The energy fans give players during a game is crucial, just ask the players that participated in the bubble during the 2019 season amid the pandemic. Dallas Maverick fans are some of the most dedicated and loyal in the league much like beloved player Dirk Nowitzki. Oddly enough Chuck Cooperstein, radio announcer for the Mavericks, came for those fans over the weekend on twitter. Cooperstein wrote, “Mavs Twitter snark surrounding Mavs/Luka after what we’ve just watched is really sad. Everyone is slotted. No one has room to improve. There’s an assumption the front office will never do anything to improve the team (Or even try). One man’s opinion: You don’t deserve nice things.”
Yes, there is a slight assumption the front office won’t improve the team because that has been the story in free agency for some years now. Attempting to get players and actually doing it are two completely different things, verbally acknowledging the need for a secondary scorer but not acting is understandably frustrating to fans. Everyone hopes the team we have improves but solely counting on a huge development just isn’t realistic hence the need to get players elsewhere.
Right now the Mavs have a generational talent in Luka Doncic and while he just signed a large contract extension fans worry that if nothing changes the Mavs risk losing their star player. We are at the preamble of Doncic’s career and this time around we want to do it right. Nowitzki was a sensational player who definitely deserved more championships than than his singular win, although some would argue that it made the 2011 ring all the more special. Nonetheless, the entire journey with Nowitzki was a learning experience and showed what we need to improve upon this time around.
Saying fans being passionate about their team means they, “don’t deserve nice things” is beyond ridiculous especially from a man who is more than familiar with the history of the team. In the past Cooperstein’s strong opinions seemed to reflect the opinions of his fans about their favorite teams. His passionate opinions showed he cared and earned him a loyal following. Not too long ago Cooperstown was enjoying Mavs Twitter snark after a popular internet “analyst” challenged him to a fight over a disagreement about Doncic’s skill set before coming into the league. In the midst of yet another offseason that could be considered a failure, fans look for someone with an important voice to support their frustrations and Cooperstein has fallen short. Perhaps corporate backing softened his voice. At the end of the day Mavs fans’ anger comes from how much they care about their favorite basketball team. If Cooperstein can’t appreciate that, maybe he is the one who doesn’t deserve nice things, like a loyal following.