Hello Celebritys

I’m a few hours late posting this up, but I figure I should get it up here anyways. Center Brendan Haywood has agreed to re-up with the Mavs for 6 years, $55 million with the last year not guaranteed. I for one am happy about this move.

If you saw my posting the other day, I was adamant that the Mavs should not sign and trade Haywood to Miami and instead keep him. Luckily that is what they did. Length in the NBA is so important, and with Dampier most likely not returning, and Jermaine O’Neal signing with Boston, Dallas had to have someone and Haywood was the right choice.

Now, I know he isn’t the greatest in the world, but he is a serviceable center who showed flashes of being pretty good for the Mavs last season. I think once the team goes through training camp and inserts him into the starting lineup permanently, he will be more consistent with his performances. Haywood has good hands, can rebound, and challenge shots. This team doesn’t need much more than that from its center and I think he will prove to be valuable for Dallas in the paint this season.

I am extremely glad the Mavericks were able to bring back both Dirk and Brendan Haywood, but something else still needs to be done. The “Dust Chip” didn’t land the Mavs one of the big name free agents, but it can still be used to get another good piece. I am very curious to see how that plays out and what kind of player Dallas can actually land.

The Miami Herald is reporting that the Mavs and Heat have had discussions about a sign and trade deal that would send Brendan Haywood to Miami for Jermaine O’Neal and Michael Beasley. That might sound all fine and dandy to Mavs fans wanting the team to make some kind of move, but I say avoid that scenario completely!!

First on Jermaine O’Neal, has anyone’s game in the league fallen off harder than this guy? He used to be a premier player in this league, now he is just another guy. DallasBasketball.com has a posting up breaking down the similarities in stats between Haywood and O’neal, and on paper I agree, but those stats won’t mean anything if J.O. isn’t on the floor.

Jermaine O’Neal HASN’T played a FULL season since 00-01 and that year he still missed a game. O’Neal missed 12 games last season, 14 games in 08-09, 40 games in 07-08, 31 in 05-06, and 38 in 04-05. The guy is a walking injury.

Then you want to take on Michael Beasley also? Yeah, he might be a decent young talent but am I the only one that remembers him posting a picture of himself on twitter with bags of weed in the background? Do the Mavs really want another Josh Howard situation? Why do you think Miami wants to get rid of him? Because he didn’t develop like they think he should have. If he was great they wouldn’t be looking to dump him off.

I know Mavs fans are clamoring for some type of deal to get done to bring in a new, big name, free agent, but this is not the one Dallas needs to jump on. I would much rather just resign Haywood and keep him here than bring in those two knuckleheads.

When the Mavs take the court tonight against the Nets, they will be without J.J. Barea, but expect centers Brendan Haywood and Erick Dampier to be in action. Dallas has been missing their big men as of late, but both fully participated in shoot around this morning.

Haywood said after shoot around that he has been “feeling better than I have in previous days, so I am going to give it a try.” Haywood also clarified that his back stiffness has not been an ongoing problem and it is just something that happens in the NBA.

Also, when I asked Brendan about matching up with the Nets Brook Lopez tonight, he said “I’m back, I think Damp is back, so we should have a lot of bodies to throw at him.”

Mavs Head Coach Rick Carlisle wouldn’t divulge much information but did say he was “hopeful that both big guys would be available.” Dampier and Haywood are game time decisions, but I fully expect both players to see action tonight.

When the Mavs take the court tonight against the Nets, they will be without J.J. Barea, but expect centers Brendan Haywood and Erick Dampier to be in action. Dallas has been missing their big men as of late, but both fully participated in shoot around this morning.

Haywood said after shoot around that he has been “feeling better than I have in previous days, so I am going to give it a try.” Haywood also clarified that his back stiffness has not been an ongoing problem and it is just something that happens in the NBA.

Also, when I asked Brendan about matching up with the Nets Brook Lopez tonight, he said “I’m back, I think Damp is back, so we should have a lot of bodies to throw at him.”

Mavs Head Coach Rick Carlisle wouldn’t divulge much information but did say he was “hopeful that both big guys would be available.” Dampier and Haywood are game time decisions, but I fully expect both players to see action tonight.

Maverick fans were angry, mad, sad, and maybe a little all of the above this past summer when Orlando matched Dallas’ offer sheet for center Marcin Gortat. Gortat was going to bring much needed athleticism to the center position for the Mavs, but it was pulled right out from under them. Now that the Mavericks have acquired Brendan Haywood, I don’t even know if I remember who Marcin Gortat is. The Magic did Dallas a great favor by matching the offer this offseason, we just didn’t realize it until now.

Obviously Gortat is stuck behind Dwight Howard in Orlando, so the numbers compared between the two aren’t going to equal out, but I would much rather have Haywood on my team at this point. Haywood has much better size as a true seven footer, plus he has more experience and in my opinion, better athleticism.

I am only bringing all this up because the Mavs take on Orlando tonight at 7:00 and it really is crazy how things in the NBA work out. What if the Mavs had signed Gortat? Would they have a better record right now? Would they still have traded for Caron Butler? Who knows!! All I know is, I am happy about how things turned out, and am looking forward to this playoff push by the Mavs.