Jason Terry had a great run with the Dallas Mavericks but after eight seasons, two appearances in the NBA Finals, one championship and a sixth man of the year award, he’s off to a fresh start in Boston.
It’s safe to say that when Terry’s career is over, his fondest memories will most likely be in a Maverick uniform and the city of Dallas definitely appreciates what he’s done for them, but does Terry’s number 31 belong in the rafters of the American Airlines Center?
Terry hinted that it should be a possibility.
“What we did in my eight-year career here in Dallas, I'll never forget it,'' Terry said. "I grew not only as a basketball player, but as a person, as a father. The bow was winning the championship, but the icing on the cake will be putting that jersey up in the rafters. If it happens, I'll be grateful.''
While I do think Terry’s accomplishments with the Mavs were great, getting your number retired by a team is one of the highest honors you can have. I don’t think he did enough with the Mavericks to warrant that, and now he’s leaving to finish his career somewhere else.
Jersey retirement is for the guys like San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and even Terry’s teammate Dirk Nowitzki. These are guys that are so loyal to their fans and their cities that it’s almost impossible to imagine them in a different uniform. They make sacrifices and play their heart out for their team. I just don’t see that much dedication from Jason Terry.
Mark Cuban is an even tougher critic than I am, and he is not shy about holding grudges. I don’t think there are any hard feelings between him and Terry like there are between him and Jason Kidd, but I think the fact that Terry left is going to make it hard to convince Cuban he deserves his jersey retired.
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