To put the Dallas Mavericks back on top, there needs to be a plan. And don’t worry, because Mark Cuban has one.
Much to the surprise of, well, no one, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has vowed that the team will be better next season. How does he intend to do that, you ask? Well, by tag-teaming free agents with Dirk Nowitzki this summer of course.
Per Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News Dirk has offered to help out with the free-agent recruiting process, and Cuban is set to hold him to his word:
When Dirk Nowitzki said on Sunday that he would be happy to accompany owner Mark Cuban on any recruiting trips he makes when free agency opens on July 1, it was great news for Cuban.
Could he envision a tag-team recruiting pitch?
“Yeah, obviously,” Cuban said. “He hasn’t been shy to make calls in the past. He just hasn’t been in the country. He’s happy to text and make calls. He just hasn’t been here. Dirk will do anything. He’s a team player from top to bottom.”
Nowitzki has always been amenable to chatting with a peer about the virtues of the Mavericks. But he’s never actually gone on a trip to help Cuban or the coaches or president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson with the sales pitch.
Can’t you just hear the pens of Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Josh Smith and every other big name free agent scratching against the manila-colored paper as they sign with the Mavericks at a steep discount, all in the name of chasing titles next to Nowitzki?
Yeah, me neither.
I won’t go as far as to say that Dirk’s presence on any free-agent trips would be irrelevant, because that’s not true. A marquee player like him taking the time out of his offseason to help his franchise shows any interested free agents that Dallas is an organization worth fighting for, and thus, worth playing for, too.
What doesn’t it do? Ensure that any more superstars head the Mavericks’ way.
Again, neither I nor you can discredit Dirk’s appearance. It can’t hurt. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to help either.
Will Nowitzki be enough to lure other superstars Dallas’ way?
Nowitzki is 34, and by the time free agency starts, he’ll be 35. It’s going to be difficult for Cuban to sell star-caliber players on teaming up with an aging superstar, even if that aging superstar in question is in attendance. And even if it’s the ever fiery Nowitzki.
Restructuring the roster and enticing legitimate big names isn’t going to be an easy task. Hell, the Mavericks know this. They couldn’t land Deron Williams last summer, and will be hard-pressed to even garner serious consideration from Paul or Howard, among others, this year.
Orchestrating free-agency coups is difficult as it is, but it’s even more arduous a task when you’re attempting to convince stars to join a fellow star who won’t be around much longer, or won’t be able to perform at an All-Star level for an extended period of time. In the age of superteams, selling other stars on inevitably being alone on a rebuilding faction isn’t a task for the faint of heart.
Sadly, it doesn’t seem like a realistic task for the legendary Nowitzki either. Not because he’s not currently a star, but because we don’t know how much longer he is going to belong in that category.
But who knows, maybe he and Cuban will surprise us. Dallas’ owner seems to think Dirk is pretty persuasive after all.
“He got somebody much hotter than him to marry him,” Cuban quipped (via Sefko).
Here’s to hoping Nowitzki still has what it takes to successfully court those considered out of his and the Mavericks’ league.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
