Game 40: Denver Nuggets (23-15) vs. Dallas Mavericks (22-17) | 8:30pm CST

[StrandedOnBeauboisHill]

The hot streak in the playoffs was nice. But one consistent year would be great. The best players stack 57-62 win seasons and top 3 seeds.

The best players go on hot streaks in the playoffs...

Go ask Dirk how much that 67 win team mattered to him vs any of his deep playoff runs.

[ThisIStheYear]

The best players go on hot streaks in the playoffs...

Go ask Dirk how much that 67 win team mattered to him vs any of his deep playoff runs.

Dirk had multiple excellent regular seasons.  I want a Luka championship too. But let’s at least get a high quality regular season. It’s not too much to ask. It’s going to take a different coach.

[StrandedOnBeauboisHill]

Dirk had multiple excellent regular seasons.  I want a Luka championship too. But let’s at least get a high quality regular season. It’s not too much to ask. It’s going to take a different coach.

It's an odd season to pile on Kidd.  I feel like if I told you before the season started that by Jan 15th through the first 40 games, Luka will have missed 18 games, Kyrie and Lively have both missed 9 games you would not be guessing that we were 22-18.

[KillerLeft]

Dirk had multiple excellent regular seasons.  I want a Luka championship too. But let’s at least get a high quality regular season. It’s not too much to ask. It’s going to take a different coach.

I'm right there with you in that it's frustrating that this team seems unprepared for the regular season consistently, year after year. I think it has to do with coaching, culture and Luka's level of professionalism, each to unknown extents. I don't think this is too much to ask, either, and I think at this point the team needs to feel a little heat from ownership, the media and even the fan base over this. Some of it is bad luck, but it's becoming a pattern, and it's concerning. 

However, your earlier proclamations that the team is "cooked" and that the "window is closed" are pretty extreme and I think you're letting the frustration burrow too deep into your psyche. This team is not old at all, and I see no reason they can't contend for the next few years. It feels like they'd contend this year to me still, if they were able to get everyone healthy in time to get on the same page, but even if that doesn't happen I'm not seeing anything that leads me to believe it's time to blow it up or anything.

EDIT: I might be motivated to look at making changes on the training staff, if I were on the inside of all of this. Maybe. Sadly, IF the coaching staff is mostly to blame, I fear these injuries buy them time, if anything. And, I feel like firing the HC, as in knowing when to do it and where to go for a replacement, is an area in which Harrison is still utterly untested. Loads of ways THAT could go wrong...wait too late...jump the gun...hire an even worse replacement, etc. The best we can hope for this year is that the team gets healthy enough for the world to find out if Kidd learned from last year's playoff run, imho.

[StrandedOnBeauboisHill]

The best we can hope for this year is that the team gets healthy enough for the world to find out if Kidd learned from last year's playoff run, imho.

Curious to understand what you're meaning by this.  What are we hoping he learned (I have some thoughts, just curious what yours are)?

[KillerLeft]

Curious to understand what you're meaning by this.  What are we hoping he learned (I have some thoughts, just curious what yours are)?

I think it was fairly obvious, once the team got to the finals, and somewhat in the OKC series, that a higher level of sophistication and nuance was needed in the team's offensive design vs. teams of that caliber. Spam spread pick and roll until teams start switching to take the roller away? Check. They had one and only one adjustment to that in their bag - involve a defender in the screening that Luka and/or Kyrie can (hopefully) beat 1-on-1, get that defender switched onto them, and then play iso ball. That clearly wasn't enough, and was less effective and more depressing the deeper they got into the playoffs. 

The team's off-season roster moves seem to reflect an understanding of that. They added Marshall and Thompson, both of whom can shoot, pass AND handle. It's crystal clear that Kidd has put everyone on notice, even guys like Kleber, Hardy, PJW and the centers, that flooring the ball has not only ceased to be prohibited for them, but is now required. That's all a good start. The offensive schemes have looked more ball-movement forward at times this season, but the reality is that the team has had so little time on the court together (and with several new pieces, learning a newish offense) that we're not really seeing that stuff anymore. Can't run all that dribble hand-off stuff with Lively if the guys he has practiced it with aren't out there, for example. 

What I mean is: when the time comes, will Kidd have it in him to create open looks for the right guys, and is he preparing them on that stuff NOW? Need the team to get healthy relatively soon or we (the fans, media, ownership and even the GM) might still not know if he's up to that when the season ends.