telekinetic.

#8 SG Earl Oliver (Kentucky), 6’5”, 210lbs, 11 year pro
Season Stats – 81 games, 81 starts, 35.0 minutes, 19.7 points, 3.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 0.5 steals, 0.7 blocks
Playoff Stats – 21 games, 21 starts, 37.2 minutes, 23.7 points, 3.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 0.6 steals, 0.6 blocks
Acquired by – Trade

After being shackled to a bench role for five years in Portland he was finally freed after being dealt to San Diego and put on a show in California. MacMillan took notice and again wiped away the doubt of a player with poor defensive skills to see his phenomenal scoring ability. That was shown in the playoffs as his scoring average went up a whopping four points a game compared to the regular season just proved that when it came to the crunch, Oliver wouldn’t back away.

#51 C Jeff Cunningham (Liberty), 6’9”, 281lbs, 11 year pro
Season Stats – 80 games, 80 starts, 29.6 minutes, 16.5 points, 0.9 assists, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 1.5 blocks
Playoff Stats – 21 games, 21 starts, 29.3 minutes, 16.0 points, 1.0 assist, 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 1.2 blocks
Acquired by – Trade

Cunningham had been called every insult under the sun, “hack”, “turnstile”, “concrete feet” and the worst of all, “lazy”. That last one was from the mouth of Dallas coach Kevin Garnett, who ripped into Jeff in the first round series against Denver after he was again caught watching on defence. This spray lit a fire under Cunningham as in the next three series’ he went on to decimate Jimmy Forrest, Mark Lewis and Eryk Charnowski, three centres who have a high chance of being the three All NBA centres. Without Jeff’s defence, the Dallas Mavericks wouldn’t have won the NBA championship, which is the strangest thing I have written in a long time.

#41 SF Jack Dawkins [CAPTAIN] (Fairfield), 6’9”, 245lbs, 3 year pro
Season Stats – 81 games, 81 starts, 37.1 minutes, 23.7 points, 5.5 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 0.5 blocks
Playoff Stats – 21 games, 21 starts, 39.0 minutes, 25.3 points, 5.8 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 steal, 0.4 blocks
Acquired by – Trade

It’s unfathomable to think that Jack Dawkins wasn’t drafted by Dallas as he has become so ingrained in this team and this city that it’s like the Dawkins name should be on the city welcome sign (he was drafted #13 by Indiana but only played one game for them if you were wondering). His talents are otherworldly and as many, many people have compared him to Lebron James without the defensive amazement. What is even more impressive is that Captain Jack is now the captain of the team at only 23 years old and has told reporters that he wants to retire here. That’s great news for the front office because anything less than a miracle will remove Jack from this team.

Head Coach – Kevin Garnett, 51 years old,, 12th year with Dallas, 340-152 record, 4th NBA Title
First Assistant – Luke Battier, 55 years old, 6th year with Dallas, 3rd NBA Title
Second Assistant – Glendon Woni, 58 years old, 12th year with Dallas, 4th NBA Title
Third Assistant – Mike McDade, 40 years old, 6th year with Dallas, 3rd NBA Title
General Manager – Yaxley MacMillan, 49 years old, 10th year with Dallas, 5th NBA Title

[zike_42]

The tickertape parade was unbelievable, I don’t think anyone on the team lost their smile even once, even when the vehicles went down a one way street the wrong way. When 13 of the 15 players only just won their first ever championship I don’t think they really minded.

However, as the old phrase goes, “Time flies when you’re having fun” and much sooner than I had wanted I was back at work getting ready for the NBA lottery. You may be wondering why I care about the lottery so much seeing as we just won the title but in a fortuitous twist of fate, the first round pick we got from San Diego in the Earl Oliver deal snuck into the lottery in sixteenth place. It gives us a whopping 0.4% chance of winning the lottery but hey, it’s something.

16 – Dallas (0)

Oh well.

15 – San Antonio (0)
14 – Brooklyn (0)
13 – New York (0)
12 – Boston (0)
11 – Brooklyn (0)
10 – Charlotte (0)
9 – Memphis (0)
8 – Milwaukee (0)
7 – Detroit (0)
6 – Seattle (-1)

The Magic have jumped.

5 – Phoenix (-1)
4 – Golden State (-2)

Indiana have also jumped.

3 – Orlando (+3)
2 – Cleveland (-1)
1 – Indiana (+2)

It’s good to see Indiana win something for once as they get a nice building block in Josiah Williams (if they draft right).

The awards presentation is on tonight and I’m certain Jack will get into an All NBA team but I would love to see either Earl, Jeff or Nashon get picked for something.

Most Valuable Player:
Enrique Mendez, Minnesota Timberwolves – 29.4 points, 4.3 assists, 6.3 rebounds, 0.6 steals, 1.7 blocks

I’m not upset about this pick I’m just not over the moon as this season had quite a few contenders for the top prize.

Defensive Player of the Year:
Cedric Watson, San Antonio Spurs – 13.9 points, 2.2 assists, 5.7 rebounds, 2.8 steals, 1.1 blocks

Back to back winner for Watson as his hands turn to blurs when he is in the zone.

Sixth Man of the Year:
DeShaun Worley, Washington Wizards – 12.6 points, 6.9 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 0.2 blocks

This really isn’t fair as Worley would start for the other 31 teams in the league, it’s just that the Wizards’ depth is godly.

Rookie of the Year:
Jehiel DeSantis, Denver Nuggets – 14.5 points, 7.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 0.4 blocks

No doubt.

Coach of the Year:
Kevin Garnett, Dallas Mavericks – 62-20 (.756)

Woooo! Great choice here and it’s not even my bias showing. Best record in the league and taking home the title pretty much guarantees the trophy.

All NBA First Team:
Camah Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves
Mike Bickerstaf, Oklahoma City Thunder
Enrique Mendez, Minnesota Timberwolves
Terry McKenzie, New York Knicks
Rowan Taylor, Washington Wizards

All NBA Second Team:
Michael Taylor, Los Angeles Lakers
Kenneth Long, Miami Heat
Jack Dawkins, Dallas Mavericks
Michael McQuay, Atlanta Hawks
Jerry Benton, New Orleans Hornets

All NBA Third Team:
Jamil Fleming, Philadelphia 76ers
James McDaniel, Atlanta Hawks
Darrell Hampton, Chicago Bulls
Anthony Davis, Oklahoma City Thunder
Mark Lewis, Utah Jazz

All Defence First Team:
Camah Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves
Hillar Petrauskas, New Orleans Hornets
Cedric Watson, San Antonio Spurs
Anthony Davis, Oklahoma City Thunder
Mark Lewis, Utah Jazz

All Defence Second Team:
Nashon Smith, Dallas Mavericks
Kenneth Long, Miami Heat
Chris Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers
Carl Farmer, Seattle Supersonics
Brian Benton, Washington Wizards

All Rookie First Team:
Jehiel DeSantis, Denver Nuggets
Ron Murphy, New Orleans Hornets
Doug Brown, Brooklyn Nets
Jesse Rucker, Cleveland Cavaliers
Jason Harriman, Brooklyn Nets

All Rookie Second Team:
Andrew Brown, Indiana Pacers
Jarron Campbell, Chicago Bulls
Darryl Cox, Chicago Bulls
Courtney Willis, Boston Celtics
Marquis Bowen, New York Knicks

A couple of days later I get a visit at my door at home and it’s Mr Perry who is beaming at me.

“Hi Yaxley, I can’t stay long got heaps of people to see today but I thought we could go over next season’s plan.”

I like that about Mr Perry, he is very informal and to the point.

He continued, “I know we talked about every play of the NBA Finals until we could recite it by heart so I won’t dwell on last season now but I would like to know what you have in store this season?”

“Well, we finally have the cut salary from years ago coming off the books so that will give us around $20 million more money to play with but I’m afraid most of that will go to Jack as he is out of contract now. We could get a nice solid bench player with the rest but I would like to keep some money up my sleeve when Julius wants a new contract.”

“My boy”, he cries, “always looking to the future which is fantastic. Do you see us repeating?”

“As we won’t be losing anyone significant I don’t see why we can’t go back to back, barring injuries of course.”

“Good enough for me.” And with that he was back in his car and on his way. Strange man, that Mr Perry. Awesome, but strange.

I give all of our coaching staff extensions which they definitely deserve which keeps them here for five years.

The mock draft was released and it looks like it’s Williams and then everyone else, and that everyone else isn’t as good as I thought.

2029 NBA Mock Draft

1 – Indiana – C Josiah Williams
2 – Cleveland – SF Patrick Blizzard
3 – Orlando – PF Matt Reid
4 – Golden State – SF Ryan O’Brien
5 – Phoenix – C Erik Morris
6 – Seattle – PG Nick Hughes
7 – Detroit – SF Danny Perez
8 – Milwaukee – SF Jit wei Fong
9 – Memphis – SG Chris Horvath
10 – Charlotte – SG Tom Phillips
11 – Brooklyn – C Brandon Morris
12 – Boston – PG Eric Holt
13 – New York – SF Brett Felts
14 – Brooklyn – C Damon Ashburn
15 – San Antonio – PF Jaron Robinson
16 – Dallas – SG Ahmad Kamara

[zike_42]

End of Year Report for Rookie Six – Year Four

#41 SF Jack Dawkins, Dallas Mavericks – 23.7 points, 5.5 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 0.5 blocks

The Captain of the world’s best is a pretty good title to hold, and at only 23 years old Dawkins is revelling in his glory. Even though his scoring went down his other stats were their usual fantastic norm and all reports say that he will be in Dallas for a very long time.

Free Agency Prediction - 99/1 Stay with Dallas

2x Rookie/Sophomore Game Starter (2025, 2026)
2x All Star Game Reserve (2026, 2027)
1x All Star Game Starter (2028)
2x All NBA Second Team (2027, 2028)
1x NBA Championship (2028)

#35 PF Terry McKenzie, New York Knicks – 22.5 points, 1.3 assists, 9.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 1.2 blocks

With Anthony Davis nearly retired it seems that McKenzie has taken over the title as the best PF in the game. He received his second consecutive All NBA First Team nod and if all goes to plan in New York they will be competing for a title soon.

Free Agency Prediction – 80/20 Stay with New York

2x Rookie/Sophomore Game Starter (2025, 2026)
1x All Rookie First Team (2025)
1x All Star Game Reserve (2028)
2x All NBA First Team (2027, 2028)

#17 PG Cort Majishun, Memphis Grizzlies – 18.9 points, 9.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.5 blocks

His numbers are top notch but he just can’t seem to lift this dead in the water Grizzlies team to the playoffs by himself. One of the best passers in the league it’s good to see that he hasn’t become irritated enough to call for a trade. However, if Memphis don’t get their act together...

Free Agency Prediction – 60/40 Stay with Memphis

2x Rookie/Sophomore Game Starter (2025, 2026)
1x All Rookie First Team (2025)

#13 SG Kenneth Long, Miami Heat – 16.7 points, 9.7 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 1.3 blocks

Narrowly missing out on his second consecutive NBA title, Long was exposed a little in the playoffs after his stellar regular season. Yes his numbers look great as at PG but it might be time to rubbish that experiment and play him at his natural SG position next season with a quality passing PG next to him.

Free Agency Prediction – 99/1 Stay with Miami

1x Rookie/Sophomore Game Starter (2026)
2x All Star Game Reserve (2027, 2028)
1x All Star Game MVP (2027)
2x All League Second Team (2027, 2028)
1x NBA Championship (2027)
1x Finals MVP (2027)
1x All Defence Second Team (2028)

#4 SG Chris Jones, Atlanta Hawks – 15.4 points, 7.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 0.0 blocks

You wouldn’t think that someone with those kinds of numbers would be the outsider in the Rookie Six but Jones just can’t get his groove on. Sharing the lead guard duties with James McDaniel it seems that McDaniel is just too dogged to give the ball to Jones, and has been known to freeze The Wizard out of the offence sometimes. A change of scenery would do the world of good for the Englishman.

Free Agency Prediction – 70/30 Leave Atlanta (or take tender offer to become unrestricted free agent next off season)

2x Rookie/Sophomore Game Reserve (2025, 2026)
1x All Rookie Second Team (2025)

#43 C Art Stevenson, San Diego Riders – 16.8 points, 1.3 assists, 9.3 rebounds, 0.5 steals, 2.0 blocks

San Diego loves the Artisan and Stevenson loves the city. His play might not be flashy but who cares when he does the dirty work, rebounding defence and monsterous blocked shots. I can’t see Art leaving unless someone throws a ton of money at him and he just can’t say no. And even though that sounds unlikely, it still could happen for a team begging for a quality centre.

Free Agency Prediction – 65/35 Stay with San Diego

1x All Rookie Second Team (2025)

[zike_42]

2029 NBA Draft

This draft is all about Josiah Williams, who looks like a true big man who can score and rebound but can’t dribble the ball. He is a little rawer than most thought he would be which is a little concerning at 22 years old but he is a massive gymrat who will outwork anyone and everyone. With pick 16 I’m not really gunning for anyone as I’m not sure who will be there at that stage.

1 – Indiana – C Josiah Williams
Even though they have Emmett Emerson, Williams is just too good to pass up.

I get a few offers for Joe Duggins but I turn them all down as he is a pivotal piece of our bench. The Magic offer us Reggie Dobbins for Jeff Cunningham which is really tempting but his performance in the playoffs/finals puts that deal to rest.

2 – Cleveland – SF Ryan Obrien
A great rebounder for his position and can even play the SG position at times. His midrange jumpshot is money and should fit right in with Brooks Badu and Ron Winston.

3 – Orlando – PF Matt Reid
Not the best defender and has terrible handles and court vision but his defence and rebounding makes up for it. Picked right where he should be.

4 – Golden State – SG Chris Horvath
He slipped just before the draft but what a mouth watering future the Warriors have. Combining the sheer brutishness of Ledaryl McMillian with Horvath who has the potential to be a top 5-10 scorer in the league it’s a good time to be a Warrior fan. He isn’t a very good defender though.

5 – Phoenix – SF Danny Perez
The first clunker of the draft as Perez really doesn’t do much well enough to be a top five pick. He would be better picked in the 10-15 range.

I’m not going to make any moves at the moment unless I get something that blows me away because our team is so well balanced at the moment.

6 – Seattle – PG Eric Holt
He is a much better scorer than passer and at 6’5” will play SG more than PG in the pros. If you thought the Perez pick was bad this is much worse.

7 – Detroit – SF Patrick Blizzard
I’m shocked that Blizzard fell to number seven. He should have gone top three and the Pistons need to give the other teams above them nice flowers for the gift they got here.

8 – Milwaukee – C Albert Roberson
I don’t like this pick. Not because Roberson is a bad player but there are much better centres in the draft, like Erik and Brandon Morris and Damon Ashburn.

9 – Memphis – PG Anthony Timmermans
A player for the future as right now he is quite raw. The young Belgian has the potential to be great but right now it’s a poor pick with Cort Majishun on the team. Is this protection if Cort bolts in free agency?

10 – Charlotte – SG Tony Myers
Another ‘could have been better’ pick as Tom Phillips is a better SG by far. I think the Bobcats picked Myers because of his leadership skills to help the team weed out some bad seeds.

I trade up to #11 for our first round pick and some change as the Nets are looking to shed some salary, and the gap between #11 and #16 really isn’t that much.

11 – Dallas – SG Tom Phillips
I go for Phillips because of his great scoring ability and his great court vision over the likes of the Morris centres and Ashburn who have quite annoying attitudes and could kill our chemistry.

12 – Boston – SG Fletcher Sears
Who? I think the Celtics were hoping that Phillips dropped one more spot and panicked, picking another SG who won’t get any court time in a long time, or even ever.

13 – New York – PG Nick Hughes
Great pick here as Hughes, even though undersized, is a great talent who could start for the Knicks in a few seasons. A steal right here.

14 – Brooklyn – C Brandon Morris
Terrible attitude but bonafide talent. He isn’t the best rebounder but that will get better with time and it’s two steals in a row.

15 – San Antonio – PF Jaron Robinson
Very nice shooter and rebounder who will stretch defences as he is a text book ‘stretch four’. His defence leaves a lot to be desired but it’s a decent pick. Not good but not bad.

16 – Brooklyn – C Akin Feaster
If the Nets were going to take another centre in three picks they could have gone for the other Morris, Erik. Feaster isn’t very good and it’s a waste of a lottery pick.

17 – Toronto – C Erik Morris
Steal.

18 – Chicago – C Damon Ashburn
Double Steal.

19 – New York – SF Jit wei Fong
20 – Denver – SF Brett Felts
21 – Los Angeles – C Jerome Brown
22 – Nevada – PF Clifton Collier
23 – Minnesota – SG Jean-Paul Pires
24 – Atlanta – SF Billy Block
25 – Philadelphia – C Brian Teat
26 – Portland – SF Desmond Armstrong
27 – Utah – PG Carl Abrams
28 – Brooklyn – SG Ahmad Kamara
29 – Milwaukee – PG Donte Stoudamire
30 – Brooklyn – SF Drew Thorne
31 – Chicago – PG Damone Phillips
32 – Atlanta – PG Brent Jenkins

As usual there were a million trades but most of them aren’t worth noting, so again I’ll only report on the bigger ones. And boy was it a boring draft for trades, as only two were worth writing about out of the twenty or so trades which is really strange compared to previous drafts.

Miami trade:
2029 1st round pick

Brooklyn trade:
C Brandon Morris

Winner – Miami. The pick will be much lower than the talent of Morris and even though he has a bad attitude a few years in the D-League or carrying the elite Heat’s bags will hopefully knock that out of him. People were talking that the Nets much have a trick up their sleeve after drafting two centres in three picks but this isn’t a good trick.

Orlando trade:
PG Reggie Dobbins

Orlando receive:
PG Tate McKenzie

Portland trade:
PF Willis Owens

Portland receive:
PG Reggie Dobbins

Brooklyn trade:
PG Tate McKenzie

Brooklyn receive:
PF Willis Owens

Winner – Honestly, no-one. Orlando downgrade from the best passing point guard in the league, and even though McKenzie is one of the best defenders around he just isn’t at the same level as Dobbins. Portland now doubles up on point guards as there isn’t enough minutes or ball for both Dobbins and Kevin Eopps while Brooklyn gave up an excellent PG in McKenzie for someone who will play off the bench. Dumb trade from all three teams.

[zike_42]

With most of the team still under contract I don’t have to change much but I do renounce Kevin Dixon, Brian Jenkins, Jeremy Brown, Casey Floyd and Jerrold Wesby while holding onto the rights of Isaac Holdan and Issiah Hemhill and giving Jack the qualifying offer so he is a restricted free agent this year. That means that we are under the cap by nearly $6 million but that will all go when Jack signs. That’s right when, not if.

Tom Phillips is the only one on our team that gets a summer league invite as Julius Hobbs is too ingrained in the team to really get anything out of it. Obviously we get smashed in our first game against a team with some nice young guys in Brookyln 110-70. Tom has a pretty average game with 9 points and 7 rebounds as Brooklyn have seven players in double figures to our two. Moving on...

Game two is much better as Tom shoots a lot but also hits a lot for 31 points and 8 rebounds as we take our first summer league win 108-94 over OKC. Tyrus Barnes had 19 points and 12 rebounds for us as he is trying to snag a contract. Hayletts Wilcox was the best for the Thunder with 18 points in the loss.

When the Pacers have the likes of Josiah Williams, Jason Sanders, Tip Smith and Andrew Brown it’s always going to be a blowout as we go down to a team with five players that will play big minutes for their proper team next season. To Phillips went 5/19 for 17 points and 7 rebounds while Tyrus Barnes again played well for 12 points and 9 rebounds. Tip Smith lead the way for the Pacers with 15 points and 11 assists.

Another game and another loss, this time going down to an Andy Kante-less Rockets squad 85-73. I’m really worried about Tom Phillips’ shooting instincts (or lack of) as he seems to be chucking things up whenever he can and tonight went 2/12 for 7 points to bring his shooting percentage to 34.8%. Maybe he will grow out of it.

Our last summer league game was a surprising 111-105 win over Washington as Phillips must have heard me because he went 6/14 (still not great but an improvement) for 19 points. Tyrus Barnes is definitely on my radar in free agency with 14 points and 10 rebounds but will probably get squeezed out because of our centre depth.

All right, here we go with free agency. It’s probably one of the best free agencies of all time with the talent just mouthwatering for a team with a lot of cap room. I only have one objective: re-sign Jack. Here are the top ten free agents –

SG Kenneth Long*
SF Jack Dawkins*
C Jimmy Forrest
PG Cort Majishun*
SG Mike Bickerstaf*
PF Marcus Randle
PF John Nemitz
PF Brad Largent
SG Chris Canal*
PF Terry McKenzie*

And that doesn’t include guys like Matt Brown, Chris Jones, Robert Williams, Art Stevenson and Vlado Prazina just to name only a fraction of the talent out there.

I start off by offering Jack a 5 year, $65 million contract which isn’t the max but I want to start out low so I can negotiate later. I leave Isaac and Issiah until after Jack’s decision.

Only a few days later Mike Bickerstaf re-signs with OKC for the absolute maximum which is a good deal for him but being a restricted free agent I thought the Thunder would try and get him cheaper.

In a HUGE surprise (in a good way) Jack re-signs with us for the lower amount that I offered as he doesn’t really care that much about money, he just wants to be an all time great. He said that if he takes less money I’ll be able to use the rest of the maximum to build a great team around him. I like this kid more and more everyday. Kenneth Long, Cort Majishun, Chris Canal all re-sign with their respective teams while Detric Jones signs an offer sheet from Detroit for about $12 million a year.

Jimmy Forrest re-signs with Portland as I offer Isaac Holdan a two year minimum deal which gives him stability for the future. Issiah Hemhill still has his head in the clouds about what he is worth so I keep waiting on him.

Detric Jones is now officially a Piston as Washington doesn’t mind him leaving as they still have loads of quality guards on their roster.

It’s becoming a massive yawner of a free agency as Marcus Randle, Terry McKenzie, Antonio Henderson, Robert Williams, Lance Ellis and Jacob Alexander all go back to their respective teams. Only Detric Jones has moved squads and it’s becoming quite boring when I don’t have a stake in it anymore.

FINALLY! I must talk louder than I think as there was massive movement today. Brad Largent signs with Denver, Art Stevenson spurs his San Diego fans for Cleveland (only on an offer sheet, we need to wait now) while Lisandro Perez goes to Milwaukee and Vlado Prazina signs with New Orleans. Phew, talk about a great day for journalists.

Things continue to roll as John Nemitz teams up with Prazina in New Orleans, giving them a rebuild in an offseason. Matt Brown decides to go to Atlanta for four years which will makes things interesting as Chris Jones accepts his tender offer from the Hawks making it a very crowded backcourt which also includes James McDaniel. Most of the good players either re-sign with their team or accept an offer sheet, making the pool much shallower now.

Good news as Isaac Holdan re-signs here as I offer our summer league star Tyrus Barnes a two year minimum deal. Issiah Hemhill gets a contract offer and he signs it straight away as I think he didn’t like what the other teams were offering him and decided to play for a championship again. Art Stevenson is a Cavalier as the Riders didn’t match his contract for some crazy reason. Hillar Petrauskas signs with Houston for a very reasonable contract.

We don’t have any really good back up point guards so I try and go shopping but nothing looks good. Carl Famer is heading to Denver on a $8 million a year deal as Tyrus Barnes signs with us.

I offer Corry Hackworth and Mike Lingle a minimum contract for a laugh and somehow they both sign here. They both say that they really want to win a championship and we were their best bet. We have a problem as we now have five centres on the team and I’ll need to deal at least two to balance out the roster.

With fifteen players on the roster and a shade over $10 million above the cap I’m done.

Training camp comes and goes and Tyrus Barnes doesn’t look as good anymore. The good news is that Tom Phillips has got better and will probably be the first guard off the bench at the start of the season. I would really like to make a deal to thin out these centres and I’m not averse to dealing a starter. Jack is definitely off the table while I now have a soft spot for Jeff so I’m not giving him up. Julius is safe unless I hit a home run so that means trying to get someone for either Nashon or Earl. But as usual, I don’t do that.

Dallas trade:
PF Julius Hobbs
C Tyrus Barnes
PG Nathan Howard
C Joe Duggins
2031 1st round pick

New York trade:
PF Terry McKenzie
2030 1st round pick

Winner – Dallas. Even though this gives the Mavericks no wiggle room for their salary as both McKenzie and Jack Dawkins are on big, long contracts. It also goes to show how desirable Julius Hobbs is to other teams. Barnes, Howard and Duggins are all decent bench players but Hobbs is the prize here for the Knicks and everyone and their dog is excited at how he will go this season being unshackled from the Mavericks.

I’m over the moon about nabbing the reigning All NBA First Team PF. Even though we let Hobbs go (and I’m one of the those guys who want to see how he goes on another team) getting the crowd favourite McKenzie is a huge boon. I sign Matt Wingfield, Bernard Crispin and Lonnie Moore to round out our team to 15 players.

Eastern Conference Pre-Season Rankings
1 – Memphis Grizzlies
2 – Miami Heat
3 – Boston Celtics
4 – Brooklyn Nets
5 – Washington Wizards
Last – Orlando Magic

I don’t know how Memphis are at the top as they didn’t add anyone substantial and they only won 32 games last season. Miami and Washington should be at the top of the conference but don’t count out Atlanta with the addition of Matt Brown, Chris Jones has now slid to the SF position and will do much better. Orlando lost Reggie Dobbins and are now floundering at the bottom where they should be all season long.

Western Conference Pre-Season Rankings
1 – Portland Trailblazers
2 – Los Angeles Lakers
3 – Dallas Mavericks
4 – Minnesota Timberwolves
5 – Denver Nuggets
Last – Milwaukee Bucks

I’m loving the Nuggets right now with the acquisition of Carl Farmer to their already impressive squad as this conference is the place to be for a tight battle. Milwaukee aren’t bad, more like mediocre and will probably come last because of the rest of the conference.

Pre-Season All NBA First Team:
Ledaryl McMillian, Golden State Warriors
Kenneth Long, Miami Heat
Enrique Mendez, Minnesota Timberwolves
Michael McQuay, Atlanta Hawks
Mark Lewis, Utah Jazz

Pre-Season All NBA Second Team:
Michael Taylor, Los Angeles Lakers
Mike Bickerstaf, Oklahoma City Thunder
Tiburcio Tommasini, Portland Trailblazers
Marcus Randle, Memphis Grizzlies
Eryk Charnowski, Miami Heat

Pre-Season All NBA Third Team:
Camah Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves
Tobe Slaughter, Portland Trailblazers
Jack Dawkins, Dallas Mavericks
Brad Largent, Denver Nuggets
Jimmy Forrest, Portland Trailblazers

It’s the eve of our title defence and the air is thick with anticipation, so here is your 2029-2030 “Back to Back” Dallas Mavericks –

PG – Nashon Smith
SG – Earl Oliver
SF – Jack Dawkins
PF – Terry McKenzie
C – Jeff Cunningham
6th – Mike Lingle
7th – Corry Hackworth
8th – William Jones
9th – Issiah Hemhill
10th – Ryan Robinson
11th – Bernard Crispin
12th – Tom Phillips
13th – Isaac Holdan
14th – Matt Wingfield
15th – Lonnie Moore

[PointGuard]

I'm disappointed. Cort Majishun must have a pretty hot lady there in Memphis to stay with those doormats.

[zike_42]

I'm disappointed. Cort Majishun must have a pretty hot lady there in Memphis to stay with those doormats.

They're doing alright this season (see next post) but I've heard on the grapevine that he is 'seeing' a 39 year two time Oscar winning Emma Watson, who has been reported to be moving to Memphis sometime in the future. Pretty good for a 24 year old kid who changed his name from Marius White.

[zike_42]

Julius Hobbs’ first game as a Knick – 22 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks. I think he will do just fine.

Our first game was even better as we outlast the surprising Magic as Jack had his second ever triple double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists as we win 117-106. Earl and Nashon combined for 42 points as Terry McKenzie’s first game as a Maverick equated to 14 points and 12 rebounds. Tate McKenzie had a blinder with 17 points and 13 assists as it seems he has slotted right in with Orlando.

Dallas Mavericks 1-0

Just as Captain Jack had a fantastic game last time it was his opponent who blitzed us as Enrique Mendez went 22/33 for an even 50 points as we lose to the Wolves 130-110. His running mate Camah Williams was also special with 30 points and 11 rebounds as we just couldn’t stop them. Jack had a quieter night with 20 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds (still very good) while the new T-Mac had 21 points and 9 rebounds but he is still working his way around with this team.

Dallas Mavericks 1-1

**TRADE**

San Diego trade:
SG Adarrial Faye

Minnesota trade:
C Chris Benjamin
PF Scott Woodruff

Winner – Minnesota. This is blatant highway robbery, as Faye is a star while Benjamin and Woodruff are just hanging onto their positions. Sure both are decent expiring contracts while Faye still has three years left but come on, get something decent for him. This deal (if Faye can integrate) puts the Wolves at the top of the list of championship contenders.

Our lowest scoring quarter was only 29 points as we absolutely rout the 2-0 Cavs 142-92 as the benches were emptied just after half time. In fact, T-Mac only played 15 minutes in the game! Earl Oliver was our best with 27 points as the team shot 59% from the field compared to Cleveland’s 38%. This was no doubt one of the most one sided games I have ever seen. Art Stevenson had 13 points before fouling out in 19 minutes.

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

We’re just not there yet with T-Mac coming into the team as we drop the ball against a pretty average Houston team, losing 132-126. Matt Fergerson led the way for the Rockets with 25 points as they shot 56% from the field to negate 67 points from Earl and Nashon.

Dallas Mavericks 2-2

Tom Phillips is getting a little restless not getting any minutes so far so I send him down to the D-League to get some court time.

Earl has been on an absolute tear to start the season, going 10/13 from the field and 14/18 from the line for 36 points as we take a 121-102 away win from LA. Jack nearly had another triple double with 24 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds as Jack, T-Mac, Jeff and Earl combined for 102 points to match the whole Laker team. Michael Taylor was the high man for Los Angeles with 29 points and 9 assists.

Dallas Mavericks 3-2

The Thunder have started 3-0 but that doesn’t stop us from obliterating them 139-117 in a great home game. All of our starters had 14 points or more as Jack dazzled our fans with 37 points and 9 assists while T-Mac and Jeff combined for 50 points. Mike Bickerstaf looks to be the best of the Rookie Six draft and showed it tonight with 37 points. If only he had some more help.

Dallas Mavericks 4-2

We shoot 61% from the field, take a whopping 49 free throws and our lowest scoring quarter is 37 points as we top the 150 mark with a 154-125 win over Sacramento. Four of our starters (excluding Nashon) had 21 points or more with Jack leading the way with 32 points as Mike Lingle added 15 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. Shannon Barker tried his best for the Kings with 22 points and 5 blocks on 10/13 shooting but was undone by Jaymes Kincaid’s 2/11 night.

Dallas Mavericks 5-2

We won 123-93 against the Warriors but it was bad news for Nashon who strained his abdominal and will be out for a week. He was playing well with 19 points and 10 assists and ‘holding’ the Buzzsaw to only 19 points and 14 assists. Earl Oliver led the way with a game high 28 points. Ryan Robinson will take over the starting duties while Nashon is out.

Dallas Mavericks 6-2

Ryan only had 2 points and 6 assists but it didn’t matter as we keep on rolling with a 106-72 rout of the Spurs. Earl had 29 points and 8 rebounds while T-Mac added 18 points and 14 rebounds to make up for Jack’s 2/11 night. Lamont Nelson needed 22 shots to get 15 points as we well and truly stamped our authority on San Antonio.

Dallas Mavericks 7-2

As we had a small break between games Nashon is feeling better but not enough to start as we win again over the Spurs, this time 133-120. Nashon had 11 points off the bench as Ryan added fifteen. Then our big four lifted, combining for 103 points in the win. Darcel Settles was spectacular with 18 points and 20 assists as the Spurs were right with us even with our deadeye shooting.

Dallas Mavericks 8-2

As usual the Jazz are out to their fast start, breaking away with a 11-2 record as we travel to Salt Lake City. Mark Lewis had his usual game as well, with 24 points, 18 rebounds but going 8/20 from the foul line as we make those misses count, stealing a 114-110 win from under their noses. Jack was inefficient for 32 points, going 10/34 from the field and a bizarre 5/23 from three as PJ Fowler offered the deep shot and Jack missed a lot.

Dallas Mavericks 9-2

Just as Nashon heals up to start against the Bucks, Ryan Robinson injures his calf and will be out for over two weeks as we blast Milwaukee in our last game of the month 124-102. Jeff and T-Mac combine for 34 points and 30 rebounds in a monster display and those two are really clicking at the moment. Lisandro Perez had 34 points but shot the ball 30 times as they didn’t have anything else.

Dallas Mavericks 10-2

After starting the season 2-2 we have gone on a eight game winning streak and all seems well so far. No team has really given us a problem except for Utah but that was a given. It’s neither us nor Utah who are leading the way in the West as one of the teams that have beaten us, Houston, are at 7-1 and leading the way with us and Utah right behind them. Without Art Stevenson, San Diego are floundering at the bottom of the conference at 4-11.

The Hawks are leading the way in the East with a 8-1 record, already blowing out a four game lead over second placed Chicago (11-5) with Boston in third at 9-7. To be fair to the conference, there is only three games that separate Chicago and eighth placed Memphis so it’s a tough battle for positions so early on.

Dallas Top Points
Earl Oliver – 25.1
Jack Dawkins – 23.2
Jeff Cunningham – 17.1

Dallas Top Assists
Jack Dawkins – 8.1
Nashon Smith – 7.3
Isaac Holdan – 4.0

Dallas Top Rebounds
Terry McKenzie – 10.3
Jack Dawkins – 6.3
Jeff Cunningham – 6.3

League Leaders
Points – Ledaryl McMillian (GSW) – 29.4
Assists – Matias Perez (TOR) – 11.7
Rebounds – Bryce Metcalf (CHA) – 12.3
Blocks – Schuyler Vanderwerken (DEN) – 2.9
Steals – BB King (PHO) – 2.8
Efficiency – Ledaryl McMillan (GSW) – 27.5

Rookie Leaders
Points – Ryan Obrien (CLE) – 15.2
Assists – Jon Williams (SAC) – 2.7
Rebounds – Matt Reid (ORL) – 7.3
Blocks – Matt Reid (ORL) – 1.7
Steals – Ryan Obrien (CLE) – 0.8
Efficiency – Ryan Obrien (CLE) – 15.4

[OzzieLaker]

Haha! Knew the Mavs would eventually see the light

[Cleasby]

Somebody please find jones a new home he is dying in atlanta