A little over a week ago, Tim Cato and Sam Amick of The Athletic released an article detailing a rift in the Dallas Mavericks front office. Almost immediately after Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tweeted that the article was “Total bullshit”. However, shortly after that, Donnie Nelson was fired, and Rick Carlisle resigned as head coach. The cause of the rift? Bob Voulgaris. Voulgaris, a well-known sports gambler, was hired by Cuban in 2018. His job title was director of quantitative research and development. However, his role took on much more than that. It turns out Voulgaris took on a role as a shadow GM. Initiating transactions, dictating rotations, and even frustrating Luka.
This rift has the Mavs front office fearing Voulgaris could have jeopardized Luka’s future in Dallas. It already resulted in the resignation of their 13-year head coach, Rick Carlisle. Longtime General Manager Donnie Nelson was also fired as a result.
However, to counteract and possibly distract from this it was announced Dirk Nowitzki as a special advisor. Dirk will assist in the hiring process of the new GM and consult on other front-office decisions. But Nowitzki isn’t the only possible Maverick reunion. On Thursday, it was announced Jason Kidd may reunite with the team he won a championship with. This time, as head coach.
Head coach – Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd has a decent track record as head coach. In his one year in Brooklyn, Kidd led the Nets to the Playoffs and a first-round win. However, Kidd wanted more power in the organization which forced an exit to the Milwaukee Bucks after one year. The Bucks traded two second round draft picks for the coach.
Despite leading the Bucks to the playoffs his teams never finished more than two games above .500 and he was fired in 2018. His dismissal came midway through his fourth season as head coach. Kidd was let go with a 183-190 record as head coach. Above all that he achieved in Milwaukee, the evolution of Giannis Antetokounmpo stands supreme.
While in Milwaukee, Kidd helped Giannis Antetokounmpo grow into the dominant player he is today. Antetokounmpo said of Kidd, “He trusted me. He put the ball in my hands. He pushed me to be great.” Jason Kidd helped revolutionize the point forward position by putting the ball in the hands of the greek freak. Subsequently, Antetokounmpo went on to be a 2x league MVP.
Luka Doncic
Can bringing Jason Kidd in to coach settle the tensions with Luka reported by the Athletic? The Hall of Fame point guard has a track record developing talent. Kidd has also been endorsed by Rick Carlisle, who stepped down last week.
“I just think that it would be a great situation for Luka, and I think it would be an amazing situation for Jason.” Says Carlisle. “I’m the only person on the planet that’s coached both of those guys and that knows about all of their special qualities as basketball players. To me, that just would be a great marriage, but that’s just an opinion.”
It is a little bit odd having the former coach name who he believes should be his replacement. But another layer to it is one top candidate for the Mavericks is Jamahl Mosley. A Mavs assistant coach has a strong relationship with Luka Doncic. Would choosing another head coach hurt the relationship with Dallas’ front office even more? Luka is eligible for a supermax extension this offseason, and there are talks his desire to stay in Dallas could be in jeopardy.
Doncic has had a public outburst with Voulgaris already. The dysfunction surrounding the Mavs front office has put a ticking time clock on putting a contending team around him. Could hiring the wrong coach cause further distrust in the Mavericks organization?
Coaching Luka makes the Mavericks one of the more attractive coaching openings, but who is the right choice?
Unanswered questions
Will the Mavericks consult Doncic in their search? How much interest does he have in Jamahl Mosley being head coach? Can Jason Kidd help further the advancement of Luka Doncic?
According to reports from Tim MacMahon and Adrian Wojnarowski, it looks like the deal with Kidd is close to closing. What impact will Kidd have on salvaging the franchise dysfunction.
Jason Kidd has been one of the top coaching candidates this offseason. After spending two seasons as the lead assistant for the Lakers he seems ready to make his return to coaching. However, it is clear the Mavericks need more help than coaching. This season was a major disappointment from Kristaps Porzingis, and the team is definitely lacking some depth. Whatever coach the team hires, they clearly need roster upgrades to support their star.
Most importantly, if the Mavericks failed to discuss the hiring of Jason Kidd with Luka Doncic, the move could hurt the franchise more than it saves it. They cannot afford for a generational talent like Luka to leave. They especially cant afford the loss to be because of a front-office schism caused by Bob Voulgaris, who remains with the team.
