Dirk's Last Chances-A Dallas Mavericks Association (2k13)

[smokeydays23]

"I understand this season was a failure. I brought in too many guys on one-year contracts and expected them to perform well, which was stupid of me to think. The only player I even want to consider keeping is Dirk. Expect me to use the amnesty clause this offseason."

Those were the words frustrated Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had to say about the 2012-13 season and offseason. Two years removed from a title, he wanted to taste the champagne again. He wanted another ring. Not just for himself, but for Dirk Nowitzki. His long-time franchise centerpiece, future Hall of Famer, and quietest star in the NBA.

This offseason is a very stacked one, with players like Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Paul Millsap, Andre Iguodala, and Nikola Pekovic. Mark Cuban expects his team to be poised to sign not one of those players, but two. After narrowly missing the playoffs, this team wants to get back to the promised land. But who will still be there? After the season, the only three players under contract are Dirk, Shawn Marion, and Jared Cunningham.

With Cuban expected to amnesty Marion, this leaves a lot of cap space to say the least. With a guaranteed lottery pick as well, they can easily return to the playoffs this season. Will they get to the promised land? We'll see.

[smokeydays23]

Lebron Collects 4th MVP, Lillard ROTY

NBA seasonal awards have been given out, and it's no surprise that LeBron James of the Miami Heat took home his fourth MVP award. Here are the rest of the seasonal awards:

MVP: LeBron James, Heat
ROTY: Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers
Sixth Man: Jason Kidd, Knicks
DPOTY: Dwight Howard, Lakers
MIP: Goran Dragic, Suns
Coach: George Karl, Nuggets

[smokeydays23]

All-NBA Teams Announced, Kyrie Surprises

The All-NBA teams were announced today, and there were some surprises, like Kyrie Irving making the All-NBA first team. The rest of the teams are like this:

All-NBA First Team:
Kyrie Irving
Russell Westbrook
LeBron James
Kevin Durant
Dwight Howard

All-NBA Second Team:
Kobe Bryant
Stephen Curry
Kevin Love
Blake Griffin
Kevin Garnett

All-NBA Third Team:
Brandon Jennings
Dwyane Wade
Lamarcus Aldridge
Paul Millsap
Greg Monroe

All-Defensive First Team:
Paul George
Dwyane Wade
Serge Ibaka
Paul Millsap
Dwight Howard

All-Defensive Second Team:
Kobe Bryant
Stephen Curry
Dejuan Blair
Kenneth Faried
Joakim Noah

All Rookie First Team:
Damian Lillard
Anthony Davis
Thomas Robinson
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Dion Waiters

All-Rookie Second Team:
Bradley Beal
Harrison Barnes
Jonas Valunciunas
Patrick Beverley
Austin Rivers

[smokeydays23]

LeBron, Heat Win Second Straight Title, Beat Denver in 7

They've done it again. The Miami Heat have defeated the Denver Nuggets in 7 games. It certainly was not easy for them, but in the end the Heat just wanted it more, had more veteran leadership, and don't forget the fact that they have that one four-time MVP guy.

LeBron after the game had to say "Oh my God. This feels just as great as it did last year. I cannot believe we did it again. It's a true testament to the veterans on this team, a lot of them didn't have many rings or any rings at all. Now, we all can celebrate because the title is going back to South Beach!"

LeBron was the Finals MVP after averaging 25.7 Points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and a steal during the postseason.

The Heat certainly look poised to make another title run next season. Can they keep the pieces in place? We'll certainly see.

[smokeydays23]

Kidd, Nash, Hill headline retirees

Here is the list of retiring players:
Grant Hill
Juwan Howard
Jason Kidd
Marcus Camby
Steve Nash
Mike James
Jerry Stackhouse
Jermaine O'Neal
Derek Fisher


Upon their retirements, Steve Nash and Jason Kidd have been inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame in Springfield.

[smokeydays23]

Jazz Get Lucky, Win #1 Overall Pick

The Jazz were very fortunate to get the #1 pick last night, and they have several options to go with in Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore, and Otto Porter. Here is the lottery:

1. Jazz
2. Magic
3. Cavaliers
4. Suns
5. Trail Blazers
6. Pistons
7. Hornets
8. Hawks
9. Kings
10. Grizzlies
11. Wizards
12. Mavericks
13. Raptors
14. Bobcats

[smokeydays23]

Mavs amnesty Shawn Marion, Trade Jared Cunningham to Houston for pick

The Mavs are serious about this whole free agency thing. They just cleared even more cap space and now are ready to bring in two max-contract players. They have an amazing 37.38 million dollars in cap space, so expect them to offer deals to Dwight Howard and Chris Paul.

EDIT: OJ Mayo has accepted his player option and will remain in Dallas.

[smokeydays23]

Jazz take McLemore #1, Dallas takes McCollum and Len

The Jazz decided to stick to what they have in the front court and get the best scorer in this draft in Ben McLemore, while Dallas took CJ McCollum from Lehigh and Alex Len from Maryland with their first round picks. Here's a summary of the first round:

1. Jazz- Ben McLemore (Kansas)
2. Magic- Anthony Bennett (UNLV)
3. Cavaliers- Dennis Schroeder (Germany)
4. Suns- Shabazz Muhammad (UCLA)
5. Trail Blazers- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Georgia)
6. Pistons- Dario Saric (Croatia)
7. Hornets- Otto Porter (Georgetown)
8. Grizzlies- (Traded Zach Randolph to Atlanta for draft rights) Victor Oladipo (Indiana)
9. Kings- Deshaun Thomas (Ohio State)
10. Grizzlies- Nerlens Noel (Kentucky)
11. Wizards- Cody Zeller (Indiana)
12. Mavericks- CJ McCollum (Lehigh)
13. Raptors- Michael Carter-Williams (Syracuse)
14. Bobcats- Steven Adams (Pittsburgh)
15. Bucks- Tony Mitchell (North Texas)
16. 76ers- Allen Crabbe (California)
17. Pacers- Rudy Gobert (France)
18. Clippers- Trey Burke (Michigan)
19. Celtics- Gorgui Dieng (Louisville)
20. Nets- Glen Rice (Georgia Tech)
21. Spurs- Mike Muscala (Bucknell)
22. Thunder- Sergey Karasev (Russia)
23. Warriors- Shane Larkin (Miami)
24. Bulls- Jamaal Franklin (San Diego State)
25. Mavericks (via Houston)- Alex Len (Maryland)
26. Timberwolves- Kelly Olynyk (Gonzaga)
27. Lakers- Myck Kabono (Texas)
28. Knicks- Ray McCallum (Detroit)
29. Nuggets- Archie Goodwin (Kentucky)
30. Heat- Mason Plumlee (Duke)