Four Years Ago Today: Mavericks Receive Championship Rings

Photo: twitter.com/DallasMavs

Four years ago today. But let’s be honest, the way the past few seasons of Dallas Mavericks basketball have gone– from the Lamar Odom trade debacle to Eddy Curry starting a Season Opener to Dwight Howard to DeAndre Jordan back to another major trade fail in Rajon Rondo— it really feels like it’s been a decade at least since Dirk Nowitzki hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

 

It was late January in 2012, a date far past the conclusion of the Mavericks Finals defeat over the Miami Heat on June 12 of 2011. The NBA entered a lockout after the season and the first games weren’t played until Christmas Day.

 

 

The Mavericks were part of the Holiday schedule, as they got blasted by the team they beat seven months prior. But they did unveil their Championship banner.

 

As you may have realized by now, Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban broke up the 2010-2011 Championship roster with delusions of grandeur in the names of Deron Williams then Dwight Howard then Chris Paul then…you know how the story goes. Han Solo would have been very disappointed. 

 

The Mavs only returned eight players from the team that won it all. Dirk, Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Brendan Haywood, Brian Cardinal, Dominique Jones and Rodrigue Beaubois.

 

Among the dearly departed were Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea. 

 

Tyson’s New York Knicks wouldn’t be visiting Dallas until March but Barea’s Timberwolves were in town exactly one month after the season started. 

 

So it was settled. January 25th vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves would be Ring Night.

 

 

Dirk and J.J. were both out with injuries but in with flashy suits. So was Peja Stojakovic, who had retired after the 2011 season. 

 

An absolutely emotional night for the Dallas Mavericks community (read: #MFFL’s) with Head Coach Rick Carlisle introducing ‘Dat Dood Big Daddy Tall Baller From The G’ as a “Ten-time All-Star, 2007 league MVP, 2011 Finals MVP; one day soon we’ll have a statue outside the AAC, without question, the greatest player in Mavericks history — Dirk Nowitzki.”

 

Dirk thanked, among many, Owner Mark Cuban. Despite all the negatives listed above as to what happened afterward, there’s no doubt that Cuban spends his every moment trying to improve his Dallas Mavericks.

 

 

“Without this man, nothing was possible,” said Nowitzki. “He’s the greatest owner in sports. Here’s Mark Cuban. Thank you very much.”

 

Tyson, Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson and Corey Brewer would later receive their rings when their respective new teams visited.

 

Let’s raise a glass to getting back there…With this Dood. 

 

Photo: twitter.com/DallasMavs