Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki go together like peanut butter and jelly, but the seven-foot German superstar’s time is running out and his faithful team hasn’t done much for him lately. After Nowitzki delivered the Mavericks with the franchise’s first NBA title two years ago, team owner Mark Cuban literally allowed the title team to fall apart, which left Nowitzki with three years left on his contract and a truckload of questions. Now a season and a half later that included 27 games missed due to injury, Nowitzki is once again questioning his future.
Nowitzki is no longer a young superstar, so he can’t carry a team anymore. However, he can be a solid No. 2 option for a team needing an extra boost in scoring. If the Mavericks aren’t going to make sure he’s in a position to win during his final contract year in 2013, he should look elsewhere to finish his career.
Some rumors have already pinned Nowitzki going to the Los Angeles Lakers in a trade for Dwight Howard, but Nowitzki squashed those by saying he didn’t want to be the No. 6 option for the Lakers. Who can blame him? The guy wants to play for a winning team in the twilight of his career, not ride the bench for a team that’s not even going to make the playoffs this year.
You have to feel sorry for the guy because the Mavericks have leaned on him so heavily for so long that he’s just used to carrying them. If the guy could play for a team like the Denver Nuggets, he’d have a great supporting cast around him and he could do what he does best: shoot the basketball.
That probably won’t happen, but that would be ideal for the big man whose owed $22 million in 2013 by an awful team. More to come on this subject from Rant Sports.
Jeric Griffin is the Director of Content for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JericGriffin, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
