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Dallas Mavericks: Hold on, Dirk Nowitzki ain’t done yet

By Reid Hanson

DALLAS, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 22: Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks celebrates with Devin Harris #34 of the Dallas Mavericks in the first half against the Denver Nuggets at American Airlines Center on February 22, 2019 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 Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 22: Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks celebrates with Devin Harris #34 of the Dallas Mavericks in the first half against the Denver Nuggets at American Airlines Center on February 22, 2019 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 Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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It seems like a forgone conclusion Dirk Nowitzki will retire from the Dallas Mavericks this summer but what if Dirk wants more and decides to come back?

The 2018-19 NBA season didn’t begin as planned for Dirk Nowitzki. Not only did his recovery time from offseason ankle surgery drag on longer than expected, but a set-back involving an inflamed tendon pushed his Dallas Mavericks season debut even further.

The midseason debut brought on a slow start. And coming off the bench only exaggerated that slow start as Dirk had to deal with entering the game “cold” for the first time in his career. It appeared the writing was on the wall, and while Dirk never announced this as his last season, it seemed inevitable to many around the league.

This brought on an invitation to the All-Star game and some heart-warming farewells in opposing stadiums. But Dirk Nowitzki still hasn’t decided. Everyone’s acting like he has, but the guy continues to state he’s undecided on the issue.

Now if that was the end of the story, I think we’d all still believe this will eventually prove to be Dirk’s last. But something has happened these last five games that makes it seem like that retirement is less ominous than it once seemed.

Keep in mind, Dirk has only played in 30 games this year. If this was his last season, he’s gotta feel ripped off. Given the circumstances, it’s understandable he got off to such a slow start. Injuries and coming off the bench played a major role in his sub par performance earlier in the year.

In Dirk Nowitzki’s first 25 games, he averaged roughly five points per game. His worst in his entire career. But these last five games he’s averaged twice that and scored in double-digits four or the last five games. Things look much different today than they did a few weeks ago, wouldn’t you say?

What will it take next season

Brad Townsend spoke of this very thing the other day. But to expand on it, I want to focus on what it would take for him to be productive next season. Because if coming off the bench is really a problem, next season is likely to be a problem.

If it was just recovering from injury that was the reason for the slow start, then next season may work out great. We may not know what the roster will look like next season, but we should all expect someone other than Dirk starting in the frontcourt. I can’t imagine any scenario where Dirk starting is a good thing on a playoff-hopeful basketball team.

Forever grateful, Mark Cuban is going let Dirk do virtually whatever Dirk wants to do next season. Whether it’s in the front office or on the court, Dirk Nowitzki has a blank check anywhere in the Dallas Mavericks organization.

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These last few games will be telling. Hopefully we’ll see Maxi Kleber regain a starting role and push Dirk to the bench for a couple games. Then we (and Dirk) can see if he can be the solid player he is today in a reserve role. Because that would likely be his role if he returned next season.

  • Published on 03/02/2019 at 14:01 PM
  • Last updated at 03/01/2019 at 11:26 AM
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