OAKLAND -- Justin Anderson and Dwight Powell are two of the Mavericks' youngest players and a pair of promising talents that the franchise honchos hope will be around long enough to help the transition into the post-Dirk Nowitzki era.
That's what made the first six games of the season painful to watch.
That, and the five losses before they scratched out that first win.
Not to say Anderson and Powell were playing horribly. But they weren't providing that energy-laced enthusiasm that they are expected to supply nightly.
Their hustle was not translating into success on the court.