Heard It Through the Season-Ending Grapevine

Posted by Rob Mahoney on May 4, 2010 under The Grapevine |

• Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie wraps up the Mavs’ ‘09-’10 season with an eye on things to come: “Flexibility, for the first time since Cuban took over, could be in the offing. And, again, the payoff probably won’t be too huge. The Mavs are just a B+ basketball team right now, not a lot to worry about, but a team that should still be able to wring 50 wins out of this league next season unless Dirk and/or Kidd really fall off. Until things are figured out, count your blessings, Mavs fans. The championship breakthrough may never come, but this has been a remarkable run. Dirk is playing about as well as he ever has, and you have an owner who is constantly turning the wheels, trying to find new revenue streams and new ways to improve his team. This might feel like Purgatory, but it’s Purgatory that comes with 50 wins. I’d take it.”
• Marc Stein wrapped the scene at the AT&T Center following Game 6, which was about as somber as you’d expect. Stein offered a brief defense of Dirk Nowitzki: “All franchise players get the blame when their teams fall short of expectations, but it’s likewise true that even franchise players need consistent top-flight help, as Kobe Bryant quickly discovered until Pau Gasol arrived in Hollywood. It’s easy to single out Nowitzki as the one on-court constant in the Mavericks’ run of 10 consecutive 50-win seasons — and their status as the only franchise of the four to achieve that feat that hasn’t won multiple championships — but the Spurs couldn’t have been more relieved that Nowitzki’s supporting cast, even post-trade, is still lacking. ‘He’s … amazing,’ one Spur said. ‘Dirk doesn’t deserve the crap he gets.’”
• Sports Radio Interviews has the must-read transcript of Rick Carlisle’s visit on Galloway and Company, where he stands by his decision to play Rodrigue Beaubois while admitting his faults (and though he certainly made a mistake, I never said his decision was an easy one, and neither should you), on his opinion of Jason Kidd, and on Dirk’s future. (Note: they also have the audio at SRI, scroll all the way to the bottom for the three audio links.)
• According to the betting site Bodog.com, Dallas is the 4th most likely destination for LeBron James this summer, after Cleveland, New York, and New Jersey. Dare to dream? (via Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk)
• Caron Butler, somehow making less than no sense when addressing the question of whether he’ll stay in Dallas for next season (he’s not a free agent, but could be traded) (via Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas): “‘I hope so. We’ll see what happens,’ Butler said. ‘They’ll be a lot of decisions that will obviously be made. But, I like Dallas. I’m a Ranger, Texas Ranger.’” Oh…okay.
• J.J. Barea will play for Puerto Rico in the FIBA World Championships this year, but it’s still unknown whether or not Dirk will play for the German national team.
• Rodrigue Beaubois learning — and teaching? — English.
• Jason Kidd may have been dealing with an inner ear problem during the series against the Spurs. Could be.
• According to Michael Lee of the Washington Post, Caron Butler sulked his way through the beginning of this past season when the Washington Wizards refused to give him a contract extension (via Mike Prada of Bullets Forever) due to their substantial monetary commitments to Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison. If the Mavs dangle Caron as trade bait this summer and he again feels snubbed, can they expect more of the same in 2010-2011?