As we roll through the start of August, things are relatively quiet for the Dallas Mavericks. Though the shift to training camp and the start of the 2025-2026 season are still weeks away, that hasn’t stopped us from covering the Dallas Wings or taking a historical look back to some key dates in franchise history in our Throwback Thursday series as we while away the NBA doldrums.

As we conclude the so-called dog days of summer, we will pose and answer 41 questions (in honor of Dirk Nowitzki’s jersey number), 10 at a time, concluding with a final stand-alone question in the last part of the series. Join us in the comments section with your own responses – or critiques of other responses. Special shout-out to Dave Deckard for collating questions for us to pull from.

41. Who is the greatest player ever in Mavericks’ history?

Dirk Nowitzki. Luka Doncic was obviously well on his way to overtaking Nowitzki, but following Doncic’s departure, Nowitzki is sure to keep the crown for a long time to come. 21 years, leading in virtually every statistical category, a championship…

40. What is the best draft pick the Mavericks ever made?

Dirk Nowitzki. Though the Mavs technically didn’t draft him – they drafted and traded Robert Traylor for him – I’m disregarding the semantics (the trade allowed the Mavs to then trade for Steve Nash later that same draft night) knowing the Nelsons’ didn’t sequester Nowitzki in their basement because they planned on taking anyone else. He was their draft choice that year however you slice it.

39. What is the worst draft pick the Mavericks ever made?

Shane Larkin. Yes, I’ve once again broken the rules of the question since Larkin was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks at #18 and immediately traded to the Mavericks for #13, but like Nowitzki, Larkin was who the Mavs wanted. Dallas traded down to save a few dollars in an effort to have more money for the ever-elusive “big fish” free agent. Had they listened to Donnie Nelson, they could have selected Giannis Antetokounmpo who instead went to the Milwaukee Bucks with pick #15.

38. What moment in Mavericks’ history has confirmed your fandom most?

The Round 1 loss to the Golden State Warriors in 2007. Fresh off losing the last four games of the 2006 NBA Finals, the Mavs opened the following season losing four more. Then they ripped off 12 wins in a row en route to a 67-win season in which Dirk Nowitzki was the MVP. If you came back after back-to-back seasons that ended like 2006 and 2007, you were definitely a fan.

37. What moment in Mavericks’ history has come closest to making you quit as a fan?

See the response to Question 38.!

36. Who is the most underrated player currently on the roster?

P.J. Washington. Washington does all the things that go unnoticed. Last year before the injury plague got completely out of hand, Washington’s value was displayed by his absence.

35. Which eligible player in franchise history should have their number retired and why?

Michael Finley. Finley was the face of the franchise through the latter part of the dark days in team history. From there, he willingly adapted his game to allow Nowitzki to take the reigns. He finished his career elsewhere after being stretch-waived, but returned to Dallas as an executive. He’s been about as loyal to Dallas as anyone not named Dirk Nowitzki and his number should be in the rafters without question in my mind. Honorable mention to Mark Aguirre. Enough is enough already.

34. If you could redesign the NBA playoff system, what would you change?

After the NBA fixed the First Round to best-of-7 (from best-of-5), and the NBA Finals to a 2-2-1-1-1 format (from 2-3-2), there remains but one change I’d make. I would immediately and unceremoniously flush the Play In Tournament down the deepest toilet I could find. It does hardly anything to prevent tanking (it’s supposed reason for existing) and potentially awards a 10 Seed with the opportunity to get slaughtered by the 1 Seed. I grant its effectiveness in garnering the NBA more money and attention, but when gimmickry takes precedence over the integrity of the game, you can count me out.

33. If you could guarantee the Mavericks one championship over the next five years, but the cost was that you could not watch any of their games live, up to and including the championship victory, would you take that deal?

Yes. As difficult as it would be not watching, winning is the goal and I wouldn’t deprive myself or Mavs Nation from a guaranteed championship, especially if I could still cover the games and be in the loop via post-game highlights recaps.

32. How did you first become a Mavericks fan?

It largely comes down to Michael Finley and Dennis Rodman. Way back when, my brother and I played the video game NBA Live. We customized a team of young players, including Michael Finley, Robert Pack and Cedric Ceballos, all of whom eventually played for Dallas in real life, of course. That’s one way to follow a middling team! A few years later, Dennis Rodman came to Big D, which put my two favorite players (Finley and Rodman) on the Mavs. So, basically a video game and a couple players who remain my all-time favorites locked me in during the dark days!

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