MAVS NEWS:

[KillerLeft]

I still think the gripes about Kidd not having a PG on the court at all times is overblown. He's only had DLO and Nembhard available, until last night when BWill posted bail. If the argument is that Kidd should have been playing DLO 48 minutes, it's unreasonable. If you think Nembhard was the difference in a win or loss, I can't get there.

You keep making the argument that the starters don't really matter compared to other things, like the closing lineup and the group that plays the most together throughout the game, and normally I'd agree. That's a discussion we've had around here (and in past community locations) for 20 years. In a general sense, I agree with that take, but usually, the starting lineup has a chance to be successful, even if some argue it's not ideal. In this case, I disagree, mostly because I DON'T think "getting Flagg some time running the offense" is a reasonable or defensible goal at this point in time. What THIS team needs is to find something...anything...that works well enough to build around. You and I seem to agree about what we think that group will be, for the most part. In the specific circumstances of this team, this season, I actually do think it's a mistake not to lean into that and get games started off on better footing. 

And yes, sorry...I do think playing Nembhard more than Russell in a game or two early might've been the difference between winning and losing. Nobody wants to play Russell 48 minutes, but I think he played as few as 12 in one game. I'm sorry, but I think that's criminal, given who has been available.