Mavs 107, Kings 121

[DanSchwartzgan]

Luka and KP together create a laundry list of team needs to be filled by the 3 other guys on the court. Especially by the SG and PF. Especially defensively. It’s a chain reaction that ultimately will be too much to overcome.

Maxi/replacement must:  

JRich/replacement must:

These players we need aren’t available in trade/FA this offseason. It only works with Jrue/Covington level players that aren’t easy to find.

Thanks for the compliment.  I like the way you put the conundrum in the first paragraph.  It is true if both stars continue to play ineffective D on a consistent basis.  I’m going to set aside the ‘trade KP’ part of this and comment on the ‘what we need’ part.  Eliminating bad play is improvement.  It may not be glamorous, but if you can replace a player who is hurting you with one that isn’t, it helps a lot.  Replace a bad player with one who can actually help you and you’ve done a ton (but those guys are expensive).  

If we stick to the Roland Beech theories (some of which we know are embedded in the Mav’s analytics), I can come up with some guys who might help by not hurting.  I don’t think the player has to check every box.  As an example, I don’t recall too many people posting “Let’s get Batum” threads before the season.  But he has been a big help to LAC.  Their D is better when Batum is in.  Their O is better too.  He hits his shots efficiently and contributes positive Net PER at two positions.  What else could you ask for.  Batum was HIGHLY overpaid in recent years, but was generally a positive in VORP and WS and On/Off throughout his career...much of which was spent with sub-par teammates.  The job of pro scouting is to know who might fit your system well and LA did really well with this one.

So, who is our Batum?  He doesn’t need to be a minimum wage guy.  With $34mm in potential room, you can spend well on one slot and still have room for a higher dollar guy at $20mm-$25mm.  I like something I’ve heard Cato say.  We need a 3rd best player and a 5th best player.  I assume that slots Brunson at 4th?  Do that, and the Maxi’s, Finney’s and Powell’s of the world (and eventually the Green’s and Bey’s) fall into more appropriate slots in the pecking order than the ones they occupy now. I don’t think the 5th best guy has to check every box.  I do think the 3rd best guy needs to come pretty close.