Mavs 107, Kings 121

[SleepingHero]

If Luka and KP do not turn a magical corner in 20 games, then the Mavs HAVE to trade KP this summer. I think the Mavs lose MORE as a franchise by holding onto him one more season on the treadmill of mediocrity then biting the bullet and getting less than they think he is worth. 

You might be right, but suffering through another season of crappy chemistry as a fan sounds as fun as self-mutilation. I am really not sure I could watch many games next season if the Mavs stand pat......UGH.

Has the thought ever crossed your mind that there is another 3rd variable that's affecting the Luka/KP pairing and causing it to have issues?

Bare with me for a moment. Entertain the idea. 

What if the lack of talent at our other 3 positions is causing the Luka/KP pairing to look much worse? We know how gravity from role players affect others on the court. It's why Luka is so valuable and why us giving away Seth for Brickerson was a massive mistake (that the Mavs are trying to fix with Redick). 

Could it be possible that DFS/Maxi/___ trifecta is just not good enough for other teams to seriously put any effort in guarding? I think so. And the numbers also tell that story. Here's the frequency of 3pt shots DFS/Maxi/THJ/JRich all take when their defender is 6+ feet away.
DFS: 54.1% (meaning 54.1% of DFS 3pt shots, the defender is 6+ feet away. In other words: wide open)
Maxi: 62.6%
JRich: 18.5% (Of all the shots JRich has taken, only 46% of them are threes. meaning he takes more 2's) 
THJ: 15.5%

Now here are their shooting percentages on these 3pt shots that are wide open.
DFS: 39.4%
Maxi: 43%
JRich: 27.0%
THJ: 39.8%

JRich being the obvious outlier. Also the fact that these guys are only shooting 40% on wide open threes is a little disappointing. Maxi the only one with respectable numbers but I guess you can say I'm being nitpicky. 

Bump down to the next category where the defender is within 4-6 feet and is classified as an open shot the shooting percentages are as follows:
DFS: 27%
Maxi: 35%
JRich: 37.3%
THJ: 38.7%

Oh... oh my... Basically, if DFS and Maxi are not WIDE OPEN, they are extremely below average 3pt shooters. JRich gets a noted bump though he still takes more two's than threes. THJ stays relatively the same. Remember, this is still classified as an open shot. If we bump it down to the next category of 2-4 feet aka guarded, it gets worse for everyone.

What does this mean? Essentially 2 out of the 3 role players on the court with our stars  require WIDE OPEN shot attempts to be effective. Do you know how hard that is to do consistently in the NBA? In fact I'm shocked. It's a testament to Luka's gravity that DFS/Maxi get consistent minutes. 

Add in JRich inconsistencies and tendency to prefer the midrange, you get a good defending team with no spacing. Which of course we've seen the effects of. Why aren't we thinking about how this affects how Luka and KP operate on the court? 

I ask, does it make more sense to trade away the 25 year old 7'3 "unicorn" averaging 20ppg, that can shoot from anywhere, and is currently having a career year in terms of efficiency. OR should the Mavs look to upgrade the pieces around them like we've all been asking for the last 2 years and see what happens?

I take option B. Not just because it's the least ground shaking option, but to me makes the most sense. Mavs would be pulling the plug before we even see the Luka/KP pairing take off. 

*( I understand it's not as clear cut as that. KP has his own issues like health and defense. He's gotten better at the defense part. The health remains to be seen).