Lottery Time

A little luck in the NBA Draft Lottery could put the Dallas Mavericks back incontention

Dirk Nowitzki may have to play through a rebuilding effort before he gets tochallenge for another title in Dallas.
The Mavs haven’t participated in the NBA Draft Lottery since 2000, the year MarkCuban bought the team.

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O.J. Mayo is one of the few bright spots in the Mavericks 2013 season.

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The statistic was meant to underscore the tough road the Los Angeles Lakers face to make the playoffs. But it might as well have been related to the Dallas Mavericks. Just five NBA teams in 15 years have made the playoffs when they started the season 15-20. After 35 games, the Mavericks were 13-22.

It’s getting ugly. Dirk Nowitzki is frustrated. He says you can’t build a team on the hope that you’ll sign a big name one day. He’s not asking for a trade — yet. But Nowitzki might become so frustrated that he wants out, and if he ever reaches that point, he’ll have to go through owner Mark Cuban to do it.

Cuban told the Dallas Morning News on Sunday that he’s not going to trade Nowitzki. Cuban also said the team would pursue a trade by the February 21 league deadline.

If the draft were held today, the Mavs would have a top 10 pick.

The likelihood of a big-time free agent coming to Dallas this summer gets more remote by the day. But what about a high draft pick?

The lure of the lottery
If you’ve been a Mavericks fan for the last 10 years, you might not be aware of this little thing they call the NBA Draft Lottery. That’s when the teams that don’t make the playoffs get together at the NBA’s home offices in Secaucus, New Jersey, and have a made-for-TV lottery to see who gets the NBA’s top three picks.

You can be forgiven for not knowing. The Mavs haven’t participated since 2000, the year Mark Cuban bought the team. That year the Mavs selected Etan Thomas of Syracuse.

Perhaps the fact that Thomas was such a bust prompted Cuban to spend enough money to have enough talent to avoid the lottery. It also underscores the incredible streak of success this franchise has had since those dark days in the 1990s, when participation in the NBA Draft Lottery was a given, like death, taxes and Dallas reruns.

But it looks like these Mavericks may be lottery bound. If the draft were held today, the Mavs would have a top 10 pick, with the potential of a top 3 pick if their ping pong ball came out of the hopper.

Actually, the hopper is backstage and spits out the ping pong balls before the TV event begins. NBA Commissioner David Stern opens envelopes with team logos. It’s all very dramatic, if you think opening envelopes at halftime of a NBA playoff game is dramatic.

Few options remain
The Mavericks are not as attractive a destination as they were two years ago. It’s going to be harder to lure a true superstar to a team with an aging former MVP and a bunch of guys on one- or two-year contracts — no matter how talented they are.

The Mavericks have a deficit of young talent and a deficit of great offensive players to match with Nowitzki.

Chris Paul is a free agent. Do you really think he would leave the front-running Los Angeles Clippers? Dwight Howard is a free agent. He looks nothing like the dominant star he was just two years ago. Plus, not the best attitude in the world.

J.R. Smith? Maybe. Andrew Bynum? He’s been hurt all year.

No, it looks like the Mavs are going to have to start the long, painful path toward starting over. That probably won’t make Nowitzki feel any better. But, sometimes, down-on-their-luck teams get lucky.

Look at San Antonio. Some time back, David Robinson was the man for the Spurs. But he came up lame one year with a balky back and missed most of the season.

The Spurs went into the tank. Gregg Popovich took over as head coach at midseason. The Spurs went into the Draft Lottery and ended up with the No. 1 overall pick.

Their selection? Tim Duncan. Four NBA titles later, the Spurs are the league’s model franchise.

There isn’t a Tim Duncan in this draft. However, there are some good, strong players worth consideration. The Mavericks have a deficit of young talent and a deficit of great offensive players to match with Nowitzki.

Perhaps the Mavs can kill two birds with one draft pick? The way they’re playing, we’re going to find out.

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Touchdown

Dallas Cowboys go all-in on nachos for 2026 food lineup at AT&T Stadium

Photo courtesy of Dallas Cowboys

Peri Peri, Texas BBQ, and Butter Chicken Doritos Loaded nachos are among the new concession items for the 2026 Dallas Cowboys season.

Every Dallas Cowboys season brings something new on the concessions front, and for the 2026 season the team has gone all-in on nachos, offering multiple new takes on the favorite stadium fare.

In a September 16 release, the Cowboys announced all the new menu items for the season, in advance of the team's home opener against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, September 20 at AT&T Stadium.

The new nacho lineup will feature international flavors on an array of Doritos Loaded and Tostitos Nachos options, including:

Peri Peri Chicken Doritos Loaded — House-made peri peri chicken with peri cheese sauce, pico de gallo, drizzled with garlic perinaise sauce.
Texas BBQ Doritos Loaded — House-smoked beef brisket with nacho cheese sauce, barbecue sauce, sweet and spicy pickles, coleslaw and green onion.
Butter Chicken Doritos Loaded —House-made butter chicken in butter sauce with raita vegetable mix (tomato, red onion, cucumber and cilantro), drizzled with spiced yogurt.
Tostitos Peri Peri Chicken Nachos — Tostitos tortilla chips topped with house-made peri peri chicken, peri cheese sauce, garlic perinaise sauce and fresh pico de gallo.
Tostitos Island Jerk Nachos — Thick-cut Tostitos tortilla chips topped with house made jerk chicken, fresh mango salsa, cilantro and lime crema.

The Doritos Loaded Nachos will be available at Doritos Loaded Carts at Upper 50 Yard Lines, Sections 412 and 442, while the Tostitos Nachos will be available at Tostitos Cantina at Section 423.

Fans who attended FIFA World Cup matches in Arlington already got a taste of the new nachos, which were developed by Frito-Lay and the Legends Global at AT&T Stadium Food & Beverage team.

Two other new non-nacho items for the 2026 Cowboys season include:

Kraft BBQ DCQ — A hoagie bun stuffed with a grilled jalapeño cheese sausage, famous Cowboys mac n cheese, chopped brisket, and Kraft BBQ sauce, topped with jalapeños. Available at Sections 412 and 442 Smokehouse Stands and Upper Bent Buckle Locations at Sections 410 and 444.
Kraft Buffalo Aioli Chicken Sandwich — Crispy chicken breast with fresh lettuce and tomato on a seeded bun dressed with Kraft Buffalo Aioli. Available at all four Crisp stands at Sections 218, 243, 409, and 439.

$Kraft\u00ae Buffalo Aioli Chicken Sandwich at AT&T Stadium$ The new Kraft Buffalo Aioli Chicken Sandwich.Photo courtesy of Dallas Cowboys

But don't worry: Just because the Cowboys are bringing new items doesn't mean they're getting rid of fan favorites from past seasons.

Fans will still be able to enjoy unique items like Tyson Cowboys Star Nuggets, Cowboys Cheesesteak, The Lineman Burrito, The Rowdy Dog, and Dessert Nachos, among others.

And if you're lucky enough to get to sit in a suite, AT&T Stadium will now offer a variety of vegan options for those ticketholders.

Choices include vegan burgers, brat sausage, barbecue meatless meatballs, meatless chicken nuggets, dessert bars, cookies, Buffalo cauliflower bites, and more.

Meatless chicken nuggets at AT&T Stadium for Dallas Cowboys Suite ticketholders will be able to enjoy new vegan items, including the Meatless Chicken Nuggets.Photo courtesy of Dallas Cowboys

On the non-vegan side, other new suite items include Caribbean Spiced Jerk Chicken, Chicken Empanadas, Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie, Cream Filled Scones, Buffalo Ranch Corn Nuts, and more.

To help fans find the new foods and other locations, the team is also unveiling AT&T Stadium Wayfinding, a web-based navigation tool that can be used either in the Dallas Cowboys app or any of four designated AT&T kiosks on the East and West Platforms. The platform connects fans to the most efficient routes to their seats, as well as the the nearest concessions and restrooms.

The Cowboys will also continue to host their Celebrity Chef series, featuring local restaurant chefs bringing their special signature creations to a concession stand in the Main Clubs at AT&T Stadium during every home game.

Another home opener tradition features the First and Second Place winning teams of the annual Taste of the Cowboys Youth Challenge cooking for fans. Mesquite High School and Duncanville High School will cook for fans at the stadium on September 20.

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