Like many in the basketball community, the former Tall Black was worried about the financial position of Basketball Otago, but he was proud to represent the province and loved his job as the director of development.
But when news broke in June the organisation was expecting to report a significant deficit for the financial period ending December 2013, and a link was made between the mounting debt and the cost of running the development programme, Dickel became concerned for his future.
''I was trying to do absolutely everything I could do so we would be profitable and do as well as we could do,'' Dickel said.
''Clearly it was a drain on the organisation when they looked at, say, my salary and where it could have been better spent, I don't know.
''That was the only way I could take it. I'm not a sensitive guy about it.
"But people are going to value my work somewhere - that was how I looked at it.''
Dickel, who was also player-coach for the Nuggets this season, has signed a two-year contract to coach the Canterbury Rams and will shift to Christchurch in late September.
He holds no resentment towards BBO - quite the contrary.
''I want to thank Basketball Otago for a great job for three years and I have nothing but good things to say.
''I want to see basketball in Otago do well. I've invested all of myself in it for the last three years and tried my absolute best and I really want it to continue. And I think it can continue.
''I don't really know what it means for the Nuggets but I know the development side is very, very healthy.
"We have good players, good teams, great parents involved and Basketball Otago is healthy. They just have to get their financial stuff sorted out.''
Leaving was made harder by how passionate he is about coaching the region's promising basketballers.
''I think about myself as being from Otago, so it was hard for that reason.
"And secondly, and the real reason, it was just hard to leave the kids that I've started coaching.
''You feel like you are not really leaving a job, you are leaving the people, too. It is not an easy path to go down.
''But clearly the financial situation was not great and I was presented with a great opportunity [in Canterbury].''
Dickel will continue his work in development in his role with the Rams.
He hopes to run a similar type of academy to the one he established in Dunedin.
''I definitely want to have input with all the age groups. I'm just excited to see how it can work.
"Nothing has really been done there since the earthquakes. But they are on the up and up, so to be part of that is exciting.''
As for his playing days, well, he is focused on being the best coach he can be.
''I'd never say never. But something will have had to have gone really wrong if I'm playing.''
