KL, thanks for the long reply. It looks to me like I assess AD (and his value on this roster) very differently than you. You clearly see him as this team's franchise player to build around, and a necessary difference-maker for this team and its upside. So you would plug him into what you see as his best position © and make everything else fit to that.
Makes sense, for how you see AD.
In contrast, I am way less married to AD in my vision - ie I see him as more of one "asset" among many right now (rather than the set-in-stone foundation to the Mavs' best upside possibility) and someone who might prove to be our Batman in a title run, but who might instead be a key trade piece to building a team with higher upside. IOW I don't buy in on the idea that his best use for us is definitely going to be as our new "Luka" or "Dirk" for a decade, necessarily, even though he came here to be that in Nico's vision.
My biggest issue with a commitment to AD is his lack of dependability. I can use an oft-injured guy as a valuable piece, but if up to me, I would not ever make him The Guy I build everything around, since I don't know when (if) I will have him on the floor. And it's a long long grind - perhaps 110 games - to a ring. I need The Guy to show up every night.
Re Gafford, I clearly value him as a player way more than you do - so what you see as a "problem" to try to be rid of is what I see as a "big help" to the team and its future. And in this iteration of the roster, I think he is very needed, not a surplus.
Makes sense, for how you see AD.
In contrast, I am way less married to AD in my vision - ie I see him as more of one "asset" among many right now (rather than the set-in-stone foundation to the Mavs' best upside possibility) and someone who might prove to be our Batman in a title run, but who might instead be a key trade piece to building a team with higher upside. IOW I don't buy in on the idea that his best use for us is definitely going to be as our new "Luka" or "Dirk" for a decade, necessarily, even though he came here to be that in Nico's vision.
My biggest issue with a commitment to AD is his lack of dependability. I can use an oft-injured guy as a valuable piece, but if up to me, I would not ever make him The Guy I build everything around, since I don't know when (if) I will have him on the floor. And it's a long long grind - perhaps 110 games - to a ring. I need The Guy to show up every night.
Re Gafford, I clearly value him as a player way more than you do - so what you see as a "problem" to try to be rid of is what I see as a "big help" to the team and its future. And in this iteration of the roster, I think he is very needed, not a surplus.