The Dallas Mavericks Top 10 of the 21st Century

Nov 2, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) drives to the hoop and draws the foul against Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) in the second quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) drives to the hoop and draws the foul against Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) in the second quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Mavericks were a brand new franchise in the early 1980’s, contenders in the late 80’s, irrelevant all through the 90’s, and a threat every year in the 2000’s. With as many good seasons as the team has had since the turn of the century, who have been the best players in the organization?

When you think about the Dallas Mavericks prior to this season, it probably came with some sort of memory or recollection of the glory days of the franchise. For years and years, the Mavs were considered one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA.

Led by coaches such as Don Nelson, Avery Johnson, and Rick Carlisle, Dallas has had great leadership since the 21st century began. Of course, when the only constants of the franchise since that time are Dirk Nowitzki and Mark Cuban, it is probably not going to be so bad.

With the end of the year coming quickly and the disappointment that this season has brought to all MFFLs so far, I thought it would be fun to put together a small roundtable with the staff at The Smoking Cuban, compiling a list of our Top 10 Dallas Mavericks since the year 2000.

Oct 3, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban (left) and forward Dirk Nowitzki (right) watch their team take on the Charlotte Hornets during the first half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban (left) and forward Dirk Nowitzki (right) watch their team take on the Charlotte Hornets during the first half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The rules were simple for the roundtable and help to narrow down the options just a little bit.

Rule #1- The players had to have played in Dallas after the year 2000.

Rule #2- The players had to play in more than one season for the Mavericks.

Rule #3- The rankings are based on their time in Dallas and not their overall career.

Rule #4- Dirk is #1.

The remainder of the year will include a countdown of our cumulative staff Top 10 Dallas Mavericks of the 21st century. These are nothing more than our own picks put together based on personal opinions.

Next: Grading the Dallas Mavericks Trade Assets

If the readers would like to participate in this countdown, tweet us your Top 10 Dallas Mavericks at @TheSmokingCuban. We would love to hear the input of any other MFFLs out there. Merry Christmas Mavs fans and Let’s Go Mavs!

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