A truly excellent report from Eddie Sefko
The blunt question made Dirk Nowitzki uncomfortable. But it didn’t necessarily catch him by surprise, like he knew it was coming sooner or later:
If Avery Johnson was still coaching the Dallas Mavericks, would Nowitzki still be on the team?
It was more than just a rumor last season that Nowitzki had grown tired of Johnson’s system and coaching style. But was it really as bad as the whispers made it sound?
“I had a good time with Avery,” Nowitzki said Thursday. “But sometimes I wish we had communicated a little more. We all know Avery ran a little dictatorship here. I think this league is still a league of players, not a coaches league.”
Dirk continued
Nowitzki touched on a variety of topics, including his contract situation and, of course, the coaching change.
Johnson’s regimented style, along with his lack of offensive creativity, were two of the things that wore down Nowitzki and his teammates.
“You know me, I’m not always on the edge,” Nowitzki said about whether he and Johnson could have lasted another season together. “I usually keep stuff on the inside.
“It was a tough year for me, I’ve got to admit. I had a lot of bad games in November and December. And after that, I got to playing better, and Jason [Kidd] really helped my game after the All-Star Game. But it was an up-and-down year, and up-and-down years are never fun. I had to play hurt for us to get to the playoffs, and that obviously is not what we play for.”
And as for the Mavericks’ offense that slowed to a crawl, particularly in the playoffs, Nowitzki said:
“Avery had a really strong will of what should go on out there, and he controlled the game a lot. I don’t think there was enough movement going on. People were just sitting on our stuff, especially in the playoffs. We just couldn’t score enough.
“I don’t think we got enough easy stuff, either on the break or on cuts. Everything was post-ups or contested shots. It wasn’t easy. I don’t want to use this year to bash Avery. He took us to the Finals and did a phenomenal job. He came in and brought fire and enthusiasm.”
Dirk has a renewed sense of optimism with the acquisition of new head coach Rick Carlisle
Nowitzki said he is excited about the Mavericks’ prospects this season under Rick Carlisle. He already has been impressed with Carlisle’s communication skills and his commitment to a more uptempo offense.
Eddie Sefko clearly didn’t feel he’d given enough superb information on the Mavericks already, so he decided to cover Dirk’s opt out clause which would allow him to become a free agent next offseason.
Nowitzki also said that he’s eager for something else: being a free agent. He can opt out of his contract after 2009-10 or play it out through 2010-11. He said he has no intention of signing an extension next summer when he is eligible to do so.
“I kind of want to see what’s going to happen,” said Nowitzki, 30. “I don’t want to commit until I’m 35 or 36 and then [find out] I don’t want to play that long. But saying that now, everything is kind of out in the open. We’ll see how we play this year and hopefully bring some of the fun back.
“I’d love to finish my career here in Dallas,” he said. “Hopefully, we can win the championship here in the next three years and it’ll be great. And if not, we all have to keep our eyes and ears open to what’s going on.
Dirk made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t want to play past his sell by date. He doesn’t want to be one of those players that struggles to keep up and that has stayed in the game too long.
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