I’ve been trying to ignore the fact that the Dallas Mavericks are about to sign DeSagana Diop to a five-year deal for their entire mid-level exception (about $5.5 million a year or so). But then John Hollinger reminds me this morning why this is such an awful, inexcusable waste of money:
At any price, Diop gives little bang for the buck on offense. In 52 games as a Mav this past season, he averaged 3.0 points per game. Ready for the punchline? It set a new career high. And when he was sent to New Jersey, he joined a team that was desperate for interior help, but the Nets played him only 15 minutes a game due to his offensive limitations.
I know, I know, Dallas wants Diop for his defense. But as with Udrih, there’s no upside here — he is 26 and is what he is as a player. The Mavs are going to be paying him until he’s in his 30s, even though he lost his job to Erick Dampier a year ago and never came close to getting it back. You can find players like this much cheaper, and the Mavs of all people should know this — that’s exactly what they did when they first signed Diop in the summer of 2005.
Ugh. Wick, please post something about McCain’s chances in Oregon or whatnot to get my mind off this and enjoy my holiday weekend.
