What? How is that even possible?
Could Dirk Nowitzki And Steve Nash Reunite In Phoenix?
Ah, you see, all this time we’ve been talking about LeBron James and Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson, blah blah blah... But the whole time, we’ve been missing the point. It reminds me of what Diego said to George Jung in 2001’s Blow:
Diego: Yes, you had a dream, George. But you failed. Why?
George: Because I got caught?
Diego: No, my brother. You failed because you had the wrong dream...
Back to reality, after the jump.
It’s a slim possibility first made popular by ESPN’s Bill Simmons:
Amare signs with Miami, Barbosa traded to OKC for nothing, Dirk signed with the created cap room. Done, done and done.
And today at ESPN’s The Two Man Game, the rumor is debunked:
We all love to explore realms of fantasy, whether they exist solely in free agent rumors, in movies or video games, or in poorly-written, contrived vampire novels. But they’re enjoyable precisely because they’re unlikely, and that’s the thing everyone needs to keep in mind before they even consider discussing a Nash-Nowitzki reunion.
It would take an incredible series of twists and turns for the mere option to even be on the table, and given Nowitzki’s import to Dallas and Phoenix’s extended playoff run, neither team would be particularly interested in accommodating the process. That’s especially important on the Suns’ side, as not only would Phoenix have to abandon the prospect of re-signing Amar’e Stoudemire in order to make a pass at Dirk, but they’d have to shed some pretty significant salary (in addition to Nowitzki agreeing to a suboptimal deal) by trading away quality players for nothing.
It’s fun, but this is all no better than the most ridiculous rumor mongering.
Or was it, really? That’s less of a “rumor debunked” and more of “rumor dismissed.”
And... Well, I’m going to have to completely disagree on this one. If we’re talking “ridiculous rumor mongering,” this Nash-Nowitzki stuff barely scratches the surface. That would be more like, “Did you hear about the sign-and-trade between Miami and New York and Toronto? Wade, Bosh, LeBron. One team. It could happen...”
No. It can’t. But this? Dirk Nowitzki leaving an aging Dallas squad for one last title shot with his good friend, and fellow superstar, Steve Nash? That’s possible.
Don’t worry, my brother. The dream is still alive, well, and bleary-eyed drunk:
Nowitzki’s already opted out of his deal, and if Phoenix were to let Amare go elsewhere, they could free up space for Dirk by trading Leandro Barbosa, as Simmons suggests. Take a step back.
- For the Phoenix Suns... the choice amounts to “Amare and Barbosa, or Dirk?” Given their past failures with Amare--and their apparent misgivings about signing him to a max deal, anyway--why wouldn’t Phoenix part ways with Barbosa to have the chance at Dirk?
- And for Nowitzki... After years of near-misses in Dallas, there’s a realistic chance that the team has maxed out. Dirk seems like a pretty loyal guy, so it’s a stretch, but it does make sense to think about Phoenix, right?
And then, for Dallas... Well, they have no control in any of this, so the fans and front office are probably better off pretending this possibility is totally far-fetched. Which looks like the plan.
But it’s not that far-fetched, it makes sense for both sides, and man... Wouldn’t it be fun?
(image via www.miloais.com)
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