Mavericks' Mark Cuban reveals truth about Grant Williams trash-talking Luka Doncic
Today at 09:54 PM
Luka Doncic is known as one of the coldest players with a killer mentality in the NBA. Doncic can talk trash with the best of them, and is willing to give it out to just about anyone on any given night.
When Grant Williams got to Dallas before the 2023-24 season, he learned the hard way not to talk trash to Doncic after going at him in practice, according to Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on a recent episode of Club Shay Shay.
. @mcuban On @luka7doncic vs @Grant2Will:
"Trash talking Luka will never end well. I've tried to trash talk him for fun and he gives me the stink eye. You are not doing that to Luka and Grant found out the hard way." pic.twitter.com/tyTZg5A3R3
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) September 27, 2024
“I wasn’t there that day but I heard all the stories,” Cuban said. “Grant was trying to define himself, Grant’s a great guy. He was trying to define his role with the Mavericks… With Luka, it just didn’t go over well at all. When you start trash talking Luka, that’s never gonna end well. I’ve trash talked him for fun, and he gives me the stink eye. You are not doing that to Luka, and Grant found out the hard way.”
Doncic’s most recent victim was Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, who kept getting the business from Doncic during their series in the Western Conference Finals.
Can Luka Doncic, Mavericks get back to the NBA Finals?
Luka Doncic led the Mavericks on a somewhat unexpected run to the NBA Finals last season, where they were trounced by the Boston Celtics in a five-game series where they were completely overmatched. It was Doncic’s first appearance on the league’s biggest stage, and now the challenge becomes getting back there and winning it.
It will be difficult for the Mavericks to get out of the West again in 2024-25. The Timberwolves are running it back and have all of their key pieces back, and the Thunder should be even better as one of the youngest rosters in basketball gets a year older. Oklahoma City also added defensive ace Alex Caruso to their backcourt to play next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Nuggets should not be counted out either; they always have a shot with Nikola Jokic on the floor.
The big splash for the Mavericks was picking up Golden State Warriors legend Klay Thompson in free agency. On paper, Thompson is a seamless fit next to Doncic and Kyrie Irving, as the two star playmakers can create open threes for the sharpshooter on the perimeter. The Mavericks also flipped Tim Hardaway Jr. for Quentin Grimes and swapped out Derrick Jones Jr. for Naji Marshall to keep some 3-and-D pedigree on the roster.
The lineup combinations will be something to watch for the Mavericks. Irving, Doncic and Thompson together would be an explosive group, but the defense becomes a big question. Thompson could come off the bench to give the second unit a bigger scoring punch and bolster the defense of the starters, but he may not be happy in that role. Regardless, the Mavericks have the pedigree and the experience to get back to the NBA Finals once again.
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