MAVS NEWS:

[Dahlsim]

Yeah, these games are tough to watch. 
I was watching PJ on defense in the first half.  He gets lost way too often.   Max is making a run of really ending the season with more question marks.   I think he is taking some bad shots.  

An NBA team without it stars is a team full of role players.  This can be really misleading as to the value and quality of the players if projecting what they would be playing like with legit NBA stars on the floor and in the game plan.  These same players looked so much better for the few games where you could see them all with Anthony Davis healthy and playing.  Course Davis had to go at this point and was the right move given his continued injury profile, but the point is, he still plays like a legitimate star when he's healthy. 

PJ and Max and are likely just falling short of being able to carry a team in the top 3 build the team around role.  
Take most of the top NBA role player supporting cast guys and try to make them the stars of the team, you'll likely get a similar result.   Coop is the only clear star quality player at this point and he's a bit too early to carry the team at just-turned 19 years old.   After that you've got guys like Middleton and Klay that have passed that all star level and will never get back there on any consistent basis. 

In terms of the future, Kyrie's age + injury makes it tough to project consistent star return at 33/34.  Derek Lively appears to be a legit injury concern big man so hard to project star there.  Both guys would change the floor significantly but not sure who the 2nd star really is for Coop short or long term.   Which brings us back to the TANK .... 

The good news is that the Pels are just a game back of us now and should catch us in the next two weeks.

The bad news other good news is that this is turning into a team that doesn't have to go through the "effort" of tanking - they're just plain awful. The really sad thing, as alluded to by Chicagojk, is that Max has shown out as garbage. ... 

Fixed it.  Both are good news.  The tankathon is all that matters at this point in the season.  18 straight losses would not be too many.  Pels being in range is something to root for 

These performances and losses mean nothing. The only concern is the draft, free agency, health and then you need to hope they can turn the switch back on.

Agreed fully.  Realistically, Pels they have a shot at passing up in tank, Utah is a reach and the Nets are a super long shot but would be amazing if they could catch.  Nets aren't going to win enough though in reality  so the dream lives NO and maybe the Jazz.  
https://tankathon.com

[F Gump]

At this point, the Mavs have a shot at going 0-18 the rest of the way, but they do have some 50-50 games -- games against teams with nothing to play for (MEM, NO, CHI) -- but none of those are teams with a worse record, and both MEM and NO are away games for DAL. CHI is a few games away from DAL in the standings, but it's the last game of the season when weird things happen.

Mavs have no realistic shot at anyone in the top 4 seed (IND, SAC, WAS, BKN) - the gap is way too big. But with an 0-18 finish, they would be guaranteed no worse of a seed than 6. An 0-18 also gives them a chance to even catch UT, as the Jazz still have games left vs SAC, WAS, NO, and MEM that they might end up being forced to take several W's.

[FireNicoHarrison]

0-18 is unreal... Probably 4/5 Ws will happen.

#6 seed is our spot, then we need another lucky ball.

[Chicagojk]

I was reading comments on the link that takes you to that other page here and someone said DLLS said it is not a given Lively will be ready for training camp next year?  What is going on and what Nico and team did with him may be one of his lasting legacies.  Stress fracture last year where he almost played with.  Missed the rest of the season.  Started the season and something seemed off.   Played a few games and then due to discomfort and bone spurs, went under surgery.    He is still in a cast on the sidelines and it appears he may miss a full year of running/jumping.   Not great.

[RasheedsBigWhiteSpot]

Cuban’s Plan Powder was visionary, he was just ahead of his time. Back then, it was a terrible idea with Dirk still close to his prime. Right now, it’s the right move. Take it slow. Don’t eat up future cap space unless it’s for a possible 2nd star.

At this point, the Mavs have a shot at going 0-18 the rest of the way, but they do have some 50-50 games -- games against teams with nothing to play for (MEM, NO, CHI) -- but none of those are teams with a worse record, and both MEM and NO are away games for DAL. CHI is a few games away from DAL in the standings, but it's the last game of the season when weird things happen.

Mavs have no realistic shot at anyone in the top 4 seed (IND, SAC, WAS, BKN) - the gap is way too big. But with an 0-18 finish, they would be guaranteed no worse of a seed than 6. An 0-18 also gives them a chance to even catch UT, as the Jazz still have games left vs SAC, WAS, NO, and MEM that they might end up being forced to take several W's.

Mavs within ONE GAME of 5th. So you're sayin' there's a chance?!???

[vfromlmf]

A reminder regarding teams with identical records:

Instead of using standard tiebreakers like head-to-head records (which are only used for playoff seeding), the NBA merges the lottery combinations of the tied teams and splits them as evenly as possible

A random drawing is held shortly after the regular season ends to establish a definitive "pre-lottery" order. The lottery only determines the top four picks. If neither of the tied teams moves into the top four, they are slotted in the order determined by the random drawing. The order established by the drawing is reversed for the second round of the draft.

[Chicagojk]

Cooper has had some highlight plays (mostly on defense) the last three games since returning from injury, but for the most part he has had three bad games.  The offense is just not working with him playing without another creator.   Max and PJ struggling is not helping.  The offense is pretty much Cooper holding the ball, looking for a pick and trying to ram himself at the rim.   It is pretty ugly actually.  It is good reps, I guess.  Although, I really hope the vision of a Cooper led offense is much different.   I do think he develops into a top creator for the team (paired with other creators), but I am just not a fan of one guy dribbling and driving as an offense.   

It will be real interesting what teams and what type of salary Middleton attracts this offseason.  I have liked what he has brought to the floor.  Having another professional out there is really apparent.  

I am not rooting for wins, although at times, usually early in a game, I get the feeling the is too good or too veteran to be as bad as the other dregs of the league.   Then typically, they get a cold spell, typically near the end of the first quarter and they are down by 7.    Then they get another cold spell and are down by 12 at half.    Sometimes they come back, other times they don't.    I guess that is the story of a bad team.    You have your moments but those quickly disappear.

[vfromlmf]

I don't want to say point-Flagg is concerning but I will say it's been pretty disappointing over the last three games. It's also very clear Max can't get his own shot or create for others. He's a rotation player, and a fine shooter. He can attack closeouts. PJW looks like he's just going through the motions. Just terrible to watch.

But ... BWill has lowkey looked like a 6th Man candidate over the last 2+ months. At least there's that.

[F Gump]

But ... BWill has lowkey looked like a 6th Man candidate over the last 2+ months. At least there's that.

BWill has a big hole in his game, and since he's already 26, it's probably a long shot that it can be fixed. He's a 6-1 guard who isn't much of a threat from the arc. Bad efficiency (24%) and low quantity (although you can see how the first would lead to the second). 

Overall, his broad numbers are good. He makes an impact. Good PER, TS%, etc. Provides a spark, attacks. But that 3 pt thing is a real ceiling on what he can give on offense, and the lack of size is an issue on defense. He can't fix the size, and it's a real question of whether he can fix the 3s too.