Dallas Mavericks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nerlens Noel Set To Return On Wednesday

February 27th, 2018 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks big man Nerlens Noel, who has been sidelined since November with a hand injury, is on track to return to the court on Wednesday, head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters today (video link via Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News). According to Carlisle, Noel will be available for Dallas’ game tomorrow against Oklahoma City, barring a last-minute setback.

The final month and a half of the 2017/18 season could be crucial for Noel, who will be eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer. Having bet on himself last summer by signing his one-year qualifying offer after turning down a lucrative multiyear deal, the former sixth overall pick hasn’t seen that bet pay off so far, as it’s been a disappointing year in Dallas.

Even before undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb, Noel was averaging a career-low 12.5 minutes per contest in 18 games for the Mavs. In limited action, the 23-year-old recorded 4.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and a .528 FG%.

With the Mavs out of playoff contention, Noel has said that he hopes to see a larger role when he returns to action. A strong showing down the stretch could help the young center rebuild his value before he reaches the open market in July.

Dirk Nowitzki, Harrison Barnes Weigh In On Tanking

February 27th, 2018 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks snapped their four-game losing streak on Monday, picking up their first win since owner Mark Cuban was fined $600K by the NBA for his comments about losing being in the team’s best interest. Following Dallas’ win over Indiana on Monday, veterans Dirk Nowitzki and Harrison Barnes weighed in on the subject of tanking, disputing Cuban’s idea that a series of late-season losses are best the franchise.

[RELATED: 2017/18 NBA Reverse Standings]

“You don’t really want a culture here that’s just giving up and quitting and not playing hard,” Nowitzki said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “I think it just sets the wrong tone for the future. … I think it’s important for our young guys to learn how to compete and to compete all the time, play hard. You play your minutes hard. That’s the only way to get better. That’s the only way to play in this league, and whatever happens after the season, we’ll just go from there. But for now, you play your minutes hard and you play to win.”

As MacMahon details, Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle – who spoke before the All-Star break about focusing on “player development” over the season’s final two months – has reversed course to some extent in the Mavs’ last couple games. Carlisle got his veterans plenty of playing time, particularly in the fourth quarter, during Saturday’s loss to the Jazz and Monday’s win over the Pacers.

Carlisle’s approach is endorsed by Barnes, who acknowledged that the tanking issue is one that’s hard to avoid, but suggested that the team should still be doing what it can to win games. Like Nowitzki, Barnes said that the act of tanking can lead to bad habits that become hard to shake.

“Any time you don’t play to win or you’re just kind of going through the motions, that can become contagious,” Barnes told MacMahon. “That can become a habit, and that can become your culture. ‘Oh, it’s OK for us to do this. Oh, it’s OK for us to not give full effort.’ Then next season rolls around, and you can’t flip that switch. It’s still that malaise that you had from the year before.

Mavs Sign Scotty Hopson To 10-Day Contract

February 26th, 2018 at 6:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks have signed swingman Scotty Hopson to a 10-day contract, according to a team press release. The team has an open roster spot and thus does not need to make another move to add Hopson.

This confirms an ESPN report on Friday that Dallas intended to sign him.

Hopson, 28, has spent virtually all of his professional career overseas. He played two games for the Cavaliers during the 2013/14 season. That offseason, Hopson was traded four times before the Kings waived him.

Hopson has been playing with Galatasaray in the Turkish league this season. In 13 games, he averaged 11.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 1.8 APG and 21.8 MPG.

The 6’7” Hopson went undrafted in 2011 after playing three seasons at Tennessee. He’s played in Greece, Israel, Spain and China as well as Turkey.

Cory Jefferson Playing For Mavs' G League Team

February 26th, 2018 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Nets and Suns forward Cory Jefferson, who was playing in Italy earlier this season, has returned stateside and caught on with the Texas Legends, the Mavericks‘ G League affiliate, as Nicola Lupo of Sportando details.

Mavericks Notes: New CEO, Smith Jr., Noel, Collinsworth

February 25th, 2018 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks will hold a press conference Monday to introduce Cynthia Marshall as their interim CEO, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. The former AT&T executive is being hired to clean up the franchise in the wake of sexual assault and domestic violence allegations that emerged this week.

Marshall served as vice president of human resources and chief diversity officer for the communications company. She was selected as one of the 50 most powerful women in corporate America in 2015 by Black Enterprise magazine.

There’s more news tonight out of Dallas:

For the first time since he started playing basketball, Dennis Smith Jr. is being asked to handle a position other than point guard, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Coach Rick Carlisle has shifted Smith to shooting guard in the starting lineup to make room for J.J. Barea, and the rookie’s numbers have declined in the two games since the move. “He’s learning a lot,” said Carlisle, who sees long-term benefits from Smith understanding the position. “And in this league, often times the most growth comes from the greatest struggles. He’s got to go through some of these things. But it’s tough right now. It’s tough for the whole team. That’s where we are. I thought he gave good effort.”
Backup center Nerlens Noel expects a larger dose of playing time when he returns from thumb surgery, according to The Dallas Morning News. During a recent appearance on Kevin Hart’s YouTube show, Noel responded, “I’m expecting to get a lot of games,” when asked what Mavericks owner Mark Cuban could give him that he didn’t get in Philadelphia. Noel dropped out of Dallas’ rotation early in the season, then suffered a thumb injury in a November 22 game. He could return as early as Monday.
Rookie forward Kyle Collinsworth tells Ryan McDonald of The Deseret News he never lost faith that he could reach the NBA. Undrafted out of BYU, Collinsworth spent a season in the G League before signing a two-way contract with the Mavericks, then earning a multiyear deal earlier this month. “It’s been a roller coaster, but I think the biggest thing I’ve been able to do is believe,” he said. “Believe when things were good, believe when things were bad. Never lost my belief, never lost my goal, and I just kept working and kept believing. I stayed consistent with my routine, with all the little things that I do that I believe give me an edge to be here. I just kept at it.”

Dirk Nowitzki Still Plans To Return Next Season

February 24th, 2018 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The workplace misconduct scandal surrounding the Mavericks hasn’t changed Dirk Nowitzki‘s plans to play another season, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. As the organization prepares for an independent investigation, Nowitzki said Friday that he still expects to return for a 21st season.

Mavs Plan To Sign Scotty Hopson To 10-Day Deal

February 23rd, 2018 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks intend to sign former NBA swingman Scotty Hopson to a 10-day contract in the coming days, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Dallas currently has an open spot on its 15-man roster, so the club won’t need to waive anyone to make room for Hopson.

Hopson, 28, had a very brief stint in the NBA during the 2013/14 season, when he played in two games for the Cavaliers. He then had an eventful 2014 offseason that saw him traded from the Cavs to the Hornets to the Pelicans to the Rockets to the Kings before he was finally waived by Sacramento. He hasn’t played an NBA game since then.

Although he hasn’t seen much NBA action, the former Tennessee star, who went undrafted in 2011, has built an extensive professional résumé in international play. Hopson has spent time with teams in Greece, Israel, Turkey, Spain, and China since going pro. This season, he has played for Turkish club Galatasaray, averaging 10.7 PPG and 3.8 RPG in 14 Turkish League games, with 11.5 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 13 EuroCup contests.

Based on their schedule, the Mavs will likely wait until next week to make Hopson’s signing official, tweets MacMahon.

Mavericks Notes: Investigation, Cuban, Noel

February 22nd, 2018 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks are in turmoil. Heading into the home stretch of the NBA season, the club has an 18-40 record and is on pace for its worst showing since going 20-62 in 1997/98. Off the court, Mark Cuban‘s public comments on tanking earned him a staggering $600K fine from the NBA. Both of those issues are on the back burner, however, as the club has moved to respond to a Sports Illustrated report that alleges widespread misconduct within the Mavs’ business offices.

The organization has hired outside counsel to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations in SI’s report and into the team’s workplace in general — that investigation is already underway, per Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News, who tweets that it could take about a month.

According to Jeff Zillgitt and Michael Singer of USA Today, the NBA will be privy to all findings in that independent report. Legal expert Michael McCann notes at SI.com that the league could also opt to proceed with its own investigation if it’s at all uncomfortable with the Mavs paying a firm for an “independent” investigation.

As McCann writes, the NBA’s constitution gives Adam Silver latitude to severely punish any team owner or employee guilty of “conduct prejudicial or detrimental” to the league, but it remains to be seen how hard Silver will come down on Cuban and the Mavs. While Cuban is unlikely to face the same fate as former Clippers owner Donald Sterling, a major suspension and/or fine seems possible.

After rounding up a few Mavs notes on Wednesday night, we’ve got more to pass along today. Let’s dive in…

As Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News relays, Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle and longtime star Dirk Nowitzki addressed the Sports Illustrated report for the first time on Wednesday. Nowitzki called the allegations “disgusting” and “heartbreaking,” while Carlisle said that “no steps will be skipped” in the investigation. On a separate note, Carlisle also said that Mark Cuban has “apologized profusely” for his tanking comments.
As the investigation gets underway, there are still many unanswered questions surrounding the Mavericks and Cuban, Sefko writes in another article for The Dallas Morning News.
While it seems somewhat inconsequential compared to the off-court issues facing the Mavs, the team still has some burning questions to answer on the court during the final two months of the season. According to Sefko, one of those questions will be whether Nerlens Noel will have a regular role the rest of the way, and whether he has any long-term future in Dallas. Carlisle said today that Noel is on track to return from his hand injury as early as Friday (Twitter link via Sefko).da

Latest On Mark Cuban, Mavericks Investigation

February 21st, 2018 at 8:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks may be in danger of having a first-round pick taken away in the wake of their workplace misconduct allegations, writes Matt Mosley of The Dallas Morning News. With a series of high-profile sex scandals dominating the news in recent months, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will want to make a strong statement against the behavior that was reportedly taking place in the Mavericks’ team office, Mosley reasons.

Mosley suggests owner Mark Cuban may have to remove himself from the team for a while in an act of contrition as a way to prevent the draft pick from being lost. He adds that “massive changes” will likely be needed in the organization to make sure the behavior that resulted in the allegations is never repeated.

There’s more news today out of Dallas:

The Mavericks have hired two independent investigators from the Krutoy Law Firm in New York to examine the organization, the team announced in an email. Evan Krutoy spent more than 20 years as a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and served as Acting Deputy Bureau Chief of the Sex Crimes Unit. Anne Milgrim is a former Attorney General of New Jersey and a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at New York University School of Law. They will be conducting confidential interviews with all Mavericks staff members, along with former employees who want to add their input to the investigation, the email states.
Cuban tells Tim MacMahon of ESPN it was a “horrible mistake in hindsight” not to fire former Mavs.com reporter Earl K. Sneed after two domestic violence incidents. Cuban decided to terminate Sneed in advance of the Sports Illustrated report after learning the “gruesome details” involving a 2011 domestic dispute. The magazine shared a Dallas police report saying that Sneed’s girlfriend at the time suffered a fractured right wrist in the altercation and had bruises on her arms and chest. “I want to be clear: I’m not putting the blame on anybody else,” Cuban said. “It came down to my final decision that I made.”
Cuban’s reputation of being thoroughly involved with the team makes it difficult to believe he was unaware of what was going on in the main office, writes Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News. That’s especially true in the case of former executive Terdema Ussery, Sherrington adds, whose alleged conduct was a key part of the Sports Illustrated story. The columnist notes that the Mavericks conducted their own investigation of Ussery in 1998, two years before Cuban bought the team, which resulted in new guidelines on interoffice conduct.

Mark Cuban Fined $600K For Tanking Comments

February 21st, 2018 at 2:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA has fined Mavericks owner Mark Cuban $600K for suggesting that his team could benefit by losing games for the rest of the season, tweets Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post.

Cuban’s comments came during a recent appearance on Julius Erving’s House Call with Dr. J podcast. The outspoken owner admitted to telling his players that accumulating losses would have long-term benefits for the organization.

“I’m probably not supposed to say this, but I just had dinner with a bunch of our guys the other night and here we are, you know, we weren’t competing for the playoffs. I was like, ‘Look, losing is our best option,’” Cuban said. “[Commissioner] Adam [Silver] would hate hearing that, but I at least sat down and I explained it to them. And I explained what our plans were going to be this summer, that we’re not going to tank again, this was, like, a year-and-a-half tanking and that was too brutal for me. But being transparent, I think that’s the key to being kind of a players owner and having stability.”

The Mavericks are third in our current Reverse Standings with an 18-40 record, but are locked in a tight race for the highest lottery picks. They are just a half-game behind the Suns and Hawks for the league’s worst record, with nine teams having at least 36 losses already.

The NBA has long been sensitive about public comments on tanking and has made changes to the draft that will take effect next season. The new format will reduce the benefit of losing, giving the league’s worst team a 14% chance at the top pick, while the sixth-worst team has a 9% shot. Right now, the team with the worst record has a 25% chance to land the first choice.

The fine continues a horrible day for Cuban, who has been explaining how the Mavericks became the target of an extensive workplace misconduct scandal.