Reading the ESPN article on where the Mavs go from here.

All assuming that the Mavericks will lose the series. They asked a few questions to their panel of experts and idiots.

I thought that I would just share some of my thoughts on their thoughts.

1. How will you evaluate the J-Kidd trade?

The best:

Ford: A huge mistake. Kidd doesn't have the speed to keep up with the Chris Pauls and Tony Parkers of the world. Devin Harris does. That leadership in the fourth quarter that Kidd was supposed to bring doesn't help much when you're getting run out of the gym.

Sheridan: Didn't like that one either when they made it, and we're all seeing why. In that conference, Kidd is too slow to match up with a lot of opposing point guards, and he can't take 25 percent of his playoff games off anymore like he used to do in New Jersey.

No surprise it's from the two smartest writers on ESPN.

The "I can see where you coming from but you missed the point " answers:

Broussard: Again, they weren't going to win it as they were, so they took a chance. But this trade was clearly a bust because they gave up so much youth, and it cost them an extra $11 million when they had to revamp the trade to keep Stackhouse out of it.

Abbott: Chris Paul was, in the regular season, even better against Devin Harris than he was against Kidd. So, while Kidd may not have been a magic ingredient for the Mavericks, I'm also not sure he was the problem.

The "Obviously this guy really likes the Mavericks/hopelessly optimistic" answer:

Stein: I'm grading it the way it should be graded ... incomplete. I underestimated how poorly Kidd fits in Avery Johnson's offense and overestimated his ability to convince the coach to loosen things up. Can a more Kidd-friendly coach rejuvenate a 35-year-old point guard that is starting to show his age? I need to have that answer before I punt.

2. Will Mark Cuban fire Avery Johnson? Should he?

The Best:

Broussard: My guess, based on what sources say, is that he will get fired. Avery's a great young coach and he'll get another job quickly, but the Mavs need a fresh voice and a fresh start. And you know what they say: You can't fire the players.

Stein: Avery is definitely out. Can't blame him exclusively for the New Orleans series but this has been building for months. Coach and the owner don't have the same relationship they once had and the authoritarian intensity that was such a successful contrast to Don Nelson's style early in the Avery Era is too easily tuned out now. Throw in the scars that linger from the playoff losses to Miami and Golden State and it's clearly time for a change.

The "When was the last time this guy watch a Mavericks game" answer:

Legler: Avery Johnson is one of the best coaches in the NBA. Period. Before Mark Cuban considers firing him he should ask himself who could improve their chances of winning a title. This team competes. They respond to Avery and they are well prepared. The problem lies in their personnel and their mental toughness. The guy is a top-tier coach. End of story.

The painfully truthful answer:

Ford: No, I don't think Cuban will fire him. I think it's difficult for Mark to admit to mistakes, and he's made several with Johnson. Should he fire him? Yes. Johnson never really let the reins loose on Kidd and he never got really comfortable with the team. Johnson was a good point guard in the NBA -- but Kidd has been much better.

Now on to the best question (because it comes with a WTF guarantee).

3. What roster moves should Dallas make to stay among the West's elite?

I won't judge here(I will). Honestly. Go ahead and tell me what you think.

Abbott: Remember how Rasheed Wallace was often spectacular, but ultimately unreliable and unsuccessful as a leading man -- but then became a second banana and won a title? I wonder if that might be the recipe for Dirk Nowitzki. Rather than Dirk creating and kicking out to somebody else, maybe somebody else should create and kick out to Dirk.

Saw this with Nash. Maybe it would work with a little more defense and more focus on Dirk this time around. Answer rating: 4/5

Adande: It's not going to happen with Dirk Nowitzki, so they might as well trade him. True, NBA teams rarely get better when they trade a superstar. But they could get some good young players, and with Dirk's salary gone and Kidd's contract up next year the Mavericks could position themselves to make a run at a superstar such as LeBron James or Dwyane Wade in the big free agency summer of 2010.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. WHAT A GREAT FUCKING IDEA. There are only about 22 other teams trying to do exactly that. Plus Dallas will never get Dwyane Wade unless he brings back the trophy when he comes. But seriously, this is your idea. Let's get rid of our best player who has been the face of the franchise for at least four years. Sit through a painful season with a team without an identity led by an aging point guard, so that we can try to land LeBron James with what will be the largest NBA contract ever. But at least will have a good young rookie to pair with him right? Oh wait, we don't have a first round pick in 2010. We'll have Dampier and Terry assuming the don't get traded. I bet Lebron would love to come here and compete with a team that would be worse than the one he put on his back in last years playoffs. But hey, we would have LeBron James. Maybe one day I'll try to put together a full list of teams that could and might try this strategy. Until then I'll be laughing at the articles written by Jack Ass Adande (get it it's like the JA in his name stands for Jack Ass).
Answer Rating: "47 lols" /5

Broussard: Kidd for Iverson. Not sure it makes either team a contender, but both clubs need a shake-up.

At first I was like what the fuck, but really this is a pretty cool idea. This offense is more of a score the ball yourself, and Iverson would continue to attack the basket when everyone else settles for jumpers. I don't think the Nuggets would ever do this though. Answer rating: 5/5 for creativity and brevity.

Ford: Ironically, they traded away what they really needed -- a young, quick point guard who can penetrate to the basket and defend the young point guards in the West. I'm not sure that guy is out there unless they're willing to part with Josh Howard. They've traded away many of their other assets.

Sheridan: Use the midlevel to find an undervalued player the way Orlando did when it went out and got Hedo Turkoglu. Someone is needed to provide a spark and some speed off the bench.

I really love both of these guys. 10/10 for the Sheridan-Ford combo.

Stein: It was less than two years ago that the Mavs were being hailed for their athleticism when they finally toppled San Antonio. Now? Everyone sees that they are woefully slow and unathletic around Nowitzki. Yet these problems naturally would be easier to address if Dallas' best trade chip (Howard) didn't just significantly dent his trade value with a dreadful series and his inexplicable marijuana monologues. The silver lining for the Mavs is that Kidd doesn't have the leverage to demand a lucrative contract extension this summer, which means he'll be playing on a $21.3 million expiring contract next season. If a new coach and offseason tweaking aren't enough to hoist this team back into the West's elite, Dallas should have the financial flexibility/trade asset to start working on a major makeover.

Long but great answer. Answer Rating: 4/5 for optimism

Hollinger: I'm not sure they can. Right now they're down to seven effective players, five of whom will be 30 or older next season. Dallas keeps lusting after veteran role players in their mid-30s, but they've got to refocus on building the talent base back up and snagging a couple more Brandon Basses off the scrap heap.

Hollinger has decent answers sometimes, but his style of writing is a bit dramatic. Maybe I just read it wrong because I think the guy is an arrogant asshole, but this is how I read it.

Hollinger: [long sigh] I'm not sure they can. [shakes head in dissaproval] Right now they're down to seven effective players [Check out my new super duper Hollinger number crunch of the week to see how many effective players you have on your favorite team], five of whom will be 30 or older next season [I invented a formula that subtracts the players birthday from next season's date to compute this. I call it the Hollinger-future-age formula]. Dallas keeps lusting after veteran role players in their mid-30s[get the younger sexier ones, the ones where the sweat beads slowly fall down their rippled bodies], but they've got to refocus on building the talent base back up and snagging a couple more Brandon Basses off the scrap heap [I see players as parts to a machine, "you can't run that engine with just one Brandon Bass, you ought to go down to the scrap yard and snag ya a couple more. Now then, you'll have yourself an engine].

[Note: I recognize John Hollinger makes some good stats, and I'm a big sabremetric guy. I make fun of him because he names everything after himself and complements his good stats with a shit load of stupid ones.(like the playoff odds) Oh and he rights in a condescending tone]

I apologize for the length of this article. The goal of this blog is to get a lot of important information out fast and record Karson and Josh's ridiculous picks for future humiliation. Won't happen again. (until I write my article on why David Stern is a terrible commissioner and additional commentary on JA Adande and John Hollinger).