#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

Welcome to the Dallas Mavericks' annual preseason press conference. This off-season we added a few interesting pieces that we like, and we also got another year older. Our veterans are all in their prime, giving us a very solid foundation. We also have several young guys that we think will contribute in the short-term and in the long term. Guys like David West, Jarvis Hayes, and Damien Wilkins did well in training camp and should complement our core of savvy veterans well.

This is the year that we've worked hard for the past half decade since trading superstar Penny Hardaway. We think our "window" is wide open right now. Our club has been decimated by injuries the past couple of seasons to stars Antawn Jamison and Marcus Camby. But barring further serious injury to our core, we think it will all come together this year, and that we have a legitimate shot to compete for a championship.

I should also say that we are never done trying to improve our team. Everyone on our team is always available via trade for the right price. But we also respect the hell out of the guys that we have on our team, and we will do everything that we can to put them in a position to win a championship.

Questions anyone?

GWR: The West is topsy turvy right now. What was once a conference dominated by the Lakers, Warriors and Spurs recently now seems wide open. Is this why you seem so confident about your championship window?

JNR wrote:GWR: The West is topsy turvy right now. What was once a conference dominated by the Lakers, Warriors and Spurs recently now seems wide open. Is this why you seem so confident about your championship window?

No doubt that has a lot to do with it. However, we also think that we've reached the peak of the natural progression of our rebuilding effort around superstar Antawn Jamison. Our starting lineup is legit, and our bench is also very solid.

Who do you see as your greatest competition in the west?

coltsguy510 wrote:Who do you see as your greatest competition in the west?

We play in easily the toughest division in the entire league. Every team is a legitimate playoff threat except maybe for the Nuggets. So we aren't looking very far for the "greatest competition." With that being said, we also expect some of the usual suspects to be there at the end... the Kings, Lakers, Clippers. But our main focus remains on our division foes.

The election is coming up next month with President Bush facing a challenge from Democrat John Kerry. Are your players interested? Excited? Who are they pulling for?

Is Andre Miller's continued lack of efficiency despite his obvious gifts due to the way he is used in uour offensive system or a fundamental flaw in his game?

TheSyndicate wrote:The election is coming up next month with President Bush facing a challenge from Democrat John Kerry. Are your players interested? Excited? Who are they pulling for?

We try not to focus on divisive issues like politics. No one on this team really cares about the election. But with President Bush being from Texas, I imagine he has the upper hand.

WigNosy wrote:Is Andre Miller's continued lack of efficiency despite his obvious gifts due to the way he is used in uour offensive system or a fundamental flaw in his game?

Andre has never been expected to score many points. His job is to facilitate for others and play good defense. Any scoring that he provides is a plus, but we don't expect him to. He is a key cog in our well-rounded machine known as the Mavs, and he fills his role well.

Is Antwan still your go to player? You were pretty adamant about looking to move Marcus Camby and his expiring deal during the draft, are you still looking to do so?

NickMalone77 wrote:Is Antwan still your go to player? You were pretty adamant about looking to move Marcus Camby and his expiring deal during the draft, are you still looking to do so?

Antawn is definitely our go-to-player. He had another nice training camp this season, and we think he'll only be better this season. As I mentioned previously, everyone on our team is always available via trade for the right price.