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The Dallas Mavericks check in at No. 22 in ESPN.com's annual franchise rankings. The list is comprised from all major sports and saw the Mavericks slide 13 spots from last year's ranking. The primary reason for their fall was their failure to execute during free agency this past summer. DeAndre Jordan's sudden reversal certainly didn't help.
Dallas dropped significantly in two categories: players (from 14th to 49th) and ownership (13th to 41st). It stands to reason that those drops are directly related, especially since the Mavs continue to get high marks in fan relations (15) and stadium experience (18). Mark Cuban is more involved in roster decisions than any other owner in sports -- yes, even more than the Dallas Cowboys' owner at this point, despite Jerry Jones' GM title. The Mavs' repeated failures to execute their ambitious Plan A's in free agency have apparently affected the fans' confidence in Cuban, who couldn't even get DeAndre Jordan on the phone as Steve Ballmer and a Clippers contingent were closing the deal on the center's return to L.A.
Dallas ranks seventh among NBA teams. The San Antonio Spurs topped the list for the second straight season while the Memphis Grizzlies came in second.