(12-20-2021, 11:10 PM)F Gump Wrote: The obstacle that the Mavs are always facing, is that you can't "upgrade" just because you feel like it. What competing team wants your junk for their talent? The trade partner will want to "win" the trade too. The biggest desire to trade is meaningless, if you don't have the right players to offer, on the right contracts, and at a position the other team might want. Plus, the very reason you want to get rid of certain players is also an obstacle to getting anyone to take them.
The way to get better is to evaluate players (vs cost) better than anyone else, in free agency and the draft. The Mavs have long been bad at both, and Nico certainly wasn't the guy to do that in the summer. How is he ready now, to win a trade that the other team will only do if they can get what their experts believe to be the better end of the deal?
Honestly, I am not too interested in the microworld of how, as I am not an insider with knowledge of what Mavs are good at and what not. What I know is, that it can be done, as shown by other organizations. So if it is not done, my grade of the result is low - I have been very critical of 2019 and 2021 offseasons.
Rebuilding teams are not looking for quality players on good deals. Likes of THJ, Kleber, DFS and Powell have little value to them (unless they flip them for assets). They are looking for assets. So 2025 pick, 2027 pick or get creative and get a 2023 pick to free all picks to be traded. Swap 2023 pick for 2022 or whatever. These are good enough assets for a good (but not all star level) player. Price of good but not all star level players is up to 2 FRP (depending on protections). Denver traded horrible Harris contract for Gordon. Vucevic (all star player) cost was two good picks, young player and salary filler. I think Mavs can provide assets in this range.
I know it is easy to write down options, but we have seen it done by other teams so I expect Mavs to pull it of. It is their job. It is what differentiates good offices from bad ones. The ones that deliver and the ones that talk. I expect Mavs to be good at what they do and it is on them to find a way to do it. I can't really judge Harrison on what he can or can't do, I can only judge the results. So far, we haven't seen much and the little we did see wasn't great.
Good teams find the way to do it. Look at Milwaukee, Miami, Chicago as latest examples. I am not really interested in excuses and explanations why they didn't do it or why they will not do it. I want them to do it
I am convinced that the league has become very player driven, meaning players have big influence on where they want to play, even if they still have the contract. In this light the advertised good relationships and connections with players from Kidd and Harrison should bring an added value.
(12-20-2021, 11:23 PM)cow Wrote: As it stands now, it looks like we'll need to be bad in year 4-7 of the Luka Doncic era
Why? Teams added talent with less assets Mavs have at this moment. Being bad in following years is not an option, if they want to keep Luka. But Mavs need to actually start building.