The Dallas Mavericks are falling apart right in front of our eyes. The front office, sensing a turning point for the team, swung a trade for Kyrie Irving at the trade deadline. Little did they know, though, that the tides would turn the opposite way: Dallas is now out of the Play-In picture. Their last lost to the Hornets had fans boo Kyrie Irving. After the game, Kyrie reacted to the boos he got, per Tim MacMahon.
“Kyrie Irving on boos in Dallas: “So what? … You obviously want to play well, but you it's only five people on the court that can play for Dallas Mavericks. If the fans wanna change places, then hey, be my guest. Got years of work ahead to be great enough to be on this level.””
Mavs fans have every right to be frustrated: since trading for Kyrie Irving, he and Luka Doncic have had a 3-7 record. After ending the All-Star break with a top-6 spot and a real shot to go up to the fourth seed, Dallas has fallen all the way down to the 11th spot. They are now on the outside looking in, and it's not going to get any easier for them.
Trading for the volatile Irving was always a risk for the Mavs. They hoped that the offensive firepower of the ex-Nets star will compensate for their supposed sub-par defense. Clearly, that's not the case. On Friday night, Dallas allowed the league-worst offense of the Hornets to drop 117 points on them… while only getting 109 from their “offensive” juggernaut. It's been a frustrating year for the Mavs, as they failed to capitalize on their WCF appearance last year.
Things could also take a turn for the worst for the Mavs. After the loss to the Hornets, Luka Doncic expressed his frustration, citing other reasons than basketball for his feelings. These statements (and really, Luka's entire run with Dallas) have fans worried that the star might bolt at the first opportunity he gets. Less than a year after trading for a star, the Mavs might just lose both of their best players. That would be a wild situation for them.
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