Mavs Completely Different This Time Around
DALLAS (105.3 THE FAN) - Just two years ago at this time I asked if the Mavericks would be better come playoff time than they were at the All-Star Break, and if they were ripe for an extended playoff run.
They were stocked with the best allotment of talent we'd ever seen here. They had three point shooters, paint players and of course Dirk. They had the perfect compliment of aged vets without a ring and youth to keep them on their toes. And they were a team locked in after Dirk returned from a long injury.
Mark Cuban seemed perfectly content with not making a single move at the trade deadline, and people were freaking out. But he stayed true his word and didn't fix something that wasn't broken.
Then he got a ring.
Fast-forward two years later, it seems as though Cuban and Donnie Nelson have overthought every move they've made and the product has suffered because of it.
You could also blame the new Collective Bargaining Agreement for that, but it's a lot easier to blame Cubes for most people.
Either way, the team is closer to last place than it is to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference right now. And THAT, is down right unacceptable for anybody in this city.
That's why I don't believe anyone or anything is safe in Dallas right now.
Anything that isn't bolted to the AAC floor is probably on the table for trade for Cuban. Anybody who doesn't believe that Cuban's one and only goal is to win is crazy.
It's okay, throw the "he wants to make money" argument my way too.
Winning helps you make more money. Winning helps you sell out every night. It helps you sell merchandise; and doing it often helps the brand become iconic across the country.
The product the Mavs have right now, I don't think anybody can look at and say, "give it time and they'll be contenders." What they do have is a unique group of young talent and an assortment of older players as well, but not the perfect blend of passion for the O'Brien Trophy.
You heard Rick Carlisle answer only three questions after a loss to the Hawks because he was so ticked off Monday night.
Then, every player in the locker room looked and talked like their season just ended.
Carlisle said the next day on 105.3 The Fan's RAGE, the team is in dire times. They have the passion, but they don't quite have the makeup yet.
This is a far cry from where they were just two years ago, look at the video. They were laughing, they were cracking jokes, they were locked in with every practice shot and they had every motivating force possible sending them in the right direction.
In my opinion, you won't see the same team you saw this week after Feb. 21 (the trade deadline). Cuban will make a move and while a lot of people might throw their hands in the air saying "this isn't enough!!!" Cuban and Nelson are playing the long game, looking at the future.
It will make more sense when they are back in playoff contention.
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