DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - Former Dallas Mavericks point guard and father to Mavs wing Tim Hardaway Jr., Tim Hardaway Sr., is coming after the franchise for their recent struggles.
And according to Hardaway in a recent appearance on FS1's The Carton Show, the problem starts with the lack of leadership from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, and the absence of Jalen Brunson.
"They're missing a leader out there. Luka is not a leader, Kyrie is not a leader. Jalen Brunson was a leader," Hardaway said. "A leader shows by example, by playing defense. When he says something, he does it also, and thats what a leader is. And like I said, those two guys are not leaders. They're complimentary, dominant great basketball players. Great scorers."
Brunson, of course, left the Mavs for the New York Knicks this past offseason, leaving a massive hole in the lineup and in the locker room.
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And since joining New York, Brunson has the Knicks in the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, while averaging 24 points and 6.2 assists per game.
Meanwhile, the Mavs have plummeted from a top-4 playoff seed in the West, to being in danger of missing the playoffs all together after losing 13 of their last 19 games.
And to Hardaway, the trade for Irving was the beginning of that downfall.
"That trade wasn't for them, I think I would have kept what I had, because I was in the fourth or fifth spot," Hardaway said. "What is not broken does not need to be fixed."
The Mavs will attempt to prove Hardaway wrong on Wednesday night in what is now a must-win for the Mavs against the Sacramento Kings.