TAKE DAT WIT YOU 12/14

[mavsluvr]

That is the skills that make the Denver offense flow with Jokic, linking the PGs with the other wings and guards. Jokic doesnt bring it up, he is guy 2. That was the same skillset Webber and Divac made the Kings offense flow, both being guy 2. 


But we are far from that right now, and if we are trying to playing style of basketball, not suiting the skills of players, is a dead end for a coach, and the team. Which we are actually doing at the moment.

Very interesting analysis in your post, burekemde. 

Offense and Jokic

The podcasters actually talked some about Jokic, mostly as his own type of unicorn. The cited him as having more passes than anyone else in the NBA, and it not being even close. In fact, he is such an outlier that there is substantial doubt that anyone else can really replicate what he does. But even if another guy could play that kind of role well (not necessarily approaching best-in-league), that might go some distance toward making Kidd's vision come true. 

Speaking of Jokic, there was a quote from Luka a year or two ago, before he got more cagey with the media, where he said he thought the Mavs should go after Jokic, and that he "knows" Jokic would come. I have never seen that followed up on, but thought it was interesting at the time. Food for thought, maybe. 

Offense/Defense and Kidd

I'm not really sure how to comment on Kidd's running offensive/defensive systems unsuited to the personnel. Here are a couple of extremes, and of course there are possibilities in the middle. 

Best case scenario -- Kidd has a well-organized and realistic vision of how he wants the team to play on both ends of the court when the team is finalized. He and Cubes realize that the roster he has is not suitable, but their plan is long-term rather than totally win-now, and they are going ahead and implementing the systems this season to get a live sense of where and how they need to shore up the deficiencies. The front office has the vision and capacity to acquire the necessary talent to run the systems, even if it takes a season or two. There is a method in the madness, and while we may not be able to see it yet, it's headed toward greatness. 

Worst case scenario -- Kidd doesn't really know how to implement systems designed to suit the players he has on any given roster. Coming fresh from LA, he is trying to create a Lakers-like look, without the players who can play that way. His main this-season goals are (1) to rehabilitate his reputation around the league, and present a player-friendly image, and (2) to figure out a system that KP is able to make a decent showing in and is willing to participate in. Nico knew a lot of guys as a shoe salesman, but has never put together a roster, doesn't know anything about guys in the league who are not elite talents, and is too beset with trying to patch over the organization's numerous holes to be able to devote his attention to perfecting his roster-construction skills. Cuban is making the decisions anyway, so maybe it doesn't matter so much about Kidd and Nico. 

Of course, I don't present either of these extremes as being the likely case, but I could see the basics of the second scenario being in play. Of course, I hope that there is in fact a plan that makes sense, and that I am wondering why I ever doubted it in a year or two.