*Originally published on Suite101.com in 2011.
In the 1990s, the Dallas Mavericks were supposed to build the
franchise around Jason Kidd. Instead,
the rebirth of the Dallas Mavericks revolved around Dirk Nowitzki.
The Dallas Mavericks began franchise operations in
1980. Despite a holdout and refusal to
play for the team by first draft pick Kiki Vandeweghe, the Dallas Mavericks had
a good run in their initial years. The
team built up a strong core with draft picks other than Vandeweghe, obtaining
Mark Aguirre, Rolando Blackman, Sam Perkins, Derek Harper, Roy Tarpley, and
Detlef Schrempf. After 3 years of
sub-.500 records, former NBA Coach of the Year Dick Motta, as well as coaches
John MacLeod and Richie Adubato, helped lead the Mavericks to six playoff
appearances in seven years during the 1980s.
This included an appearance in the 1988 NBA Western Conference
Finals. However, the team then fell to
NBA Draft Lottery status with consecutive losing seasons in the 1990s.
The Three J’s: Jason
Kidd, Jamal Mashburn & Jimmy Jackson
The Dallas Mavericks turned back to the NBA Draft in hopes
of restoring franchise pride. Initially,
guard Jim Jackson caused problems by holding out after being selected by the
Mavericks in the 1992 NBA Draft. However,
he eventually signed, with the Mavericks landing two other potential franchise
cornerstones by drafting forward Jamal Mashburn in the 1993 NBA Draft and point
guard Jason Kidd in the 1994 NBA Draft. In
1994-1995, Kidd, Mashburn, and Jackson helped lead the team to a respectable
36-46 record, with Kidd being named co-NBA Rookie of the Year. However, even the return of Dick Motta as Head
Coach was not enough to hold the core group together for more than a couple
years. After Mashburn lost most of the
1995-1996 NBA season to knee surgery and the Three J’s continued to struggle to
work well together, all three were traded away, ending the hopes of restoring
franchise pride with these potential franchise cornerstones.
The New Big Three: Steve
Nash, Dirk Nowitzki & Michael Finley
In trading Jason Kidd and others, the Dallas Mavericks
obtained guard/forward Michael Finley as one of the franchise’s new
cornerstones. Next, Don Nelson joined
the Dallas Mavericks as General Manager and eventually took over for Jim
Cleamons as Head Coach. In the process,
Don Nelson traded Jamal Mashburn and Jim Jackson in multiplayer trades, helping
the Mavericks acquire role players such as center Shawn Bradley and
forward/center Kurt Thomas. Then, Don
Nelson and the Dallas Mavericks found two other new cornerstones during the
1998 NBA Draft. The team acquired rookie
forward/center Dirk Nowitzki and young point guard Steve Nash via draft-day
trades. After a couple years of sub-.500
basketball, the Dallas Mavericks began a streak of eleven consecutive playoff
appearances as of this season (2010-2011), including a loss in the 2003 Western
Conference Finals.
2006 NBA Finals:
Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat
Unfortunately, the Dallas Mavericks lost point guard Steve
Nash via free agency in 2004. To
compensate, the Mavericks acquired rookie point guard Devin Harris from the
Washington Wizards and young guard Jason Terry from the Atlanta Hawks. Then, Avery Johnson took over as Head Coach
in mid-season, with Michael Finley leaving the Mavericks after a second round
loss in the 2005 NBA Playoffs. Yet, Dirk
Nowitzki remained a cornerstone for the Dallas Mavericks. With Avery Johnson coaching Nowitzki, Terry,
and Harris, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio
Spurs, and Phoenix Suns—with Michael Finley on the Spurs and NBA MVP Steve Nash
on the Suns—en route to the 2006 NBA Finals.
Despite a 2-0 lead in the 2006 NBA Finals, Nowitzki and the Mavericks
fell 4-2 to the Miami Heat, who were led by returned Head Coach/General Manager
Pat Riley, guard Dwyane Wade, and center Shaquille O’Neal. Furthermore, former Mavericks forward Antoine
Walker served as the Miami Heat’s third-leading scorer in the Heat’s 2006 NBA Playoffs
run.
Jason Kidd Returns to
the Dallas Mavericks
After former Mavericks forward Antoine Walker helped the Miami
Heat defeat the Dallas Mavericks in 2006, Dirk Nowitzki helped the Mavericks
earn the best record in the NBA during the 2006-2007 NBA season. For his efforts, Nowitzki was named 2006-2007
NBA MVP. However, more pain would be
felt in the playoffs, as former Mavericks Head Coach/General Manager Don Nelson
helped the Golden State Warriors upset the #1 seed Dallas Mavericks in the 2007
NBA Playoffs. Recognizing the need for
the Mavericks to stay atop the Western Conference and capitalize on the prime
years of the careers of Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry, President Donnie Nelson
(son of Don Nelson) turned his attention to Jason Kidd. In February 2008, the Dallas Mavericks traded
cornerstone point guard Devin Harris to reacquire former cornerstone point
guard Jason Kidd. With that, Jason Kidd
returned to the place he had hoped to lead to the NBA Championship during the
1990s.
After a first round loss in the 2008 NBA Playoffs, the Dallas
Mavericks hired Rick Carlisle as their new Head Coach. The Mavericks also managed to bring in key
young players such as J.J. Barea and Rodrigue Beaubois and recruited displaced
veterans such as Shawn Marion, Caron Butler, Tyson Chandler, Brendan Haywood,
DeShawn Stevenson, and Peja Stojakovic—none of whom have won the NBA
Championship. With these role players, along
with cornerstones Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, and Jason Kidd and coach Rick
Carlisle, the Dallas Mavericks find themselves back in the NBA Finals, playing
in the 2011 NBA Finals against either the Miami Heat (who defeated them for the
2005-2006 NBA Championship) or the Chicago Bulls. With a team full of people seeking
redemption, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry hope to capture their first NBA
Championship alongside Jason Kidd, of whom the Dallas Mavericks hoped would
close all the gaps 17 years ago.
Sources:
Basketball-Reference.com.
Accessed May 26, 2011.
Garcia, Art.
“Kidd-napped: Mavs add All-Star point guard Jason Kidd.” February 19, 2008. From Mavs.com. Accessed May 26, 2011.
“Mavs History.” From
NBA.com. Accessed May 26, 2011.
NBA.com. Accessed May
26, 2011.
News Wire Services.
“Jason Kidd re-signs with Mavericks, takes money over Knicks.” The Daily
News. July 6, 2009. From NYDailyNews.com. Accessed May 26, 2011.
Taylor, Phil. “Agony
of D-feat.” Sports Illustrated. December
18, 1995. From
SportsIllustrated.com. Accessed May 26,
2011.
Youngmisuk, Ohm.
“Jason excited about teaming with Vince, RJ.” The
Daily News. November 1, 2005. From NYDailyNews.com. Accessed May 26, 2011.