Mavs Have Their Trophy, But Are They Really A Championship Organization?

Upon his team’s quick ouster from the playoffs, Mavericks’ head coach Rick Carlisle previewed another long summer:

“Our standards are very high, so it’s another big summer,” he told reporters the day after the Game 5 loss to the Rockets. “With a lot of free agents, there’s a lot of cap space and there are going to be a lot of decisions. I’m optimistic. Going forward, we’re a championship organization.”

As a life-long Mavs fan, I want that last statement to be true. But is it?

In the wake of another early playoff loss, staring at another bummer summer and with memories of their title getting foggier by the day, are the Mavs indeed a championship organization?

There was nothing flukey about that magical 2011 run. You go through LaMarcus Aldridge, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and LeBron James, and you’ve earned the trophy. But with each passing season of post-season failure, that title looks more and more like a one-hit wonder rather than a culmination of consistency.

Since winning Game 6 of the ’11 Finals in Miami, the Mavs haven’t won a playoff series. They missed the post-season altogether in 2013. And their record in playoff games is a humbling 4-12.

Furthermore, only twice in the last nine years have the Mavs gotten out of the first round of the playoffs. The trophy goes a long way toward trumping post-season failure, but going home after the first round seven times in nine years makes “championship organization” ring a tad hollow.

This summer the Mavs will likely have to replace their starting backcourt as Rajon Rondo and Monta Ellis leave in free agency. Cornerstone Dirk Nowitzki will turn 37. And building block Chandler Parsons will be rehabbing from knee surgery. Dallas will have to re-build by attracting big-fish free agents, something it hasn’t exactly been successful in doing in the past.

While we can debate the “championship organization” pedigree of the Mavs in the recent past, you can’t deny that their future is murky at best.

A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.

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