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Dirk Nowitzki

Odds & Ends: Dirk, Smith, Johnson, Vucevic

October 5th, 2012 at 11:00pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Friday evening:

  • Dirk Nowitzki wants to play beyond the two seasons remaining on his contract, writes Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW.com.
  • J.R. Smith tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com that he would rather start than come off the bench for the Knicks this season.
  • Stefan Swiat of Suns.com writes that Wesley Johnson has looked strong in training camp. The third-year guard was acquired by Phoenix from the Timberwolves in a three-team deal in July.
  • Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel speculates that Nikola Vucevic, acquired from Philadelphia in the Dwight Howard trade, will replace Howard as the Magic's starting center.
  • Raptors coach Dwayne Casey tells Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun that he expects John Lucas to be a contributor this season.
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Mavericks Links: Media Day, Dirk, Brand, Nash

September 28th, 2012 at 9:34pm CST by Alex Lee

As we saw yesterday, the Mavs look like they're putting the finishing touches on their training camp roster, adding Josh Akognon, D.J. Mbenga and Tu Holloway to what look to be non-guaranteed deals.  The team, coming off a dissapointing offseason, held their media day on Friday.  Here are some of the links that have come across the wire since:

  • Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram has some additional quotes from Rick Carlisle, who thinks that the Mavs have what it takes to win an NBA championship this season.  Carlisle references the NFL and MLB as leagues where wild cards routinely win titles, and he likens it to his 2011 title team.  It is a tough sell, as those leagues are parity striken unlike the NBA.  But Carlisle's optimism should nevertheless be encouraging for the Mavericks faithful.

Earlier updates:

  • Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News provides us with some more content from Rick Carlisle and Elton Brand.  With the presence of Nowitzki and Kaman, Brand is excited to, for once, not draw the opposition's best defensive big.  Carlisle expects good chemistry to develop between Brand and Kaman.
  • Dirk Nowitzki was predictably the most popular quote of the day.  According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas, Nowitzki addressed the loss of former running mates in Jason Terry and Jason Kidd, and was particularly surprised with Kidd's departure.  Nowitzki said: “We won the championship together, so they’re like brothers to me. That was tough to see those two guys go somewhere else. It’s going to be weird to see them in different uniforms, for sure.”
  • MacMahon adds that Nowitzki said that the Mavs, despite missing out on Dwight Howard and Deron Williams, are still of a "heck of a team" without either of them.
  • After missing out on Howard and Williams, the Mavs added Elton Brand, Darren Collison, Chris Kaman and O.J. Mayo.  Brand said that group could combine to give Dallas what adding two superstars could have, according to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News.  Earl Sneed of NBA.com tweets that Brand looks in "insane shape" entering camp.
  • Nowitzki also commented on the Lakers compilation of stars, and more specifically on their addition of his good friend and former teammate, Steve Nash, via Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.   “On paper, they’re really, really good,’’ he said.  “You look at their starting lineup, it’s almost an All-Star Game starting lineup. They’re stacked. They’re going to be great. They’re going to be tough to beat if they stay injury free.’’
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Odds & Ends: Aguilar, Hettsheimeir, Lakers

September 22nd, 2012 at 9:23pm CST by Ryan Raroque
Hornets scout Don Sellers attended a workout featuring Japeth Aguilar, according to HoopsHype (Twitter link). On Tuesday, we relayed a report that the 25-year-old Filipino forward's agent had been contacted by two undisclosed teams. In another tweet, HoopsHype moved along this story from ESPN Estadao which says that center Rafael Hettsheimeir has signed a contract with Real Madrid. Earlier this month, the Brazilian big man had reportedly fielded interest from the Mavericks and Cavaliers.  Here's what else we're hearing from around the league this evening…
  • Mavericks veteran Dirk Nowitzki is excited about the team's offseason additions and says that anything is possible if the chemistry is right, according to Eddie Sefko of SportsDay DFW. 
  • Kendrick Perkins doesn't think that he nor any of his Thunder teammates need to personally intervene in order to influence James Harden's contract negotiations, believing that his decision will be affected just by returning to training camp and seeing his "family" again (John Rohde of NewsOK reports). 
  • HoopsWorld provides their season preview of the Lakers, who enter the 2012-13 season with a collection of superstar talent and championship aspirations. According to Eric Pincus, the Lakers' powerfully talented lineup along with improved depth gives them the opportunity to compete at the highest level. On the flip side, Pincus writes that age is definitely not on their side and wonders if Mike Brown has the personality to lead this team to a championship. 
  • Brian Geltzeiler of SheridanHoops.com offers his thoughts on hot topics that he's been asked about on Twitter and the radio, namely about his projections for the Bulls this season, the idea that Ray Allen's addition to the Heat makes them unbeatable, and if the new CBA is having its desired effect. 
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Odds & Ends: Magic, Anderson, Wizards, Mavs

August 31st, 2012 at 4:25pm CST by Luke Adams

As August comes to a close, let's round up a few Friday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:

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Dirk Nowitzki Discusses Future

August 26th, 2012 at 5:21pm CST by Sean Highkin

On Sunday, Dirk Nowitzki answered a series of questions from fans on his Twitter page. During this Q&A session, he was asked how long he planned on playing, and responded that he planned to play out the final two years of his contract and then make a decision beyond that.

Nowitzki, 34, signed a four-year, $80MM contract with the Mavericks in 2010. He is scheduled to make $20.9MM in 2012/13 and $22.7MM in 2013/14. He averaged 21.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 2.2 APG last season.

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Mark Cuban On Kidd, Kobe, Nowitzki

August 21st, 2012 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we passed along comments from Mavericks owner Mark Cuban about the team's failed pursuit of Deron Williams, with Cuban insisting the Mavs were in better position after having missed out on the summer's top free agent. As it turns out, Cuban had plenty more to say during his appearance on the Ben and Skin Show on 103.3 FM in Dallas, so let's round up his other comments of note right here:

  • Cuban is still upset by Jason Kidd's last-minute decision to back out of a potential three-year contract agreement with the Mavs and accept essentially the same deal from the Knicks, as ESPNDallas.com's Jeff Caplan writes. "I was more than upset. I thought he was coming. I was pissed," Cuban said. "J-Kidd is a big boy; he can do whatever he wants. But you don't change your mind like that…. It hurt my feelings, period, because I felt that we had developed a relationship, and I thought that he was committed to the organization."
  • According to Cuban, the Mavericks nearly completed a trade for Kobe Bryant in the summer of 2007 (link via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News). Cuban said today that the proposed deal didn't involve Dirk Nowitzki, and that he was discussing it in between rehearsals for 'Dancing With the Stars': "Literally, between 'Dancing with the Stars' practices I had thought we traded for Kobe Bryant. I even talked to their owner and thought we were going to have a done deal, and [Lakers GM] Mitch Kupchak changed [Kobe’s] mind and brought him back."
  • As for whether he'd consider trading Dirk if the franchise begins a full-fledged rebuild in the near future, Cuban answered with an emphatic no, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. If Nowitzki were to request a deal, that may change the equation, but the Mavs owner can't see that happening: "I know Dirk; he wouldn't."
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Kennedy On Brown, Lakers, 2014 Free Agent Class

August 12th, 2012 at 7:47pm CST by Sean Highkin

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld has weighed in today on several relevant NBA topics, including the expectations placed on the Lakers and their options in free agency in coming years:

  • Kennedy tweets that Mike Brown will likely receive the majority of blame if the Lakers fall short of their championship aspirations following the additions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard this offseason.
  • Kennedy also tweets that he would be surprised if Howard did not re-sign with the Lakers when he hits free agency in July 2013.
  • In a Sulia post, Kennedy takes a look at the 2014 free agent class, some of which could be options for the Lakers. Top players available include Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Danny Granger, and, should they choose to opt out of their contracts in Miami, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
  • In the same post, Kennedy quotes an anonymous NBA executive as believing the 2014 class has the potential to be more impressive than that of 2010.
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Dirk Nowitzki Talks Mavs’ Offseason

May 23rd, 2012 at 6:14pm CST by Alex Lee

Dirk Nowitzki was on Dallas radio Tuesday and was asked what his reaction would be if the Mavericks are unable to land any big-name players in the offseason.  The Mavericks have been rumored to be interested in Deron Williams and Dwight Howard all season long.

"I’m not sure. I’ve always said I want to finish my career here and obviously the championship season topped it all off; that’s what I always was chasing and dreaming about so that kind of sealed that deal on that front. If we really come out with nobody this summer then maybe they want to rebuild and obviously I’m too old for that. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens on that front. But, I still think I got two, three good years left in me and if we get some players in here we can be right back up there and compete," Nowitzki said.

Nowitzki called himself the "grandfather of Dallas sports" and specifically went on to mention Deron Williams by name.  It is clear that Dirk wants help while he still can contribute at a high level.  It is also clear that he expects the front office to come through, and that he won't be faced with a situation where he is the elder statesman on a rebuilding team:

"I don’t even want to think about it because I don’t think it’s going to happen.  I want to finish my career here and hopefully compete again in the playoffs and be a player late in June. We’ll see. Everything else is kind of all in the future. I can’t really see myself in another city or another uniform after 14 seasons I think it’s been now. Growing up here and basically I've matured so much over the years and met a lot of great people here, so I can’t even think about going somewhere else really," Nowitzki added.

I tend to agree with Nowitzki that he won't be put in a bad spot in his final years in the league.  Mark Cuban hardly seems like the type of owner that is willing to completely rebuild.  Whether or not they land the big fish they will be looking for remains to be seen, but if they don't, Dallas will likely refrain from throwing in the towel.

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Mavs Rumors: Williams, Terry, Nowitzki

May 7th, 2012 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

With the Mavericks' season in the books and an important summer looming, news and rumors continue to roll in from Dallas. We rounded up yesterday's Mavs-related items here, and today's can be found below:

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Mavs Notes: Odom, Mahinmi, Kidd, Williams

May 6th, 2012 at 10:15pm CST by Daniel Seco

There's been plenty of news out of Dallas today after the defending champion Mavs were swept out of the playoffs by the Thunder. Let's round up what we've heard today, with the latest news on top:

  • Mavs players decided not to give Lamar Odom a share of the nearly $282K in playoff money the team earned in its first round loss to the Thunder, reports Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  • Ian Mahinmi probably isn't atop the lengthy offseason to-do list of the Mavs, but the unrestricted free agent center says he'd like to return to Dallas, according to Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com (Twitter link).
  • Despite speculation to the contrary, Jason Kidd says he won't have any influence on where fellow free agent Deron Williams signs, but Shawn Marion has a to-the-point recruiting message he hopes will inspire the Nets point guard to come to Dallas, as Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes. 
  • Jason Kidd plans to continue his career with the Mavs and hopes that he can recruit Deron Williams to join him and Nowitzki in Dallas, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. There is speculation, though, that Kidd will sign wherever Williams ends up even if that means returning to the Nets organization in Brooklyn. Kidd and Williams share the same agent in Jeff Schwartz, which would seemingly make negotiations easier.
  • Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News says Nowitzki wants the Mavs to sign players that can create their own shots and do something dynamic on the court like the Thunder's Big 3. "We need some guys that can make plays for themselves," Nowitzki said. "That's pretty obvious. If you look at all the top teams now, they have at least two-three guys they can throw the ball to and they do their thing."
  • Jason Terry may have played his last game for the Mavs after spending eight seasons with the team, reports Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com. The former Arizona star is set to become a free agent for the first time in his career and will explore his options before settling on a new home. Terry, 34, was traded to Dallas in 2004 by the Hawks after spending five seasons in Atlanta where he was the team's first-round pick in 1999.
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