(01-03-2024, 11:45 AM)mvossman Wrote: In the playoffs it may only be 15-20 minutes.  I mean are we are talking about Timmy being overpaid while also suggesting we trade for Tobias Harris at 40 mil?

If new guy is Grant or Harris, he is going in the starting unit which means he is not directly replacing Timmy.  Do you think we can contend with a starting lineup of Lively/new guy/Luka/Kyrie/(DJJ or Exum) if new guy is not a plus defender?

(01-03-2024, 11:45 AM)mvossman Wrote: In the playoffs it may only be 15-20 minutes.  I mean are we are talking about Timmy being overpaid while also suggesting we trade for Tobias Harris at 40 mil?

If new guy is Grant or Harris, he is going in the starting unit which means he is not directly replacing Timmy.  Do you think we can contend with a starting lineup of Lively/new guy/Luka/Kyrie/(DJJ or Exum) if new guy is not a plus defender?

(01-03-2024, 12:31 PM)omahen Wrote: Harris is 40 mil this season, but his next contract will likely be considerably lower. Even if new guy would be starting, I think he is replacing Timmy role. We would likely still be playing 2 out of Luka/Kyrie/new guy at any time. The difference is the new guy can also close with Luka/Kyrie. 

I think Grant is a plus defender, while Harris is an ok defender. Yes, I could see them contend, if Lively develops a bit more.

(01-03-2024, 01:39 PM)Chicagojk Wrote: I think I am fully in the camp of finding a big PF piece with our assets.  So, I would be on board with Siakam.  I just don't think we have the assets to interest Toronto.  Question, could we lift the restrictions on the picks to the Knicks to be able to offer multiple firsts.  Would the Knicks prefer this?  Grant and Harris are good players.  I just don't think they are final piece guys.

(01-03-2024, 01:39 PM)Chicagojk Wrote: I think I am fully in the camp of finding a big PF piece with our assets.  So, I would be on board with Siakam.  I just don't think we have the assets to interest Toronto.  Question, could we lift the restrictions on the picks to the Knicks to be able to offer multiple firsts.  Would the Knicks prefer this?  Grant and Harris are good players.  I just don't think they are final piece guys.  Both are better than what we have, but not sure I would be aggressive on either at this stage. 

On another matter, I thin Dante has been without a doubt one of our top 5 players this year.  He deserves a run as a starter here.  Maybe 10 games.  I just keep thinking that it may be best to use him as a 6th man.  The beginning of games are very Luka centric.  At times even Kyrie gets lost early in games.  Are you getting the most bang for your buck starting Dante too?  I think it won't impact who is finishing games.  So maybe have Green start and play 5-6 minutes before Exum is brought in.  Green just will need to hit a high percentage of corner threes and play good defense.  I think this would look much better if we had the PF type I am envisioning.

(01-03-2024, 01:39 PM)Chicagojk Wrote: I think I am fully in the camp of finding a big PF piece with our assets.  So, I would be on board with Siakam.  I just don't think we have the assets to interest Toronto.  Question, could we lift the restrictions on the picks to the Knicks to be able to offer multiple firsts.  Would the Knicks prefer this?  

(01-03-2024, 03:00 PM)surfpuckmd Wrote: Of course the Knicks would prefer this.

This would be a bad idea for the Mavericks.  We are a major Luka Doncic injury away from being one of the 8 worst teams in the NBA.  Should Luka unfortunately sustain a knee injury or another season-ending injury in the next couple months, we would probably finish in the top 10 range in the draft.  

Although this may not be a great draft, another top-10 pick would be a very helpful way to add talent to this roster.  It would also be much a much better trade asset than almost anything else we have to offer apart from Kyrie or Lively.  

Adding protections to draft picks is a smart form of insurance in the case of a disappointing season.  Dropping that insurance in this case would be a degenerate gambling move.  Niko and Lindsay are too smart for that.

(01-03-2024, 04:10 PM)omahen Wrote: Not making a good move because you are affraid Luka will get injured is just as high risk imho

(01-03-2024, 04:10 PM)omahen Wrote: Not making a good move because you are affraid Luka will get injured is just as high risk imho

(01-03-2024, 07:04 PM)surfpuckmd Wrote: That's the same logic that a lot of bankrupt gamblers have used.

I can definitely see Mark Cuban thinking like that.

Fortunately, he's not really running the show anymore.

(01-03-2024, 07:37 PM)Chicagojk Wrote: No doubt it is risky and I am not saying I would do it.  But if you want Siakam, I am pretty confident Toronto doesn’t do it without two firsts and a young player from us.  To compete against other teams we lack the picks, young prospects and expirings.  Tough spot to be in.  Especially with a gm who is a nightmare to deal with on trades.

So maybe you want to hold your picks until this summer or next.  The risk you mention is still there if that player takes multiple firsts.  Would you be able to get a player better than Siakam over the next year.?  Plus if the player is really good then you need to deal with the pick hoarding teams who can blow our offer away probably.

(01-04-2024, 06:17 AM)surfpuckmd Wrote: Fair points.  However, my perspective is that Siakam is not the guy to mortgage the future on.  Most of the all-in trades that have been made over the past 6 years haven't worked out that well.  Trades like the Aaron Gordon and Derrick White trades were more clever and cautious and have worked out better.  We need that level of player here at a reasonable price.

(01-04-2024, 07:05 AM)F Gump Wrote: Random notes ....

1 On Siakam, I am a yes with conditions, but not sure my main condition is doable. It's that it must be an extend-and-trade, so that I'm not trading for a short-term rental. The max on such a deal would be to add 2 more years, beginning at ~40M. However, Siakam's max as a FA will be about 42M, so I'm guessing an extension is a non-starter for Siakam unless he really likes the idea of playing with Luka. But that's where I start.

2 It's disappointing to see the dearth of talent on this roster after a summer of getting done what they wanted. G Will is still an 8th man, like he was in BOS - there's nothing in his game that really has the potential to somehow blossom. And sad to say, this meh-ness should not have been a surprise to Mav talent experts, as he's the same guy here playing at about the same level as he was there.

3 Was OMax worth being saddled with Holmes? Lots of crowing about that one. Yet hard to see why. We need talent, and the net result of that move seems to be we got an iffy rookie who has showed next to nothing PLUS a cap-choking player for 2 years. 

4 Adding DJJ and Exum were good moves -- but the cap mismanagement means we will have a hard time turning them into long-term Mavs. Ugh.

5 With all the trade ideas swirling, I am reminded that the Mavs issue is a talent issue. We are trying to imagine trades that are possible using junk, rather than talent. No talent? Oh, ok, strip the team of its picks. All of this is not new, and I'm discouraged that Cuban is still in charge of the strategy to work the cap and identify talent properly, because he has done poorly at those for so many years.
.... Cuban is now the GM (or POBO) -- and nothing else. And he doesn't have a side gig anymore to keep him out of using his "smartest guy in the room" thoughts. To my way of thinking, that's not good.

6 I would hope that the Adelsons would be a solution, allowing more spending, but the Mavs way of roster building under Cuban would tend to get in the way, in how they end up with bad contracts on meh-talent players and no cap permission to spend more. You can't trade your way out of that situation, because you lack talent, and you can't spend your way out of that situation, because the cap rules block you. Where deep pockets work is when you have a slew of underpaid highly-talented players who will need raises later. Lively is one, but they need 3-4 more.

(01-04-2024, 12:02 PM)omahen Wrote: A very thoughtful answer from Kidd about Lively and foul trouble

https://twitter.com/MFollowill/status/1742947845710225896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1742947845710225896%7Ctwgr%5Eacb0af6b3fbdea71ba0c24bd8a1bdae7b308800f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Fdallas-mavericks

(01-04-2024, 07:05 AM)F Gump Wrote: Random notes ....

2 It's disappointing to see the dearth of talent on this roster after a summer of getting done what they wanted. G Will is still an 8th man, like he was in BOS - there's nothing in his game that really has the potential to somehow blossom. And sad to say, this meh-ness should not have been a surprise to Mav talent experts, as he's the same guy here playing at about the same level as he was there.

3 Was OMax worth being saddled with Holmes? Lots of crowing about that one. Yet hard to see why. We need talent, and the net result of that move seems to be we got an iffy rookie who has showed next to nothing PLUS a cap-choking player for 2 years.