Dirk Nowitzki leaving the Dallas Mavericks would be a long shot, especially since he said he intends to pick up his player option in his contract for 2016-17, but that won't stop head coach Rick Carlisle from doing everything he can to make sure the face of the franchise doesn't depart.
"We've got to hope that this isn't Dirk's last game as a Maverick," Carlisle said after Monday's 118-104 season-ending Game 5 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, per James Herbert of CBS Sports. "I'm ready to get on a plane and go to Germany and recruit him to be back. But I don't think we can take that for granted. We got to give him that kind of respect."
The Mavericks were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the fourth time in five years since winning the 2011 NBA Finals.
Carlisle, who has been the Mavericks head coach since the 2008-09 season, called coaching Nowitzki a "life-changing" experience, per Herbert.
"I think he will be back, but I don't want anybody to just assume anything," Carlisle said.
Nowitzki said he plans to finish out his contract in Dallas as long as owner Mark Cuban ...
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Article written by Danny Webster
Rick Carlisle Comments on Dirk Nowitzki’s Future with Mavericks
April 26th, 2016 by Danny Webster Leave a reply »
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