A last-minute change to Dirk Nowitzki’s travel plans has Mavericks fans nervous… and it could be a positive sign for the Knicks.
Nowitzki, who became a free agent after opting out of the final year of his deal, was to fly from Germany to Dallas today, to meet with Mavs president Donnie Nelson and start talking about a new deal. But there’s been a change in plans. Nowitzki will fly to New York first, and then proceed to Big D tomorrow.
The Mavericks are downplaying the notion that Nowitzki’s change of plans was meant to accommodate a meeting with the Knicks, Nets or any other team, and Dallas teammate Jason Kidd is reportedly planning to meet Nowitzki in Manhattan for dinner.
Many consider Nowitzki to be the ideal big man for Mike D’Antoni’s offensive system, but it’s likely the Knicks would prefer to build around a younger player; Nowitzki just celebrated his 32nd birthday in June.
Of course, Nowitzki-to-the-Knicks – or any team but Dallas – should be considered the longest of long shots. According to some reports, Nowitzki is willing to take less-than-max money from Mark Cuban if it helps the Mavs build a title contender. Nelson will have some flexibility to add pieces this summer; Erick Dampier’s $13 million contract is only partially guaranteed, making it tremendously valuable to any team looking to cut costs, and Caron Butler’s $10.5 million deal expires after the 2010-11 season.
Original Story:
http://blogs.msg.com/gameon/2010/07/0...
