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DIRK'S DAMAGE: 'MILD & MODERATE'

by Mike Fisher

Mon, Mar 24, 2008, 12:18 PM

I am a glass-is-half-full guy. With that in mind, I offer good news on Dirk Nowitzki's injury. ... and some attempts at Mavs-related happy talk.

On Sunday, a) I found out my insurance carrier had dumped me, b) I threw out my back on the Eliptical bike thingee, c) I guested on NBC5 and thought I looked more like Bill Conlin than George Clooney, and d) I had etched into my brain the vision of a ‘4’ and a ‘1’ next to each other, lying sideways. …

Yet I still gaily wished a “Happy Easter’’ to everybody in my Fave Five.

So, in Glass-Is-Half-Full Guy mode, I present to you The Top 10 Reasons Dirk’s Injury Might Turn Out To Be OK:

1. He isn’t dead. He’ll be back. Someday. In fact, this morning, we received and report the news: While there is no timetable set yet for his return, the official diagnosis on Dirk is a “moderate high-ankle sprain’’ and a “mild knee sprain’’ and he is presently in a walking boot.

2. Avery’s season-long trumpeting of this team’s “underdog’’ status finally rings true.

3. Expectations for this club are now at Ground Zero. And there is nowhere to go but up. … not counting the possibility of ending in ninth.

4. Jamal Magliore was seen loosening up at practice on Monday.

5. Seriously, what if this year’s Mavs evolve into last year’s Warriors? Free-wheelin’, nothin’-to-lose, feel-good story of the first round of the playoffs? You want F-’Em? It started with Stack smushing Manu’s face into the hardwood. The cage match might just continue. …

6. There will be a renewed focus on the fact that the Kidd trade – at this microscopic moment something less than a stroke of genius – will move into telescopic phase. Meaning that the Kidd trade isn’t just about having gone 9-8. It’s about next week, and next year, and maybe the years after that, too.

7. I’ve reported that this team is “bonded,’’ and that they were maybe circling the wagons before Sunday. Now it’s foxhole time. A real test for their bond. If Avery can keep ‘em together through this, and maybe even win some games as a bonus, maybe the coach really is climbing the learning curve.

8. Contrary to what some speculate, this doesn’t mean Avery suddenly goes “unjudged’’ by his owner. There may be less to scream about now. … but there are just as many judgments to be made.

9. Just in case, the first-round pick that Dallas gave to New Jersey in this June’s NBA Draft is indeed lotto-protected.

10. A reprieve from the gauntlet comes Tuesday. Hello, Clippers!

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Comments (4) add comment

...
written by rick , March 24, 2008

"It’s about next week, and next year, and maybe the years after that, too."

I almost blew a gasket after reading that line. I felt it when it came down and I still feel the Kidd trade was a move for the sake of making a move. It did not address any of the real problems this team has (scoring in the last four minutes when it is all about a slow-down half court game, the need for a quality 2 guard and/or a lock down 2 or 3 defender that can cover the Coby's and Lebron's in this league) and seems to have been made in the panic following the Laker and Phoenix moves.

The Mavs let Nash go with the explanation that you don't want to pay an old point guard $14 or $15 million a year. Fine. So three years later you bring in an older point guard for $20 million a year?! Makes no sense. And the local media took the Kidd trade hook, line and sinker. We were told Kidd can help them win now, the window is closing. Local media explained to us uneducated sports fans that he could get the ball in the hands of our shooters in a position to make plays and he could hit big buckets down the stretch. How's all that working out?

I realize it is early but, I have yet to hear any of the jokers on the radio or print media who were gaagaa for the trade admit it was a mistake. Instead, they are blaming Avery and the supporting cast for the team's woes.

Hey, at least now the Mav's will have Dirk's injury as an excuse for missing the playoffs.

...
written by Dallasite1 , March 25, 2008

The worst part is that Jason Kidd will be retired in two years, and we don't have any draft picks to use for a replacement.

The until now untradable Dirk will probably become very tradable in the near term.

...
written by Mike Fisher , March 25, 2008

but rick... what if they are successful (by whatever measure) next year? Then is it a 'failure'?
And Dallasite, teams that win 50 every year rarely 'use draft picks for replacements' of HOF'ers. Instead, when Kidd leaves, they'll use his slot to sign some other 20-mil man.
Too much hand-wringing! Let's watch the games.... and see.

...
written by rick , March 26, 2008

I do not know what you were saying when the trade came down, but most of the sports writers and radio talk show hosts I read and heard made very little mention of the "future". It was all about what Kidd could do for this team now. I won't be silly and say that even if the Mavs bring home a title next year (and let’s be honest, this team will only be considered a success if they win a title, rightly or wrongly that is the measure) the trade is still a failure. But do you really believe that is realistic?

And don't forget, I can play the "what if" game too. What if Devin Harris goes on to become a perennial all star and has ten productive years in the NBA?

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