New York Times assesses the Mavericks

The New York Times had an interesting article today about the Dallas Mavericks in which it said the Mavs arrived in New Orleans yesterday for the fifth game of its playoff series with the Hornets with "a former All-Star who has lost his way, a future Hall of Famer who has lost his touch and a coach who may soon lose his job."

About the "former all-star who has lost his way," the Times said:

"Josh Howard, an All-Star in 2007 and the Mavericks’ No. 2 scorer this season, has been an unmitigated mess in the playoffs. He is shooting 26 percent from the field and averaging 12.8 points. He has been alternately tentative and overeager with his jump shot and has failed to attack the basket consistently."

On the "future Hall of Famer (Jason Kidd) who has lost his touch," the Times said:

"Kidd was supposed to be the missing piece of a championship team but instead has been a disappointment. He is averaging 7.3 points and 6.3 assists, and he has hardly made an imprint in the last three games. He has also failed to do the one thing he did best in Phoenix and New Jersey — make his teammates better."

The story also said:

"The Mavericks are 3-11 in their last 14 playoff games under Johnson, including 0-8 on the road.
These are not the marks of a contender, which is why speculation is growing daily that the owner Mark Cuban will fire Johnson when the season ends. If Cuban’s anger runs deep enough, he might just jettison everyone but Dirk Nowitzki, last season’s most valuable player."

Like I said yesterday, however, the trade value for the rest of this team has really sunk this year. It could be a fire sale.