HoopsHype.com Rumors

The Mavs, depending on Mayo’s decision and the salary cap figure the NBA sets, will have somewhere between $13 million and $18.7 million in spending money this summer -- unless they create more space with salary-dump deals. They need significant upgrades to have a serious chance of competing at the level they had become accustomed to over the previous dozen seasons. “I’ve been saying it all season long: It’s a big summer for us,” said Dirk Nowitzki, who is the only player guaranteed to return to Dallas next season. “We’ll see what Mark and Donnie can come up with. They’re always geniuses at making stuff happen. We need a big summer, obviously, to compete again for the championship and not for the eighth seed.” ESPN.com

Dallas Mavericks, Free Agency, Trade, Dirk Nowitzki 

Earl K. Sneed: Dirk: “To be 10 games under .500 wasn’t pretty, but I’m actually proud of the guys how we finished the season.” Twitter @EKS_MavsNBA

Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki 

The Mavs aren't the only team conflicted about OJ Mayo. A survey of several GMs on what Mayo might garner on the o- pen market ranged from "not much more" than what he's slated to make next season to "Oh, $10 to $12 million easy." The conflict starts with the interpretation of his performance with the Mavs this season. After two years coming off the bench for playoff teams, he started for Dallas, as he did his first two years in the league for lottery-bound Memphis squads. No one disputes he produces numbers, but the question is: are they winning ones? Sulia

Dallas Mavericks, Free Agency, OJ Mayo 

Dwain Price: "We’ll see what happens in the summer time. But absolutely I would like to be back here.'' -- #Mavs center Elton Brand Twitter @DwainPrice

Dallas Mavericks, Elton Brand 

Dwain Price: OJ Mayo said he would like to come back and play for the #Mavs next season. He has a player option to come back. Twitter @DwainPrice

Dallas Mavericks, OJ Mayo 

Shooting guard O.J. Mayo, the subject of coach Rick Carlisle’s public wrath after Monday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, wants to return to Dallas next season. “Yeah, I’d like to be back here,” Mayo told reporters after Wednesday’s final shootaround of the season. ESPN.com

Dallas Mavericks, OJ Mayo 

Mayo, however, said he has yet to consider whether he will exercise the player option for the second season in the contract he signed with the Mavericks last season. Mayo can opt to make a $4.2 million salary from the Mavs next season, or he can decide to test the free agency market for the second consecutive summer, perhaps signing a long-term deal with Dallas. “I haven’t really sat down and talked to Cuban about it or my agent,” said Mayo, who has averaged 15.4 points and 4.4 assists while playing a team-high 35.6 minutes per game this season. “I think I’ll probably take a week or so off after this season and get together and meet.” ESPN.com

Dallas Mavericks, OJ Mayo 

Dwain Price: #Mavs center Chris Kaman: "You’ve got to be cautious nowadays in this world. It’s like people don’t value life the same like they used to." Twitter @DwainPrice

Dallas Mavericks, Chris Kaman, Boston 

Dwain Price: Mavs C Chris Kaman: "They need to really kind of push the (background) checks a little better with gun laws. . .and have stiffer penalties." Twitter @DwainPrice

Dallas Mavericks, Chris Kaman, Boston 

“I just want to see him show up,” said Carlisle, who was as harsh publicly with a player as he’s been since calling out Lamar Odom at the end of the his strange midseason sabbatical. “I just want to see him show up and compete. He didn’t compete tonight. “And I tell you, with all the time we’ve put into helping him develop and bringing him along, in the biggest game of the year -- an opportunity to be a winning team -- for him to show up like he did tonight, I was shocked. "Look, sometimes guys have bad nights, so make sure to put that in there, too.” ESPN.com

Dallas Mavericks, Lamar Odom, Rick Carlisle 

“He just had a bad night,” Carlisle said after making a point to mention that the coaches showed Mayo film at halftime “where he was virtually just standing around defensively” and essentially implored him to mentally check into the game. “I guess I’ll write it off to that. “But I tell you what, if I was playing against my former team, I’d come out ready to go. I’d come out ready to go at them. But that’s me. You know, that’s me.” ESPN.com

Dallas Mavericks, OJ Mayo, Lamar Odom, Rick Carlisle 

“I called that timeout just to get you out of the game!” Carlisle screamed at Mayo in the huddle, according to one player. ESPN.com

Dallas Mavericks, OJ Mayo, Lamar Odom, Rick Carlisle 

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle began his playing career in Boston. He was picked in the third round of the 1984 draft by the Celtics and was part of their 1986 NBA championship. "Sickening. Tragic. That's about all I can think of right now," Carlisle said about the bombings before the game. "They used to run right by my place. ... It's great. Every year, it's a big deal." Dallas Morning News

Dallas Mavericks, Rick Carlisle, Boston 

Nowitzki has averaged 1,666 points per year during his 15 NBA seasons. At that rate, he could reach 30,000 in just over three seasons, but as this season has shown, Father Time inevitably exacts a toll on season averages. This season, he had arthroscopic knee surgery in October and missed the first 27 games. He has played only 51 games, totaling 875 points. Last year’s lockout-shortened season didn’t help Nowitzki’s chances of reaching 30,000. He scored 1,342 points in 62 games. “That’s tough,” Nowitzki said with smile, when asked about his chances of reaching 30,000 points. “I don’t know how much time it takes for me to get (5,000 points), but I’m going to be around. Dallas Morning News

Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki 

“I’m going to be around if I feel like I have (since) the All-Star break. Before that, obviously I was questioning it a bit. I was a step slow and running up and down wasn’t much fun anymore, but once I started having a little bounce in my step, it’s been fun again. “Still, I would love to be a little more consistent again next year, so I’m going to be putting in some work. What we’re probably going to do is get an MRI on my left knee to make sure nothing is going to act up next year when I come back and then put in some work this summer like I did last year – a lot of running, a lot of lifting, coming in in good shape like I did last year and hopefully don’t have surgery on my knee and be consistent and have a good year.” Dallas Morning News

Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki 

He missed this season's first 27 games and has played only 51 games, totaling this season, totaling 875 points. Last year's lockout-shortened season didn't help Nowitzki's chances of reaching 30,000. He scored 1,342 points in 62 games. "That's tough," Nowitzki said with smile, when asked about his chances of reaching 30,000 points. "I don't know how much time it takes for me to get (5,000 points), but I'm going to be around. "I'm going to be around if I feel like I have (since) the All-Star break. Before that, obviously I was questioning it a bit. I was a step slow and running up and down wasn't much fun anymore, but once I started having a little bounce in my step, it's been fun again. "Still, I would love to be a little more consistent again next year, so I'm going to be putting in some work. What we're probably going to do is get an MRI on my left knee to make sure nothing is going to act up next year when I come back and then put in some work this summer like I did last year - a lot of running, a lot of lifting, coming in in good shape like I did last year and hopefully don't have surgery on my knee and be consistent and have a good year." Dallas Morning News

Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki 

It took the Dallas Mavericks 121 days to get back to .500. It took Dirk Nowitzki maybe 90 seconds to get rid of the beard he has been growing for most of that time. “That shave felt amazing,” Nowitzki said after a 107-89 victory over the New Orleans Hornets improved the Mavs’ record to 40-40. “There was some food caught in there from a few weeks ago.” ESPN.com

Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki 

After the final buzzer sounded, Nowitzki made a beeline for the Mavs’ locker room, picked up his razor and began bushwhacking. The beard was gone by the time coach Rick Carlisle addressed the team. After that meeting, Nowitzki and his trusty razor “cleaned up the rest on the neck and behind the ears and the nose hair a little bit.” ESPN.com

Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki 

Dwain Price: "It’s been too long. Even my wife stopped kissing me somewhere in February.'' -- #Mavs F Dirk Nowitzki on shaving Twitter @DwainPrice

Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki 

Elton Brand, who never returned to peak form after tearing his left Achilles tendon during his prime, is betting on Kobe Bryant. Brand believes the 34-year-old Bryant will regain his Hall of Fame form after going through the grueling rehabilitation process that will follow Saturday’s surgery to repair his torn left Achilles tendon. “Everybody knows his work ethic,” Brand told ESPNDallas.com before the Mavericks’ Sunday game against the Hornets. “I think he’ll be fine. I know they said there’s no way to come back to 100 percent from it, but if there’s anybody that could come close, he can.” ESPN.com

Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Elton Brand, Injuries