The NBA’s landscape is forever changing, as teams have the ability to stockpile talent but also lose it in just one offseason. After a successful past decade for the Dallas Mavericks thanks in no small part to the heroics of all-time great Dirk Nowitzki and owner Mark Cuban, the franchise has been a middling team for the past few years and were even expected to be towards the bottom of the Western Conference standings coming into this season.
While the Mavs struggled out of the gates this season, they’ve begun to heat up at the best possible time, winning four straight and six of their last seven matchups. With Nowitzki aging and his playing days dwindling down, the team lacks a true identity but have somehow managed to put themselves in a position to make a playoff push, currently 1.5 games out of the eighth seed in the West. With so much new young talent making huge impacts on the roster such as Harrison Barnes, Seth Curry, Yogi Ferrell and Nerlens Noel, a whole new era is being ushered in in Dallas.
Mark Cuban realizes his team has gone through a full-blown rebuild, but they’ve also done it efficiently and over a short period of time. In a recent interview with NBA.com’s Shaun Powell, Cuban discussed their current state and what has unfolded over the 2016-17 campaign:
NBA.com: Since winning the NBA Finals in 2011, the Mavericks have gone through a period of reinvention. Dirk is getting old and the roster has undergone a facelift and currently lacks an All-Star. Yet the team has improved steadily this season. Your thoughts?
Cuban: We’ve basically gone through a rebuild in one season. It’s a credit to Rick (Carlisle, the Mavericks coach) but also everyone on this team. There’s still a lot more to do. Nobody’s writing us in for The Finals this year. Our guys really worked hard, as hard or harder than any team in the league. Look at Miami. They’ve undergone a lot of changes too, much like we have, and they just play harder. I remember the Celtics after they traded off Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and they tried to find themselves and they did that by playing their asses off. That’s who we are now. Teams kind of look at our talent and don’t know what to expect but it’s hard to keep up with us when you go 15 deep with guys playing hard. It’s our calling card. I love it.
There’s no doubt Mark Cuban knows this team better than anyone and his analysis is pinpoint accurate, especially regarding the stellar coaching of Rick Carlisle. His ability to turn a roster seemingly devoid of any elite talent into a respectable team out West is remarkable.
Even though it appears Nowitzki will call it quits after next season, the future of the team is bright. The offseason addition of Harrison Barnes and the acquisition of big man Nerlens Noel prior to the trade deadline provided the team with two solid frontcourt pieces for years to come.
Though they could certainly use some backcourt help, the play of young studs Seth Curry and Yogi Ferrell may be the storyline of the year so far for Dallas as they have both proved to bring vital skill sets to the table and continue to hold down the fort. Add in the sound game of two-way wing Wesley Matthews and you suddenly have a squad capable of giving anyone problems.
With less than 20 games remaining on the docket and the playoffs a real possibility for the Mavs, their ‘one season’ rebuild has to be considered a successful one.
