Our team is fully healthy in the playoffs cause of Casey Smith and we also destroyed Dallas as a result of it
The Mavericks' decision to fire strength coach Keith Belton this week after Belton's first season in Dallas comes in the wake of a tumultuous and injury-filled season for the team's medical and performance team.
As The Stein Line first reported on April 20, Dereck Lively II's stress fracture in his right foot in February caused what league sources describe as significant tensions within the Mavericks' medical department, including a notable blowup over the handling of the injury between Belton and director of player health and performance Johann Bilsborough, who also just completed his first season in Dallas.
Bilsborough, who replaced the popular Casey Smith after Smith's nearly two decades in charge of Mavericks medical matters, was spared in Wednesday's purge that saw GM Nico Harrison dismiss four members of the training staff and make a change in the equipment ranks as well. Those changes included the removal of head athletic trainer Dionne Calhoun, who likewise had a two-decade tenure in Dallas that, like Smith's, included a gold-medal-winning stint with USA Basketball.
