Dallas Mavericks look for missing pieces
Mavericks jockey to add a big man for stretch - and possibly a guard
12:42 AM CST on Tuesday, February 26, 2008
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Mavericks have made their pitch to Brent Barry. And Jamaal Magloire. And probably Justin Williams and another free agent or two.
Soon to come: Perhaps a run at Sam Cassell.
Today, the decisions start to come.
Magloire will clear waivers today, and he's believed to be No. 1 on the list of big men the Mavericks would like to add.
But the possibility of adding Cassell, the veteran guard who apparently is close to a buyout with the Los Angeles Clippers, is intriguing. He would give the Mavericks a respected backup to Jason Kidd. Cassell also has made a slew of clutch shots throughout his career.
Cassell, like Barry, will have no shortage of suitors. Boston has expressed a desire to add him if he becomes available for the last month of the regular season.
As for Barry – who was traded by San Antonio to Seattle, then waived – the thinking around the league is that the chances are slim the 6-7 shooter will pick the Mavericks.
"I think he'll be a nice addition to a team," coach Avery Johnson said. "I'm not sure if he's going back to San Antonio. At this point, everybody's made their pitch or their recruitment. Now it's in his corner to make the decision. Everybody who is in the playoff hunt has made a run at him."
Then and now: Popeye Jones is an assistant to Johnson. In the mid-90s, he was a workaholic forward-center for the Mavericks playing with a rookie named Jason Kidd.
One thing hasn't changed between the wild-eyed Kidd of the '90s and the mature, confident Kidd of today, Jones said.
Kidd still knows all the angles on the court and what passes he can make and when. That has rubbed off on his new teammates.
"The one thing I like about all this is just the look on everybody's face," Jones said.
"Yes, we miss our old teammates. But the smile on Dirk's face and Jet and J-Ho. Their faces had big grins. That alone is going to help us get over the top."
Briefly: Mark Cuban said before the game that the Mavericks have seen a spike in apparel sales since the Kidd trade. "Just $16 million more," he quipped, referring to the $17 million extra that the trade is costing in salary and luxury tax. ... Eddie Jones was inactive because he was fighting the same stomach problems that afflicted Josh Howard in Minnesota, Johnson said.
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Dallas Mavericks look for missing pieces
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