During the 2011 season, the Dallas Mavericks won the championship. It was a most improbable run for everyone involved, including Dirk Nowitzki.
At times during a title year, star players can get frustrated for various reasons. Some have teammates to vent to, others have agents or families. But Nowitzki found respite in talking to — actually, complaining to then-assistant coaches Dwane Casey and Terry Stots, per Dwain Price of Mavs.com.
Dwane Casey (TOR) and Terry Stotts (PORT) were assistants as DAL won the 2011 title. Dirk: "I always went to those two guys to complain. I was like 'Dwane what are you doing with the defense?’ Same with Stotts. He was our offensive guy. I ran over like ‘Give me the ball Stotts!"
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) March 16, 2018
The comments from Nowitzki are clearly funny. Many times, fans hear stories or rumors about the way start players would talk to their coaches, trying as hard as possible to get something out of them, whether its was more minutes or touches or something else.
But it doesn't usually come out of the players' mouths unless they are particularly frustrated at the time, or they just decide to be open with the media on a particular day.
With Nowitzki nearing the end of this career, and possibly hinting that this year is his last year, it stands to reason that he would start telling fun stories about his times in the NBA. Perhaps he is deciding to let fans and the media in a little bit more because he is starting to see the writing on the wall.
What's interesting about his story is the fate of Stotts and Casey. They are both now head coaches in the NBA, and Casey has a legitimate chance this year to be named Coach of the Year with the job he is doing for the Toronto Raptors.
Stotts is doing a great job in Portland and is leading the Trail Blazers to the playoffs again this season.
So maybe all that complaining Nowitzki did all those years ago wasn't for nothing. The Mavericks got a title that year, and Casey and Stotts ended up with good jobs.
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