NBA: Ranking Mavs opening among head coaching vacancies around the league
Ranking the NBA head coaching vacancies:1. Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks organization is a mess right now, with prominent departures left and right. After The Athletic’s shocking look into the conflict within the franchise over Haralabob Voulgaris’ outsized and uncertain role in the team’s decision making, both the Mavericks’ general manager and head coach have now left the organization.
That has to be cleared up before a head coaching candidate takes the job. There needs to be a new general manager in place, and the roles of authority need to be clearly established. If Voulgaris is retained, his limitations and specific line of reporting need to be laid out. If he’s the new GM, at least that’s clear and the next head coach can come in with eyes wide open.
Once that is worked out, this immediately becomes the most attractive job on the market for one clear reason: Luka Doncic. The 22-year-old is already a top-10 player in the league, making the All-NBA 1st Team each of the past two seasons. He finished sixth in MVP voting a year after finishing fourth. He was transcendent in the Mavericks’ seven-game loss to the LA Clippers this past postseason.
Winning a title is the goal of every head coach; not only are coaches usually the most competitive people out there but winning a title also gives you the best kind of job security and the expectation of future jobs down the line. The Mavericks’ former coach Rick Carlisle spent 10 seasons with the Mavericks after winning the 2011 NBA title, and he chose his moment to leave.
Doncic is not only a superstar, but he is one built to excel in the postseason. Teams have to change their entire defensive scheme to slow him down, and his passing ability gets his teammates involved. Any head coach should be dying to hitch their wagon to the Slovenian phenom.
There are downsides here outside of the bizarre front office situation. This roster has some serious limitations, and the Mavericks are down a few draft picks in the future to try and restructure it. Kristaps Porzingis has seen injuries turn him into a 7’3” spot-up guy. The next head coach will hopefully have a shuffled deck of cards ot deal with.
At the end of the day, this is a franchise in a large enough market with an owner who is involved but supportive. The roster isn’t terrible for a team that finished with the league’s eighth-best record last season. And at the heart of it all is Doncic, the crown jewel for any potential head coach.