The Dallas Mavericks have undergone a massive overhaul this offseason. Included in the many changes was the hiring of a new head coach, Dusty May, straight off winning the NCAA National Championship.
The May hiring seemingly came out of nowhere and a recent piece by The Athletic supports the notion of spontaneity. That said, there were underlying motivating factors, the right people in the right places and excellent timing that played big parts in May’s favorable response to the Mavericks.
The spontaneous ask
Mavericks’
GM, Mike Schmitz — himself a new hire in the organization overhaul — has a history with Dusty May, so it was not at all unusual for him to dial the coach’s phone on the morning of May 24. The purpose of the call was to inquire about the various Michigan players who would be available in the NBA Draft taking place just a month from when the call took place – one of whom, Morez Johnson, Jr., was of course selected by Dallas with their 9th pick. During that call, Schmitz took his shot. He asked May if he would be interested in the coaching vacancy in Dallas. May suggested he always had the desire to coach in the NBA, but fully anticipated he would pick up where he left off as the Michigan head coach next season. Then things changed.
What moved the needle for May?
Fresh off the NCAA spring meetings at the time of Schmitz’s call, May recognized there were certain things about the college game that are here to stay, for better or worse. May cited a frustration with the NCAA requiring coaches to partake in fundraising and other non-coaching obligations.
“I just spent so much more of my time doing everything but coaching,”
This notion speaks volumes. May, a well-regarded, well paid NCAA coach at the very top of the game, still found some measure of dissatisfaction with his situation. Why? He was being distracted from what he wanted to do most – coach.
This is extremely good news for Mavericks’ fans who are about to embark on the adventure of a youth movement. May is a player’s coach. One who desires to mentor and develop young players, which the Mavericks are rife with.
May further realized he may not get another opportunity like he could have with Dallas. Coaching Cooper Flagg and teaming up with a longtime friend in Schmitz were major boons, as was the leadership of new team President Masai Ujiri.
“You have to really believe and trust in who’s deciding the team for you.”
May seemingly enjoyed building his own team in Michigan – effectively serving as de facto GM. That scenario would not be a viable option in Dallas. However, with Schmitz and Ujiri running the decision-making show for the team, May was confident he would have the team he needed despite not having final say on the roster.
Once again, this is reason for Mavericks’ fans to feel good. Think what you will of Ujiri and Schmitz at this point, but their names alone build confidence in the world of basketball. May had an inherent trust in the pair – one because of a shared history and the other because of a successful resume. The Mavericks have two legitimate basketball professionals running the organization, something they haven’t had in nearly three decades.
Don’t ask, don’t get
The subtext of how all of this played out is intriguing, and in some ways, ironic. Just a few years ago, Mark Cuban thought wise to hire Nico Harrison largely based on his relationship with players. On the surface, it wasn’t necessary the worst approach, despite now knowing the colossal failure it quickly became. Now, without the glitz and glam of a former Nike executive, Dallas has a President and GM working in tandem, using their own relationships to make moves.
To be clear, this story is not about Nico Harrison, the tumultuous recent past or anything of that era. However, juxtaposing that with the current state of affairs is important. The fact that the unassuming Schmitz and Ujiri have contacts of their own, longstanding basketball pedigree and the ability to close a deal that gets the Mavericks the top college coach for their young team, are important factors in what the front office is capable of doing. Schmitz made a call with a single purpose and ended up getting the Mavericks a new head coach simply by asking the question and letting his relationships and history do the rest.
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