Kenny "the hater" Smith joins Chuck in Warrior-bashing!

Besides the fact about our porous defense, I don't see how the other comments were "spot on."  Saying that we were "at the right place at the right time" is like saying we were lucky; that we were just "Johnny on the spot."  It is true that we gave the Mavs match-up problems, but we were also playing extremely well in that series as well as the pseudo-winning streak leading up to it.  We did not simply run into the right team at the right time.  You could say the same thing about the Jazz; they present special problems for us (especially with Boozer beatin up everyone and never getting called for fouls).  But they are also a very good team.  Point is that you don't get to the playoffs and beat the Mavs cause they're "the right team at the right time."  We beat them because we played better and with more heart.
The truth is that the "We Believe" story was one that the media did well to exploit last year.  However, the media thrives on the status quo, and only short-term challenges to it.  Its a better story for them to have us do badly this year, especially given the reputation of some of our players.
But I digress.  The point being is that if I had gotten to the playoffs and beaten the league favorites in one of the most emotional, exciting, and well-played series in recent memory, and then some guy said that I had just "caught the right opponent at the right time," I wouldn't be too happy about it.  Would you?
Moreover, this analysis is after FIVE GAMES!!!  Not to mention that we are missing our second best player and have as many injury issues as we do.  We lost 2 to a team that honestly just has our number, and the other three were relatively closely contested. And we looked darn good in that mavs game.  My wife has never understood of professionals who practice as much as they do can shoot a FT% any lower than 80%.  Biedrins is Biedrins, but the rest really have no excuse.  Well, that's my rant. :)

All nba franchises are concerned with how much money they make.

Are not similarly situated, so your insistence on comparing them is misplaced.

Trades do not occur in a vacuum, teams are made up of multiple players.

Whining about the J-Rich trade because Wright hasn't played ignores the context of why the move was made.

But of course, you can think whatever you want about the trade.

It was so universally accepted because it started universally. The Mavs weren't talking during the series, and that's when the, "They're just a hotter team!" started to make waves. Don't blame the Mavs for that, just like we don't blame the Dubs for the, "When Jax gets back it'll all be better!" crap!!

And no, the Dubs were/are not a better team than the the Mavs. Talent wise - the Mavs have it. It's like the Greek mythical story of Achilles...the only part on his body that could be hurt was his ankles...the Dubs were the Mavs' achilles' heel!!

And you should want the Mavs to win a trophy one day, otherwise, you didn't beat a great team...you beat a sort of okay team!! Think about it!! The team that knocked out Michael Jordan and the Bulls were a LEGIT team!! It wouldn't work to say, "so, you beat Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz...so did a lot of people!! Hell, even Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash can say that they did that!!"

...you are completely correct to say that the Dubs were the better team in that series, but not all year. Absolutely they were the best for those 6 games!! I agree 100%!! But, in this league, overall talent is judged based on how a team plays in several games...and how these teams fare against other talented teams.

The 90's Mavs used to be the Dubs in the sense that at one point in time, they were considered talented but not elite. When we think of Nash and Nowitzki now...we think MVP. Before, we thought 2 decent players with really bad hair!! Then they beat San Antonio, Phoenix, Utah, and Los Angeles and other teams (who at the time) were the best in the league. They became elite when they began to challenge San Antonio, the reigning champions, then they beat them in 7 games (along with Phoenix) to win the Western Conference. The "Elite Stamp" was officially awarded.

Can the Dubs big 3 beat the Mavs big 3...sure...on any given day...either can beat the other. But can the Dubs team consistently beat the Mavs team? Or better yet, can the Dubs consistently beat anyone else who is deemed an elite team? If not, you don't get the "Elite Stamp" and that series win will always look like (maybe unfairly) a freak accident.

And I like Matt Barnes...he's a great player with a big heart and talent. But the Mavs have Terry AND Stackhouse! The Dubs have Biedrins but the Mavs have Diop AND Dampier. Two heads are usually better than one. That's the difference at this point between the two teams. The Mavs do have key bench players that can step up (J.J. Barea, Devean George, Juwan Howard, J. Terry, and J. Stackhouse)

At the end of the day, Diop and Dampier together are better than Biedrins...Terry and Stackhouse together vs. one Matt Barnes...I'll take the two players ANY DAY!!!  

As far as the 67 wins...they deserve them...because they won them. They beat Detroit, Cleveland, San Antonio (3 of 4 times...they went on to win it all), and Phoenix...in fact, any good team last year they beat...with the exception of one team...Golden State.  I feel your sentiment about this fact, but you can't take away what the Mavs did last year. If so, one could say, "The Dubs didn't DESERVE to beat the Mavs because they only had a good second half of the season, and the Mavs had a great full season and the Mavs beat more teams!!" How dumb does that sound? No one can take away that upset and no one can take away those 67 wins!!

Dirk is a bad matchup for many teams, just like the Dubs are a bad matchup for the Mavs. Fair is fair! That's the point in it all, that's why he's so good...it's not really his fault he's 7'0" tall and can shoot threes and dunk the ball!! Can we really take away wins from 11 other guys because their star player is an anomaly?!

Finally, if other teams go into the playoffs thinking, "we've got this win!!"...well, that's when the Mavs will win it all. The last thing you should do against ANY team is think, "we've got this win!!" Only time will tell what the Mavs have learned...I sure hope this offseason they invested in a Sports Psychologist!!!

When you say it won't be a genius move you imply that you know in the future Wright will be worthless, the TPE will bear no fruit, and Azubuike will fail miserably.

No one knows the future, but we can make some decent guesses: Azubuike will surprise the haters, the TPE will probably be used to grab something at the deadline, and Wright should be a viable rotation player in a year or two.

Then there's fact: Richardson's contract and age are both gonna increase in the next few years; his game is unlikely to improve any further.

So yeah, I'm not a psychic, but I'd like to consider myself and others capable of logical analysis, which supports the position that the Jrich trade won't hurt us in the least.

hit you with "get over it" or "stop whining" 'cause I've had fav players before and it sucks when you feel they've been punked by their supposedly loyal organizations

but you have to realize that it was the absolute BEST move for both JR and the Dubs. JR's getting his chance to shine and learn from the GOAT - MJ - in a subtle, rub-off kind of way; whether he can live up to those lofty expectations is basically in his hands.

BWright may or may not pan out; he's skinny as a toothpick but he does have game. It may not be instant gratification but if/when he does blossom?  He'll be a nice addition plus we'll have greater flexibility free from JR's financial load. So the trade isn't JR for Wright straight-up necessarily; it's JR for flexibility.  With JR? our hands are chained.

Meanwhile, the Dubs have an absolute BEAST in newcomer Azubuike. I mean the kid just reeks of potential, maybe even a register of possible Elite-ness, at a fraction of JR's cost; and with our greater flexibility, we can make serious changes in the near future ala Boston this season.

JR has perhaps hit his ceiling, the peak and prime of his game; a ceiling which Azubuike is already flirting with and is ready to bust right past as he earns more and more recognition and respect in the league.

I don't know if I'm over-blowing what I see in the kid just trying to find the light in an otherwise blaaaah season so far, but Azubuike is the future of this team, imho.

Although I'm hesitant to think it since the last guy I got giddy over now plays for the Wizards :{

Ironically, Jamison netted us a valuable expiring contract, and this year he is a huge, huge expiring ($13M IIRC) himself.

Now, he's also pretty productive so he won't be a "Dale Davis" level filler...but Washington is in an interesting position. Arenas already said he's gonna opt out, and will be asking for a massive raise. Washington is up against the luxury tax this year already, so paying Arenas offsets most of the savings from Jamison's departure. They've also said, however, they want to retain Jamison.

Personally, I think that's a pretty dumb idea, since it's clear to me they've peaked with the crew they got. They need a massive defensive upgrade, and they really should use the one they have on the bench: Andray Blatche. Thomas was a decent center, but Haywood, according to the Wizards blogger, is the superior defender. Running Blatche and Haywood together at the 4/5 will give them a far superior defense in the paint than Jamison could ever give them (he's not a shotblocker at all). Combine those two with Dominic McGuire off the bench and you might have a n actual frontcourt on the Wizards.

What's all this mean? I dunno, since it's way too early to say. But if Washington bombs this year, Jamison is a pretty interest piece (and to alot of teams, not the Warriors in particular).

...you are correct. Harris' game might be disliked by most, but the boy is extremely fast (sometimes too fast) and he's getting better.