Injury-riddled Mavericks' Athletic Performance Director hired by Nico Harrison is unqualified for his job: Report

Dallas Mavericks' Athletic Performance Director, Keith Belton, hired by GM Nico Harrison, is reportedly unqualified for his job with the franchise. Belton works closely with the players and trains them, playing a key role in the Mavericks' medical department, spearheaded by Director of Player Health and Performance Johann Bilsborough.

However, Belton and Bilsborough, hired by Harrison, haven't been aligned since day one. ESPN's Tim McMahon, who attended Harrison's closed-door roundtable on Tuesday, brought new information to light with his team sources about Belton and Bolsborough's dynamic.

According to McMahon, Harrison agreed to hire Belton before Bilsborough, who leads the department. Amid their uncomfortable dynamic, the two even had a heated argument months ago when Belton rushed Dereck Lively II's return despite the young center dealing with a stress ankle fracture.

Belton supervised an intense return-to-play session for Lively on Jan. 20, who was supposed to return two nights after missing two games. However, Lively was ruled out for two-and-a-half months after that as a concerned Bilsborough sent the 21-year-old for a CT scan, which revealed he dealt with a stress ankle fracture.

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Belton and Bilsborough got into a "loud and heated" altercation at the Mavericks' facility over the Lively situation. Bilsborough also doesn't "respect" Belton's acumen, who is viewed as a "glorified cheerleader," as per one team source, who claimed Nico Harrison always wanted "cheerleader energy."

Tim McMahon's sources revealed one of the most glaring issues with Keith Belton's hiring, surrounding his qualifications and certifications as the Mavericks' strength and conditioning coach. Here's what the report said:

"According to the National Strength Coaches Association (NSCA) database, Belton does not have either of the certifications from the association required for NBA strength coaches, per Article XXII of the collective bargaining agreement. The CBA states that an individual hired as a head strength and conditioning coach must have at least three years of experience since receiving those certifications."

The NBA accepted Belton's hiring temporarily after accepting his certification from the College Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, assuming he would get his certifications from the NSCA after this season.

According to McMahon's report, Belton, a former NFL fullback, also lacks NBA experience in this field.

Edited by Arhaan Raje