All hope is not lost for Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. With three games still remaining in the regular season, there's still a chance that the struggling Mavs are somehow able to crawl their way into a spot in the Play-In tournament out West. Nevertheless, what cannot be denied is that it's been quite baffling to watch this team's downfall over the past several weeks.
Some folks believe that Dallas' problems started even before this season started. Losing Jalen Brunson to the New York Knicks was a massive blow for the Mavs, and even Luka himself recently admitted that he misses his former backcourt partner-in-crime dearly. As it turns out, the same is the case for team owner Mark Cuban.
At this point, it appears that the billionaire entrepreneur is still feeling salty about Brunson's exit. In fact, Cuban is more than happy to play the blame game with regard to the real reason behind Brunson's decision to leave for greener pastures. According to Cuban, “things went south when the parents got involved” (h/t NBA insider Tim MacMahon of ESPN).
It's no secret that Jalen's dad, Rick Brunson, who happens to have suited up for the Knicks as well during his days in the NBA, played a key role in his son's move to The Big Apple. Cuban is not denying Rick's involvement at all. In fact, Cuban is actually pinning the blame on Rick Brunson altogether. The Mavs owner also noted that contrary to previous reports, the Mavs “never had the opportunity” to offer Brunson an extension before he took his talents to New York. Yikes.