AROUND the NBA:

[KillerLeft]

Zach Lowe on Luka Doncic complaining to refs: “The whining is back to peak Dallas levels. It’s every f*cking play! Just play man! Not everything is a foul. Are you playing to draw a foul or playing basketball? Which one are you doing? Are you playing 1 on 1 with the refs? It’s every possession now.

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1r..._refs_the/

Chris Paul on why he would pick Shai over Luka oncic: "Your teammates just want to see that the stars actually try. Actually try on defense… I got a lot of respect for Steph, Shai, and all these guys who at least try on the defensive end"

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1r...over_luka/


I don't care if we ever go back to the Finals.  So glad he is gone.  I guess I'm not the only one that loses my shit watching him and his shenanigans.  Dude is worse than James Harden ever was.  Even the Lakers commentators are laughing at him.

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1r...n_defense/

I had a similar (less harsh) version of this post typed out this morning, but deleted instead of posting in the name of "moving on." But, I agree. I obviously don't love the trade, and the past year hasn't been great for Mavs fans, that's for sure. Still, a large part of me is relieved that Luka is elsewhere, and that's just the truth. It's odd hearing the same old Mavs-Luka talking points coming around again, this time blown up to a national stage level. The Lakers fans aren't as forgiving as we were here in Dallas. 

I know Harrison deserves zero credit for getting Flagg (dumb luck) and I know the asset cupboard is more bare than we'd like with a rebuild coming, but...I think I'm going to like the Flagg era more than the Luka era. I might feel differently later if success doesn't come, granted, but for now I'm optimistic about rooting for a team built around a guy I actually like.

[F Gump]

1 Before the team gets into all of these weeds, they need to decide what their priorities are.  What is the purpose of 26/27?  When do they want to start being good again?  What elements do they need to be a championship contender at that time.  What are the paths available to us to get there?

I would submit that Flagg and our 2026 pick (no matter who he is) won't be ready to compete for a top 4 slot in the west the next two seasons.  

I would submit that since 2 tanking does us no good the next few seasons that developmental competitiveness should be the goal.  A team full of babies creates bad habits.  3 Keeping high character vets around (like a Middleton for instance) makes the team more competitive and provides role models for the youngsters who matter.  It isn't about whether Klay, Middleton and Kyrie will be part of the "Flagg championship era".  It is about whether they can help him be more successful once he gets there.

We will have a better idea what elements we need (besides Flagg) once we know who our lottery pick is.  A healthy Lively is a very high level starter on a championship team.  4 Every effort has to be made to bring him along so that he can do that...not in 26/27 or 27/28, but for the stretch that is to come when Flagg and 2026 are in their mid-20's.  Without Lively, Dallas has another slot to fill with few paths to fill them. 

Thank you for your analysis.

I certainly agree with 1 (they need to have priorities in place, rather than a random series of moves) and 2 (there's no value in losing, because tanking isn't an option without having the picks) and 3 (the value of some vets who can set the tone). 

But I don't think you solely aim for 2029 or so with your player moves (which is what I think you are proposing). I agree that the goal is to find maybe 2-3 younger core players somewhere, between now and then, to go with Flagg. And you might also need to be chasing 4-5, because some won't work out. 

But I think between here and there they are better off if they win. Every one of the players they might develop between now and then needs the context of good players around them, to learn how to really play the game. Along the way - not later - they need to keep learning how to win games. These games, not the ones in 2029. Learn how to play the right way, to contribute to wins. 

If/when they get a younger player who can be a 2029 guy, once you see him as that guy, you likely have to swap a veteran who is playing well, to open up minutes. But until then, they should have good players filling the roster, to allow the team to learn how to WIN. You need to work on that as soon as tanking is not an option, which means next season imo. 

I'm not saying they should load up on 35-year-olds. But just that players who are already good, but not 20-25, are needed too, for the most part. For example - if I have a choice, I think the Mavs would be much better off to have a 26-yr-old Gillespie than a 20-yr-old Nemby as their PG between here and there, and who knows perhaps for even longer. 

Of course, in that context, the GM is key. Player evaluation and a deft touch in figuring out how to do many things with one roster is vital. But I think that aiming to build a winning roster asap, but with some parts of it being younger, should be the process, rather than minimalizing and tossing away whatever might not be here in 2029.

[Winter]

I agree with almost all of this, but I think there is more upside to pick 30.  This is a very deep draft and if you look at the last three times the Mavs had a pick in this area, in 2022 they traded it away for Christian Wood but Peyton Watson was at 30 and Ryan Nembhard was at 31.  In 2020 they just missed Desmond Bane at 31 and in 2018 they drafted Brunson at 33.  I'm not counting on Mavs hitting on that pick, but it could definitely be better than a backup something.

I'm not sure about "way more upside to pick 30." That's a little too optimistic for most drafts I think. I can't say this one will be any different yet. Maybe it is though.

I went back to the 2000 draft, and I found 5-6 names that were recognizable. There were probably a few that were rotation players that I didn't recognize that might have had "successful" careers for awhile. I'm guessing that it's something like 1 in 4 will stick - mostly in the back end of the rotation.

Interestingly though there were a few good names besides Bane. Jimmy Butler, Kevon Looney, and Josh Hart were all drafted number 30. But even guys like Payton Watson are rare. The best epic fail was a guy named "Festus" who was drafted in 2012. 

I've said this before, they need some real creative thinking with trades, trade exceptions, or something to manufacture more picks. The FO just has to work the phones. This year especially.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

I'm starting to despise the NBA at times. Now we have a matchup tonight with OKC at Detroit. The top teams in each conference. It's been noted on the injury report, that OKC will hold out Holmgren, Hartenstein, Caruso, JWill, SGA, and Mitchell. Unless there may be a GTD. OKC is on a B2B after beating Toronto. Stewart is listed out for Detroit still serving his suspension. The fans are getting screwed as this is OKC's only trip to Detroit this year. I know injuries happen if they're legitimate I have no problem with that. But some fans probably spent good money on tickets before the season and will be deprived of watching OKC at full strength if they're using load management as an excuse.

[Mavs2021]

Zach Lowe on Luka Doncic complaining to refs: “The whining is back to peak Dallas levels. It’s every f*cking play! Just play man! Not everything is a foul. Are you playing to draw a foul or playing basketball? Which one are you doing? Are you playing 1 on 1 with the refs? It’s every possession now.

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1r..._refs_the/

Chris Paul on why he would pick Shai over Luka oncic: "Your teammates just want to see that the stars actually try. Actually try on defense… I got a lot of respect for Steph, Shai, and all these guys who at least try on the defensive end"

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1r...over_luka/


I don't care if we ever go back to the Finals.  So glad he is gone.  I guess I'm not the only one that loses my shit watching him and his shenanigans.  Dude is worse than James Harden ever was.  Even the Lakers commentators are laughing at him.

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1r...n_defense/

LMAO, there is so much underlying racism from bitter CP3 in this. Steph is trying on defense. LMAO. Luka is playing with 400 year old LeBron and Reaves in the back-court not Caruso, Wallace and Dort. The Thunder are a 50 win team without Shai. The Lakers are a 25 win team without Luka. If Luka could play defense at the same intensity as he does play offense to keep this bum Lakers team afloat, he´d be better than Michael Jordan. 

One gets overcalled and the other gets undercalled, so the guy that gets less justfied calls whines. Big shocker. Dirk suffered from this size prejudice for years. Oh you are so much bigger and more skilled, the only fair way to compensate the little defenders is to let them foul endlessly. Same is true for Jokic. The Thunder get away with murder and the media plays them up as the ethical superheroes. We all saw what Dort did to Luka in the play-offs. If it was called right down the middle, Dort would have fouled out in the 1st half of every game and Mavs cruise to the finals.

Zach Lowe is such a whiny little b*tch, but complains about Luka being a whiny little b*tch. Gotta drive the traffic now that he´s back on the Simmons Netflix cosmos.

But keep doing it Lakers fans/national media. Best case he´s back in Dallas in 2028 or in Europe and Mavs 2029 Lakers pick is top 3 odds. 

[HoosierDaddyKid]

I know it's dealing with yesterdays news and picking at an old scab, but I found this from Cowherd interesting...

Posted on Fadeaway World:

"We’re a year into the Luka trade, and it’s still not working out that well,” said Cowherd. “It can’t take this long. And it’s not on 41-year-old LeBron to make it work; it’s on Luka to make it work. Two things can be true: The Lakers stole him from the Mavs, and it was a great trade. Secondly, he is aging quickly. The numbers don’t lie. He gets four times more technicals than dunks. His athleticism is regressing.”

Luka arrived in Los Angeles as one of the top three best players in the game, but that status is in doubt now that Lakers fans have seen his flaws first-hand. Despite averaging 32.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game on 47.1% shooting from the field and 35.5% shooting from three this season, consistency and effort on the defensive end have been a rarity for the Slovenian superstar.

“People used to say, ‘Oh, he’s Larry Bird,’ but Bird made All-Defense three times, and Larry Bird made every teammate he ever played with better,” added Cowherd. “We’re a year into Luka and the Lakers, and it’s not really working yet. How long can it take? Everybody works well with LeBron. Austin Reaves is not a ball hog; he’s a hard worker, and he’s a shot creator. You can’t work with that?”

The comparisons to Larry Legend are laughable at best. Bird would tell you what move he was going to do, then do it.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://x.com/InStreetClothes/status/202...26769?s=20


James Harden will continue to play with a fractured right thumb.
Good thing he's a lefty, might not affect him as much.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Zach Lowe is such a whiny little b*tch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSla5e634os

[Scott41theMavs]

I was extremely stunned at first to see the Warriors blowing out the Grizzlies on the second night of a back to back, but then I saw the lineup the Grizz trotted out there.

Okay, I'm resigned to the Grizz leapfrogging us. Even with Coop sidelined (and of course without Kyrie and Lively), the Mavs still have about three times the talent level that the Kings, Pacers, Grizz, Jazz, Nets, and Grizz are throwing out there. The worst eight players we could put out there probably couldn't lose to those teams under any circumstances. But I'm still hopeful we can keep our 7th tanking seed by virtue of the Pels actually trying to win.

[DallasMaverick]

I agree with almost all of this, but I think there is more upside to pick 30.  This is a very deep draft and if you look at the last three times the Mavs had a pick in this area, in 2022 they traded it away for Christian Wood but Peyton Watson was at 30 and Ryan Nembhard was at 31.  In 2020 they just missed Desmond Bane at 31 and in 2018 they drafted Brunson at 33.  I'm not counting on Mavs hitting on that pick, but it could definitely be better than a backup something.

“Could”? Sure.

“Likely to”? No.

[mvossman]

“Could”? Sure.

“Likely to”? No.

Yes, that's why I said I wouldn't count on it, but the odds are enough not to completely dismiss.  The goal would be to find somebody who can end up in the top 8 rotation.  As 2021 has mentioned, this organization has done better with guys closer to the finished product (multiple years in college) than going after a project.  Given the looming expansion, they may not be able to afford to wait for development anyways.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

I'm starting to despise the NBA at times. Now we have a matchup tonight with OKC at Detroit. The top teams in each conference. It's been noted on the injury report, that OKC will hold out Holmgren, Hartenstein, Caruso, JWill, SGA, and Mitchell. Unless there may be a GTD. OKC is on a B2B after beating Toronto. Stewart is listed out for Detroit still serving his suspension. The fans are getting screwed as this is OKC's only trip to Detroit this year. I know injuries happen if they're legitimate I have no problem with that. But some fans probably spent good money on tickets before the season and will be deprived of watching OKC at full strength if they're using load management as an excuse.

The NBA is 70% soap opera for men, 20% Ring culture, and 10% about watching and enjoying the game of basketball.

If i were to tune in for 100 regular season NBA games, maybe 5 of them have any meaning. I feel like if I were to detach myself from NBA social media and just focus on if the games are entertaining, I would no longer follow the NBA.

[KillerLeft]

The NBA is 70% soap opera for men, 20% Ring culture, and 10% about watching and enjoying the game of basketball.

If i were to tune in for 100 regular season NBA games, maybe 5 of them have any meaning.  I feel like if I were to detach myself from NBA social media and just focus on if the games are entertaining, I would no longer follow the NBA.

Man, I never really thought of it in quite these terms, but this is undeniably true. When put like this it makes me feel silly for following the sport.

[DallasMaverick]

The NBA is 70% soap opera for men, 20% Ring culture, and 10% about watching and enjoying the game of basketball.

If i were to tune in for 100 regular season NBA games, maybe 5 of them have any meaning.  I feel like if I were to detach myself from NBA social media and just focus on if the games are entertaining, I would no longer follow the NBA.

So what, exactly, is wrong with soap operas?

I’ve never quite recovered from Luke and Laura!

[Scott41theMavs]

Pels beat the Jazz, as they should.

With everyone else tanking tooth and nail, there's no reason the Pels shouldn't end with a better record than us - unless we fool around too much with good lineups.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Boston shot a season-high 66.7% (52-of-78) from the field in their 148-111 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. Including the playoffs, it was the club's third-highest percentage in a game in the shot clock era (since 1954-55), behind 67.9% in 1984 and 67.0% in 1990, according to ESPN Research.

The Celtics also shot 64.7% from the 3-point line Friday, which equated to an 80.8% effective field goal percentage -- the highest in the shot clock era. Effective field goal percentage measures shooting efficiency by adjusting for the fact that 3-pointers are worth more than two-point shots

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Sam Presti pulled off another great trade by acquiring Jared McClain from the Sixers. I watched him last night, and McClain is a great shooter and just fits in with what they do. This guy must walk around with a rabbit's foot in his pocket.

[Chicagojk]

Who we rooting for tonight? New Orleans or Utah? I think New plans could continue winning every once in awhile. Utah probably won’t but another win puts us closer. I am going to say we should root for New Orleans. They may actually play hard down the stretch

[Scott41theMavs]

Who we rooting for tonight? New Orleans or Utah?  I think New plans could continue winning every once in awhile.  Utah probably won’t but another win puts us closer.  I am going to say we should root for New Orleans.  They may actually play hard down the stretch

Dude, they don't have their pick and have no reason to tank. Even if they're awful, they should win at a .200 rate against the top 20 teams in the league and at a 1.000 rate against the bottom feeders. Of the current bottom 8, they're nearly guaranteed to finish the season with the best record. Yes, we want them to win. Ainge won't let us catch Utah under any circumstances.

[Chicagojk]

Man the hornets are such a great story. I thought they finally had some hope this offseason but was not expecting this. What a run. No idea who their gm is but they have made some smart moves and appear to be at least setup as a good, fun team. Maybe more if they get a break or two. They can do a slow build or look to make a move this offseason.