The Evolution of Your Quiet Mavericks Leader, Dirk Nowitzki

Dirk Nowitzki will never be mistaken for that in-your-face, rally the troops guy.  Yet, he has grown and embraced the role as the Dallas Mavericks leader this past season.

Case in point:
When the Mavericks took a 2-nothing lead over the Lakers, he warned his teammates not to get too excited.

"Dirk got on us when we won two games in LA," Deshawn Stevenson brought up after the Mavericks beat Oklahoma City to advance to the Finals.  "We got our leader and franchise player saying that and he doesn't have a smile on his face; it just makes you sit back and realize there's more work to do."  

JJ Barea added to the story during Monday's practice at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. 

"He said, 'It's only 2-nothing we gotta go home and still take this' I never seen him talk like that.  He didn't look right."

Barea added the last part jokingly but his point is well-taken.  Nowitzi hasn't been a player who is a "win one for the Gipper" guy.  But he has developed into a player who will speak to his teammates when he feels it is necessary

"He's been doing it this year a little bit more.  He's even talking this year," Barea said.  "His work ethic, the look in his eyes, his body language, everybody just wants to follow him." 

I still think the Mavericks are still more of leader-by-committee team with Jason Kidd and even Tyson Chandler stepping up to the plate.  But when your best player, in this case Dirk Nowitzki, is sending a message, it's important that his teammates listen.  And in the Mavericks case, they are.

2011 NFL Lockout vs NBA Lockout

With the NFL lockout in full swing, the upcoming possible NBA lockout this summer has almost been forgotten.  Sure it's in the back of some fans' minds but for the most part, they're focused on their teams' playoff seeding and how they're closing out the regular season.

NBA players are preparing for the worst.  Just like many of their Dallas Cowboys counterparts admitted during the NFL season, many Dallas Mavericks players are anticipating it.  Mavs guard Jason Terry joked one day during practice this fall that they are all trying to save their money.  I'm sure NBA players version of saving is much different from ours.  It's all relative.

The New York Times Sunday magazine examines which league and, subsequently, which commissioner is better suited to handle a lockout.  What made me giggle was that the only NBA and NFL owners author Tommy Craggs cited were our very own Mark Cuban and Jerry Jones.

Ponder for a moment that both commissioners are peddling what is essentially an upward redistribution of wealth into the hands of guys like Jerry Jones and Mark Cuban. It’s going to take some real salesmanship to get the public to go for that. So who’s better equipped to do it?

NBA All-Star In Dallas

This year's All-Star weekend was kind of like that nice, little home-cooked meal your Grandma makes.  You're not too sure how it's going to be.  You know it could be awesome and some of Grandma's legendery home cooking (mine made phenomenal chicken and rice, along with the best tuna salad EVER).  Or it could have been the version that slipped in recent years.  The kind that you knew could be great but really missed the mark.  Frankly, I thought it was going to be the latter. 

I didn't think North Texas would be able to handle the traffic and insanity that was going to hit it.  But our little area did me proud.  Yes, downtown Dallas was a parking lot many times this weekend.  Jam Session, the Galleria, Northpark, nightclubs and restaurants were packed but I'll take it.