Dallas Mavericks Leaning Toward Starting Dirk Nowitzki at Center Over Nerlens Noel
Nerlens Noel has had a rough offseason so far. The 23-year-old center probably thought he was going to sign a lucrative long-term deal as a restricted free agent this summer, but he never received the offer that he wanted from the Dallas Mavericks or any other team in the league.
The Mavericks actually offered him a fair deal, but he turned it down. In the end, Noel opted to sign a one-year, $4.1 million qualifying offer with the Mavericks, and this will allow him to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
Noel didn't get the contract he wants, but at least he's going to be the starter at center, right? Well, not exactly.
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During the team's media day on Monday, Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters that he has informed Noel and his agent that he plans to start Dirk Nowitzki at center next season.
"I basically said to them that I'm not sure that he's going to start. At this point in time, Dirk at the 5 position is probably the best scenario for Dirk and for our team, and I just don't think that Dirk is a guy that's going to come off the bench as long as I'm here. So there's a very good chance that Nerlens will come off the bench. Look, he said he's good with it," Carlisle said, via ESPN.
That's an interesting way to look at things. The Mavericks can definitely play at a quicker pace with Nowitzki at pivot and he can draw opposing bigs to the perimeter. But the 13-time All-Star isn't exactly an elite rim protector and his rebounding numbers aren't as good as they were before. The Mavericks may have to give up a lot on the defensive end of the floor if they do this.
Still, Nowitzki has played a lot of minutes at center throughout his career, so he knows what he has to do to help his team win.
