Marc Cuban owned the Dallas Mavericks for over two decades. During his time, he transformed the team into a perennial playoff contender, and they won their only championship in 2011. After selling the team, he occasionally talks about the Mavericks. Speaking on a recent podcast, Cuban talked about what the Mavs need to win another title.
Marc Cuban Knows What the Mavs Need to Win a Championship
After trading Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, many people around the league were furious that the Mavs gave up on a 26-year-old perennial MVP candidate. At the time, their general manager, Nico Harrison, defended the decision, talking about how they want to win now and how they believe they needed more defense than offense. The franchise was “rescued” by winning the lottery and drafting Cooper Flagg. Speaking in a podcast, Marc Cuban talked about how two guys will be crucial for the Mavs winning another championship.
“I literally think our season goes as well as Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively shoot threes,” he said.
He was then reminded that while AD shoots from beyond the arc, Lively took only one jump shot inside the arc all last season. However, Cuban continued, saying, “Did you not watch the Finals? I am just telling you. I think Lively will get the green light.”
While Cuban might think it will happen, there are rarely, if any, examples of a big man completely changing his game from playing close to the rim to shooting. Yes, Brook Lopez changed his game, but he was still shooting every now and then before becoming one of the best stretch fives. Lively gets most of his points from putbacks, lobs, and layups. Davis does shoot threes, but he is a career 29.6% three-point shooter. He shot better than 30% only four times during his career. Last season, Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick hoped to turn AD into an offensive force from beyond the arc. But Davis took only 2.2 threes per game at a 29.8% efficiency.
Do the Mavs Have a Chance at a Title?
The Dallas Mavericks will start next season without one of their key players. According to most reports, Kyrie Irving will miss at least half of the season. They are tied for the 12th best odds of winning the championship with the Philadelphia 76ers, another team that is prone to injuries.
Even the Golden State Warriors, who are tied in a Jonathan Kuminga situation and have fewer than 10 players on their roster for next season, have better odds. When healthy, the Mavs have a quality starting five and some good bench players. But health will be the most important factor. How soon and how ready will Irving come back to the floor? Can they avoid injuries to other older players like AD and Klay Thompson? Time will tell.
Destined for Another Move
Looking at the Mavs roster for next season, it is clear they might be an active team during the trade deadline. Right now, their roster seems imbalanced. They have plenty of bigs who can play power forward and center, but they lack creativity from their guards. D’Angelo Russell is the only one who can create his own shot and create for others—at least until Kyrie returns to the floor. The best move for the Mavs is to see how the season goes and try to package some of their bigs for another shot creator at the deadline. That should improve their chances to compete for a championship and make Marc Cuban happy.
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