Assistant coach Jamahl Mosley is expected to leave the Mavericks, writes Tim Cato of the Athletic. Mosley is a respected coach around the league, and had a particularly close relationship with star Luka Doncic. Mosley had expected to receive serious consideration for the head coach position, but felt that failed to materialize as the team zeroed in on its preferred candidate, Jason Kidd. He will likely be an in-demand assistant coach, even if a head coaching position isn’t offered to him this summer.
In the same article, Cato examines the Mavericks’ front office power structure. The most striking thing, Cato writes, is that despite the overhaul, the structure feels exactly the same. The organization is surrounding new head of basketball operations Nico Harrison with former Mavericks players familiar with the team’s dealings, such as special advisor Dirk Nowitzki, vice president of basketball operations Michael Finley, and head coach Kidd, who is expected to bring on J.J. Barea and possibly Jason Terry as assistant coaches. Team owner Mark Cuban is expected to continue acting as the ultimate decision-maker.
We have more from around the Southwest Division:
- Kidd’s contract with the Mavericks will be for four years, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. The exact amount of the contract is still unclear, but this deal will run until Doncic is 26 years old, a critical period in the All NBA guard’s career.
- Jacque Vaughn is gaining traction to become the head coach of the Pelicans, as Brian Windhorst reported this week. William Guillory of The Athletic examines how Vaughn – a current Brooklyn assistant and former Orlando head coach – could fit in New Orleans, as well as potential question marks for the coach, including the Magic’s lack of success with him at the helm, as well as the question of if he would continue to utilize star Zion Williamson as a point forward or rely more on the traditional guards.
- Next season will mark the third coach in three years for the Pelicans, and Scott Kushner of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes that it could be president of basketball operations David Griffin‘s last chance to get it right for a while. It will be crucial for Griffin to examine where and why Alvin Gentry and Stan Van Gundy couldn’t succeed in New Orleans, or else the team will be forced into another reset that it cannot afford. “The real issue moving forward is finding somebody who you’re in lockstep with,” Griffin said. “And that includes ownership as well. That has to be something we’re moving with together and moving with the same spirit and same energy. I don’t know how else to put it.”
Dallas is the perfect example of what happens when you have an owner like Cuban.
Things went well for a few years there, but now the team is completely falling apart.
They just made the playoffs and have one of the biggest superstars in the league who will sign the max with them keeping him there….probably the most exciting player to watch and likely player of the decade for the 2020s….but they’re “falling apart”?
An owner like Cuban? You mean the owner who’s turned that franchise around and has never had a losing record? Or you mean the same owner who was the owner of a team that won a title in the last 20 years? That owner? For someone who claims to be in their 50’s you are quite childish.
Wait, Wally claims he is in his 50s?? That’s hilarious
On a previous post he claimed he hasn’t “been in” his 20’s since 98. Insert eye roll.
He might be the next President of the United States too.
Houston is the perfect example of what happens when you have an owner like Fertitta.
Things went well for a few years there, but… uhm.. that team fell apart a while ago and is still in pieces.
Yeah Wally, I’m with you most of the time but glass houses and all that.
That said — Mavericks deserve some scrutiny. This whole diva Luka thing is only getting messier. We’ll see where it lands.
Alvin Gentry was given very little to work with. he started turning around the team then they fired him. van gundy is done. He did a horrible job and they got worse under him with more talent.
Is Voulgaris going to remain in the same capacity? If he’s there, will there be even less resistance since potential road blocks, Carlisle and Donnie are now gone?
Some say he’s now in charge of the back of the house because he couldn’t get along with the talent.
Always liked Cuban. But that Dallas market seems very Caucasian to me. Just saying. Happy for Kidd. He deserves es a shot. Now let’s see what he can do.
Was there a sale on shovels, Al? Because it seems you can’t stop digging a hole for yourself. Why do you keep bringing race into the conversation? How is it even relevant here?
Just stating the obvious. Maybe you don’t see that Race is a topic we all need to address. Just an observation. Cause I can get more to the point. Relax lol. It’s ok to talk about race. That’s actually what’s holding our country back. We rather not do it. But I get your point. Keep it ball.
Your constant race baiting is obnoxious and is a prime example of what is holding the country back.
Knickerbocker, I do agree with u. It’s ok to talk about race, but when you bring up race for no reason, it kinda becomes a problem. In your case a strange disturbing problem. “But that Dallas market seems very Caucasian to me”, what does that even mean? What point are you trying to make? Are you trying to even make a point? Your either a trolling racist trying to prove some kind of point or your a low IQ leftest posting strange racist statements when the conversation doesn’t warrant it.
Yeah I’d be curious to see how Al clarifies that statement—VP of Operations and Head Coach are both African-American. Al, what’s the quota you’re looking for these days?
Also, to be clear: I think there’s a stark difference between “discussing race” and “assessing everything by arbitrary racial quotas”.
The former is absolutely necessary, I agree. The latter is totalitarian propaganda.
Actually AI, even if you have an argument about the issue of race not being discussed, this you are off.
First Dallas/DFW is more of a Hispanic market. But it’s not race that deter FAs or fans. It’s that in the market it’s Cowboys, high school football and than whatever other local team is currently winning.
DFW fans as a whole, just aren’t die hard for teams outside the cowboys.
Cuban is who he is, a hard working, hard playing, 1980’s guy, with business savvy and a desire to be universally loved. Everyone is something. His makeup is actually a pretty good one for owning a sports franchise, and, overall, I think he has been a very good owner. Fans just have to tolerate a little turmoil now and then. What’s becoming apparent is that the Mavs org chart until last month (FO through coaching staff) was destined to create what’s happened since. Intentional or not.
It strikes as a little odd having Terry and Barea (possibly), Kidd, Finley and Dirk all running things to various degrees, but more statistically odd (is this a Members Only club?) than detrimental in any apparent way.
Having generational talents like Dirk and Luka back to back helps, and I’m unsure how much of that is attributable to Cubes, but I think his overall persona/wealth/willingness to spend does add something to Dallas as a market that it otherwise wouldn’t have.
Put it this way—I have a lot more faith Dallas will figure things out around Luka than New Orleans will around Zion.
Odder than a FO of Nelson on one side and Ace Rothstein on the other? Than putting Mosley on Carlisle’s staff?
I didn’t say great owner. Certainly, this was never a model organization. The Cuban era started with an win now approach that was justified, in that they inherited Dirk, Nash and Finley. Though it was also about the Nelsons (also inherited). It was extreme win now, and basically ignored amateur scouting and the draft for the most part. Prior to 2018, 1 starter (J.Howard) in 20 years of drafts. 2006 and 2011 were the booty. But what follows that? In short, I think Cuban needed to “reset” the organization (away from the win now approach) for some time, but he decided to wait until Dirk retired. That’s when he started adding contrarians to the FO and coaching staff. I don’t think it was ever intended that those guys (Ace and Mosley) take over. More that they add a different voice for Cuban to hear if nobody else. Nelson, Jr. snagging Luka likely gave the old regime some new cred with Cuban. But basically he already planted the seeds for conflict, conflict resolution and a sea change. It’s either the right time or overdue. I think the new regime being composed principally of ex-Mavs is his way of balancing out the jettisoning of the old regime (they did win him a championship and a lot of games).
Don’t disagree
Kidd was one my favorite players. A real PG who managed a gm and played both ways. Have always said that’s the most important thing a real PG does. Chris in Phoenix. I wish him the best. He’s got a great talent in Luka. I know he knows how to build around him. Good hire Mark.
Kidd, Barea, Jet. Getting the band back together. Is Chandler next?
That David Griffin comment, there you go. “Everything in lockstep” means what the Boss says, do, straight down to the last. But he names the boss! Since the owner Benson leaves things alone, that means employees do just what Griffin says.
It’s not going to work.
New POBO needed. He has an NBA title with CLE but it was a carryover team that LJames joined. Of course that messed up his plans, having to clear the necessary capspace, so I was not totally sure he was a bad hire away from LJ & KI. Getting clearer now.
There may have been a lockstep in CLE, but it would be with LJ. Griffin has ZW but says he hasn’t found the guy yet to get in lockstep with. Only one person can do that: the hirer, I. (“I” Griffin, not me)