In a "shocking turn of events" yesterday, Mavericks GM Gersson Rosas "turned in his resignation," according to Dwain Price of the FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM. A source said that Rosas "wanted more influence on the team and that he ultimately didn’t fit in with the direction owner Mark Cuban and president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson want to take the Mavs." After Rosas was officially hired on Aug. 1, the Mavs said that he would "work under and report to Nelson, who had also served" as the team’s GM before Rosas was hired. But the source said that the Mavs "became worried how Rosas would fit into their structure if he wasn’t going to have a larger voice in player personnel and other basketball operation decisions." Rosas was with the Mavs "for only 90 days after he was hired" from the Rockets. Rosas in a statement said, "Mark Cuban asked me to reconsider my decision, but graciously accepted my decision and we part as friends." He added, "I made the personal decision to resign as general manager ... after determining that the position was not the best fit for me at this point in my career. The decision was made solely by me" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 10/30). Cuban said, "We parted ways, that's my stock answer. He's a great guy and it just didn't work out. Sometimes things just don't work out" ("The Tonight Show," NBC, 10/29). ESPN.com's Marc Stein cited sources as saying that "concerns about how Rosas would fit into the Mavericks' front-office structure and accept a supplementary role to Nelson ... surfaced almost immediately after Rosas' arrival in late July" (ESPN.com, 10/29). SI.com's Ben Golliver wrote Rosas' short tenure "is unusual both by general NBA standards and in comparison to the Mavericks’ recent history." The franchise has been "a relatively stable ship under Cuban, who took over as owner" in '00. Nelson has worked for the Mavs since '98 and coach Rick Carlisle was hired in '08 (SI.com, 10/29).
