DALLAS -- Look on the bright side, Dallas Mavericks fans: The upcoming lottery is supposed to be absolutely loaded with talent.

Dallas certainly seems destined for that unfamiliar territory, with the Mavs limping, all too literally, out of the gates by losing nine of their first 11 games. They sunk to a new low Friday without injured veterans Dirk Nowitzki, Deron Williams, J.J. Barea and Devin Harris, narrowly avoiding a franchise record for scoring futility during an 80-64 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

As painful as it is to watch, this is probably best for a franchise that has been stuck on the mediocrity treadmill owner Mark Cuban was so determined to avoid when he decided to strip down the roster following the 2011 championship run and ensuing lockout. It has been five long years -- and four very short playoff appearances -- since that point.

The playoffs appear to be a pipe dream for Dallas this season. They look like a lottery lock. Dallas fans can start dreaming about how Markelle Fultz or Harry Giles or Josh Jackson -- or whichever draft prospect piques their interest the most -- would look in a Mavs uniform.

The best-case scenario for the Mavs: 24-year-old Harrison Barnes, who had a rare off night against the Grizzlies, continues to be a bright spot on a really bad team and they draft a star in the lottery.

Let the rebuilding process officially, finally begin.

“We’ve been rebuilding ever since 2011,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “I see us in a pretty perpetual rebuild, because we are a championship organization, and that’s what we’re always striving to do. I don’t see us in any different mode than we’ve been in.”

Carlisle might be too competitive to face the reality that this is definitely a different situation. Dallas has probably dug too big of a hole to get out of in a deep Western Conference. And the Mavs can’t count on Nowitzki, whose sore Achilles tendon is evidence that he’s finally losing the fight with Father Time, to drag a subpar supporting cast to the playoffs at the ripe old age of 38.

Carlisle must stay in the moment. He can’t allow the young players the Mavs are developing to think anything less than maximum effort is acceptable.

The Mavs’ front office, however, must think with the big picture in mind.

“We’ll look at that like Game 75, maybe Game 70,” Mavs owner Mark Cuban said, tongue planted firmly in cheek during his pregame Stairmaster routine.

Don’t worry. Cuban can’t turn a blind eye to how rough things are for the Mavs right now. He might not be able to tank intentionally, but he can at least see the silver lining if nature takes its course and the Mavs remain near the bottom of the standings.

Under Cuban, the Mavs have always approached the trade market with a win-now mindset, for better (Jason Kidd and Jason Terry) and worse (Lamar Odom and Rajon Rondo). The Mavs must shift that thinking leading up to the trade deadline.

Nowitzki has a no-trade clause and has more than earned the right to remain with the only NBA team he’s ever known, a franchise he made relevant for so long. Every other veteran should be shopped. Dallas should be especially aggressive exploring the market for Andrew Bogut, a big man who has proved to be valuable for a contender but is wasted playing his contract season on a bad team.

“When six teams are racing to the bottom, you don’t want to race for the bottom,” Cuban said. “When teams aren’t racing to the bottom, which is more like this year, then you play your heart out and you win as many games as you can. Your young guys learn how to play to win, and you’re still going to have a chance at a good pick if things don’t work for you.”

This certainly wasn’t the plan for Nowitzki’s twilight, and that might make it hard for Cuban to make any move that would reduce the Mavs’ long odds of fighting for one of the Western Conference’s last playoff spots. But he’s making $25 million this season -- and next, if Nowitzki chooses -- in large part as an apology for the front office’s failure to give him a chance to chase a championship as his Hall of Fame career nears the finish line.

The Mavs are much better off making the best out of their rebuilding reality instead of living in denial. They’ve fallen off the mediocrity treadmill. It’s not any fun, but it’s the Mavs’ best hope to get back in the fast lane in the not-too-distant future.