11-23-2020, 12:16 PM
(11-22-2020, 09:49 PM)jesusshuttlesworth82 Wrote: I think Mavs fans aren't giving enough credit to Miami and even Toronto.
If Giannis even leaves, I think it's something like 45/30/25 Miami/Dallas/Toronto.
Oh, for sure - they're up against two really good teams with two really good front offices.
What gives me optimism in this case is that I am able to put myself in the shoes of the free agent and envision that Dallas could be a great fit. This is unlike the other star free agents they've chased in the past, when the pitch was basically "Come to Dallas, where you can basically be the first piece in a ground up rebuild while helping us made the very end of Dirk's career less sad." That's DELUSIONAL, and they deserve all of the criticism they got for trying that. But in this case, I would argue that not only is there a good fit here, I think the Mavs are the BEST fit for Giannis on the court. The European influenced, multi-cultural nature of the lockerroom probably doesn't hurt, either. The biggest question, imo, is whether Giannis WANTS the ball taken out of his hands and play off-ball more. He SHOULD want that, but we don't know if he does.
But, that same question exists for the Toronto bid, imo, and it's undeniable that their roster is in way worse shape than Dallas's. I don't consider them as much of a threat as you seem to.
Miami could potentially pitch a ball-handling role to him, and they certainly have a location advantage as well as a front office advantage, but these aren't death sentences. I think Dallas with Giannis is better than Miami with Giannis, personally, and i don't think that's homerish.