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Damage Control

Authored by Jeff Stotts - September 2, 2005 - 12:21 pm

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I never thought I would see him in another jersey let alone THIS one. It doesn’t fit him right. It never will. The disbelief of it will never quite go away and, unfortunately, I’m not talking about Doug Christie in a Mavericks jersey. I’m talking about Michael Finley in the silver and black.

After proudly donning the Mavericks logo for almost a decade Michael Finley has traded in his cowboy hat for Spurs. The recently waived veteran will head down I-35 and join the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.

You can’t fault Finley for heading south. In fact you almost have to admire the man for taking less money to play for a proven winner. He didn’t demand playing time or a hefty contract. Instead he passed up more money and a chance to play with Shaq in Miami while also balking at a Nash reunion in Phoenix. Why? A final shot at that elusive championship ring and the chance to obtain one with a classy organization.

This isn’t Malone and Payton to the Lakers. This is different. Finley has a team mentality and heads to San Antonio where the Spurs are exactly that: a TEAM. There are no egos, no Hollywood drama, no Jack Nicholson. Just one goal, the Alamo, and Eva Longoria.

But for the Mavericks and their fans this shouldn’t be looked upon as a worst-case scenario. While Finley’s addition, coupled with the recent signing of former Mavs hero Nick Van Exel, does deepen the bench of the West’s best team it could have been far worse.

Yes Mark Cuban is essentially paying Michel Finley to drain threes for the Spurs but just imagine if Finley had returned to the Suns, a team that desperately needed his services. The former All-Star and ex-Mav would have proven more valuable to the Suns then he will be in San Antonio. In Phoenix Finley would have been a likely starter and helped deflect some of the attention away from Amare Stoudamire just like Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson did last year. Instead of one dominant team above them, the Mavericks would be starring at two far superior teams.

You can make the argument that Phoenix is still better than Dallas but the gap is smaller than it would have been if Finley had joined the Suns. After the Spurs the rest of the West is a crap shoot. Every team that can be considered a playoff contender still has burning questions that will remain unanswered until the season has gotten underway. If the Mavericks buy into Avery’s system and play to their potential then there is no telling how good this team could end up being.

So just remember this date: November 5, 2005. Mark it down. Circle it on the calendar. It’s the Spurs’ first road game and it just so happens to be the Mavericks home opener. That’s right ladies and gentlemen Michael Finley will be on the court at the AAC for the first game in Dallas. But don’t worry it could have been worse. Right?