(02-09-2024, 12:15 PM)Winter Wrote: Would you pay that much for a starting center? Gafford is good enough to be a starter on several NBA teams including ours. Stats and minutes I think are relevant. Much of those statistics have been posted. He is still quite young and was being groomed as a starter in Washington.

Furthermore, the center position is rather tricky with a rookie who has to learn to stay out of foul trouble. I can't think of another position on our team so badly in need of an adequate rotation player (and one requested by Luka).

(02-09-2024, 12:10 PM)BigDirk41 Wrote: I really think we'll all look back and be happy that Green was kept. He seems like he's finally blossoming into a critical player.

(02-09-2024, 11:39 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: Love Gafford, but he is a backup center here. I do not think he is worth (to the Mavs) either his salary or the first round pick they had to acquire to give up for him. I think they will be playoff games where he plays eight minutes and everybody here loses their mind, because Kleber is in there instead of him. And, I think it will probably be the right decision to play Kleber in front of him.

(02-09-2024, 12:30 PM)youzigizag Wrote: Total speculation by a casual:

I think Josh Green is about to be given his opportunity but is on a somewhat short leash.   It took 4 years, though.  Mavs are still "iffy" on his total skill package but have fallen in love with his work ethic, hustle and game improvement.

I think Kidd and some FO people hate his offensive bag...most notably his dribbling/creating skills and underwhelming ability to finish at rim one on one.

I find Green's name coming up in past few trade sessions(Summer and TDL) interesting.   Seems like Mav's have been trying to find a team that is smitten with Green and cash in....while using the media to claim "Green is off limits" to boost Green's confidence in the Mavs and himself.

Now that Dallas filled some issue areas on the roster...I think they are going to give Josh his chance.   If Josh doesnt hit his 3's or somehow looks lost on defense...I think they move him this Summer or next TDL.

I think they want a more well rounded 2-way at Josh's position and are about to give him a chance to show his worth.   I think he is about to get a bunch of 3 looks that he has to knock down or he is in the dog house.   More Josh, Less Tim.  If Josh fails...More Tim, Less Josh.

Anyone notice last night Mavs played a more organized brand of offense?   Like the past 4 years...they play simple rec ball for first half of season and then after ASB they start showing more of their hand.  Last night they were playing organized ball on quite a few possessions and Green seems like he is about to get a bunch of 3 looks like Bullock did.   If Josh fails...I think they move him.

(02-09-2024, 12:22 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: Now, the Mavericks have two centers, again, both of whom I like, and are headed towards the playoffs, where they don’t know yet if they’ll be able to play either of them.

(02-09-2024, 12:29 PM)Winter Wrote: Isn't it funny how two people can look at a team and see something entirely different.

Cuban says we need to get bigger and then pretty much describes the player we need - which looks like Gafford more than PJ. Then Luca says he's been wanting a backup center for like three years. But you think our resources should be allocated elsewhere? To me, it feels like we met a serious need.

(02-09-2024, 12:35 PM)Nowitzki Way Wrote: Bottom line, you'll run up against some tough centers in the west for these playoffs.

(02-09-2024, 12:50 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: Oh, sure they will! It’s just that you and I see different strategies for how to deal with that. 

You seem to care about matching up with them, whereas I see an opportunity to punish them easily for even attempting to play some slow-footed, single-brain-cell dinosaur in a basketball game against my team of movers and shooters. 

Earlier this season, I claimed that I would not be scared one bit of playing the Minnesota Timberwolves in a seven game series. I am actually more frightened of that prospect now than I was before the trade deadline, because the economics of the mavericks roster indicate that they believe as you do, that you have to throw big players at KAT, Gobert and Reid. That seems silly to me, because we literally watched our own mavericks team create the blueprint for how to beat Gobert, and it involved Kleber hitting 8 threes from the corner in a single game and Gobert looking like he did not even belong in the NBA.

They WANT you to try to matchup with their size. That is their entire strategy. That is how they beat you. They have zigged, and the way to beat them is to zag. Plus, it’s just a cooler way of playing basketball that is 1000 times more fun to watch.

(02-09-2024, 12:50 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: Oh, sure they will! It’s just that you and I see different strategies for how to deal with that. 

You seem to care about matching up with them, whereas I see an opportunity to punish them easily for even attempting to play some slow-footed, single-brain-cell dinosaur in a basketball game against my team of movers and shooters. 

Earlier this season, I claimed that I would not be scared one bit of playing the Minnesota Timberwolves in a seven game series. I am actually more frightened of that prospect now than I was before the trade deadline, because the economics of the mavericks roster indicate that they believe as you do, that you have to throw big players at KAT, Gobert and Reid. That seems silly to me, because we literally watched our own mavericks team create the blueprint for how to beat Gobert, and it involved Kleber hitting 8 threes from the corner in a single game and Gobert looking like he did not even belong in the NBA.

They WANT you to try to matchup with their size. That is their entire strategy. That is how they beat you. They have zigged, and the way to beat them is to zag. Plus, it’s just a cooler way of playing basketball that is 1000 times more fun to watch.

(02-09-2024, 01:44 PM)SleepingHero Wrote: You're absolutely correct here.

But what I might be confused about is that the Mavs can still play that way...? They have Maxi to play 5 out if they need to. PJ has shot close to 41% on catch and shoot threes for his career AND can play small ball 5 if needed. Mavs now have the ability to play big AND small. 

All I've seen with these deals is that the Mavs got even more flexible with the ability to play 48 minutes of pure Lively ball and if needed go 5 out super small with Maxi and a MUCH more effective (on paper) Grant Williams.

I'm like surfpuckmd in that I wasn't elated with the PJ deal. I was kind of out on him before the TDL and didn't want to give up the 2027. But I still understood why the Mavs wanted him and the upside was there. The jury is out if he will fit. But if he does, we saw how good this team looked with a 15ppg stretch 4 in the first 10 games when Grant Williams was effective.

So I'm optimistic.

(02-09-2024, 12:35 PM)Nowitzki Way Wrote: I dont buy this point. We're sitting at the 8 seed right now. 6 of the teams ahead of us have a Center that will play big minutes in the playoffs.  Gafford/Lively might be better than all of them outside of Jokic or Sabonis. 

1. TWolves - Gobert, Kat, Reid  - we finally have some size to go against these guys
2. Nuggets - Jokic - no match for him
3. OKC -  They dont have a Center unless you count Chet
4. Clippers - Zubac - he kills us on the boards but we usually play him off the court by making him guard Luka
5. Suns - Nurkic
6. Pelicans - Jonas V. - You can count fat Zion as center too. 
7. Kings - Sabonis


Bottom line, you'll run up against some tough centers in the west for these playoffs. Our duo will play and be impactful.

(02-09-2024, 04:57 PM)HoosierDaddyKidd Wrote: https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/274645/Mavericks-Were-Determined-To-Trade-Grant-Williams-Rubbed-A-Lot-Of-People-The-Wrong-Way


The Mavs couldn't wait to dump Grant Williams.

(02-09-2024, 05:15 PM)dirkfansince1998 Wrote: Honestly makes me even less confident about the new additions. Seems like they didn't do their due diligence when they signed him last summer. If the off court stuff is as big of an issue as it seems it probably was the same story in Boston.
There are at least some rumors that PJ isn't a pro's pro. Hopefully the Mavs aren't in for another rude awakening.