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Mark Cuban: “We’ve Gone Through A Rebuild In One Season”

March 10th, 2017 at 4:34pm CST by Milo Taibi

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban discussed his team in a Q&A with Shaun Powell of NBA.com. The interview spanned a variety of subjects- even touching on politics toward the end- but Cuban was sure to praise the “reinvigorated” Dirk Nowitzki, as well as scrappy guards Yogi Ferrell and Seth Curry.

“This has reinvigorated Dirk. He sees the big picture,” Cuban said of Nowitzki’s choice to ‘ride it out’ in Dallas. “We’re in a win-win situation. We lose, we get a better draft pick, we win we get into the playoffs. It’s fun. It feels a lot more like 2000 when I first brought the team. All this young energy, exciting, fun to watch, we’re at a place where we’re not supposed to be.”

Cuban has reason to be pleased with Dallas’ season. Having gotten off to a 5-18 start in 2016/17, it looked as though the Mavs were in for a lost season. Several key contributors have helped right the ship, however. Ferrell and Curry have supplanted J.J. Barea and Devin Harris as Rick Carlisle‘s primary guards, Harrison Barnes has overcome a shaky start to the season, and Nerlens Noel looks like a stellar trade deadline pick-up.

“He has the most understated swag I’ve ever seen. His brother [Stephen] likes to dance. Seth will just kill you and then give you a little hand motion. He’s so non-demonstrative,” Cuban said. “To me, the more of a show you put on when you do something, the less swag you have. He doesn’t tell you, he scoreboards you, and to me, that’s the ultimate swag. We want him to be here forever. He’s our kind of guy.”

In Cuban’s mind, the team’s abbreviated rebuilding period has been a group effort.

“We’ve basically gone through a rebuild in one season. It’s a credit to Rick (Carlisle, the Mavericks coach) but also everyone on this team,” Cuban said. “There’s still a lot more to do. Nobody’s writing us in for The Finals this year. Our guys really worked hard, as hard or harder than any team in the league. Look at Miami. They’ve undergone a lot of changes too, much like we have, and they just play harder. I remember the Celtics after they traded off Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and they tried to find themselves and they did that by playing their asses off. That’s who we are now. Teams kind of look at our talent and don’t know what to expect but it’s hard to keep up with us when you go 15 deep with guys playing hard. It’s our calling card. I love it.”

How The Mavericks Build Around Dirk Nowitzki

March 7th, 2017 at 9:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Mark Cuban and the Mavericks have always been different. When everyone zigs, Cuban wants to zag—a practice that has contributed to his success in the business would. Dallas has employed that strategy with mixed results since he’s taken team control. However, the Shark Tank star is quick to tell people that the Mavs had a streak of 11 straight campaigns with at least 50 wins during his tenure as the owner of the franchise.

Simply winning often is not the goal; Cuban wants championships. During this year’s MIT Sloan Conference, which Hoops Rumors attended, Cuban was asked whether he would take a dominant three-year window where his team wins championships or a stretch of 10-15 years where his team has a slight chance of winning the championship every year. He quickly took the championships option with one caveat.

“If I knew I was going to get three rings and just be horrible the rest of the way, I’d probably take the three rings and then try to change the agreement,” Cuban said. “Rings are the thing. I want a really big ring.”

Dallas is extremely unlikely to win a championship this season and without a true Superstar in his prime, the Mavs have to be even more meticulous with their roster moves. They have to find contributors like Yogi Ferrell and Dorian Finney-Smith from the free agent scraps. This year, that task was slightly easier for those teams that are better at evaluating talent

The Celtics entered the 2016 draft with eight selections. The Suns had five, while the Nuggets had four. Those three teams plus Philadelphia (three selections) held one-third of the draft picks. The Mavs went into the draft knowing that those team couldn’t possibly roster that many rookies, so it would lead to teams reaching on international and draft-and-stash prospects or trading away picks. Some of those teams would end up taking the best available player willing to be a draft-and-stash prospect rather than selecting the the top remaining talent.

“To us, it was more of a 70-player draft than a 60-player draft,” Cuban said. “What happened after 60 was just as valuable as having [an early second-round draft pick]”

If the league redistributed the picks to mirror what teams would have in an average year, players like Ferrell and Finney-Smith are likely drafted. Ben Bentil is likely still on the team that drafted him. Yet, because of the unique distribution of picks, those players are available on the market.

Quinn Cook is another player who would merit consideration if the teams were drafting players for 60 immediate NBA roster spots. Cook’s 10-day deal with Dallas expires tonight, though Cuban recently told Hoops Rumors that the organization likes the guard’s game and he could have a future with the team beyond the current deal.

Earlier this season, it appeared that the Mavericks would be better served to scrap the winning objectives this season, tank, and try their luck next year with a top draft pick aboard. Such life is not an option when you have future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki on the team. The organization wants to build the team of the future around its aging superstar. The signing of Harrison Barnes along with the team’s influx of youth should allow Nowitzki to take on a lighter load as he creeps toward 40 years old. Cuban insinuated that the German big man will continue playing past that point.

“Dirk will be the Satchel Paige of the NBA,” Cuban told Nate Silver during the conference’s Shark Vs. Fox panel.

Paige famously played more seasons than any baseball player in history. He retired at the age of 47, though he made a special, three inning appearance at the age of 59 in which he only gave up one hit.

Could Nowitzki play more seasons than any player in NBA history? Kevin Willis currently owns that accomplishment with 21 seasons in the league, which means Nowitzki would need to play for three seasons beyond the 2016/17 campaign to have sole possession of the record. The man who became just the sixth player ever to score 30,000 points is going to end his career with multiple records and since he plays for such an innovative organization, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him add the longevity feat to his impressive resume.

Dirk Nowitzki Still Expects To Play In 2017/18

March 3rd, 2017 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Dirk Nowitzki has long intended to play at least 20 years in the NBA, and with the end of his 19th season fast approaching, those plans haven’t changed. Speaking to ESPN’s Marc Stein, Nowitzki said that his return for 2017/18 is a virtual lock, barring something unexpected happening in the coming weeks or months.

“I said last summer: I signed a two-year deal (and) that obviously meant I want to play for two more,” Nowitzki said. “I want to complete that deal.”

Nowitzki, 38, was plagued by an Achilles injury earlier this season, and hasn’t looked like his usual self. His averages of 13.6 PPG and .415 FG% are both the lowest marks he has posted since his rookie year way back in 1998/99. Still, as he has gotten healthier over the course of the year, the longtime Maverick has been more productive. In his last nine games, Nowitzki has averaged 16.2 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and a .438 FG%.

The Mavericks’ two-year deal with Nowitzki includes a team option worth $25MM for 2017/18, so it will be interesting to see whether the club simply picks up that option or negotiates a new contract with its star big man.

Team owner Mark Cuban has deferred to Nowitzki over the years, so I’d imagine that the club would be happy to pick up the option if that’s Nowitzki’s preference. Still, the German has taken pay cuts in the past, so it’s possible he’d want to do so again in what could be his last NBA season. Reducing that $25MM cap charge would give the Mavs more flexibility to splash around in free agency or on the trade market.

Maverick Notes: Dirk, Carlisle, Whiteside

January 19th, 2017 at 3:55pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Dirk Nowitzki hopes to be able to play one more season with the Mavericks before he retires, Eddie Sefko passes along via Twitter. “Hopefully stay injury free rest of this year, come back and finish 20 years and that’s probably it,” Nowitzki said. The big man signed a two-year, $50MM with Dallas before the season.

Here’s more from Dallas:

The Mavericks would like Rick Carlisle to continue to be their coach for the rest of his coaching career, but Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News wonders how long the coach can take a non-winning situation. Sherrington believes Carlisle will be with the franchise as long as he wants to be.
Hassan Whiteside said he would have considered the Mavericks as a free agent destination if the Heat weren’t such a strong option, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel relays. “[The Mavs] told me just how much they can help me on the offensive end and give me and the ball more and how much they could utilize what I can do,” Whiteside said. “Maybe if I liked the Heat a little less, you know, I definitely would have considered the Mavericks a lot more.”
Despite Andrew Bogut‘s latest ailment, the center still has decent trade value, Sefko argues in his latest mailbag. The scribe adds that the Mavericks are likely to wait to deal him until closer to the trade deadline unless an opposing team makes an offer they can’t refuse.

Mavs Notes: Bogut, Nowitzki, Cuban

January 14th, 2017 at 1:03pm CST by Austin Kent

The 2016/17 hasn’t gone well for either Andrew Bogut or the Mavs and the latest realization that Bogut’s lingering hamstring injury will keep him sidelined certainly doesn’t help. Earlier today, Rick Carlisle told the media that he will hold Bogut out of Sunday’s contest and “for the foreseeable near future”.

Already limited to just 22 of Dallas’ 39 games this season, Bogut hasn’t had much of an impact on a Mavs team that’s limped out of the gates to a 12-27 record.

Though a healthy Bogut wouldn’t necessarily change the Mavs’ fate, it could play a role in whether the team is able to trade him, and if so, what they could expect in return.

There’s more out of Dallas:

A recent uptick in production has ESPN’s Tim MacMahon speculating that Dirk Nowitzki is close to returning to form following the strained right Achilles tendon issue that plagued him at the beginning of the season. Though his 13.2 points per game fall well short of his career numbers, that figure could soon rise if the 38-year-old is truly close to full strength for the Mavs.
There are plenty of reasons why the 2016/17 campaign has been a disappointing one for Mavs fans. Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas News recently examined who might be to blame for the lost season. Cowlishaw feels ownership and management haven’t made the most of the draft, opting instead to pursue big fish via free agency.
Vocal Mavs owner Mark Cuban would be in support of the NBA eventually expanding or relocating to Mexico City. “I like it down here,” he told Eddie Sefko of the Dallas News. “I would love a team down here.[…] It’s not all that far compared to Portland or Boston.”

Mavericks Notes: Barnes, Jackson, Draft

December 31st, 2016 at 7:48pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Harrison Barnes left the Warriors, a team that sits atop the Western Conference, to join the Mavericks, a team that owns the worst record in the conference, but the lack of success hasn’t made him regret his free agency decision, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Sporting News writes.

“Dallas was the right thing for me from the day I signed here,” Barnes said. “You know, I’m happy to be in this process, in this challenge, every single night — pushed out of my comfort zone to become a better basketball player. And I’m excited for what the future has in store.”

Here’s more from Dallas:

Barnes has developed into a featured player with the Mavericks, something he would not have been able to do with the Warriors, as Sefko adds in the same piece. Taking on a featured role came with added media attention and Barnes is hoping to emulate Dirk Nowitzki‘s approach to dealing with that aspect of the game. “I’ve talked to Dirk and, in my opinion, for a guy who has been through the ups and downs he’s been through, in all of sports, I think he’s one of the model guys you look to. I just really respect his demeanor, his approach, his ability to accept criticism, own it and get better from it. That’s what I want to try to do,” Barnes said.
Pierre Jackson signed with the Mavs earlier in the week, but Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News doesn’t expect the point guard to make a major impact with the team. The 25-year-old has played in two games for Dallas and he’s averaging 5.0 points and 3.5 assists in 11.5 minutes per contest.
The Mavs currently reside in fourth place in our reverse standings, meaning they are likely to land one of the top college prospects in the draft. Matt Mosley of the Dallas Morning News examines what the team may do with its first-round pick.

Western Rumors: Bogut, Blazers, Lawson

December 29th, 2016 at 9:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavs center Andrew Bogut is willing to come off the bench, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports. That would allow coach Rick Carlisle to start Dirk Nowitzki at center. “He offered to come off the bench, if that’s a better situation for us,” Carlisle told Sefko. “You don’t often get a player of his stature offering to come off the bench for the betterment of the team. But because of his suggestion and this situation, we have that as an option.” Nowitzki faces difficult defense challenges playing power forward against more mobile players and is not used to coming off the bench. The downside is that Bogut is generally considered one of the league’s premier defensive big men.

In other news around the Western Conference:

The Trail Blazers need to find improvement from within rather than seeking a solution on the open market, Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com argues. Portland’s defensive issues stem from its conservative approach, which forces the second fewest turnovers in the league, Pelton continues. He also points out that the Blazers have to cut down on their penchant for fouling and improve their defensive rebounding. Injuries to forward Al-Farouq Aminu have also contributed to their defensive decline, Pelton adds.
There will be no suspensions or fines regarding the altercation on Tuesday between Rockets forward Trevor Ariza and Mavs center Salah Mejri, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26. Ariza was ejected after taking exception to something that Mejri said. After the game, Ariza and some of his teammates tried unsuccessfully to confront Mejri outside the Dallas locker room. The game was also marred by eight technical fouls and two flagrant fouls.
Backup point guard Ty Lawson is reviving his career with the Kings, as Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee examines in a column. Lawson has tenuous job security because of his non-guaranteed contract, Voisin notes, but he has become a big part of the Kings’ rotation. He averaged 15.5 points and 4.3 assists during a four-game winning streak that ended on Wednesday night. “He makes the game really easy for people and gets up and down the floor, and gets in the paint,” coach Dave Joerger told Voisin. “He’s playing really well. It’s been a successful week because of Ty Lawson.” Lawson’s $1,315,448 salary becomes guaranteed if he’s on the roster beyond January 10.

Injury Notes: Nance, Nowitzki, Parsons, Oladipo

December 21st, 2016 at 7:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. has a bone bruise in his left knee and will be out indefinitely, the team announced on its website. He suffered the injury Tuesday in Charlotte. Nance had an MRI today to confirm the injury, but further results were limited because of swelling. He will be re-evaluated Sunday, and the Lakers plan to issue an update on availability after that examination. Nance has played in 28 of the team’s 31 games this season, all off the bench.

There’s more injury news from around the NBA:

Dirk Nowitzki won’t play tonight, but the Mavericks hope to have him back soon, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Nowitzki is almost fully recovered from a strained right Achilles and could play Friday against the Clippers or Monday against the Pelicans. “I’ll probably get a good workout tonight and see how it responds,” Nowitzki said. “I’ll probably get my first practice [Thursday] and see how it feels, basically go from day to day. It’s been encouraging. It hasn’t gotten worse from some of the stuff we’ve been doing. Hopefully, I’ll be out there soon.”
Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons is active for tonight’s game with the Pistons, tweets Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Parsons, who was still recovering from offseason surgery on his right knee when the season started, has appeared in just six games. He suffered a bone bruise on his left knee shortly after returning.
Thunder guard Victor Oladipo says his injured right wrist is improving, but he will sit out his fifth straight game tonight, writes Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman. Despite his optimism, coach Billy Donovan said there has been “no change at all in terms of what he can and can’t do” since suffering the injury in a December 11th game. “He is getting better,” Donovan said. “I don’t want to come across like he’s not. There is improvement there, but it’s not at a point where he can do enough in terms of catching, passing, shooting, playing right now.”
Back tightness forced Hawks center Dwight Howard to sit out tonight for the second straight game, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s a lot better than it was a couple days ago,” Howard said. “It continues to get better.” Howard, who signed a three-year, $70.5MM deal with the Hawks in July, has had back issues before. In 2014/15, back and knee problems limited him to 41 games with the Rockets.
The Jazz expect to have point guard George Hill back in the lineup soon, although it may not happen until next week, report Aaron Falk and Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. Hill went through an intense workout Tuesday as he tries to overcome a sprained toe that has sidelined him for nearly a month.
Wizards center Ian Mahinmi had platelet-rich plasma treatments on both knees this morning, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Knee problems have limited him to just one game after signing a four-year, $64MM contract this summer.

Southwest Notes: Barnes, Nowitzki, Parsons

December 21st, 2016 at 9:49am CST by ChrisCrouse

Harrison Barnes admits that it’s been an adjustment going from the Warriors to the Mavericks, but he’s embracing the culture in Dallas, Sean Deveney of Sporting News writes.

“We play a different style of basketball here, but they won a championship in 2011 playing this way, so I don’t think you can argue that it can’t work,” said Barnes, the Mavericks’ top offseason signee. “It’s been good for me to learn the differences in change of pace, to value the basketball. When you play at a fast pace, you can afford a lot of turnovers, you can make a lot of errors in your play just because there’s so many more possessions in a game. When you slow it down like we do in Dallas, every turnover is that much more crucial, every missed shot is that much more influential. It is a different approach.”

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

After blowing a 17-point lead en route to an overtime loss on Tuesday night, The Grizzlies received some harsh criticism from head coach David Fizdale, who suggested that “nobody wants to step up and lead this group now during this tough time.” Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com has the details and the quotes from the rookie head coach.
Dirk Nowitzki could return to the lineup tonight, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News relays. The big man has missed the Mavericks‘ last 21 games.
Chandler Parsons could see action for the Grizzlies tonight, Michael Wallace of NBA.com tweets. Parsons hasn’t played in over a month because of bone bruise on his left knee.
Eric Gordon said “chemistry” is a major reason why the Rockets are succeeding this season, as he tells Michael Lee of The Vertical. “Everybody gets along. Everybody is on one task. We’re all here to win. Nobody cares what anybody else says on the outside. Everybody is locked in on one goal and that’s trying to win games and win a championship.”

Dirk Nowitzki Aims To Return By End Of Month

December 17th, 2016 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

It has been a frustrating season so far for Dirk Nowitzki, who has been limited to just five games due to a persistent Achilles issue. However, the German big man is hoping to get back on the court for the Mavericks sometime before the end of 2016, perhaps around Christmas, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com details.

“The thing is, I think when I came back it was a little too early and I had a little setback,” said Nowitzki, who played two games in late November before going back on the shelf. “Everybody’s a little worried about starting it back up too early and then starting back where we were, so we’re taking it slow now. But it’s been getting better. I’ve been increasing the workload, and it hasn’t been sore. Hopefully, I’ll be back in action any time soon. Maybe I’m a Christmas gift.”

Nowitzki, 38, remained healthy and productive last season, averaging 18.3 PPG and 6.5 RPG in 75 total regular season games for the Mavericks. However, with an Achilles strain plaguing him this season, he has been sidelined for the majority of Dallas’ games, and the team has struggled in his absence. For the season, the Mavs have a 6-20 record, tied with the Sixers for the NBA’s worst mark.

[RELATED: 2016/17 NBA Reverse Standings]

As he has stated in the past, Nowitzki’s goal is to play for 20 NBA seasons. However, he has acknowledged the possibility that 2016/17 – his 19th season – could be his last if his health problems persist. Still, there’s optimism within the Mavs that their longtime star can get healthy and have a productive second half, which would put him on track to play one more year.