Dirk not going anywhere

When it comes to Dirk Nowitzki, Mark Cuban didn’t want to leave any room for interpretation.

“Dirk is untouchable,” Cuban told mavs.com during the Mavericks’ 122-94 trouncing of Detroit at American Airlines Center.

Speculation has run rampant that Lakers star Kobe Bryant may be headed to Dallas, similar to talk this summer about Kevin Garnett. The Mavs haven’t been afraid to deal in the past to improve the team and that philosophy hasn’t changed.

The key being that any deal has to improve the team. The MVP won’t be part of any trade, Cuban reiterated, and stressed his faith in the current roster, including All-Star forward Josh Howard.

“We had a 67-win team last year,” Cuban continued. “We love J-Ho. We love all the guys on this team. We’re not looking to do anything, but if somebody makes us an offer we can’t refuse, we’ll go from there.”

Howard has heard the speculation, but adds all the talk comes from external sources. No one within the organization has approached him about any rumors. Howard doesn’t have any illusions about the business aspect of the league, but his preference on his future is clear.

“Coming into this league, it’s a business,” he said. “Things happen, but I love this city. I’d love to finish my career here, but not too many players finish their career where they started playing at. Hopefully, I get to stick around. I think it would be a good situation to stick around.”

Avery Johnson acknowledged the climate of sports gossip – “That’s what we sign up for,” he said – but isn’t worried about uncertainty seeping into the locker room and affecting the team.

“It won’t be a distraction for us,” he said.