02-10-2021, 01:40 AM
(02-10-2021, 01:02 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: in any event, those three weeks were the extinction level event of the season, to me. Once that happened even the best case scenario for this year was destined to be underwhelming, and I’m not at all shocked that reaching the best case scenario has proved too difficult for a young team, to this point. It’s got to be tough to fight through this condensed schedule, increased testing and quarantine hassle and fanless arenas with no energy when you must first overcome the massive disappointment of knowing you’ve basically already thrown the top end of your potential away during the first quarter of the season.I'm sorry to say that I think there's a lot to this. When the guys initially were diagnosed, I thought the situation was way under blown, as if they might be a little under the weather for a few days, but should be good to go in short order. Cuban said afterwards that this disease is not like a cold, where when it's over, it's over -- the effects linger, and they're still dealing with that. And WCS' feeling that the guys were rushed back, relative to how sick they had been, was disturbing, if it was accurately reported. The Mavs have lost 41 player-games to the virus/protocol, more than any other team. Organizations, or people, for that matter, can only withstand so many things going wrong at the same time, and I would be surprised if the team hadn't buckled to an extent under the weight of all these adverse events.
I also think the Mavs view a failure to make the playoffs this season as a disaster. Hence, their going to Defcon 1 in the middle of the season, which has its own risks. Cuban was called in to address the team before one of the last games and urge them not to "fracture," lending credence to your suspicion that this may be happening.
I really hope that they can pull something out of this campaign, and that it won't be just a lost season. But if they do come through stronger, I don't think it will necessarily be as a result of the W-L record. I am still hoping for the best, but don't really maintain much in the way of expectations. I think they may just have run into a perfect storm this time.