“Mark Cuban is a terrorist” – Fans destroy Mark Cuban & Dallas Mavericks after Luka Doncic admits he misses Jalen Brunson ‘a lot’
Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks are struggling to make the play-in tournament as the season nears its end. In a recent interview, the Slovenian star shared how much he and other teammates have missed Jalen Brunson, who was a big part of their success last year.
The Mavs (37-43) haven't been on the same path since trading for Kyrie Irving in early February. For this reason alone, the team has fallen to 11th in the Western Conference after hovering around the top eight during the early parts of this season.
ESPN's Tim MacMahon asked Doncic how much the team has missed Brunson. The 6-foot-1 guard left Dallas to sign with the New York Knicks (46-33) during the offseason for nothing in return, and it hasn't helped the team's title chances.
"A lot. I mean, amazing guy, amazing player, for sure." Doncic said.
The Mavericks miss Jalen Brunson "a lot," according to Luka Doncic 😢
(h/t @espn_macmahon ) https://t.co/zpaWd8rpyN
After sharing his answer, fans quickly turned to blame owner Mark Cuban for the disastrous season with the team. We've collected some of the best reactions from the fans, and here are some of them.
@TheNBACentral @espn_macmahon Mark Cuban is a terrorist
@TheNBACentral @espn_macmahon Cuban watching the Knicks in the playoffs from his couch https://t.co/Tv2rybyMUs
@TheNBACentral @espn_macmahon Mavs very well go into a rebuild and Cuban will refuse to rebuild but it could be the reality.
@TheNBACentral @espn_macmahon Should’ve gave him his money then
@TheNBACentral @espn_macmahon Mark Cuban trying to build a functional roster around Luka https://t.co/n0kzWixLO8
@TheNBACentral @espn_macmahon That what you get for mark cuban falling under pressure hearing the narratives he needed a co star and you would start winning. Maybe you do need a solid structure of role players and defense and cannot just outscore teams every time.
@TheNBACentral @espn_macmahon Steven Nash and Jalen Brunson departing the Mavs. Mark Cuban, here's pointing the finger at you.
@TheNBACentral @espn_macmahon Cuban doesn’t, he remembers he has Frank Ntilikina
@TheNBACentral @espn_macmahon Maybe Cuban should've actually tried to keep him instead of letting him walk lol
@TheNBACentral @espn_macmahon What was mark cuban thinking
@TheNBACentral @espn_macmahon Shark tank billionaire is great !
@TheNBACentral @espn_macmahon Blame @mcuban and the front office Luka misery because Mavs are cheap
After losing Brunson, while Dallas addressed its need for a reliable big man in trading for Christian Wood, the importance of the star guard to the team was lost. The 33rd pick in the 2018 draft has helped the Knicks become a playoff team.
Dallas, on the other hand, hasn't been impressive and may miss the play-in tournament. The Mavericks would be out of the postseason picture in the Western Conference if the season ended today. Plus, they have a 6% chance of winning the title, which was a huge dropoff from the initial 96% they had after trading for Irving.
You might also be interested in reading this: Are Dallas Mavericks shutting down Luka Doncic for remainder of 2023 NBA season?
Should fans blame Luka Doncic for the disastrous season of the Mavericks?
Luka Doncic took it upon himself to take responsibility for how the team has underperformed this season. Last season, the Mavs made it all the way to the Western Conference finals, but they could miss the play-in this season.
During the interview with MacMahon, Doncic pinpointed the adjustments the team has to work on. One of the main issues he was brought up was defense. Since trading for Doncic on draft night in 2018, the Mavs haven't been a great defensive team, and it has caused them to lose notable games.
"I don't think the offense is a problem, and I always said this," Doncic said. "It's our defensive end. I think anybody can score on us. Whoever it is, anybody can score on us.
"I'm the leader of this team. The one to blame is me."
It’s been “a very disappointing season,” Luka Doncic says, adding that “the one to blame is me.” But he vows to keep competing until the Mavs’ slim postseason hopes are extinguished.
ESPN story: espn.com/nba/story/_/id…
Also read: NBA Insider proposes shutting down Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for rest of season