(07-29-2025, 01:26 PM)F Gump Wrote: There's a lot of buzz about Luka now getting into top physical condition. If his improved conditioning holds, it will be quite a show in LA, and we will wish he had been willing to make that sort of commitment as a Mav.

But I am wondering -- is any of this lighting some kind of fire under AD, and perhaps Kyrie too, to prove that the MAVS (not LA) got the better end of this deal? The best NBA players are the best because they work hard at their game and are ULTRA-competitive, and I have a feeling the Mavs stars might take all these "Luka is committed and working hard to prove the Mavs messed up" summer stories personally and use them as fuel to be way better.

(07-29-2025, 03:20 PM)mvossman Wrote: I can't imagine that fire being lit any more than it was right after the trade.  Unfortunately it may have contributed to him coming back too soon and pushing too hard.  The knock on him has always been more about staying on the court than motivation.  

As was mentioned earlier, I imagine having an 18 year old rookie be viewed as the savior of the franchise might have at least as much motivation.  I hope our vets handle that situation with more class than what we witnessed with Luka's rookie year.

(07-30-2025, 03:32 AM)SkenfromLMF Wrote: So I HOPE the fact that our vets are much better positioned to be contributors on a championship level team, compared to the group that surrounded Luka his rookie year. I do not hear much about a savior syndrome with Flagg as much as it is having a high level piece contributing to a team. My hope is that Flagg AD and Christie combine to be better than Luka and whoever the 16th or so pick would have been. IF they can show something in that regard then the trade can be viewed as successful - as a Mavs fan just having a competitive trade is much better than trading Kidd, or getting Eric Montross, or Lamar Odom or Rajon Rondo... anything is better than trading Dale Ellis for a Referee.

(07-30-2025, 09:29 AM)mvossman Wrote: I think without the blind luck of landing Flagg in the lottery the massive fan apathy regarding this team would have continued for the foreseeable future.  Flagg was a savior from the standpoint of fan interest.

I strongly disagree with the idea that Flagg is somehow part of the Luka trade.  The odds of them landing Flagg at the point of that trade was maybe 200 to 1.  It took catastrophic injuries and another terrible trade (Grimes) for the team to even be in the lottery and then of course the less than 2% chance to land him.  Nobody says we traded Brunson for Lively.  Thats not how it works.

(07-30-2025, 11:24 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: Sure, but it's not about credit. It's irrelevant to me how this all happened. I agree that dumb luck was a huge factor, but I'm with Sken. I'm hopeful that the new situation is better than the old (it might not be).

(07-30-2025, 12:05 PM)mvossman Wrote: Its another question regarding whether we are better off.  but terms like "competitive trade" and comparisons to actual trades were being made.  Hell it's possible our crappy medical staff rushes Luka back the same way they did with AD and he ends up reinjured and we end up landing Flagg anyways.  Would we be better off with Luka + Flagg or AD + Max + pick + Flagg?  Its not even close.

(07-30-2025, 12:22 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: I just don't care anymore. I'm kind of glad Luka is gone. Barking at the refs, not running back on defense, hogging the ball, constantly entitled. It had worn more thin on me than I even realized prior to the trade. 

I'm also sick of litigating the trade, or the general performance of the front office. I do not care right now. I just want THIS team to be good, and I'm enjoying the hope of that. 

I look forward to the day when everything we talk about doesn't have to pass through a filter of "yeah, but I'm not sure the front office has been punished enough" or "yeah, but it's really important that we point out that all of these good things are happening despite the horrible GM. We can't allow anyone to think he has ever done anything right, because dammit, I'm still mad." I realize that's an exaggeration of the mindset you're applying, but it's intentional hyperbole for effect. There actually is an edge like that on every single comment written here these days, just not as overt as that characterization, and it's draining the life out of me. At this point, I'm almost rooting for Luka to fail, just so I can stop hearing about it. He's a Laker now, so I DON'T CARE. F the Lakers.

(07-30-2025, 11:24 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: Sure, but it's not about credit. It's irrelevant to me how this all happened. I agree that dumb luck was a huge factor, but I'm with Sken. I'm hopeful that the new situation is better than the old (it might not be).

(07-30-2025, 12:22 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: I just don't care anymore. I'm kind of glad Luka is gone. Barking at the refs, not running back on defense, hogging the ball, constantly entitled. It had worn more thin on me than I even realized prior to the trade. 

I'm also sick of litigating the trade, or the general performance of the front office. I do not care right now. I just want THIS team to be good, and I'm enjoying the hope of that. 

I look forward to the day when everything we talk about doesn't have to pass through a filter of "yeah, but I'm not sure the front office has been punished enough" or "yeah, but it's really important that we point out that all of these good things are happening despite the horrible GM. We can't allow anyone to think he has ever done anything right, because dammit, I'm still mad." I realize that's an exaggeration of the mindset you're applying, but it's intentional hyperbole for effect. There actually is an edge like that on every single comment written here these days, just not as overt as that characterization, and it's draining the life out of me. At this point, I'm almost rooting for Luka to fail, just so I can stop hearing about it. He's a Laker now, so I DON'T CARE. F the Lakers.

(07-30-2025, 12:22 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: I'm also sick of litigating the trade, or the general performance of the front office. I do not care right now. I just want THIS team to be good, and I'm enjoying the hope of that. 

I look forward to the day when everything we talk about doesn't have to pass through a filter of "yeah, but I'm not sure the front office has been punished enough" or "yeah, but it's really important that we point out that all of these good things are happening despite the horrible GM. We can't allow anyone to think he has ever done anything right, because dammit, I'm still mad." I realize that's an exaggeration of the mindset you're applying, but it's intentional hyperbole for effect. There actually is an edge like that on every single comment written here these days, just not as overt as that characterization, and it's draining the life out of me. At this point, I'm almost rooting for Luka to fail, just so I can stop hearing about it. He's a Laker now, so I DON'T CARE. F the Lakers.

(07-30-2025, 05:42 PM)DallasMaverick Wrote: Things are kinda slow.

So, here’s info on Justin Anderson:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Anderson_(basketball)

(07-30-2025, 10:16 PM)ThisIStheYear Wrote: Sorry for those who want to turn the page. The trade is the defining moment in franchise history, even more than the title. It started with Nico firing a competent training/health/fitness staff, hiring an incompetent one, and trying to isolate Luka from his team. It ended with a bad trade and slander.  Since then, we’ve seen the worst fan backlash I can remember, a rash of injuries handled incompetently by a staff that can’t keep its players on the floor, and Luka’s fitness team actually embraced by the Lakers.  Now, we just need to see how it plays out.  It’s not looking good for the Mavericks.

(07-30-2025, 10:16 PM)ThisIStheYear Wrote: Sorry for those who want to turn the page. The trade is the defining moment in franchise history, even more than the title. It started with Nico firing a competent training/health/fitness staff, hiring an incompetent one, and trying to isolate Luka from his team. It ended with a bad trade and slander. 

(07-30-2025, 10:28 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: Nah. At some point, someone called the Mark Aguire trade "the defining moment in franchise history." 

There is no such thing. People die. New people are born. The world keeps spinning.

(07-31-2025, 08:46 AM)ThisIStheYear Wrote: Lol. You didn’t just compare the overrated Aguirre with an actual great player?  Pretty funny. Did Luka, by the age of 25, have more 1st team all NBA finishes than the rest of the entire history of the franchise?  People will begin to move on when one of two things happen, the Mavs win big or Nico is fired.  Until then, it’s going to be the Steve Nash conversation only magnified exponentially because Luka is way better than Nash (and far more interesting) and a DLo/Klay Thompson backcourt is going to get obliterated. It may be the worst starting backcourt in the NBA. This doesn’t even account for AD and Kyrie’s ongoing injury issues with Kai shelved and AD coming off a surgery for a detached retina, a career threatening injury itself. We’re entering a pretty bad period for the franchise on the court and PR wise.

(07-31-2025, 08:46 AM)ThisIStheYear Wrote: Lol. You didn’t just compare the overrated Aguirre with an actual great player?