Michael Finley on Dirk Nowitzki's secret ingredient, and becoming Mark Cuban's 'assistant'

Former Dallas Mavericks guard Michael Finley joined KRLD-FM 105.3 to talk about the Dirk Nowitzki documentary and his new role with the team. Here are some highlights.

What was it like being a Dallas Maverick both before and after the arrivals of Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki?

Finley: It was tough times when I got here – before Steve and Dirk – the atmosphere around the team wasn't a good one. But once we got the addition of Steve and Dirk, we had a hardworking core of guys, guys who would go out and play hard each and every night…over the years, we started putting a couple other key ingredients around us, and we became a playoff contender, and I think we had, at one point, a championship caliber team.

What is it about Dirk that makes him special? What is the secret ingredient?

Finley: He's a hard worker and he's a gym rat. He has those two things going for him, and on top of that, he has talent. When you mix those three things together, usually good things come out of it. Dirk is always working on his game, even late in his 30s…just always trying to get better as an individual. What you see on the court is just the end result of hours and years of hard work.

Some people don't realize you actually work for the organization now – what do you do for the team?

Finley: I've been working with the team for, I think, two years now. And, I'm pretty much 'Mark's assistant' – Cuban, that is. He's not big on titles. So, he said if I wanted a title, if anybody happens to ask, just tell them you're 'Mark's assistant.' So, I accepted that title with open arms. But, my duty really is just trying to learn as much as I can from both Mark and Donny Nelson. And I'm kind of like the liaison between the players, management, and ownership. Try to give Mark a player's perspective of what's going on…just trying to make the team a better 'team', and make the organization be one of the best in the NBA.