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Cuban: Rockets Inquired About Dirk Nowitzki

November 22nd, 2013 at 7:37pm CST by Chuck Myron

Mavs owner Mark Cuban told reporters today that Rockets GM Daryl Morey sent him a text message this summer after Houston signed Dwight Howard asking whether the Mavs would be willing to give up Dirk Nowitzki in a trade, tweets Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Cuban said the conversation went no further and that the Rockets never made an official offer. The owner saw the move mostly as a taunting gesture, since the Mavs had been one of the teams in the running to sign Howard, and “just something rivals do,” as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News details.

“Now, I’ve brought it on the record just to have some fun with it now that we’ve played them twice we can help them sell tickets next time. I think they need help. Just to build the rivalry up,” Cuban said.

Cuban also brought up an inquiry the Lakers had made in the past about Nowitzki, adding that no formal offer was extended in that case, either. The owner says he’s never entertained any thoughts about trading the perennial All-Star. Even if he did, Nowitzki could block any trade, since he’s one of four NBA players with a no-trade clause negotiated into his deal.

The 35-year-old Nowitzki is in the final year of his contract, from which he’ll earn $22.7MM this season, but he appears unlikely to sign with another team, even if Dallas asks him to take a pay cut. Cuban has expressed confidence that the ninth overall pick from 1998 can continue playing for years to come.

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Amico On Turner, Young, Granger, Cousins

November 10th, 2013 at 8:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio has his weekly column posted; let’s dive in and take a look at the highlights..

  • If the Sixers start to slide and they turn their focus to the offseason, they could find a trade partner in the Mavericks.  The two sides have yet to talk, but sources around the league wonder if Dallas might be interested in landing Evan Turner in an effort to make a playoff run and appease star Dirk Nowitzki.  Turner wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg and a package of Shawn Marion and a draft pick would probably get the job done for the former No. 2 overall pick.
  • If the Sixers part with Turner, word around the league is that the Thunder and T-Wolves will also be among the teams with interest.
  • Sixers small forward Thaddeus Young is also off to a hot start and is likely to draw interest around the trade deadline or sooner.  Young may be a little tougher to move than Turner at $8.6MM this year and $9.1MM next with a player option for $9.7MM in 2015), however.
  • With the Pacers off to a 7-0 start, league execs wonder what Danny Granger‘s role might be when he comes back from injury.  With his expiring contract and recent injury history, it seems as if the Pacers would be receptive to moving him.  If they do dangle Granger, they’ll probably seek out some backcourt help, specifically someone adept at handling the basketball.
  • One league exec told Amico, “If the Kings aren’t any good, mark my words: They’ll trade (DeMarcus) Cousins.” Cousins is still on his rookie contract this year, but has a max extension kicking in next season, which will make it trickier to trade him due to CBA rules, albeit not impossible.
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Mavericks Notes: Calderon, Nowitzki, Dalembert

October 29th, 2013 at 5:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Mavericks made some surprising news today, parting ways with GM Gersson Rosas, who apparently wanted more power over the team’s player personnel than the team was willing to give him. Rosas might not have been the proper fit in Dallas, but he figures to be a hot name in front office circles now that he’s back on the market. The Spurs were reportedly after him before he took the Mavs job, and Rosas drew mention as a possible candidate for the Nuggets GM opening this summer. Here’s more on the team he leaves behind:

  • The Mavs feel Jose Calderon is the caliber of point guard they’ll need when they return to contention, writes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, who wonders how long it will take the club to get back to the top. Calderon fit the bill this summer as Dallas prioritized finding a ball-handler who didn’t commit too many turnovers, as Price examines.
  • Dirk Nowitzki will be 36 when he hits free agency in July, but Mavs owner Mark Cuban doesn’t think he’s close to the end of his career, Price notes in the same piece. “He’s disciplined enough that I think he sees guys like Ray Allen and others who are going later and later and later,” Cuban said. “So who knows? I won’t put a limit on him.”
  • Rick Carlisle identified Samuel Dalembert as the player who improved most from the start of training camp to the end, observes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com, who writes that the Mavs’ playoff hopes hinge on the performance of the 6’11” free agent signee.
  • The Mavericks haven’t given Carlisle much to work with in the seasons since he guided the team to a championship, but he tells Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News that he’s prepared to stick it out “for the long haul” in Dallas.
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Odds & Ends: Union, Turner, DiLeo, Nowitzki

September 27th, 2013 at 11:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

The NBPA has retained Reilly Partners Inc. to help conduct a search for a new executive director to replace Billy Hunter, the union announced today (link via The Associated Press). Steve Mills was reportedly the leading candidate for the position before he accepted the Knicks' GM job this week. According to Brain Mahoney of the Associated Press (via Twitter), the union may want to build a list of about 10 candidates before making a decision. That's far from the only position up for grabs around the league as training camps open. Here's the latest:

  • Evan Turner told reporters at Sixers media day today that he "was ready" to be traded at one point and was just hoping it would be to someplace warm, tweets Tom Moore of Calkins Media (Twitter link). It appears as though Turner was bracing for the possibility, rather than hoping for it.
  • Former Sixers GM Tony DiLeo is set to become a scout for the Wizards, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
  • Dallas GM Gersson Rosas indicated today that Dirk Nowitzki could play another four or five years in a Mavericks uniform, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. "The vision for us is we want to maximize Dirk's career here,'' Rosas said.
  • Rosas, who has experience as the GM of the Rockets D-League affiliate, also wants to make the D-League a key component of his strategy with the Mavs, Price notes.
  • Jared Jeffries tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld that multiple NBA teams offered him the chance to continue his playing career, but the former lottery pick decided to take a scouting job with the Nuggets that puts him "on the fast track" to becoming a GM. 
  • Three NBA clubs have shown interest in guard Tre Kelley, agent Giovanni Funiciello tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Kelley is without official NBA experience, but he went to camp with the Thunder in 2009 and the Grizzlies in 2010.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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Odds & Ends: Dwight, Bulls, Deron

September 19th, 2013 at 10:50pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Amidst the buzz surrounding the 2013 Basketball Hall of Fame induction a little over a week ago, you may have heard legendary Brazilian basketball player Oscar Schmidt proclaim that he could have been one of the best 10 players ever if he had joined the NBA. In hindsight, it's interesting to ponder some of the 'what ifs' and how they may have altered the landscape and history of the league.

One could think about how the NBA would have been different if Larry Bird didn't fall five spots to the Celtics during the 1978 draft, if Kobe Bryant hadn't fallen to number 13 in 1996, or if Michael Jordan hadn't retired before the 1993/94 season to name a few. Regardless, there are plenty of other possibilities to consider.

Jonathan Abrams of Grantland sheds light on one particular what-could-have-been, chronicling the rise and fall of Korleone Young, a promising 6'7" small forward who like Kobe, Tracy McGrady, and Kevin Garnett before him attempted to make the jump from high school to the NBA in 1998. In his comprehensive piece, Abrams supplements Young's story with commentary from several people who had crossed paths with him along his journey, including Young's prep-school rival Al Harrington, former Pistons head coach Alvin Gentry, and former Pistons assistant (and current Bucks GM) John Hammond, who had this to share based on what he'd seen in practices: 

"We used to talk about the way in which (Young) defended (then-star) Grant Hill on a daily basis. We used to say it tongue-in-cheek but [also] somewhat seriously: 'No one defended Grant Hill in this league as well as Korleone Young."

With that aside, let's round up the rest of tonight's miscellaneous links from the NBA:

  • Sam Amick of USA Today writes about how Dwight Howard has found greener pastures in Houston and why the rest of the NBA will have to lament the reality that another Western Conference contender has been born. 
  • A handful of HoopsWorld panelists put together a season preview of the Bulls for 2013/14. With much of the team's success hinging on how much Derrick Rose can return to form, three writers pick Chicago to finish second in the Central Division, while two have them running away with the division title. 
  • Nets guard Deron Williams was spotted at his charity dodgeball event earlier today with a walking boot over the same ankle that had been giving him problems last season, though he insisted that the boot was just precautionary: “As long as I’m ready (for the season opener), that’s all that matters to me…If it was up to me, I would be playing right now. I can walk fine. It doesn’t hurt. It’s just protecting me from myself” (Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News). 
  • Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW says that with Dirk Nowitzki healthy, the Mavericks won't take a backseat to anybody in the league in terms of talent at the power forward position. 
  • Tommy Dee of Ridiculous Upside presents a scouting report of free agent big man Hassan Whiteside, who had recently drawn reported interest from the Knicks, Heat, and Bucks. 
  • Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside explains why the NBDL will continue to develop front office executives at a much more efficient rate than players at this point, mentioning that while prospective staffers can work to rise up the ranks while committed to a specific NBA franchise, the players can be called up at anytime and by any NBA team regardless of D-League affiliation. 
  • HoopsWorld's Moke Hamilton held his weekly chat with readers earlier this evening, offering his thoughts on why he thinks the Knicks will repeat as Atlantic Division champions, why teams might be shying away from Renaldo Balkman, the Western Conference playoff race, and the Warriors' ceiling among other topics.  
  • Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com continues his countdown of reasons why New Orleans fans should be excited about training camp, placing the offseason progress made by the team's quartet of sophomores – namely Anthony Davis, Austin Rivers, Brian Roberts, and Darius Miller – at number 13. 
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Southwest Notes: Nunnally, Najera, Nowitzki

September 10th, 2013 at 8:20pm CST by Michael Pina

A few notes from around the Southwest division.

  • According to RidiculousUpside.com's Keith Schlosser, James Nunnally, who spent last season playing for the Bakersfield Jam, will work out for several teams including the Spurs and Jazz.  
  • Former NBA player Eduardo Najera added general manager to his job title with the Texas Legends, along with head coach of the Mavericks' D-League affiliate, according to a tweet from Yahoo! NBA reporter Marc J. Spears. 
  • According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki says he won't rule out participating in the 2016 Olympic games, competing for his native Germany.
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Odds & Ends: Mavericks, Cuban, Bulls

September 5th, 2013 at 11:23pm CST by Ryan Raroque

There's hardly a dull moment with Mark Cuban when he speaks with the media, as the outspoken Mavericks owner said on the Artie Lange Show that hiring a head coach is "harder than finding a wife" (hat tip to SportsDayDFW). On a more serious note, Cuban explained why he'll never trade Dirk Nowitzki: 

"Dirk defines our culture. When your best player, no matter how old, is the first one in the gym and the last to leave, and works the hardest and encourages guys the way Dirk does … that has a value that goes far beyond what you see on the court."

Here's a roundup of the rest of tonight's links: 

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Odds & Ends: James, Bobcats, Bucks, Cavs

August 10th, 2013 at 10:59pm CST by Spencer Lund

There are a lot of contenders to the Eastern Conference crown that LeBron James and his Heat teammates have worn the last three seasons. James knows he's got to keep getting better if he wants to remain on top next year and advance to his fourth NBA Finals in his four seasons in Miami.

Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel caught up James during his charity event in Akron today to discuss all the wheeling and dealing in the Eastern Conference this off-season. 

James is aware that the Heat face an even harder field in the Eastern Conference next season, and he's doing everything in his power to meet the challenge, telling Richardson, "I've seen what so many teams have done to get better. I've seen the moves that we've made, so I've got to do my part."

Here's what else is happening around the league on Saturday night:

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Mavs Notes: Cuban, Dirk, Dalembert, Kaman

August 10th, 2013 at 10:13pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Mavericks have made some summer off-season moves to better surround Dirk Nowitzki with a cast of players that can help the 35-year-old make one last push for a second NBA title. Mark Cuban joined Norm Hitzges on KTCK-AM radio, as transcribed by The Dallas Morning News, to talk about some of those additions.

  • Last season's hodge-podge of ancillary Mavs parts included oft-injured center Chris Kaman, who signed with the Lakers this summer. Cuban tells Hitzges that Kaman didn't pair well with Nowitzki last season because he continually dribbled during pick-and-roll sets with Dirk, instead of just picking and rolling to the rim or picking and popping for a jumper.
  • Cuban feels Brandan Wright–who the Mavs re-signed earlier this summer–worked the pick-and-roll a lot better with Nowitzki.
  • The Mavs owner also believes Dallas' signing of Samuel Dalembert will go better than the one-year Kaman experiment because Dalembert is primarily focused on rebounding and protecting the rim. 
  • The Cuban – Hitzges talk also touched on how Dirk wants to send a message next season that he's not done yet, and the Mavs can still be contenders for the Larry O'Brien Trophy despite two down seasons after their Finals win over the Heat in 2011.
  • Dirk is entering the final year of a contract that will pay him $22.721MM next season, but Cuban didn't offer up anything on what he'll likely pay his star forward next summer, despite assurances that he won't let the smooth-shooting German sign elsewhere.
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Cuban On Dirk, Dwight, Roster Construction

August 4th, 2013 at 9:13am CST by Chuck Myron

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is never shy about expressing his opinion, with the possible exception of his superstitious refusal to criticize the league or its referees during his team's 2011 playoff run. The latest post on his personal blog shows Cuban in typical form as he opens up about his feelings on the Mavs and player movement around the league. He begins with a history lesson of sorts, explaining his moves from the past two years, and he transitions into his conclusions about the team's summer, a second straight offseason in which marquee free agents spurned the Mavs. Cuban shares plenty, including a link to a cartoon the team put together as part of its pitch to Dwight Howard. We'll hit a few highlights from Cuban's piece here:

On Dirk Nowitzki and his presence on the team:

"Culture is very important to the Mavs.  Your best player has to be a fit for what you want the culture of the team to be. He has to be someone who leads by example. Someone who sets the tone in the locker room and on the court.  It isn’t about who talks the most or the loudest. It is about the demeanor and attitude he brings.  It is amazing how when the culture is strong, the chemistry is strong.  When the Mavs have brought in players that didn’t fit or buy in to our culture it created on-the-court and off-the-court problems.  It's possible to handle one guy who may not fit it. It’s going to have a negative impact on your won-and-loss record if you have more than one. Our culture is one of the reasons I won’t trade Dirk."

On Howard and the way he would have fit into the team's culture:

"We saw it as somewhat of a risk, but felt like because Dwight, by all appearances and checking we did, is a good guy and with our support systems we believed we could make it work. If not, he was obviously a very trade-able asset.  But, as everyone knows, we didn’t sign him. He went to the Rockets.  I do have to say the meeting with Dwight was very interesting. He is a smart guy. Much smarter than people give him credit for. He is also a very, very good listener.  Unlike most people, he spent far more time listening than talking.  And he had the best response to an opening question that I have ever heard from a player, or anyone for that matter.  When we asked him what his goal was, his response was very specific: 'I want to be Epic.' Which was a perfect lead-in to the video we created for him."

On building a championship team:

"I see quite a few teams taking what appears to be the same approach to building a team.  I can understand why they are taking this approach. In the current CBA the value of a player chosen in the draft can be considerable because of the defined contract terms.  And if you put together some great young players, it is very enticing to want to keep those players together for a long period. But I also know that even if you have the worst record in the NBA, you may not get the top pick and even if you do, there is a material chance you pick the wrong player, or it just happens to be a draft when there are not any IDENTIFIABLE superstar potential players at the top of the draft. In other words, while it may be popular, I think the quantity of teams taking the same approach makes it more difficult to build a team in this manner."

On the team's strategy this offseason:

"If we had gotten a single, max-out free agent that cost us $19 or $20MM, we would have had a good team. Possibly a great team if we were able to add the right minimum contract players around our core plus our new max-out free agent.  But we probably would not have had a championship-contending team.  It would be next year when we had cap room again and we would add what would hopefully be the finishing pieces either through free agency or through trade. If we didn’t get our max-out player, we had planned to accelerate what we would have done next year to this year. Which we obviously did."

On the coming season and the future for the Mavs:

"If we stay healthy, I think we can have a good team. How good? I don’t make predictions.  I do believe that by having a core of players that we can grow and develop with, and cap room in the upcoming season and what we feel is the ability to develop and improve the performance of our players, we are in a good position for this year and for the future.  We have been hurt by not having a core of players in place that free agents see as teammates they want to play with.  That shouldn’t be the case next year."

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