MAVS NEWS:

[Chicagojk]

I agree - all names mentioned are great GMs, or at least were for stretches. 

Interestingly, Stevens is the guy the Mavs had to outmaneuver to draft O-Max, and the Celtics were pretty disappointed they weren't able to get him on that draft night. 

All GM's are going to have misses. The best are going to have enough hits to distract from their misses and prevent them from stinging so much. The biggest indictment of the Mavs front office is how often (for a variety of reasons) they find themselves in a situation wherein they MUST hit on a pick and an exception to move the team forward with the alternative being disastrous. They routinely operate with almost no margin for error, asset wise, and that never seems to get better. This past 10-15 years, that has been about them not valuing draft capital enough. The good GM's have been hoarding it, not spending it like it's burning holes in their pockets. 

The thing is, depending on how the upcoming anti-tanking measures end up, the league's approach might be changing. Who knows. But, what's needed is a plan that doesn't change on a month to month basis, imo.

Yeah, that was the report. Boston moved back into the second round and picked up some seconds.   One of the players they picked was Jordan Walsh who was younger than Prosper but had some of the same traits.  Walsh has been up and down but has shown some growth recently.

I agree about the Mavs.  For a franchise who found Jalen in the second round, they sure did not take those picks seriously.  Most will not work out.  But if they do, it can really change things.   They are low cost gambles.   Mavs seemed almost uninterested in even trying for years.

Presti has had some misses.   Poku.  Traded Senguin and picked a player who has been pretty average and is no longer on the team.   He understands you will have misses.  He also knows (like Morey) that you can find value in the second round.   Not always, but players are there.   It seems like the Cuban plan was always hoping for free agents, while looking down of players drafted in the second round/late first.

[michaeltex]

Yeah, that was the report. Boston moved back into the second round and picked up some seconds.   One of the players they picked was Jordan Walsh who was younger than Prosper but had some of the same traits.  Walsh has been up and down but has shown some growth recently.

I agree about the Mavs.  For a franchise who found Jalen in the second round, they sure did not take those picks seriously.  Most will not work out.  But if they do, it can really change things.   They are low cost gambles.   Mavs seemed almost uninterested in even trying for years.

Presti has had some misses.   Poku.  Traded Senguin and picked a player who has been pretty average and is no longer on the team.   He understands you will have misses.  He also knows (like Morey) that you can find value in the second round.   Not always, but players are there.   It seems like the Cuban plan was always hoping for free agents, while looking down of players drafted in the second round/late first.

Historically, the risk factor increases as the draft proceeds, thus the rookie wage scale and only two guaranteed years for FRPs to protect teams from overhyped college "stars". But it's still a crap shoot. Just look at the two guys taken ahead of Luka.

Carlisle was notorious for not playing rookies, I don't know if Nelly was any better. Why spend time and resources on the draft if you're not going to play them anyway? Obviously, Dirk was a win, but even he was a trade for Tractor Traylor during the draft. Imagine how the Mav's history would change if that deal didn't happen. Even so, I wonder if Dirk would have been successful if he didn't have Holger's dedicated summer workouts to polish his game to the point they HAD to play him?

[mvossman]

Historically, the risk factor increases as the draft proceeds, thus the rookie wage scale and only two guaranteed years for FRPs to protect teams from overhyped college "stars". But it's still a crap shoot. Just look at the two guys taken ahead of Luka.

Carlisle was notorious for not playing rookies, I don't know if Nelly was any better. Why spend time and resources on the draft if you're not going to play them anyway? Obviously, Dirk was a win, but even he was a trade for Tractor Traylor during the draft. Imagine how the Mav's history would change if that deal didn't happen. Even so, I wonder if Dirk would have been successful if he didn't have Holger's dedicated summer workouts to polish his game to the point they HAD to play him?

I think a lot of the reason rookies were not played is the Mavs rarely had quality rookies.  They generally picked late first round if they had a pick at all.  I think Cuban got burned a couple of times in the draft and decided it was not the way to go.  He undervalued it for most of his time here.  I wouldn't blame the coaching, I think that one is all on Cuban.

[ballsrchr]

Agree with that. My depth chart for next season is

G: Kyrie | x | x
G: Christie | Klay | AJJ
W: Middleton | Naji | Martin
W: Flagg | PJW | x
C: Lively | Gafford | x

If the Mavs land one of the top-4, I think the rookie starts and Middleton (if Dybantsa, Wilson, or Boozer),  or Christie (if Peterson) moves to the bench.

If the Mavs pick 6-10 you're likely looking a a guard and I'd probably bring him off the bench. Castle played 27 mpg and won rookie of the year.

I honestly don't see much in free agency beyond Middleton that interests me unless trades are made or Mavs get lucky in the lottery. If you trade Gaff for a '27 FRP, you sign Bagley. If you draft Caleb Wilson, you look for guard help. The good news is this team has a lot of options at this point.

I don't agree with all of it.  At this time I would go with:

G: Kyrie | x | x
G: Christie | X | X
W: X | Naji | X
W: Flagg | ?PJW? | x
C: Lively | Gafford | x

Yeah, that's a lot of Xs.  Those positions to be filled with picks, trades, and people already on the team if we can't find somebody better.  

We need a point guard.  Kyrie is a great 2 way player, but he's not really a solid, long term point guard.  Nembhard IS a point guard but he's small, and raw (raw for NBA).  I lean toward keeping him as the third PG if we don't get anybody better.

Christie is a pretty good shooting guard, and he will get better.  At this point he is the starter, but there are 2 Xs nipping at his heels.  Klay is a better man and player than I thought.  Maybe I just didn't like him because he played for the Golden State Warriors.  I would like to see him playing where he wants to be.  If it is for the Mavs...so be it.  But he is older and not on a good time line with Flagg.  Is AJJ the best we can do?  Nothing against him, but let's look around.

We need to be looking for a good starting small Wing...once again through picks, trades, or keep Middleton.  I have the same problems with Middleton that I do with Klay.  Naji is a ghostly ballerina in the paint.  I like him off the bench.  BUT he needs a lot of work from 3PT line.

Big wing--and all these small and big designations are relative.  I think we can keep Flagg as the starting big wing!  PJW does not play well with Flagg.  I like him a lot, but they need to get them working together, separately, or never at all.  Maybe Bagley...

Lively is a great starting center, but he hasn't proven that he can stay on the floor.  I hope that he can this next season.  Gafford is durable and plays very good off the bench or starting.  Ah...I have an X there--big decision.

[Mavs2021]

Presti's track record overall is great. So is your point that I am cherry-picking an unexpected miss under Riccardi amid a sea of great roster-development successes, where he's simply just like Presti? I can't make a case for that sort of success overall, to make me think Riccardi's the "expert" to bank on. Can you?

Presti was just a nobody until he wasn´t. Who says Riccardi can´t be a great GM? The problem is not Riccardi himself. The problem is do we have somebody smart enough to judge whether Riccardi is smart enough. 

A young hungry smart GM willing to put in the extra hours can be as useful or even more useful than a GM that has already put in his 20 years and is willing to go on cruise control on his last fat contract.

I think all things considered we have not seen a true headscratcher since Nico was fired, maybe the Tyus Jones trade. The tanking seems to be executed properly for Mavs standards. If they really stay ahead of Memphis and catch New Orleans that would be an A+. There was no chance to catch any of the other tankers.

I´d feel very comfortable with Lindsey as the President of Basketball Operations to make the final decisions, but leaving the day-to-day operations to a GM Riccardi, while Finley functions as a Team Manager.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Yeah, that was the report. Boston moved back into the second round and picked up some seconds.   One of the players they picked was Jordan Walsh who was younger than Prosper but had some of the same traits.  Walsh has been up and down but has shown some growth recently.

I agree about the Mavs.  For a franchise who found Jalen in the second round, they sure did not take those picks seriously.  Most will not work out.  But if they do, it can really change things.   They are low cost gambles.   Mavs seemed almost uninterested in even trying for years.

Presti has had some misses.   Poku.  Traded Senguin and picked a player who has been pretty average and is no longer on the team.   He understands you will have misses.  He also knows (like Morey) that you can find value in the second round.   Not always, but players are there.   It seems like the Cuban plan was always hoping for free agents, while looking down of players drafted in the second round/late first.

Don't forget he traded for Gordon Hayward when he was with the Hornets. That didn't work out either. By and large, though, he's been excellent. He just stole Jared McCain from the Sixers, just like he picked up Isaiah Joe off waivers from Philly. McCain, who'll likely replace Cason Wallace if they lose him.

[Scott41theMavs]

I would love Presti in the big chair. But, apart from $$$ I'm not sure what motivation he'd have to leave OKC. They are a top contender (have been for a few years now), defending champ and look to be in this position for years to come, and it's all attached to the Presti name.

He does have a looming cap explosion to manage, OKC is currently ~$250M with no slots open for FRPs or FAs. This figure does include ~$71M in 6 TOs, so they can refuse or trade any of those guys to make room for new blood. I guess if Presti didn't have the patience for dealing with cap/apron headaches and possible tax issues, he might dump it and move on to a club with some breathing room.

The NBA system usually only allows teams a limited window for success, unless it's an all time legend like Curry or Duncan. Who knows what the new lottery system will look like next year? Maybe the backlog of FRPs won't be as valuable and Presti will want a change of scenery.

With no other information, I wonder if prying Lindsey away from DET would be a better path.

I also wonder if DAL's "deep dive" search for a GM is just MBT speak for kicking the can down the road and making it tomorrow's, or next week's, or next month's issue.

After the Nico/Luka fiasco, Dumont and co. had damned well better open the coffers and offer Presti so many Brinks trucks that saying that "The money alone is plenty of reason to move" is a colossal understatement. 

If the Mavs don't hire a GM who isn't currently on staff prior to the draft, the fans ought to burn down the AAC.

[Winter]

To my knowledge, there hasn't been a single name mentioned or implied as a GM candidate. We have heard from other sources that the owners are not likely to move Kidd to GM and were more likely to go outside their own organization to fill the position.

That's all anyone knows.

[F Gump]

To my knowledge, there hasn't been a single name mentioned or implied as a GM candidate. We have heard from other sources that the owners are not likely to move Kidd to GM and were more likely to go outside their own organization to fill the position.

That's all anyone knows.

Secret ^ Presti pursuit and negotiations confirmed!!!!!!!

[Winter]

Secret ^ Presti pursuit and negotiations confirmed!!!!!!!

If that comes to pass, you will be this board's new "Amazing Kreskin". 

Flagg and Presti both cannot be coincedence.

[DallasMaverick]

If that comes to pass, you will be this board's new "Amazing Kreskin". 

Flagg and Presti both cannot be coincedence.

Could be Uriji 2.0.

Ya never know.

[Scott41theMavs]

Could be Uriji 2.0.

Ya never know.

Nope. He was responsible for the drafting of Durant, Harden, and Westbrook, and then for the creation of the current OKC team. Not a flash in the pan.

[Scott41theMavs]

So, of course the Mavs get clobbered tonight. I wonder if I'm the only one who is really queasy about Max solidly commanding the tank. I *really* hope the folks that are saying that he'll play better with better players around him are right.

The surprise of the night is the Grizz solidly challenging the Wolves. Crossing my fingers that they quixotically hang on. Odd time to go on a relative winning streak.

[Chicagojk]

Mavs made 3 threes tonight. Hornets made 20.

[vfromlmf]

 I wonder if I'm the only one who is really queasy about Max solidly commanding the tank. I *really* hope the folks that are saying that he'll play better with better players around him are right.

I've seen the same thing with Max. He's obviously being asked to do more ... and failing pretty miserably. It's been especially bad over the last several games. It's Kidd's modus operandi. He knows what he can get from Naji. It seems Kidd is now testing Max's limits. I guess it's possible that Max turns a corner after being given enough on-ball reps (his decision making hasn't been good) but I'm also seeing the lack of athleticism really show up. I don't like putting ceilings on players as I know guys are constantly working to get better, but Max may be what he is: a modern, role playing, rotation level guard/wing who can play 20-24 mpg on a high level team. I'm not seeing impact starter.

That's not a bad thing. You'd need players like that, even if you're starting 5 All Stars. Max is smart and can make a three. He's a hard worker. Good culture guy. Kind of reminds me of Powell with a different body and skillset.

I looked at the Pacers stats. This is a team that was in the Finals last year. Their best player is out and they lost their starting center. They're terrible.

You have Siakam who is obviously still Siakam. 

Then you have Andrew Nembhard who has REALLY stepped up with more responsibility. Clearly, he's not playing well enough to actually win games but he's done exceptionally well with more opportunity. 

Then you have a bunch of guys like Neismith who have struggled to step up. They contributed to a Finals team but maybe they were "maxed out" (no pun intended) in their roles last year.

With the Mavs you've seen Naji step up. He's a stone cold bucket getter. He could play that role off the bench and might enter Sixth Man of the Year conversations if the Mavs are decent next year.

Then you have PJW who stepped up early but has really faded. Maybe that's due to injury or off the court stuff. Kidd probably knows what he has in PJW.

With Max I'm seeing an Aaron Neismith type. Again, maybe Max can turn it around but maybe he's just a good role player.

Taking it further, BWill has stepped up: from fringe NBA player to legit backup point guard. I'm not sure if he'll have that role on the Mavs next season but he can play.

[Chicagojk]

I've seen the same thing with Max. He's obviously being asked to do more ... and failing pretty miserably. It's been especially bad over the last several games. It's Kidd's modus operandi. He knows what he can get from Naji. It seems Kidd is now testing Max's limits. I guess it's possible that Max turns a corner after being given enough on-ball reps (his decision making hasn't been good) but I'm also seeing the lack of athleticism really show up. I don't like putting ceilings on players as I know guys are constantly working to get better, but Max may be what he is: a modern, role playing, rotation level guard/wing who can play 20-24 mpg on a high level team. I'm not seeing impact starter.

T

I have been wondering if this is a team directive to Max as well.  I agree the recent results have not been great.  He has taken some real questionable shots that he hadn't for most of the year.  There has been some reports that Kidd has instructed Max to take more shots.  Maybe this is a more deliberate attempt in this lost season.  He has also been creating more (with not great results).  It could be the same thing Kidd did with Flagg.   Max, we know you can do this, but lets try to stretch your game and have you do this type of directive.

[Winter]

I have been wondering if this is a team directive to Max as well.  I agree the recent results have not been great.  He has taken some real questionable shots that he hadn't for most of the year.  There has been some reports that Kidd has instructed Max to take more shots.  Maybe this is a more deliberate attempt in this lost season.  He has also been creating more (with not great results).  It could be the same thing Kidd did with Flagg.   Max, we know you can do this, but lets try to stretch your game and have you do this type of directive.

If you're trying to make Max uncomfortable in order to expand his abilities, this would be the time to do it.

[michaeltex]

If you're trying to make Max uncomfortable in order to expand his abilities, this would be the time to do it.

You know, a skill that Klay has is the ability to catch a pass and shoot in one motion. He doesn't have to square up or go into a whole shot motion. Catch and shoot before the defender can get there. You see him practicing that in the gym and you see it in games. 

IDK what Kidd is asking Max to do extra, but quick shooting is a skill that will pay off throughout the rest of his career.

[Chicagojk]

If you're trying to make Max uncomfortable in order to expand his abilities, this would be the time to do it.

True.   I am hoping they are telling Caleb to work on his three point shooting during games as well.    Such a buzz kill when the ball is rotated to Caleb, Dwight, and many others in the corner.   

https://x.com/BiasedSlightly/status/2029027650493182067

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/20292...76127?s=20


Memphis is signing O-Max to a standard NBA contract.