| The Summer Of Maturity Authored by Jeff Stotts - August 28, 2005 - 4:10 pm
Flashback to May 20, 2005. Steve Nash is bringing the ball up the court. Never mind that the you have been walking in this guy’s shadow since you were traded or that guy is averaging 28 points and 12 dimes per game, but the guy is the league MVP. So why instead of fouling like everyone knows you should, do you let the Canadian and Ex-Mav pull up and nail a trey that sends the game to OT and eventually you and your team to an early summer? You can’t explain it and then to make things worse here comes Dirk and boy does he look mad. He yells and you never fully recover. Neither does Nowitzki and in the end the Mavericks go fishing.
There’s no doubt this unfortunate sequence has plagued Jason Terry all summer. After a stellar first round against Houston he sees it all slip away with one mental lapse. However, you can’t fault Terry for showing a little immaturity. The truth is immaturity has been a constant presence in Dallas since Mark Cuban took over the team in 2000. Yes the Mavericks have been entertaining and been in upper echelon franchise but that elusive championship has remained out of reach.
The lack of maturity started at the top. The free-spending Cuban did everything his pocket book would allow him to do, signing numerous players to big contracts. Michael Finley, Raef Lafrentz, even Evan Eschmeyer all got big dollar deals. The money was spent but not wisely. When free agents wouldn’t come Cubes traded for players to get them here. Jamison, Walker, Van Exel. Gone, gone, and gone.
The immaturity trickled down. Don Nelson was a great coach but his coaching style won’t win a title because it lacks…you guessed it, maturity. The players felt the effects too. Terry’s slip up was somewhat explainable since it was the Terry’s first trip to the postseason after five seasons in Atlanta, the NBA equivalent of basketball purgatory, but Nowitzki’s Game 6 tirade showed he has yet to become the mature superstar he needs to be. Mental discipline was what Nash had always brought to the table and without his calming presence Dallas struggled.
Yet something happened this off-season Mark Cuban and his Mavericks started to mature and it took them waiving their eldest statesman to do it.
Michael Finley’s departure wasn’t an easy decision. Saying goodbye to a former face of your franchise never is, but it had to be done. Cuban himself has admitted his error in his early free-spending days and is attempting to right these wrongs. It started with Avery Johnson becoming head coach. The Little General seems wise beyond his years and is stressing defense and discipline. He knows what it takes to reach the promised land and wants to do it his way. Cuban agrees. That’s why he resigned Darrell Armstrong and then went out and signed Doug Christie and DeSagana Diop. These aren’t the typical noise-making deals we’ve grown accustom to from Cuban. They are instead plugs to the holes Avery thinks needs fixing. Christie knows how to move the ball from his days in Sacramento and should help defend the pick and roll that killed the Mavs last year. While Diop’s success hinges on potential it never hurts to have a 7-footer in the cupboard. Together Avery and Cuban are attempting to build a championship team from within rather than tearing it down and rebuilding.
So here we stand with training camp right around the corner and weird things are happening in Dallas. Mark Cuban is talking financial flexibility. The head coach is stressing defense and the players all seem to be buying into what Avery is selling. It seems like the Mavericks may at last be growing up. |
