Dirk Nowitzki Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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.

Dirk Nowitzki Acknowledges Possibility Of Retiring In 2017

December 14th, 2016 at 12:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Dirk Nowitzki‘s current plan is to spend 20 total seasons with the Mavericks, which would mean playing out his current two-year contract and then likely calling it a career in 2018. However, as he continues to battle Achilles issues, Nowitzki acknowledged that retiring a year early, in 2017, remains a possibility.

“If things don’t go so well and it hurts everywhere, it could be that 2017 will be the end,” Nowitzki told German magazine Sport Bild, per AFP.com. “Actually, my plan is to complete the 20 years and play for Dallas until 2018. But just because I have signed a two-year contract doesn’t automatically mean that I will play for two years. It could happen next year.”

Nowitzki’s two-year deal with the Mavericks, which he signed over the summer, features a guaranteed salary for 2016/17, followed by a team option for 2017/18. Dallas will have until the end of June to exercise or decline that option, so if the veteran German forward has made his own decision by that point, it should be an easy call for the team.

Still, while Nowitzki’s injury woes this year have been discouraging, Mavs fans shouldn’t panic about his latest statement, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. As Sefko writes, Nowitzki has suggested all along that his two-year deal won’t necessarily bind him to playing in 2017/18. His plan has always been to play out the contract if he can, and the Mavs’ training staff is optimistic that the 38-year-old can still get healthy this season and have a strong second half. If that happens, there’s a very good chance Nowitzki continues his career in ’17/18.

If Nowitzki does play one more season, he could be joined by a promising young teammate. As our 2016/17 Reverse Standings show, Dallas is currently tied for the NBA’s worst record, which would give the team a great shot to land a top-three pick.

Mavs Notes: Finney-Smith, Nowitzki, Matthews

December 13th, 2016 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Dorian Finney-Smith has been a pleasant surprise for the Mavericks this season, starting 16 games for the team and contributing 21.1 minutes per game. After Monday night’s win over the Nuggets, in which Finney-Smith contributed 13 points and nine boards, Deron Williams suggested that the undrafted rookie is “putting himself in a good position to get a long-term contract next year from somebody” (Twitter link via Earl K. Sneed of Mavericks.com).

Perhaps the veteran point guard was projecting — while Williams’ deal with the Mavs expires next summer, Finney-Smith is under contract with the team for two more non-guaranteed seasons, so Dallas shouldn’t have to worry about losing him to a rival suitor anytime soon.

Here are a few more Mavericks-related notes:

In a conversation with Chris Mannix (Twitter video link), Bobby Marks of The Vertical discusses the outlook for the Mavs, including addressing whether it might be time for the club to consider trading Dirk Nowitzki.
Since joining the Mavericks in the summer of 2015, Wesley Matthews hasn’t looked like the same player he was in Portland, but his performance recently suggests he may finally be shedding the effects of his Achilles injury and playing up to his potential, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com.
Speaking of injuries, Nowitzki and J.J. Barea are expected to ramp up their activity this week, but it’s still not clear when they’ll get back on the court for the Mavs, says Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.
In a chat for The Morning News, Sefko offered some thoughts on where he’d start if he were tasked with fixing the Mavs, and explored how the team might be able to add a second first-round pick for 2017.