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There are no excuses this year Dirk. If you and Kidd fail to improve on last years results there will be no scapegoat.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...e.1ac545d.html
Dallas Mavericks' Nowitzki reflects on 'tough year'
12:58 AM CDT on Friday, September 26, 2008
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]
The blunt question made Dirk Nowitzki uncomfortable. But it didn't necessarily catch him by surprise, like he knew it was coming sooner or later:
If Avery Johnson was still coaching the Dallas Mavericks, would Nowitzki still be on the team?
It was more than just a rumor last season that Nowitzki had grown tired of Johnson's system and coaching style. But was it really as bad as the whispers made it sound?
"I had a good time with Avery," Nowitzki said Thursday. "But sometimes I wish we had communicated a little more. We all know Avery ran a little dictatorship here. I think this league is still a league of players, not a coaches league."
To the players, that's what Johnson forgot. And that's what rubbed players the wrong way in the end. Nowitzki, sporting a fresh buzz cut with no trace of the Olympic rings he shaved into his hair before the Beijing Games, is back in Dallas for training camp, which begins with physical exams over the weekend, media day Monday and the first set of practices Tuesday.
Nowitzki touched on a variety of topics, including his contract situation and, of course, the coaching change.
Johnson's regimented style, along with his lack of offensive creativity, were two of the things that wore down Nowitzki and his teammates.
Dirk Nowitzki said he wished he and former Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson communicated more. "You know me, I'm not always on the edge," Nowitzki said about whether he and Johnson could have lasted another season together. "I usually keep stuff on the inside."
"It was a tough year for me, I've got to admit. I had a lot of bad games in November and December. And after that, I got to playing better, and Jason [Kidd] really helped my game after the All-Star Game. But it was an up-and-down year, and up-and-down years are never fun. I had to play hurt for us to get to the playoffs, and that obviously is not what we play for."
And as for the Mavericks' offense that slowed to a crawl, particularly in the playoffs, Nowitzki said:
"Avery had a really strong will of what should go on out there, and he controlled the game a lot. I don't think there was enough movement going on. People were just sitting on our stuff, especially in the playoffs. We just couldn't score enough.
"I don't think we got enough easy stuff, either on the break or on cuts. Everything was post-ups or contested shots. It wasn't easy. I don't want to use this year to bash Avery. He took us to the Finals and did a phenomenal job. He came in and brought fire and enthusiasm."
Nowitzki said he is excited about the Mavericks' prospects this season under Rick Carlisle. He already has been impressed with Carlisle's communication skills and his commitment to a more uptempo offense.
Nowitzki also said that he's eager for something else: being a free agent. He can opt out of his contract after 2009-10 or play it out through 2010-11. He said he has no intention of signing an extension next summer when he is eligible to do so.
"I kind of want to see what's going to happen," said Nowitzki, 30. "I don't want to commit until I'm 35 or 36 and then [find out] I don't want to play that long. But saying that now, everything is kind of out in the open. We'll see how we play this year and hopefully bring some of the fun back.
"Once I play these next three years, then maybe I've lost a step and I'm not quick enough anymore to play with these guys because there are so many athletes here."
Nowitzki added that another factor regarding his long-term future is weighing on him: He doesn't want to play when he no longer is effective.
"I'd love to finish my career here in Dallas," he said. "Hopefully, we can win the championship here in the next three years and it'll be great. And if not, we all have to keep our eyes and ears open to what's going on.
"I figure I have three more years now. If we get a championship and I really don't want to play anymore, maybe I'm done. I think the worst thing that athletes can do is play too long and at the end, look slow and don't look right and they lose some of their reputation. I don't want to do that. I want to still play when it's fun."
THOUGHTS FROM DIRK
On the possibility of Kobe Bryant or LeBron James going to Europe:
"I don't believe that."
On him perhaps playing in Europe:
"There's one big club in Germany. They've been asking me every year. Actually, the owner's dream is to have me in uniform once before I retire. I'm sure he's going to do everything he can to make that happen before my career's over."
On Josh Howard:
"He's not a bad guy. He just sometimes says the wrong things at the wrong times. But knowing him for five or six years now, he's a good guy. People are trying to make him a bad guy now, but I can for sure say that he's fun to be around, he's a good kid and he cares. Sometimes he just has to learn how to control himself and keep some stuff to himself. Hopefully, coming into training camp and saying all the right things and working hard and hopefully starting off great will make all this go away and he'll have a great year here and a great career
There are no excuses this year Dirk. If you and Kidd fail to improve on last years results there will be no scapegoat.
That sum ! Should have traded him when I had the chance!
turncoat!
Actually, there are good reasons for Dallas not to improve this year. They didn't really upgrade their roster. Teams like New Orleans and Utah already passed them last year, and other teams like Houston and possibly Portland could pass them this year. They are still a bottom four playoff team at best, so improving on a first round exit in the playoffs may prove to be quite difficult.
@ a Houston fan talking about there being no excuses for the Mavs this season. Isn't the whole Rocket franchise built on excuses?
without avery in 06, they wouldnt have gotten pass the spurs in the 2nd round.
in 08 they didnt need kidd, shouldve kept that flopper instead and kept the team young...but no.
Whats your excuse?
Contradictory, isn't it?
Not the franchise, but the Tmac/Yao era has plenty of excuses with injuries, coaching changes etc.Yet, they have still accomplished more than the Carmelo era Nuggets. How many injuries have the Nuggets' star players endured?
2 first round virgin teams talkin to each other....
Buzzcut! yes!
um the scapegoat the whole time has been dirk, even though not much of it at all was his fault.
Dirk is a class act and deserves to win a ring
Kidd better step up his game this year
You're a ing moron. Dallas has won 8 series in the Dirk era.
You must not be aware of what happened in 94 and 95.
I think he was referring to the Rox and Nugs.
Hey ing moron..he was talking about Denver and Houston.
IMO the Mavs have lost their opportunity. The only way they were going to win with their particular collection of talent was if they committed to a coach who commits to discipline. That's why AJ was brought in. But apparently, that was too big of a switch in mentality for the Mavs, and it all start with their franchise player, Dirk.
This year they have a new coach, who isn't as committed to discipline and defense, an aging PG, and one giant monkey on their back in the form of their 2006 and 2007 playoff exits. That's too much for them to overcome, I fear.
i agree that we might have lost our opportunity (i still think we have a glimmer of hope) but i dont agree with the rest of it.
you say that bringing AJ in was too big of a switch, yet they got to the Finals and shouldve won in his first full year of coaching. the Finals collapse haunted them and i think when they start to tune the coach out they need to make a change. Carlisle is known for resurrecting fallen programs.
i dont think we have a monkey on our back cause nobody is really expecting much of us, and i dont think we have fallen off much if at all, its just that the rest of the West has gotten better.
Dirk is really gay
Dirk is a legend of a player and a great guy.
Despite all the Mavericks hate here.... he should be respected.
It is simply wrong to throw him in the same group as knuckleheads like Terry etc.
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