Anthony Davis' injury exposes dark truth inside Mavericks organization

There's been growing frustration with the Dallas Mavericks lately. Even though Cooper Flagg has had two double-doubles so far this season, it hasn't been enough to wow fans, as they have underperformed to their standard through five games. The loss to the Washington Wizards was a reality check, saying that this team needs to adjust. The injury to Anthony Davis is only the beginning of what could be a long season, but it raises a question about how this training staff is operating, and it's concerning.

Davis was listed as questionable with bilateral Achilles tendinopathy for Wednesday night's game, the game that he got injured in, and Dallas' decision to play him despite this is extremely bold. He didn't even get through a full quarter before he subbed himself out and was grabbing at his heel area, and it was clear that he shouldn't have even played.

This isn't something that's new, as the Mavs' training staff received tons of criticism for how they handled Dereck Lively II's injury from last season. His career could've been in jeopardy, all because the staff was about to throw him onto the court when he wasn't ready. They misdiagnosed a stress fracture as an ankle sprain, and he was about to return to the hardwood before they went back and got a second look at it.

Mavericks' training staff keeps failing their players

The question is, what is the protocol for players to come back from injury? Multiple players were seemingly rushed back from injury, which ultimately led to the disaster of the Mavs almost having to forfeit games for not having enough players active last season.

Davis is going through a low-grade calf strain, and he won't be evaluated until next week. The Mavs don't have many options with their big guys, and will force Dwight Powell, the longest-tenured Maverick, into some more playing time. Powell had a night against the Indiana Pacers, going for 18 points, six rebounds, and two blocks. The veteran big man can only do so much, but they need some answer while Davis is out for an unknown amount of time.

Mavs fans remember when Davis went down in the third quarter in his first game following the infamous Luka Doncic trade. We won't necessarily put that on the coaching staff, because Davis was already injured beforehand, which brings the serious question of why so many guys were getting injured so often last year.

Was it really just the worst injury luck in the world? The trainers can't be blamed for thelocker room illness that occurred last season, but they have a history of rushing in guys when they shouldn't be playing.

This culture could be a direct cause of so many injuries that occurred last season. It all started going downhill when Nico Harrison fired longtime athletic trainer, Casey Smith. Smith was an essential part of the team for a long time, and not to mention, one of the trusted voices for Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic. This is one of many questionable decisions that Harrison has been a part of.

Harrison even fired Smith when his mother was about to die. This explains what the environment in the organization has become since Smith was fired. Davis' injury history doesn't help either, as he's been suffering significant injuries for the last five or so seasons.

It's another reason for Mavs fans to be upset with their organization, as the team hasn't been convincingly good yet. The Davis injury is a disappointment, but a bigger question should be if Mavs Governor Pat Dumont is bringing in the best trainers possible to do the job they're supposed to.