Preseason Game 4: Dallas Mavericks (2-1) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (1-3) | 9:30pm EST

[meistermatze]

I have a different take than most: I looked it up a while ago, and before LA traded Davis he was playing north of 80% of his minutes at the 5. Anyone with eyes can see that should be his primary position, and I think this idea that he's going to play the 4 is based more on the balance of the roster and the need to get all the good players on the court than on his wishes. I'm sure even he realizes he's more 5 than 4, frankly, and I expect that to be the way things shake out, particularly if the big lineup has all the problems we expect (many of us). If it shakes out how those who like it expect, then none of us will have issues with it, but if it's not working, you have to think the smart basketball minds in the organization will adjust.
With that logic in mind, I think it would be nutbar-factor-9 to trade probably the best defensive center in the league in order to create roster balance. I don't understand how people will claim it's not a big deal for Lively to go halvsies on the center minutes with Gafford, but then balk at the idea of him instead splitting the position with Anthony Davis, who is actually a far superior player at this point in time. FAR superior.
I get that the contract is excessive, but that's a done deal, and you're not getting $60 million of GOOD salary in return, even in a great deal. The reality is that any deal involving AD at this point results in a less talented roster, at least for a year or two (depending on what type of draft capital you get in return and how you're able to flip anything you get in the deal).
The one solid argument in favor of trading AD, imho, is that he's an injury waiting to happen, but clearly that hasn't scared the Mavs to this point. So, my hope will continue to be that they actually play him a lot at CENTER, where he is a difference maker on a level that's being trivialized here aggressively.

I am your biggest fan, Killer, but I don't really understand your take.

Are you saying that the Mavs staff and AD right now know that playing him at the 4 is not going to work? If yes, why not adjust immediately? If the answer is: "Because we have too many good bigs and have to fit everybody in," then that would be making the same point I did: someone is expendable (who that someone is is another question). If the answer is "No, they and AD don't know it by now", then you seem to be contradicting yourself.

Also, the comparison doesn’t hold when it comes to being okay with splitting center minutes between Lively and Gafford but complaining about the Lively/Davis job sharing: the one (Gafford) is insurance for a superior but injury-prone player (Lively). You could say the same thing about Lively and Davis now, but now you have two injury-prone players — and one of them is making huge money. What I’m saying is: it’s a false equivalence, and the logic doesn’t hold.

If we want to employ three great centers because we assume playing time will work itself out due to injuries, well, that’s an argument — but then your roster construction is questionable from the beginning (relying on injury-prone players, that is). But I cannot see why we would start two centers and bench a perfectly fitting piece (PJ) just to feed Lively’s ego — which, as far as I know, isn’t even a thing.

What am I missing here?

EDIT: About trivializing AD's talent around here: Davis is awesome and special (if healthy — but we’ll leave that aside for now; like you say, it’s a done deal!). The issue is that he doesn’t play within himself, which seriously lowers his impact and value. Jacking up threes and long twos instead of dominating inside — and publicly saying that his best position is at the four (am I making this up?) — doesn’t support your case that he knows where he belongs on the court.