Followill and Dameris took a deep look into what's wrong with the Mavs on their podcast, Take Dat Wit You.
Some of their takeaways --
1. The team is in serious need of some veteran leadership. Preferably, the kind that is exercised on the court, as there is a limited amount a guy can do from the locker room. They need a Luka whisperer. As it is, even if a teammate sees something that Luka or KP could be doing differently, they're not necessarily in a position to impose their opinions. Mark and Brian think this is important enough that it should be addressed in the offseason.
2. Something has gone badly wrong in the process of their preparation and approach to games. They have not handled this stretch of games in a mature manner. It is dangerous to look at a stretch of lower record opponents and think you can take it easy for a while. Each game has to be played on its own with appropriate effort and respect for the other team. They need to do something to adopt a more mature approach.
3. Fatigue is not an excuse. Yes, they are tired and probably carrying a few knocks. But so is every other team. Their process needs to allow them not to play exhausted. One thing that may help is getting 85% of the team and staff vaccinated, as that would allow players to sleep in, rather than having to be tested for COVID at 8 AM every day.
4. The coaching staff is aware of these issues. Carlisle adverted to them when he talked about respect for the process.
5. Now that some of the COVID restrictions are lifting, they should consider doing some team bonding activities, to encourage team spirit and ease some of the tensions. These are more important than many fans think.
6. It is not only the players and coaches that need to take a look in the mirror. The front office has whiffed terribly in both of the past two offseasons, and they will have to do better if the Mavs want to remain in the hunt.
https://www.patreon.com/m/5874991/posts
Are they right?
Some of their takeaways --
1. The team is in serious need of some veteran leadership. Preferably, the kind that is exercised on the court, as there is a limited amount a guy can do from the locker room. They need a Luka whisperer. As it is, even if a teammate sees something that Luka or KP could be doing differently, they're not necessarily in a position to impose their opinions. Mark and Brian think this is important enough that it should be addressed in the offseason.
2. Something has gone badly wrong in the process of their preparation and approach to games. They have not handled this stretch of games in a mature manner. It is dangerous to look at a stretch of lower record opponents and think you can take it easy for a while. Each game has to be played on its own with appropriate effort and respect for the other team. They need to do something to adopt a more mature approach.
3. Fatigue is not an excuse. Yes, they are tired and probably carrying a few knocks. But so is every other team. Their process needs to allow them not to play exhausted. One thing that may help is getting 85% of the team and staff vaccinated, as that would allow players to sleep in, rather than having to be tested for COVID at 8 AM every day.
4. The coaching staff is aware of these issues. Carlisle adverted to them when he talked about respect for the process.
5. Now that some of the COVID restrictions are lifting, they should consider doing some team bonding activities, to encourage team spirit and ease some of the tensions. These are more important than many fans think.
6. It is not only the players and coaches that need to take a look in the mirror. The front office has whiffed terribly in both of the past two offseasons, and they will have to do better if the Mavs want to remain in the hunt.
https://www.patreon.com/m/5874991/posts
Are they right?