Steve Nash's departure ranks as the biggest free-agent defection in Mavericks history. Erick Dampier's subsequent arrival, via sign-and-trade, will be recorded as the first time in the quarter-century existence of the franchise that a marquee free agent has chosen to come to Dallas.
[font=verdana, arial, geneva]Dirk Nowitzki may have a tougher time adjusting off the court now that sidekick Steve Nash is in Phoenix.[/font]What does it all mean?
For the conventional among us, reading between the bookends of the latest roller-coaster summer for the Cubanistas leads to a fairly straight-forward synopsis: Nash was essentially traded for Dampier.
Don Nelson, being Don Nelson, adds up the two transactions and pumps out two unexpected conclusions, both involving Dirk Nowitzki.
No. 1: "He'll have his best year ever as far as I'm concerned. He'll be an All-Star four for us."
No. 2: "He should be real happy with this."
Real happy is a tad strong, since Nash is the German's best friend, but Nowitzki says he has never been more ready to try to make his coach look smart, at least with that first proclamation. The 26-year-old is scheduled to return to the States on Thursday in what appears to be the best shape of his career, having spent an off-season of seclusion in Germany that consisted of daily lunchtime workouts with longtime mentor Holger Geschwindner and evenings on the elliptical machine on his pool deck, with only the consumption of hearty meals prepared by his mother to break things up.
"I feel great," Nowitzki said from his Bavarian hideaway, as he packed his luggage for his flight back to Dallas. "I think I'll be a little more athletic than I was the last couple years."
Not that Nowitzki should expect many queries about his athleticism at the Mavericks' first media session of the season Monday. Folks around town are still waiting to hear what Nowitzki thinks about Nash's exit, and how he'll answers questions like: Can you be the same player without your trusty pick-and-roll partner?
"We'll really see this season," Nowitzki said. "But I think I can score on people. Of course Steve always looked for me. He made a lot of stuff easier for me. But I think I'm old enough now to know how to get my own shots and create my own stuff. I think I'll still be all right."
In private, Nowitzki isn't nearly that modest. He prefers to leave the public proclamations about All-Star Games and big numbers to Nelson, but Nowitzki and those close to him are confident that the only place he'll be at all lost without Nash is away from the court. It was Nash, after all, who helped raise Nowitzki from boy to man in this country, dragging him out to meet people in every city on the road, teaching him how to tip at restaurants and keeping him upbeat through the shared nightmare of their dismal debut season in 1999. Day-to-day life without Nash around will be totally different.
On the court, though? As good as they were together, it's quite a slap to say Dirk won't be The Diggler without his little Canadian buddy. You'll recall that as recently as August, playing with 11 relative no-names for his country -- and facing a geeked-up American squad that had just been humbled by Italy -- Nowitzki rumbled for 32 Nash-less points ... including a late 3-pointer that would have forced overtime if not for Allen Iverson's retaliatory heave from halfcourt that dropped through at the buzzer.
[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]“[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]I was thinking that we were going to finish our careers together in Dallas. That's what we've been talking about for years. But I was like: 'Hey, you're 30 years old, and this is an unbelievable deal that Phoenix is giving you. You have to do it. I'm proud of you.'[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif] ”[/font][font=Times,serif]— [/font][font=Times,serif]Dirk Nowitzki,
on ex-teammate Steve Nash[/font]
Nelson didn't toss out that prediction about Nowitzki's best-ever production just to be glib, as in '99 when he announced that he considered his shy 7-footer the league's Rookie of the Year favorite. The coach reasons that the addition of Dampier -- and, just as crucially, the clearout of Antawn Jamison and Antoine Walker -- will enable Nowitzki to play copious amounts of his best position (power forward) instead of swinging between the three, four and five. Nellie also points out that, with the re-tooled Mavs, Nowitzki is once again the clear-cut No. 1 option, and that Nash replacement Jason Terry isn't bad pushing the ball or picking-and-rolling.
"I see it the same way as Nellie," Nowitzki said. "I like playing the four. I think it's my most productive position. I can take the big guys off the dribble, and I don't have to guard the centers. I'm usually OK (guarding) power forwards.
"We're going to have a good team if we come together early and find a rhythm," Nowitzki continued, noting that the Mavericks can also expect offense from Michael Finley and new sixth man Jerry Stackhouse. "I think we're really going to be a nice team."
The outlook, of course, wasn't so sunny in early July, when Nash committed to the Suns less than 24 hours into the free agency season. Nowitzki's initial shock and anger, according to team sources, made him reluctant to speak with anyone from the organization. "I was kind of wondering what direction we were going in," he admits now.
The disappointment swelled when Shaquille O'Neal, the Mavs' fantasy trade target, wound up in Miami. It looked as though this would be the 24th straight swing-and-miss summer for the club until owner Mark Cuban and personnel chief Donnie Nelson, after flirting with a Jason Kidd trade, swung deals for Terry and then Dampier.
"Finally we've got a center," Nowitzki said.
It's not as good as playing with a legitimate post presence and an All-Star point guard who's also your best mate, but Nowitzki is eager to try it out. Because if Dampier can do in Dallas what he did in Golden State last season -- let's face it, far bigger questions hang over Damp than Dirk -- Nowitzki figures to profit as much as anyone.
It's also instructive to learn that Nowitzki -- the first person Nash called to tell about a Phoenix offer that was $30 million richer than Cuban's -- was also the first person to tell Nash he couldn't refuse it, as badly as he wanted him to stay.
"I was thinking that we were going to finish our careers together in Dallas," Nowitzki said. "That's what we've been talking about for years.
"But I was like: 'Hey, you're 30 years old, and this is an unbelievable deal that Phoenix is giving you. You have to do it. I'm proud of you.' "
The bet here, like Nellie asserts, is that Nash will be the proud one after Nowitzki's first season on his own. The post-Nash Mavs still don't look like a team that should be picked higher than fourth in the West -- they look like a 4-5-6 seed, at best, after so many changes and plenty of fresh uncertainty -- but The Diggler? He's the last Mav to fret about.
Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here. Also, click here to send a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.
I wish peja was more like Dirk. Suck it up and move on when your best buds pick another team.
For the conventional among us, reading between the bookends of the latest roller-coaster summer for the Cubanistas leads to a fairly straight-forward synopsis: Nash was essentially traded for Dampier.
Don Nelson, being Don Nelson, adds up the two transactions and pumps out two unexpected conclusions, both involving Dirk Nowitzki.
No. 1: "He'll have his best year ever as far as I'm concerned. He'll be an All-Star four for us."
No. 2: "He should be real happy with this."
Real happy is a tad strong, since Nash is the German's best friend, but Nowitzki says he has never been more ready to try to make his coach look smart, at least with that first proclamation. The 26-year-old is scheduled to return to the States on Thursday in what appears to be the best shape of his career, having spent an off-season of seclusion in Germany that consisted of daily lunchtime workouts with longtime mentor Holger Geschwindner and evenings on the elliptical machine on his pool deck, with only the consumption of hearty meals prepared by his mother to break things up.
"I feel great," Nowitzki said from his Bavarian hideaway, as he packed his luggage for his flight back to Dallas. "I think I'll be a little more athletic than I was the last couple years."
Not that Nowitzki should expect many queries about his athleticism at the Mavericks' first media session of the season Monday. Folks around town are still waiting to hear what Nowitzki thinks about Nash's exit, and how he'll answers questions like: Can you be the same player without your trusty pick-and-roll partner?
"We'll really see this season," Nowitzki said. "But I think I can score on people. Of course Steve always looked for me. He made a lot of stuff easier for me. But I think I'm old enough now to know how to get my own shots and create my own stuff. I think I'll still be all right."
In private, Nowitzki isn't nearly that modest. He prefers to leave the public proclamations about All-Star Games and big numbers to Nelson, but Nowitzki and those close to him are confident that the only place he'll be at all lost without Nash is away from the court. It was Nash, after all, who helped raise Nowitzki from boy to man in this country, dragging him out to meet people in every city on the road, teaching him how to tip at restaurants and keeping him upbeat through the shared nightmare of their dismal debut season in 1999. Day-to-day life without Nash around will be totally different.
On the court, though? As good as they were together, it's quite a slap to say Dirk won't be The Diggler without his little Canadian buddy. You'll recall that as recently as August, playing with 11 relative no-names for his country -- and facing a geeked-up American squad that had just been humbled by Italy -- Nowitzki rumbled for 32 Nash-less points ... including a late 3-pointer that would have forced overtime if not for Allen Iverson's retaliatory heave from halfcourt that dropped through at the buzzer.
[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]“[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]I was thinking that we were going to finish our careers together in Dallas. That's what we've been talking about for years. But I was like: 'Hey, you're 30 years old, and this is an unbelievable deal that Phoenix is giving you. You have to do it. I'm proud of you.'[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif] ”[/font][font=Times,serif]— [/font][font=Times,serif]Dirk Nowitzki,
on ex-teammate Steve Nash[/font]
Nelson didn't toss out that prediction about Nowitzki's best-ever production just to be glib, as in '99 when he announced that he considered his shy 7-footer the league's Rookie of the Year favorite. The coach reasons that the addition of Dampier -- and, just as crucially, the clearout of Antawn Jamison and Antoine Walker -- will enable Nowitzki to play copious amounts of his best position (power forward) instead of swinging between the three, four and five. Nellie also points out that, with the re-tooled Mavs, Nowitzki is once again the clear-cut No. 1 option, and that Nash replacement Jason Terry isn't bad pushing the ball or picking-and-rolling.
"I see it the same way as Nellie," Nowitzki said. "I like playing the four. I think it's my most productive position. I can take the big guys off the dribble, and I don't have to guard the centers. I'm usually OK (guarding) power forwards.
"We're going to have a good team if we come together early and find a rhythm," Nowitzki continued, noting that the Mavericks can also expect offense from Michael Finley and new sixth man Jerry Stackhouse. "I think we're really going to be a nice team."
The outlook, of course, wasn't so sunny in early July, when Nash committed to the Suns less than 24 hours into the free agency season. Nowitzki's initial shock and anger, according to team sources, made him reluctant to speak with anyone from the organization. "I was kind of wondering what direction we were going in," he admits now.
The disappointment swelled when Shaquille O'Neal, the Mavs' fantasy trade target, wound up in Miami. It looked as though this would be the 24th straight swing-and-miss summer for the club until owner Mark Cuban and personnel chief Donnie Nelson, after flirting with a Jason Kidd trade, swung deals for Terry and then Dampier.
"Finally we've got a center," Nowitzki said.
It's not as good as playing with a legitimate post presence and an All-Star point guard who's also your best mate, but Nowitzki is eager to try it out. Because if Dampier can do in Dallas what he did in Golden State last season -- let's face it, far bigger questions hang over Damp than Dirk -- Nowitzki figures to profit as much as anyone.
It's also instructive to learn that Nowitzki -- the first person Nash called to tell about a Phoenix offer that was $30 million richer than Cuban's -- was also the first person to tell Nash he couldn't refuse it, as badly as he wanted him to stay.
"I was thinking that we were going to finish our careers together in Dallas," Nowitzki said. "That's what we've been talking about for years.
"But I was like: 'Hey, you're 30 years old, and this is an unbelievable deal that Phoenix is giving you. You have to do it. I'm proud of you.' "
The bet here, like Nellie asserts, is that Nash will be the proud one after Nowitzki's first season on his own. The post-Nash Mavs still don't look like a team that should be picked higher than fourth in the West -- they look like a 4-5-6 seed, at best, after so many changes and plenty of fresh uncertainty -- but The Diggler? He's the last Mav to fret about.
Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here. Also, click here to send a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.
I wish peja was more like Dirk. Suck it up and move on when your best buds pick another team.
