The Dallas Mavericks are going Euro with their rebuild
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Dallas moved up two spots in the NBA draft Thursday night to get Slovenian guard Luka Doncic, who was selected by Atlanta at No. 3 while the Mavericks
picked former Oklahoma scoring sensation Trae Young for the Hawks at No. 5 as
part of the deal. The Mavericks are also sending a protected first-round pick to
Atlanta.
The Mavericks are coming off consecutive losing seasons for the first time in nearly 20 years, back when Nowitzki ended up being the centerpiece of a
rebuilding project that led to 12 straight trips to the playoffs and the
franchise’s only championship in 2011.
The big German is the highest-scoring foreign-born player in NBA history and one of seven overall with at least 30,000 points. The Mavericks acquired
Nowitzki during the 1998 draft, trading down to get the 7-footer who was taken
ninth overall by Milwaukee.
The 19-year-old Doncic will be his teammate, with Nowitzki expected to become the first player in league history to spend all 21 seasons with the same
franchise.
Nowitzki, who was in the draft room with the Mavericks two nights after celebrating his 40th birthday, quickly greeted his fellow European on Twitter,
and Doncic replied in kind.
”He’s a great leader, a great person,” Doncic said of the 2007 MVP and 2011 NBA Finals MVP. ”I’m just really happy to be part of his career. I just want to
learn so much about him.”
Doncic arrived in New York on Wednesday after helping Spain’s Real Madrid win its league championship after he won Euroleague MVP and Final Four MVP honors
when they won that title this year. His lengthy European season kept him from
working out for teams but he knew the Mavericks were interested.
”I’ve been talking to Dallas a lot,” Doncic said. ”They were very nice to me
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At 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, Doncic averaged about 15 points, five rebounds and five assists during Real Madrid’s championship season. As with Nowitzki 20
years ago, the question is how his game will translate to the NBA.
”This kid has won everything there is to win in European and international basketball and he’s done it at an age that’s unprecedented,” coach Rick Carlisle
said. ”I’m not sure what position he is. I think his position is on the floor,
making plays and making people better.”
Doncic signed with Real Madrid at age 13 and made his debut as a 16-year-old. He teamed with Miami’s Goran Dragic to lead Slovenia to a surprising gold medal
at FIBA EuroBasket 2017. His father, Sasa Doncic, played professionally for 15
years.
The Mavericks made the move for Doncic a year after drafting point guard Dennis Smith Jr. with the ninth overall pick, giving Dallas a chance to have one
of the NBA’s youngest backcourts depending on where Doncic lands in the
rotation. Carlisle said he sees Doncic as a starter.
”He’s the kind of player that is going to be able to play with virtually anybody,” Carlisle said. ”He just has the skill set and an understanding and a
feel for the game. He’s a great shooter, so he creates space for other players,
which is really going to help Dennis.”
President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson played a big role in Nowitzki coming to Dallas
Authentic Oliver Bjorkstrand Jersey , and remembers a rough first couple of seasons for the 13-time All-Star. So he’s taking a guarded approach with Doncic
for now.
”Luka is his own guy,” Nelson said. ”He’s got his own challenges. It’s not going to be quick. He’s got a very unique skill set. Anyone who can make his
teammates better, shoot the long ball, get to the paint, he’s going to be a
pretty darn good asset for the Mavericks for years to come.”
The Mavericks took another guard with the 33rd overall pick in the second round, getting Jalen Brunson, who won two NCAA titles in his three years at
Villanova. The reigning Associated Press player of the year averaged 18.9 points
and 4.6 assists in his final season.
Dallas swapped picks late in the second round with Philadelphia and got Dayton’s Kostas Antetokounmpo, the younger brother of Milwaukee Bucks star
Giannis Antetokounmpo. He was the 60th and final pick of the draft.
The 76ers got former SMU guard Shake Milton, who was the 55th choice. Dallas also got Ray Spalding of Louisville at No. 56, another pick originally belonging
to Philadelphia.
—
Frigid Super Bowl LII brought $370 million in net new spending to the "Bold North" Twin Cities area, according to a report released Tuesday by Gov. Mark
Dayton's office and the local host committee.
The final tally by Rockport Analytics came in $50 million over the consulting company's pre-Super Bowl projections. It also said the 10 days leading up to the
Feb. 4 game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis brought in $32 million in new
tax revenue for state and local government.
"We hosted well," said Maureen Bausch
Colton Sissons Jersey , CEO of the host committee.
The report put gross local spending by visitors, companies hosting events, and the media and operations teams at more than $450. Subtracting $80 million
for tourism displaced by the event resulted in net spending of $370 million that
would not have happened but for the Super Bowl, it said. The figures don't
include game tickets. Adding in the economic ripple effect brought the total
incremental contribution to the metro area's gross domestic product to $400
million, it said.
That spending "resounded through the local economy," said Ken McGill, managing director of West Chester, Pennsylvania-based Rockport.
Sports economists tend to be skeptical of revenue claims from massive sporting events, saying that events may be fun for the community but any
monetary windfall to a region is illusory.
"The Super Bowl is definitely positive, but nowhere near the $450 million positive in terms of dollars in local people's pockets," College of the Holy
Cross professor Victor Matheson said. For examples, he said
Mikkel Boedker Jersey , hotel revenue goes mostly to out-of-state chains, and money from sales of jerseys mostly goes to the NFL and manufacturers.
Despite subzero cold and heavy snow, the event drew some 125,000 tourists, which Rockport defined as ticketed and non-ticketed visitors who came from at
least 50 miles away or spent a night in hotel. The report said 83 percent of
first-time visitors said they would return. The Meet Minnesota convention and
visitors bureau said meeting and convention leads are up 30 percent since the
game was announced. Leads were up 10 percent year-over-year in the first four
months of 2018 alone.
The report found that the average Super Bowl visitor spent $608 per day during an average stay of 3.9 days, compared with a typical tourist who spends
about $124 a day. The Super Bowl generated more than 266,000 hotel nights with
an average daily room rate of $249, the report said. Thirteen percent of
visitors used peer-to-peer rentals such as Airbnb.
More than 1 million visits were made by locals and travelers alike to Super Bowl Live, the free fan festival held over the 10 days leading up to the
game.
U.S. Bank Stadium will be in the national spotlight again next April when it hosts the NCAA men's basketball Final Four. Rockport predicts the tournament
will bring $124 million in net spending to the region and $23 million in tax
revenue.
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