Mavericks to consider coach from 2011 NBA Finals team that Mark Cuban would love

In a recent report by NBA insider Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks are confirmed to be interviewing Terry Stotts (subscription required) for their vacant head coach slot, as Stotts was an assistant in Dallas back in the day and was last with the organization back in 2012. Cuban vouched heavily for Stotts to join Jason Kidd's staff at one point, so clearly, this is a candidate that Cuban would love if Dallas hired him, though Cuban's input isn't as coveted anymore, given his new role.

Stotts has a career record of 517-486 as an NBA head coach, spanning across 13 different seasons. His most dominant run came with the Portland Trail Blazers from 2012 to 2021, where he led them to eight consecutive playoff appearances before he mutually agreed to part ways with the organization in 2021.

Mark Cuban will love that Mavericks are interviewing Terry Stotts

Stotts has since served as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors over the past three seasons, and despite having a track record as more of an offensive-minded coach, there's no doubt he's been in the game for a long time and has a very intelligent basketball mind.

He'd be an interesting addition to the Mavericks if he were hired here, as he's 68 years old and is probably less of a player's coach compared to someone like Kidd, but has the pedigree to unlock Dallas' offense further with Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving headlining the attack.

His familiarity with Dallas is also a huge plus, as he knows what it takes to win championships even if he's never done it as a head coach, and will know his way around the organization and city pretty well already. He was an assistant on Rick Carlisle's staff when the Mavs won the NBA Finals in 2011, and bringing back a crucial piece from that staff would be a full circle moment for Dallas.

Cuban and Mavericks old-timers would definitely love it if Stotts were hired in Dallas, but there aren't many people left in the organization from 2011, so Stotts would be inheriting an almost entirely new situation with the current rendition of the Mavericks.

Stotts would be a fun hire, but he can't be Dallas' only candidate

There are other head coach candidates that may be more suited to take on a mostly younger squad in Dallas, but who knows the exact way things would pan out if Stotts were to get hired in Dallas.

It is notable that Stotts is the first official name Dallas is confirmed to be interviewing, though, as Stein also reported that Dallas will look at some coaches from the European and women's game to take over the recently vacated position, but no other names have officially been reported besides Stotts.

Masai Ujiri and company have a crucial hire to make with Kidd's vacated position, and there needs to be a solid vetting process in the way they go about this. It's not bad news to see a veteran coach in Stotts get an interview from Dallas, but he can't be their only target as they sift through various candidates, as they can't mess up in terms of finding a head coach that is liked and revered by Flagg.

If anything, it's great to see movement is happening on the head coaching front in Dallas, as it would be nice to fill this slot quicker rather than later with the draft and free agency around the corner, as organizational alignment is typically crucial for success in the modern NBA.

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