(All stats and records through Jan. 15; for report cards for all 30 teams click here.)
Offense: 102.1, 25th Overall
Defense: 106.9, 22nd Overall
W-L | Pct. | GB:
13-27 | .325 | 18.0
Conf.: 9-18
Div.: 1-8
Home: 8-11
Road: 5-16
FRONTCOURT: C-
On one hand, Dirk Nowitzki, 38, has missed 25 games with Achilles injury and Andrew Bogut, 32, 16 with sore knee. On the other, Harrison Barnes, 24, is blooming in new role as go-to scorer.
BACKCOURT: D
Deron Williams is five seasons and light years removed from his All-Star level and at 32 is merely serviceable as triggerman. Wes Matthews, nearly two years after torn Achilles, has lost a step at both ends.
DEFENSE: D-
The still recovering Matthews doesn’t have the old bite to be the lead dog in the defense. Anybody can pretty much get off a good shot anywhere on the court. They rank 29th in opponents’ shooting percentage.
BENCH: F
Backup point guard J.J. Barea missed the better part of two months with a calf injury. A toe injury cost Devin Harris the first 16 games of the season. Dorian Finney-Smith is no Dirk substitute.
COACHING: B
One of the NBA’s elite, Rick Carlisle always squeezes the most out of his roster. But between injuries, age and an overall lack of talent on the roster, even he can’t get blood from a stone.
OVERALL GRADE: F
What was supposed to be a playoff-bound train jumped off the tracks early when Dirk Nowitzki began experiencing pain in both Achilles’ tendons and was forced to the sidelines for 25 games. At 38, he is still being asked to carry far too much of the offensive load and that put the Mavs on an immediate downward spiral. Harrison Barnes, at 24, is a nice pickup, at last, on the free agent market, is the kind of young blood building block that Dallas has needed for quite some time.
Sitting at the bottom of the West standings, the playoffs are out of the question. They should be looking to trade off Andrew Bogut for future assets, plotting what to do with a high lottery pick and starting the overdue rebuild.
Fran Blinebury has covered the NBA since 1977. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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