MAVS NEWS:

[KillerLeft]

I agree that he needs some time, although I wonder why, going in to his 3rd season, he still needs to let the game "slow down" for him. Maybe it's just the overhang of being a #1 pick and feeling like he has to live up to that status. Maybe he just needs some treadmill time pre-game to lower his energy levels. Another factor is what kind of atmosphere there was in the ATL locker room. Personally, I think he'll come around as the team bonds during the season and he finds his rhythm.

On a larger scale, I'm still waiting to get a sense of this team's identity. I know it's "Coop's Team", but the preseason was such a jumble of partial rosters, resting/injured players and inconsistent play, it's hard to get a feel for the team. Established teams like OKC, SAN or HOU have an identity and can afford to spend the pre-season evaluating low rotation and 2-way players. DAL, IMO, is more like an expansion club with all the new faces and players returning from extended injury absences (and some still out). I know it's probably going to be ugly for a bit, and I'm looking forward to seeing how all the parts meld together, but watching Coop's growth and Kyrie's return are primary reasons to sit through some of the bad basketball that's about to happen. 

But maybe I'm just getting old and grumpy. I think I'm entering my "Get off my lawn" phase.

For Risacher, I think what we're dealing with is someone who was not as experienced and trained in basketball as most first round picks. He was a little more on the "raw" side of the spectrum than the average lottery talent and was (unfortunately) drafted 1st overall because of the alluring physical package and potential. If you're going to take a risk like that, you have to be willing to follow through with patience and long leash, and that's just to find out what you've got, really. It would be like if O-Max had been a lottery pick for the Mavs. Not a good idea, but GUARANTEED to fail if you don't go out of your way as organization to give it as big of a chance to succeed as possible. 

In year 1, ATL did that, and honestly Risacher's rookie season went pretty well. Not 1st overall well, but pretty well for a rookie. For whatever reason (I've seen speculation about the coach and offensive system changing in between) they just demonstrated no interest in him whatsoever during his second season. It was "sink or swim," and while playing a new role for which he wasn't well-suited. Predictably, he sank. 

The Mavs, alternatively, did NOT invest the first overall pick in the guy, have all the flexibility in the world with him in the coming months (whether they pick up his option or not, honestly), and from my POV have exactly zilch to lose by giving him lots of runway to carve out a role on the court. He's holding nothing or no one back by being here, as he's the most intriguing talent of a certain type on the roster by far and the team is going to struggle this season with or without him. Personally, I think it's a genius roll of the dice on the Mavs' part. I don't know if it will pay off, but it's fun to hope that it will. 

I agree about the identity point, and while I can't speak for you or anyone else, that feeling originates for me from what I consider to be a total lack of ability to generate easy, effective and efficient offense. In my observation of the NBA, I have come to the conclusion that this is the catalyst for inching a team towards "competitive" 99% of the time. They badly need to identify a lead guard and build a system that enhances their players' strengths. I saw no evidence of it in the preseason, but that doesn't mean anything, really. I'm hopeful May is up to it.