MAVS NEWS:

[david75090]

Just thinking out loud.

I think Lively is so important in whether this thing works out or not.  I believe he is a winning player.  A unique player.  Although, what if he is the person to have the diffit conersation with over PJ and maybe Klay?  Fact is, PJ is not a small forward.  Sure he can play there, but it is not his strength.  He is a PF.  Cooper is not a SG.  He is a SF/PF wing combo.  Asking him to start his career at SG to fit the current roster is a lot to ask.  We all know AD wants to play PF, but is it really worth it if this causes others to play out of position?  So how about bringing Lively off the bench?  PJ can do some center stuff to take some of the banging off AD.  A front court of AD, PJ, Cooper allows both Cooper and PJ to fit into more advantageous roles.  Cooper will still need to be a secondary creator.

The negative for me is I think Lively would be ok coming off the bench.  I think I would still like to get him to finish games but that opens a lot more can of worms.    It is just an awkward fit and Lively, in my mind, should be one of our top 4 players moving forward.  Tough if that guy is not on the floor at the end of games.

In this scenario, Gafford is moved.  It also gives you some time.  If this team does not look like a contender-ish team, then you can make a pivot.  Fire Nico, move AD and reset.   

Just thinking out loud.

What you're saying is why I've reached the conclusion that AD is the odd man out. As good of a player as he is, he's the most valuable trade piece. He's the player that's causing too many players to have to play out of their natural position. As a center, he blocks Lively. As a PF, he blocks PJ and CF from their more natural position. 

Fire Nico, call up say, Chicago do some sort of sign and trade (I don't know the rules) get Giddey plus whoever and some draft picks. Giddey can play point until, or if, Kyrie comes back.