Editing Dallas Mavericks (section)

====1990–1994: Free falling====
The team endured numerous changes in 1990, losing Sam Perkins to the Lakers via free agency and suffering injuries to practically their entire [[1990–91 NBA season|1990–91]] starting lineup. The players they managed to acquire—[[Rodney McCray (basketball)|Rodney McCray]], [[Fat Lever]], and [[Alex English]]—were all in the twilight of their careers. On November 9, it was announced that Fat Lever would have season-ending surgery on his right knee, and that very night, Tarpley suffered a knee injury of his own, which ended his season. The Mavericks' season only got worse from there, and they finished with a record of 28–54, falling behind even the second-year [[Minnesota Timberwolves]] and [[Orlando Magic]]. In March 1991, Tarpley was charged with suspicion of [[driving while intoxicated]] and was suspended again by the NBA.
 		
It got even worse in [[1991–92 NBA season|1991–92]]. Before the season even began, Tarpley violated the league's substance abuse policy for the third time and was banned from the NBA for life. The former Sixth Man Award winner's fall from grace was complete. The few talented players the Mavericks had remaining to them were lost to injury. Brad Davis' back problems forced him to retire in mid-January, and Fat Lever had knee surgery again on January 29, missing the remainder of the season—hardly worth the cost of losing two first-round draft picks. The team finished with a 22–60 record.

In [[1992–93 NBA season|1992–93]], the rebuilding began in earnest, with the Mavs trading [[Rolando Blackman]]—who by that point had surpassed Mark Aguirre as the team's all-time leading scorer—to the [[New York Knicks]] for a first-round draft pick. Blackman had made four All-Star Game appearances in his Mavericks career. [[Herb Williams]] joined the Knicks as a free agent. Fat Lever underwent more surgery and missed the entire 1992–93 season. Derek Harper was the team's only bright spot, leading the team with 18.3 points per game.

The Mavericks selected [[Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball|Ohio State]] guard [[Jim Jackson (basketball)|Jim Jackson]] with the fourth overall pick of the [[1992 NBA draft]], but he and owner Donald Carter could not come to terms on a contract for half of his rookie season. Jackson only played 28 games in [[1992–93 NBA season|1992–93]], a season also ruined by trades, a coaching change, and injuries. The Mavericks started 2–27 and fired Adubato on January 13, replacing him with [[Gar Heard]]. The Mavericks came dangerously close to setting the all-time worst record in NBA history (at the time, 9–73 by the [[1972–73 NBA season|1972–73]] [[1972–73 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia 76ers]]). But when Jackson was signed on March 3, the Mavs rallied, closing the season with a 7–14 mark, including two straight wins to end the season and finishing 11–71, the second-worst record in NBA history.
 		
Dallas selected [[Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball|Kentucky]] forward [[Jamal Mashburn]] with the fourth overall pick of the [[1993 NBA draft]] and hired [[Quinn Buckner]] as head coach. Buckner decided from the start to be a disciplinarian on the model of his college coach, [[Bobby Knight]], who told Buckner that the only way he would succeed with the Mavs would be to run the team with an iron hand.<ref name=Buckner>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-05-04-9405040137-story.html |title=Mavericks show Buckner door |author1=Sam Smith |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=May 4, 1994 |access-date=January 2, 2021 |archive-date=April 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422195445/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-05-04-9405040137-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The mostly young roster did not respond very well to Buckner's stern coaching style and started 1–23. By the end of January, they were 3–40, and it was once again possible that they could tie the 1973 Sixers for the all-time worst record in the league. But 5–9 records in February and April, coupled with Buckner loosening the reins a little bit, helped the Mavs finish 13–69. It was still the worst record in the league by far, but the Mavericks again avoided setting an all-time futility record. However, they did tie the NBA's ''single-season'' record for consecutive losses at [[List of National Basketball Association longest losing streaks|20 games]] (since broken).
 		
Buckner was fired at the end of the season despite having a five-year contract. However, Carter decided that Buckner had "burned too many bridges" due to his autocratic coaching style.<ref name=Buckner/> He compiled the worst record for a rookie NBA head coach, a record that only lasted four years until [[Bill Hanzlik]] broke it with the [[Denver Nuggets]]. The Mavericks brought back Dick Motta, who had led the franchise to some of its most successful seasons. The Mavericks also wound up with the number two pick in the [[1994 NBA draft]] and picked up [[California Golden Bears men's basketball|Cal]] point guard [[Jason Kidd]], giving them a solid tandem of Jackson, Mashburn, and Kidd, known as "The Three Js."