Another day, and more bad press for the Dallas Mavericks. Two months after the blockbuster trade that sent superstar Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for center Anthony Davis, general manager Nico Harrison spends most of his time blaming Dončić’s conditioning and defense for the breakup.
The New Dallas Mavericks Medical Staff Fumbles
In a bombshell report by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the Mavericks-Dončić relationship reportedly began unraveling well before February. According to the article, the cracks started forming after the 2023 season, a year in which Dončić averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists.
At the end of that season, Casey Smith, Dallas’ longtime director of health and performance, was let go after 21 years with the team. “The reason for the dismissal centered on Smith being ‘too negative,’ according to sources briefed on the discussion who interpreted the vague reasoning to mean Smith wasn’t enough of a yes-man.”
The following season, athletic performance director Jeremy Holsopple and manual therapist Casey Spangler were also dismissed, according to MacMahon, Smith, Holsopple and Spangler had become trusted voices in Dončić’s corner. But sources say Harrison viewed them as “enablers,” despite their respected reputations around the league.
With Harrison taking control of the medical side, he hired Johann Bilsborough as director of player health and performance and Keith Belton as athletic performance director. The results haven’t been great. Following Dončić’s departure, the Mavericks were hit hard by injuries, at times dressing only eight available players, the league minimum.
Mavs’ Medical Staff’s Heated Confrontation
One major flashpoint involved a possibly misdiagnosed stress fracture in 21-year-old Derrick Lively’s ankle. MacMahon reported that it led to a loud, heated confrontation between Bilsborough and Belton that began in the trainer’s room and continued into the weight room. Harrison declined to comment on that incident or several others tied to the performance staff.
More troubling: Belton doesn’t appear to hold the proper certification to be an NBA strength coach.
According to the article, “The CBA states that an individual hired as a head strength and conditioning coach must have at least three years of experience since receiving those certifications.”
An NBA spokesman confirmed that the league was aware Belton lacked the required credentials but granted a temporary pass based on certifications from the College Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, with the expectation that he would earn the NSCA certification after the season.
“Some of Belton’s peers describe him as more of a personal trainer than the ‘body engineer’ that is standard for modern NBA strength coaches,” the article noted.
As for Bilsborough, one Celtics source described him as “a highly intelligent academic expert, but not a practitioner, and someone who tends to be ‘divisive when he disagrees with somebody.'”
Mavericks’ Players Suffering From Discord
The tension between Bilsborough and Belton hasn’t gone unnoticed by the players. “And here they’re just completely separate and at odds,” a source said. “It’s pretty clear to see the effect of the divide. The division created an unfortunate environment that ultimately the players had to suffer from.”
It’s a problem when your medical staff acts like kids and lets ego get in the way of player health. This situation is just a small glimpse of the dysfunction inside the Mavericks’ organization. There’s more finger-pointing and internal drama than focus on winning basketball games.
It’s going to be a long offseason for Nico Harrison. And if he doesn’t fix this mess fast, he might be the next one out the door.