DALLAS -- Even if you're accustomed to a place where one of the local pro sports owners might become the governor or turn up on prime-time reality TV or in a Taylor Sheridan serial, you should know such celebrity isn't the norm. Most places you couldn't pick an owner out of a lineup. Only here might one be considered the face of the franchise.
On the other hand, the new guy in charge of the Mavs comes out about as often as Punxsutawney Phil, so, when Patrick Dumont speaks, we shouldn't act as if it's just Jerry Jones.
Among the things we learned last week from Dumont's conversation with our Brad Townsend is that he thinks Cooper Flagg is great; Jason Kidd is good; fans should anticipate a reload, not rebuild; and a new GM should be in place by the middle of next month.
Can't argue with any of that, unless it's to argue the sooner the better on the latter.
Just one problem: ESPN reports that Tim Connelly, Minnesota's president of basketball ops, is Dumont's favorite, and he'd need the Timberwolves' permission just to talk to him. Not only is the Wolves' season still viable, Connelly is under contract through the next one.
Connelly is an annual candidate in job searches because he built a championship roster in Denver and one in Minnesota that made back-to-back conference title runs. His track record would fulfill one of Dumont's express desires.
Why would Connelly, who's got a pretty good thing going in Minnesota, want to come here? For one thing, he's familiar with Ethan Casson, now the Mavs' team president. Worked with him for three years in the frozen north. Connelly might also consider a jump to the nation's fourth-largest market a step up.
Believe it or not, the Luka disaster notwithstanding, the Mavs remain a destination job. Besides a cornerstone teenager in place, they've got a shot at his running mate in this draft. Not to mention there's a HOFer under contract and flexibility to make big moves this summer.
Like 'em or not, the new owners also have the financial wherewithal to do pretty much whatever they want. Money is no object. Come to think of it, money is precisely the object, but at least they're not afraid to spend it in order to make more.
Speaking of which, when Dumont says they're not moving the team to Vegas, believe him. Don't be silly. The Adelsons didn't come here to steal a franchise. The NBA wouldn't let them even if that was their intent. You don't move a top-tier franchise from the nation's fourth-largest market to the 40th and promise the bigger one an expansion franchise as a trade-off. Look at what's happening in Vegas now. The franchises headed there are the A's and Raiders, vagabonds of their sports.
Repeat after me: The Adelsons bought into this market to gain a foothold in the next frontier of casino gambling. That it's not happening soon is beside the point. They can afford to wait.
Meanwhile, they're hellbent on getting a new arena to hold them over until the legislature caves in. They can talk about sight lines and fan amenities and upgrades all they want, but that's not why they want out. When I was at American Airlines Center on Sunday, the joint seemed to be holding up just fine. Roof didn’t even leak. If it’s not the Chase Center, it’s not Reunion Arena, either.
Seems to me there ought to be a rule that you can only have as many arenas as championship banners.
But I’m also old enough to realize there are entertainment districts to be built and revenue to be milked, so this is happening. I don’t have a clue where the Mavs will build their new arena, but whether it’s on top of City Hall or amid Valley View’s ruins, it’ll be first class, of that much you can be sure.
An outsider with vision -- someone like Connelly, for instance -- could see the possibilities above and move the franchise forward without the baggage that’s been accumulating lately.
Maybe you’ve read this here before, but it bears repeating: It’s past time for the Mavs to act like a big-time franchise. For too long, good intentions or not, it was either a mom-and-pop operation or one run by a billionaire who tried to call the shots. Despite indications down at City Hall, Dallas is growing up. The Mavs should do the same.
For that matter, everyone connected to the organization needs to know what they’re getting into. During Sunday’s exit interviews, Kidd indicated he had an idea when asked what kind of GM they should hire.
“Whoever we hire is gonna have to be tough,” he said, “and understand what it takes to build because you have a great opportunity to build something special here. The pieces are here looking for leadership qualities.
“Someone who is tough because this is not an easy place.”
Funny thing, Kidd has faced far tougher scrutiny, especially back in New York, where on any given morning you might find your life story on Page Six. Just the same, if he wants to think this is a tough market, we’ll hold him to it. No one can say we haven’t earned our scars.