OJ Mayo to the Rescue in Dallas!
OJ Mayo signed a 2-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks, and he’ll add pop to an offense that lost its second-best player, as well as act as a fire extinguisher to put out that dumpster fire that is the franchise.
Since losing Jason Terry and Jason Kidd, Mark Cuban has responded by essentially walking around the bar at closing time and going for any single female left in the place who had a pulse:
- 33-year-old Elton Brand, who bottomed out last year in Philly – 11 ppg, 7.2 rpg
- 30-year-old Chris Kaman, who, despite 16.2 ppg and 9.6 rpg on awful New Orleans, had no serious suitors [Kaman sidenote: He took a swing at Bill Simmons on twitter, picking up where Cuban left off]
and traded for …
- 24-year-old Darren Collison, who might become their starting point guard
A quick word about Mayo – on a loaded team in Memphis, with a solid point guard, a stud in Rudy Gay, and two powerful interior players – he shot just 40 percent from the field the last two seasons. He shot 36 percent on 3-pointers the last two years, too. Did the league solve him after his 18.5 ppg explosion as a rookie? Or did he just not fit in Memphis, which is why his minutes dwindled from 38 as a rookie to 26 the last two years? (Cough, Tony Allen, cough.) Or was Mayo demoted to the bench because he’s so one-dimensional?
Here’s the good news – Dallas only gave Brand and Kaman one-year deals. They’re not obligated to keep Collison long, either.
Scenario: The Mavericks are bad next year – Mayo and Dirk will take all the shots and they’ll probably win 35 games – but at the All-Star break they’re able to trade Shawn Marion and his defense (need somebody to slow Kevin Durant? Matrix is your man! Need someone to try and contain LeBron? Meet Shawn Marion!) to a contender for some expiring contracts. Presto, the Mavs are in great shape headed into 2013 free agency.
Even in this rosy scenario, good luck trying to woo Chris Paul and Dwight Howard with … 35-year-old Dirk Nowitzki in the final year of his contract.
You’ve got your title, Dallas. The immediate future doesn’t look bright.


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62 Responses to “OJ Mayo to the Rescue in Dallas!”
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July 17th, 2012 at 12:45 PM
Collison-Mayo-Matrix-Dirk-Kaman with Brand, Carter, Beaubois, Wright and (if they bring him back) Mahinmi.
That’s a dumpster fire?
July 17th, 2012 at 12:47 PM
They just won a title this time a year ago too. This sounds more like a veiled shot at the guy that owns the team than anything. At least OJ Mayo is young.
July 17th, 2012 at 12:47 PM
Dig those heels in. This is not tired at all.
July 17th, 2012 at 12:48 PM
No. You ever watch him play?
Call him “Norrin Radd”, since he surfs through large periods of games.
One of which was hurt most of last season. Shots were available when Z-Bo was out, but probably not in the season to come.
Mayo is alright coming off the bench, but he seems himself as a starter and upper-echelon SG. At best, he’s average. When his shot’s off, he won’t help you defensively. Dallas, you can have him.
July 17th, 2012 at 12:49 PM
i said this yesterday, but does anyone think that dirk’s skill set will really erode that bad? it’s not like his game is predicated on quickness or power…he’ll still be able to be a seven footer with deadly touch. maybe not as effective inside, but he’ll always stretch d’s.
July 17th, 2012 at 12:50 PM
Time Machine for sale! Inquire within!
July 17th, 2012 at 12:50 PM
Mayo-Kaman-Brand-Collison > Terry-Haywood-Mahinmi-Kidd
Plus they still have Dirk and Rick Carlisle. And they dont have pouty Lamar Odom. On paper they should be better than last year. Yeah they missed on DWill but it’s not like he would have gotten them past the Thunder. They stole a title just as their window was closing, most fanbases will take that.
July 17th, 2012 at 12:51 PM
JMac, this continued crusade against Dallas ranks among the dumbest storylines you’ve ever advanced.
Stone cold lock for the playoffs.
July 17th, 2012 at 12:52 PM
In the west that is almost as dumb as Jason saying they are a lottery lock. Almost.
July 17th, 2012 at 12:53 PM
Who the hell has Jiminez winning the open?
July 17th, 2012 at 12:53 PM
TBL is the most stubborn internet caricature I’ve come across and that’s not meant in a complimentary way.
All that needs to be said is this:
In: Mayo, Kaman, Brand, Collison, Dahntay Jones (last four are all one-year commitments)
Out: Terry, Kidd, Haywood, Mahinmi
Limbo: Delonte West
If you look at the above and somehow don’t believe the team improved its talent, then you’re a fucking idiot with an axe to grind.
It’s plausible they miss the playoffs because other teams improve more, but a dumpster fire? That’s just pathetic. I thought TBL claimed to “know” basketball.
July 17th, 2012 at 12:53 PM
Hey SC… am I crazy for not wanting Dempster? The Red Sox have a 40 man crunch and a 6 man rotation. They would have to give up on/trade young guys to fit Dempster in for a 2 month patch to a long-term problem (why give away the future when you are .500?). The Cubs might take Lester/Buchholz/Doubrant, but they wouldn’t take Beckett, so where exactly is Dempster fitting in and being a big enough upgrade to make it worth it. If Brentz/Workman was enough I could maybe see it (thought not like it), but if you have to throw in one of the young starters, I don’t see where it’s a smart move at all. Eric Karabell disagrees.
July 17th, 2012 at 12:54 PM
I’ll just defer to Zach Lowe since his take is much more rationale and reasoned:
And that was before they added Mayo.
July 17th, 2012 at 12:55 PM
a stud in Rudy Gay
Call him “Norrin Radd”, since he surfs through large periods of games.
this made me LOL hard and I am now obliged to steal it.
July 17th, 2012 at 12:55 PM
Your play, TBL
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/53295/paternoville-changes-name-to-nittanyville
July 17th, 2012 at 12:56 PM
Better than the Pistons. Does anyone want Charlie V!?
July 17th, 2012 at 12:56 PM
And got way younger, bringing in Mayo/Collison and even Brand, who even after “bottoming out” is a steal at $2.1M.
July 17th, 2012 at 12:56 PM
This reeks of classic TBL desperation in hopes of drawing a reaction, this time from Cuban himself. Has he started tweeting his posts directly at Cuban yet?
July 17th, 2012 at 12:57 PM
Seriously the only way the Mavs “lost” in this offseason is they didnt land Deron Williams. And Williams would not have made them a top 3 seed in the West.
July 17th, 2012 at 12:57 PM
I got Dustin Johnson and Westwood in the Open Championship…
/can’t fucking wait for Thursday
July 17th, 2012 at 12:57 PM
pretty sure you do, champ. stop huffin those bath salts.
July 17th, 2012 at 12:58 PM
Has the Mayo deal figures been announced? I know its a 1 year deal basically just curious to see how much they had to pay him to accept that. He is taking a gamble for sure.
July 17th, 2012 at 12:59 PM
Does Dufner got a shot? His batteries should be recharged and dip tin filled.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:00 PM
Agree. I’d wager they make it in, but it’s far from a stone-cold lock.
And even if they don’t make the playoffs, they’ve improved the roster overall easily, and committed to minimal future salary (two years of OJ Mayo). This idea that the offseason has been an unmitigated dumpster fire is hilarious.
3/4 of your offseason “losses” including “Brenda” (/EIC) Haywood, “Drunk / Wife-Beatting Jason Kidd” (/EIC) and Ian Mahinmi and it somehow adding up to “dumpster fire” is retarded unless the other 1/4 is Lebron James.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:00 PM
Player option for the second year and I think I saw that the Mavs had around 5M left to work with in this years deal for Mayo.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:00 PM
Did that Mavericks kick your dog or something?
July 17th, 2012 at 1:01 PM
What in the holy fuck is you be talkin bout’, brah?
July 17th, 2012 at 1:01 PM
gut feeling is Jeff Suppan all over again.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:01 PM
Well hell, then how do you describe the Knicks adding 3 of the 4 oldest players in the league and the fattest guard?
July 17th, 2012 at 1:02 PM
Wow a team doesn’t panic and give long term contracts to over rated players to fill the departure of other over rated players…what a dumpster fire! Keep trolling TBL.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:03 PM
Those moves definitely locked up the 3 seed in the East for the Knicks.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:03 PM
I got Oosthuizen. I swear I won’t blindly change my mind for no apparent reason this time.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:03 PM
Fast forward 6 months:
It was a cold morning in Dallas. Sitting across from Mark Cuban, I half expected him to dump his medium expresso with two pumps of caramel down my front. But the Mavericks owner was calm, collected: “I may not always agree with what you say, James, but your site is fun.”
/TBL profiles’d
July 17th, 2012 at 1:03 PM
Well hell, then how do you describe the Knicks adding 3 of the 4 oldest players in the league and the fattest guard?
EOE
July 17th, 2012 at 1:04 PM
Is the ERA a mirage?
July 17th, 2012 at 1:05 PM
Yea I heard the second year is lower though so I doubt Mayo exercises that. Even if he just opts out to renegotiate a new deal with Dallas. I am just wondering what this does for Courtney Lee. Who is the better player imo.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:06 PM
Well hell, then how do you describe the Knicks adding 3 of the 4 oldest players in the league and the fattest guard?
*meekly*championship*meekly*
July 17th, 2012 at 1:07 PM
If you combine the PPG and RPG of the 2 players he is replacing (Mahinmi and Haywood), you get 11ppg and 10.7rpg in 11 more combined minutes per game.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:08 PM
damnit…westwood. he was the guy i was thinking of when thinking of the winner prototype. but forgot about him for some reason.
hell yea dufner’s got a shot.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:09 PM
it will go up a few ticks in the AL, i’m not convinced he’ll be the shot in the arm that’s needed for the price they will have to give up for him.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:09 PM
You’ve got your title, Dallas. The immediate future doesn’t look bright
As a Knick fan you would love to be in that position, am I right?
July 17th, 2012 at 1:10 PM
makin the jokes unsuccessfully.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:11 PM
am I crazy for not wanting Dempster
I think he goes to Dodgers, he would get killed in AL East.
You would want Garza.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:13 PM
Pretty much this. In the AL East, I’m not sure he’s a shut-down ace. I’m fairly certain Buchholz is rounding into form, and the rest of the guys will have to pitch better. But Dempster isn’t a huge upgrade over Beckett, who hasn’t been as bad as people like to claim this year. And if he’s not an ace, why fuck with a crowded rotation and give up major league talent. I’d rather keep Lester and hope he figures it out than roll the dice on two months of Dempster and then have him leave with no compensation.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:15 PM
I don’t want any starter. A marginal upgrade at one rotation spot isn’t going to get it done. I don’t think Lester is that far off… and he or Doubrant would be going the other way in the deal.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:15 PM
EIC is going with Webb Simpson, as it’s the only golfing name he recognizes outside of Tiger and Mantits Mickelson.
/ The joke being …
July 17th, 2012 at 1:17 PM
if Lester is traded in the midst of one subpar year we’re going to be in for a very long period of shitty teams. especially with such a team friendly deal.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:18 PM
Duffner, McDowell, Westwood, Phil, and Fowler.
/no particular order
//betting man takes Westwood
///would be pretty funny to see Fowler (or Wagner) holding that trophy
July 17th, 2012 at 1:19 PM
I think they’re a lock just based on Dirk alone. Unless he gets hurt, there just isn’t any way he lets that team miss the playoffs.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:20 PM
its a young league.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:20 PM
People wanted to trade Buchholz because he wasn’t an ace after breaking his fucking back. The only trade the Red Sox need is to upgrade their training staff. Papi thinks they are cursed… I’m tending to agree with it now, since I can’t think of a single player who hasn’t missed a week or more with injuries.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:21 PM
Though his minutes decreased, his points per minute actually have remained pretty steady throughout his career with this most recent season being his second highest scoring output.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:23 PM
i agree with all of this.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:23 PM
Discussion of which celebrity needs to come out of the closet. Good stuff here.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:24 PM
Vicente ass face Padilla
July 17th, 2012 at 1:24 PM
OJ Mayo will never be more than average because he has no ability to finish at the rim.
But the deal is cheap, and he should be ok for Dallas. Rich man’s Barbosa.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:28 PM
As everyone expected, catcher is the only stable position for the Red Sox this year.
I think I’m one of the few who would trade Lavarnway and try to get Salty long-term.
July 17th, 2012 at 1:34 PM
Ha. Soused, I was reading that this morning. Pretty funny.
July 17th, 2012 at 2:04 PM
“Rich man’s barbosa” huh? I’ll take it.
July 17th, 2012 at 2:05 PM
Rich man’s Barbosa.
doesnt barbosa play defense?
July 17th, 2012 at 2:33 PM
So, basically he’s Jason Terry.
July 17th, 2012 at 3:03 PM
None.