(12-15-2020, 10:28 AM)omahen Wrote: It will be really interesting to see who will get out of the starting unit once KP returns. It might be totally possible, this will be Powell as Mavs want to keep three switchable wings next to KP and Luka. We have seen against Milwaukee that rebounding wasn't a problem at all as Mavs actually won the rebounding battle  Imagine KP instead of Powell on offense - Lopez would be basically useless as one of the Mavs would be totally open on perimeter all the time. 

Mavs are incredibly deep on the bench. This is great as it will not be difficult to say goodbye to a couple of guys for improvements in the starting unit.

As for Powell - it is important he is playing. His contract is becoming less negative with every game. While his individual numbers aren't impressive it is clear he has a positive impact on the team. Despite missing KP, Mavs had no problems against the "mighty" Milwaukee. 

As for rotation, I think the starting pecking order is quite clear after first two preseason games and I don't expect much changes before KP returns. It is fair that a little bigger sample is collected before making big conclusions. First major change will be made once KP returns (one guy will fall out of starting five to second unit and one guy to third unit). Of course there will be rests, injuries, perhaps COVID, where other guys will get their chance. 

1. Luka
2. JRich
3. THJ
4. DFS
5. Powell
6. Kleber
7. Brunson
8. Burke
9. Johnson
10. Green
11. WCS (currently looking better than Johnson but on extremely small sample - might be used against big centers of Phoenix, LAC and LAL).

(12-15-2020, 10:37 AM)khaled1987 Wrote: I think Johnson is the strongest candidate for least minutes.
he will be that guy we will use sporadically but effectively 

(12-15-2020, 10:48 AM)fifteenth Wrote: df98, I love your posting. You're a good read and you know your stuff. But do you really believe that Rick starts Powell with no justification? I mean, surely it's just that you and Rick disagree, right? Or maybe I'm misreading what you're saying.

(12-15-2020, 11:15 AM)dirkfansince1998 Wrote: I think based on what we have seen from Powell he isn´t close to the player that he was prior to his injury. With a reduced vertical and Dirk-like lateral quickness he has been a liability. Not to mention that both Kleber and WCS looked great against the Bucks.
That said. The sample size is super small and RC is obviously watching them every single day. I think right now they are giving Powell the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he just needs more time and even more important reps. I also think that the Mavs don´t want to tank his trade value even more.
RC also mentioned that he really wanted Maxi to come of the bench last season and I don´t think that changed. Meaning that WCS is the more likely replacement for Powell in the starting five. I don´t think WCS has earned the coaches trust yet. He is not as familar with the Mavs scheme and tends to make questionable decisions.

(12-15-2020, 11:29 AM)HanspardsShowerVoice Wrote: Jumping up and dunking the lob is the easy part.  Very few of these plays happen because DP skies over 3 defenders outstretched arms to catch the lob.  A lot of the time he's wide open by the basket without anyone guarding him because he just perfectly read the defense and timed his roll.  They are theoretically one of those plays that "anybody" could make but they consistently don't, which is why Powell is 99th percentile.

(12-15-2020, 11:55 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: Absofreakinglutely. 

While it's true that Powell's injury might've sapped him of enough to make him much less effective (time will tell), it's a completely false narrative that all he could do before the injury was "run and jump." Yes, he could do those things, but it's that Stanford brain that made the Luka/Powell combo so great, not the running and jumping. Knowing when to screen, when to slip, when to expect the ball on a short roll, when to go super hard, which angle to take, the timing, etc, etc, etc.

(12-15-2020, 12:03 PM)fifteenth Wrote: I agree, except...I think the running and jumping helps too

(12-15-2020, 11:55 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: Absofreakinglutely. 

While it's true that Powell's injury might've sapped him of enough to make him much less effective (time will tell), it's a completely false narrative that all he could do before the injury was "run and jump." Yes, he could do those things, but it's that Stanford brain that made the Luka/Powell combo so great, not the running and jumping. Knowing when to screen, when to slip, when to expect the ball on a short roll, when to go super hard, which angle to take, the timing, etc, etc, etc.

(12-15-2020, 11:29 AM)HanspardsShowerVoice Wrote: Very few of these plays happen because DP skies over 3 defenders outstretched arms to catch the lob.

(12-15-2020, 09:17 AM)KillerLeft Wrote: I think that Green and one other guy who expects to play aren't going to play very consistently, especially when KP comes back. Green is a rookie, so it won't bother him or anyone else so much, but who's that other guy gonna be? Johnson? WCS? It's not going to be Powell, that's for sure.

(12-15-2020, 12:13 PM)StepBackJay Wrote: Seeing Wall and KD 2 years (ish) removed from achilles gives me a lot of hope for Powell.

(12-15-2020, 12:30 PM)DanSchwartzman Wrote: I think Green will at least get some second quarter burn.  Carlisle does this sometimes with young players and then tightens the rotation in the second half.  If you see Green consistently playing in the second half of games once KP is back, it will tell you a lot about what the team thinks.

We should all be routing for WCS to take the Johnson minutes relegating Johnson to Boban status.  We have a TO that is cheap on WCS next season and full Bird rights the season after that.  If last night is anything close to real and can be done with consistency we filled a very important hole.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________
dirkfansince1998

I think based on what we have seen from Powell he isn´t close to the player that he was prior to his injury. With a reduced vertical and Dirk-like lateral quickness he has been a liability.  

That said. The sample size is super small and RC is obviously watching them every single day. I think right now they are giving Powell the benefit of the doubt. 
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Powell is miles ahead of where the board presumed him to be as recently as two weeks ago.  Do we really have to move the goal line after two pre-season games.  BTW, part of what makes Maxi look good is he spends a fraction of the time guarding Gianis that Powell does.  If this was anyone else but the hated Powell, we'd be rejoicing at the amazing progress.  Maybe we wait a month or two and see what we actually have before making snap judgments.

Hanspard is right.  Powell does some things extremely well, but they aren't the things the board necessarily values.  Carlisle does value them and has for years.  At some point we have to consider that maybe it is the board that is off-base on this.

(12-15-2020, 12:58 PM)HanspardsShowerVoice Wrote: It's definitely a severe injury, but they've improved the surgical techniques and rehab quite a bit on Achilles that makes it not as severe as it used to be.   They used to fillet your calf like a fish to sew the tendon back together.   This caused a lot of scar tissue and you lost of flexibility and explosion in your lower leg just from that alone.    Now in a lot of cases they can use small minimally invasive incisions.   That's how guys can come back in ~8 months now.    But honestly, we haven't had very many elite caliber players suffer Achilles in their primes (and I'm not including Powell in that category).   The biggest success story is Dominique who had his when he was 21 and bounced back.   Isiah, Ewing and Kobe  were pretty much already washed up when they had theirs.   Boogie was 27, but he just has had one catastrophic injury after another and it's hard to just isolate what impact the Achilles itself had.  I mean, it seems like Wes is the poster child of what a catastrophic  injury this is, but imho Wes was always just a high level role player and has stayed a role player for contending teams for another 5 years to this day.  Same for Rudy Gay, honestly.

(12-15-2020, 12:30 PM)DanSchwartzman Wrote: We should all be routing for WCS to take the Johnson minutes relegating Johnson to Boban status.

(12-15-2020, 12:07 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: My experience with fans who are very anti-Powell is that they don't fully understand how great he is at the niche he has carved out for himself. Probably because he makes it look so easy.