The Dallas Mavericks are frustrating

NBA reporter Marc Stein hosted a Greenroom on Friday night and I had a chance to speak. Earlier he had mentioned how very frustrated Mavericks fans were and he wasn’t quite sure why, so I used my time to try to explain it. I talked about how the Mavericks seem to overestimate themselves, how they ignore the draft, how they can never land the free agents they want, how arrogant they are and seem to think they’re smarter than everyone else. world.

And then Marc asked me what particular move they should have made, and to be honest, I didn’t get a good answer. There’s no move I can point out that they should have done this offseason that would make me feel better.

So I started to think about it. Why am I so frustrated? It’s not just me either. If you check out Mavs’ twitter (which is usually a terrible idea) you’ll see a lot of anger. A lot of people are complaining about the same old Mavs failing in free agency. You will also see different people coming out left and right to scold us. Calling us authorized fans, telling us that the team knows better than us, that we are a bunch of idiots and that Mark Cuban is a god. So what is the truth? Probably somewhere in the middle.

It was a bad free agency class. There weren’t a lot of names available that really got the needle going. And I actually liked what Dallas did for the most part. Re-signing Tim Hardaway Jr. is a good thing. He can be frustrating, but he can also absolutely take control of matches in a way that is not easy to replicate. He seems to have found his place here and wants to be a maverick, apparently refusing more money elsewhere.

I really like Reggie Bullock’s signing. He’s the kind of 3-and-D veteran this team desperately needs. He will help. I also think Sterling Brown is a good choice as another 3-and-D wing, although I don’t expect a huge impact from him. I don’t mind bringing Boban Marjanovic back, assuming it’s vet minimum. He’s one of Luka’s best friends in the squad, he’s great for team culture, and he’s not the worst player in the world to play in certain situations, as long as that doesn’t start in. a playoff series. Hell, in a vacuum, I’m even cool with the option on Willie Cauley-Stein. Willie can be frustrating, but he’s one of the most athletic greats in the league and is capable of really contributing. Oh and they also traded Josh Richardson and grabbed Moses Brown and a trade exception. Okay, it works for me.

The other talking point for the Mavericks was Goran Dragic. Add me to the list of people who really want him on the team. He’s a tough veteran who can serve as a side ball manager, as well as a mentor for Luka Doncic. But, I’m not even crazy to refuse to pay too much in a trade to have it. The Mavericks are very weak on young developmental players. Ditching Josh Green and / or Tyrell Terry to bring in a 35-year-old guard on a $ 19million contract is a bad deal, especially if there’s even a small chance he’ll be bought out and end up here later. , like Bleacher’s Jake Fischer The Report seems to think so.

“So Clint, if you don’t really disagree with what they did, what’s the problem?” You might ask.

Well reader, thanks for asking! The problem is, for the third year in a row, we’re going to be seeing essentially the same group there. While I might not be smart enough to tell you exactly how to upgrade the roster, I’m smart enough to know that continuing to repeat almost the exact same band is not the answer.

The Mavericks seem to think that, since Luka 9 is so good, they can afford to have a lesser roster around him and rely on his genius to carry them. Last year’s team nearly beat the Los Angeles Clippers, who likely would at least have reached the NBA Finals if Kawhi hadn’t been injured. The Mavericks have had an extremely short rotation this series because their depth is non-existent. There just aren’t enough guys on the team who can make an impact.

They seem to see it as being so close that they don’t really need to make any drastic improvements and are about to compete for a title. But this is the wrong approach. A below-average roster almost beat one of the best teams in the league due to Luka’s greatness. So why not do all you can to upgrade the list and get going now?

I’m not even talking about bringing in another star. The Mavericks have already taken their big step by trading against Kristaps Porzingis. It hasn’t worked out the way we all wanted it to have so far, but it was a decision they were right to make. I think there has been too much concern about Luka having another star with him anyway. I think you can say that the proximity with which they have become competitive makes the opposite argument.

Forget the star hunt. Focus on loading the list with guys who can help you out. Bullock and Brown are a good start. Get more of that kind of guy and fill the squad with them, instead of focusing on a big fish and most of all standing when you hit them.

My concern is that they will wait until the situation hits a breaking point before they try to move all in. Milwaukee waited until there was real concern about Giannis leaving before doing whatever he could to make him happy. It worked for them of course, but there is no guarantee that it will work for us, so why not start now and try to avoid it?

Sidebar: An example of the kind of thing that drives me really crazy about the Mavericks is letting Rick Carlisle go to the Pacers without asking for any compensation. It just gives the impression that Mark Cuban thinks he’s smarter than everyone else, that he’s playing the long game, and that one day his human decency will be rewarded. This is stupid. Any other team in the league would have insisted that at least one draft pick come back. A draft pick would be a good thing to have in case you want to, oh I don’t know, trade for Goran Dragic maybe.

Also, an admission. One of the reasons the lack of movement is so frustrating is that it’s just not fun. Like many of you reading this, I’m a Twitter junkie. I don’t tweet that much, but I can obsessively refresh myself with the best of them. Follow me if you are interested. The dopamine surge you get when you see a tweet from Woj, Shams, Stein or Chris Haynes about your team is one of the great joys in life. I consider the start of the NBA free agency to be a vacation, so it’s very disappointing when the team you love is inactive.

Either way, the Mavericks drive me crazy, but I have to constantly remind myself that I’m not really a part of the team and there is nothing I can do about it, no matter how stressful I am. I’m just a fan who writes about them every now and then (Editor’s note: write more about them, Clint).

For my own sanity, I will step away now for a period of intense reflection. A long, long break will do me good. A little time to work on myself and what really matters. I will go to Tibet to study at the feet of a great yogi. I will be studying Transcendental Meditation with David Lynch. I will seek the wisdom of nature. Maybe I’ll build a cabin there and record an album like Bon Iver there, or write the next great American novel.

I don’t know exactly how long I’ll be gone, and I know you will miss me but it might take a while. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t hear from me again until the Mavericks play their first Summer League game this afternoon. Until we meet …

We discuss the end of free agency for the Dallas Mavericks here. If you want to listen to the podcast in your favorite app, search for Mavs Moneyball Podcast and subscribe. Still, here is the direct link and you can also click on the built-in player below.