For the fourth straight season, the Dallas Mavericks failed to advance past the first round of the NBA Playoffs. And it might be time for Mark Cuban and company to shake things up once again.
36-year old Dirk Nowitzki told reporters during his exit interview Wednesday that he wouldn’t oppose coming off the bench next year—the big German averaged 17.3 points in 29.6 minutes of burn in 2014-15—something head coach Rick Carlisle and team president Donnie Nelson say has yet to be considered or discussed internally.
Nowitzki’s Mavs won 50 games this season, but he realizes that’s far from good enough in the brutal Western Conference.
Per the Dallas Morning News:
After a fourth straight season of failing to advance past the first round of the playoffs, Nowitzki called winning 50 games in the difficult Western Conference “very acceptable,” except for one not-so-small problem. […] “The way the West is so tough, you need to win almost 60 to get home court (advantage),” he said.
Nowitzki said he is considering playing for Germany’s national team in September’s FIBA European championships, which also serves as a qualifying tournament for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. […] Playing for Germany would affect his offseason training schedule for next season, his 18th in the NBA, which brings up another potential question: Would Nowitzki consider coming off the bench the next two seasons, the last of his contract?
However remote that possibility might be, the even better news for the Mavericks is that Nowitzki apparently would have no qualms about backing up (free agent target LaMarcus Aldridge), though he didn’t mention Aldridge by name Wednesday. […] “My last two years, I want to enjoy,” Nowitzki said. “I want to be (on) a good team. I want to be on a winning team. Playoffs. Hopefully deep runs. So, yeah, anything I’ve got to do to help is obviously no question.” […] “The problem is there would some stiffness coming off the bench,” he said with a smile. “I’m usually not the most mobile, agile player, but there are bikes and stuff in the back that you can ride and get loose. Yeah, I mean, whatever it takes. I’ve always said that.”
