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Mavericks: Is Donnie Nelson the right General Manager for Dallas?

By Reid Hanson

DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 03: A Dallas Mavericks dancer performs at American Airlines Center on February 3, 2016 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 03: A Dallas Mavericks dancer performs at American Airlines Center on February 3, 2016 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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As the Mavericks embark on a relatively unknown endeavor, rebuilding through the draft, some question if Donnie Nelson is the right man for the job.

There’s been a few burning questions coming up these days and they revolve around Dallas Mavericks General Manager, Donnie Nelson, and his ability to rebuild through the draft. As the Mavs embark on this new stage in their life cycle, Donnie may not be the right man for the job.

Few can question Donnie Nelson’s professional accomplishments. Since joining the Dallas Mavericks organization in 1998, Nelson has churned a roster that produced five 50-win seasons, two 60-win seasons, one season with the best record in the NBA, two appearances to the Finals, and one Championship.

Donnie Nelson has accomplished things other GM’s can only dream of, yet today, we find ourselves asking if he’s the right man for the job.

If the draft is the means by which the Mavericks rebuild, Donnie Nelson may not be the right man for the job.

The Mavericks are trudging into unfamiliar territory these days. They are rebuilding. Specifically, they are rebuilding the old fashioned way – by using the draft. This bottom-up method may not be a daunting task to some NBA teams but for a team like the Mavs, it’s completely foreign.

Sure, Donnie Nelson has built a team before. The road from 1998 to 2011 wasn’t laid out in gold, after all. But the rebuilding method he used those days was the trade market.

The Mavs made a name for themselves in the 2000’s by being the wheelers and dealers of the NBA. Always included in any hypothetical trade discussion, the Mavs prided themselves on acquiring talent, regardless of how daunting a contract may be.

Because you have to have something to get something, Donnie Nelson made it his goal to have something. Then when the right opportunity presented itself, he’d flip that something for an even better something. Then rinse. Repeat. Win a championship.

Easy Peasy.

But these days it looks like acquiring talent isn’t quite as easy as it used to be. The Mavs have struck out summer after summer in luring free agents and typically have to both settle AND overpay in order to build a roster.

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Even in these early stages of free agency we can see the Mavs strategy has changed. They aren’t trying to shed cap space every offseason. They aren’t trying for the “big dog” of free agency every summer. They aren’t even involved in the big trade rumors (real of bogus) anymore either.

They are using the draft to rebuild. Even facing a trade scenario where they swap picks and ship off Wesley Matthews for Ricky Rubio, the Mavs held fast and made their selection at their spot in the draft. They’re playing the long game and that’s finding and developing youth.

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If the draft is the means by which the Mavericks rebuild, Donnie Nelson may not be the right man for the job.

The Mavericks just don’t have success in this aspect of the game. Josh Howard was nice but if he’s the shining star in which you point to prove your competency, then you may have some issues.

It’s not like Donnie is to blame for the Mavs draft issues. Mark Cuban just never seemed interested in finding and developing young talent. He wanted players in their primes (or even past). That was the directive and that’s what Donnie Nelson did.

And he did a damn good job of it, too.

But this is a new chapter in the Mavericks book and if they really do want to scout and develop talent, they may want to find a GM who specializes in that sort of thing.

Then again, maybe this is simply the building process to equip Donnie Nelson with tradeable assets. Maybe the Mavs are just leaning on their scouting department to find valuable young players so Donnie Nelson can do what he does best.

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It’s tough to say which direction the Mavericks are going in their rebuild but we have to assume Mark Cuban does. He’s tied at the hip with Donnie Nelson and it would likely take an act of God to separate the two. But that doesn’t mean a new mind couldn’t be brought to the mix to take some of those GM duties away, either. If the Mavs really are rebuilding the old fashioned way, Donnie Nelson may not be the most optimal man for the job.

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