MAVS NEWS:

[KillerLeft]

You say I am too harsh on HJ. And in the next paragraph, you offer the very issue I have noted re him as a big problem - his poor ability to shoot and space the floor, esp w a Mavs team badly in need of such.

Yes HJ is a very good defender. Never said otherwise.

However you must be able to help on 2 ends, not one. Platoon hoops is a dead end in April-June. Period. Since forever. Why? Because playing 4-on-5 is a recipe for failure, because your inability will impact everyone else on the floor. So I really see no future in chasing one-end only players.

Hate him all you want but PJW is a 2-way player in a real way. So is NM, even if a lower level of skill. If HJ could make 3s, he works imo, however he is meh, so I would pass.

Again - I imagine he's off the Mavs radar anyhow because of injury, so he's not even being looked at.

Well, ultimately, I agree with you. But even before the Luka trade, when I felt it made a lot of sense to target Jones, you pushed back, leading me to believe your appreciation for what he brings to the table might be a little wanting (or maybe mine is too generous?). 

Here's what I would point to to defend where Smitty is coming from (although, again, my vote would be for your side of the argument, I think):

You spent much of last season trying to dream of scenarios that would result in DJJ coming back here from the LAC. You were never a believer in the idea that Naji Marshall was an upgrade to him, whatsoever, and seemed to view that entire turnaround as a pretty big misstep last summer. I don't want to put words in your mouth, but I'm pretty confident that you felt that way remembering past conversations, so...picture the gap in on-ball defensive ability between Marshall and DJJ. My opinion is that Herb Jones represents the same gap in the same ability, but on the other side of DJJ, as in he's that much better. I could be wrong about that, and I certainly agree with your assessments of both the shooting and injury history being a problem. And, I can't really claim to fully understand how anyone from that mess of a team in New Orleans translates to another team. And, I think it's pretty pointless to look around the league for available forwards Dallas should target, regardless of who they are or what they can do, but...

That's what I mean. It's only my opinion, but I think Herb Jones is a borderline special player. A real gem of a get. I really don't think he's any less of a two-way guy than DJJ was, it's just that the context of what Dallas' situation around him would be has changed. I'm not sure DJJ would work here now, either.