MAVS NEWS:

[F Gump]

I've had the same thought. Kai Jones showed that he's an NBA-level player at least, so I think other Center needy teams would like to have him for the Min. My assumption is that he wants to be here.

This is where I am too.

I think he can be a long term backup solution and fit nicely here. So imo just do it. 

But afaik no news has emerged to indicate that Kai really wants DAL (or anyplace else, frankly) ... or that DAL would prefer Kai over DP.... or that DAL is looking to re-home DP (a necessity if they are to sign Kai).

[mvossman]

While I follow your point, I tend to disagree that this road is the one that's going to get you farthest when all is said and done.

If the team sux, yes a singular player imposing his will is the best path to being very good. Let one very good player always do it all, because the rest will mess up. 

But imo that has a ceiling. 

For me, looking at overall basketball theory, I come down to the idea that 1 player can be limited easier than 5 ... so if you become completely heliocentric, you create a limit on your overall potential as a team. Potentially attacking from any of 3 or 4 directions any time up the court is better. Not a my turn your turn model, but a dynamic "anyone on any possession" approach with synergy. 

Speaking to the Luka model in particular: because the ball has to go to him EVERY play, it creates a choke point that helps the defense. The vast majority of times, the ball came up court only as fast as Luka did, and the attack only started when Luka attacked. The ball often went backwards to Luka. 

Luka is superior in being creative in attacking (in the half court) of course, but imo he is partly overcoming the obstacle that is artificially created by having the ball always in his hands, and only going through Luka, and going so slow. 

If Luka being hyper-heliocentric was superior, Mav's offense ppp should have been league's best if he's the best at that style. I don’t think that's been the case. 

Luka's style is always a star showcase, to be sure. 

APPLICATION. Luka is the best at what he does ... but I think there are better more effective overall approaches than how he does it. 

So imo Mavs dont need "another Luka" to be able to be effective. They need a better overall attack, which can come from many players in many ways.

You seem focused on Luka's style (heliocentric) and I am more focused on the simple fact that he is one of the two best creators in the NBA.  That is very hard to replace (regardless of style).  Most of the NBA champions/contenders had an elite offensive creator (generally not as heliocentric as Luka).  I don't think a 34 year old Kyrie coming off an ACL tear is going to be that guy.  He is an elite secondary creator.  And AD is not that guy.  And if Flagg is ever going to be that guy (which would make him MVP with everything else he brings to the table) it will take significant time/development for him to get there.  That means in the shorter Kyrie/AD window they are going to have to create by committee.  Not a lot of history of that being successful unless you count Boston, but Tatum is at least near elite and he was surrounded by an insane amount of talent.  If that is the model to follow (I think their only option) then the move would be to play out this season and then trade for your Jrue (or even Derrick White) next offseason.

[KillerLeft]

I've had the same thought. Kai Jones showed that he's an NBA-level player at least, so I think other Center needy teams would like to have him for the Min. My assumption is that he wants to be here. So, moving Powell makes sense if that's the case. Indy is the only obvious one with the Carlisle connection. Probably just wishful thinking on our part. It's not like I expect Powell to be moved, just that it'd be my preferred route.

I like Jones. I think if they moved Powell, he'd be a good replacement. 

I don't think not making that move would represent some sort of missed opportunity, because a year from now there might be a Jones-level player you like just as much or more. In the meantime, I have very little doubt that Powell is probably the safer bet on the court when this one season is viewed in a vacuum. 

And, if things go according to plan, neither would play a single minute of important basketball this season. It was a way more important debate in my mind before they paid more than the MLE to keep Gafford. 

How long before we hear anything about him signing? If the Mavs don't sign him, will anyone? This is a dude who was available for 10-day contracts late in the year last season. I don't think there will be much competition for his services.

[KillerLeft]

You seem focused on Luka's style (heliocentric) and I am more focused on the simple fact that he is one of the two best creators in the NBA.  That is very hard to replace (regardless of style).  Most of the NBA champions/contenders had an elite offensive creator (generally not as heliocentric as Luka).  I don't think a 34 year old Kyrie coming off an ACL tear is going to be that guy.  He is an elite secondary creator.  And AD is not that guy.  And if Flagg is ever going to be that guy (which would make him MVP with everything else he brings to the table) it will take significant time/development for him to get there.  That means in the shorter Kyrie/AD window they are going to have to create by committee.  Not a lot of history of that being successful unless you count Boston, but Tatum is at least near elite and he was surrounded by an insane amount of talent.  If that is the model to follow (I think their only option) then the move would be to play out this season and then trade for your Jrue (or even Derrick White) next offseason.

It's an interesting conversation. 

Are Luka, SGA and Harden so great, or do they just have the ball 99% of the time? Is the fact that they have the ball simultaneously making them great AND ultimately holding their teams back? I think Haliburton is (or was) becoming close to that same level of player, only with the understanding that his job was to get his teammates into position to score, not always score himself. But, does an offense predicated on beautiful ball movement need a player that good to succeed? When you see a great offense clicking on all cylinders, working with synergy, does it always include 1-2 guys who could put up Luka/Harden style of play if they wanted?

Difficult questions to answer, all, and part of why I love basketball so much. 

I think you're probably right about there not being enough offensive skill here at the moment in a general sense. As an aside, I agree with you even more about the potential defensive problems they're likely to face. But, I also kind of see where Gump is coming from, too. I am so done with the heliocentric Luka/Harden/SGA crap that I almost welcome the idea of avoiding having that type of player. Ideally, you want a version of that type of player, like Haliburton, who understands how to make the team work, not just how to be "the system," in Harden's recent words. But, I don't think that's ever going to be Luka. I think he's kind of selfish, truth be told. So, in a weird way, while the offense will clearly miss his impact until something is put back in its place (which I take to be your main point), I think the team might weirdly be on an elevated path at this point, even without knowing what their plan is with that. And, I don't necessarily think we'll see the plan coming. If/when the offense is next successful, I'm trying to stay open-minded to the idea that it will work in a way I don't currently expect.

[Smitty]

I like Jones. I think if they moved Powell, he'd be a good replacement. 

I don't think not making that move would represent some sort of missed opportunity, because a year from now there might be a Jones-level player you like just as much or more. In the meantime, I have very little doubt that Powell is probably the safer bet on the court when this one season is viewed in a vacuum. 

And, if things go according to plan, neither would play a single minute of important basketball this season. It was a way more important debate in my mind before they paid more than the MLE to keep Gafford. 

How long before we hear anything about him signing? If the Mavs don't sign him, will anyone? This is a dude who was available for 10-day contracts late in the year last season. I don't think there will be much competition for his services.

I think it's well known I'm not high on Powell and what he can provide on the court these days. I agree that if he or Jones were getting any real minutes when it matters, we're in a bad way anyway. I personally just enjoy watching the uber athletic big that brings some excitement on game day. I don't necessarily view him as a player that's going to put it all together and become a rotational Big here for the next 5 years, but I do feel pretty strongly that Powell won't be. So, it's really just a preference thing.

He did average 11/7 in 21 MPG, showing for the first time in his career that he might actually live up to that 19th pick status. He's had a lot of off-court issues the last 4 years. If he's finally got his head right, I think he can play in the NBA is all.

[KillerLeft]

I think it's well known I'm not high on Powell and what he can provide on the court these days. I agree that if he or Jones were getting any real minutes when it matters, we're in a bad way anyway. I personally just enjoy watching the uber athletic big that brings some excitement on game day. I don't necessarily view him as a player that's going to put it all together and become a rotational Big here for the next 5 years, but I do feel pretty strongly that Powell won't be. So, it's really just a preference thing.

Yeah, I mean if it's just about who you prefer watching for this one year I get it. 

My point is that either guy is likely gone next year anyway. Powell is expiring and Jones would be on a 1-year minimum, I assume. There's no point even considering looking for a perennial 3rd center who's a cheap plus until you're not already paying MLE+ money to guy who has that actual job covered. 

It's certainly not worth attaching a 2nd to get off of one year of Powell money just to avoid "losing" Jones, imho, and even if you can find a team who'd take him if you sent cash to pay part or all of his salary (I'm guessing you could easily do that), I'd have a hard time justifying that to the guy who actually has to send the money, end of day. Again, if Gafford was gone and I actually thought one of Powell/Jones would play this season in even a slightly extended version of my everyday rotation, I'd really think hard about options like that. But, I'd also widen the net a little and consider whether or not Jones was the ideal guy. It might be that he is the guy you'd want in that scenario, everything considered, but my point is that missing out on him isn't going to be something we look back on in three years as some huge missed opportunity. There will always be Kai Jones types around the fringes of the NBA, looking for opportunities. The trick is to make the right choices to fill the opportunities you have, not bend over backwards to create opportunities for them.

[mvossman]

It's an interesting conversation. 

Are Luka, SGA and Harden so great, or do they just have the ball 99% of the time? Is the fact that they have the ball simultaneously making them great AND ultimately holding their teams back? I think Haliburton is (or was) becoming close to that same level of player, only with the understanding that his job was to get his teammates into position to score, not always score himself. But, does an offense predicated on beautiful ball movement need a player that good to succeed? When you see a great offense clicking on all cylinders, working with synergy, does it always include 1-2 guys who could put up Luka/Harden style of play if they wanted?

Its a good question.  Have we seen a team like that win the finals?  The closest I can think of is Warriors, but they had an elite creator in Curry.  I don't know that Toronto played beautiful basketball, but they had a committee of quality creators (DeRozan, Lowery, VanVleet, Siakam) but didn't do anything until they got a true elite creator in Kawhi.  It seems like you need that elite talent regardless of your offensive style, but with beautiful ball movement that guy might only need to be 30% usage instead of 35.

[KillerLeft]

Its a good question.  Have we seen a team like that win the finals?  The closest I can think of is Warriors, but they had an elite creator in Curry.  I don't know that Toronto played beautiful basketball, but they had a committee of quality creators (DeRozan, Lowery, VanVleet, Siakam) but didn't do anything until they got a true elite creator in Kawhi.  It seems like you need that elite talent regardless of your offensive style, but with beautiful ball movement that guy might only need to be 30% usage instead of 35.

I really struggle with the idea that numbers and stats (as we use them) can be an answer to questions like these. 

I think NBA offense is and will always be played "inside out," meaning the ball will have to touch the paint, either through dribble penetration or the post pass. These days, it's mostly achieved through dribble penetration and the post pass is directed most to cutters on a dead sprint, not lumbering dinosaurs who've fought for position close to the basket. But, in a way, not that much has or will ever change. You won't hit enough of your 3's if you don't have a way to generate good ones. 

Like you, I look at this roster and have a hard time seeing how the Mavs plan to create the initial advantage that gets defenses moving, no matter how they plan to play offense. And, maybe even more than you, I struggle to trust Kidd to invent something creative that capitalizes on the talents their current players possess, so I have some of the same worries you do.

But, in a general sense, I like the idea of everyone touching the ball, and I think there's more offensive talent here (even if you must label it "secondary") than your thinking seems (to me) to acknowledge. In other words, if/when they figure out how to base this offense on something, I have a good feeling about the other guys (except maybe Gafford, if that original something isn't spread pick and roll, but I digress) finding a way to succeed in its wake. 

Further, I am much higher on Russell than you seem to be, and I think we might be on the verge of a very, very good season from him. What if the Lively/Gafford contributions to the recent pick and roll success here were more crucial than we thought, and not quite as "coattail riding" as we have assumed? That's just one example of a way in which this conversation could seem silly in a month that doesn't involve "so many things going right" or however you put it earlier.

Also, there's the Flagg of it all. I think it's dangerous to expect him to play point from day one, but I'm also not sure how smart it is to bet the house against him making a significant impact on offense (in some way) right off the bat. I suppose that would count towards "so many things going right." Just saying. 

Idk, I just have more hope this works than you do, I suppose. In fact, I'm realizing more and more that I have more hope than I did going into last season, bizarrely. It seems that many on the board watched the DAL/BOS finals and thought "you know, any other year against any other team," and they might have been right, but what I thought was "Luka doesn't get how to do this, and I'm not sure he ever will."

[F Gump]

.... even if you can find a team who'd take him if you sent cash to pay part or all of his salary (I'm guessing you could easily do that), I'd have a hard time justifying that to the guy who actually has to send the money, end of day. 

Your points about the relative merits of Kai vs others were good, but I have an informational point about this ^ issue.

It should be a nothing burger anyhow, in this context, to pony up the cost of doing business. 

But in this case, should be even easier to sell, if that's necessary.

Why? The cash being paid to attach to DP to pay his $4M salary in a trade would actually be "free." The difference in tax for DAL in moving from DP to a min salary player would exceed $5M.

[KillerLeft]

Your points about the relative merits of Kai vs others were good, but I have an informational point about this ^ issue.

It should be a nothing burger anyhow, in this context, to pony up the cost of doing business. 

But in this case, should be even easier to sell, if that's necessary.

Why? The cash being paid to attach to DP to pay his $4M salary in a trade would actually be "free." The difference in tax for DAL in moving from DP to a min salary player would exceed $5M.

Interesting info - thanks for that.

[Scott41theMavs]

Its a good question.  Have we seen a team like that win the finals?  The closest I can think of is Warriors, but they had an elite creator in Curry.  I don't know that Toronto played beautiful basketball, but they had a committee of quality creators (DeRozan, Lowery, VanVleet, Siakam) but didn't do anything until they got a true elite creator in Kawhi.  It seems like you need that elite talent regardless of your offensive style, but with beautiful ball movement that guy might only need to be 30% usage instead of 35.

Well-expressed.

I tend not to be on your level of pessimism overall, but I do agree that Flagg, our "rich man's Pippen," will eventually need a "poor man's Jordan." If Flagg is good enough at what he does, a typically-option-two guy like Kyrie might be good enough. But as it stands, this roster is extremely parched for creators.

[Smitty]

Why? The cash being paid to attach to DP to pay his $4M salary in a trade would actually be "free." The difference in tax for DAL in moving from DP to a min salary player would exceed $5M.

Interesting... I've never had the desire to understand the tax penalties and repeater tax stuff. So, I'm assuming the Mavs will be in the repeater category? Or is the tax penalty really 3X ($1,729,265 difference between Powell and VetMin)?

[F Gump]

KL, btw I would assume Kai (if signed) is on a 2 year minimum or a 1+1 TO, or something giving Mavs 2 years of control for doing the deal. At the minimum, why not.get longer control, to better reward the effort?

I also think a 3rd-S C is a job the Mavs will continue to fill, for multiple reasons including developing for future needs. I do not include players who position-flex in the roster allocation numbers, even though they obviously impact distribution of minutes. (If such a player gets injured, and you have him listed in 2 positions, it creates 2 holes to fill by the injury to only one player. That's an instant crisis. So imo better to fully stock each position.)

[KillerLeft]

KL, btw I would assume Kai (if signed) is on a 2 year minimum or a 1+1 TO, or something giving Mavs 2 years of control for doing the deal. At the minimum, why not.get longer control, to better reward the effort?

I also think a 3rd-S C is a job the Mavs  will continue to fill, for multiple reasons including developing for future needs. I do not include players who position-flex in the roster allocation numbers, even though they obviously impact distribution of minutes. (If such a player gets injured, and you have him listed in 2 positions, it creates 2 holes to fill by the injury to only one player. That's an instant crisis. So imo better to fully stock each position.)

Ok, but the position is fully stocked, because Powell is here. You just like Jones better, and I get that. 

I think it's possible they like Powell better, and in fact, if both players were on the market, looking for minimums, I'd guess Powell would've been signed already. Obviously, I don't know that, and that's not the part I care about in this conversation, necessarily. 

End of day, the way you feel/felt about Exum AND Jones is the way I feel/felt about one or the other, depending on how this Gafford thing shook out. If they had traded Gafford for a starting level guard, hypothetically, I might've really pined for Jones to be added, and in some scenarios I might even be making a similar argument about how Exum wasn't needed enough to go to great lengths to sign him. But, with Gafford here, I thought Exum was absolutely crucial, and I could go either way with the Kai Jones/Powell thing. 

I don't mean to trivialize the "around the margins" type of moves, as I think over time, how a team handles those can make life better/easier when it comes to team building, and you can even find some real gems that way. But, it's tough for me to zero in on one such move at a time when I, personally, don't see a path to on-court contribution for either player in question, and option A is coming off the books at year's end, anyway. I think the biggest argument (maybe I'm wrong) in favor would be to lower this season's payroll enough to allow for more "wiggle room" to deal with the sort of trouble they got into late last season, but if I'm thinking that way I'm probably more focused on Hardy than Powell. 

On the other hand, I suppose I'd be happy that they made this move we're discussing. It's just not something that will make or break the summer for me (and not finding a way to bring back Exum would have).

[F Gump]

Ok, but the position is fully stocked, because Powell is here. You just like Jones better, and I get that. 

I think it's possible they like Powell better, and in fact, if both players were on the market, looking for minimums, I'd guess Powell would've been signed already. Obviously, I don't know that, and that's not the part I care about in this conversation, necessarily.

Well duh, yes DP is already signed and fills C3 need (more or less), and it would take effort to have Kai instead.

However, we saw Kai here last season, and he was better than DP. Right? You aren't saying you saw otherwise, are you? He's also younger and perhaps has some future upside (and I doubt ANYONE would say that of DP). And his salary is less, so if you can swap Kai for DP you also gain some future payroll flexibility maybe. So why the pushback?

-- None of this has any relevance to Gaff decision (done), Exum (coming somehow), or Hardy (how would moving Hardy have ANY bearing on Kai-for-DP). Hardy feels like a completely diff (very unrelated) issue, however if you have a tie-in ...

[ADDED. Re Exum, my wish has never said Kai instead of Exum. Exum WILL BE added by some means and this is what else I wish to see also after Exum; to be very clear, if the only way for space for Exum was waiving DP, then by all means we add Exum. A commitment has already been made to Exum, so obviously there is no scenario in which Exum is not added.]

I will say that you perhaps have assumed this Kai-for-DP wish is only about a one-year fill-in, to save a few bucks for a year and be a smidge improved w C3 -- nope, those are not my general primary motives. Yes it saves a few, and yes, it does help justify the move, but if you will recall, I only brought that savings up when you said Kai-for-DP would add cost for owners.

However, I am seeing a road for planning ahead, seeing (maybe) an available cheaper younger backup, a player who can be developed, maybe improve and maybe help for a few years. Or more. For minimum while we figure it out. Replacing a player of no real use anymore.

SPECIFICS. I would want a 2-year min deal w Kai (yr 2 ng), or a 1+1 (to), or similar, but an ongoing deal (not a 1 yr deal -- if he said 1 yr only, I say no). Sadly Mavs have no way to offer more than 2 yrs. However, 2 years means if he does develop, Mavs have a path (Early Bird) to signing permission to keep him. IMO we had a successful tryout w Kai who showed much promise (!) so should follow up accordingly.

[F Gump]

Interesting... I've never had the desire to understand the tax penalties and repeater tax stuff. So, I'm assuming the Mavs will be in the repeater category? Or is the tax penalty really 3X ($1,729,265 difference between Powell and VetMin)?

DISCLAIMER. The tax calculation math is a nightmare because just about EVERY number and bracket ratchets proportionally from year to year. IIUC the size of the brackets, the tax for each bracket, etc is all adjusted. I need to redo my widget each year, in the same way as salary scales and exceptions, but it's a lot of work so I am way behind on being precise.

But best as I can figure, the tax savings here would be ~$3.25 per $1. Or so. Kai min vs DP is a bit over $1.5M. 

FWIW, we could also add in the diff in salaries as well, which would be another $1.5M in savings.

[Smitty]

DISCLAIMER. The tax calculation math is a nightmare because just about EVERY number and bracket ratchets proportionally from year to year. IIUC the size of the brackets, the tax for each bracket, etc is all adjusted. I need to redo my widget each year, in the same way as salary scales and exceptions, but it's a lot of work so I am way behind on being precise.

But best as I can figure, the tax savings here would be ~$3.25 per $1. Or so. Kai min vs DP is a bit over $1.5M. 

FWIW, we could also add in the diff in salaries as well, which would be another $1.5M in savings.

Well, knowing what I know now, I’d actually be shocked if that wasn’t a move they make. Why would the owner/GM choose an inferior, older player and pay $5M+ extra to do so. I guess the hold up for me is how much money would it take for someone to take on DP? You think you have to send $4M+ to cover his entire salary so he can be waived by whoever you trade him to? What incentive does that team have to do so? Do you have to send $5M, with $1M being the “reason”? I guess what I’m saying is I don’t think anyone is trading for Powell to actually help them on the court, so what makes sense for a team to help the Mavs..

[F Gump]

Well, knowing what I know now, I’d actually be shocked if that wasn’t a move they make. Why would the owner/GM choose an inferior, older player and pay $5M+ extra to do so. I guess the hold up for me is how much money would it take for someone to take on DP? You think you have to send $4M+ to cover his entire salary so he can be waived by whoever you trade him to? What incentive does that team have to do so? Do you have to send $5M, with $1M being the “reason”? I guess what I’m saying is I don’t think anyone is trading for Powell to actually help them on the court, so what makes sense for a team to help the Mavs..

You obviously ask questions that a good NBA negotiator should know the answer to. We have seen such deals as you guess, but circumstances do change.

I think there could be several moving parts to the answer. In particular, are Mavs wanting to include another player? And if so, does he have value or not? Also, how much cap room (or how big of a tpe) are we working with?

I looks to me like BKN still has huge room under the cap minimum, which is a big no-no (dollar-for-dollar cash penalties to NBA at start of season apply). Do they have more spending ahead? If only a little, they would love such deals (and need them) and would basically net every dollar of cash they got in such a deal, so they might offer DAL a really good price to take a waivable player or 2.

[KillerLeft]

[ADDED. Re Exum, my wish has never said Kai instead of Exum. Exum WILL BE added by some means and this is what else I wish to see also after Exum; to be very clear, if the only way for space for Exum was waiving DP, then by all means we add Exum. A commitment has already been made to Exum, so obviously there is no scenario in which Exum is not added.]

No, I got that. The way I word things must be tough. I was saying YOU want BOTH, and I only care about the one in the area of need, as I perceive it. The point was just that if Gafford had been moved, presumably for a high-minute guard, MY priority might have switched from Exum to Jones (or someone like him I liked better, maybe), because with Russell, high minute guard X, Christie, Williams, many of Thompson's minutes and, eventually, Kyrie, who cares about Exum. Since they didn't move Gafford, same thinking, only Lively, AD, Gafford and even some PJW...don't care who's in that last, emergency center spot so much. That's me, though. I didn't mean to suggest anything about your thinking - I know you wanted them both.

[KillerLeft]

Well duh, yes DP is already signed and fills C3 need (more or less), and it would take effort to have Kai instead.

However, we saw Kai here last season, and he was better than DP. Right? You aren't saying you saw otherwise, are you? He's also younger and perhaps has some future upside (and I doubt ANYONE would say that of DP). And his salary is less, so if you can swap Kai for DP you also gain some future payroll flexibility maybe. So why the pushback?

-- None of this has any relevance to Gaff decision (done), Exum (coming somehow), or Hardy (how would moving Hardy have ANY bearing on Kai-for-DP). Hardy feels like a completely diff (very unrelated) issue, however if you have a tie-in ...

[ADDED. Re Exum, my wish has never said Kai instead of Exum. Exum WILL BE added by some means and this is what else I wish to see also after Exum; to be very clear, if the only way for space for Exum was waiving DP, then by all means we add Exum. A commitment has already been made to Exum, so obviously there is no scenario in which Exum is not added.]

I will say that you perhaps have assumed this Kai-for-DP wish is only about a one-year fill-in, to save a few bucks for a year and be a smidge improved w C3 -- nope, those are not my general primary motives. Yes it saves a few, and yes, it does help justify the move, but if you will recall, I only brought that savings up when you said Kai-for-DP would add cost for owners.

However, I am seeing a road for planning ahead, seeing (maybe) an available cheaper younger backup, a player who can be developed, maybe improve and maybe help for a few years. Or more. For minimum while we figure it out. Replacing a player of no real use anymore.

SPECIFICS. I would want a 2-year min deal w Kai (yr 2 ng), or a 1+1 (to), or similar, but an ongoing deal (not a 1 yr deal -- if he said 1 yr only, I say no). Sadly Mavs have no way to offer more than 2 yrs. However, 2 years means if he does develop, Mavs have a path (Early Bird) to signing permission to keep him. IMO we had a successful tryout w Kai who showed much promise (!) so should follow up accordingly.

As for every other point above, and again, only my opinion:

Yeah, I think Powell might still be better than Jones in this situation. He's experienced, plays hard, is well respected around the league, and in that scenario that matters this season...let's say game 4 of round 1, someone is hurt, then someone else gets into foul trouble, but you want to stay pretty big, and have to play one of those two guys. I'd honestly rather have Powell in that situation. He's been there before. 

Again, if Gafford was gone, I'd absolutely be thinking more about locking in a good, cheap 3rd guy with some type of upside, hoping to get ahead of the curve for this season and future seasons. 

But, while I like Kai Jones, I don't think he's anything special, and I probably would've forgotten him by now if we weren't discussing him so much. He can run and jump. This might be naive of me, but I feel like there will be other guys - younger guys, who can run faster and jump higher - around when I need to find one.