Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis have “dustups” then compared them to Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry: “If you remember, when we first got Jet, Dirk was not a fan. Dirk did not like him.”
Porzingis said he didn’t know what Cuban was talking about: I’ve never had any problems with my teammates off the court, I’ve always gotten along very well with them.
But that didn’t really convince everyone.
I bet Porzingis and Doncic would like each other more if Porzingis played better.
Porzingis’ disappointing production is the root of a lot of problems in Dallas. Porzingis – after costing the Mavericks multiple picks and a max contract – just hasn’t played like the second star he was supposed to be
As a result, sometimes Doncic doesn’t pass to an open Porzingis – who’s not shy about demonstrating his displeasure. If Porzingis starts connecting on more shots, Doncic would probably feel better about passing to him. Dallas would win more, too.
So, this situation – like with Nowitzki and Terry – could snowball the other direction. The question: How do the Mavericks get everything rolling downhill in the first place? That might not be easy if there’s animosity between Doncic and Porzingis.
Perhaps, fresh voices from above – new general manager Nico Harrison and coach Jason Kidd – will help turn the tide.
