Avery: Mark Cuban’s a Good Provider

Avery Johnson, picking up his Coach of the Year award two years ago Evan Smith, the camera-shy editor of Texas Monthly, interviewed Dallas Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson for the mag’s forthcoming April issue. Evan kindly provides a sneak peak over at the Monthly’s Delay of Game sports blog, with…

Kidd-Napped

This old Jason Kidd poster can be yours right now, for the low, low price of $15. I’m at American Airlines Center witnessing something I thought I’d never see — no, not this guy in concert, but, of course, Jason Kidd back in a Dallas Mavericks tank top. After the…

Done Deal: Kidd’s a Mav. Again.

No more Hope-ing: Jason Kidd’s back in a Mavs uni as of seconds ago. Ready or not, Jason Kidd is a Dallas Maverick. After a week of machinations and maneuvers that took the deal from imminent to insane, the NBA just minutes ago finally stamped its approval. I’ll have more…

Dirk on Dirk Ad: “It’s Definitely Good.”

Till I can find a better version of the NBA’s “Where Amazing Happens” ad featuring Dirk Nowitzki, which debuted last night during the NBA All-Star Game, this shot-off-a-TV version will have to do. One significant note: It’s the first player-produced ad — which is why Dirk told the Fort Worth…

Deal or No Deal?

NBA.com Keith Van Horn, now more useful than ever All this dramatic transaction has been missing is Howie Mandel, 25 suitcases and a stage full of models. But now — maybe, just maybe — it’s over. With the NBA’s league office pondering the Mavericks’ reconfigured trade for Jason Kidd at…

Child’s Play

Waytago, Stack. Waytago. The deeper we look into the Jason Kidd trade, the more obvious it is that the Mavericks screwed it up. Big time. First, Dallas apparently didn’t take time to make sure Devean George would be cool with being dealt to New Jersey — or anywhere else, for…

Dirk for Kobe! One Night Only, Though.

Last night, the NBA announced that Dirk Nowitzki will replace Kobe Bryant in the Three-Point Shootout, which takes place at 7 p.m. on TNT tomorrow in New Orleans. On Sunday, of course, Nowitzki will be playing in the All-Star Game with Bryant, who’s yet to get an exemption from the…

I Love Devean George?

NBA.com Or, maybe Mark Cuban knew Devean George would block the Jason Kidd trade, thus making it look like Cuban was willing to make a move he didn’t really want to make in the first place? The Mavs’ trade for Jason Kidd isn’t dead yet, but it’s severely wounded. I’d…

Devean George Explains Himself

“If I’m the bad guy …” So began Devean George last night on TXA-21, following the Dallas Mavericks’ win over Portland, concerning his killing the Jason Kidd trade that was all but a done deal by late yesterday afternoon. Someone has posted to the YouTube the entirety of George’s interview…

Steve Orsini Has SMU Buying Into Big-Time Sports

How’s this for a daunting job description? • Lure successful, high-profile head coaches to a small, private university that has minimized sports for 20 years. • Nurture revenues and raise funds all by your lonesome, while simultaneously trimming fat from a $7 million operating deficit. • Reincarnate a moribund athletic…

Are You Kiddin’ Me?

Best part of the Jason Kidd trade: his girlfriend, Hope Dworaczyk I’ll have more details on the Jason Kidd trade come morning — and, says the latest version of the ESPN report, Jerry Stackhouse “ain’t going nowhere” –but for now, here’s why I hate it. Granted, your chances for an…

A New Old Kidd in Town? Looks Like, Says ESPN.

Mavs owner Mark Cuban has, in recent days, vehemently poo-poo’d the idea of bringing Jason Kidd back to Dallas from the New Jersey Nets. But former Dallas Morning News’er Marc Stein, now at ESPN, brings word that the deal’s back on — and damned near done. Wrote Stein moments ago:…

Three Dots and a Cloud Of Dust …

Eric Dickerson’s mentioned somewhere in this item, and in a nice way. Hard to top last week, when we said goodbye to two assholes (Bill Belichick and Bobby Knight) and hello to a hero (Nolan Ryan). Today, however, could be just as delicious as sports climbs atop Capitol Hill. NFL…

Mavericks Don’t Need Jason Kidd

This is how stale our Dallas Mavericks are to the rest of America: During last Sunday’s nationally televised showdown against the Detroit Pistons, ABC’s halftime feature—New Orleans native Avery Johnson talking about Hurricane Katrina—was a year-old interview about a two-year-old topic. And this is how stale our Mavericks are to…

Nolan Ryan’s Premium Meat

One thing I learned from the just-concluded media conference introducing Nolan Ryan as the Texas Rangers’ new president: The Hall of Fame pitcher has “premium meat.” That’s what owner Tom Hicks said when asked how the hiring of Ryan would directly translate into wins — Ryan’s a winner, a good…

FC Dallas’ Coach Steve Morrow Comes to Tom Hicks’ Defense

On February 6, 2007, Tom Hicks and George Gillett bought Liverpool FC — and damned near ever since, them boys have been up to their arses in controversy over in the U.K. The Daily Mail celebrates, if that’s the right word, the one-year anniversary with a surprisingly calm and thoughtful…

The Ryan Express is Back in Arlington

After hemming and hawing last week about the chance to become the president of Your Texas Rangers, Nolan Ryan has accepted the gig, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram moments ago. Last week, the Hall of Famer met with Rangers officials to discuss the possibility of his replacing Jeff Cogen,…

Darren McFadden to Dallas? Believe It.

Arkansas’ Darren McFadden If you trust the rumors, former Arkansas running back Darren McFadden will wind up here permanently as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. But for now, the two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up is merely in the area training for the upcoming NFL Scouting Combine. Projected as the best…