FA: Spencer Dinwiddie Heads to DAL | 1 yr/vet min

[KillerLeft]

I don't put a lot of weight into playoff minutes (and rotations) when building a 15-man roster. They are a much different animal; if players are healthy, you probably only need 10, maybe even less. Luka/Kyrie rarely play 40 in the regular season.

The 82 games, you have to plan for more. Lots of situations can arise. And you do want plenty of bodies to lessen the wear and tear on Luka/Kyrie and others who will be carrying the load in the regular season.

This is a good point and reminder that we can't just fast forward to the playoffs.

However, to WAB's point, given everything we just witnessed and imagining this past post-season exactly as it was, only with Dinwiddie on the roster, I do think it's likely he would've gotten a bigger role than Exum. The question is: will Exum continue to grow and learn from those series? He CAN be a threat to score - a good one, actually. It's just that he WON'T. I sure hope he goes into this season with the idea that he's got to improve in that area to add to the other ways in which he helps, because there inevitably comes a point (usually around the 2nd round) where you simply cannot play if being on the floor means the other team can defend 5 on 4. 

Not to beat a dead horse, but that's where my Hardy takes are coming from. He IS a threat, and consequently got tapped for playoff minutes he clearly wasn't ready to play, but they needed someone to be a threat so, so badly, he was the only choice. In that context, I kind of think this Dinwiddie thing might be about more than just an end of bench swing (though I do agree with your point about putting the roster together for the whole season, not just the playoffs).