The Dallas Mavericks head into this week’s action with the worst record in the NBA at 3-13. It’s most definitely not the start that owner Mark Cuban and the franchise was hoping for after last year’s surprise trip to the playoffs.
Though, the primary issue here more than anything else is a lack of real talent on the court. After all, Dallas has been left to rely on Harrison Barnes to be the team’s go-to guy on offense. While Barnes is averaging nearly 21 points per game in his first season with the Mavericks, he’s not a top scorer on a contending team.
Despite these early-season struggles, Cuban is strongly denying any suggestion that the Mavericks are in tanking mode.
“We’ll play it by ear. The one thing you don’t do is panic,” Cuban said, via SB Nation. “If we just can’t get healthy, that will tell us one thing. If we can, and we’re just not any good, that will tell us another thing. If we can, and we start rolling along, and we think we can get a lot better, then that tells us what we do there. The crazy thing you don’t do is panic.”
It may seem like Cuban has left open the possibility that Dallas might very well tank should it continue to struggle, his next comment pretty much throws that out the window completely.
“We’re still trying to win,” Cuban continued. “You see teams out there, and they’re doing everything possible to lose in the fourth quarter. I don’t think that’s good for the players, good for the team, good for the culture. I just don’t like that. You never say never if it came down to it, but I just don’t see that helping any of our young guys at all.”
We’re not exactly sure what teams Cuban is speaking about here. Sure the likes of the Philadelphia 76ers have gone into tanking mode recently in order to acquire a higher draft pick. Through the first month of the 2016-17 season, no team has put itself in that situation around the Association.
As it relates to the Mavericks, they have definitely been dealing with some injuries this season. Future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki has missed all but five games on the year. Meanwhile, J.J. Barea, Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut have also sat out multiple games.
Still, even at 100 percent healthy, it’s hard to imagine the Mavericks being anywhere near good enough to compete for a playoff spot. And while it might speak to an issue within the culture of the franchise, tanking to secure a high pick makes more long-term sense than winning just enough games to pick at the bottom end of the lottery.
It remains to be seen exactly how the Mavericks will play this. Cuban’s comments really don’t do much to shed light on the franchise’s thought process right now.