You ever wake up feeling awesome? No line at the drive-through, the coffee tastes better, you hit all the green lights, the boss is in a good mood.
Yeah, me neither.
But today is one of those rare days that nobody is going to ruin.
Why? Because the NBA season is here – or at least training camp opens in a few days (Wednesday, to be exact, for the Mavericks). We here at the Mailbag are salivating about a new season. Either that, or it’s remnants of last season we’re still trying to rinse out of our mouths.
Either way, basketball is back, it’s a new season full of hope and that can only mean that the Mailbag returns to answer your burning questions.
And remember, this year we again will be giving out Mavs’ swag to the fan who submits the question of the week. You can do so via email (eddie.sefko@dallasmavs.com) or Twitter (or whatever they call it this week).
So here’s this season’s first Mailbag to get you primed for the start of camp.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Luka has traveled so much this year – Spain, Greece Japan, the Philippines. And then there’s the preseason trip to Abu Dhabi and Spain (again). Does all that travel take a toll on him and will it make him sluggish to start the season? From @LukeDarcy2023.
BIG ED: Really? When you were 24 (assuming you have reached that prime age) did anything really make you tired? Admittedly, Luka Dončić has a job that is a little more physically taxing than, say, a long day at the office for an accountant. But he’s still 24. When he’s 34
or even 30, maybe the situation will be different. But at his age, and with what we saw at the FIBA World Cup that appears to be a fit and in-shape Luka, I tend to feel like he’s in better shape coming into camp and will be eager to atone for the lousy finish to last season. And remember, the travel that he is doing is not exactly the most draining. Private planes. Leave at the most desirable times. Sleep on lay-down seats. Play cards and bond with your teammates. I prefer to look at these long offseason and preseason trips as good opportunities, not liabilities. Of course, if the Mavericks start out 4-12, then forget that I ever wrote this Mailbag.
QUESTION: How will Jason Kidd manage the skills of Luka and Kyrie without ruining Luka’s progression? Atlanta and Trae Young took a step back when they got Dejounte Murray. How does Kidd keep this from happening here? From @therealdeal.
BIG ED: Apples and oranges. Kyrie Irving is far more secure in his space than Murray was when he arrived in Atlanta. Luka, despite what you might hear out of Atlanta, is a different level of player than Young. That said, your point is valid. It’s a difficult job meshing great talent (although far easier than trying to mesh no talent). Jason Kidd has taken the Mavericks to the Western Conference finals 
one year when things went smoothly. Then they missed the playoffs when things went painfully bad. So he’s a coach who has some skins on the wall, as a player and as a leader. Have a little faith. And by the way, you don’t hear these questions in Phoenix, even though the Suns fizzled with the arrival of Kevin Durant. A new superstar requires an adjustment period. Year Two should be a time when the duo becomes more formidable.
QUESTION: What would be your suggestion for Luka to avoid so many technical fouls?
BIG ED: We got this question from several MFFLs. And it’s a tough one. We would love to be able to tell you he will learn and avoid unhelpful and unnecessary dialogue with the referees. But he was no better at controlling his emotions in the World Cup, getting ejected from one game with two techs. This is both the best part and worst part of Luka. We love that he plays with emotion. He cares to the Nth degree. No way you want to diminish that in any way. But it’s detrimental to the team and to Luka. I don’t claim to be smart enough to have an answer. Maybe he needs tough love. Create a penalty box where he has to spend two minutes for every technical foul he receives in the first half of a game. Make him give $100 to every teammate for every tech. Players don’t flinch when they get fined by the league, but collecting from a teammate is a badge of honor. Or if you want to turn it into a worthy cause, match every fine for a technical with a charitable donation, like Governer Mark Cuban does with his fines. The point is there’s got to be a way to allow Dončić to express himself on the court without hurting the team. And maybe fate will lend a hand. The superstar will continue to mature in the coming years. Maybe that will help.
QUESTION: Going into this season, we have to be realistic. This team missed the playoffs completely. Not even the play-in tournament. So, let’s lower the bar. As currently constructed, can this Mavericks’ team make the playoffs? Did management address the key needs (center, in particular)? Keith R.
BIG ED: Last season is a reminder of just how good the Mavericks and their fans had it for a dozen years when Dirk Nowitzki got them to the playoffs every season, and to at least the second round seven times. It’s incredibly hard to do that. One bad injury or a season when things go south for whatever reason can ruin a streak like that. But Luka and Kyrie now have a rallying cry. They will want to prove that last season was an outlier. They know they need to make the playoffs. And whether or not it requires the play-in tournament to get there doesn’t matter. Just get in the party. You never know what might happen. We’ve seen more and more lower-seeded teams do well in the postseason with the parity that now is one of the NBA’s calling cards. So yes, they’ll get into the playoffs. And that’s the first step on the way to getting back to a championship level.
Twitter: @ESefko
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