Okay, I've locked myself in my apartment and won't leave until I finally catch-up on all the Mavs news that has occurred since the Montross trade. It includes some rumors and dirt. [The Jackson-Kidd crap is at the end since there is a lot to it.] Let's see, the easy ones. The Mavs formally named Butch Beard as one of Cleamon's main assistants on June 26. Beard had been the head coach of New Jersey for the past two seasons. The Mavs also named Bob Salmi as an assistant coach and video coordinator on July 3. Salmi will be helping the Mavs enter the 20th century by updating their archaic scouting system to a digital and computerized version. Salmi had held a similar position with New York last season. Cleamons will most likely hire two more assistants, one as a main assistant and another for more of a scouting role. Brendan Malone is a potential candidate for the open main assistant job. The NBA Board of Governors formally approved the new Mavericks owners. The GM position is still vacant. John Nash, who had interviewed for the position, became New Jersey's new GM. Mitch Kupchak (LA Lakers GM), Steve Patterson (former Houston GM), and Keith Grant (Mavs Director of Player Personnel) are the candidates. The longer the post remains vacant, the more likely it is Grant will be named GM. His getting permission from Chicago to talk with Cleamons, trades, and running of the draft seems to have impressed the new owners. The Mavs have tentatively planned a mini-camp for the first week of September. Shaquille O'Neal made a little bit of stir in Dallas when he said that he intended to "check out the Knicks situation, the Dallas situation." Stop that dreaming now. There is no way in the world that O'Neal will end up in Dallas. The Mavs simply can not afford him. The Mavs got their second choices in the 1996 NBA draft. The Mavs really wanted Lorenzen Wright, but he was taken by the Clippers at #7. The Mavs then selected their second choice of Samaki Walker with the 9th pick. For their 34th pick, the Mavs wanted Moochie Norris. Milwaukee snatched him at #33, so the Mavs selected Shawn Harvey. For the 58th pick, I was getting excited to see Drew Barry keep falling (hey, I don't follow college bball and to see a name I recognized that deep in the draft, of course I'm going to root for the Mavs getting him), but Seattle selected him at #57, so the Mavs selected Darnell Robinson. [And to make everyone feel really old, Kobe Bryant was born 8/23/78, Stephon Marbury 2/20/77, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim 11/11/76. (Jermaine O'Neal's birthday is currently unknown - if anyone knows it, please let me know.)] Walker is a 6-9, 240 power forward from Louisville. He averaged 14.3 points while shooting 57% FG and 7.3 rebounds in two seasons. He recorded Louisville's only triple-double in school history with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 blocks against Kentucky as a freshman. He will wear #52 for the Mavs and can swing some small forward if needed. Cleamons: "Samaki has skills. He's big. He's a guy whose going to help us. He's a natural fit for what we're trying to do." Grant: "He adds a big body. He's a young kid who's going to get bigger the next two or three years. He's got a good low-post game. He can block shots. He can run. I think he's a big acquisition for us. I think he has a chance to play right away." As I said, the Mavs really wanted Wright. They spent most of the rest of the first round try to negotiate a trade with the Clippers of Walker for Wright. And take that as a note that Cleamons will say they "correct" thing in public. Immediately after the drafting of Walker was announced, Cleamons was interviewed about how good Walker was and how much Walker was going to be a part of the Mavs' future. Shawn Harvey is a 6-4, 180 guard from West Virginia State. He can play both point and shooting guard. He played one season at Essex County College and averaged 25.3 points while shooting 45.5% FG, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in three seasons at West Virginia State. He also had 3 triple-doubles and 17 double-doubles in those three seasons. [His stats read more like a shooting guard than a point, but he is listed everywhere as a point guard.] Darnell Robinson is a 6-11, 270 center from Arkansas. He averaged 8.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in three seasons at Arkansas. He was plagued by injuries during his college career. He'll have to fight his way onto the Mavs' squad and will most likely spend the next season in Europe. The Mavs traded Cherokee Parks to Minnesota on June 29 in exchange for the removal of the top 2-6 protection of Minnesota's 1997 first round draft pick that the Mavs had received in the Sean Rooks trade. Now, if Minnesota gets the #1 pick in 1997, the Mavs will receive Minnesota's 1998 pick unconditionally. If Minnesota's 1997 pick is not #1, the Mavs receive that pick. Cherokee had a poor rookie performance in Dallas. That was partly due to his not getting enough minutes and also due to his not having the strength to play center. With the drafting of Samaki Walker (F) and trading for Eric Montross (C) in addition to still having Popeye Jones (F) and Loren Meyer (C), Parks would have likely not received many minutes again in Dallas in the 96-97 season. The trade was also a salary cap move for Dallas. The Mavs freed up $1.12 million. Here are the dollars that the Mavs under contract will earn in 96-97 (thanks to Owen O'Malley for these): Jason Kidd $4,400,000 Jim Jackson $3,900,000 Jamal Mashburn $3,800,000 Terry Davis $2,300,000 Eric Montross $1,300,000 Popeye Jones $1,230,000 Tony Dumas $1,100,000 George McCloud $950,000 Loren Meyer $640,000 In addition, first round draft picks _do_ count against the cap once the player is drafted. So, Samaki Walker does count against the Mavs cap. I don't know exactly how much, but I'll guess 20% increase of last year's 9th draft pick (Ed O'Bannon, $1,133,000), so let's say $1,360,000. That gives the Mavs a total of $20,980,000. With the project salary cap of $24.3 million for 96-97, the Mavs will have about $3.32 million to play with for free agency once they renounce their rights to the 4 Mavs free agents (Wood, Brooks, Lorenzo, and Harris). Here is how that $3.32 million looks in a contract basis: Yearly Salary Contract Total Average base $3,320,000 2 yrs $3,984,000 $7,304,000 $3,652,000 3 yrs $4,648,000 $11,952,000 $3,984,000 4 yrs $5,312,000 $17,264,000 $4,316,000 5 yrs $5,976,000 $23,240,000 $4,648,000 6 yrs $6,640,000 $29,880,000 $4,980,000 7 yrs $7,304,000 $37,184,000 $5,312,000 8 yrs $7,968,000 $45,152,000 $5,644,000 The NBA and Players association did reach an agreement for the new collective bargaining agreement, so there will not be a lock-out. They also put a freeze on trades and player signings from July 1 to July 9. The free agent market now opens at noon (Eastern time) on July 9. Okay, I've put it off as long as I can. On to the Jackson-Kidd crap. We heard there were problems between the two way back in February, but had thought they had gone away. Donald Carter had sat the two down in March and everything was supposed to be kosher. BUZZT. On June 24, an article appeared in the Fort Worth Star Telegram. Jason Kidd gave an interview to writer Richie Whitt in which Kidd issued a public ultimatum to the Mavericks: trade Jim Jackson or trade Jason Kidd. In the article, Kidd implied that he might sit out next season if Jackson was still with the team and that Jackson was a ball hog concerned only with his shot attempts. Kidd cited an incident during halftime of March 25th's Utah game where the Mavs were ahead but Jackson upset and verbally lashed out at Scott Brooks for not getting him the ball more. [Jason _really_ needs to learn to stopping going to the press with his problems. You'd think after going to the press twice before and having it blow up in his face, he'd learn. But noooo. Grow up, Jason, grow up! Heck, Whitt even asked him during the interview if he was really sure he wanted to do this.] The Mavericks (owners and management) responded to the ultimatum with a press conference in which they said that the team does not respond to ultimatums. Acting GM and part owner Frank Zaccanelli: "We don't respond very well to ultimatums. We're going to do what's best for this organization. ... This is not going to alter our direction one inch." Zaccanelli: "No player or agent is bigger than the Dallas Maverick organization." Cleamons: "I understand everything isn't 100% pure. But the fact remains, when you are a professional, nothing is going to be 100% pure. In order to be of championship caliber, there's give and take on both sides. I understand Jason's position. I respect his position, but I think his methodology is incorrect." Cleamons: "The timing will never be good to bring this to the public eye. Family business should be held behind family doors." The Mavs said that they would not alter their operations towards Kidd's demands and that Kidd is under contract for next season. They also said that the article was the first they had heard about Kidd's ultimatum. Zaccanelli and Cleamons said that Kidd had expressed concerns about Jackson, but the ultimatum caught them off guard. Jim Jackson said that the two had not really talked since Carter had sat them down in March. He also said that he is always available if others want to talk with him had and doesn't feel from his side that the relationship between he and Kidd is unrepairable but wonders if Kidd is even interested in repairing the relationship. The Dallas Morning News reported Jackson said he had left Kidd several messages with no reply. Jackson: "I'd like to stay in Dallas. But if the Mavericks are going to trade me, I hope they get someone who will help the team win because the fans deserve a winner. What would upset me would be if I got trade due to an ultimatum." Jackson's agent, Mark Termini, probably had the best line: "I think it's laughable that any player on a team that was 26-56 would think he's in a position to make demands and ultimatums. Isn't that the bottom line?" The public backlash has been largely against Kidd. Kidd could take some PR lessons from Jackson. Jackson has always come across sounding calm, sincere, and accessible. However, from what I've been hearing, there may be some legitimacy to Kidd's claim (however, I doubt that is the root of the "ultimatum"). The Brooks incident apparently did occur and those who follow the Mavs closely and get an inside look at the team (ie, not me) say that Jackson is concerned with his stats. [I just spent 15 minutes trying to find this ...] Back when Buckner was here, after a loss against the Clippers on March 11, Jackson and Buckner went face-to-face in an ugly shouting match after Buckner mentioned while addressing the team that there had been some selfish play. Jackson, who took 33 shots, took Buckner's comments personally. To be fair, Mashburn was out injured in that game. The Mavs say, for now, the 3 Js are staying together. Cleamons wants to keep the 3 Js together and see how they get along in training camp (however, keep in mind my comment about Cleamons' public statements). If a good trade comes along for Jackson, I'm sure the Mavs will pull the trigger. [I'm more of a Jackson fan than a Kidd fan, but I know it would be stupid to trade Kidd.] Cleamons: "If one guy or two guys or three guys all of a sudden have different agendas, you have no hope of winning. But the one thing all three talked about is wanting to win. If all three want to win, let's sit down and look at it." Kidd back away slightly from his ultimatum. Kidd: "Well, if that's what management decides, I have to go by what management says. The thing we would have to do is work through our differences." Kidd: "Some of the things I said were not right. Like, about sitting out. I would hate to sit out because I love to play basketball. [The ultimatum] was my opinion. I have a right to my own opinion. but I understand management has to do what's best for the team." Kidd on whether he believes Jackson and him can work things out: "Yes, I think so. I still stand by what I said [about Jackson]. but, I think, as we come to understand the problem, it'll work itself out. ... I know there's a good possibility nothing will happen [in a trade]. But if that happens, we still have to address something." And now for the dirt. Remember, this is all rumor. I normally don't wallow in the mud, but ... In a March 29 story, the Dallas Morning News had reported that according to three sources, the Jackson-Kidd feud stemmed from an argument over a woman in December. So far, I've heard three stories as to what this woman problem was. 1) Kathy Harasta (Dallas Morning News general sports writer - not an NBA or Mavs beat writer) wrote an _article_ [how the DMN let her write this article was beyond me since it is pure rumor] about how the whole feud stemmed from an incident in Atlanta. The story is singer Toni Braxton was supposed to send a limo for Jason Kidd at the Omni Arena after the Mavs-Hawks game on December 1. The limo never showed up and Kidd later received a note from Braxton saying that she was sorry that the two did not get a chance to hook up, but thanks for sending Jackson in his place. Braxton, who just released an album and probably loved the publicity, said that she knew who Jackson and Kidd were and "As far as dating, whether it's true or not, I can never kiss and tell." [I'll keep a little bit of dirt of myself and not share the rumor I heard about Braxton.] Kidd responded to the rumor with, "Why would I fight over her? I have a girlfriend." 2) Kevin Blackistone (another DMN general sports writer) wrote, "Maybe none of this would have happened if one of the J's hadn't squealed to another J's girlfriend about how much her J enjoyed being on the road." 3) Some one at the Mavs' draft party was talking about this one and I also heard it repeated on the radio, so I don't know where it started. The rumor is that at one point Kidd was dating Jackson's sister. At the same time, Kidd was dating the rapper from Salt 'n Pepa (Spinderella, or something like that). On Saturday, June 29, the Mavs held a meeting with 9 players to clear the air. Jackson, Mashburn, McCloud, Popeye, Dumas, Meyer, Montross, Brooks, and Wood were the players in attendance. [Why Wood and Brooks were there, I don't know.] The new owners (Perot, McDavid, and Zaccanelli) and Keith Grant addressed the players about the team's intent of putting a winning team on the court and then left, turning the meeting over to Cleamons and Butch Beard. Mashburn said the meeting was to air grievances, discuss the problems that exists between players, and work toward a solution. Mashburn: "The tone of the meeting was that we are professionals and we need to work this out. I think [the new owners] exhibited a genuine concern. They definitely want to win, want us to be happy, and want us to be proud to be Dallas Mavericks." The meeting lasted for 2 1/2 hours. Kidd did not attend because he was conducting a basketball camp in Austin. [Lousy excuse, Austin is about a 20 minute flight from Dallas and there are flights going between the two cities about every half hour - another bad PR move by Jason.] Kidd had talked with Cleamons the night before the meeting and Mashburn talked with him that morning. Mashburn said that Kidd and Jackson were going to talk later that day, but that phone call never took place. I bet fans of other teams wished they were having as much fun as we are this summer. And now for some rumors. The draft day rumor was Jim Jackson to the Clippers for Loy Vaught. The Mavs had a draft day deal of Terry Davis and a draft pick to someone fall through. Cleveland rumoredly offered Terrell Brandon, Tyrone Hill, and a future pick for Jason Kidd. The latest Larry Johnson rumor is Jackson, Meyer, and a future first round pick. Johnson is a Dallasite. Cleveland, Minnesota, Phoenix, and Milwaukee reportedly called on draft day asking about Jackson. If the Mavs can't unload Terry's huge contract, Popeye Jones may be on the trading block to free up some cap room (boo, hiss). The Mavs may be interested in picking up free agent Spud Webb as a backup point. Webb is a Dallasite. If the Mavs do end up trading Jackson without receiving a shooting guard in return, they will need to pick up a shooting guard somewhere - Tony Dumas is not ready to start full time. Steve Smith, Reggie Miller, Hersey Hawkins, Latrell Sprewell, Bryant Stith, and some guy named Jordan are some of the interesting shooting guard free agents. patricia (well, that only took about 3 1/2 hours)