AROUND the NBA:

[F Gump]

The final four will be an interesting test of Big vs Small

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No surprise but the playoffs seem to be telling us PJW's positional versatility makes him a guy DAL absolutely needs to retain, while Gafford is a valuable luxury that should be shopped for guard help.

Thanks for the analysis. I am not sure I quite buy the conclusion, though.

The more we get in the weeds about the various styles of play with various teams, I wonder if the best route is to be yourself, and play to YOUR strengths, rather than trying to look like others.

The only caveat I would put on that is that we do have to recognize there are very real salary limits to deal with, and if for example the strength is at C/PF, you certainly can't use all your payroll there.

But if the money is similarly workable either way, I  dont see the value in trading Gafford (who is a valuable presence on the court) for someone else's spare PG they are willing to let go of. Same goes for PJW. With the money caveat for both, of course, I see no future in trading away good players for some who are mediocre.