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Hoo boy. What a difference a week makes. With Parsons' shooting woes and the Mavs' collective defensive woes, most rankers -- and rightfully so -- are moving the Mavericks back down to the middle of the pack. Hopefully Carlisle figures things out quickly, because there's no room for wasting games in the Western Conference.
For the full rankings on any of the quoted sites, click through on the "what they said" link. And remember, these rankings don't take into account the Miami loss last night. Comment away!
SB Nation
This week: 12 Last week: 4
There's reason to have faith in the Mavericks becoming the powerhouse team they should be under Rick Carlisle, but a 4-3 record to start the season without any high-quality victories is suspect. Chandler Parsons is having a hard time adjusting to playing five hours up the road in Dallas, shooting under 40 percent from the field and 30 percent from three-point range. This is not the player the Mavericks expected to get when they swiped him away from Houston.
Yahoo! Sports
This week: 12 Last week: 8
Newcomer Chandler Parsons is off to a tough start, averaging 13.6 points on 39.1 percent shooting.
CBS Sports
This week: 10 Last week: 3
Getting Tyson Chandler and Al-Farouq Aminu was supposed to solve the garbage fire they called defense. Yet the flames rise higher and the smell gets worse.
ESPN
This week: 13 Last week: 3
Dirk Nowitzki needs just 17 points to pass Hakeem Olajuwon for ninth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list, but you can't find a soul in the Mavs' locker room talking that up after heavy losses to the Blazers and Heat, another rash of third-quarter woes and Chandler Parsons' rough week.
Sports Illustrated
This week: 12 Last week: 8
Dallas has allowed opponents to shoot better than 50 percent in each of its three losses. The Mavericks have the NBA's top offense, but they will need more balance to be a top-10 team.