The Dallas Mavericks need help. Where that help comes from, or if they can get it in time for the end of the regular season, is uncertain. A team led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving is in danger of missing the postseason after a horrendous skid following the All-Star break.

The Mavs look lost and have been unable to use the advantage of two offensive supernovas to win due to an embarrassingly bad defense. Head coach Jason Kidd hasn't been able to steer the ship in the right direction. As they sit outside of the play-in territory in the Western Conference, ESPN analyst Zach Lowe isn't mincing words on how bad they are.

“Disaster. There's no other way to put it. It's the biggest disaster in the NBA right now,” Lowe said of the Mavs on ESPN's Get Up. “The Oklahoma City Thunder are like, ‘Hey, here, take the 10 seed. We're struggling. Take it. We're giving it to you.’ And the Mavs are like, ‘No, we're cool. We're just gonna lose every game despite the fact that we traded the farm for Kyrie Irving. Total disaster. And if they don't make the play-in, the offseason looms as a major, major question mark.”

Claiming that they traded “the farm” for Irving is a bit of an exaggeration but the fact that they have gotten worse since that trade is absolutely a cause for concern. Doncic's individual brilliance has not been nearly enough to right the ship. The Mavs star has statistically been one of the best players in the league this season but he and Irving just can't lead the team to wins.

Making matters worse is the fact that the New York Knicks will receive their draft pick if it falls outside of the top 10. Should they tank despite having Doncic and Irving, which could alienate both of them? Or, should they keep fighting the uphill battle of trying to make the playoffs and risk losing a top-14 pick? Neither option is pretty, which at least matches the theme of this Mavs season.