Mavs rotation

[KillerLeft]

If DFS and Bullock trend up with their shooting and offensive performance I could absolutely see them squeezing THJ out of the starting spot. I’m sure Kidd doesn’t care about salaries, and THJ has accepted the bench role for a good while last year.

This is possible, of course, and it's true that THJ has gone to the bench before like a professional, but...I think he made it as clear as he thought he could get away with without losing that "professional" cred that he much prefers to start. Terry never said that. Van Exel never said that. Stackhouse never said that. While THJ clearly always played hard and didn't cause problems (I really think he was the happiest to be out of NY and here in Dallas when that trade went down) he has made a few public statements about how he sees himself as a starter. 

Meanwhile, he was just a free agent and appears to have chosen to return at a slight discount, with more than one other team looking to sign him. I think it's almost a certainty that his future role here was discussed as part of these negotiations. Though you're right - things can change. 

But, the thing that I don't know gets enough grey matter devotion around here is that building a roster is a collaborative process. The coach probably has the most say in who plays when, but he's hired to play the team assembled, and the team is assembled with a strategy in mind. Do we think Kidd has the power to cut Luka's minutes by 10 per game if he thinks it's best? Does he have the power to bench KP consistently for the last 5 minutes of games? Could he roll into the front office the week before the season and say "you know, I've been thinking, and I really believe starting Boban every night is the way to go"? I think that stuff is all case by case and nuanced, but I'd say THJ is about 3rd on the pecking order around here and his salary reflects that. It seems pretty clear that the organization thought he was the most important thing they had to get done, whether we agree or not. He's the highest paid player they hired in free agency, the first they announced, etc. I really think he's a starter. 

Speaking of Terry, Stackhouse, Van Exel, etc...we've become used to having that kind of guy around here in that 6th man role over the years (although in JET's case he was really a starter who just happened to come off the bench), and I get the desire to view THJ in that same light, but both times they've tried that, the team (and the player) were worse for it. That's not to say that they'll never try it again, but I don't view any of the players currently on the roster as threats to his job or reason to give it a try. The closest thing to that, imo, is probably Brunson because of his handling. If I'm THJ I'm more worried about him than Bullock. 

DFS might need to be a little worried about Bullock, imo, but I sure hope not because he's an American treasure and has never done anything wrong in his life.