The Dallas Mavericks have dug themselves into quite a hole. As the playing days of Dirk Nowitzki continue to dwindle down, the Mavericks just don’t have the firepower surrounding the aging legend to make any real progress in the Western Conference. While the addition of Harrison Barnes was a risk, it has shown to pay dividends as he has proved he can be a reliable option moving forward. However, rostering Barnes as the lone star isn’t going to be nearly enough going forward and it has shown.
The team continues to play mediocre basketball, putting up a 22-33 record and sitting at the 11th seed out West. Mavs owner Mark Cuban is one of the most outspoken figures in the sporting and business world. While the Mavericks have struggled under Cuban’s tenure before, and especially as of late, Dallas can usually be counted on to be a legitimate threat come playoff time. However, things are overwhelmingly different this season, and Cuban knows this. With the all-star break quickly approaching and the 50-game mark already being surpassed, the Mavs are a significant long shot to make the postseason.
Cuban was a guest on the Ben & Skin show on the Dallas radio station 103.5. Almost immediately, the conversation went into a discussion on tanking and the team looking to play their young guys more this season. Nick Angstadt of The Mavs Fanatic first spotted the Cuban interview and assisted with some quotes.
Ben & Skin – “Man, when you guys got off to the slow start you did, I told you I was so conflicted. ‘Cause, I’m thinkin’ video game wise. Simulate the season; it’s a lost season. I’ve been to two games in the last three now and when you’re there and the energy and you’re watching #41 (Dirk Nowitzki) out there, and you’re seeing this young talent, and they never stop competing. You can’t tank, you can’t…
Mark Cuban – “We are tanking! We are tanking! People don’t get it. We’re playing our youngs. How do you tank? You play your young players. Who are we not playing? You know. Maybe not Nicolas (Brussino)…
B&S – “Justin’s (Anderson) gotta earn some minutes..”
MC – “That tells you. He’s playing behind Dodo (Dorian Finney-Smith) and Wes (Matthews), and he’s gotta earn those minutes. And he’s good! Who are we gonna take out? We’re playing our young guys a lot. They’re getting better, a lot. We’re not gonna sit Dirk because that would be disrespectful. We’re not gonna sit Wes because we want him to set the tone.”
B&S – And he’s here for two more years after this…
MC – And it’s not even that. Guys on the court learn from him…Everybody else is a pup! We are playing our young guys and so, we’re tanking while we try to win.
B&S – “…If you look around the NBA right now, It’s kinda hard to see who’s trying to tank.”
MC – “Well other than Brooklyn, who’s not trying, they’re just not very good. Everybody else is trying to win; everybody else thinks they’re in the playoff hunt.”
B&S – “Which is why we thought, when you guys got off to the slow start, well based on what Mark said in the past, this may seem like a possibility, but you guys are really too good.”
MC – “Because our young guys got good. It’s not like all of a sudden ‘Well our vets are carrying us. We’re concerned about playing Dirk or whoever too many minutes’. Not at all. Andrew (Bogut) hasn’t played, D-Will (Deron Williams) is just getting back, J.J. (Barea) hasn’t played. Dirk, ya know, he had one game where we kinda pushed him, but ya know we’re not crushing anybody. Harrison (Barnes), I think, leads us with 37 minutes and he’s 24. So if you look at the minute distribution by age, we’re trending south, and that’s exactly the way we want it. And it’s gonna impact our strategy for the summer. I don’t see us going after the big fish this summer cause I think everything is changing. There’s too much money to stay with your incumbent team. Unless something falls in our lap, you know we’re always opportunistic, I’d much rather be a team that has a ton of cap room into the season to take players off of people’s hands. And if I’m below the salary floor, then we just pay that money to our existing players. Everybody on the roster makes more…And I’m watching college games, (Laughs) I’ve never watched a college game other than Indiana prior to the final four in 17 years.”
Cuban went on to talk more about the development of his young guys and how the team is tanking but not trying to lose on purpose. He instead is looking to develop that young talent on his roster.
While some Mavericks fans may not like to hear it, an argument can be made that tanking is the right move. Without much considerable talent to build around moving forward and Nowitzki’s likely looming retirement, Cuban knows he has to build his team from the ground up and that starts with a high draft pick.
Since Cuban’s tanking plan is clearly in effect, this is as good a year as any to land a high-end lottery pick as the top of the draft is loaded with talent, especially in the backcourt. With Mark Cuban and the Mavs’ eyes set on the future, look for them to continue struggling their way through what has been a rough 2016-17 campaign.
