2026 NBA draft thread

[F Gump]

I think this is actually a more important factor than finding "the guy" that can stop him.  The ability to play 5 out has been crucial in the playoffs.  Boston, OKC and SA (the three best teams in the NBA when healthy) all play a lot of 5 out in the playoffs.  If nothing else this means you cannot spend significant assets/cap on a player that can't guard the perimeter.  This is the reason I am out on Mara and more than willing to move on from Gafford.

IMO your eagerness to get rid of Gafford is a mistake. I think you focus too much on what you assume Gafford can't do, and fail to notice the difference his force makes on the opponent. And without Gaff (or a physical bruising center very much like him) I suspect there will never be an effective Lively, because he's too slight to absorb the pounding.

Would it make you rethink your "analysis" of Gafford's ability to know that since Gaff became a Mav, the Mavs most consistently effective center vs Wemby based on plus/minus - with never a minus - is Gafford? +2, +7, +8, +13, +2, 0 

Lively has higher ups, but also negatives. And without Gaff playing the other minutes and dealing out physicality, Lively's result vs Wemby has been a negative.

OKC has tried to counter Wemby by using their finesse, slender, 5-out center. It really hasn't really been working. Maybe there's a lesson in that, I dunno.