The Dallas Mavericks are going through one of their worst phases in recent years. The team finished their last season in 4th position of the Western Conference table and in this ongoing season, they are currently placed at 11th. They lost their last two games against the Miami Heat and the Philadelphia 76ers. With these two crucial losses, they are pretty much out of the playoff race.

As the team continues its string of bad performances, the pundits have started their hunt for who to blame. While there are many names to pick from, Kyrie Irving has been under the microscope in most conversations. Although these inspections will become more focused with time, an NFL legend has recently jumped in to defend Irving while calling out the Mavs’ billionaire owner, Mark Cuban.

Who is to blame for the poor performance of the Mavericks?

There have been many factors at play when it comes to this overall failed season for the team. Many people have blamed Luka Doncic for the team’s struggles, highlighting his defensive flaws and tendency to dominant the ball-handling. Others have pointed their finger to Kyrie Irving, because he is the one big addition to the team that finished 4th last season.

While it is tough to scapegoat one person for this, NFL legend Shannon Sharpe came in prepared to shed light on the Mavs’ real problem. Sharpe talked about the Mavericks ‘biggest problem’ in the latest episode of UNDISPUTED, calling out the decisions made by Mark Cuban.

The 3x Super Bowl champion did not mince his words while talking about the Mavericks owner. Sharpe said that Cuban let go of Jalen Brunson, a young talent who was doing so well for the team. The veteran analyst added, “But for whatever reason, Mark Cuban did not want to pay the man his money“, prompting Brunson to leave.

Sharpe added that the owner should stop looking outside for solutions to his problem and try to keep his “homegrown talent” instead. The NFL legend also claimed that blaming Kyrie is not fair, as he is doing what he is supposed to do for the team.

Another big problem that Sharpe highlighted is the poor defensive game of the Dallas team. The statistics are available to back this claim as well.

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The Mavs struggle with defensive gameplay this season

A team that looks pretty solid on paper has consistently lost games due to their bad defending. The Mavs have lost 13 games where they had a double-digit lead. In their game against the 76ers, they lost after managing a 12-point lead over the team. The team has one of the best scoring rates in the league, but it is their defense that is failing to guard that advantage. Even in the poor defense conversation, there are several names to pick.

Doncic is the prime suspect, he has long been criticized for his bad defensive game. Although an MVP-level player with the ball in his hands, Luka needs more work on that aspect of his game.

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