As the season opens a month ahead, NBA teams are working hard to prepare for the season, sweating for the winning trophy. Will Dallas Mavericks, who had to spend a season without Nowitzki in 22 years regain the glory of the past at a fiercely contested western conference called Wild Wild West?
In the mid-2000s, Dallas solidified the title contender image of the Western Conference with a bold investment by owner Mark Cuban and 'German soldier' Dirk Nowitzki. In the 2010-2011 season, he built the golden tower of the franchise's first win over the trio of Miami Heat led by LeBron, Wade and Bosch.
However, following the obsolescence of Nowitzki's deterioration, Dallas had to give the Westside the seat of the West to other teams and be worried about getting into the playoffs. For Dallas, who has failed to enter the playoffs for three consecutive seasons since the 2015-2016 season, this is the best time to rebound.
The one leading Dallas attack last season was Luka Dončić. Dončić, a Slovenian native won a rookie award last season with an average of 21.2 points and 7.8 rebounds of 6.0 assists. In particular, the fact that he was born in 1999, he showed incredibly calm and skillful play while Dallas fell in love with him as the center of the team. Dončić is working in various ways, such as taking vacations and losing weight during the offseason to avoid the so-called 'Sophomore Jinx', which is a decline in the performance of the second year players.
In addition, Dallas left a top-of-the-line deal with the New York Knicks last year for a five-year, $ 185 million contract for Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis had not played for a year and a half since leaving the court early last year because of a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament, but he is now raising the expectations of fans before the season by eliminating all injuries and digesting all training normally. As long as Porzingis, who is 221cm tall and has good abilities on both sides of the air, he is very likely to be a reliable scorer and a daunting paintzone defender who can score 20 points or more.
The meeting between Dončić and Porzingis is reminiscent of the story of the Greek mythology of Bellerophon and Pegasus. Dončić and Porzingis could be such a thing for Dallas.
Of course this season, Dallas is unable to guarantee a playoff. The competition for the playoff tickets in the West is so bad. Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento, who were eliminated from last season's playoffs, are also aiming for the playoffs by reinforcing their power during the offseason. The Lakers recruited Anthony Davis, and Sacramento also reinforced the roster. That's why not many experts think Dallas will make a big leap forward in the coming season.
But just because Dončić, who led the attack last season, had a new team member called Porzingis, Dallas is good enough to arouse expectations. This young one-to-two punch will make Dallas' performance for the coming season and even future.
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