NEWS: Dirk Joining the Mavs Front Office as a Special Advisor

[Mak]

Let the Dirk era begin. 

Again. 

Forever. 

https://youtu.be/6YECQLJV2fY

[cow]

Yeah, I don't really see Dirk in the ruthless, F off role, when it comes to something like this. 

Love Dirk, but tbh, I'm not sure what he brings to the table that isn't already there. There have been some comments by people with sources to the effect that most people don't fully appreciate how important Dirk is to Luka, so maybe it will give Luka comfort that Dirk is in the room. And fans will like it.

I have hope that Dirk sees himself in Luka, has had time to reflect on his career and what might have been and isn't willing to let Cuban squander that potential like what happened with himself.  Ruthless might be too strong of a word but I think Dirk could tell Cuban, "don't do this kid what you did to me in the back half of my career, he will not be as loyal."

[SleepingHero]

DIRK HERE TO SAVE THE DAY!

[KillerLeft]

We all know the Mavs have been "amateur hour" in a lot of ways for the last ten years. I am starting to think that this is NOT because Cuban has been ignoring RC and Donnie, but because he HAS been listening to them. If Cuban had been ignoring them for ten straight years this would NOT have all come to a head right now. This has come to a head in the last couple years as Cuban started to listen to other voices instead of RC and Donnie. 

I resent the lumping in of Donnie and RC a little. Two, different people. 

The rest of your post is thoughtful, and I don't have any issue with anyone who CHOOSES to be more optimistic about the situation, only I think the notion that you have about how it seems like the results we've seen are directly correlated to Cuban doing what those two guys want is wishful thinking. I do not see evidence of it. 

All of the info we've learned over the past days, and even other nuggets from the past decade (including an article by McMahon, who you are now trusting as 100% plugged in, about the Parsons situation) points to the idea that from year to year, it is unpredictable who Cuban will listen to. It seems to change every couple of seasons, by MULTIPLE accounts from multiple points along the timeline. We're talking about a guy who let Chandler Parsons be the main voice in roster construction for a while. That happened. 

Now, that can absolutely be interpreted as a situation wherein there has not been a strong/competent enough voice to which he can turn consistently. I'll grant you that. 

But, it can ALSO be interpreted, rather easily, as an indication that he just doesn't understand the type of structure people need in an organization like this to do their jobs with HONESTY and CONFIDENCE. When people are constantly trying to figure out how to maneuver politically in order to keep their jobs, or gain additional power, they are not focused on BUILDING A WINNING BASKETBALL TEAM. 

Likewise, I have often wondered, not just recently, about whether or not building a winning team is more important to Cuban than the celebrity he has been gaining and enjoying since buying the team. For me, that's a problem. Not that the bad answer might be true, but that it's even a question worth pondering. That's a VERY Jerry Jones conversation, and it absolutely applies here, too. 

I have no problem whatsoever with Nelson going. I think the organization will lose SOME good things that we might not realize he brought, but he's not some indispensable genius. Carlisle IS an indispensable genius, and convincing him to stay here as long as he did is one of the better things Cuban and/or Donnie have accomplished, imo. But, even losing him is fine, IF the TOP of the organization gets fixed. 

What's baffling to me is that just one day later, I can already see evidence in certain posts that no matter who gets hired as GM or coach, no matter what Cuban says in his next interview, people will trick themselves into believing these changes are positive. They MIGHT be positive, but what we know NOW is that for the past 48 hours our team has been the laughing stock of the NBA. I'm sorry, but that's just not the start of the kind of change I was hoping for. Connecting dots to form a pre-conceived picture doesn't interest me. I just think there's a shit ton of that going on here today.

[mavsluvr]

I have hope that Dirk sees himself in Luka, has had time to reflect on his career and what might have been and isn't willing to let Cuban squander that potential like what happened with himself.  Ruthless might be too strong of a word but I think Dirk could tell Cuban, "don't do this kid what you did to me in the back half of my career, he will not be as loyal."

Agree that Dirk might give Mark some encouragement to go in a different direction from a superstar's POV, to the extent Mark seems willing to receive it. Just don't think he's going to force a lot of criticism down Cubes' throat and risk ruining the relationship over it. Hopefully, it won't come to a showdown like that.

[ReunionMav]

I'll do my best to try to explain my view.

It all starts and ends with Cuban to me. The buck obviously stops with him and he makes all the final calls. However, this is NOT "doom and gloom" because repeatedly the reporting has been that even though Cuban makes the final call, he is doing what he is being ADVISED to do. Cuban isn't just going rogue, trusting his own basketball instincts. He is trusting someone who has his ear and has convinced him that a particular direction is the best. 

We all know the Mavs have been "amateur hour" in a lot of ways for the last ten years. I am starting to think that this is NOT because Cuban has been ignoring RC and Donnie, but because he HAS been listening to them. If Cuban had been ignoring them for ten straight years this would NOT have all come to a head right now. This has come to a head in the last couple years as Cuban started to listen to other voices instead of RC and Donnie. 

Cuban is results oriented. He did NOT like the results of listening to RC and Donnie, but he still wanted them around and still respected their takes to some extent. So he brings in other guys like Voulgaris to try to get beyond both the failed GM decisions from Donnie and the failed coaching decisions from RC. He wants to use the data of someone like Voulgaris to INFORM both the decisions of Donnie and RC. Obviously Donnie and RC tried to make this work and could not handle it. Hence the blow up. 

So the way forward is BETTER voices. A GM who is better at his job than Donnie. A coach who is better with players than RC. I think both of those objectives are fairly easy to accomplish. By far the great loss will be RC's X's and O's, but beyond that I am struggling to see how things won't be at least a little better if not MUCH better very quickly. 

So in summary: I am hopeful because I think upgrading Donnie will be easy and getting a more player friendly coach will be easy. The two biggest pieces are already in place:

1) A generational talent in Luka....CHECK.

2) An owner who gives a shit and wants to win.....CHECK. 

Hence, I am very hopeful and believe very strongly things WILL get better.

I really like this because of very good reasoning. Therefore this line of thinking probably has some truth to it. I really hope so. I like Dirk and Finley on board. With awareness of his uniqueness I like Cuban too. Finley cared just as much as Dirk and gave the Mavs more than everything he had. We loved him. 

A point about the X and O aspects. Rick may have been the very best. Without him out coaching Spoelstra we absolutely do not have a championship. But his best strategy may no longer be the best for our Luka era  

Last I wish I knew how good Moseley really is. He might just be great.

[jesusshuttlesworth82]

I resent the lumping in of Donnie and RC a little. Two, different people. 

The rest of your post is thoughtful, and I don't have any issue with anyone who CHOOSES to be more optimistic about the situation, only I think the notion that you have about how it seems like the results we've seen are directly correlated to Cuban doing what those two guys want is wishful thinking. I do not see evidence of it. 

All of the info we've learned over the past days, and even other nuggets from the past decade (including an article by McMahon, who you are now trusting as 100% plugged in, about the Parsons situation) points to the idea that from year to year, it is unpredictable who Cuban will listen to. It seems to change every couple of seasons, by MULTIPLE accounts from multiple points along the timeline. We're talking about a guy who let Chandler Parsons be the main voice in roster construction for a while. That happened. 

Now, that can absolutely be interpreted as a situation wherein there has not been a strong/competent enough voice to which he can turn consistently. I'll grant you that. 

But, it can ALSO be interpreted, rather easily, as an indication that he just doesn't understand the type of structure people need in an organization like this to do their jobs with HONESTY and CONFIDENCE. When people are constantly trying to figure out how to maneuver politically in order to keep their jobs, or gain additional power, they are not focused on BUILDING A WINNING BASKETBALL TEAM. 

Likewise, I have often wondered, not just recently, about whether or not building a winning team is more important to Cuban than the celebrity he has been gaining and enjoying since buying the team. For me, that's a problem. Not that the bad answer might be true, but that it's even a question worth pondering. That's a VERY Jerry Jones conversation, and it absolutely applies here, too. 

I have no problem whatsoever with Nelson going. I think the organization will lose SOME good things that we might not realize he brought, but he's not some indispensable genius. Carlisle IS an indispensable genius, and convincing him to stay here as long as he did is one of the better things Cuban and/or Donnie have accomplished, imo. But, even losing him is fine, IF the TOP of the organization gets fixed. 

What's baffling to me is that just one day later, I can already see evidence in certain posts that no matter who gets hired as GM or coach, no matter what Cuban says in his next interview, people will trick themselves into believing these changes are positive. They MIGHT be positive, but what we know NOW is that for the past 48 hours our team has been the laughing stock of the NBA. I'm sorry, but that's just not the start of the kind of change I was hoping for. Connecting dots to form a pre-conceived picture doesn't interest me. I just think there's a shit ton of that going on here today.

[Kammrath]

@"KillerLeft"

Thanks for your thoughtful post.

I think two things are a work in me:

1) Confirmation Bias. But of what? My starting point in understanding Cuban (and I will filter ALL other info through this) is that the two most important things in his life are MONEY and WINNING. I see Cuban as VERY different than Jerry Jones and resent the lumping of the two.  But seriously, I assume that Cuban will not knowingly do anything that will jeopardize this franchise making money or winning (I think being pretend GM is not nearly as important to him as winning). I might be 100% wrong, but these are my starting assumptions and my confirmation bias will always feed my starting assumptions until something changes them.

2) Fandom. I am here to root for the Mavs and be optimistic about their future. That will always be my bias unless I walk away from following them. I will never be a bitter, pessimistic fan, because for ME that is a contradiction and it would add nothing to my life. I don't need more negativity in my life, so I will always remove it where possible. Hence I will always lean toward optimism as a fan.

[ReunionMav]

Has it occurred to anyone else that Mark may be remaking the team to sell it. Would Dirk want to be part of the ownership group?

[Mak]

Has it occurred to anyone else that Mark may be remaking the team to sell it. Would Dirk want to be part of the ownership group?

Pretty sure Cuban had already  talked about bringing Dirk on as a minority owner at some point. But I highly doubt he’ll ever sell the majority / control of the franchise. I believe it’s already set to be passed on to his kids.

[ClutchDirk]

Dirk saving all butts again..

[KillerLeft]

@"KillerLeft"

Thanks for your thoughtful post.

I think two things are a work in me:

1) Confirmation Bias. But of what? My starting point in understanding Cuban (and I will filter ALL other info through this) is that the two most important things in his life are MONEY and WINNING. I see Cuban as VERY different than Jerry Jones and resent the lumping of the two.  But seriously, I assume that Cuban will not knowingly do anything that will jeopardize this franchise making money or winning (I think being pretend GM is not nearly as important to him as winning). I might be 100% wrong, but these are my starting assumptions and my confirmation bias will always feed my starting assumptions until something changes them.

2) Fandom. I am here to root for the Mavs and be optimistic about their future. That will always be my bias unless I walk away from following them. I will never be a bitter, pessimistic fan, because for ME that is a contradiction and it would add nothing to my life. I don't need more negativity in my life, so I will always remove it where possible. Hence I will always lean toward optimism as a fan.

I have no retort for either reasonable point. I pretty much agree, except...I think #1 can be 100% true without it proving that Cuban isn't the problem. I don't think intent (or his awareness of his own intent) is the most relevant factor.

And, I'm not here to be negative, either. I've made that same #2 point to others, and I still mean/agree with it. It's just that I legitimately don't like what has happened over the past 48 hours. That's all. I'm having a hard time with this. 

For me, I REALLY believed the things I've written around here over the past decade, both in support of the Mavs and disagreeing with them at times. I didn't reach those conclusions because I was a fan - those conclusions made me a fan, or at least enhanced my commitment to being a fan. 

Hopefully, the next Mavs-centric news cycle will make us ALL feel optimistic. I sincerely want to be there with you.

[Hogmelon]

What's baffling to me is that just one day later, I can already see evidence in certain posts that no matter who gets hired as GM or coach, no matter what Cuban says in his next interview, people will trick themselves into believing these changes are positive.


And what's baffling to me is that EVERY FRICKIN' DAY, I can see evidence in certain posts that no matter who gets hired as GM or coach, no matter what Cuban says in his next interview, NO MATTER WHAT THE F HAPPENS, people will trick themselves into believing these changes are NEGATIVE.


They MIGHT be positive, but what we know NOW is that for the past 48 hours our team has been the laughing stock of the NBA.


"Laughing stock of the NBA"?

With all due respect ...

That falls somewhere between an overly dramatic overreaction and just flat-out BULLSHIT.

[Kammrath]

For me, I REALLY believed the things I've written around here over the past decade, both in support of the Mavs and disagreeing with them at times. I didn't reach those conclusions because I was a fan - those conclusions made me a fan, or at least enhanced my commitment to being a fan. 

For sure.

And you know I can and will disagree with the Mavs and their direction at times, so I am not suggesting I am a totally "blind fan" in that regard. This year was actually one of the MOST depressing seasons for me in the decades of following them. Watching Luka's transcendence frankly get wasted was really hard while not understanding many GMing and coaching decisions all along the way. And BECAUSE of that fact, I am really hopeful for the changes. Continuing on the path of this year would have been REALLY hard on me as a fan.  

Maybe Cuban will prove me wrong and things will get worse and he is in fact THE problem and will NEVER change. But I just don't see that when I look at the evidence at this point. But my biases might be blinding me.

[KillerLeft]

Continuing on the path of this year would have been REALLY hard on me as a fan.  

I absolutely know this to be true, and I don't begrudge you some instant relief that this week has obviously provided you.

I, too, hope for better in the future.

[fifteenth]

It's nice when mommy and daddy hug!

[KillerLeft]

It's nice when mommy and daddy hug!

[vfromlmf]

Well Cuban just broke the glass in case of emergency.

[CountDirkula]

I will give my 2 cents.   I think Luka's contract extension brought all of this to light.   It turned the heat up on how the Mavericks plan to operate in the future.   In my opinion the Maverick's offense relies to much on Luka.   It's like spread the floor and let Luka operate.  Since Luka is one helluva player this works quite often, but in a 7 game playoff, teams find a way to lower the effectiveness of this.   It does not take a coaching genius to just hand the ball to Luka.  Having no backup strategy and game plan shows a deficiency in either the makeup of the team (the GM's fault),  or the coaching of the team (Rick Carlisle's fault).  Porzingis seemed to lose his effectiveness and that points to Carlisle and Luka ignoring him.   I think he was not aggressive and maybe he was even afraid of getting hurt, but more than anything else, I think his lack of results really spelled the demise of Donnie Nelson and Rick Carlisle.   I am wondering if the players stopped listening to the coach.   Most NBA coaches will tell you that a head coaching job has an expiration date.    You would hope that Luka and Porzingis would value Dirk's opinion on things.  He is a former MVP who has a track record and special insight into how the Mavs have operated the last 20 years.    I hope Dirk listens to them and the Mavs can pick a highly qualified GM and coach.

[fifteenth]

Trying to carve at a new role in these changing times. Keeping things weird might be a good one. :-)