Dirk Nowitzki Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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."

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.

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.

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:

Mavs players are ready to roll out the welcome mat for Deron Williams, says Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News argues that this season's struggles and cap decisions will all be worth it if the Mavs can land Williams this summer.
Earlier this weekend, Marc Stein of ESPN.com heard from a source that the odds of Williams signing in Dallas are considered no better than about 50-50.
Sefko examines which free agents the Mavericks could target if they miss out on Williams.
Mavs GM Donnie Nelson says the team would love to re-sign Jason Terry, but suggests the decision may come down to Terry's price tag.
Price identifies five questions the Mavs will have to answer this summer, which he says could be the team's busiest offseason ever.
Dirk Nowitzki would be very open to sharing the Dallas spotlight with another star player, writes Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.
We previewed free agency for two Mavs guards yesterday: Jason Terry and Jason Kidd.

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.

Mavs Notes: Deron, Chandler, Barea

May 1st, 2012 at 9:28pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes surrounding the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night:

SportsDayDFW's Eddie Sefko has a mailbag column in which he outlines several reasons why Deron Williams should consider signing with the Mavs, most notably Williams' roots in the area and the opportunity to play with Dirk Nowitzki.
Sefko also notes that the contracts of Nowitzki and Shawn Marion expire the same year, which could potentially allow the team to sign another star to pair with Williams while the guard is still in his prime.
SportsDayDFW's Brad Townsend writes that the Mavs are feeling the loss of Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea, both of whom left the team in free agency before the season.

Mavs Notes: Nowitzki, Terry, Carlisle

April 24th, 2012 at 8:00pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The last time an NBA Champion subsequently returned to the playoffs and repeated a title run without holding homecourt advantage in the first round was when the Rockets won as the sixth-seed in 1995. Currently, the Mavericks find themselves in a potentially similar scenario heading into the playoffs, as they can no longer finish higher than sixth this season. Dirk Nowitzki acknowledges that the significant offseason roster changes have had an effect on the team, and added that only time will tell if the decisions made this past off-season would have been worth it (Brad Townsend of SportsDay DFW reports). Here's more of the latest we've heard out of Dallas:

Mike Heika of SportsDay DFW quoted Nowitzki as he shed some light on teammate Jason Terry:"Hopefully, he'll play well, and we'll have a deep run. If I was in his shoes, that's what I would be focusing on, playing my best and helping this franchise ultimately win a couple playoff series." Terry, who will turn 35-years-old in September, is due to become a free agent this summer.
In a separate article, Heika documented coach Rick Carlisle's thoughts on Terry as the team's X-factor: "He's not just a scorer, he's a play-maker. He has the ability to be a difference-maker defensively for us, and when he's out there scrambling, and getting loose balls and putting himself into position to get steals, we're a different team out there. So we need his total game, and his focus should be a basketball player and not just a scorer.''

Barkley On Bulls, Thibodeau, Nowitzki, Odom

April 11th, 2012 at 5:51pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Charles Barkley has always remained an outspoken basketball analyst who minces no words. A co-author of a book called "I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It", Barkley recently provided his take on topics surrounding the Bulls and Mavericks:

In an ESPN Chicago report, Barkley says that he liked what he saw from Chicago in their win over the Knicks on Tuesday night, and breaks down why he feels that they can beat the Heat if they meet in the Eastern Conference Finals.
According to Charles, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau should be one of the top five paid coaches in the league. Thibodeau may soon get that opportunity, as his contract expires this summer. (ESPNChicago.com link)
He isn't sold on the notion that Dirk Nowitzki can return to form as a dependable go-to guy, and asserts that he is "never wrong on Father Time" (Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas reports).
SportsDayDFW highlighted a few notes from Barkley's visit with Galloway and Company of KESN-FM 103.3 in Dallas, most notably his feeling that Lamar Odom does not deserve to get paid for his disappointing lack of productivity this year.

Mavericks Notes: Title Hopes, Cardinal, Nowitzki

March 25th, 2012 at 12:54pm CST by Daniel Seco

The Mavs pulled off a stunning overtime victory Saturday night over the Rockets that saw gutsy play from the likes of Jason Terry (who apparently was signing autographs when Vince Carter was pulled for foul trouble) and Dirk Nowitzki, who seemingly willed the team to victory. In what is shaping up to be an incredibly competitive race for the bottom half of the Western Conference playoff picture, the Mavs would have dropped to ninth place with a loss against Houston. Instead, the defending NBA champions currently occupy the fifth seed with mere percentage points separating them from the slumping Clippers.

There are doubters who don't believe the Mavs have the ability to replicate the same success that they achieved last season against Miami, says ESPN.com's Marc Stein, who cites an NBA scout as his source.
In what can only be perceived as a bit of refreshing news, Mavs forward Brian Cardinal laughed off criticism about his rough play from newly-acquired Spurs forward Stephen Jackson by stating he was pleased to hear that Jackson actually thought Cardinal could actually once play in the league, writes Tim Griffin of Spurs Nation.
Beyond leading the charge in a must-win game over the Rockets, Dirk Nowitzki surpassed his hero Charles Barkley to become the 19th-leading scorer in NBA history, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.

Odds & Ends: Trail Blazers, Mavericks

February 12th, 2012 at 1:57pm CST by Michael Pina

The Trail Blazers and Mavericks competed in one of the season's more entertaining games last night, with Dallas eventually squeaking out with a double overtime victory. Here's some developments regarding both those teams.

With the aformentioned loss to Dallas serving as their fifth in the last eight games, Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan is looking into changing his starting lineup, says Jason Quick of The Oregonian. The team's most inconsistent player happens to be their starting point guard, Raymond Felton, who's in the midst of a slump so severe it may soon be referred to as a decline in skill. The seven-year veteran is averaging a career low 10.5 PPG on 37.3% shooting from the floor (20% from the three-point line), which is also a career worst. Replacing him with Jamal Crawford is a possibility, as is exchanging Wesley Matthews with Nicolas Batum.
The Mavericks will hold their 2012/13 training camp in Europe, according to Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas. The official preseason schedule is yet to be finalized, but Dallas will spend about a week traveling through Europe, playing at least one game in Germany and another in Spain.