The 2022-23 Dallas Mavericks look nothing like the 2021-22 team that surprisingly made a run to the Western Conference Finals, losing to the eventual NBA champion, the Golden State Warriors.
A host of things has played a role in the demise of the Mavs, and Tim Hardaway Sr, who’s the father of Mavs player Tim Hardaway Jr., isn’t happy about it. The former NBA All-Star known for his nasty “UTEP Two-Step” crossover addressed the messy situation in Dallas during a Wednesday appearance on “The Carton Show” on FS1.
Hardaway Calls Out Lack Of Leadership In Dallas
This season the Mavericks are fighting for their playoff lives and currently they’re sinking. For a team that has gone 8-16 in total with free agent acquisition Kyrie Irving, and 7-13 when he plays. They’re currently sitting at 37-42, and on the outside looking in on the play-in race.
“They’re missing a leader out there,” Hardaway Sr. said. “Luka is a not a leader. Kyrie is not a leader. For me personally, that trade wasn’t for them. I think I would have kept what I had because I was in the fourth or fifth spot in the Western Conference. What is not broken does not need to be fixed.”
Hardaway Sr. also mentioned how the Kyrie Irving trade weakened the Mavs defensively.
“Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith were your defensive anchors,” he said.
“They helped play defense, especially Dorian Finney-Smith. He was out there and he could switch to cover one through five.”
He even took another shot at Luka and his whining.
“It’s our fault as a league that Luka has become a crybaby,”
He’s right, Luka has cried since his rookie season of 2018, and it’s gradually gotten worse. It’s so bad that when he doesn’t cry or complain you think something is wrong.
Hardaway also mentioned the loss of Knicks breakout star Jalen Brunson, whom he considered a leader, was huge, and really set the team back.
Tim Bug Jr. Distances Self From Dad’s Comments
Not long after his Hall of Fame dad’s comments, Hardaway Jr. did some damage control by distancing himself from what was said. Jr. let it be known that those are his dad’s opinions and not his.
He says he disagrees with his dad 1000 percent.
He said while he loves his dad dearly, he looks at both Luka and Kyrie as leaders.
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Hardaway then went out and scored 24 points in a huge Mavericks win over the Sacramento Kings, keeping their very slim play-in hopes alive.
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