(06-21-2022, 09:37 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]Knowing this board as I do, I'm sure this is going to incite feelings like Brunson to NY is a done deal already, and that the Mavs are getting pantsed.
He might sign in NY, I don't know. But, I think our takeaway should be that Brunson is of a caliber that's causing teams to dump other players just to position themselves to make an offer. In other words, the Mavs have what is possibly the most coveted free agent on the market right now. I honestly don't think people here really value him that much.
That's a good point, definitely a new feeling to be the team with a player other teams clear space for (as opposed to the other way around).
(06-21-2022, 08:27 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]I'm not entirely sure I follow you here, so sorry if I misunderstand. It seems like you think the "your turn/my turn" is the product of too many players not able to floor the ball?
No, I'm very much in synch with what you described later as to a large part of the reason for "you go, I go". Sorry if I gave the impression that this was "the" reason for it. I never fully feel it's any 1 thing.
(06-21-2022, 08:27 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]To me, it's about Luka and Brunson both being a little green and not quiiiiiiite understanding that the ball needs to move faster, sometimes before they, personally, create an advantage. Sometimes, the timely, correct, simple pass is the right one, and I think those guys are both prone to getting stuck in the mindset of beating someone, drawing a second defender and making the "assist" pass, which is often a difficult skip pass. I think it's awesome that Luka CAN succeed in that way so often, but my suspicion is that as he ages, he'll learn to take it easier on himself by getting teammates involved earlier in possessions, and in simpler ways.
I think this is the lion's share of the issue. It's the competitor as much as the maturity as well. Guys talking trash to them, so they say "take this". I agree with you that will be weeded out of them at least a bit with more maturity or in JB's case, more looks at NBA defense (I think Jalen has maturity for the most part).
On another side of it all. I think there's something to be said about the confidence in teammates to get/take a better shot. I think the addition of Wood, and seeing his ability to do roughly everything they do to their defender on the court, will help to alleviate some of that, if it is indeed a part of the whole. He looks like he'll take a very fast catch and shoot shot. He can attack the close out. He can also straight up take a guy off the dribble, I'm sure depending on the defender. This was what I was trying to say in the previous post, apparently poorly.
(06-21-2022, 08:34 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]Play them between someone like Ntilikina (if only he could shoot) and DFS and boom - you can kind of see the Clippers if you squint hard enough.
I'm not so sure I see the Clippers, but I think this is exactly the kind of roster building that made our 2011 team so successful. Sandwiching good defenders between average ones. Kidd (good), JJB (average to bad), Marion (good), Dirk (average to bad), Chandler (good and great anchor).
(06-20-2022, 11:45 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]I agree with this.
But, and this is where it gets tricky, anyone they bring in needs to be functional on offense by at least being a willing and effective catch and shoot threat. Otherwise, doubling down on Greenikina would be the way forward, imho. As it is, while I believe the Mavs, themselves would agree with what you've written here, I can almost guarantee Hardaway will play ahead of either of them with the roster in its current form.
Guys like Thybulle...I think they're super fun to watch when they lock people up, but I think it's important to understand why their current teams want to move them in the first place.
Totally agree with this in general, but I am on the fence with Thybulle. His defense is so elite that it almost makes up for his uselessness on the offensive end.
To me the biggest issue with this roster from a fit perspective is Timmy. The ideal scenario would be to convert him into a defensive 4. I just don't see how that is done.
I also struggle with what to do with the tax MLE (I don't think there is any chance they use the TPE at this point). Any player you bring in is going to cost a fortune in tax and create more minutes crunch. Our roster is really setup for doing a two for one on overpriced contracts, but the problem is the two best candidates (Tobias and Hayward) are not a great fit with Wood.
(06-21-2022, 07:53 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: [ -> ]There is a perception that the Luka/Brunson/RB trio was somehow ordained and the only way we ever played last year. That group didn't show up in the starting lineup until game 53. KP sat his last couple of games here and after that we only had two real bigs on the roster in Powell and Maxi. Up to that point, we started two-bigs almost exclusively the entire time KP was here (available or not). Mostly it was Powell/KP, but we also saw Powell/Maxi, Maxi/KP, WCS/KP and Moses/KP.
The turnaround started about a month before the first appearance of Luka/Brunson/Reggie when Brunson joined the starting lineup. Late December and most of January was just a mess in terms of players being healthy. Yes, RB took THJ's place among the starters in December, but Brunson wasn't starting yet. That happened after Brunson played well in Luka's absence and when Luka returned, Brunson stayed and Reggie sat.
If you think about it, Wood essentially replaces KP in the big rotation. Any time we actually had three bigs (even when all weren't available), we started two of them. We didn't start a single big (with very few exceptions) until KP was gone. At that point, we really didn't have a choice. I think the plan is three bigs, three wings and three ball handlers and mix and match as appropriate. Sometimes that will be single big two and two. Sometimes it will be two bigs (especially in the regular season). The question is do we have the right nine on the bus with THJ and Powell (and occasionally Dinwiddie) the players we most often question. Is there a TP-MLE player who really knocks one of those off the bus? Powell? Maybe? But, probably not THJ or SD. One of them has to be outgoing to truly get an upgrade. Does trading THJ right now make sense coming off of injury? Probably not. Does Powell/Green really move the needle without adding a pick? What does that leave? It means we may be wrong about the Sacred Six from the playoff run being as Sacred as we thought.
I'm not saying we are not going the 2 big route, but the more minutes we do that the more minutes Dorian plays at the 3 and the fewer minutes for Bullock, THJ, Green and Frank to split. It will make even more of a minutes crunch.
I will also be really frustrated if they try to start Powell again. I want to see Wood offense without someone clogging the lane. The Wood/Maxi combo makes a lot of sense, but I have little interest seeing the Powell/Wood combo, especially to start games.
(06-21-2022, 09:06 AM)Kammrath Wrote: [ -> ]Per Jake Fischer...
the Knicks are said to be targeting roughly $25 million in room to be able to chase Dallas Mavericks point guard Jalen Brunson, and they are expected to find new homes for Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel, among other moves. Even if New York pivoted away from Brunson, who league personnel widely believe will return to Dallas, the Knicks would have a large gap to meet Irving's contractual wishes.
The Mavs wouldn't want to help NY with any of this NOW -- sign Brunson 1st, without enabling the competition.
But once that's done, NY will apparently be looking for ways to shed useful players so they can get cap room (for someone like Kyrie). At that point, the DAL 10.8M TPE would be a great tool to have, since the contracts of EITHER Burks or Noel would fit within that TPE.
You'd have to probably give a bit more than cap room only, but aren't those the sort of players the Mavs are wanting to add?
That's why I love the idea of a trade that extends the TPE another year. There are several ways to do that. Doesn't mean you MUST use it later, but you might wish you had it available because that perfect opportunity has popped up -- at times a decent-sized TPE can be a great tool to be able to offer "cap space" to a team looking to move off of salary for some purpose, when you actually are already over the cap.
(06-21-2022, 09:37 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: [ -> ]But, I think our takeaway should be that Brunson is of a caliber that's causing teams to dump other players just to position themselves to make an offer.
You don't need capspace to offer a contract to Brunson and the offer doesn't need to be formal as in public. You can make space once he agrees. Knicks clearing cap before July would definitely raise the level of concern for me.
(06-21-2022, 10:42 AM)omahen Wrote: [ -> ]You don't need capspace to offer a contract to Brunson and the offer doesn't need to be formal as in public. You can make space once he agrees. Knicks clearing cap before July would definitely raise the level of concern for me.
Ya, I think this has me a bit more on edge than I was previously. I still give us at least a 50% shot at retaining him (which was lower than before, and I could probably be convinced it’s a bit higher than that). NY takes a big chunk of the remaining %, but there are still other dark horses that take from NY’s chances. I really think Thibs being NY’s coach is quite possibly a negative. JB had a controlling type coach in RC and I do wonder if he wants to go back to that.
I still find it hard to believe JB would choose the Knicks over Mavs. Just made it to the WCF, best friends with Luka, JKidd just helped you make all kinds of money. IMO the only way Brunson goes to NY, is if the Mavs choose not to pay what it takes to retain him.
(06-21-2022, 11:13 AM)Smitty Wrote: [ -> ]I still find it hard to believe JB would choose the Knicks over Mavs. Just made it to the WCF, best friends with Luka, JKidd just helped you make all kinds of money. IMO the only way Brunson goes to NY, is if the Mavs choose not to pay what it takes to retain him.
No one - literally,
no one -- is reporting that Brunson might indeed go to NY. Nothing has really changed. NY wants him (but no one* thinks they will get him), and they are looking at ways to create cap room and other players to target with it.
While it's never done until it's done, nothing has changed. Brunson is not expressing a desire to leave, or an interest in NY, and in NY they are still selling papers by talking breathlessly of how eager the Knicks are to get him.
* except in this forum, of course
From Twitter, this note:
@JakeLFischer said on the radio about 20 min ago, that based on what he's hearing, his best guess is
$90M for the contract. Also said he's hearing Dallas is confident it won't hit $100M.
If that's 4 years, it's okay-to-good. If it's 90M over 5 years, it's great.
(06-21-2022, 11:34 AM)F Gump Wrote: [ -> ]From Twitter, this note:
@JakeLFischer said on the radio about 20 min ago, that based on what he's hearing, his best guess is
$90M for the contract. Also said he's hearing Dallas is confident it won't hit $100M.
If that's 4 years, it's okay-to-good. If it's 90M over 5 years, it's great.
I think both sides would be happy with those numbers.
I would not mind a S&T of Brunson for Randle. We'd have 2 20/10 bigs. The $ works for Brunson to get around $20mill.
PG - Luka
SG - Hardaway
SF - Finney-Smith
PF - Randle
C - Wood
(06-21-2022, 11:13 AM)Smitty Wrote: [ -> ]I still find it hard to believe JB would choose the Knicks over Mavs. Just made it to the WCF, best friends with Luka, JKidd just helped you make all kinds of money. IMO the only way Brunson goes to NY, is if the Mavs choose not to pay what it takes to retain him.
I think it's clear that Brunson is best suited to be a starting PG. If he's focused on that, clearly Dallas isn't the best place for him.
(06-21-2022, 11:53 AM)nash_funk Wrote: [ -> ]I would not mind a S&T of Brunson for Randle. We'd have 2 20/10 bigs. The $ works for Brunson to get around $20mill.
PG - Luka
SG - Hardaway
SF - Finney-Smith
PF - Randle
C - Wood
4 bad/mediocre defenders and poor DFS trying to keep the ship afloat.
(06-21-2022, 11:49 AM)Smitty Wrote: [ -> ]I think both sides would be happy with those numbers.
If Nico can land Brunson at 5 yrs 90M (which doesn't fit with all the conversations, but which is in line with similar players' deals), it will be an incredible outcome. And it will position him perfectly to maintain the Mavs' general salary scale, which is the foundation to stable team-building over many years.
(06-21-2022, 11:56 AM)dirkfansince1998 Wrote: [ -> ]4 bad/mediocre defenders and poor DFS trying to keep the ship afloat.
LOL yeah, that suggested trade is not happening. :-) What a train-wreck that would be!
(06-21-2022, 11:56 AM)dirkfansince1998 Wrote: [ -> ]4 bad/mediocre defenders and poor DFS trying to keep the ship afloat.
First of all that lineup averages 91.6pts and 37.5rbs. That is insane.
All Luka, Hardaway, and Finney-Smith are plus on plus/minus. Randle is plus 1.5 PER at PF. Wood is the only one with a minus in both categories. With Kidd's scheming I think the defense would be adequate.
Jake Fischer specifically said 4 years and starting at more than $20 million per to get that $90 million.
Did not believe that NY could land him but they are targeting $25 million as their offer.
(06-21-2022, 12:11 PM)nash_funk Wrote: [ -> ]First of all that lineup averages 91.6pts and 37.5rbs. That is insane.
All Luka, Hardaway, and Finney-Smith are plus on plus/minus. Randle is plus 1.5 PER at PF. Wood is the only one with a minus in both categories. With Kidd's scheming I think the defense would be adequate.
Most Mavs fans remember a similiar approach. Early 2000s Mavs adding volume scoring to a core that already had Finley, Nash and Dirk. At some point they had three high volume scoring PFs on the roster (Dirk, Jamison, Walker). Turning one of them into a 6th man and leading to all kinds of strange lineups. Three bigs and two guards. Dirk playing center. Dirk playing small forward.
Team never fulfilled the promises because in the end there only is one ball and a limited number of possessions. Point averages look nice but they wouldn´t reach those numbers. Not enough FGA to go around for all of them. Offense was already at an all time level prior to the trade and didn´t get much better. Defense tanked badly.
(06-21-2022, 11:53 AM)nash_funk Wrote: [ -> ]I would not mind a S&T of Brunson for Randle. We'd have 2 20/10 bigs. The $ works for Brunson to get around $20mill.
PG - Luka
SG - Hardaway
SF - Finney-Smith
PF - Randle
C - Wood
When Mav fans choose violence... ouch bro.