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Dallas Mavericks December 15, 2021.
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AP Photo/Ron Jenkins
There are new details about the strained relationship between Rick and Luka Doncic.
According to Tim MacMahon, Doncic became upset with the way the Mavericks were treated.
MacMahon cited a situation in which Dennis Smith Jr. was "miserable" when he was in Dallas.
Multiple players were shocked during one early-season team meeting when Smith was accused of being jealous of Doncic. The players thought it was unfair to Smith, who wasn't playing well but was trying to mesh with Doncic on the court.
A player on the Mavericks roster told MacMahon that Doncic disliked how Rick treated other people.
Smith was traded to the New York Knicks as part of the Kristaps Porzingis deal.
Dennis Smith Jr.
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The article about my time there is correct. Staff members and players are behind that! All of you don't know the half.
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After he stepped down as the Mavs head coach in June, there were rumors of a split between him and the organization.
According to Tim Cato of The Athletic, "Carlsidge was often difficult to deal with: lashing out at non-star players he disliked or having angry outbursts directed at inanimate objects behind closed doors."
According to MacMahon, there were moments last season when he tried to rehabilitate his relationship with Doncic.
"The coach heaped praise on his star in the media, often comparing him to legends such as Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, and protected the Mavs' young face of the franchise from criticism, even if it required stretching logic to do so." wrote MacMahon.
It was unsuccessful because the dynamic was too far gone and Doncic became more defiant.
Early in the 2020-21 season, Doncic questioned the authority of the Mavs' coach.
Who's in charge? Doncic barked on his way back to the bench. He was referring to the Mavs director of quantitative research, Bob Voulgaris, who had a role in Dallas' front-office problems and who many players believed dictated lineups and rotation decisions. Team sources said that the team had final say on the data.
During his first three seasons in the NBA, Doncic emerged as one of the best players. He's finished in the top 10 in the past two seasons.
The Mavs made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, but their inability to close games cost them in the first round. They lost the final two games against the Clippers after taking a 3-2 series lead.
Less than two weeks after the loss, he announced he was leaving Dallas. Kidd was hired as the head coach of the team on June 28.
Dallas is 14-13 in Kidd's first season with the team.
