IZTOK DIAGNOSES DECLINE OF MAVS OFFENSE

[F Gump]

Interesting. This might be right on target. I'm not sure whether to hope so or not.

Getting an expert to make GM decisions at an expert level was/is the Mavs need.

Removing Cuban from making those decisions got them halfway there. That was a good move by Cuban.

But the other half is then getting a expert to make them. Unfortunately Cuban hired Nico, who is not an expert in such things, so they are still where they were, devoid of expertise. That was awful.

Nico himself can become that expert eventually. But it's a complex job and likely to take him years to catch up to the other GMs (if ever) who have been doing these GM tasks, and figuring out the tricks and priorities, for years.

In the meantime, he might be wise enough to hire that expert, or several of them, to meet the need -- he doesn't have to become the expert himself. Hope he does. But there's been no indication that's happened. (Sadly, if they did, given the lack of expertise on hand, who could know how to recognize what person or approach should be added?)

I wish the situation was more promising, but it is what it is. Bummer to think of.