Center Nerlens Noel is expected to return to action shortly after the All-Star break and Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle plans to give him steady playing time, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports. Noel has appeared in just 18 games this season, mainly due to a torn thumb ligament which required surgery in early December. “We want to get him healthy, get him back and try to get him a good 20 or so games, if we can,” Carlisle told Sefko. Noel will be an unrestricted free agent this summer after signing his qualifying offer last summer when he couldn’t find a satisfactory offer in restricted free agency.
In other news regarding the Mavs:
- Seth Curry probably won’t get offered a mid-level exception during free agency following an injury-plagued season, Sefko speculates in his live chat excerpts. A contract with a modest raise over the $3MM he’s making this season might be the best he’ll do, Sefko adds.
- The most likely trade the Mavs would make this offseason is absorbing a contract from a team looking to shed salary to sign a top-level free agent, Sefko opines. He uses the example of the Lakers perhaps looking to dump Julius Randle in order to sign LeBron James or Paul George.
- Who might the Mavs be looking at in the draft lottery? Saad Yousuf of the Dallas Morning News sizes up 10 prospects on the team’s radar, including Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton and Duke’s Marvin Bagley Jr.
The Lakers signing LeBron will be a HUGE mistake which will set the franchise back a decade. LeBron is a great player, probably the best of his generation, but he is heading toward “end of the career Kobe” territory. Still a good enough player to fill up both the stands and the stat sheet, but not good enough to lead a team to even the playoffs anymore. LeBron is showing signs of slowing down this season and Father Time loses to no one. A max deal from the Lakers (or anyone else) might work out in year 1 or even year 2, but years 3-5 will be all about the lottery.
LeBron is no longer good enough to lead a team into the playoffs? Like right now, as we speak, he’s not good enough to lead a team to the playoffs? Would you care to re-post?
I never said that. I said that about “end of the career Kobe” which LeBron is headed toward. Not is now.
K. Cavs stuck with him darn
I bet he outlasts Ayton!
I believe LeBron and Kobe are two different players. Yes LeBron will fade a little as he ages but he’s more of a distributor than Kobe ever was.
Kobe is a gunner, shoot first, score 30 kind of guy. LeBron averages 25 to 30 but he plays different. He swings the ball and has great vision. Perhaps that will translate into more Effectiveness as he ages rather than how Kobe played it out.
You’re saying LeBron would set the Lakers back MORE than Kobe did?? It’s been 5 years since the Lakers were competitive, but they have plans to fix that in the one or both of the next two off-seasons.
In the last 6 years of his career, Kobe was paid $156.8M. In those same years, LeBron was paid $110.7M. We have a man, past his prime, making $46.1M more than a similar player in his prime for the same amount of years. We’ve seen LeBron take less than max money to facilitate a championship roster (even if it was extremely top heavy). We never saw Kobe do anything of the sort.
The whole reason for mentioning this is you’d really have to convince the people who aren’t delusional, you know rational people, as to why LeBron would even want to go to the Lakers. He’s arguably the greatest of all time. Why go somewhere where he won’t even be the greatest player to ever play for that team? He’s basically a god in Cleveland. And they can, and will, pay him just as much as the Lakers.
He’s not the greatest of all time. He is barely top 10 all time so far.
BTW, he was basically a god in Cleveland the last free agency and we know how that turned out. I don’t believe he was treated like a god after that.
LeBron is not the GOAT (and comparing him to MJ is a moot argument since they aren’t similar players; LeBron’s most similar comp is Magic), but LeBron is at least top 10 all time. If you’re putting LeBron outside of your top 10, you’re obviously holding a biased opinion against him. Personally I think he’s top 5 all time, but I can see arguments for putting him in the 6-10 range. But anything past that is crazy.
Lebron is the better player Michael was the better scorer.
LeBron is “arguably” the greatest of all time if you live in Cleveland and weren’t old enough to see Michael Jordan who really is the greatest of all-time. ESPN just did the piece asking who is the greatest of all-time, Tom Brady or Jordan. You’re right, he is a god in “Cleveland.” Cavs owner Dan Gilbert doesn’t have to be reminded about LeBron leaving last time. LeBron didn’t get his not one, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7 championships, did he?
These guys that are gaga over LeBron live on the east side of Cleveland where LeBron is from. I’m from the west side.
Does it even matter? East side, West side, it’s still a garbage city.
East side is way older than west with a much higher crime rate. I live where the pro athlete’s live.
How’s the pickup ball in Rocky River? Still one of the top five pick up games in the country like the late 90s?
Yep. J.R. lives in that area now!
Avon is really growing now. Johnny Manziel did live their.
Actually Magic Johnson is the GOAT, there was never anyone like him and he made a career out of serving others. Thats what it is all about.
MJ is the GOAT, and it ain’t even vlose.
Not on my book, Magic won a ring his first year and dominated his era. Sure Jordan did also but Magic did it with style and everyone who played with him found joy in the game, ask Kareem. I respect your opinion, we all have different outlooks on the game. I am a strong believer in Jesus Christ and so is Magic Johnson, a man who played for the love of the game and won in the most unselfish way possible.
If I were NBA teams, I’d keep offering LeBron 1 year contracts. Paying LeBron over $40 million at age 38 is nuts. Only way he beats Warriors is if he joins them or any of the Warriors leave!
Its a long season, injuries happen. Look at Leonard. All you need is an A-hole like Pachulia to ruin your playoff run and the next season for your team.
Hope the Mavs get DeAndre Ayton. Mark Cuban is from Indiana University. He got his fortune figuring out how to get IU games over the internet, so they say.
Mavs should go for a <25yr old RFA like Jabari or Gordon this offseason, sign Seth for 15/3 and then trade for Deng’s albatross contract + Lakers 1st rd pick (so the lakers can sign 2.5 max deals or whatever they wish to do). We won’t tank next year cause the lottary odds have changed anyways. Then HB, Wes, Deng come off the cap sheet before the cheap rookie scale contracts of DSJ and the 2 other 2018 lottery picks expire, hence we can sign one or two top FA in 2020 or so when our 3 rooks (hopefully none bust) enter their primes. Bang, we are contenders. That’s Cubans plan, I bet ya!
I feel they go Gordon over Jabari, but I love the idea. The only thing is, what would they trade for deng
I agree that Gordon would be more valuable but I just don’t see a scenario where Orlando doesn’t match him. However, depending on what the mavs offer, T-Wolves might pass to match. What for? Noel for Deng would work according to the ESPN trade machine. But would the CLE 1st rd be enough for the mavs to take this much dead salary? Would the bird rights that come with Noel be enough to entice the lakers to send 2020 pick or some future swap rights to the mavs?
Lakers don’t have a 1st this year unless you’re talking about a future 1st.
Or I guess the CLE 1st, forgot about that one.
Yep, LeBron isn’t any good anymore…Y’all will never stop hating and denying greatness. Enjoy him while he’s here, because he is a generational talent. No point letting personal biases get in the way. If you are truly a fan of the NBA you would not let these things cloud your judgement
I just don’t like his selfishness. Look at the Pacers this season. They got together and asked Kevin Pritchard not to make any trades at the deadline because they are unselfish and are a true team. They might not be playing for a championship, but the fans enjoy them. They don’t have to make the $177 million the Cavs make. They are playing just as well making $93 where the league asks them to be. The Pacers are just as happy with Oladipo than with LeBron or PG13.
Hows Lebron selfish? Because he wants to win and demands alot out of his teammates? The guy has a good 3-4 years left in his career, why would he want to spend those last 4 years playing for nothing like the Pacers? Nothing against them just no one will take Indiana serious in a playoff series despite their regular season success. Lebron will sign re-sign with the Cavs if they draft Trae Young, otherwise he’s off the San Antonio.
There you go trolling again. I like the Pacers because they work as a team. They don’t care about winning championships. Oladipo knows the Pacers won’t win one. Giannis knows he won’t win one in Milwaukee. The guys in Minnesota won’t win one. But they play together. They don’t have to rip apart a team. LeBron knows he has a few years left and he knows he can’t beat the Warriors, so stop being selfish and enjoy having what he has left. He could have had it better, but he drove Kyrie out of town with his selfishness. I think the only way LeBron goes to Houston is with sign and trade. Only way he goes to L.A. is if they sign PG13 first. I think San Antonio LeBron would want to see how Kawhi is doing and would demand a max salary. I really do think Philly has a chance. I think Cleveland is iffy because Love will leave next season and he won’t have his superteam any more.
They interviewed Dwayne wade after his game in Miami last Friday and asked him if he wanted LeBron to come back to Miami. He said he didn’t want to have anything to do with LeBron’s decision.
They asked him about the trade. He said we won 18 or 19 in a row and then started losing. Just once I would have liked to hear LeBron and his fans say part of it was his fault too. Like former GM Dave Griffin said LeBron held Miami hostage, and has Cleveland too.
Lebron is not holding Cleveland hostage, he just wants to see where the team is headed. Why extend with Cleveland if they don’t show him they are willing to put the best roster possible around him? The man does not want Davis and Giannis, all he wants is a team that can defend and get stops and knock down jumpers when ever he drives and kicks.
Not what you said earlier! It is what it is!
This narrative that Lebron plays on superteams is bogus, who was Kyrie before Lebron got to Cleveland? A ball-hog who couldn’t even lead his team to the 8th seed? Have you seen Donovan Mitchell anchoring the Jazz right now? As for the Warriors their bench is suspect and lacks the firepower Houston’s bench has. If Kawhi gets back to 90-100 percent by the playoffs I do not see the Warriors getting past SA or Houston so embrace yourself for a rude awakening. Lebron James is still the best player in the game, just give him shooters and rebounding and its an automatic Conference Finals at the very least, have a blessed day my brother.
LOL! Hahahaha!
If Kyrie doesn’t hit the winning shot, they lose the championship to the Warriors. If not for Kyrie the Cavs wouldn’t have had to play musical chairs at point guard and make all these trades. LeBron had Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami and Kyrie and Love here. Injuries hurt the Cavs in 1st series against GSW, but LeBron won 1 in Miami and 1 in Cleveland. San Antonio “tore him up” in Miami, that’s why he left. NOBODY will beat GSW. Kerr will have them ready for the playoffs. Durant is the best player in the game now. I too am a strong believer in Jesus Christ. Would be nice if everybody did!
Durant the best player in the game? No way, Lebron is in a class of his own. What separates him is his basketball IQ, the man demands excellence and thats why he people like to classify him as a crybaby just because he tells it how it is. Kyrie Irving will never be the caliber player Lebron James has been his whole career, Lebron is easily top 5 all-time when its all said snd done. Quite frankly the best of all-time when he hangs them up, the unselfishness on the court and surreal responsibilty on the court is unlike anything I have ever seen.
When I first moved here, the first thing they asked was why! LeBron got Gilbert to trade for Love. You never saw free agents come here before LeBron and you won’t see them after he leaves. There are better cities to live in than Cleveland. The Browns suck and Kyrie will tell you before LeBron came back and Love joined him, the Cavs did too.
To watch for: Colin Sexton outplayed Trae Young in the Alabama-Oklahoma game. They say Iowa State figured him out, he’s been slipping since.
Why do so many people care to talk about that LeBron guy on a „Mavs Notes“ blog post? Don’t you people in Cleveland have a job?
DSJ, Barnes, Randle and Ayton would be one hell of a youngcore to build around.