Asset Management: How 1 Pick Became 3 Prospects

   Beaubois is “The Next Barbosa.’’ Calathes is “The Next Jose Calderon.’’ Nivins is “The Next PJ Brown.’’

There is no way of knowing any of that, of course; there are only the optimistic forecasts of Mavs staffers and others who name those exact names about the three kids selected in Thursday’s NBA Draft.

   But there is a way of judging “asset management.’’ And while a favorite DFW summer pastime right now is “Turning Up The Temperature On The Triangle Of Trust,’’ we’re going to have to remove Cuban/Nellie/Carlisle from the front burner on this one.

   They formulated a plan. They executed it. In the course of 24 hours, they transformed the No. 22 pick into Beaubois, Calathes and Nivins.

   Is that acceptable Asset Management?

  *GM Donnie Nelson is very convincing when he says that French point guard Rodrigue Beaubois is “very special.’’  (Jumps like Blake Griffin. Runs like Leandro Barbosa. Plays defense like Rajon Rondo. Length like Paul Pressey. Tests in quickness drills like Devin Harris. That’s what the Mavs say got from their workout with him in the AAC basement. Seriously. I knew I knew what I was doing when I immediately labeled Roddy "The Most Interesting Man In The World.'' We're already working out other nicknames, though.)

  *The Mavs are very convincing when they say that but for point guard Nick Calathes’ commitment to spend a year in Europe, he’d have been a Round 1 pick.

   *And Ahmad Nivins? If the power forward is really a “PJ Brown Starter Kit,’’ as Donnie says, hey, that’s large at No. 56.

   But pending any of that coming true. … Turning 22 into three legit prospects plus a future pick means the Triangle of Trust earns a tip o’ the cap. Right?

   There’s no Shacquisition in there. Hollywood isn’t coming to Dallas to film a movie called “Nivins Doin’ Work.’’ None of them are even guaranteed a rotation spot for 2009.
   But the Mavs saved some money, collected some prospects, pinpointed their guys (if you believe in such “pinpoint’’ talk), generally got value (according to Mock Drafts) and were – in the end, behind the scenes – proactive in doing all of it.

   Can this bunch of kids play? That answer is a year or more down the road.

   That this bunch of suits manage assets? That answer, on Thursday, was “yes.’’

   Asset Management, in three easy steps:

   Step 1 -- Trade No. 22 down to Portland for No. 24, and No. 56, plus Portland’s second-rounder in 2010.
   Step 2 – Trade No. 24 down to OKC for No. 25 and OKC’s second-rounder in 2010.
   Step 3 – Trade Portland’s No. 2 in 2010 plus cash for Minnesota’s No. 45.
   Then. …

   Turn No. 25 into Rodrigue Beaubois, turn No. 45 into Nick Calathes and turn No. 56 into Ahmad Nivins while still retaining OKC’s second-rounder in 2010.

    Slow your roll on worrying that they “should’ve moved up for somebody’’ (Maynor or Teague) or that they “misjudged somebody’’ (Young or Thornton or Blair) because that would mean you know more about scouting NBA talent than the Mavs staff. … and you shouldn’t be that silly. (Worth noting: Eddie Sefko says the Mavs did try to nab DeJuan Blair with a second-round move, but were unable to pull it off. Now that woulda been nice. …)

   I know, I know, you are excited/disappointed to see ESPN’s Chad Ford proclaim Nick to be a better prospect than Roddy and to call Nivins an “up-and-comer.’’ But stop it. That’s all guesswork.

   Instead, for the moment, evaluate whether the Mavs had a plan and whether they executed it. Evaluate Asset Management. The Mavs didn’t nap a “help-now’’ rotation player (which would’ve been a legit alternative) but they instead tried for something “special.’’ So they turned one late pick in a “weak’’ draft into at least two compelling prospects.