Yesterday, 04:39 PM
(Yesterday, 03:40 PM)F Gump Wrote: If you are trading Gafford in suitable trade window, the decision has to be made IN THE SUMMER. And there will be NO CLUE on what Lively will offer next season, when we are in the summer. He's an injured player, who has had a significant issue and surgery, and will not even try to play until October.
On top of that, Lively has NEVER been reliable for a whole season. Has he ever even played half? I like the "idea" of Lively, but I don't see that as something to depend on.
In light of that, to me it would be a major mistake to assume Lively is the answer as the C you need, and move Gafford. This franchise has lots of experience in lacking a decent center, years on end at times, and now that they have a decent solution, imo the idea of frittering it away would be stupid.
I view Gafford as a bit more replaceable than that. It was nice to have Brendan Haywood as a backup, but the 2011 Mavs couldn't have won a title without Tyson Chandler. That's kind of how I view the Lively/Gafford duo.
I do think it's smart to be prepared for another injury filled year for Lively, but they could explore cheaper options in free agency. Even if you just traded a 2nd for a guy like Goga (since Orlando's roster is getting expensive and Mo Wagner needs a new deal) I don't think the drop off in production would be that meaningful. Especially given that the Mavs are unlikely to be contenders next year. There should also be some good centers available with the OKC pick if they wanted to go that route.
It seems that the Finley/Riccardi front office was willing to move on from Gafford since they were reportedly seeking a 1st at the deadline. I guess we'll find out this offseason whether the mystery new GM feels the same.
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