Texas Rangers Take a Lesson from the Dallas Mavericks En Route to World Series

Multiple decades of anonymity. Scratch that. Multiple decades as the laughing stock of their respective leagues. The same trigger initiated great change for the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Mavericks: an incredibly passionate and brilliant owner.

When Mark Cuban bought the Mavericks in 2000, he changed the winning percentage of the team from 40 percent in the 1970s-2000 to 70 percent (2000-present). The Mavericks had the third most wins in the NBA in the 2000s and have made the playoffs 12 years in a row, with a World Championship this past June.

The Texas Rangers were bought by Nolan Ryan (who ironically vied for ownership against Cuban), and in three short years, they have made the World Series twice. Last year, they were the unexpected kids in newfound territory. This year, after they lost Cliff Lee, they proved the doubters wrong and made it back to the Fall Classic.

What can we learn from these two teams? Their similarities provide the blueprint for a team’s success in any professional sport—a great farm/recruiting system, superb and involved ownership and a trustworthy and genuine leader.

The single most important reason that these two teams have succeeded is because of their commitment to building a team and developing team chemistry rather than breaking the bank for a superstar pitcher or point guard. Let’s take a look at the two teams.

Excellent Farm and Recruiting System

The Dallas Mavericks took international and collegiate risks in the NBA draft year after year. On their championship roster, their international superstar Dirk Nowitzki led the way to the team’s first championship. But lesser-known talent, including undrafted JJ Barea, unwanted Tyson Chandler and eccentric DeShawn Stevenson were equally valuable in the team’s quest to a championship.

The mantra of the Texas Rangers changed immediately when GM Jon Daniels took over. He was committed to the farm system and knew that to build a dynasty, you have to start at the minor leagues and build your way up. The Yankees or Red Sox philosophy of buying players was simply unreasonable in a very small Texas market.

The Mark Teixeira trade sums up his approach. Once Scott Boras rejected the eight-year, $140 million deal, the Rangers began shopping for the studly first baseman. They ended up converting the best trade in franchise history and arguably the biggest steal of the decade. The Braves ended up getting Tex for four months, while the Texas Rangers landed Jarrod Saltalamacchia (no longer with the team), Matt Harrison (who started in the ALDS and ALCS), Elvis Andrus (arguably the most talented youngster on the team) and Neftali Feliz (the best closer in the game not named Mariano Rivera). Are you kidding me?

That is brilliant scouting from Jon Daniels and his staff. Both of these teams develop players and stick to their intuition.

Leadership

Both of these franchises have been led by a single player over the last decade—Michael Young for the Rangers and Dirk Nowitzki for the Mavericks. There were times that both of these players were being called out by fans, teammates and the media. There were times that they remained confident in their abilities even while knowing their teammates were simply not good enough to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Regardless, these two leaders shaped both franchises and are responsible for much of their successes today. Kudos to ownership for keeping these players on the team and building around them. Rarely in sports do you see players taking paycuts (Dirk Nowitzki) or handling poor management so well (Michel Young). As a Dallas fan, it is a treat to see these players finally play on perennial contenders.

Teamwork

After winning the championship, Rick Carlisle frequently compared his Mavericks team to the Heat's superstars indicating that a group of men with a single goal was more effective than a group of superstars that happened to have two (some would argue three!) extra players on the floor.

This is not coach-speak to overshadow a superstar’s performance or a lucky break here and there. It was a true testament to the Dallas Mavericks—this was not the youngest team or the fastest team, and it was certainly not the sexiest team in the league. It was led by an awkward German and an old point guard.

The Texas Rangers play this kind of baseball too. They work off of each other, they step up when their teammates are doing poorly and they support each other. Those antlers and claws are earned through friendship, winning and having fun as a team. There are no singular superstars responsible for the team’s successes.

In the ALDS, Michael Young batted four percent, but had a pair of two-RBI doubles in the ALCS game-clincher. Nelson Cruz was equally abysmal in the ALDS, but had the greatest postseason series of all time in the ALCS. Others remained consistent like Adrian Beltre, while the bullpen continued to bailout a shaky set of starting pitching.

Without realizing it, the Texas Rangers took the Mavericks’ blueprint and began their evolution into a great team in 2009. While the Mavericks began their ascent in 2001, the Rangers followed suit eight years later. It would be fitting to see 2011 be the year that both teams bring home a world championship.