I've been a Dallas Mavericks fan since 1998, spoiled by their consistent winning for the better part of a decade and a half. So it goes without saying that this season has been one for the toilet.

This up-and-down roller coaster of the Mavericks clawing toward the eighth seed in the Western Conference has been exhausting, especially while also expecting the tank to roll through Dallas so they have a chance at Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball in the draft. The Mavericks don't know what team they are, but I know the rebuild is coming.

So, I started it a bit early in NBA 2K17.

The plan to get Dallas back to contention status was mostly in place. Dirk Nowitzki was retiring soon, so it was essential to build around Harrison Barnes going forward. Given his play this year, it's easier to do this in NBA 2K18 or 2K19.

That was the plan. I didn't say the plan actually worked.

Rebuilding, if done the proper way, can be a teeth puller. I learned that early on in the post-Dirk era. Barnes was a really solid player throughout this experiment, but it was tough to field a team that could win a title. It wasn't because of Barnes necessarily, but trying to assemble a team through free agency and the draft isn't so cut-and-dry as it was in 2K games prior. You can't just sign Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis on the same team and hope for the best.

I gave myself five years to put something together in Dallas. What became of it was five agonizing seasons that left me thinking I was the worst general manager of all time. Mark Cuban would probably fire me after the 2017-18 season. But hooray for video games. 

Some key things to keep in mind as I started this rebuild: I started the day of Dallas' last game before this year's All-Star break, which was Feb. 15 (before Dallas actually lost to Detroit in real life). I was not going to make any trades before the trade deadline unless the computer gave me something to work with. Here's a spoiler: The computer did not do that. All cap settings stayed the same, and I threw my hands in the air and sat back to watch this unfold.

Get ready to laugh at me.

Year One

Dallas finishes 31-51, good for fourth worst in the Western Conference. Golden State gets its revenge on Cleveland in the NBA Finals, and Steph Curry wins the MVP. Then things start going off the rails.

Dirk retires. That's $25 million off the books for next year. Point guard and Dirk's replacement are the top priorities. Right now, we're committed to Barnes being the power forward. My goal was to avoid superstar signings in the first offseason, which probably came back to bite me down the road. The Mavericks get the sixth pick in the draft, and it might be asking a lot to trade up and see if we can land Fultz or Ball. Dennis Smith Jr. is the fallback option.

The Orlando Magic get the first pick and draft Josh Jackson, because of course they do. Boston, at number two, drafts Fultz because no one is allowed to have nice things. Phoenix takes Ball in the third spot, so our top two options are off the board. Philadelphia trades the fourth pick to Miami for Hassan Whiteside because that makes a lot of sense to add another center, and the Heat take Malik Monk. New Orleans grabs Jayson Tatum, and we're on the clock. 

The Suns are willing to give us Ball and old Mavs buddy Tyson Chandler for Wes Matthews and the 6th pick. I was not prepared to pay Tyson $22 million for the next two years. We end up passing on it and take Dennis Smith Jr. to be the point guard of the future. Philadelphia decides it doesn't want the 12th pick and gives it to us for next year's first and this year's second. Yes, please. Harry Giles from Duke is now the big man of the future.

All free agents expected to test the market did, i.e., Durant, Curry, Gordon Hayward, Blake Griffin. We re-sign Yogi Ferrell to a two-year deal and trade J.J. Barea to the Knicks for a 2019 protected first-round pick to shed some salary. The two players atop our board are Nerlens Noel and J.J. Redick. Philadelphia doesn't match our three-year, $73 million offer, probably because getting Whiteside was the final straw there. We're the only team in the running for Redick, but need more money to get him. So, goodbye Dwight Powell and his near $9 million a year deal to Minnesota for point guard Tyus Jones. And hello J.J. Redick for two years, $33 million with a team option in Year 3.

Going into 2017-18, the lineup:

Dennis Smith Jr.
J.J. Redick
Wes Matthews
Harrison Barnes
Nerlens Noel
Seth Curry
Yogi Ferrell
Salah Mejri
Justin Anderson
Harry Giles

Year Two

So, all that work was for nothing. Dallas wins only four more games than last year, and it's clear we need more scoring. Noel is named to second team All-Defense, and Smith is an all-rookie selection. At least that's a plus. And for giggles, the Warriors blew another 3-1 lead in the Finals. This time to Toronto. Kyle Lowry is the Finals MVP and we all laugh in harmony.

But Golden State was so distraught over this loss that it fired Steve Kerr. So, welcome to Dallas, Steve. Rick Carlisle has retired to become a professional piano player. First matter of business is to get back into the first round of the draft, so sending Yogi Ferrell to Charlotte for the 10th pick sounds good (crazy value for Yogi). By the way, if not for that trade to Philly last year to get Giles, we would have had the first pick in the draft.

Let's make due with what we have. Isaac Bonga from Germany, a 6-foot-9 small forward with crazy long wingspan is now the man to replace Wes Matthews. But, we have a development. Redick costs a lot and there's a new shooting guard on the radar: Zach LaVine. We send Redick to Detroit for a couple of draft picks, offer LaVine a three-year deal worth $75 million. Minnesota doesn't match, and we're off and running. 

Barnes moves back to small forward to make way for Giles as the new power forward. Lineup for Year 3 will be Smith, LaVine, Barnes, Giles and Noel. I smell the playoffs.

Year Three

The Mavs were seventh in the West with a month to play...and then Barnes severely sprains his ankle and is out for 8-10 weeks. There go the playoffs. Dallas finishes ninth. So close.

BUT! Harry Giles is named the Most Improved Player, so celebrations all around. Golden State wins the title, Durant is MVP -- wash, rinse and repeat.

We draft some automated rookie out of Maryland, because sure. But out of the blue, look who's in free agency? Hassan Whiteside. I wasn't getting enough out of Noel at center. We needed more offense, and the idea of trading Noel -- I forgot to where and for what, because I was done at this point -- was to sign either Kawhi Leonard or Nikola Jokic. Of course, neither of those options happened. Plan C is Whiteside, so let's get some offense in the post. And this makes up for not signing with the Mavericks in the summer of 2016.

Meanwhile, in case you're wondering, Harrison Barnes has been a steady 19.5-point scorer the last three seasons. This is a good thing. Let's roll this Smith, LaVine, Barnes, Giles and Whiteside lineup and see what happens.

Year Four

Sound the alarm and alert the clergy because the Mavericks are 33-25 and fourth in the West. Things are finally looking up...and then Dennis Smith Jr. tears his ACL and is out for the year.

But somehow, someway, the Dallas Mavericks in the year 2020 are in the playoffs for the first time during this rebuild. They're the three seed in the West and division champs. They're still without Smith and they face DeMarcus Cousins and the Sacramento Kings in the first round. Smith is the real MVP because the Mavericks are swept by Sacramento (oh, the indignity). But hey, playoffs. Yay.

All five starters scored in double figures in the regular season, led by Barnes' 19 and six rebounds. There is progress and it is awesome. And the Portland Trail Blazers, who still have Damian Lillard, are the new NBA champions after beating Boston. We will see them soon.

We keep the same team in place and go into the fifth and final year, just hoping to win one playoff game.

Year Five

And that is exactly what happens. Dallas gets the fifth seed at 46-36 and has a date with the defending NBA champions. It's an exciting series that comes down to a Game 7, but the Mavericks blow a 13-point lead in the fourth and lose. This is how this rebuild ends.

It took many seasons to even get Dallas back into the playoffs, and I sincerely hope this doesn't happen in real life. But a nucleus of Barnes, Smith and Giles sounds like fun for years to come. In the end, we shouldn't have expected to bring a championship to Dallas, but the chances would've increased had we taken more chances in year one. And there are a lot of hilarious draft scenarios in year one that made me laugh. If you'd like to know more, let me know.

Also, this was one of the more excruciating and difficult things I've ever done in a video game. God help those who try it the hard way.