SB Nation - July 14

Jul 14, 2010 -

There are plenty of things to be tossing around in a week that traditionally is supposed to be the slowest week of the sports year, so let's get to it!

RANGERS PULL THE TRIGGER

I have only lived in the Metroplex since 1998, so I cannot claim that this team crushed my childhood when they could not close the deal in various seasons of my youth. But, in my 13 seasons of closely following the Rangers, I have grown accustomed to reading stories that link the Rangers to top-notch pitching help, but never really believing it will happen.

How many times did we need Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens to break our hearts before we figured out a defense mechanism is the best way to deal with these disappointments? They don't really love us, and they are just using us to get what they want!

And then, the Cliff Lee trade happened. It might be a game changer.

Now, we should point out a couple things before we get carried away with this idea that all things have now become new. For instance, Cliff Lee had no say in this matter. Had he had a 1 percent stake on what happened when the Rangers and Mariners came to an agreement, there is a very real possibility this never goes down. Also, he is committed to be here for about the length of a season of Entourage. (Actually, Wikipedia indicates that Entourage is only doing eight episodes this season and the final one is on August 22! How can HBO get away with this?) This is clearly a rental, as Lee will pitch about 13-15 times for the Rangers and then his 1-hour "Decision" special on ESPN will air in December.

Let's be honest, there are two major problems with buying a Cliff Lee jersey for 2011: 1) There is a very real chance that he cannot wait to go someplace else as soon as he does get a say in the matter, and 2) There is an even more real chance that whoever owns the Rangers by Christmas will not be interested in making Cliff the highest paid pitcher in baseball. So, perhaps spend your money on a Neftali jersey.

Now that I have tried to kill your buzz (at least the part of your buzz that was not already killed by the Orioles four-game sweep) it is surely time to congratulate and get excited about the Rangers management team figuring out a way to energize the entire baseball market in a summer of such insanity, none of us saw this coming. After we learned last summer that the much-discussed Roy Halladay trade possibility was merely talk show fodder because the Rangers didn't have the cash to really do it, how could we know that the Rangers had the ability to do trades where they convince the other team to pay the freight?

But, because of the job Jon Daniels and his scouts have done, the prospect shelf is full, and they have the currency to get after things like this even if they have an empty wallet. This ability allows them to steal a player from right under the Yankees' noses, and if ever a gust of wind finds your sails, it is when you have the Yankees angry about a move you just made.

So, while this is no more of a permanent relationship than CC Sabathia in Milwaukee, the Brewers will assure you that those three months were worth every day of Matt LaPorta's future. Now, the Rangers have walked the walk and not just talked the talk in the "it's time" campaign. By making this move, they tell us that when the first pitch is thrown Thursday night in Boston, they are all-in and going for post-season glory in 2010.

They went and grabbed the best pitcher in the market, and even if it is only temporary, there is every reason to believe that the rotation is now capable of some very big and impressive things. Colby Lewis makes far more sense as a No. 2. CJ Wilson now looks like a proper No. 3. Tommy Hunter slides to No. 4. If Scott Feldman, Rich Harden, or Derek Holland sort things out (quickly) they can grab the No. 5 slot. OK. This no longer a pipe dream. This actually appears to be a group that has a fighting chance.

There are no guarantees in sports, but to have Cliff Lee on the Rangers side is quite a weapon and will keep Rangers baseball relevant well past the opening of Cowboys training camp in 10 days in San Antonio, Texas.

Thanks for nothing, Tom Hicks. Thanks for plenty, Rangers. We are all counting on you.

MAVS MAKE THEIR MOVE

Meanwhile, the Mavericks have been busy working on their gigantic summer of transition which was hopefully going to present a significant sea change in the expectation level of Mavericks basketball entering the next season of the Dirk era.

So far, I am sad to report, there is very little to get too carried away about. On Tuesday, the Mavericks finally cashed in the Erick Dampier chip, and it appears that they were down to cashing it in for nothing or a big man that has not been healthy since he participated in the public execution of the Mavericks in April/May of 2008.

Tyson Chandler was an unstoppable force in that five-game massacre that cost Avery Johnson his job. He was on the receiving end of countless lob passes from Chris Paul, dominated the boards, and inspired another summer of transition.

Sadly, he has not been healthy since. There was a voided trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder because of his health, and then another trade to the Charlotte Bobcats. During those two seasons since the playoff against the Mavericks, Chandler has been available for exactly 96 of the 164 games (58 percent) that his teams have played, and started 72 of them (43 percent). Not exactly Cal Ripken, Jr, here.

When healthy, Chandler is interesting to me. But, even at this age, which should represent his prime, it really appears that he is done. The Mavericks are banking on the premise that this is not the case - or, they are seriously putting a lot of stock in this idea that financial flexibility is the way to go. They have expiring deals all over the board (Caron Butler, JJ Barea, Chandler, etc) and are thinking that a team that is giving up at the All-Star break trade deadline might want those deals for deals with remaining years. The problem with that, of course, is that with the NBA likely losing a giant portion of its season in 2011-12 to a labor stoppage, there might be very little reason for teams to shed payroll given that there is likely no payroll to meet.

I love that Mark Cuban is obsessed with trying to get over that hump. I love that Dirk Nowitzki is not chasing every last dime and is not interested in stabbing Dallas in his quest for joining some other opportunity that would leave unfinished business here.

But, why do I get this sneaky suspicion that we are just in a non-stop holding pattern waiting for that Pau Gasol trade that would change everything? Is it out there? And is part of that trade's awesomeness dependent on that trade happening in the direction of a team that has an obsessed Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson already in place?

I guess what I am saying is that the Lakers are the Lakers. The Mavs are still the Mavs. They wanted to add a big piece in the Summer of 2010 - LeBron, D-Wade, Amare, or even Joe Johnson. They wanted to flip the expiring Dampier deal for something really awesome. What did it turn out to be? A center who hasn't been healthy in two seasons that may be capable of backing up Brendan Haywood.

Sorry. But, I must rate that move as positively underwhelming. I desperately hope I am wrong. But, something tells me the Spurs and Lakers are not losing sleep over that one.

10 DAYS TO GO

The July traditions are all here. Baseball trade deadline. Basketball and hockey free agency. And yes, the start of doing interviews on various stations across America helping them preview the Dallas Cowboys.

I did my first one on Wednesday morning when a station called me to ask what the biggest concerns were about the 2010 Dallas Cowboys, and how good they might be.

Obviously, left tackle and safety are way up the list, but I keep coming back to kicker. David Buehler is the kicker as of this moment, and I cannot buy it. Why? Because I was here last year when Nick Folk went south and the Cowboys would rather call up Redskins discard Shaun Suisham than deal with Buehler even though Buehler was on campus and present for every practice all year.

Doesn't that tell you something?

And what could possibly change since last December that tells you now that Buehler is ready to take and make kicks that will decide games when the margin for error is slim and none this season?

You see, the Cowboys have designs on winning it all and being the first team to ever win a home Super Bowl (and the first team to ever play in a home Super Bowl). To do so, they will need some home field advantage throughout the playoffs because last year we saw the Cowboys could win a playoff game at home, but not on the road. The Vikings also looked great at home and then lost on the road. Meanwhile, the Saints and Colts both never left home and went to the Super Bowl. It is not a guarantee of 2010 success, but home field is always a strong place to start when building objectives for your NFL season.

Back to Buehler - so you see him making a kick in December on the road? If you do, then how do we explain the lack of confidence in him the last time the Cowboys played a game? I like the kid a lot - he seems like a great dude - but didn't the Cowboys tell us all we needed to know on the topic in December?

My money is on the idea that they bring in a veteran to compete for the kicking job before August is over. I just don't think that Buehler will be able to survive a bad day or two in camp and keep FG duties on his resume.

SB Nation - July 1

Jun 30, 2010 - This weekend, the dinner bell rings across the NBA for the long-discussed and much contemplated "Summer of 2010". My, oh my, when we get to the "Summer of 2010" everything we know as basketball fans will change forever! Because the "Summer of 2010" will make all things different.

Well, it is here. The Summer of 2010 is now. The teams that have been doing everything they can to accumulate cap room will now be put to the test of whether or not they can do anything with it. It is nice to have some money, but what will we do if the players do not want to take it?

As anyone who even slightly follows the NBA knows, the "Summer of 2010" is only the "Summer of 2010" because it contains the unstoppable force known as LeBron James.

For a long, long time, I heavily doubted the idea of LeBron James leaving Cleveland to pursue those greener pastures elsewhere. I just didn't think it would really happen, as icons such as Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant never actually leave during their primes from their teams. They consider the franchise that hatched their legend as much a part of their legacy as anything in their story. To pack up and leave for another port suggests that they cannot handle their problems. Instead, the choice is to run to a new place. They no longer belong to one city and one setting. Their story loses a fair amount of symmetry and stability. Legends don't do this for reasons of pride and ego more than anything. They are convinced that they can fix any situation with a wave of their magic wand. Perhaps they will need to force a trade and fire a coach - but in the end, the true legends of the sport are not leaving town to reach the pinnacle.

I assumed LeBron was cut from that same cloth. But, I must tell you - the last few months has rocked my perception of LeBron significantly.

I wish I knew when things started to tip in the wrong direction for "King James". Come to think of it, maybe he was doomed when people started calling him "King James" when he was a mere high school student and handed him more money in a day than he would need in a lifetime. Days after leaving high school!

Bryant, Jordan and Tiger Woods are not unbelievable sports super heroes just because they have great athletic ability that we cannot comprehend; don't get me wrong - that is part of it for sure. But, certainly not the most important part. The most important part of being a sports super hero is that on top of being better than you at so many portions of their life, on top of being richer than you can ever imagine, and on top of being as famous as a human can be - they still want to beat you today.

The insatiable hunger for winning is not something that exists in great supply across the fruited plains of big time sports. It is sad, but quite surely, players play to get paid. And when they get paid, many of them put up the old "mission accomplished" banner across the deck of the aircraft carrier and put their feet up. It is all good. As the great Bob Gainey once told me, "It is tough to be hungry when you are always full".

But Kobe, MJ, and Tiger? They are never done winning. They really do embody the overused sports cliché that "he would play for free." I believe that Bryant would play for free next year. He won't. But, he would if he was told that is the only way he will be allowed to pursue championship No. 6. He is happy to enjoy the spoils of war, but he is not in the war for the spoils. He is in it to put his enemy to the sword.

Which brings me back to the "Summer of 2010," where it appears LeBron James will be headed to a new city because he never wanted to be in Cleveland to begin with. He is growing the LeBron brand, and that means that he must shed the image millstone of Cleveland, and go somewhere shiny like Chicago or Miami or New York. Somewhere far more mainstream and marketable.

What happens when we are too quick to place a person in the "MJ, Kobe, Tiger" bin when there seems to be a fair amount of evidence that he doesn't belong in this bin? I mean, after all, some of you have argued with me that he is better than Kobe Bryant already (I assume your apology e-mails are in my spam filter after these playoffs). I figure those arguments are based on the physical ability of LeBron and the regular season accomplishments and the commercials, right? Because it if is based on the relentless pursuit of rings and the never-ending desire to own the mountain, then some of you need your eyes checked. Kobe is shorter and older, but since none of that obviously matters, Kobe was grabbing a fifth ring by not backing down to the same Celtics squad that made LeBron go out with a very unimpressive whimper.

Now, are you asking me if I would turn down a chance to sign King James? Of course I would welcome him with open arms - especially to the Mavericks. But, do I believe that he belongs in a group with Michael and Kobe? No. And I never will feel that way the second he leaves Cleveland. Both Jordan and Bryant had plenty of help, but they both figured out how to do it without turning their back on their situation - and those who pledged allegiance to the LeBron flag. Yes, Doug Collins and Del Harris had to go. And yes, Michael and Kobe are both widely considered impossible to deal with at times and thought of as absolute jerks to those around them when they don't like what is going on - but they never ran. They never turned their back on those who bought all the shares that they could afford of what they were selling. They never tapped out.

If he leaves Cleveland - especially when the Cavs have tried to do everything they can to please him for the last seven years - then he is tapping out. Sure, he might be going somewhere to form a super team with Dwyane Wade and/or Chris Bosh. But, you know something? It won't be the same. If you are LeBron James, and you are obsessed with winning, and you want to be in the same category as Kobe and MJ, then you make Wade come to Cleveland. You don't tap out.

But, why should we ever think he belongs in that group? What has ever led us to believe he belongs in that tippy-top group of basketball legends? His commercials that told us so? His fans? Has he ever had his moment of absolute "I will not be denied - I am going to win this or die trying"? OK, but besides Game 6 in Detroit back in 2007?

Look, there is nothing wrong with being in that next group of athletes. In the pyramid of greatness, what is so bad about the level below Tiger and Kobe? I just feel that LeBron has been interested in the last several years at trying to shovel as much money as possible into his corporate hoppers, and not spending time being obsessed with winning titles. He has been obsessed with growing his global brand. He has been obsessed with his celebrity circle of friends and his image plan. And yes, those are things that Jordan and Woods spent a considerable amount of time on as well, but only after they were done polishing all of their trophies.

You know what LeBron feels like to me? He feels like Alex Rodriguez. A corporation built to yield annual earnings. The whole thing is very nice to the shareholders. But in the big scheme of things, his lasting image is style over substance. And the city of his legacy? Like with A-Rod, there isn't one. Well, there may never be one, at least, if he blows out of Cleveland. Sure, lots of guys leave one city for the next in pursuit of scratching that itch, but the legends don't do it in their primes. They deliver on their promise and hype and then some. LeBron has delivered Cleveland about as much as Mark Price did.

I will concede to you that LeBron James is the second best player in the league right now if you concede to me that it is silly to compare him to Kobe or MJ any longer. In the words of the great Chuck D, "don't believe the hype" after LeBron shriveled up in the playoffs and now looks like he is ready to run from his problems to a new address. The greatest of all-time don't do this.

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Since we are on the topic of Free Agency in the NBA, I must touch on the local team of interest, and the object of my basketball obsession - the Dallas Mavericks. It has been a few months since the latest fizzle and dissolve for Los Mavs, and it is time for the annual effort to get back on the horse and prepare for next season.

For some reason, no team in this city pulls my heart out of my chest and shows it to me as it is still beating before I die (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom reference) like the Mavericks. I spend plenty of mental time and space trying to figure out how Mark Cuban and the Mavericks solve the ultimate problem of how to get the team to a point of having a chance at the NBA Title. Wow, since Cuban has bought the team, they have always been in the mix, but never been able to quite close the deal. One year, that fateful 2006, everything broke right and it still didn't work out.

Now, Dirk Nowitzki is able to opt out if he so chooses, and is on the brink of the twilight of his career even if he stays. Cuban has told those around him that he is ready to make something happen and has fueled his jets to do it. But, what is there to be done? What can be done in this league where it is clear that the Title seems to go to those who can accumulate "Top Shelf" talent, and any movement of talent on the lower shelves like Jason Terry, Caron Butler, or Joe Johnson types just seems like moving around deck chairs on the Titanic.

Cuban is the polar opposite of Tom Hicks in his willingness to do whatever it takes. Hicks seems content not to do anything, and now that he is bankrupt he can't do anything anyway. But, Cuban seems like he might be more than happy to write a blank check if it meant he could finally put those Lakers and Spurs in their place once and for all. But, no matter how many ways he tries to fit the puzzle pieces together, he just can't figure out the code.

So what is his plan this summer? I have no idea. I trust it is Cuban-sized in its magnitude, but I also wonder if he will ever totally figure it out.

Meanwhile, we who follow this team sit by and wonder if we can take another season of this story that seems to resemble the little train trying to crawl up that impossible hill. And this is why sports seems so utterly silly to those who are not addicted to it; there is no promise of a pay-off. No matter how many years Mark Cuban and the Mavericks try to get it right, there is no promise that he will ever get a title any quicker than an owner who seems to have no addiction to winning whatsoever, like Hicks.

It would be easier to sign up for more heartache if you knew that you would someday see the Mavericks raise the trophy, right? If only it worked that way.

Good luck this summer, Mark. It appears you are going to need it. And then we are all going to need it, too, this winter when the little Mavs try to crawl back up that hill.