Dirk and LeBron – Careers at a Crossroads

I hadn’t thought about it until recently after seeing various articles across these here Internets, but the parallels between the careers of Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James are downright creepy at the moment. Granted, Dirk has nowhere near the talent and starpower LeBron has, but consider:

- both are considered revolutionary in the evolution of the game
- both are singularly connected to their home cities
- both have been “the man” for their respective teams for some time now
- both have taken what are considered to be subpar teams to the NBA Finals
- both of those teams were essentially swept aside (the Cavs literally, the Mavs losing the last 4 after winning the first 2)
- both have seen their teams exit the playoffs way earlier than expected
- both carry the bulk of the blame for their teams’ inability to advance in the playoffs
- both are pending free agents this summer (Dirk would have to opt out of his current deal)
- both could be playing elsewhere next season

I’m sure there’s more I missed but you should be getting the idea at this point. This summer is going to be a crucial one for both of these players as they decided what is more important to them: their legacy in their current city or winning an NBA championship.

With Dirk, you could say his legacy in Dallas is important to him. He currently owns and, if he stays, will own nearly every important offensive record in the Mavericks’ record book. Dallas is the only city in America he really knows after coming here from Germany as a teenager. He may just be too comfortable in his own skin to want to leave here.

On the other hand, Dirk has said in past interviews that winning a championship is very important to him and while he wants to bring a title to the city of Dallas, if he feels that isn’t possible he would think about going elsewhere to achieve that goal. As disconcerting as it would be to see Dirk in another team’s uniform, if he feels that’s the only option he has to win a title, then that’s the path he should go down. As good as Dirk is, I think he is part of the problem for the Mavs. More on that later.

LeBron has an even more interesting summer ahead as he is a free agent, rumored to be headed to any number of cities including Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Miami and the darkhorse, Dallas. Or he could stay in Cleveland. Who knows?

James has a pull that a singular player hasn’t had in quite some time. Another rumor floating is that he and current Kentucky head coach John Calipari (who are good friends) would be a package deal to whatever city LeBron decided to go to, with Calipari taking over as head coach. While unlikely, it is an interesting scenario to ponder while realizing how much power LeBron has in this decision.

LeBron is from the Cleveland area (Akron to be exact), but will that hometown loyalty be shown once the free agent process is over. Based on his performance in the Celtics series, I would be surprised if he returned to the Cavs. He played like he had one foot out the door and wanted to get the season over with so he could contemplate his next move, the biggest of his career so far.

I think LeBron moves on from Cleveland for one reason: a chance to rewrite his “legacy”. He was unable to bring a championship to his home team despite being surrounded by players of varying All-Star status. Now, LeBron can have more control over who he plays with.

Could one of those players be Dirk? While LeBron coming to Dallas would be a longshot, it is possible. And if it happens, what a frontcourt the Mavs would have with Dirk, LeBron and…Haywood? We’ll work on center, but those other two would work pretty well together. We know them working alone hasn’t amounted to much of anything.

One of the issues both players have is that they are both forwards, not traditionally thought of as an offensive position. Yet, they are the best offensive players on their teams. If they had a backcourt player who was a consistent threat on the offensive end, I probably wouldn’t be writing this story, but the Cavs and Mavs both keep going through backcourt players trying to find the right ones to work with there respective superstars. It hasn’t worked to this point.

I think the biggest equalizer in this summer’s free agency bonanza is Dwyane Wade. He is the kind of slashing guard that all teams would die to have and a team with Wade and Dirk or LeBron would be a very tough matchup. I would be able to forgive Wade for what he did in 2006 if he decided to join the Mavs.

Wade could also entice LeBron to go to Miami, who has a ton of cap space and , well, it’s Miami. LeBron, Wade and other top free agents are rumored to have a meeting to discuss the direction of the league and where guys could be headed in free agency. This just shows me how much power the players have in the NBA.

Would Mark Cuban break the bank to get LeBron or Wade in Dallas? I doubt it, since the Mavs are already over the cap and are rumored to be having financial issues. The only way either player is coming here is via sign and trade. The only question is, who do you give up to get either player? I would think anyone on the roster is fair game, outside of Dirk.

Careers at a crossroads. Many different ways those careers could end up. Let’s get ready for a wild and crazy summer!

Tagged as: Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, dirk nowitzki, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Mark Cuban, NBA