Dirk and Dallas on the Brink

One Kidd is not enough…

March 25, 2008

Early in the third quarter on Sunday, Ime Udoka was going in for an uncontested dunk. Dirk Nowitzki came over to block the shot, got a piece of it and tumbled to the ground. Tim Duncan recovered the ball and scored. Nowitzki, however, did not recover and remained on the ground, grabbing his leg in pain, then covering his eyes and punching the innocent court. At the end of the night, the Dallas Mavericks had not only lost their third straight home game 81-88 at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs – after only losing four home games all season – but their postseason hopes took a major hit with the big German out indefinitely.

The extent of Nowitzki’s injury is as of yet unknown so there is still hope he won’t miss too many games. But sitting in 7th place in the hypercompetitive Western Conference with 9th-placed Denver just 2 games behind, a short losing streak might already be enough for the Mavericks to start planning an early holiday this spring. Even before Nowitzki’s injury, however, things weren’t going as planned for last season’s 67-win team and its sweet-shooting superstar.

Since the outspoken and slightly eccentric Mark Cuban purchased the Dallas Mavericks on Valentine’s Day in 2000, the franchise – formerly synonymous with mediocrity – has built itself into an annual title contender. After falling short against Sacramento, Phoenix and – time and again – San Antonio, Dirk and company finally squeaked passed their nemesis in 2006 to reach the Finals against the Miami Heat. Leading two games to none and well on their way to victory number three, the Mavs staged one of the greatest choke-jobs in playoff history, eventually losing the series 4-2.

They came back for the 2006-07 season with a vengeance and after starting the season 0-4, raced to a league-leading and franchise record 67 wins. While many still doubted the Mavericks’ chances at a title, few suspected their campaign would end as it did. Playing a Golden State Warriors team on a roll, having only clinched a playoff spot on the final day of the regular season, and energized by their first postseason appearance in thirteen years, Dallas faltered. The Warriors matched up perfectly with the Mavericks’ style of play, and their coach Don Nelson, Nowitzki’s old mentor, knew how to negate the star’s strengths by sending aggressive and athletic swingmen at him. Six games into the playoffs and for the second time in as many seasons, Dallas had failed to come through when it counted most.

Fast forward to this year! The Western Conference was already rugged before Chris Wallace turned it into the toughest ever. The former Boston Celtics GM had managed to obtain the vacant general manager position with the Memphis Grizzlies in spite of an inspired run of incompetent management decisions like signing the certified alcoholic Vin Baker. In Memphis he continued where he had left off by inexplicably giving away Pau Gasol for Michael Jordan’s No.1 pick Kwame Brown, thereby dramatically shifting the conference’s balance of power in LA’s favour and inciting a flurry of trades.

As a direct or indirect consequence of the Gasol give-away, the Phoenix Suns traded Shawn Marion for what is left of Shaquille O’Neal, San Antonio acquired Kurt Thomas and Dallas pulled the trigger on the Jason Kidd deal. Dallas had coveted Kidd – arguably the best passing and rebounding guard of his generation – for years but had been unable to pry him away from New Jersey. Now, at 35, Kidd was still very productive, yet the Nets were hovering somewhere below .500. So Rod Thorn, the Nets’ GM, decided to send him to Dallas for 25-year old point guard Devin Harris and defensive specialist DeSagana Diop.

The thinking in Dallas was that the Mavericks’ offense was not running as smooth as in years past and the players had to work too hard for good shots. Jason Kidd’s playmaking was to make life easier for everyone. But Kidd was also to fill a second void. As the previous playoff meltdowns had painfully shown, the Mavericks lacked a locker room presence that could fire up the group when the going got tough. As great as Dirk is on the court, he is – by his own admission – not that sought emotional leader.

How has the experiment worked out so far? Not too well.

Jason Kidd has never been a scorer and his shooting percentage is at a very pedestrian 41% but his assists and rebounding have held up after the trade. And his new team-mates have heaped praise on their new leader. So maybe after all, it isn’t Kidd’s fault that the Mavericks have lost eight straight games against teams with winning records since acquiring him from New Jersey.

While it took Dallas – and Josh Howard in particular – a few games to adjust to Kidd’s passing, the real problem has been on the other end of the court. Devin Harris was nowhere near as pure a point guard as Jason Kidd but at only 25 he had much room for improvement. Moreover, due to his raw speed and dedication, his defense is superior to Kidd’s who is no longer the elite stopper he once was.

The most significant downside of the trade is probably also its most overlooked. When DeSagana Diop, the 7-footer from Senegal, goes up for a shot one has to fear for the backboard. But he is a load down low and has evolved into a feared shot-blocker and his departure has left a glaring hole on Dallas’ last line of defense.

Some suspected the addition of Jason Kidd might not be enough to carry the Mavericks to the championship. As it turns out, it might not be enough to get them to the playoffs. And if that happens, the coming off-season will be a more than busy one in Texas.

Owner Mark Cuban is a gambler and it looks like he is losing his bet. But you know what gamblers do when they lose: they keep on gambling!

- Ole

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Created by: Ole