Dirk Nowitzki has been the epitome of class and loyalty
since the Mavericks made the trade to bring him to Big D back in ’98. Mutual
trust and his hard work finally paid off with championship in 2011 but that
seems like light years ago.
Dallas dismantled the championship and trudged through a
lock-out shortened season two years ago, just to come up short on the big fish
of the off-season, Deron Williams.
I had no problem stripping the championship team that seemed
more like lightning in a bottle than a perennial contender but Cuban did make
one huge gaffe.
He didn’t go to see Deron Williams when free agency started,
instead choosing to film the incredibly mediocre[1]
Shark Tank instead. He let team president Donnie Nelson, coach Rick Carlisle
and front office assistant Michael Finley serve as his ambassadors.
"I think (Cuban) would have been able to answer a lot
of the questions me and my agent have for him that really didn't get answered
that day pertaining to the future," Williams told reporters. "And I
think if he was there he would have been able to answer those questions a
little bit better. It maybe would have helped me.”
Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov and GM Billy King were
constantly in touch and that obviously cost the Mavs dearly.
It cost them Deron. Without Deron, it probably cost them
Dwight. And now it should also cost them Dirk. [2]
After two straight summers of striking out, it may be time
for Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to make another tough, unpopular
decision: Trade Dirk Nowitzki.
I can’t believe I just typed those words but the writing is
on the wall. The Mavericks are going to be forced onto the treadmill of
mediocrity unless they take a gamble.
They took a gamble when the team was dismantled and that one
didn’t pay off. It’s time to take another one.
As a MFFL (Mavs Fan For Life), I would love for Dirk to retire
a Maverick but few players truly manage to do that, regardless of sport. Many
Hall of Famers spent their twilight years donning the “wrong” jerseys.
Michael Jordan. Joe Montana. Brett Favre. Paul Pierce.
That last one should really hit home for the Mavs. Pierce
was drafted one pick after Dirk in the ’98 draft and was traded this offseason
to the Brooklyn Nets. Celtics fan and Grantland writer Bill Simmons has said
that he had hoped Pierce would be a Celtics lifer but said this shows just how
hard it is to wear just one jersey your entire career.
Speaking of the Celtics, the Mavs had been making calls to about
acquiring Rajon Rondo for the dwindling Dirk days but the Celtics wanted Dirk
in return. The Mavs quickly said no but maybe they should entertain the idea.
They could give Rondo the "D-Rose ACL" treatment and tank into the lottery. Maybe they could clear up space and get another pick in the
2014 Free Agency and Draft classes that are looking increasingly stacked? Maybe Dirk would re-sign here after a year abroad?
That is of course if Dirk is open to it all.
Otherwise it’s time to look for the silver (and blue)
lining...
No comments:
Post a Comment