When Darren Woodson gets enshrined later this season, the Cowboys will have 21 members in their Ring of Honor.
This summer the Rangers inducted Jeff Russell and Juan Gonzalez into their Hall of Fame, upping membership to 18.
The Mavs, meanwhile, have been stuck on retired numbers for 15 years - at two.
When you go to American Airlines Center you can gaze up into the rafters and see banners honoring the Mavs’ two Finals appearances and 2011 championship. But as for a virtual walk down memory lane with the players and coaches and leaders that made the plays? It’ll be a short one.
Only Brad Davis’ No. 15 and Rolando Blackman’s No. 22 are retired. And, yes, this is a travesty bordering on the absurd.
The Mavs are 35 years old and have won a championship. And you’re telling me they’ve only had two “great” players? Blackman’s jersey was the last to be retired in 2000. Davis? His honor came way back in 1991 when they still called Reunion Arena “home.”
Owner Mark Cuban is, at times, a tough nut to crack. He can be all glitz and glitter and oozing with self-promotion, only also to be humble and understated. Nods to his team’s past fall under the latter. Cuban has teased us with the idea of Derek Harper’s No. 12 being retired, and also stated that – after the point guard abruptly left in free agency – Jason Kidd’s No. 2 would never be immortalized.
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I’m all for quality over quantity. Charles Haley (who had only 34 of his career 100 sacks in Dallas) shouldn’t be in the Ring of Honor and Rusty Greer (a career .305 hitter who never made an All-Star Game) has no place in Arlington’s Hall of Fame. But the Mavs’ stingy approach is preposterous.
The Kings and Jazz – teams that have combined for exactly zero championships – have a combined 18 numbers retired.
We know Dirk Nowitzki’s No. 41 will eventually be retired, but it’s currently busy putting the finishing touches on a Hall of Fame career. Jason Terry’s No. 31 has a chance when he finally hangs ‘em up, as he hit the biggest shots in the 2011 vanquishing of the Heat.
Other individuals Cuban needs to consider pronto:
Dick Motta – Underrated coach’s teams pushed all-time great Lakers in long series twice in ‘80s.
Don Nelson – Drafted Nowitzki, yanked Mavs from depths of NBA into perennial playoff team in late ‘90s.
Don Carter – Put the founder’s 10-gallon Stetson on a banner, like Tom Landry’s Fedora.
Mark Aguirre – Scoring small forward had just as much to do with ‘80s success as teammates Davis and Blackman.
Derek Harper – In a franchise that has boasted Kidd, Steve Nash and Davis, he’s still the all-time leader in steals and assists.
Jason Kidd – Pushed the Mavs to new heights – twice.
Michael Finley – He’s the Mavs’ Michael Young, a great player and a great face of the franchise during some very lean years.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
