(06-26-2025, 08:48 AM)michaeltex Wrote: I disagree with most of your response because it ignores the context around the situations. 

Brunson was drafted by Donnie, in the same draft as Luka, who gave him the contract that included no bird rights at the end (why??). Even mid-season 21/22 there was disagreement on trading or extending him. By the time NYKs had hired his dad and meddled pre-FA (for which they lost a SRP this year), it became obvious he'd never get out of Luka's shadow in DAL, there wasn't much left to save.

Nobody was complaining about draft picks, a lot of which were swaps, once it became apparent that PJW and Gaff were the answer to a lot of team issues. I think he could have gotten more for Luka, but you can argue that AD himself represents 2-3 FRPs in value. 

I do think that trading Grimes + PHL's high SRP was a bone headed, knee jerk decision, then failing to take the out when Martin's true injury status was revealed made it even more head scratching.

Dammit. I said I didn't want to be a Nico defender. I am still sore about the Luka thing and I will always hold the clandestine nature of the deal against him. It would have been so much better to find a way to help motivate him to get better, but I get not wanting to commit to another $350MM while waiting on him to come around.

Flame me or not. I'm not saying anything more on Nico.

(06-26-2025, 08:48 AM)michaeltex Wrote: I disagree with most of your response because it ignores the context around the situations. 

Brunson was drafted by Donnie, in the same draft as Luka, who gave him the contract that included no bird rights at the end (why??). Even mid-season 21/22 there was disagreement on trading or extending him. By the time NYKs had hired his dad and meddled pre-FA (for which they lost a SRP this year), it became obvious he'd never get out of Luka's shadow in DAL, there wasn't much left to save.

Nobody was complaining about draft picks, a lot of which were swaps, once it became apparent that PJW and Gaff were the answer to a lot of team issues. I think he could have gotten more for Luka, but you can argue that AD himself represents 2-3 FRPs in value. 

I do think that trading Grimes + PHL's high SRP was a bone headed, knee jerk decision, then failing to take the out when Martin's true injury status was revealed made it even more head scratching.

Dammit. I said I didn't want to be a Nico defender. I am still sore about the Luka thing and I will always hold the clandestine nature of the deal against him. It would have been so much better to find a way to help motivate him to get better, but I get not wanting to commit to another $350MM while waiting on him to come around.

Flame me or not. I'm not saying anything more on Nico.

(06-26-2025, 10:52 AM)ThisIStheYear Wrote: Nico’s shenanigans with the training staff are pretty much unforgivable and he is partially responsible for the Brunson mess. He was the GM and had the power to offer the extension the offseason before he left. The fact he didn’t shows he wasn’t ready to make decisions on day 1 like a good GM would be.

(06-26-2025, 06:41 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: I saw some criticism of him trying to be funny when asked about Kidd.  I thought it was fine.  Nico is just a little awkward in this setting.  If you are already pre-disposed to disliking him, you are going to find fault in everything he says.

(06-26-2025, 04:13 PM)Jym Wrote: I'm tentatively back in
But one minor Caleb Martin type deal that makes no sense could send me spiraling

(06-26-2025, 04:18 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: Still not sure the Caleb Martin deal was totally dumb. I wish they still had that pick, but he would 100% be walking for nothing this summer. 100%. If they wanted to keep him, they would have. They traded for a player they could control past this summer at a number they thought they could either keep or get something for in a trade. 

And, EVERY team seems to get rid of Grimes pretty quickly. Just saying. I'm not saying I love the deal, but I AM saying Grimes was never, ever going to be given the ball here and asked to score like he did to close out the season for tanking, injury-riddled Philadelphia. Are they going to keep him? My guess is no. What they wanted was an expiring contract. The Mavs wanted a player to play a specific role who they could keep at a tradable number.

(06-26-2025, 04:18 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: Still not sure the Caleb Martin deal was totally dumb. I wish they still had that pick, but Grimes would 100% be walking for nothing this summer. 100%. If they wanted to keep him, they would have. They traded for a player they could control past this summer at a number they thought they could either keep or get something for in a trade. 

And, EVERY team seems to get rid of Grimes pretty quickly. Just saying. I'm not saying I love the deal, but I AM saying Grimes was never, ever going to be given the ball here and asked to score like he did to close out the season for tanking, injury-riddled Philadelphia. Are they going to keep him? My guess is no. What they wanted was an expiring contract. The Mavs wanted a player to play a specific role who they could keep at a tradable number.

(06-26-2025, 04:24 PM)Jym Wrote: Losing Grimes would have been fine with me 
It was all about that pick. that range in the 2nd round is just about as valuable as a late first especially with the extra contract options you end up getting

(06-26-2025, 04:32 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: Yes, the pick seemed like a lot to sweeten a deal that was already (presumably) sweet enough, due to the financial motivations from either side (if my read on those motivations is correct). I'll give you that. 

But now, we've FGump wondering why Dallas would bother trading into the 2nd when they'd have to do backflips to make the roster fit that player, and pointing to how unlikely it is that any target there could be favorable to the slew of guys they already have here (some of whom they'll likely have to move on from even without needed to find space for a draft target). I'm not arguing that each negotiation should be taken lightly, or that any asset should be undervalued, but I don't think that pick is the make or break asset it could've been if the roster wasn't in this situation, and there certainly won't be a better player there than Caleb Martin (at least I don't think there will be).

I suppose some people might have preferred to let Grimes walk for nothing and draft someone at 2-1, so your read on the last sentence of paragraph two comes into play. I can't argue with someone who feels that way. But, it's at least a judgement call at that point, imho. Grimes was gone, one way or the other, the second he turned that deal they offered down, and now that there's essentially a hard cap in play for the league (albeit a convoluted one), it's easy to understand why, I think. I predict that Grimes will end up making less money over the course of that deal he turned down than he would've if he'd taken it. I think he's in denial of what role is available to him at the NBA level, kind of.

(06-26-2025, 04:39 PM)Jym Wrote: We'll see what we end up doing with Martin
I won't be shocked if he becomes completely buried & forgotten and we end up having to use something of value to dump him in a year or 2 
Hopefully not

(06-26-2025, 04:29 PM)cow Wrote: I'm sure for both of us.

(05-22-2025, 12:24 PM)Ghost of Podkolzin Wrote: Agreed.  Gafford has not been, nor will he be, a "luxury".  Lively is averaging 45.5 games played.

Because AD dislikes playing the 5 anyway, Flagg/PJ/Lively/Gafford make AD the ultimate luxury.

I really think AD should be dealt for Colby/Dejounte/etc

(06-26-2025, 04:02 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: Totally agree with this point. I don't want to sound like a homer, but I have recently adopted sort of a "clean slate" approach to my expectations of Harrison and my Mavs fandom has become much more enjoyable. While I reserve the right to fly off the handle if/when he does something I think is ridiculous, I'm no longer expecting it, and it's fun to follow the team again. Much more hopeful. We have no control over that part, after all. 

Ironically, I've noticed that the vast majority of the people who can't stand Harrison actually AGREE with his basketball philosophies more than I do. My issues with him are more about how little he values offensive creation and how much he values size - I think both are important, but his ratios seem bananas to me. I've noticed that many of those who are super down on him are the same who are hoping the Mavs employ 9-10 centers on their 15-man roster, which seems to be how he sees the game, too. No real takeaway to suggest there, I just thought it was kind of funny.

(06-26-2025, 04:50 PM)Knutsen Wrote: But Cooper Flagg is also the eraser for that - if Grimes would have gone crazy for a couple of games after Kyrie went down and delivered three or four more wins to us over his replacement Martin, who didn’t play at all and didn’t deliver anything, than we wouldn’t have won the lottery because of other odds. 

I‘m know that thinking is screwed - but it helps my inner peace immensely, and that’s what counts.