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Dallas Mavericks
Overall: 22
Title track: 22
Ownership: 41
Coaching: T15
Players: 49
Fan relations: 15
Affordability: 22
Stadium experience: 18
Bang for the buck: 49
Change from last year: -13
The Mavericks continue to fare well in our rankings despite losing their top-10 status. The decline in the rankings follows a difficult few months that included the brief Rajon Rondo era, an early playoff exit and the high-profile failure to secure DeAndre Jordan.
What's good
Fans obviously don't blame Rick Carlisle for the Rajon Rondo disaster in Dallas. The Mavs tied for 15th among the 122 teams in coaching, down only slightly from last year's No. 10 ranking. Carlisle, who needs only two victories to break Don Nelson's franchise record, has kept the Mavs competitive despite constant roster turnover since his masterful coaching job during the 2011 title run. He should have a lot of leverage when his contract expires at the end of the season. "I think he's one of the top coaches in the league, if not the top coach," Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. "We're blessed and lucky to have him. He can be in Dallas as long as he wants to be."
What's bad
The Mavs are above average in every category, but they got their worst grades in bang for the buck (49) and players (49). Letting Tyson Chandler leave in free agency and getting left at the altar by DeAndre Jordan were big blows to the latter category. The Dallas front office did a decent job of scrambling to remake the roster, but the Mavs will enter training camp uncertain who will start from among a center committee of Zaza Pachulia, Samuel Dalembert and JaVale McGee. And the Mavs' two headline offseason additions -- Wesley Matthews (recovering from a torn Achilles tendon) and Deron Williams (in decline) -- arrive in Dallas with big question marks.
What's new
Dallas dropped significantly in two categories: players (from 14th to 49th) and ownership (13th to 41st). It stands to reason that those drops are directly related, especially since the Mavs continue to get high marks in fan relations (15) and stadium experience (18). Mark Cuban is more involved in roster decisions than any other owner in sports -- yes, even more than the Dallas Cowboys' owner at this point, despite Jerry Jones' GM title. The Mavs' repeated failures to execute their ambitious Plan A's in free agency have apparently affected the fans' confidence in Cuban, who couldn't even get DeAndre Jordan on the phone as Steve Ballmer and a Clippers contingent were closing the deal on the center's return to L.A.
Next: Atlanta Hawks | Full rankings