To see what not to do after winning an NBA title, take a look at the Dallas Mavericks. After besting the hated Heat in the 2011 Finals, the Mavs gutted their roster enough to have room to some acquire big-name free agents this summer, presumably Deron Williams and Dwight Howard, while still remaining competitive during the previous season.
Fast forward to the present: the Mavs had an underwhelming season exacerbated by that Lamar Odom debacle and capped by a first-round exit in the playoffs; Williams decided to re-up with the Nets after having the Mavs as one of his two finalists; Howard remains on the Magic with no trade to Dallas in sight; and now Dallas lost starting point guard Jason Kidd to the Knicks. Mark Cuban didn’t go all-in on black only to have it land on red. It’s worse than that — it landed on green.
It’s all left Tyson Chandler, who was sacrificed by the Mavs before last season, feeling “sorry” for his former teammate Dirk Nowitzki.
“I am a little bit stunned, but I kind of felt like it was going to be that, honestly,” Chandler said, according to ESPN Dallas. “If they weren’t able to land Deron Williams or Dwight [Howard], I knew there would be trouble down the road. I feel sorry for Dirk; really for Dirk and the coaching staff. You go from winning a championship to kind of it seems like you’re almost in a rebuilding stage. Especially for Dirk at this point in his career, I really feel bad for him.”
Nowtizki really is the biggest loser in Cuban’s gamble. He’s not getting any younger, and he’s the only player left to lead a team in a state of total disarray. How is that fair? Welp, there’s only one thing left for a man in his position to do: ask to be traded to the Lakers.
