LAS VEGAS -- The consensus opinion among NBA coaches and executives surveyed during the Las Vegas Summer League is that the Dallas Mavericks made a wise move to give Harrison Barnes a maximum contract, given the circumstances.At 24 years old, Barnes is a proven, quality, versatile starter who has yet to hit his prime. Hes expected to help the Mavs compete for a playoff berth during Dirk Nowitzkis twilight and be part of Dallas core after the face of the franchise rides off into the sunset. Sure, $94 million is a lot to give a good role player, but that was market value for Barnes, and the Mavs will still have the salary cap space necessary to be aggressive bidders again next summer.After letting Chandler Parsons leave, the Mavs are much better off with Barnes than without him. However, league sources gave mixed reviews regarding the Mavs optimistic vision for Barnes growth into a go-to guy after he averaged career highs of 11.7 points and 1.8 assists per game in a complementary role for the Golden State Warriors last season.Youre going to see a lot more to his game than youve seen in the past, Mavs owner Mark Cuban said. I think he can do a lot more than hes been asked to do, and thats what we expect to see. ... Maybe not first year, but I think hes going to grow into [the role of go-to guy]. Just because a guy hasnt done things doesnt mean he cant do it.Asked about Barnes offensive potential, one skeptical Western Conference executive said: At best a third option.The biggest issue with Barnes is that he hasnt demonstrated the ability to make plays off the dribble, in isolation or as a pick-and-roll ball handler, in four NBA seasons. He is a more explosive athlete than Parsons, but Barnes doubters say he isnt nearly as fluid and lacks the feel for the game of the players hes replacing in the Mavs lineup.Hes been a championship-level system player for Golden State for several years, and hes coming into a situation where were going to need him to be more of a primary guy, coach Rick Carlisle said. Its going to take time to develop the mentality, make sure were getting him in the right situations to do it, but he has the ability and hes a worker. Im confident that hell get there.Mavs pull off coup with BogutA few years after Dwight Howard spurned the Mavs to sign with the Rockets, a starting center picked Dallas over Houston. The Warriors allowed Andrew Bogut to choose between the Mavs and Rockets as his trade destination, according to league sources.The Rockets were willing to make the same trade as the Mavs to get Bogut, which was essentially to take a future second-round pick along with the veteran big man in a salary-dump deal that helped give Golden State the cap space required to sign Kevin Durant.A source said the Philadelphia 76ers also showed heavy interest in trading for Bogut but were never seriously considered by the Warriors, who wanted to send the center to a playoff-caliber team as a token of their appreciation for his contributions the past four seasons.Acquiring Bogut in a contract year is widely considered a coup for the Mavs. He can provide the Mavs everything that Zaza Pachulia did last season but is much more mobile and athletic.Hes a top-five center as a defender without question, Carlisle said. Hes a premier rim protector, hes one of the best centers at taking charges, and he really understands the game. Offensively, were going to look to get him involved. Hell be a guy we look to throw to on the inside some, and we know hes a great passer and a great roller.Powell will have an increased presenceDwight Powells days as a fringe rotation player should be done. The Mavs didnt give the 24-year-old Powell a four-year, $37 million deal to have his primary role be shooting arrows on the bench to celebrate Wesley Matthews 3-pointers, as it often was late in the season, with Powell getting a DNP-CD in 10 of 27 games after the All-Star break.I expect him to be a rotation player, Carlisle said. The last two years weve been working toward this period where we could get him signed to a longer-term deal and integrate him to our everyday rotation. ... Hes a combination 4/5. I see him playing both positions. Time will tell how much at each, but I do believe there are going to be a lot of situations where hell play both positions in the same game.Powell might have taken a discount to stay in Dallas. A league source said the Brooklyn Nets were interested in Powell and pondering making a four-year, $48 million offer to the restricted free agent.Youth movementThe Mavs are committed to a youth movement as they fill out their roster. Their minimum-salary slots have primarily gone to veterans in the past, but theyve made a philosophical shift to give those roster spots to developmental prospects.One example is 25-year-old power forward Quincy Acy, who agreed to a two-year minimum deal with Dallas on Thursday.Cuban expects the Mavs to have as many as four rookies on the roster, all of whom will be signed to three-year deals for the minimum or close to it. Second-round center A.J. Hammons and 23-year-old Argentinian wing Nicolas Brussino have guaranteed deals. Summer league star Jonathan Gibson and undrafted forward Dorian Finney-Smith have agreed to three-year deals with some guaranteed money.Gibson has lit it up in Vegas, averaging 20 points per game while shooting 53.6 percent from the floor and 46.4 percent from 3-point range. He wouldnt exactly be a traditional NBA rookie as a 29-year-old who has played in Israel, Turkey, Italy, Iran and China. The Mavs see Gibson, who averaged 42 points per game in China last season, as potentially a poor mans Jason Terry.Finney-Smith has struggled offensively in the summer league, getting only two buckets in the first four games, but Dallas considers him a prospect because of his defense. At 6-foot-8, 220 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan and a 35?-inch vertical jump, Finney-Smith has the size and athleticism to defend multiple positions, similar to ex-Maverick Al-Farouq Aminu. Custom Nike Tampa Bay Rays Jerseys . -- Vincent Lecavalier got everything but the desired result in his return to Tampa Bay. 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The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015.Manchester Thunder retained their position at the top of the Vitality Superleague table with a dominant 67-43 win over Roses rivals Yorkshire Jets. Having established a three-point cushion at the weekend with a win at Surrey and Hertfordshires defeat to Bath, Dan Ryans team closed in on top spot in the regular season standings after a super display.They now hold a six-point lead over Mavericks who play Storm themselves at the weekend before Mavs and Thunder replay their abandoned game on April 25. Fresh from their first victory of the season at the weekend when they edged out the Celtic Dragons 45-44, it was the Jets who started at a fierce pace forging a 7-2 lead inside the opening half of the first quarter. Vote for your Player of the Season Weve got the five contenders, so place your vote Led by Helen Housby at goal attack, Thunder rallied to level the scores at 8-8 before finishing strongly to take a three-goal lead at the end of the first 15 minutes.Despite Stacey Francis impressing in defence for Jets, Thunder continued to press home their advantage throughout the second period and a dominant quarter saw Ryans team open up a 32-21 lead.With Player of the Match Ellie Cardwell lethal under the posts for Thunder the home side continued to pull away with Jets tiring after their exertions in Wales on Saturday and the 11-point half-time lead became 20 for the league leaders. Grand Final Tickets Get tickets for Superleague Grand Final with Sky Tickets Manchester took a 52-32 lead into the final quarter and with Ryan continuing to urge his team forward, the fourth quarter followed the same pattern with Thunder taking the chance to use their full squaad and lay down a marker for the Superleague semi-finals on April 30.ddddddddddddThunder won in Round Seven by just five points but there was to be no close finish at the Thunderdome and they wrapped up a Roses double with a clinical final quarter to seal a 24-goal win.Maybe a few too many errors and turnovers particularly in the first quarter, we could have been up by a lot more with the opportunities that we had, Ryan told Sky Sports.But across the board we have to be happy - particularly to get 12 players out there considering a lot of the girls havent seen much court time over the past couple of weeks in the big games.To get everyone out on a big stage and on a big night is something we are really happy about.We were very particular in the first half of the year that we wanted to rotate the line-up, gave players opportunities. We feel players we need to win the competition have had the taste they need to and we are confident in our depth and we are confident we can call on anyone required for any role on any day. Thunder completed a season double over the Jets Jets head coach Anna Carter admitted that after last seasons top four finish Yorkshires rebuilding job has made for a tough campaign.[Thunder] are at the other end of the table to us and they are a well put together squad with lots of experience, Carter told Sky Sports.We are at a different point and are rebuilding, bringing together a young group so it was always going to be a challenge tonight.Some of the girls have really improved. We got a win on Saturday against Celtic and showed characteristics weve not shown this season but it is about putting it out consistently. Also See: Vote for Player of the Season Get Grand Final tickets with Sky Sports Vitality Superleague fixtures Table ' ' '
