The Mavericks have caught a lot of flak from all quarters in the wake of their decision to effectively reconfigure their quest for a championship by trading away their biggest asset. Clearly, they were put off by the prospect of a ballooning payroll in continuing to build around wunderkind Luka Dončić. A whopping $345-million supermax contract was on the horizon, and they did not think he deserved it, never mind his status as a five-time First Team All-NBA selection and perennial Most Valuable Player candidate. And so they dealt him to the Lakers for Anthony Davis — admittedly another superstar who competes on both ends of the court, but who is likewise seven years older and therefore with an upside that figures to be more time-bound.
In this regard, general manager Nico Harrison is right. The Mavericks’ window of opportunity just got shorter — make that much shorter. And to argue that the move is a monumental gamble would be to understate the obvious. They truly, utterly believe they have placed themselves in a better position to compete for the hardware in the short term. Unfortunately, their confidence is not shared elsewhere; outside of the front office and the coaching staff, their drumbeating is being viewed as misguided at best and unrealistic at worst.
Which is why Harrison and chief bench tactician Jason Kidd are prepared to walk the walk as much as they have talked the talk. The other day, the latter noted in a presser that “we had to get better” coming off a finals appearance. “What we’re doing right now is part of the journey, and this is just the start. So, hopefully, with the changes we’ve made, that can lead us back to the Finals and find a way to win.” The operative word is, to be sure, “hopefully;” not for nothing have the Mavericks won only nine of 24 matches since Dončić was sidelined on Christmas Day due to a strained left calf.
The good news is that Davis has the singular talent to live up to expectations and earn back the fans’ trust in the Mavericks’ capacity to take the measure of the league elite. The bad news is that, as stellar as he may be, he has a history of injury that threatens to derail him in his new role. On Sunday, for instance, his stellar first half in his home debut was overshadowed by a non-contact injury late in the third quarter. In other words, the task at hand won’t be an easy one for the blue and white. The way to earn the fans’ trust will entail no small measure of good fortune, and require them to not just win, but win big.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
