MAVS NEWS:

[DanSchwartzgan]

So my wishes:

1) no win now trades with any our picks (outside of the Philly second).  Now is not the time to plug holes short term
2) Don't rush Luka back
3) don't overwork Kyrie with minutes
4) Maxi gets the backup 5 minutes and gets a chance to prove we have been wrong about him
5) Omax gets backup 4 minutes and has a chance to show he can be a solution here moving forward.

Mavs won't tank and should not.  They got their one chance two years ago and that team was much worse than this one.  But this appears to be an uphill battle for them to get into the top 6.    Got to hope they stay close and then get a healthy Luka back for the last few months.

Whether we call it tanking or not, I want them to prioritize ‘optionality’ over pursuing a top six seed at this point.  I argued this summer that a serious contender would make an effort to be in the top 2-3 in the west to make the playoff run easier.  

With that now out the window, I have no issue with slow playing Luka’s return and dropping a few spots in the standings.  IF you end up between the 8th and 9th spots the last week of the season and you are healthy, grab the 8th slot, win one game and you avoid OKC.  If you aren’t healthy, drop to 9th, lose a game and you have a nice draft pick.

In much the same way that most don’t want us to use assets to get a temporary fix at center, I don’t want us to avoid making a good long term deal just because people perceive we need this player or that.  I’m not saying to give up on 24/25.  Maybe there is a world where everyone is healthy come April.  Great, make the deal that assumes that as long as that deal sets us up well for the next 2-3 years.  If we aren’t healthy, avoiding a good trade because we think we need someone to be mediocre in the near-term is a bad idea IMHO.