Charting How Mavs Flipped Assets In 'Extreme Makeover'

   We often talk about the Mavs “having a plan’’ as opposed to simply “spending to assemble a Fantasy Basketball Team,’’ or worse, grab-bagging their way through moves.

   This? It all looks like the result of “having a plan.’’

   Here’s the semi-short version of “How These Mavs Have Re-Tooled’’ in recent months. ... essentially flipping Jerry Stackhouse, Josh Howard and a late first-round pick into a made-over roster that includes Shawn Marion, Caron Butler, Roddy Beaubois and Brendan Haywood.

    Get your No.2 pencils ready – and then get your sponges ready as we all prepare to Wash Donnie’s Truck:

    *In June, the Mavs flipped the 22^th overall pick in the NBA Draft into three prospects, including Roddy Beaubois.

   * Then in July they flipped Stackhouse (The Stack Chip) Antoine Wright and Devean George into Shawn Marion (and Kris Humphries and change).

   * Then in January they flipped Humphries into Eddie Najera and a Trade Exception.

   *Now in February they’ve flipped Josh Howard and Drew Gooden (and change) into Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood (and change).

Pluses and Minuses (in terms of players of real on-court value):

   MINUS – Josh Howard and Drew Gooden.

   PLUS – Roddy Beaubois, Shawn Marion, Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood.

   That’s called “having a plan.'' That's called "asset management.''

   Of course, they aren’t done yet. Just as I like to say, “the window never really closes,’’ I will also stress that “the work is never done.’’
   There is another asset, that TE that came in the Najera deal. There is another pickup to be made, maybe; while the Mavs talked this weekend of being willing to play with just 13 guys, I can certainly see Dallas examining any of a number options:

    1. Using the TE now, pre-trade-deadline, to buy one more body to fill out the roster.

    2. Saving the TE as a piece to pair with The DUST Chip to be dealt into the Summer of 2010 Sweepstakes

    3. Checking the waiver wire this spring in search of that Kurt Thomas-like body who might be released by his present employer

    4. Patiently waiting to see if any of the pieces just shipped to Washington eventually get released … creating a boomerang possibility.

   As always, there is the Summer of 2010, and we all know the pluses that are available then, including the Bird Rights re-signing of Haywood and the use of The DUST Chip + whatever to chase a huge free agent via Sign-and-Trade. (And just food for thought here: I’m wondering if LeBron or Joe Johnson or Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade or Manu Ginobili – and remember, all you have to do to make DUST work for you is to trade Dampier for a player superior to him – I’m wondering if one of those guys might think it’s kinda cool to get max money to play in a warm-weather city for a generous owner while running the floor with Dirk, Kidd, Caron, Marion and Haywood ... and getting to be the Batman of the whole operation.)

    To get to this point, the Mavs did a lot of executing. They:

   *Constructed Stackhouse’s contract in a beneficial way

   *Acquired The Buck Shot (but didn’t find it useful)

   * Made it a priority to re-up Jason Kidd and did so

   * Took a big stab at a restricted free agent center, got Kicked in the Gortats for it, but re-grouped quickly with the bargain signing of Drew Gooden

    *Swore they knew what they were doing in letting Brandon Bass go for $18 mil while replacing him with Gooden at a fraction of the cost (along with Singleton at the minimum)

    *Passed on the interest from Shaq

    *Were convinced that Marion would be a better fit and bargain than Richard Jefferson or Vince Carter

    * Showed no faith in Gerald Green (no longer in the NBA)

    *Showed little faith in Ryan Hollins (to Dallas, not worth a three-year, $7-mil contract to be a third-string prospect).

     *Stockpiled their bench with minimum-wage vets on expiring deals.

    A Draft-Day trade. A Summer of 2009 free-agent Sign-and-Trade. A minor deal with New Jersey. A major deal with Washington. And (with the help of ‘JES’ and David Lord of the 75-Member Staff) here’s what Dallas has done, depth-chart-wise, with its dollars and sense:

   Shifted from paying $94,743,434 for:
   Dampier - Hollins - Williams
   Nowitzki - Bass - Singleton
   Howard - George - Stackhouse
   Wright - Green - Carroll
   Kidd - Terry - Barea
   and drafting BJ Mullens

   To paying $87,707,016 for:
   Haywood - Dampier
   Nowitzki - Thomas - Najera
   Marion - Stevenson
   Butler - Terry - Carroll
   Kidd - Beaubois - Barea
   with Calethes, Nivins, OKC’s 2010 2^nd-round pick an a $2.9 mil trade exception

   Where has it gotten the Mavs? To a 32-20 record, good enough for first place in the Southwest ... but considered not good enough to a franchise that wants more.

   So, in exchange for a semi-retired Jerry Stackhouse, a disgruntled Josh Howard and a late first-round pick. ... they got more. They got Shawn Marion, Caron Butler, Roddy Beaubois and Brendan Haywood.

   That doesn’t automatically equate to a championship, of course. But it is a plan, it is an executed plan, and it is a brilliant series of moves that represents the best in “asset management.’’

    Now who wants to join me in Washing Donnie’s Truck?