Who could have imagined the Mavericks in the NBA Finals when they chose Derek Lively II with the 12th pick in the Draft a year ago? Getting to the Finals after having participated in the “lottery” a year earlier is rare but Mark Cuban is no longer a bet away, and he was fined $750,000 for letting the end of the season slip away. The goal ? Keep this famous Draft choice.
This risky bet is one of Mark Cuban's latest as sports boss at the Mavs. From now on, Nico Harrison will have to report to Patrick Dumont, who took control of the franchise. The end of Mark Cuban's reign ends with a somewhat unexpected finale. The third after 2006 and 2011.
“That’s when we beat OKC,” answers Mark Cuban when asked when he thought about the Finals. “They were 1st in the West, they had Chet Holmgren and could therefore play five out. They had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who finished 2nd in MVP. They didn't really have any weaknesses. They are a superb defensive team, athletic as hell, everyone had to help. »
Three winning bets
But before eliminating the Thunder, then the Wolves, Mark Cuban had made real in-depth changes. It all started in the summer of 2021 when he recruited Nico Harrison as GM of the Mavs even though he had no experience in the NBA. Certainly a former professional basketball player, the latter mainly worked for 19 years at Nike. Exit Donnie Nelson, the faithful among the faithful with whom the divorce went very badly (and is still not over…) while Mark Cuban praises his complementarity with his new leader.
“I didn’t know Nico, but everyone said amazing things about him,” reports the former majority owner of the Mavs. “And I knew what Nico was good at, what I wasn't good at, and vice versa. Nico had connections. He moved up the corporate ladder. He knew how to manage people. He knew how to manage processes. He understood basketball and knew basketball players. But what he didn't know in terms of team management, I knew. »
As is often the case when a new GM arrives, the coach leaves. It is Rick Carlisle, weakened, who takes the lead: he resigns! Stunned, Mark Cuban sees a 13-year-old traveling companion leave. Taken by surprise, he decided to rely on the history of the franchise. Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley approach management, and as coach, Mark Cuban decides to appoint Jason Kidd. His former point guard failed at the Nets and Bucks, but his rating rose with his stint as an assistant at the Lakers. New bet paid off since in the first season, the Mavericks reached the conference final!
Kyrie Irving is reborn in Dallas
All that remains is to take one more step, and this time, we must find the superstar capable of combining with Luka Doncic. The Kristaps Porzingis experiment came to an end, and Mark Cuban and Nico Harrison took a big risk: they went looking for Kyrie Irving, who had become a pariah in Brooklyn.
“Of course there was a risk”concedes Nico Harrison. “There is no doubt about it. But I knew Kyrie, I knew how talented he was. And I just believe in taking a guy like Kyrie, who I know is a hard worker. I know his character. You put him in a good environment, he will flourish. So yes, there was a risk, but I believed in the very essence of Kyrie. »
It is all the more risky as Kyrie Irving's success will not be immediate. The synergy will take time to create and the Mavericks will finish the season with a record of 8-18 after his arrival. They will even miss the playoffs, and we know why… But “Uncle Drew” will very quickly be entitled to his redemption.
“Of course, they were risks,” measure Mark Cuban on the arrivals of Harrison, Kidd and Irving. “There were a lot of people who doubted these choices. But each of them brought a unique set of skills that I didn't have, that the franchise hadn't had, and that I considered valuable and important. »
When you have Luka Doncic, you can't be patient
December 2023, the NBA validates the sale of the Mavericks, and the Cuban – Harrison tandem still has a small window to make a final brushstroke. This will be Mark Cuban's last trade deadline.
In the past, he had accustomed us to resounding “blockbuster trades”. This time, he plays it smart to recover PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford. A less risky bet this time because it only involves role players, but he and Nico Harrison hit the nail on the head! This pair of interiors, starters upon their arrival, will cure Dallas' defensive ailments and provide an additional offensive threat on lobbed passes and 3-pointers in the corners. This is what Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic needed to bring more danger. This is what will allow the Mavericks to finish the season with a cannonball, and to go all the way to the NBA final.
“Luck plays such a role, that if you wait for it, you have to be very, very, very patient,” concludes Mark Cuban. “We knew we had generational talent with Luka, and I couldn't see us going down a path where we just had to be patient. »
