Just another manic Monday for Mavs

By David Mullen

Monday, June 14 should have been the start of an uneventful week for the Dallas Mavericks. They had been eliminated from the playoffs by the Los Angeles Clippers, which have become the arch-nemesis of the Mavs for no other reason except they can’t seem to beat them.

The NBA Draft is not until Thursday, July 29, but the Mavericks don’t have a pick this year. Training camp doesn’t open for months. CEO Cynt Marshall seems to have the office staff behaving. The marketing team can plan for an upcoming season where the AAC will be full of mask-less fans, hugging and high-fiving each other after another miraculous shot from Luka Doncic or a miraculous appearance on the court from oft-injured Kristaps Porzingis. 

Somewhere between the stair machine and “Shark Tank,” Maverick’s owner Mark Cuban could have had a smoothie. He had no reason to believe that a rough week was ahead.

On June 14, The Athletic, a well-respected online sports source, broke a story on the seemingly increasing role within the Mavericks organization of Haralabos Voulgaris, a well-known sports gambler hired by Cuban in 2018 as director of quantitative research and development. The Athletic wrote of a potential rift developing with Voulgaris and high-profile Mavs personnel including Doncic. 

Doncic, named to his second All-NBA team in the last two years, became eligible to a “supermax” contract worth more than $200 million over five seasons after his rookie contract expires in 2022. Despite “supermax” sounding more like a Marvel comic hero than a contract provision, Doncic is expected to sign it. He is the future of the Dallas franchise, and despite (or because of) his age, Doncic is the highest profile player in franchise history.

The article also inferred that the discord with Voulgaris may have moved into the front office and coaching staff. The Athletic cited unnamed sources that said, “Voulgaris has frequently gone as far as scripting the starting lineups and rotations for longtime head coach Rick Carlisle.” Cuban responded to the article via Twitter by simply writing “Total bulls**t.” 

Marshall may want to consider an urgent meeting on social media etiquette, if such a thing even exists.  

Whether believing the article is factual or not, the first of many newsworthy nuggets fell. As a certain owner might say, “the s**t was about to hit the fan.” 

On June 16, after 24 years on the bench as an assistant coach and in the front office as president of basketball operations, Donnie Nelson was longer with the team. “The Dallas Mavericks and Donnie Nelson have mutually agreed to part ways,” the team announcement stated. Even on “Shark Tank,” Cuban gives a reason for saying “I am out.”   

And on June 17, the carnage continued. Carlisle, after 13 seasons, 555 regular season wins and leading the team to their only NBA Championship, resigned. The Mavericks issued another vague statement. Carlisle told ESPN that “this was solely my decision.”

Nelson is credited with acquiring Doncic and has built a reputation for finding foreign talent outside of the traditional college ranks. Carlisle had been looked at as the steady voice of a team full of emotion. At the end of the week that was, both became mavericks of their own.

There is little doubt that Nelson is a solid judge of talent. Despite some questionable personnel moves anyone in his position has on their resume, Nelson overcame being known as former coach Don Nelson’s son “The Little Whistle” and established his own identity in the league. He will land another position in basketball in the future.  

Players had reportedly become tired of Carlisle’s rigidity. More than a decade in the same head coaching job is unheard of in the NBA. It is possible it was time for a change for both the team and Carlisle. 

Today’s player is a far cry from the type of player that Carlisle encountered when he first came into the NBA as a shooting guard with the Boston Celtics in 1984.

Carlisle played for or coached with K. C. Jones, Bill Musselman, Rick Pitino, Bill Fitch, Chuck Daly, P. J. Carlesimo and Larry Bird. He has won an NBA championship as a player and as a coach. His options in the NBA will be many, where turnovers are both on and off the court.

Suddenly, in the matter of four days, the local professional team that seemed to have the best chance at raising the next championship flag was in turmoil. No GM. No head coach. Front office friction. And as importantly, no one outside of Slovenia seems to be available to lend support to the 22-year-old Doncic.

Cuban reached out to Dallas legend Dirk Nowitzki to help in the renewal project and provide damage control. “The Dallas Mavericks announced [June 18] that Dirk Nowitzki will serve as a special advisor to the franchise,” the Mavs released in a statement. “Nowitzki will assist with the hiring of both a general manager and head coach and consult on other front office decisions. Nowitzki will consult in the process of hiring a GM and new head coach.” He will no doubt be available to consult Doncic as well.

After 21 seasons as the club’s top player, Nowitzki is the best choice possible to help the Mavericks rebound from a week that was, at best, improbable. And Cuban must step away from his TV gig of evaluating companies and concentrate on the one he owns.