Jason Terry helped the Dallas Mavericks win their first ever NBA championship. Aside from Dirk Nowitzki (and probably Mark Cuban), he’s been the face of their franchise for the last decade. I wasn’t surprised that Dallas let him go to the Boston Celtics, they’re a team that needs to get younger rather than clinging to the past, but apparently Terry expected more of an effort.
“Boston was the first to call me and Doc Rivers got on the phone and said, ‘We need you, you’re our No. 1 priority,’ ” Terry said. “Had I got that same phone call from Dallas, I’d still be a Dallas Maverick. But I didn’t, so I’m on to bigger and better things and hopefully with that team, with the way they are structured right now we have another chance to win the championship.”
I had almost forgotten that Terry made his name as a member of the Atlanta Hawks. I just can’t picture him in any jersey other than a Maverick one. He’s a fan favorite in Dallas and it’s going to be weird to see him playing in Boston, but that’s just how things go.
Eventually you have to push emotion to the side and do what’s best for your team. The Mavericks don’t have a need for Terry anymore and the Celtics need a sharpshooter to replace Ray Allen who left for Miami. Boston showed this year that they still have a chance to contend for a championship with the pieces they have, so they’re doing their best to keep their core of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo together while putting the right pieces around them to win. Terry fits in as one of those pieces.
For the Mavericks, it’s time to start thinking about rebuilding. They lost the Deron Williams sweepstakes and probably won’t be landing Dwight Howard either so they have to come up with a new plan. Mark Cuban always has a few tricks up his sleeve so we’ll see what he has in store for his team.
No matter what happens for both franchises, it makes me happy to see there’s no bad blood between Terry and the Mavericks.
“I was in Dallas eight years, played with some great teammates and had a great coach and a great owner,” said Terry. “But what the city meant to me is priceless. Without them, I’m nothing. The Jet was born in Dallas, right there in Dallas. So, I always have a home in Dallas and hopefully when I’m done I can go back and end my career there.”
