Mac Engel: Hey, Jerry, Stars and Mavericks are what ‘all in’ looks like

Mac Engel: Hey, Jerry, Stars and Mavericks are what ‘all in’ looks like

— Less than 6 seconds after the Dallas Mavericks’ latest victory, the internet erupted with a timetable that should, but will not, bother the Dallas Cowboys. The last time the four major sports franchises in our neighborhood reached the “conference” finals: Texas Rangers, 2023. Dallas Stars, 2024. Dallas Mavericks, 2024. Dallas Cowboys. 1995.
This is much more fun when you extrapolate the timeline out to months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, seconds, and dog years.

The first three are a result of the genuine aim of “all in” meeting implementation. You cannot have one without the other. The Stars and Mavericks are in their conference finals, continuing one of the most satisfying periods of sports fandom we’ve ever seen. We all know that these things do not happen very often, so embrace the gravity and uniqueness of the next two weeks.

We know this because, despite three consecutive productive regular seasons, the local football team can only gaze on in envy. If you truly believe in going “all in” in professional sports, you must spend real money and hope for a return on investment. If you truly believe in going “all in” in professional sports, you may have to make a transaction or two that may backfire.

Sorry, Jerry, but … you asked for it when you said early in the offseason that you were “all in” and then your team acts all but checked out.)

Of course, the enduring genius behind the Dallas Cowboys is that owner Jerry Jones is the general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, and there are no real consequences to his personnel/coaching decisions. Even from the great beyond, he will remain the Cowboys’ GM.

The people who make the personnel decisions for the other local franchises do so knowing they could be fired.

The Texas Rangers started their “all in” campaign three years ago when owner Ray Davis started to spend money like the wife of a LIV golfer, throwing money at free agents Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Jon Gray and Nathan Eovaldi. By trading for pitcher Jordan Montgomery.

Combine those men with a handful of young, talented players, like Josh Jung and Evan Carter, and the Rangers won their first ever World Series.

Earlier this spring, the Dallas Stars, a team that has hovered around winning the Stanley Cup since 2020, made yet another bold trade when they acquired veteran defenseman Chris Tanev from the New Jersey Devils. The Stars were thin on defense, and GM Jim Nill gave away a fourth round pick in exchange for a player who makes a difference.

For many years, under Nill and with the apprehensive support of owner Tom Gaglardi, the Stars have been consistently daring with “all in” plays. It is a significant reason why this squad has been “around it.” This includes the arrival of veteran free agent forward Joe Pavelski, who has emerged as captain despite not wearing the “C” on his sweater.

The Mavericks “all in” moves started more not this season but last year when they made the controversial trade for Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving. The move was immediately graded “F-plus.” When the Mavs missed the playoffs last season, the grade was changed to “F-minus.”

From a personality standpoint, Ky has not been an “chaos agent” for the Mavericks. He needs to be in a “nice” place, and he fits perfectly because scrutiny on basketball here is a fraction of a nothing compared to football.

When you have a generational player like Luka Doncic, you don’t sit there and watch him try to carry a team to the Finals. You know, like when the Mavs asked Dirk Nowitzki to drag a roster of “Larry, Moe and Curly” to the title in 2006.

(The “Larry, Moe, and Curly” description originated from former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.) Earlier this year, shortly before the NBA’s trade deadline, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison made two more deals that demonstrated their commitment to “all in”: trades for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. Without those three changes, the Mavericks would not be in the Western Conference Finals for the second time in three years. Harrison reorganized the team on the fly, and the results speak for themselves.

The Rangers, Stars, and Mavericks were serious about “all in,” and this is what that commitment might look like. Jerry, are you watching?

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