MAVS NEWS:

[KillerLeft]

I don't think I will change anyone's opinions or if I really believe the dual center approach, but I went back and watched highlights of both Gafford and Lively.  One thing that sticks out is its a tough position to play.   Constantly sprinting into the paint where there are a lot of bodies.  Contesting a lot of shots with a lot of bodies in the lane.   Really being the QB of the defense. ETC.   It is not a job where you can rest.  They both go all out.  They play that way for 4-5 minutes and then the other one comes in.   with the added bulk in the West, that position is going to take a lot of pounding and will need bodies throughout the regular season.   

I love both players...just lively more.   Finding big guys who play hard all the time is not easy to find.  I have been playing around with Lively coming off the bench.  Last year, I wanted him started and getting more minutes.  AFter an injury filled season, I wonder if they look to go back to the previous season.  I think Lively works really well with some of the guys off the bench too who like to run.

Totally agree. Both guys go hard, and that's the thing that has made it work. 

When I watch Gafford, I am struck by how his motor is simultaneously the thing that makes him a huge plus AND the only thing making him viable at all. This worries me, because he's not the longest guy for the position and his game is so predicated on verticality. It seems like 90% of his highlight blocks result in him landing on his butt or his back, as if he's having to give every ounce of physical energy he has just to make the play. This is a great thing in terms of whether or not he has a great motor, or plays "the right way," etc, but how long can he keep that style up? He's already kind of slow footed...will he still be making those plus plays at the end of this contract, even? I feel similarly when I watch Brunson fall to the floor on almost every driving layup attempt. I just don't know how sustainable I think it is. 

Lively, by contrast, seems much more physically capable of affecting the game within a sustainable "comfort zone" of athletic ability, and when I say that I don't mean to suggest that he doesn't also play with a high motor, because he does. It's just that his motor doesn't have to be redlined for him to make an impact. Plus, he brings dimensionality to both ends of the court Gafford just can't match. On defense, Lively is able to change directions multiple times in one possession, effectively covering way more ground and making up for more mistakes (both his own, and those of his teammates). On offense, they're both great at rolling hard and both have good hands on the lobs (Gafford's might be a little better, actually - some of those one-handed dunks are stupidly sick), but Lively's ability to act as a hub in the DHO game with his passing, or to make some of those amazing reads out of the short roll, really set him apart, imho. 

I really like Gafford now. I wonder how he'll fit on this new team, but I'm keeping an open mind. What I worry about is how tradable he'll be on this contract in year three of it. As long as he stays tradable, I like the deal.