lol
NBA Offseason 2016 - FreeAgency money dried up...Waiters gets $2.6 after OKC pulled $6+ offer...
lol
Philly offered him more. Would you rather he walk?
And you just gotta accept that $10/yr is now the number for mediocre to average play.. certainly in this summers market .
I dont know what to make of this shit with KD. Seems out of character for him.. Either his handlers are conducting this dog and pony show or hes playing a long game for next summer.. A one year deal in OKC would support that.
Yeah. It definitely not a typical KD play.
KD has been slowly turning to the darkside. He started taking jabs at the media a few years ago. Dude is about to have his Anakin to Vader moment in a minute.
I've been saying the same...
Especially since the last few years he went from media darling anti lebron...
Too surly unfriendly not built to win scared of westbrook guy.
All this don't help.
He really lucky the press is so flooded with these obscene contracts they haven't decided to make a example out of him.
All these dudes lucKY they ain't never get the Bron treatment. Cause it appears they ain't built for it
Here's what's going to happen. He's going to resign with the thunder. Then opt out next to come to the knicks with Melo.
It's been 4 days how is that long? When lebron returned to Cleveland it took longer
Wild NBA weekend had a couple of surprises
How was that for a crazy weekend and, yeah, you really can’t tell the players without a scorecard after all that moving to and fro.
We’ll wait until it all shakes out to go through the myriad changes and I figure that’ll be the end of the week; there would seem to be much moving still to be done (Hello, Kevin Durant!) and it’s silly right now to think anything is complete enough to really get worked up about.
That’s why I think a lot of people need to chill just a wee bit on the “the East is way better, what the hell is Masai doing?” stuff that I was inundated with over the weekend.
Yes, today it would seem that Boston’s better, Orlando’s bigger, New York is more injury prone and Indiana is different; it would also seem that perhaps Chicago is not as good, it doesn’t appear Charlotte has done and awful lot, Miami’s taken a step back and Cleveland’s lost a couple of backups.
What’s it all mean?
Nothing.
And even with whatever transpires this week – trust me, Masai is going to get something done, he knows what he’s doing and is not a man prone to over-reaction – there is no real reason to get over-analytical until the fall at least.
Let’s see how teams mesh, how new guys fit in with old guys, who is a surprise and who is a disappointment. I get that we are an impatient lot and it’s a what’s-happening-now kind of world but enjoying the summer without worrying about what November will look like may be sage advice.
There are two other points from the zany weekend that I think are salient and worth looking at:
The money, to many, is astonishing, contracts in the $70 million range for basically bit players and journeymen and the howls starting Friday were loud and unrelenting.
And entirely off-base.
Look, the money is in the system because the players and the league earned it and under the rules of the game, it has to be spent.
No one should begrudge any player maximizing out his earnings, ever; no one should begrudge you if some other widget company comes calling.
If the money is there – and thanks to TV it certainly is in the NBA – someone has to make it.
And this needs repeating, even if was buried somewhere in the mail (read the whole mailbag if you haven’t already):
For every dollar the players are getting, the owners are getting one, too. They just don’t have agents making sure it gets out there.
The money for salaries is a 50-50 split between players and teams; as rich as the talent’s getting, so too are overseers.
The other?
The terms.
Everyone, it seems, is getting a four-year deal, practically all of them without outs and that caught me a bit by surprise. I know all the teams and their capologists would have taken into consideration the implications years down the road but, man, there are going to be an awful lot of big money deals dead on the end of the bench in the 2019-20 season, I bet.
How was that for a crazy weekend and, yeah, you really can’t tell the players without a scorecard after all that moving to and fro.
We’ll wait until it all shakes out to go through the myriad changes and I figure that’ll be the end of the week; there would seem to be much moving still to be done (Hello, Kevin Durant!) and it’s silly right now to think anything is complete enough to really get worked up about.
That’s why I think a lot of people need to chill just a wee bit on the “the East is way better, what the hell is Masai doing?” stuff that I was inundated with over the weekend.
Yes, today it would seem that Boston’s better, Orlando’s bigger, New York is more injury prone and Indiana is different; it would also seem that perhaps Chicago is not as good, it doesn’t appear Charlotte has done and awful lot, Miami’s taken a step back and Cleveland’s lost a couple of backups.
What’s it all mean?
Nothing.
And even with whatever transpires this week – trust me, Masai is going to get something done, he knows what he’s doing and is not a man prone to over-reaction – there is no real reason to get over-analytical until the fall at least.
Let’s see how teams mesh, how new guys fit in with old guys, who is a surprise and who is a disappointment. I get that we are an impatient lot and it’s a what’s-happening-now kind of world but enjoying the summer without worrying about what November will look like may be sage advice.
There are two other points from the zany weekend that I think are salient and worth looking at:
The money, to many, is astonishing, contracts in the $70 million range for basically bit players and journeymen and the howls starting Friday were loud and unrelenting.
And entirely off-base.
Look, the money is in the system because the players and the league earned it and under the rules of the game, it has to be spent.
No one should begrudge any player maximizing out his earnings, ever; no one should begrudge you if some other widget company comes calling.
If the money is there – and thanks to TV it certainly is in the NBA – someone has to make it.
And this needs repeating, even if was buried somewhere in the mail (read the whole mailbag if you haven’t already):
For every dollar the players are getting, the owners are getting one, too. They just don’t have agents making sure it gets out there.
The money for salaries is a 50-50 split between players and teams; as rich as the talent’s getting, so too are overseers.
The other?
The terms.
Everyone, it seems, is getting a four-year deal, practically all of them without outs and that caught me a bit by surprise. I know all the teams and their capologists would have taken into consideration the implications years down the road but, man, there are going to be an awful lot of big money deals dead on the end of the bench in the 2019-20 season, I bet.
Man this isn't even funny anymore. It's not cool at all, the way Pat Riley is mistreating Wade. No way in hell, should a man who's done so much for this franchise, and I sacrifice so much, be relegated to publicly having his agents try and sell him to other teams, because his own team is treating him like a third class citizen. No dog in this fight, but I really hope the heat fall flat on their faces this season, and have all of this stuff blow up in their faces, because this is just not right. No way this man should be being disrespected like this. Smmfh
KD is in favor of players controlling their own message so it make sense he would announce it on a platform he is involved with instead of a media outlet. Plus the site is getting major traffic now
All the things you heard in the media were not true.
Additions of Gordon, Anderson should boost Rockets' offense
The smoke cleared, and the Rockets had landed players they'd often sought over the years. They did not get everything they wanted from the NBA's wild 48-hour free-agent free-for-all, but they got some of what they needed, landing a pair of shooters who can help in more ways, some unexpected, than it might seem.
The Rockets reached agreements with Pelicans free agents Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon on Saturday, then began the expected process of letting the market calm while they look more for value additions than in continuing the spending tsunami of the weekend.
With Anderson and Gordon, who cannot officially sign until Thursday, the Rockets have 12 players under contract and have reached agreement on three more players to bring to summer league and camp with small guarantees.
The 12 players who will be on the roster once Gordon and Anderson are signed include forward Michael Beasley and guard Andrew Goudelock, who both have partial guarantees. The Rockets plan to keep Beasley beyond the Aug. 1 date at which his contract will become guaranteed. Goudelock could depend on how other roster moves play out. They also hope to bring back restricted free agent Donatas Motiejunas, who despite the sudden depth at power forward could also help at center.
All of that left the Rockets with few roster spots immediately available and ready to let the market move past the first weekend spending spree to see who will be left standing and potentially ready to take a more modest offer. It could also shift some of their upgrade hopes to the trade market after the moratorium ends Thursday and the summer progresses past the rush of free-agent signings.
None of that is likely to bring what the Rockets wanted most in free agency. That hope ended when Al Horford, one of the few star-level players to change teams, chose the Boston Celtics.
They did, however, get some of what they needed.
The Rockets will not sign Anderson for his defense. The case could be made, however, that their shooting needed repairs at least as much as their much-maligned defense.
The Rockets were clearly a poor defensive team last season, but they also were nowhere near as weak as their reputation. They ranked 20th in defensive rating, 11th after the All Star break. That was not nearly good enough, but the Rockets made their defense worse with things they did badly when they had the ball.
Offense limited defense
A case can be made that one of the biggest problems with the Rockets' defense was their offense. When only the 76ers and Suns allow more points off turnovers per game than the Rockets, the greatest defensive player in the league can't make much of a difference on possessions spent watching an opponent complete an uncontested fast-break dunk.
The Rockets' turnover issues could improve just by giving James Harden better options. Opposing teams last season could devote three defenders to their pick-and-roll coverages, taking their chances with the Rockets' 3-point shooters.
Harden set a record for turnovers in a season while far too often trying to squeeze passes into tight spaces where they just could not fit. The spacing that should come with Anderson and Gordon on the floor could immediately help that.
That issue has long been obvious, but the Rockets also can improve their defense just by shooting better. They were 19th in 3-point shooting percentage while taking the second-most 3s in the NBA. They were 14th in overall shooting percentage. All those missed shots dramatically diminished the Rockets' defense.
The Rockets allowed 113.5 points per 100 possessions after missed shots, ranking 25th in the NBA. They allowed 105.1 points per 100 possessions after made field goals to rank 15th.
Improved shooting
If they make no other defensive improvements - though they have to improve defensively in a variety of ways to leave 41-41 behind - they can make significant strides defensively just by being a better shooting team.
That's where they hope Gordon and Anderson come in. Not only are both strong 3-point shooters, Anderson shoots well from the wing, as opposed to just the corner, and Gordon is an elite pull-up shooter. Those skills should immediately improve the Rockets' often-terrible floor balance. Gordon will work in a backcourt rotation with Harden and Pat Beverley, with Harden handling the ball, as he often does anyway, as a halfcourt point guard when Gordon is on the floor.
There is ample uncertainty with both additions so far, with Anderson and Gordon both available in part because of their injury history. The Rockets will have to count on both staying healthy more regularly than they have in recent seasons and soon could be taking a similar gamble on Motiejunas.
With Clint Capela the only true center on the roster, they also could need more depth there to fill the void left by Dwight Howard's departure.
As the first free agency weekend ended, however, the Rockets had begun filling holes, even if some remain.
The smoke cleared, and the Rockets had landed players they'd often sought over the years. They did not get everything they wanted from the NBA's wild 48-hour free-agent free-for-all, but they got some of what they needed, landing a pair of shooters who can help in more ways, some unexpected, than it might seem.
The Rockets reached agreements with Pelicans free agents Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon on Saturday, then began the expected process of letting the market calm while they look more for value additions than in continuing the spending tsunami of the weekend.
With Anderson and Gordon, who cannot officially sign until Thursday, the Rockets have 12 players under contract and have reached agreement on three more players to bring to summer league and camp with small guarantees.
The 12 players who will be on the roster once Gordon and Anderson are signed include forward Michael Beasley and guard Andrew Goudelock, who both have partial guarantees. The Rockets plan to keep Beasley beyond the Aug. 1 date at which his contract will become guaranteed. Goudelock could depend on how other roster moves play out. They also hope to bring back restricted free agent Donatas Motiejunas, who despite the sudden depth at power forward could also help at center.
All of that left the Rockets with few roster spots immediately available and ready to let the market move past the first weekend spending spree to see who will be left standing and potentially ready to take a more modest offer. It could also shift some of their upgrade hopes to the trade market after the moratorium ends Thursday and the summer progresses past the rush of free-agent signings.
None of that is likely to bring what the Rockets wanted most in free agency. That hope ended when Al Horford, one of the few star-level players to change teams, chose the Boston Celtics.
They did, however, get some of what they needed.
The Rockets will not sign Anderson for his defense. The case could be made, however, that their shooting needed repairs at least as much as their much-maligned defense.
The Rockets were clearly a poor defensive team last season, but they also were nowhere near as weak as their reputation. They ranked 20th in defensive rating, 11th after the All Star break. That was not nearly good enough, but the Rockets made their defense worse with things they did badly when they had the ball.
Offense limited defense
A case can be made that one of the biggest problems with the Rockets' defense was their offense. When only the 76ers and Suns allow more points off turnovers per game than the Rockets, the greatest defensive player in the league can't make much of a difference on possessions spent watching an opponent complete an uncontested fast-break dunk.
The Rockets' turnover issues could improve just by giving James Harden better options. Opposing teams last season could devote three defenders to their pick-and-roll coverages, taking their chances with the Rockets' 3-point shooters.
Harden set a record for turnovers in a season while far too often trying to squeeze passes into tight spaces where they just could not fit. The spacing that should come with Anderson and Gordon on the floor could immediately help that.
That issue has long been obvious, but the Rockets also can improve their defense just by shooting better. They were 19th in 3-point shooting percentage while taking the second-most 3s in the NBA. They were 14th in overall shooting percentage. All those missed shots dramatically diminished the Rockets' defense.
The Rockets allowed 113.5 points per 100 possessions after missed shots, ranking 25th in the NBA. They allowed 105.1 points per 100 possessions after made field goals to rank 15th.
Improved shooting
If they make no other defensive improvements - though they have to improve defensively in a variety of ways to leave 41-41 behind - they can make significant strides defensively just by being a better shooting team.
That's where they hope Gordon and Anderson come in. Not only are both strong 3-point shooters, Anderson shoots well from the wing, as opposed to just the corner, and Gordon is an elite pull-up shooter. Those skills should immediately improve the Rockets' often-terrible floor balance. Gordon will work in a backcourt rotation with Harden and Pat Beverley, with Harden handling the ball, as he often does anyway, as a halfcourt point guard when Gordon is on the floor.
There is ample uncertainty with both additions so far, with Anderson and Gordon both available in part because of their injury history. The Rockets will have to count on both staying healthy more regularly than they have in recent seasons and soon could be taking a similar gamble on Motiejunas.
With Clint Capela the only true center on the roster, they also could need more depth there to fill the void left by Dwight Howard's departure.
As the first free agency weekend ended, however, the Rockets had begun filling holes, even if some remain.
Can we agree that Durant going to either the thunder or warriors as is instantly makes them the favorite? I think that's where the enormity of this is.
So let me get this straight...
So if KD goes to the Golden State Warriors...
all ya'll ARE NOT going to lose your collective sh*t
like when Bron left Cleveland?
I just wanna get that straight from the jump.
Just so I can act accordingly.
So if KD goes to the Golden State Warriors...
all ya'll ARE NOT going to lose your collective sh*t
like when Bron left Cleveland?
I just wanna get that straight from the jump.
Just so I can act accordingly.
You know niggas been givin KD a hall pass for some strange reason....
OK I thought it was JUST me.
Too loyal to leave, Dirk Nowitzki presents dilemma for Dallas
Dirk Nowitzki stands with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone as the most prolific late-30s scorers in NBA history. Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports
Dirk Nowitzki is Dallas.
The big German is the adopted son of one generation of Dallas sports fans, the brother of another and the kids' cool uncle. Few athletes anywhere are as beloved as Dirk in Dallas, who ranks right up there with Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith in this football-crazy city.
Dallas has watched Nowitzki grow from a shy, goofy kid experiencing a culture shock and confidence crisis-- the constant comparisons to Paul Pierce, selected a pick later, during Dirk’s rough rookie year not helping matters -- to the epitome of what a face of the franchise should be.
Nowitzki is idolized around these parts due to his no-brainer Hall of Famer credentials -- sixth on the all-time scoring list, 13 All-Star appearances, an MVP and a Finals MVP to start -- and adored because of the charming, self-deprecating, genuine personality that he has steadily grown more comfortable sharing during his 18 years in Dallas.
Yet a significant segment of the Dallas Mavericks fan base believes 18 years might be enough. It’s not that they’ve tired of Nowitzki. That will never happen, not after everything he has done for this city, on and off the floor.
They love him so much that they want to let him go chase a championship in his twilight. And, as much as they’d don’t want to share him with anyone else, they’d rather watch Dirk make a deep playoff run with another team than see his season end in April again.
Here’s what they really hate to admit: It might be best for the Mavs in the long run if Nowitzki waved goodbye now, at least temporarily, allowing the franchise to hit rock bottom and begin a real rebuilding process, instead of fighting for the right to be first-round fodder again.
Meanwhile, the Mavs’ front office must balance the task of putting together the most competitive roster possible -- which they owe Nowitzki after his many sacrifices -- with serving the franchise’s best interests well into the future. Trying to do both puts the Mavs in serious jeopardy of doing neither.
It has been five long, frustrating years since Nowitzki belted out a wonderfully off-key rendition of “We Are the Champions” from an arena balcony, serenading fans who packed Victory Plaza on a sweltering Texas summer day at the end of the Mavs’ long-awaited championship parade. Five years, and a grand total of five playoff wins.
Sixty teammates -- 60! -- have spun through the revolving doors in the Mavs’ locker room in that span. None have been All-Stars for the Mavs despite owner Mark Cuban’s ambitious annual attempts to acquire a big fish in free agency. Those steep hometown discounts Dirk accepted haven’t paid off, as the Mavs are stuck in the muck of NBA mediocrity, the driving factor in his decision to opt out of the final season of his bargain contract.
That’s how Nowitzki, a man who has made well north of $200 million in his career despite leaving a lot more on the table, has turned into a sympathetic figure.
He’s still more than capable of contributing to a contender, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone as the most efficient, prolific late-30s scorers in NBA history. Yet Nowitzki has been burdened with dragging so-so supporting casts to one-and-done playoff appearances. It’s hard to see that changing, with or without a potential pick-up like restricted free agent Harrison Barnes (career averages: 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds per game).
But one minor detail must be noted regarding the #FreeDirk movement on Twitter: He’s free. He can go if he so desires, or at least talk to other teams. It’s not like Cuban and a Mavs contingent have stormed into his house and are holding him hostage. (Sorry, Mavs fans, if that causes you to think about the slightly embellished scene when the Clippers converged at DeAndre Jordan’s house a year ago.)
By all credible accounts, Nowitzki remains committed to staying in the only NBA home he’s ever known, even after another disappointing first wave of free agency for the Mavs. Being a one-team man means more to him than a chance at another ring.
The 20-year, one-team club -- lone member: Kobe Bryant -- means as much to Nowitzki as the 30,000-point milestone he should hit next season.
Nowitzki might have momentarily wavered on his Maverick-for-life stance in the couple months since Dallas was rudely dismissed in the first round again. How could he not briefly ponder the possibility of, say, becoming a Splash Uncle with the Golden State Warriors? It might have been impossible to pass up such as opportunity if he didn’t own a championship ring, but that line in Nowitzki’s legend résumé was filled five years ago.
Nobody with the Mavs would say such a blasphemous thing, but the best-case scenario would probably be for Nowitzki to join a contender for one year and then return to mentor a high lottery pick and retire as a Maverick. That, however, is a hypothetical that isn’t happening.
If the decision were based purely on basketball, it’d be an easy call. However, as competitive as Nowitzki is, he’s even more loyal. He says he belongs to the city of Dallas. He won’t turn his back on his American hometown, even though he’d be welcomed back with standing ovations. He’s also a devoted husband and father who doesn’t want to uproot his family.
Thick or thin, all indications are Nowitzki is still all in with the Mavs.
This creates quite a dilemma for the Dallas front office: How can the Mavs do right by Nowitzki while positioning the franchise to avoid a post-Dirk apocalypse? That’s the subject of some intense internal discussions at the Mavs offices these days.
Some staffers think the franchise needs to take a temporary step back. They look at the loaded lottery in the upcoming draft and want a ticket. They see the talent and depth in next summer’s free-agency crop and want the financial flexibility -- a term that makes Mavs fans cringe after five summers of swinging and missing -- to go on a shopping spree in that market.
(Longtime Mavs fans are well aware that rebuilding isn’t easy, either. They lived through the decade-long playoff drought that ended early in Nowitzki’s career. Dallas dealt with some bad lottery luck and some worse locker room chemistry. Looking at you, Jason Kidd and Jimmy Jackson.)
That means giving only one-year deals this summer unless a player is young and talented enough to be a key piece when Nowitzki retires two or three years down the road. It’s hard to build a playoff team like that, as the Mavs learned the hard way in 2012-13, the only time in the past 16 years they missed the playoffs.
Good luck convincing Nowitzki -- or coach Rick Carlisle, for that matter -- that essentially mailing in a season is the right route.
And Cuban, who has really been unconditionally loyal to only one player, has made it clear that doing right by Dirk is his top priority. At the minimum, every move the Mavs make must be approved by Nowitzki. In some cases, he’s calling the shots, including getting to make as much money as he wants up to the max.
“Dirk gets to do whatever he wants to do, period, end of story,” Cuban said last month. “Dirk gets to do what Dirk wants to do. If Dirk wants to be the head coach, we’ll move Rick over a little bit. Dirk’s [done] so much for this franchise that he’s earned that opportunity.”
If Dirk wants to leave, he’s free to go. That some Mavs fans wish it would happen, out of respect for their NBA legend, speaks to the frustration of the past five years in Dallas.
Dirk Nowitzki stands with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone as the most prolific late-30s scorers in NBA history. Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports
Dirk Nowitzki is Dallas.
The big German is the adopted son of one generation of Dallas sports fans, the brother of another and the kids' cool uncle. Few athletes anywhere are as beloved as Dirk in Dallas, who ranks right up there with Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith in this football-crazy city.
Dallas has watched Nowitzki grow from a shy, goofy kid experiencing a culture shock and confidence crisis-- the constant comparisons to Paul Pierce, selected a pick later, during Dirk’s rough rookie year not helping matters -- to the epitome of what a face of the franchise should be.
Nowitzki is idolized around these parts due to his no-brainer Hall of Famer credentials -- sixth on the all-time scoring list, 13 All-Star appearances, an MVP and a Finals MVP to start -- and adored because of the charming, self-deprecating, genuine personality that he has steadily grown more comfortable sharing during his 18 years in Dallas.
Yet a significant segment of the Dallas Mavericks fan base believes 18 years might be enough. It’s not that they’ve tired of Nowitzki. That will never happen, not after everything he has done for this city, on and off the floor.
They love him so much that they want to let him go chase a championship in his twilight. And, as much as they’d don’t want to share him with anyone else, they’d rather watch Dirk make a deep playoff run with another team than see his season end in April again.
Here’s what they really hate to admit: It might be best for the Mavs in the long run if Nowitzki waved goodbye now, at least temporarily, allowing the franchise to hit rock bottom and begin a real rebuilding process, instead of fighting for the right to be first-round fodder again.
Meanwhile, the Mavs’ front office must balance the task of putting together the most competitive roster possible -- which they owe Nowitzki after his many sacrifices -- with serving the franchise’s best interests well into the future. Trying to do both puts the Mavs in serious jeopardy of doing neither.
It has been five long, frustrating years since Nowitzki belted out a wonderfully off-key rendition of “We Are the Champions” from an arena balcony, serenading fans who packed Victory Plaza on a sweltering Texas summer day at the end of the Mavs’ long-awaited championship parade. Five years, and a grand total of five playoff wins.
Sixty teammates -- 60! -- have spun through the revolving doors in the Mavs’ locker room in that span. None have been All-Stars for the Mavs despite owner Mark Cuban’s ambitious annual attempts to acquire a big fish in free agency. Those steep hometown discounts Dirk accepted haven’t paid off, as the Mavs are stuck in the muck of NBA mediocrity, the driving factor in his decision to opt out of the final season of his bargain contract.
That’s how Nowitzki, a man who has made well north of $200 million in his career despite leaving a lot more on the table, has turned into a sympathetic figure.
He’s still more than capable of contributing to a contender, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone as the most efficient, prolific late-30s scorers in NBA history. Yet Nowitzki has been burdened with dragging so-so supporting casts to one-and-done playoff appearances. It’s hard to see that changing, with or without a potential pick-up like restricted free agent Harrison Barnes (career averages: 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds per game).
But one minor detail must be noted regarding the #FreeDirk movement on Twitter: He’s free. He can go if he so desires, or at least talk to other teams. It’s not like Cuban and a Mavs contingent have stormed into his house and are holding him hostage. (Sorry, Mavs fans, if that causes you to think about the slightly embellished scene when the Clippers converged at DeAndre Jordan’s house a year ago.)
By all credible accounts, Nowitzki remains committed to staying in the only NBA home he’s ever known, even after another disappointing first wave of free agency for the Mavs. Being a one-team man means more to him than a chance at another ring.
The 20-year, one-team club -- lone member: Kobe Bryant -- means as much to Nowitzki as the 30,000-point milestone he should hit next season.
Nowitzki might have momentarily wavered on his Maverick-for-life stance in the couple months since Dallas was rudely dismissed in the first round again. How could he not briefly ponder the possibility of, say, becoming a Splash Uncle with the Golden State Warriors? It might have been impossible to pass up such as opportunity if he didn’t own a championship ring, but that line in Nowitzki’s legend résumé was filled five years ago.
Nobody with the Mavs would say such a blasphemous thing, but the best-case scenario would probably be for Nowitzki to join a contender for one year and then return to mentor a high lottery pick and retire as a Maverick. That, however, is a hypothetical that isn’t happening.
If the decision were based purely on basketball, it’d be an easy call. However, as competitive as Nowitzki is, he’s even more loyal. He says he belongs to the city of Dallas. He won’t turn his back on his American hometown, even though he’d be welcomed back with standing ovations. He’s also a devoted husband and father who doesn’t want to uproot his family.
Thick or thin, all indications are Nowitzki is still all in with the Mavs.
This creates quite a dilemma for the Dallas front office: How can the Mavs do right by Nowitzki while positioning the franchise to avoid a post-Dirk apocalypse? That’s the subject of some intense internal discussions at the Mavs offices these days.
Some staffers think the franchise needs to take a temporary step back. They look at the loaded lottery in the upcoming draft and want a ticket. They see the talent and depth in next summer’s free-agency crop and want the financial flexibility -- a term that makes Mavs fans cringe after five summers of swinging and missing -- to go on a shopping spree in that market.
(Longtime Mavs fans are well aware that rebuilding isn’t easy, either. They lived through the decade-long playoff drought that ended early in Nowitzki’s career. Dallas dealt with some bad lottery luck and some worse locker room chemistry. Looking at you, Jason Kidd and Jimmy Jackson.)
That means giving only one-year deals this summer unless a player is young and talented enough to be a key piece when Nowitzki retires two or three years down the road. It’s hard to build a playoff team like that, as the Mavs learned the hard way in 2012-13, the only time in the past 16 years they missed the playoffs.
Good luck convincing Nowitzki -- or coach Rick Carlisle, for that matter -- that essentially mailing in a season is the right route.
And Cuban, who has really been unconditionally loyal to only one player, has made it clear that doing right by Dirk is his top priority. At the minimum, every move the Mavs make must be approved by Nowitzki. In some cases, he’s calling the shots, including getting to make as much money as he wants up to the max.
“Dirk gets to do whatever he wants to do, period, end of story,” Cuban said last month. “Dirk gets to do what Dirk wants to do. If Dirk wants to be the head coach, we’ll move Rick over a little bit. Dirk’s [done] so much for this franchise that he’s earned that opportunity.”
If Dirk wants to leave, he’s free to go. That some Mavs fans wish it would happen, out of respect for their NBA legend, speaks to the frustration of the past five years in Dallas.
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