Mavericks hit rock bottom after longtime assistant coach's chilling arrest

Will Miller

Dallas Mavericks v Philadelphia 76ers / Emilee Chinn/GettyImages

The Dallas Mavericks have survived a nightmare-like last few weeks, as the organization is suffering from the insane (but relatively warranted) negative fan reaction from the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis swap. On top of that, all four of Dallas' rotational big men are out due to injury for the foreseeable future, and Dallas has been forced to play young wings Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Kessler Edwards at small-ball center ever since Daniel Gafford went down against the Sacramento Kings last Monday.

However, this Mavericks team has fought valiantly through all of this adversity by winning four out of their last five games heading into the All-Star break. Superstar Kyrie Irving is in San Francisco for tonight's All-Star game, as Irving was deservingly named as an injury replacement in the contest following Davis' injury.

Irving has carried the Mavericks both on and off the court and his given this team the poise to survive this treacherous stretch, but the Mavericks simply can't catch a break in any facet and there's nothing Irving or anyone else can fix in regard to some recent news that dropped shortly after noon today.

Armstrong arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon

Per WFAA, Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Darrell Armstrong was arrested at the 1000 block of Ross Avenue at roughly 3:45 a.m. on Saturday morning for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Dallas PD and other sources told WFAA that Armstrong was in an argument with a woman when he hit her with a gun and threatened to shoot her.

Armstrong has since posted bond for the incident and the Mavericks released a formal statement on the incident.

"The Dallas Mavericks are aware of an incident involving a member of our staff and are gathering all relevant information surrounding the incident. We take this matter seriously. The employee has been placed on administrative suspension pending the outcome of legal proceedings. This matter is currently under review by the appropriate legal authorities. Due to this fact, we will allow the legal process to run its course and we will refrain from further comment while proceedings are ongoing."
Statement from Mavericks PR to WFAA

Armstrong is the longest-tenured assistant coach on Dallas' staff, as he joined the team about halfway through the 2008-09 season under Rick Carlisle's staff. Armstrong is a 14-year NBA veteran who played with the Mavericks from 2004-2006 and he has always been one of the more fiery and energetic spirits in the organization and was clearly highly touted by the Mavericks before this incident given the fact that he has survived multiple front offices and coaching regimes.

These were not the 56-year-old’s first encounters with law enforcement since he’s been working for the Mavericks, as he was arrested and posted bail in January of 2012 for trying to pass a bad check at a Las Vegas casino. He was also arrested two offseasons ago during May of 2023 in Gastonia, North Carolina, as Armstrong was booked and released for a DWI charge.

Back in his playing days with the Orlando Magic, the then 35-year-old Armstrong was arrested for battery of a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest from an incident with a female police officer outside of an Orlando nightclub in July of 2003.

Armstrong has been a beloved member of Dallas’ organization for over a decade and this was the last thing fans were expecting on Sunday after the Mavericks’ PR nightmare that has gone on recently. It’s too early in the legal process to determine what the next steps are for Armstrong and the Mavericks, but it’s needless to say this is a terrible look at face value, and Armstrong’s future with the organization will undoubtedly be in question.

Will Miller

Will Miller is a senior contributor and is in his second year with The Smoking Cuban. Will has been following the Dallas Mavericks for over a decade and is currently working on getting a Bachelors in Science in Sports Journalism from the University of North Texas, as he is also covering sports for the North Texas TV station. While Will is opening up his coverage to cover other sports for UNT, basketball and the Dallas Mavericks are his true passion and he hopes to continue writing and producing Mavericks related content as his career continues. Will has very solid in-game analysis and knowledge about the intricacies of the game, and has a very broad understanding about the NBA as a whole. Going forward Will is looking to be more expansive in his coverage of the Mavericks beyond writing as well. Outside of writing about the Mavericks, Will enjoys hanging with friends, going to the gym, and watching other sports and live events.