Tim Hardaway Sr. Bashes Mavs Stars Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving: ‘They’re Not Leaders’
There are many reasons why the Dallas Mavericks spiraled out of playoff positioning in the second half of this season, but former Mavs guard and recent Hall of Fame inductee Tim Hardaway Sr. is placing the blame on the team’s lack of leadership from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Hardaway, who is the father of current Mavs shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr., went on FS1’s The Carton Show to explain why the Mavs have faltered this season.
"That trade wasn't for them, what isn't broken doesn't need to be fixed,” Hardaway said, referring to the Mavs’ trade for Irving before this year’s deadline. “They're missing a leader out there. Luka is not a leader, Kyrie is not a leader. Jalen Brunson was a leader.
“A leader shows by example too, by playing defense. When he says something, he does it also, and thats what a leader is. And like I said, those two guys are not leaders, they're complimentary, dominant great basketball players. Great scorers."
With all due respect to Hardaway, we believe, based on talks we’ve had with Mavs people, including players, that his assessment of the situation is off. That isn’t to say leadership hasn’t played a role at all in the Mavs’ fall, but by far, the biggest issues have been untimely injuries and a lack of serviceable big-man depth.
Of course, there’s always the possibility that Hardaway Sr.’s thoughts on the Mavs’ situation could be a reflection of what Jr. is telling him.
Hardaway is correct when he says Jalen Brunson is a leader, though. The more leaders in the locker room, the better, and the Mavs dropped the ball by not working out an extension with Brunson before it was too late.
If the Mavs can sign Irving to a new contract this summer and successfully retool the roster with an upgraded frontcourt and wing depth, perhaps the blow of losing Brunson will be lessoned in the coming years. However, due to the new CBA rules and limited draft assets going forward, doing that is a lot easier said than done.
Until owner Mark Cuban and GM Nico Harrison fix the situation, the critics will continue to drag their product through the mud. It could be a long, exhausting offseason for the Dallas Mavericks.
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