If you liked the God and Evolution Debate Thread last summer you're going to love this! Or, wait, maybe if you hated that thread you're going to love this.     Either way...

I am going to host a forum Bible study!

Every Monday morning I'll start a Bible study thread in the Troll Cave. Come check it out and offer your comments, thoughts, responses, etc. 

Kam and I are tired of arguing with each other about how many bigs the Mavs will play at any one time (maybe), so instead he and I are going to talk about the Bible. Come join us!! This is for anyone interested in the discussion. Religious affiliation of any kind, or lack there of, is irrelevant to participation. 

I'll present a passage from the Bible and some questions, and we'll see where it goes. Kam and I will share our thoughts. If lots of folks share, then who knows, maybe the thread will stay active all week until I start the next Bible study thread with a new passage and new questions. 

Next Monday we'll start. The first passage that we'll cover is Genesis 1! 

I want to make sure everyone understands one of the best features that Magickian added to this forum as it helps clean up the clutter of quoting another person.

So instead of clicking the "quote" button, highlight ONLY the part of the message you want to quote and then a little box will pop up on the highlight that says "Reply." Click that reply pop up and you will only quote the relevant portion. 

This helps keep our quoting from turning into 3, 4, and 5 nested comments. 

Test it out here in this thread. Only highlight part of my post and then reply to that.

P.S. And yes, you guys in the Preseason Knee Jerk thread are the EXACT reason I am posting this.

https://twitter.com/ESefko/status/1183937879841611777

Alrighty folks, with the season less than 10 days away, I figured we could get a prediction thread for the first 16 games.

I'd love to post a poll, but since it only allows 10 options I can't really do it.

Here's the schedule and what I think the Mavs will be by November 24th. 

WAS--W
PEL---W
POR---L
DEN---L
LAL---W
CLE---W
ORL---W
NYK---W
MEM--W
BOS---L
NYK---W
TOR---W
SAS---W
GSW---L
CLE---W
HOU---L

Mavs have to me 7 easy must wins in the first 16 games, versing teams like NYK twice, the Cavs twice, and Memphis. If the Mavs want to make the playoffs, these have to be easy wins. There is a good mix of strong teams as well, and I think how good we'll be this year will depend on how we look against teams in the upper echelon of the standings like Denver and Houston. Another team I think that will be the litmus test for the Mavs will be the Spurs, as many mocks has them fighting for a similar position as us in the standings. 

I have us at 11-5 in the first month, which is a .68 win percentage which is much higher than a 50 win pace, but given how many easy teams we're facing I think that's about right.

https://www.theringer.com/nba-preview/20...-interview

Quote:“Rick is a lot more touchy-feely … just a lot lower key,” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told me. “He’s always demanding and detail oriented, but Rick is smart. He recognizes where the Mavs are in our life cycle. We’re the Gen Z Mavs.”

Quote:The Mavericks sacrificed to land Doncic because of the player he can become. “What’s Luka’s gift?” Nelson asked me. I said playmaking. “That’s why we’re so excited about him,” he continued. “The ability to make his teammates better is not only his greatest strength but also where he gets his greatest joy.” Nelson said Doncic has DNA like Kidd or Magic Johnson because of his blend of vision and mind-set. Doncic is a transcendent playmaker who manipulates defenders with his eyes and body, and then delivers passes in every direction all over the court with precision. There’s a Larry Bird–like quality to him: He’s not overly athletic, but his passing skills and instincts are already elite and could someday reach an all-time level.

Quote:Porzingis has notoriously gotten off to fast starts, and then seen his production fade fast through his first three NBA seasons because of fatigue and nagging injuries, particularly to his left leg. Playing with Doncic should help maintain his scoring efficiency with easier looks and simply less responsibility. “No disrespect to the Knicks, but KP hasn’t had a real point guard,” Cuban said. Porzingis’s three best point guards in New York were arguably Jose Calderon, Jarrett Jack, and Derrick Rose. Oof. What an upgrade in Dallas.

Quote:Carlisle said that Doncic worked hard on his shot this summer. When I asked Doncic about what he did, he said it was mostly about consistency, though one tweak was made to his form: Last season, he flared his right hand away from his body as he’d release the ball. So he worked on having his fingers follow through and down to create a straighter release that led to even better results.

Quote:Better mechanics should help, too. So should improved conditioning. This summer he got a dietician and a chef, and according to Cuban, “his girlfriend was on him about it.” Doncic has more muscle definition now; cutting pasta from his diet every day seemed to have helped.

Quote:“Earlier in my career, smaller guys like Marcus Smart would get me off balance,” Porzingis said. “But now I feel comfortable playing against a smaller guy. A lot of times what works is a quick move with one bump or just turn into his face and shoot over him. I’ve gotten a lot better at reading those situations. It’s a lot of film study, but also just playing, knowing how to play against a smaller guy instead of a bigger guy.”

Quote:“Seven years ago, we tried to show Dirk and Vince [Carter] that they shot better two feet behind the line than they did on the line because nobody was guarding them,” Cuban said. “Now we’re forcing guys to do it. And we actually track all of it, both guarded and unguarded. If you’re shooting back at 30 feet, all the space that’s created, you can’t guard all the way out there. Even if it’s Boban.”

Quote:“We’ll be a better shooting team. We’ll be a better spacing team,” Cuban said. “While some people were asking, ‘Can they compete for playoffs?” I’m like, ‘If we stay healthy, we’ll do more than just compete for a playoff spot.’”

Quote:Nelson went as far to say he would “love for this to be the core moving forward,” which is exactly what he should say to a media member. But the Mavs did sign most of these players to contracts through the 2022-23 season. They are enamored of their current group.

Quote:“In the old days, if a big couldn’t shoot it, it was like, ‘Okay, at least he’s a great defender, and this and that,’” Nelson said. “Now you have to look real hard at guys that can’t shoot, and it’s almost to the point where those guys are almost not draftable.”

Quote:Nelson said the goal this year is to make the playoffs, then draft a player in 2020 and take the next step on the court, and then add more talent in 2021 when they could create tens of millions of cap space. “It’s a good draft in 2020, and then we have [free agency] the following year, so I think you can see a nice little … ” Nelson said as his voice trailed off and he gestured with his hands as if he were building steps. The Mavericks sent their 2021 and 2023 firsts to the Knicks for Porzingis, but they still own their firsts in every other year. The 2020 draft is rich with talent, and then they could create max cap space in 2021 to pursue a player like Bradley Beal or Giannis Antetokounmpo. Even if the cap drops, they’ll still have enough to splurge on second-tier or third-tier free agents to build around their Big Two—that’s one of the big benefits of having your best player still on his rookie contract.

Quote:Dallas has organizational goals, and they aren’t shy about sharing them. “We liked the parade we had here in 2011,” Nelson said. “We want another one—well, everything but Dirk’s rendition of ‘We Are The Champions.’”

Last home preseason game.

My knee-jerk hot takes so far:

• Not sure what Delon Wright brings to the table just yet. Even though he is penciled in as an opening day starter it's not a lock that he stays there. Mavericks salaries are such that Rick can really put anyone he wants in the starting lineup without being beholden to a DAJ/Matthews situation where he *has* to start anyone.
  
• Mavs may eventually give up on trying to play defense and go back to what they usually do which is offensive efficiency and a killer bench. Run and gun, score a lot and get *enough* stops to win.
  
• Record-wise, ceiling to me is a low 40's win team. I think it's going to take a while for everyone to mesh but they could get it going eventually
  
• Brunson may force his way into the starting lineup. He fits too perfectly with Luka offensively. I do expect them to play a fair number of minutes together regardless. 
  
• Mavs have a logjam of like 7th man players. This equals really good bench and not a great starting lineup.
  
• This team is going to make a trade at some point this year
  
• JJB actually might return mostly to form this year. He didn't look that great last night but not terrible either. He was playing out of his mind the last couple of years before he got hurt. I actually think he will get consistent minutes in that 2nd unit.
  
• Justin Jackson is a very good player. His rebounding is what's going to hold him back. I think him and DFS are fighting for that starting spot
  
• THJ is going to be a good bench player and it's not impossible for him to force his way into the starting lineup at least some nights (or if there's injury). We buried him as worthless too early perhaps.
  
• KP is not shooting well from 3, I am a little surprised he isn't mixing it up more. That could be just the nature of pre-season basketball that they aren't running a lot of sets for him yet. I am not sure why he doesn't shoot more mid-range. Not worried though. If anyone knows how to utilize a Dirk-like player it's Rick.
  
• Opening day starting lineup (if Powell is healthy): Luka, Wright, DFS, Porzingis, Powell.
  
• Eventual (regular) starting lineup prediction: Brunson, Luka, DFS, Porzingis, Powell. 
  

With 3 preseason games under our belt, there are obviously more questions than answers.  The defense looks like a major problem heading into the season.  Offensively the Mavs have a lot of talent, but how well will they gel together?  Seems like we are jacking up a lot of long threes and the offensive flow just seems off.  Dwight Powell could help here.

I do think this season will be a work in progress with the goal of being competitive and fighting for the last playoff spot.  That said with Luka and KP you should not be looking at a long rebuild.  The goal should be to become legitimate contenders within 3 years.

Step 1 is evaluating the roster and finding out who is going to work next to Luka/KP long term.  To me this rules out a guy like JJB who should not be taking minutes away from someone like Brunson.

After 20 or so games we should have a better idea of what is working and what is not.

Step 2 will be determining what might be available in the trade market or next year's free agents.

The goal should be finding the best players 26 and under to add to this core.  Obviously the Mavs are not going to get Giannis, Jokic, Zion, KAT, etc.  More realistic targets maybe someone like Otto Porter or Buddy Hield (who wants an extension).

So who on the team do you think will become a core contributor for years to come and who do you think could be a realistic target?

I asked this question last year and a bunch of posters told me to get with the times, and that 3 & D is the new blueprint of the modern game.

That's fine, but I don't want Luka and KP jacking up a bunch of 3 pt shots every game. Luka's strength is breaking down defenses and his ball handling. KP is 7'3".  Sure you want to keep defenses honest and a long distance shot is necessary these days. However, that's different from making that the bread and butter of your offense. Every team is not GS.  Why not play to our strengths? 

Plus having the 2 cornerstones jack up a ton of long distance shots freezes all the other guys.  Again, just because it works for GS or some other teams, why do this?  I think the Mavs played a lazy and inefficient brand of offensive basketball last year, and hope it doesn't continue this year.

https://twitter.com/ESefko/status/1182791457792548866