The Mavericks are Entering Purgatory

Going into this year, I believed that the Mavericks run to the Western Conference Finals last year was not a good indicator of how their season would ultimately finish. This is due to the fact that the front office got complacent and assumed that only adding Christian Wood would be enough to move the needle. Wood is a great player but not a superstar that substantially moves the needle. They forgot the Suns would be hungrier than ever to avenge their loss, the reigning champion Warriors are still there, Denver and Portland are healthy again, Memphis exists, and both Los Angeles teams are getting healthy again as well. The Mavericks have never built a good roster around a generational superstar in Luka Doncic. He has never had a star to play with in the starting lineup since Dirk’s retirement. Coach Jason Kidd has made a horrible mistake not using Wood in the lineup considering that he has All-Star potential and better than Javale McGee and Dwight Powell. It is a decision that boggles the minds of fans across the league. I see no difference between the Mavericks rosters the season after Dirk left and now minus Jalen Brunson. This is unacceptable considering who their franchise player is. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Reggie Bullock are inconsistent 3&D players, Dorian Finney Smith is not good enough to be a wingman, Josh Green is still developing, Bertans, Powell, and Kleber are not good enough to be second options. Wood can be a second option and he is not being played like it. The reason I use the word purgatory in the headline is because the Mavericks do not have their first round pick this year and they are not bad enough to lose many games and get a top 3 pick, regardless. Therefore, they are stuck in the middle and will be forced to get a talent that is not good enough to move the needle. Unless they make a big trade or sign a big star in these coming months, The Mavericks organization has failed Luka. If I am Luka, I want some authority over the roster or I will try to walk to preserve my talent and career.