May 24, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban walks on the court before game four of the 2022 Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
After their flop of a 38-44 season last year, more trouble may be brewing for the Dallas Mavericks.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported last month that longtime Mavs trainer Casey Smith had been demoted. Described as one of the most respected athletic trainers in the NBA, Smith has been with Dallas (now with a formal title of director of player health and performance) since the 2004-05 NBA season. However, Smith will now have an adjusted role this season, will no longer be on the bench (as he had been for his entire Mavs tenure), and is not expected to travel with the team on a regular basis.
In an appearance this week on “The Hoop Collective,” MacMahon shared further details on Smith’s demotion and indicated that many within the organization are not pleased about it. MacMahon even described the situation with Smith as a “banishment.”
“This banishment of Casey Smith … he was overseeing that whole group of the Mavericks, basically their whole medical group,” said MacMahon. “He was an essential part of the front office … He’s been on the bench for 20 years, [but] he’s not gonna be on the bench this year. He’s not gonna be traveling. It’s not his decision.
“There’s a combination of people being pissed and people being concerned within the Mavericks organization about that,” MacMahon continued. “I’m not going to get into why that decision was made because I honestly haven’t gotten a straight answer.”
On top of his lengthy tenure with the Mavs (including during their 2011 title), Smith has served Team USA Basketball as well (acting as their lead athletic trainer from 2005-12). MacMahon also notes that Smith has been known for his very strong relationships with Dallas players over the years, including both Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic.
With all of that in mind, the decision to suddenly demote Smith certainly seems to come out of left field. But unfortunately, this type of organizational upheaval and dysfunction (especially when it comes to team personnel) has not been all that uncommon for the Mavs under owner Mark Cuban.
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