12-10-2021, 04:07 PM
Interview with Mike Piellucci, after 22 Games
On a scale of 1-10, how nervous are you about this team, 10 being most nervous?
6 to 6.5. The team is still inconsistent, and the role players have not shown themselves ready to step up. They’ve changed the front office, the coaching staff, and the schemes, and they’re still a .500 team. What else is left?
Do you believe Kidd when he seems to indicate roster changes might be necessary?
The team was built as a group of catch-and-shoot guys constituting an offensive team surrounding Luka — the Carlisle system, if you will. Kidd has moved KP more toward the middle, in an effort to change things up. Getting Dragic should provide a little more playmaking, although that’s not likely to happen until around the TDL.
On the defensive side, they essentially exchanged Josh Richardson for Reggie Bullock, and whether that is working is TBD. Kidd and Iztok are right that the team doesn’t have the personnel to accomplish what they’re trying to do defensively, and this has resulted in the team's just treading water on that end. They also have an issue with the big men. Kidd wants to play a traditional center, and Powell and Willie don’t fit that bill. However, acquiring improved personnel by the TDL is a lot easier said than done, considering the assets they have to work with.
The fact remains that January is the third anniversary of the KP trade. The core is essentially the same now as it was three years ago — Luka, KP, Dorian, Maxi, Powell, Brunson and THJ. And we’re still seeing inconsistency and questions about whether the team is good enough. That points to roster changes needing to be made, even if some of them have to wait until the offseason.
Can Kidd even be realistically evaluated, with all the injuries this season?
Don’t have anything negative to say about Kidd at this point. Grade is very much an incomplete. His schemes, attempts at rotations, and culture changes all seem positive.
You previously said that the Mavs are using this season as a laboratory, hoping that by the playoffs, they have come together with some additional things that work. Can they still afford to do that, now that their record has slipped to such an extent?
They have to walk that razor's edge of trying to implement new things in-season, while also trying to be sure they make the playoffs at all, preferably in at least the sixth seed. That’s the sort of thing the swap of Bullock and THJ in the lineups is trying to accomplish — both these players are struggling, so they'll throw something new out there for a few games, and then re-assess. That sort of tinkering is what they want to keep doing. But not at the expense of missing the playoffs. Things are very tight in the West, and a prolonged losing streak could put them out. It’s probably still a little too early to start worrying about reining in the experiments, but come January, they need to start solidifying their approach.
How do you evaluate KP?
Playing better than he ever has. That includes the bubble, since his offense is more diverse now. Having said that, it’s frustrating that he still can’t stay healthy. His longest stretch of consecutive games as a Mav is only twelve, and that’s scary. It’s just part of what comes with KP. He’s continuously in and out of the lineup, and it's frustrating to have to accept that.
How do you evaluate Luka this season?
Luka is fine. He is backing players down and posting up more than he used to, and the added bulk enables him to do that. I don’t have an issue with it. They’re asking him to play a little differently, playing off the ball and letting other guys bring the ball up, and they’re all still getting used to it.
What is more troubling is that he seems pretty beat up, and they need to be sure to allow him however much treatment and rest he needs. Other than that, Luka is the least of this team's worries.
https://www.dmagazine.com/sports/2021/12...-to-trade/
On a scale of 1-10, how nervous are you about this team, 10 being most nervous?
6 to 6.5. The team is still inconsistent, and the role players have not shown themselves ready to step up. They’ve changed the front office, the coaching staff, and the schemes, and they’re still a .500 team. What else is left?
Do you believe Kidd when he seems to indicate roster changes might be necessary?
The team was built as a group of catch-and-shoot guys constituting an offensive team surrounding Luka — the Carlisle system, if you will. Kidd has moved KP more toward the middle, in an effort to change things up. Getting Dragic should provide a little more playmaking, although that’s not likely to happen until around the TDL.
On the defensive side, they essentially exchanged Josh Richardson for Reggie Bullock, and whether that is working is TBD. Kidd and Iztok are right that the team doesn’t have the personnel to accomplish what they’re trying to do defensively, and this has resulted in the team's just treading water on that end. They also have an issue with the big men. Kidd wants to play a traditional center, and Powell and Willie don’t fit that bill. However, acquiring improved personnel by the TDL is a lot easier said than done, considering the assets they have to work with.
The fact remains that January is the third anniversary of the KP trade. The core is essentially the same now as it was three years ago — Luka, KP, Dorian, Maxi, Powell, Brunson and THJ. And we’re still seeing inconsistency and questions about whether the team is good enough. That points to roster changes needing to be made, even if some of them have to wait until the offseason.
Can Kidd even be realistically evaluated, with all the injuries this season?
Don’t have anything negative to say about Kidd at this point. Grade is very much an incomplete. His schemes, attempts at rotations, and culture changes all seem positive.
You previously said that the Mavs are using this season as a laboratory, hoping that by the playoffs, they have come together with some additional things that work. Can they still afford to do that, now that their record has slipped to such an extent?
They have to walk that razor's edge of trying to implement new things in-season, while also trying to be sure they make the playoffs at all, preferably in at least the sixth seed. That’s the sort of thing the swap of Bullock and THJ in the lineups is trying to accomplish — both these players are struggling, so they'll throw something new out there for a few games, and then re-assess. That sort of tinkering is what they want to keep doing. But not at the expense of missing the playoffs. Things are very tight in the West, and a prolonged losing streak could put them out. It’s probably still a little too early to start worrying about reining in the experiments, but come January, they need to start solidifying their approach.
How do you evaluate KP?
Playing better than he ever has. That includes the bubble, since his offense is more diverse now. Having said that, it’s frustrating that he still can’t stay healthy. His longest stretch of consecutive games as a Mav is only twelve, and that’s scary. It’s just part of what comes with KP. He’s continuously in and out of the lineup, and it's frustrating to have to accept that.
How do you evaluate Luka this season?
Luka is fine. He is backing players down and posting up more than he used to, and the added bulk enables him to do that. I don’t have an issue with it. They’re asking him to play a little differently, playing off the ball and letting other guys bring the ball up, and they’re all still getting used to it.
What is more troubling is that he seems pretty beat up, and they need to be sure to allow him however much treatment and rest he needs. Other than that, Luka is the least of this team's worries.
https://www.dmagazine.com/sports/2021/12...-to-trade/