Fifty million superstars! Degenerated into a burden! What to do with the Mavericks’ hot potato?

The new NBA season has just started half a month ago, and the atmosphere in the league seems to have completely changed. The first one to fall into the quagmire was the unexpected Dallas Mavericks.

This team, which was able to reach the finals two seasons ago, can only be ranked last in the Western Conference in the new season. As Doncic's trading chip, the American son Davis, who had high hopes, was once the pillar of the Lakers, but became the target of the team's decline into darkness.

In just half a month, the pattern of the new season is completely contrary to the offseason expectations.

In the Eastern Division, the Pistons have become the most eye-catching dark horse team in the new season. After the Bulls lost two games in a row, the Pistons climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference; behind them are the Cavaliers and 76ers, two new teams. The Celtics, Pacers, Magic and other Eastern Conference playoff teams last season fell into the bottom half early.

Looking at the Western Conference, it is still the Wild West. The Thunder are the defending champions. Although the lineup is incomplete, their performance is still strong. Behind them are the Spurs, Nuggets, Lakers, and Rockets competing for second place. Compared with these strong teams, the most surprising thing is the Mavericks who were the first to fall behind.

This promising team originally had several top picks, veteran strength, and young talent. So far, the regular season record is 3 wins and 7 losses, ranking second to last in the Western Conference, only better than the Pelicans. What's even more embarrassing is that under the dismal record, public opinion seems to be pointing at Davis in the team.

For this American son, Davis's career trajectory is actually quite tortuous. He was God's darling when he first entered the league. At his peak, he could grab rebounds, protect the frame, hold the ball and shoot, making him an epoch-making top monster. However, limited by the team's strength, the Pelicans have only led the team to the playoffs twice in their seven-year career. It wasn't until he joined the Lakers and partnered with James that the big man got the chance to stand on the stage.

But since winning the championship, Davis has completely changed. In addition to the obvious degradation on the field, his body also began to alarm frequently. He was injured in 26 games in the 2020-21 season and missed 42 games in the 2021-22 season.

In a sense, Davis' injury at that time was even more terrifying than James' age. And if it weren't for his glass attributes, Davis should have been a candidate to take over the Lakers torch from James. But a twist of fate came last summer, when his name was put on the negotiating table, and Pelinka didn't even hesitate.

Compared to Doncic, who was out of control, Harrison, the Maverick, publicly said:

"Doncic's peak period has passed, and we got the league's top offensive and defensive players."

Although he was confident enough, reality soon gave him a loud slap in the face.

In his debut last season, he suffered a muscle strain and was sidelined for 18 games. He made a hasty comeback at the end of the season and suffered from retinal problems. After a season of on-and-off play, the team's chemistry was completely lost. At the beginning of the new season, Big Eyebrow appeared in training camp weighing 268 pounds, 15 pounds heavier than last year.

Facing doubts about his weight from the outside world, Davis said confidently:

"I never start a game at an ideal weight. I lost weight while playing in the new season."

But the result was exactly the opposite. He did not lose weight, but lost speed. So far in the new season, Davis has missed 5 games due to a calf strain; in the 5 games he has played, he has averaged 20.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. The data alone is quite qualified, but combined with the shooting percentage of 52% + 27.3% + 74.2%, the personal field plus-minus value is -5.4.

Obviously, the Lone Ranger does not have much of an advantage when the big man is on the court.

In addition to the glass attributes that have been criticized, Davis is really a headache when combined with salary.

This season, Davis' annual salary is as high as US$54.13 million, ranking fifth in the league, second only to Curry, Jokic, Embiid, and Durant. The annual salary he receives is at the level of a superstar, but his performance is only at the level of an ordinary starter.

On the other hand, Doncic, who was sold out by Dallas, lost weight like crazy during the offseason this year and went on a rampage as soon as the game started. So far in the new season, Doncic has averaged 37 points, 10 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game, leading the Lakers to the top half of the Western Conference.

Based on previous conspiracy theories, the Mavericks gave up Doncic mainly because of Davis and the No. 1 pick. However, looking at the new season data alone, Doncic averaged 37 points per game, even more than Davis (20.8 points) and Flagg (13.9 points) combined.

Although the new season has only passed ten games, according to reporter reports, Davis was placed on the injured list early due to a strained left calf. He has missed five games so far, and his subsequent return date is still undecided. Coupled with Irving's injury problem, this team in the Finals two years ago is really dangerous.

What is even more worrying is that Davis, who was once hailed as the top insider in the new era, will he still have a chance in the future?

Looking at it now, this is indeed a problem that is difficult to remain optimistic about.