(02-04-2024, 07:18 AM)Chicagojk Wrote: It is time to be a serious organization.  Get the best coach and GM money can buy.  If your current guys aren't it.  I am sorry, It is a business.

(02-04-2024, 09:05 AM)omahen Wrote: I totally agree, but I am affraid it is total wishful thinking. That should be done after Nelson and Carlisle were out. If Cuban didn't understand it as necessary then, he will never understand it now. Seems like Cuban likes to surround himself with friends that give him advice he likes. I am of course just an outside observers, but everything in the history points to this conclusion. Parsons, Gambler, FO full of former players and friends. Nico had zero GM experience and Kidd had very questionable coaching career yet Cuban thought they are the guys to build a team around a guy that wants to win.

(02-04-2024, 06:36 PM)RoyTarpleysGhost Wrote: Mavs G Kyrie Irving is listed as probable vs. 76ers tomorrow after missing six games due to sprained right thumb. Luka Doncic is questionable after aggravating his sore right ankle. Dante Exum (knee) and Dereck Lively II (broken nose) are out. Lively is scheduled for surgery.

(02-04-2024, 08:00 PM)Scott41theMavs Wrote: How long will the surgery keep Lively out? That's a crippler.

(02-04-2024, 10:50 PM)SleepingHero Wrote: Usually if the nose is displaced and needs to be reset in order for them to breathe, it could take 4-6 weeks with no contact before he can return.

But it depends on the severity of the break and what they need to do. If Lively can breathe fine and the odds of it getting displaced with a mask is low (like where the break actually is on the nose) he can return within the week.

(02-04-2024, 11:16 PM)HoosierDaddyKidd Wrote: Pretty sure he can be outfitted with a mask. Bradley Beal is playing with one now. I guess it depends on how serious it is. I would think it shouldn't keep him out very long. They need him.

(02-06-2024, 08:06 AM)Chicagojk Wrote: https://www.theringer.com/nba/2024/2/6/24062464/dallas-mavericks-luka-doncic-role-players

(02-06-2024, 09:04 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: That was really good (and long).  Gives you a sense of the plan (or Rob's interpretation of the plan).  Long, athletic, good citizen.  Doesn't have to be the star, but capable of scoring on nights a star is out.  I liked this section where he quotes Josh.  I've long thought someone who can do what he does when needed and just be a connector when he's not is extremely valuable.  I personally like him starting as it gets him away from shot-hunting Hardaway.  To me, Exum's game is more suited next to THJ (assuming THJ is still here after Thursday afternoon).  

You get the impression Jones is valued, but maybe in a role where his offensive weaknesses aren't so exposed.  Bringing in a 4/3 on a team that already has Jones, GWill and Maxi willl cause a log-jam unless one of them is outgoing. Bringing in a scorer/creator like Kuzma (mentioned in the article) causes even fewer shots for the non-stars if Hardaway is still around.  To me, GWill and THJ are the logical outgoing players in such a deal.  I feel kind of bad for them having to play this week while dealing with that.




And because of the way Doncic searches for and seizes advantages, the supporting Mavs never really know how involved they’ll be. “Some games, you’ll get 10 shots,” Green says. “Other games, you get two.” Not everyone is built for that, and some NBA players lose their bearings after long stretches without touching the ball. Operating on the periphery is a test of focus, but more than that, it requires a player to generate their own energy, because the momentum of play won’t always be there to carry them.


It’s not a coincidence that so many of the bright spots of this Mavericks season are self-starters. Lively chases down rebounds well out of his zone. Exum is one of the most active and intuitive cutters Doncic has ever played with. Jones can go from standing in place on the wing to soaring for a tip dunk in an instant. “There’s a lot of amazing scorers in the league and they need the ball in their hands,” Harrison says. “But they’re not better than Luka. So now we need guys that can complement that. If you watch Luka, he’s gonna give you shots that are so wide open that you almost don’t know what to do. You have so much time. So we need guys that can actually feed off that.”

(02-06-2024, 09:04 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: I liked this section where he quotes Josh.  I've long thought someone who can do what he does when needed and just be a connector when he's not is extremely valuable.  I personally like him starting as it gets him away from shot-hunting Hardaway.  

(02-06-2024, 09:29 AM)Chicagojk. Wrote: The comment Josh makes has been one of my concerns for years.  It is tough to play basketball when you don't touch the ball for a few minutes  and then get it when you are wide open.  On the other hand, having Luka and Kyrie with the ball typically leads to good success.   While I would like more ball movement, I think you can also let Josh and our other guards at least dribble down the court and then get the ball to Kyrie or Luka.  At least they touch the ball then.

(02-04-2024, 08:00 PM)Scott41theMavs Wrote: How long will the surgery keep Lively out? That's a crippler.

(02-06-2024, 09:29 AM)Chicagojk Wrote: The comment Josh makes has been one of my concerns for years.  It is tough to play basketball when you don't touch the ball for a few minutes  and then get it when you are wide open.  On the other hand, having Luka and Kyrie with the ball typically leads to good success.   While I would like more ball movement, I think you can also let Josh and our other guards at least dribble down the court and then get the ball to Kyrie or Luka.  At least they touch the ball then.

(02-06-2024, 08:06 AM)Chicagojk Wrote: https://www.theringer.com/nba/2024/2/6/24062464/dallas-mavericks-luka-doncic-role-players

Quote:Some of that is pure instinct, and some of it came from the fact that Lively reported to Dallas early, and spent his time nailing down screening technique with Mavs assistant Sean Sweeney. Together, they hammered out different styles of screen for different styles of coverage. “You’ve gotta know who’s going under, who are they going under on, who are they fighting over, who are they gonna double,” Lively says. He was locked into the details from the jump. From the Mavs’ very first preseason game in Abu Dhabi, Lively was the starter by default.