Dallas Mavericks to honor Tony Romo in Tuesday’s 2016-17 finale
By John Buhler
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will be honored by the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night in their regular season finale against Denver.
Though the Mavericks have been eliminated from playoff contention this season, there’s still a great reason to come to the American Airlines Center on Tuesday night. Not only is it the regular season home finale for Dallas, but former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will be “a Maverick for a day.”
That’s right: the former starting quarterback for the Cowboys will be suiting up to sit on the bench and play third-string point guard for the Mavericks. Romo recently retired from the NFL and will begin his next career as the No. 1 football analyst for CBS alongside Jim Nantz.
Until September, Romo can ride pine one more time. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, “the Mavericks plan to treat him like an actual player on the roster for a day … even though Romo won’t actually play in the game.”
The Dallas Mavericks plan to honor Tony Romo by making him a "Maverick for a day" for Tuesday's home finale against Denver, ESPN has learned
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 8, 2017
Story going online now detailing the Mavericks' plans to have Tony Romo on the bench and in uniform for the Denver game Tuesday night.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 8, 2017
Stein writes that Romo’s “one-day contract” with the Mavericks hinges on Dallas’ starting point guard Seth Curry being out for the rest of the season with a bum shoulder. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wanted to “add ‘a pass-first point guard’ before playing out the season’s final five days.”
Romo did play high school basketball in Wisconsin and proved that he was really good at passing as a professional football player with the Cowboys. Maybe Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle can draw up a set for Romo to run for the Mavericks in garbage time?
Carlisle is an excellent coach and Romo has a great throwing motion. The only thing that might get in the way of a Romo appearance on the hardwood is that the Mavericks’ Tuesday night opponent, the Nuggets, are still fighting for the No. 8 seed in the West.
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Is Dallas prepared to see Romo force a costly turnover that ultimately puts Denver into the playoffs? Let’s just hope he gets to play a little bit on Tuesday night. He might get more minutes with the 2016-17 Mavericks than he did with the 2016 Cowboys.