Reunited? Yeah, Not Quite…

Basketball, Major Sports

Posted by SK, February 16, 2008 - 1:54 pm

I’ve been kicked in the sports nuts.  Again.  This time by Devean George.

This week has been a complete rollercoaster for me.  Last Sunday night I wrote about watching Jason Kidd in person, and how he’s still got it after 14 years.  Then I thought that he’d be getting it in a Dallas Mavericks uniform once again.  Rumors emerged on Wednesday that the Mavericks and Nets were working a blockbuster trade, with Kidd and Malik Allen going to Dallas for Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, Desagana Diop, Devean George, 2 first round draft picks, and $3 million in cash.

Let me start by saying that the Mavs and the Cowboys have both been donkeypunching me since 2006.  That was the year the Mavs unbelievably made the NBA Finals, only to lose to the Heat after taking a 2-0 series lead.  That was followed by the Tony Romo fumble on the field goal attempt in Seattle in the NFL Wild Card playoff game.  THAT was followed by an epic first round collapse after a 67-win regular season by the Mavs last year, and if that wasn’t enough, the Cowboys laid that collosal egg against the Giants at home in the playoffs a few weeks ago after a 13-win season.

So I thought this Kidd trade would rescue me from a committing a murder-suicide.  Or at the very least, therapy.  I thought it was a good thing that I didn’t interrupt Mark Cuban and Kiki Vandeweghe’s conversation during the pre-game shootaround on Sunday.

Unlike my brother, who also commented about the trade in this space, I thought that as risky as it may have seemed, the Mavs had to make this deal to stay in the mix. I’ll admit, when Kidd listed the Mavericks as one the teams on his short list of desired destinations after his trade request, I was more than thrilled.  After all, who better to take this team to the promised land than a player originally drafted by the franchise?  The Mavs would have lost some depth further down in the bench, but they would have gained the passing and rebounding of a hall of fame point guard who desparately wants to win a title before he retires. Not to mention his leadership and mental toughness.

I had no doubt that Kidd would have refused to let the team collapse like they did last year against the Warriors.  Look at this team: A front line of Dirk, Dampier, and Josh Howard, and a backcourt of Kidd and Jason Terry, with Stackhouse coming off the bench.  Who do you double team?  And how do you solve Kidd, who as recently as last week notched another three straight games with a triple-double?

But then Devean George came along and cockblocked everything.

George was having trouble logging minutes this season, being the third or sometimes fourth guy off the bench.  Since he’s in a contract year, he’s been pretty vocal about wanting a trade to be able to log some playing time.  And also since he’s in a contract year, it makes him a more likely target to be traded for cap purposes.  So no one thought anything of including him in the trade.

But then he decided at the 11th hour to refuse to be included in the trade, claiming that he didn’t want to lose his Bird rights, which would have precluded him from being signed and traded this offseason.

So let me get this straight, Devean.  You’ve been asking for a trade to get more playing time because you’re in a contract year.  Yet when you get the trade, to a team that you would have logged more minutes for, you change your mind, citing something that you WOULD HAVE LOST IN A TRADE ANYWAY??

Pardon me while I stab myself in the forehead with a rusty screwdriver.

To make things worse, Jerry Stackhouse had to open his big mouth and talk about how he would have been happy being waived by the Nets and re-signed by the Mavs after 30 days.  GMs across the league cried foul, citing an improper pre-arrangement.  So even if George does change his mind, the trade still probably won’t be able to go through as it was orignally agreed to.

Sources are saying that the Mavs and Nets are still working on other options, as well as trying to make George change his mind.  But I just have this sinking feeling in my gut that the February 21st trade deadline is going to pass, and nothing is going to happen.  The Mavs have lost eight of their last ten, and this can’t be good for the chemistry in the locker room.  This season will go to shit.  And I will be standing in a full bathtub and sticking a fork in an electrical outlet.

When you get kicked in the sports nuts as much as I have been lately, you can’t help but expect the worst.

Share