In the Loop

:mavs:

The Mavericks have three games left to win three games. Golden State is a number 8 seed that most thought would be easily dispatched by a 67-win team. However, former Mavs coach Don Nelson has the Warriors playing very well and they seem to match up well enough against Dallas to give them fits. A 3-1 series lead is evidence of that. Here’s hoping the Mavericks can turn things around, win three straight and advance in the playoffs.

:cowboys:

There once was a time when I could go about four rounds deep in the draft before there was a player drafted that I didn’t know anything about. Nowadays, there are some first and second-overalls that I have to read up on. That said, I don’t know very much about the Cowboys two first-day draftees. They selected Purdue DE Anthony Spencer and Boston College OT James Marten. I like both of these picks for a couple of reasons. First, it’s April and almost anything above the most blatantly boneheaded of picks looks good in April. Second, I like the moves Jerry Jones made to get these two picks.

Whether these two guys turn out to be great remains to be seen. Jones has been roundly criticized for the bad draft picks in the post-Jimmy Johnson era, but Saturday brought some good things because we have two number ones next year and were able to move out and back into the first round without scavenging the rest of this year’s draft, the current roster, or a future draft. I also like how Brady Quinn ended up with the Browns even though he fell all the way to 22. I don’t think the Browns were unwise to pass on him with the third overall, but had they not wanted him they would not have made the deal with Dallas to move back into the first round to get him. For Quinn’s part, he’s a first rounder getting a chance to play with the team he wished to play for. Not a bad gig, if you ask me. I think this is a trade that works out for both sides.

The Cowboys were able to leverage the second round in deals with the Browns and Philly to effectively drop four spots in the first round to take Spencer and while securing what might be a top 15 pick next year. In a second deal with the Browns, they were able to send the Browns their original second round spot to take the Browns third rounder and add depth with another pick in the fourth and the Browns pick in the sixth (effectively moving up 17 spots). Not a bad first day. I’m eager to see what they add in the later rounds and what happens going into camp this summer.