Dallas Mavericks Giving Dirk Nowitzki Shot at Final Chapter He Deserves
At a time when Dirk Nowitzki could be lamenting an allegiance run adrift, the Dallas Mavericks have given his twilight merited meaning, promising the coveted chance at a final chapter befitting his legacy.
Some NBA stars spend the afterglow of their prime expending energy and resolution for teams cemented in mediocrity or the lottery, waiting and irrationally hoping for better days. For every San Antonio Spurs veteran, there is a Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett raging against time and logic, trying to bridge the gap between defeat and victories that may never come.
Nowitzki is no longer on the verge of, or even close to, falling in the latter category, an unvarnished truth reinforced by Dallas' midseason acquisition of All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo from the Boston Celtics, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Patience, loyalty and patterned sacrifice are now paying off for the 16-year veteran. The Mavericks are a feared force in the formidable Western Conference, legitimate title contenders, starting anew in time for Nowitzki's end.
How Did We End Up Here?
This fresh start has never been a given. The Mavericks threatened to fall off the championship radar for good following their title-toting 2010-11 campaign.
Sensing it would be too expensive for the band to remain together, the team waved goodbye to Tyson Chandler and Jose Barea, then Jason Kidd and Jason Terry soon after. They were collateral damage of a bigger, younger, window-wedging plan—one that bombed spectacularly by all appearances.
Ensuing summers were teeming with free-agency failures. Unable to lure in the likes of Deron Williams, Dwight Howard or Carmelo Anthony, the Mavericks turned to a makeshift mold, prioritizing financial flexibility over permanence.
It's this blueprint that aided a first-round exit in 2011-12 and the franchise's first lottery finish since 2000 in 2012-13. The 2013-14 campaign wasn't much better. Dallas scrapped and clawed its way into the postseason as a No. 8 seed, earning a first-round matchup against the dynastic Spurs.
Pushing that series to seven games offered valuable respite from reality. In the end, though, the Mavericks fell, receiving another reminder they didn't quite measure up.
But they waged war against their standing over the offseason, retaining Nowitzki, reacquiring Chandler, poaching Chandler Parsons from the rival Houston Rockets and securing rotation-deepening role players in Jameer Nelson, Al Farouq-Aminu and Richard Jefferson. Barea inevitably returned, too.
The results have since been speaking for themselves.
Pushing the Bill
These Mavericks are pumping in 115.9 points per 100 possessions, giving them the highest offensive rating in league history. Nowitzki himself is presently just the third player over the age of 35 to ever average at least 18 points per game with a true shooting percentage—collective efficiency measurement of two-pointers, three-pointers and free throws—north of 57.
Monta Ellis has been equal parts productive and efficient, a jack and master of most trades. He leads the team in scoring (20.6 points) and assists (4.7), and he remains on pace to register a player efficiency rating of 19, tying his career high.
Parsons has proved to be a productive acquisition, tallying 16.7 points a night (career high) while putting in 37.8 percent of his long balls.
Chandler, meanwhile, looks rejuvenated on both ends of the floor. He's averaging a double-double for the third time of his career, putting him on track to become the fourth player ever to average 10 points and 10 rebounds on 67-plus percent shooting.
Even the Mavericks' seldom-touted bench has been productive. Led by Barea, Devin Harris and the now-departed Brandan Wright, the second unit ranks second in offensive efficiency, per HoopStats.com.
All of which has the Mavericks winning 70 percent of their games and, well, falling just shy of powerhouse status.
Amid shifty defensive struggles—they rank 22nd in points allowed per 100 possessions—Nowitzki and the Mavericks have been quasi-contenders. A 1-6 record against fellow top-10 teams in the West has left them out of a conversation that's being dominated by the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, Rockets and Spurs.
To wit: This never meant the Mavericks were failing Nowitzki.
Each of the West's top seven squads—plus the whole-again Oklahoma City Thunder—can be considered contenders. It's just that, in a conference of super-duper teams, the Mavericks have been "only" super.
Thus, the Rondo trade.
Another New Era
While aesthetically appealing, this is already a move being viewed and dissected in vastly different lights—though the feeling emanating out of Dallas leaves no room for debate.
“To be able to get a guy like Rondo, it’s unbelievable,” Parsons said., via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Dwain Price. “It’s not every day that a point guard of his stature, and the way he can pass the ball, he’s a difference-maker."
Rondo, a ball-bearing floor general, will either enhance the Mavericks' pick-and-roll and drive-and-kick heavy flow or disrupt it. He's likely a defensive upgrade over Harris and the now-departed Nelson, but opponents are converting 50 percent of their shots when being defended by him.
Acquiring Rondo also forced the Mavericks to ship out Wright, their best rim protector. Dallas is allowing rival offenses to shoot 52.1 percent at the iron, where Wright himself permits a better 49.1 percent success rate.
Yet, as Grantland's Zach Lowe explains, this trade was just as much about the big picture as landing an immediate upgrade at point guard:
"It’s still uncertain, but Dallas now has home-court advantage on three high-level free agents — the right to offer more money and larger annual raises than any rival bidder. That’s not a huge advantage when it comes to free agents earning below the maximum salary, and the Rondo of the last 20 months is not a max player. But every edge matters, including familiarity and comfort. The Mavs today have to fret much less about scrounging a so-so free-agency market for everyone’s leftovers.
They’ll need another big man, especially if Greg Smith proves unable to earn Carlisle’s trust, but the Mavs are taking a swing on the kind of talent they just weren’t going to be able to get this season in any other way.
"
As previously constructed, the Mavericks weren't going to win a title. Dallas' dominant offense in mind, the 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers were the last team to win a championship after ranking outside the top 10 of regular-season defensive efficiency.
Nowitzki's final days, then, would be spent almost contending. Perhaps the Mavericks could make some noise in the playoffs this spring, but they will enter the offseason facing similar uncertainty to that of years past.
Ellis (player option) and Chandler are both slated for free agency, demanding the Mavericks invest more money in their core or shift gears again. Parsons also has the option of entering the open market after next season, so this group could hardly be considered stable.
Rondo himself is a flight risk, but Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas says the Mavericks are confident they can retain him. As Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski also notes, his presence eliminates most of the danger:
What the Mavericks have done at the very least is create more options. They will have cap space this summer, not to mention trade assets in their free agents if plans go awry.
All this while putting themselves on the championship map through star power alone. A starting lineup of Rondo-Ellis-Parsons-Nowitzki-Chandler is terrifying on paper and has Association-best potential so long as Andrew Bogut is on the sidelines for Golden State.
Most of all, though, this is a trade, this is a path, the Mavericks owed Nowitzki.
Fitting End for a Loyal Superstar
Earning, just under $8 million, Nowitzki is now the lowest-paid starter on the Mavericks, having accepted a below-market contract over the offseason worth three years and $25 million.
Taking the money would have been his right. It's what Bryant did. It's what Anthony did. But he rebuffed max-contract overtures for a chance to win something more than early exits and post-prime pride.
"For me, it was about giving some of that back to Mark [Cuban],” Nowitzki said of his pay cut in November, per The Washington Post's Michael Lee. “If I would’ve taken some of that money off the salary cap, it’s tough. I wanted to be on a good team my last couple of years."
Owner and team have now given him that opportunity, both immediately and, thanks to Dallas' salary-cap plasticity, moving forward. The Mavericks haven't promised him a title, to be sure. Far from it.
| Rajon Rondo | 15.1 | $12.9 million |
| Monta Ellis | 19.0 | $8.4 million |
| Chandler Parsons | 18.0 | $14.7 million |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 22.0 | $7.9 million |
| Tyson Chandler | 22.5 | $14.8 million |
Championship guarantees don't exist in the wildly brutal West. In a conference brimming with juggernauts, the Mavericks are merely one of many.
That distinction, though, does guarantee Nowitzki's remaining days won't be spent fending off mediocrity or obscurity. Instead, the future Hall of Famer's hindmost outlook is one of envy, alive with hopeful possibility and the chance to finish his career with an act worthy of the price he's paid, allegiance he's shown and career he's carved.
*Stats are courtesy of Basketball-Reference and NBA.com unless otherwise cited and are accurate as of games played Dec. 18, 2014. Salary information via ShamSports.
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