Dirk to Miami?

[Ersatz]

More help then what he has now? I think they have a good roster that’s should have done a lot better.

Really? I think they have a crap roster: A point guard who's a defensive liability and, paradoxically, gets a lot of assists without actually making his teammates better. A sixth man who can't make a shot when the games actually mean something. Two centers who are inconsistent, soft, and possibly psychotic and who have almost no impact on the game. As this series proved, only Butler, Dirk, and Beaubois are at all useful. The Mavs roster is marginally better than the Heat roster at this point.

[Brendan]

And Butler and Dirk are bad fits together IMO. Cuban runs his team like a fantasy team to some extent.

On a team with Dirk - they should make Butler the 6th man.

Something like:

Haywood, Dirk, Marion, Terry, Kidd - would make sense. But Kidd despite a strong 2009 looked really bad in 2010 playoffs.

[heyvik]

I would never want Dirk to leave Dallas. if anything, i PRAY that Cuban gets Dirk some real help, and fast.

As a C's fan, I don't see how anyone on this board would want to see the East get better by adding Dirk?? I'd pray that Dirk gets Wade in Dallas as a legit threat to the Lakers. The one thing I can't stand is to see is West get weaker. Mediocre players can come East, let the superstars go out West and NOT to the Fakers.

[xmuscularghandix]

I think the Kidd, Butler, Marion, Dirk, Haywood lineup is very good and should have done better. They could use a backup PG that could be depended on to run the team.

[FallGuy]

The problem with Dallas is they have one superstar. And you need two to win a title.

[PosImpos]

The problem with Dallas is they have one superstar. And you need two to win a title.

Well, you need one superstar and at least one all-star to win a title (Pau is not a superstar).  Either that or you need 3 or 4 all-stars. 

[Mad Hatter]

I would never want Dirk to leave Dallas. if anything, i PRAY that Cuban gets Dirk some real help, and fast.

As a C's fan, I don't see how anyone on this board would want to see the East get better by adding Dirk?? I'd pray that Dirk gets Wade in Dallas as a legit threat to the Lakers. The one thing I can't stand is to see is West get weaker. Mediocre players can come East, let the superstars go out West and NOT to the Fakers.

I started following the Mavs when the Celtics were struggling (pre KG and Ray). they deserved that championship in '06. if Dallas can get Wade to pair with Dirk, i'll be so happy.

[FallGuy]

The problem with Dallas is they have one superstar. And you need two to win a title.

Well, you need one superstar and at least one all-star to win a title (Pau is not a superstar).  Either that or you need 3 or 4 all-stars. 

Well - we're quibbling over different interpretations of the word superstar. But I take your point.

Who's the second best guy on Dallas? That's the problem.

[Bankshot]

And Butler and Dirk are bad fits together IMO. Cuban runs his team like a fantasy team to some extent.

On a team with Dirk - they should make Butler the 6th man.

Something like:

Haywood, Dirk, Marion, Terry, Kidd - would make sense. But Kidd despite a strong 2009 looked really bad in 2010 playoffs.

Cuban is not the one that sets the lineups.

[Finkelskyhook]

And Butler and Dirk are bad fits together IMO. Cuban runs his team like a fantasy team to some extent.

On a team with Dirk - they should make Butler the 6th man.

Something like:

Haywood, Dirk, Marion, Terry, Kidd - would make sense. But Kidd despite a strong 2009 looked really bad in 2010 playoffs.

Cuban is not the one that sets the lineups.

    Cuban completely micromanages this team.  He may be a brilliant businessperson but he's a caracature as an owner.  He does much more to hurt his team than help it by being right behind the bench.

I think Dirk is one of the most likable and talented players in the NBA.  Because of a jerk like Cuban, I always root for his opponent.

[Brendan]

And Butler and Dirk are bad fits together IMO. Cuban runs his team like a fantasy team to some extent.

On a team with Dirk - they should make Butler the 6th man.

Something like:

Haywood, Dirk, Marion, Terry, Kidd - would make sense. But Kidd despite a strong 2009 looked really bad in 2010 playoffs.

Cuban is not the one that sets the lineups.

Really? I thought he did. /sarcasm

My first point is that he brings in new players and chases guys like in a fantasy league.

My second point is that a better lineup utilization for the team would have been to have Caron off the bench and playing as little as possible with Dirk. Butler creates decent (not great) shots for himself. If he's playing with Dirk, those Shots are coming at the expense of shots Dirk would have taken or Dirk likely would have been creating for others.

[pearljammer10]

I think Dirk needs to leave Dallas. His time there is up and he needs a change of scenery after failing in the first round soooo many times. He is a superstar, offensively, yet, he is not going to win a title in Dallas unless they bring in a first optioned superstar or a first tier captain with leadership skills and and overall "team" mentality.

I think Dirk has proven that he can't achieve this, Cuban has put so many different weapons around him and he still comes up short...

However, you put him in Miami with Wade, instantly the Heat move up to number 2 maybe even number 1 in the East. Wade has proven he can win a championship (yes he did have Shaq too) but he has that killer instinct that Dirk lacks to be the teams number one guy. Dirk and Wade in Miami surrounded by Haslem, a young Beasly, youngs like Wright and Chamlers, get a legit vet point and a defensive minded center, that team wins the championship hands down.

[Overrated]

Sources: Nowitzki to opt out

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nba/news/story?id=5210625

The Dallas Mavericks are expecting star forward Dirk Nowitzki to opt out of his contract late next month and become an unrestricted free agent July 1, according to sources close to the situation.

The Mavericks, though, continue to negotiate with Nowitzki on a contract extension in hopes of convincing him to pre-empt his free agency. They remain confident that the leading scorer in franchise history is staying with the only team with which he's ever played, even if Nowitzki winds up joining the most anticipated free-agent class in league history.

The sides have until the end of June to reach terms on an extension that would keep Nowitzki off the open market, but sources told ESPN.com this week that it's more likely -- with free agency less than 40 days away -- that the nine-time All-Star becomes an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.

[nickagneta]

Sources: Nowitzki to opt out

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nba/news/story?id=5210625

The Dallas Mavericks are expecting star forward Dirk Nowitzki to opt out of his contract late next month and become an unrestricted free agent July 1, according to sources close to the situation.

The Mavericks, though, continue to negotiate with Nowitzki on a contract extension in hopes of convincing him to pre-empt his free agency. They remain confident that the leading scorer in franchise history is staying with the only team with which he's ever played, even if Nowitzki winds up joining the most anticipated free-agent class in league history.

The sides have until the end of June to reach terms on an extension that would keep Nowitzki off the open market, but sources told ESPN.com this week that it's more likely -- with free agency less than 40 days away -- that the nine-time All-Star becomes an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.

TP for the heads up.

Excellent article that kind of makes you wonder about Paul Pierce's situation and how that might work since Nowitzki's and Pierce's contracts and situations are as near to identical as two players situations can be.

[Who]

Sources: Nowitzki to opt out

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nba/news/story?id=5210625

The Dallas Mavericks are expecting star forward Dirk Nowitzki to opt out of his contract late next month and become an unrestricted free agent July 1, according to sources close to the situation.

The Mavericks, though, continue to negotiate with Nowitzki on a contract extension in hopes of convincing him to pre-empt his free agency. They remain confident that the leading scorer in franchise history is staying with the only team with which he's ever played, even if Nowitzki winds up joining the most anticipated free-agent class in league history.

The sides have until the end of June to reach terms on an extension that would keep Nowitzki off the open market, but sources told ESPN.com this week that it's more likely -- with free agency less than 40 days away -- that the nine-time All-Star becomes an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.

TP for the heads up.

Excellent article that kind of makes you wonder about Paul Pierce's situation and how that might work since Nowitzki's and Pierce's contracts and situations are as near to identical as two players situations can be.

Pierce won't be able to command as much money as Dirk is in free agency.

Pierce is best off staying with his current contract and asking Ainge for a three year extension. Probably at $10 million a year.

Dirk will get offered a maximum contract by Dallas.