GAME 15: DEN (9-6) @ DAL (9-6) | 127-99 win

[DanSchwartzgan]

Definitely his best game of the season. Just suprised by some of the things he mentioned post game. When they signed him most of us expected him as an option to change things up on both ends. And that includes playing to his strengths. Playing drop defense against the pick and roll and keeping him close to the rim. Him mentioning that they are asking him to step out of the paint and play higher up suprised me.

Something else he said was that he likes playing with “a scoring four”.  He thinks the minutes where he and Wood are together have been amazing and will be great going forward.  There have only been 12 of those minutes so far, but he’s right.  It is a +36 (124/88).  

Is the path to Wood starting a path that runs alongside McGee?.  McGee/Wood against certain bigs and Powell/Wood where switching is more important (with Maxi/Wood finishing)?  I think any of those combos is more likely than Wood starting with DFS as the next tallest player.

People seem to think I’m anti-Wood or anti more minutes for Wood or anti Wood starting.  I’m not.  I’m just pointing out what is and trying to interpret why.  What is is they are bringing Wood along slowly and I don’t have nearly the problem with that that some seem to.  I’m also even more convinced than I was in the summer that Wood as a solo-big is a specialty lineup (and should be a really good one at certain parts of the game).  I think come March/April we will look back and laugh at some of the conversations around this (assuming, as I do, that we’ve been on a path to developing the best version of Wood in Dallas all along).