At the time this article was written, the Dallas Mavericks had a solid overall record of 18 wins and just eight losses. Upon first glance, that’s a record the team should be proud of. That’s not the case, however – not for superstar Dirk Nowitzki anyway.

After further analysis, the Mavericks are currently in fourth place in the Southwest division, despite the team’s solid overall record. In first place are the Memphis Grizzlies with 19 wins and just four losses, in second place are the Houston Rockets with 18 wins and just five losses and in third place are the San Antonio Spurs with 16 wins and just seven losses.


Obviously the Mavs aren’t helped by the fact that they are in one of the toughest divisions in the entire league.

However, Nowitzki isn’t the time to look for excuses. He has not been impressed with his team because they have yet to defeat any of the good teams in the league.

“We’re right there, but we haven’t beaten the good teams,” power forward Dirk Nowitzki said. “We’ve got to turn that around pretty quick. 'Right there' is just not good enough.”

Analyzing Their Record Thus Far

It’s true when Nowitzki says his Mavericks haven’t defeated any good teams. The best win on their record came in overtime over the Chicago Bulls on December 2^nd. Other than that win, it’s hard to find any other quality victories currently on their record.

The Mavs have had plenty of chances against quality teams, but they have always fallen short. They have losses on their record against the San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors.

Although there’s no shame in losing to quality opponents like the Spurs, Rockets or Warriors, the Mavs cannot be taken serious as title contenders if they can’t defeat those types of teams.

Luckily for the Mavs, it’s still extremely early in the season which means they have plenty of time to figure things out when facing the best of the best.

Analyzing the Roster

The Mavericks have a very solid and experience roster, but they lack a young superstar who can take over games. Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler, Chandler Parsons, Monta Ellis and Devin Harris are all solid players, but Parsons and Ellis are the Mavs only two starters still in their 20s.

Although Nowitzki is still one of the best players in the league, he is far past his prime and no longer has the ability to take over games on a consistent basis. The same can be said for Tyson Chandler.

Ellis and Parsons are what they are. At one point in his career people believed Ellis, 29, could become a superstar, but he that never happened, and likely never will.

For the past couple of seasons Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has tried to acquire a young superstar through free agency, but he hasn’t been able to convince any of them to come to Dallas. That’s why the Mavericks are what they are – a very solid NBA team that will struggle to get wins over the top echelon of teams.

Final Take

There are few certainties in the NBA, but it’s a safe bet that the Mavericks will make the playoffs. As long as Nowitzki is healthy, the Mavs are always going to be a solid playoff contender. Unfortunately, Nowitzki can’t do everything himself. Cuban needs to get him help, and he knows it.

As their roster currently stands, the Mavs have no chance at actually contending for a championship. In fact, they likely won’t even make it out of the first round.

Mavs fans may not like to hear it, but their team just isn’t good to beat any of the great teams. It has nothing to do with coaching, or effort. They just don’t have enough elite talent on the roster.