In order to first sign Keith Van Horn before he can be traded in the deal for Jason Kidd, the Mavs must make a roster cut to open space for Van Horn. That's the unfortunate news for one player. Who will take the hit? Well, it could be rookie Nick Fazekas. The good news is that once the trade is completed, the Mavs will have a roster spot available, since they'll be sending more players than they're getting, and could re-sign the player cut.
Or they could look in another direction, perhaps for another interior player to ease the loss of 7-footer DeSagana Diop.
-- Jeff Caplan
We are also getting Malik Allen, who is 6 foot 10 and strong. His numbers are better than Diop's. People need to stop over valuing Harris and Diop. Both were fine players but not great. This is a great deal that needed to be made to not become the 90s Utah Jazz.
Posted by: Erik | February 18, 2008 at 12:18 PM
How are his numbers "better than Diop's"? He's played close to the same number of minutes as Diop this season, yet has 1/2 the rebounds and 1/3 of the blocks. He's averaging 2.4 points more per game, but Diop's 59% shooting trumps Allen's 48% shooting. Also, Allen is a much poorer defender than Diop.
Posted by: Captain Midnight | February 18, 2008 at 01:18 PM