OKLAHOMA CITY -- For the 15th time in 16 seasons, the Mavs, plucky as they come, made the playoffs.
And just like last year, and the year before that, they're one-and-done after Monday's 118-104 loss to the Thunder before 18,203 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
No reason to think the Mavs will hang around much longer than five games next year, either. If they're smart, they won't even really try.
Here's what Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson should do: Tell Kevin Durant how great he'd look in Dallas' skyline.
Tell Dirk Nowitzki it's been an honor.
And tell Chandler Parsons no hard feelings.
Chances are the best they can do is 2-for-3, because the smart money says Durant goes back for at least one more year with OKC. Doesn't mean the Mavs shouldn't make their annual pass at a superstar, just to keep their streak intact, if nothing else.
Only do us a favor and nobody bring up LeBron. Let's be a little real.
Before the Mavs go through the motions, though, they've got to be straight up with the greatest player in franchise history. Tell him the next two years won't be pretty. It's a four-year plan at best, and Dirk won't be around to see the end of it. Not in anything sleeveless, anyway.
Tell him they're not going to max out Parsons' contract for $96 million when he opts out this summer. Tell him it turns out Daryl Morey was right. Parsons wasn't a No. 3 option in Houston, and he's not a No. 2 in Dallas. Maybe it'd be different if it hadn't been for Parsons' knee problems, which are considerable. Whatever the reasons, Parsons has demonstrated he's not a guy to build a team around.
How do we know? Because Cuban told us so Monday. He did it when he said Russell Westbrook, one half of OKC's fabulous bookends, is an All-Star but no superstar.
Let me just say this: If Westbrook, who hung 36 on the Mavs in Monday's closeout, isn't a superstar, he does a far better impression than Parsons.
More than likely Cuban was just being Cuban. When Dean Blevins, the longtime Oklahoma broadcaster, asked me before Monday's game what got into Cuban, my first inclination was to say he was trying to get into Westbrook's head, which doesn't require a key. But even in today's instant-access social media, it's hard to imagine Westbrook could have picked up so quickly on the message.
Maybe what Cuban was really doing was setting the groundwork for a run at Durant. Let him know he's the real star of the Thunder. And if everyone else doesn't get it, Durant ought to move down I-35 to a town where I'm pretty sure Mayor Rawlings would abdicate his title if it'd close the deal.
If Cuban was simply trying to get a head start on free-agent shopping, more power to him. Won't work any better with Durant than it did with DeAndre Jordan last summer, but what the heck.
Also, if he was trying to curry Durant's favor, Cuban's quote apparently backfired, because in the postgame news conference Durant called him "an idiot" three times. Like he meant it.
So if Durant isn't coming, where does that leave the Mavs? Depends on Dirk.
He has until 24 hours before the draft on June 23 to tell the Mavs if he's in or out. If he hadn't already won a ring, there's no way he'd return. He's on record saying he wants to retire in Dallas, but he's also made it clear he'd like to see the Mavs' plan. Chances are he wouldn't be too crazy about a team in full-scale rebuilding mode. Still, the Mavs should tell him it's his call.
If he wants to come back to a team that might win 35 games if everything breaks right, he's more than welcome.
If not, good luck and godspeed chasing another title.
Without Dirk, the Mavs wouldn't come close to 35 wins. They'd be feeding at the lottery trough in what's projected to be a deep and talented draft. Even with up-and-coming athletic alternatives such as Justin Anderson, who had 14 points and three steals Monday, and Dwight Powell, who added 16 points and nine rebounds, Rick Carlisle would have his hands full. Gritty Wes Matthews, whose own leg problems have limited him this season, would be a terrific role model, and the usual suspects would no doubt round out the roster. But if part of the plan is getting Anderson and Powell up to speed, it's going to be a long learning curve.
Might as well get started on it as soon as possible. The Mavs took the first step by finally drafting someone they like. We've heard that they were offered mid-first-round picks for both Powell and Anderson at the trade deadline. If that's true, they were wise to pass. Check out the results of recent drafts and see what a mid-first-rounder gets you.
What's Anderson's ceiling?
"Nothing," Cuban said before Monday's game. "The sky's the limit.
"He could be an All-Star."
Of course, after what he said about Westbrook before Monday's game, I'm not sure if I trust Cuban's scouting reports. But at least he seems on the right track. It'd be hard for him to start over, mostly because he hates losing, especially from his view down on the bench.
And it'd be hard because he loves Dirk and Parsons. Can he learn to live without them? The future of the franchise may depend on it.
Twitter: @KSherringtonDMN