The Mavericks as of this moment are a mediocre team with potential, and the rankings pretty much reflect that.
This week is an interesting mix of moving up or down for Dallas, depending on which site you believe. Regardless, most rank sets have the Mavs still firmly in the middle of the pack, hovering between 12-14, with CBS being the outlier at 17. The reason for that is pretty apparent: for the most part, the Mavs beat the teams they're supposed to beat, and lose to the teams they're supposed to lose to. Once they get just a smidge healthier (/waves at Chandler Parsons) I bet we'll be able to get those ranks up a little and start beating a few teams that might be surprising.