After getting off to a very sluggish start this season, the Mavericks have shown real promise for the future in recent months, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. Mavs owner Mark Cuban said earlier this week that he likes the current roster, despite the fact that the team remains below .500.
“We basically went from 4-17 to, all right, this squad has got some real potential,” Cuban said. “We did it on the back of undrafted free agents and one trade. There’s a lot to be said for that.”
As the 27-36 Mavs, who currently sit 10th in the West and two games behind the No. 8 Nuggets, continue to push for a playoff spot, let’s check in on a few more items out of Dallas…
- Within MacMahon’s piece linked above, Cuban also raved about Seth Curry, who is enjoying a breakout year in Dallas this season. In 59 games, the lesser-known Curry brother has averaged 12.9 PPG with a .487/.435/.831 shooting line. “We want him to be [with us] forever,” Cuban said. “He’s our kind of guy — shoots, plays hard defensively, great in the locker room. We call him Swaggy Swag. High swag level, low volume level. Those kind of guys are good. Swaggy Swag’s a keeper.”
- For his part, Curry sounds optimistic about the future for the Mavericks: “As long as we continue to play well and turn the season around like we are, I don’t see why this wouldn’t be a nucleus that would get better and continue to be better as a team.”
- As MacMahon details, Cuban also weighed in on Chandler Parsons‘ struggles in Memphis this year, admitting that he’s somewhat conflicted watching his old friend endure the worst season of his NBA career. “I feel bad for him. As a friend, I feel bad for him,” Cuban said. “As an opponent, thrilled to death. That’s par for the course for me. I know he’s struggling, I know it’s hard on him. You don’t like to see your friends go through that, but that’s just the NBA. Happens to everybody.”
- In a chat with Mavs fans, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News explores several topics, including whether Dwight Powell will still have a real role with the franchise going forward, now that Nerlens Noel is in the mix.
- In case you missed it on Tuesday, Chris Crouse of Hoops Rumors examined how Cuban and the Mavs have built their roster around Dirk Nowitzki.
Swaggy swag? Stick to rejecting business ideas on national tv please. Nicknames are clearly not your forté.