Dirk: No doubt I'll be with Mavs thru 2015-16 - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

fluid.forty.one · 02-24-2013, 10:40 PM

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/...2015-16-season

Dirk Nowitzki eyes another contract

By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com

DALLAS -- After his most dominant performance of a frustrating season, Dirk Nowitzki declared he has no doubt he'll play for the Dallas Mavericks at least through the 2015-16 season.

"When my [current] contract's up, I'm 36 and I'll definitely sign a couple more years," Nowitzki said after recording season highs of 30 points and 13 rebounds in Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. "It's still fun, but I don't know if I'll play until 40. But when I'm 36, definitely sign one more deal, maybe two or three years."

That reiterates the comments Nowitzki, whose contract expires after next season, made in November. However, Nowitzki acknowledged Sunday that he had doubts about continuing his career while struggling this season following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, a significant factor in the Mavs being in serious jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the first time in 12 seasons.

"Honestly, I had some doubts here when I came back," Nowitzki said. "It took so long. Is it ever going to come back? It was a tough stretch for me coming back from the surgery, but the way I feel now, I still think I can play a couple of years."

The 34-year-old Nowitzki missed the season's first 27 games and had his 11-year All-Star streak snapped. He has admittedly been "brutal" by his standards for most of the season, averaging 16.0 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 43.5 percent from the floor, statistics that are all lows since his rookie season in 1998-99. But he's looked like his old self lately, averaging 21.6 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 54.2 percent from the floor in the last five games.

"Obviously, if you're tall and you can shoot like Sam Perkins and those guys, they can play until the end of their 30s if you're out there and you're spreading the floor," Nowitzki said. "Obviously, in five, six years, if I make it that long, I'm not going to like take every shot in the fourth quarter, but I'm going to be out there spacing the floor and be smart if I make it that long.

"But I always say it's got to be fun. If it gets to the point that the fun is gone and I've got to go to work, I'd rather just retire. I've got this year and next year under contract, so I'll be 36 and for sure play a couple of more years."

Owner Mark Cuban has made it clear that there will be room for Nowitzki on the Mavs' roster until the 2011 NBA Finals MVP decides to retire.

"I want him to come back for forever," Cuban said in November. "I'll keep on signing him until he's 73 if he wants to keep on playing."

Nowitzki, who has repeatedly stated his intention is to retire as a Maverick, is due to make $22.7 million in the final season of his four-year, $80 million deal that expires next summer. He could have made another $16 million throughout the course of the contract, but Nowitzki signed for less to make the Mavs' pursuit of a championship less financially painful for Cuban.

The Mavs won the franchise's only title in the first season of Nowitzki's current contract after Cuban acquired center Tyson Chandler in a salary-dump deal from the Charlotte Bobcats.

After studying the new collective bargaining agreement, Cuban opted to let Chandler and other key members of the title team leave following the lockout the next offseason, opting to cut payroll and maintain financial flexibility. The Mavs' failure to upgrade their roster last summer, settling for several newcomers with one-year deals or expiring contracts after failing to sign Deron Williams, has been another source of frustration for Nowitzki.

"Once you've won it all and had that feeling, that excitement in the city and the franchise, you don't want to play basically for the eighth seed two straight years," Nowitzki said. "So it's been tough. We made some business decisions obviously we all know about, so we'll see what we get out of this. We have cap space for the first time in a long time. We'll see if we can make something happen this summer."

Nowitzki laughed when asked if he expected to continue making superstar money on his next deal.

"Well, I think it's a little too early to look, honestly," Nowitzki said. "Basically the last couple of times, there was not much negotiating going on. It was, 'Give me money and I'll stay,' right? I gave him a little discount last time.

"The CBA's changed. We'll talk about that when it gets to that point. I've still got this year and the full next year. We'll see what happens and where this franchise is. It all depends on a big summer. This is a big summer."

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Honestly, I'm kind of surprised by this. Depending on how this season and next season pan out (as far as the team entering a rebuilding mode or not), I wouldn't have been surprised if he hung it up at the end of this contract.

Definitely made my day.

Murphy3 · 02-24-2013, 11:07 PM

Fantastic news.

fluid.forty.one · 02-24-2013, 11:15 PM

Barring injury, Dirk could end up around 7th all time scoring.

sike · 02-24-2013, 11:45 PM

Happy to hear.

chumdawg · 02-25-2013, 01:24 AM

How bad is it to root more for Dirk than for Mark Cuban--whoops, I meant "the Mavs."

Melonhead · 02-25-2013, 01:44 AM

"This is a big summer."

I think this summer could determine if he really does sign another deal.

But it really makes me happy to hear this.

yahyes · 02-25-2013, 02:01 AM

Long live Dirk!

Mav-er-ick · 02-25-2013, 02:12 PM

What are the chances that Dirk signs on for another couple years but takes a deep discount in order to fill the roster with better players? I'm talking more than the 4m/year discount he gave us a couple of years ago when he signed his current contract. Similar to Duncan's 3y/30m contract.

Dirk already has his money, so now the last few years should be about boosting his legacy.

BGMaverick9 · 02-25-2013, 04:41 PM

To an extent, the situation with Tom Brady now is somewhat relevant and would hold a somewhat similar cache if Dirk were to do something in the realm of taking another discount.

The thing is, you would think there's a likelihood of his game deteriorating. I'm not saying he falls off the cliff, but he doesn't perform at the level of an elite player. That would have to mean he takes a cut of some kind. In addition to that, it's a different level with the new CBA. Max money guys don't make the same money as they do now. The tiers drop off just the same with the next players down.

It'll be interesting.

bgbg32 · 02-28-2013, 02:29 AM

I just can't see the Mavs getting the kind of players and chemistry needed to win another title in even 4 or 5 years. I think if Dirk can sign with a real contender, he should be allowed to go in his final two or three years.

SMC0007 · 02-28-2013, 10:17 AM

I don't fully understand leaving a home you built for so long, to help someone else win. After you spent all your career fighting for it. Clearly his jersey will be retired here and nowhere else. He will go in the HOF as a Mav.

If he goes somewhere else, he may add to his ring collection but it's NOT the same. He would be a helper anywhere else. The ring would be smaller, and less shiny so to speak. If he won another here, even if he weren't the main guy it would still be HIS. Because the team and city is his and I can't fathom anyone else taking that from him. Not for a very long time. I hate to see him lose, but I think I'd hate to see him go more.

twelli · 02-28-2013, 08:07 PM

Problem is, losing sucks. It takes a lot to get in shape and be ready to play at this high level. You need to be motivated, play for something else than just making the playoffs. This is especially the case for someone in the mid-thirties. At one point I can see Dirk saying, it's no point playing on a mediocre team, I still have it and can proof it elsewhere. If he has the chance to play together with a younger super star I think he will think about it.

markus1234 · 02-28-2013, 08:22 PM

Losing sucks and losing ruins your reputation sooner or later. To some degree sports is about "what have you done for me lately"...and we sucked 2 seasons in a row already. It's not good for Dirk and for Rick Carlisle. One more season like this and people will start pointing fingers and question their quality...

twelli · 02-28-2013, 09:38 PM

Maybe we should just relax a bit and wait what happens in the offseason.

Two years after the Heat won against us in the Finals, they won 15 games. Three years later they where back in the Finals. We probably won't land LeBron and Bosh, but we might sign some high-quality players.

2011-12 Miami 46 20 .697 1st Southeast Division 16 7 .696 Won NBA Finals
2010-11 Miami 58 24 .707 1st Southeast Division 14 7 .667 Lost NBA Finals
2009-10 Miami 47 35 .573 3rd Southeast Division 1 4 .200 Lost East Conf 1st Rd
2008-09 Miami 43 39 .524 3rd Southeast Division 3 4 .429 Lost East Conf 1st Rd
2007-08 Miami 15 67 .183 5th Southeast Division - - - DNQ
2006-07 Miami 44 38 .537 1st Southeast Division 0 4 .000 Lost East Conf 1st Rd
2005-06 Miami 52 30 .634 1st Southeast Division 16 7 .696 Won NBA Finals

The Lakers lost the Finals and didn't make the playoffs a year later, they were back in business three years later. It's up to the front office to make thinks happen.

2008-09 Los Angeles 65 17 .793 1st Pacific Division 16 7 .696 Won NBA Finals
2007-08 Los Angeles 57 25 .695 1st Pacific Division 14 7 .667 Lost NBA Finals
2006-07 Los Angeles 42 40 .512 2nd Pacific Division 1 4 .200 Lost West Conf 1st Rd
2005-06 Los Angeles 45 37 .549 3rd Pacific Division 3 4 .429 Lost West Conf 1st Rd
2004-05 Los Angeles 34 48 .415 4th Pacific Division - - - DNQ
2003-04 Los Angeles 56 26 .683 1st Pacific Division 13 9 .591 Lost NBA Finals

Interestingly the Heat and Lakers have identical playoff records for the last four respective seasons listed above..

dude1394 · 02-28-2013, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markus1234

Losing sucks and losing ruins your reputation sooner or later. To some degree sports is about "what have you done for me lately"...and we sucked 2 seasons in a row already. It's not good for Dirk and for Rick Carlisle. One more season like this and people will start pointing fingers and question their quality...

Hell it's already happening. The fire Carlisle crap is all over the place.