MAVS NEWS:

[Chicagojk]

You make a good point about AD being behind Giannis.  That one probably comes to a head this summer as he will either sign an extension with the Bucks or they will need to trade him.  Maybe someone who had set themselves up to trade for Giannis would be interested in two years of AD as a consolation prize.  

I see three possible paths:

1.  AD is really good and the team gels as the season progresses and Kyrie returns.  As a result, we have a decent playoff run.

2.  AD produces good numbers, but the team just doesn’t work.  It takes some pressure off of Flagg in his Rookie year, but it becomes clear there is no reason to wait two more years to start to build around Flagg.

3.  AD is hurt a lot and we end up in the lottery again.

I realize this is projected to be a good draft, I think 1 and 2 above are better outcomes than 3.  They provide an AD who might have some positive trade value.  I think the third option probably puts you in the back half of the lottery and an albatross AD contract for the next two seasons.  So, I want AD to succeed here, just not so much that Nico wants to add years.  I hope that ends up being someone else’s decision to make.

#3 would be worst case for me.  Sure, I understand of the dreams of getting a top 5 pick, but there is a ton of risk there.  Yes, you could get a high pick but man does it really complicates things.

I am taking  wait and see on this season and will not get too frustrated..outside of injury.   I want to take a 20 game portrait and then will probably do it again at game 50.   Right now with the toughness of west and the awkwardness of the early Mavs, I think #2 is most likely.   So that probably gets you a top 15 pick anyway.   You can find a good player there.   OKC found J. Williams in that range.   I think it would also make it really hard to bring back Nico.  

I am rooting for #1.  I can't see myself rooting for a tank outside of the last month.   Unless a big injury run hits.   On the same side, I will not be despondent if they don't win games.

[Smitty]

I saw this and started to post it myself.  One thing I wonder, but am too lazy to look up…is Max getting more of the minutes where Kidd is playing a PG while Klay has gotten more of the non-PG minutes.  It still leaves you with a chicken/egg situation.  Is DLo helping Max’s numbers or is it the other way around.  You also have to wonder if Klay is the culprit in the problems with the lineups with all the bigs or a victim of those lineups.  

I think some of this will sort itself out eventually.  Kidd makes frustrating lineup choices early in the year every season, but he eventually tends to get to things that work.  He’s tended to close with Max almost from day one, so he clearly values what he brings.  My favorite lineup would be Kyrie/Max/PJ/Flagg/Lively, but that isn’t realistic as a starting or closing lineup if AD is healthy.  It is more realistic to swap out AD for Lively.  If you do that, then Gafford and Klay is the logical outgoing trade package if you aren’t going to ever trade AD.

As usual, you and I are on the same page. I had the same thought exercise with the first paragraph and agree completely with the second.

[Mavs2021]

Me 15 months ago: What have the poor Mexicans done to the NBA, that they send a self-destructing horrible team like Detroit there; trying to play basketball.
Me today: Lalala.

[mvossman]

I saw this and started to post it myself.  One thing I wonder, but am too lazy to look up…is Max getting more of the minutes where Kidd is playing a PG while Klay has gotten more of the non-PG minutes.  It still leaves you with a chicken/egg situation.  Is DLo helping Max’s numbers or is it the other way around.  You also have to wonder if Klay is the culprit in the problems with the lineups with all the bigs or a victim of those lineups.  

Looking at the numbers, Klay is basically bringing everyone else down.  He is not the victim, he is the perpetrator.  The Max+Dlo minutes are a crazy +34 and the Klay+Dlo minutes are -20.  The big lineups are suffering from a lack of a PG and too much Klay.

[Smitty]

@TheSteinLine
Anthony Davis is expected to be ruled out of Dallas’ game Saturday in Mexico City against Detroit after exiting Wednesday night with left lower leg soreness.

An official status update remains TBA after Davis was listed earlier in the week with bilateral Achilles tendinopathy.

[SleepingHero]

Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine)
Anthony Davis is expected to be ruled out of Dallas’ game Saturday in Mexico City against Detroit after exiting Wednesday night with left lower leg soreness.

An official status update remains TBA after Davis was listed earlier in the week with bilateral Achilles tendinopathy.


EDIT:

Smitty beat me to it!

[Chicagojk]

Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine)
Anthony Davis is expected to be ruled out of Dallas’ game Saturday in Mexico City against Detroit after exiting Wednesday night with left lower leg soreness.

An official status update remains TBA after Davis was listed earlier in the week with bilateral Achilles tendinopathy.


EDIT:

Smitty beat me to it!

Not surprising.  This is all about evaluation for me.  I hope we see Gafford and LIvely.

Are the Mavs different in not giving updates.   All we know is Exum is out.  Very little updates on AD and Lively.   We did get a few week diagnosis when Gafford got hurt.   It just feels like some of the other injuries they never give an update or timeline.

BTW, going off memory but our previous Mexico game against the Pistons was one of my favorite KP and Luka games. Can't remember much about it, but I do remember it was fun.

[Smitty]

Looking at the numbers, Klay is basically bringing everyone else down.  He is not the victim, he is the perpetrator.  The Max+Dlo minutes are a crazy +34 and the Klay+Dlo minutes are -20.  The big lineups are suffering from a lack of a PG and too much Klay.

The Lively on/off numbers are crazy good also. With AD out, it seems pretty obvious that the starting 5 should be DLO-Max-Flagg-PJW-Lively. There's an argument to be made that Naji over Flagg is the way to go, but it won't happen so no need to go down that path.

[mvossman]

The Lively on/off numbers are crazy good also. With AD out, it seems pretty obvious that the starting 5 should be DLO-Max-Flagg-PJW-Lively. There's an argument to be made that Naji over Flagg is the way to go, but it won't happen so no need to go down that path.

Yeah, his numbers are even smaller sample (he has only played 51 minutes) but they are insane.  He has played over half his minutes with the impact killer Klay at a net rating of -20, but he somehow has an overall net rating of +12.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Is Lively ready to play?

[Winter]

I haven't seen a report on that yet.

[vfromlmf]

Hilarious that AD didn't even make it five games and he's already out ... and the only reaction is "Is Lively ready to play?"

[Mavs2021]

You make a good point about AD being behind Giannis.  That one probably comes to a head this summer as he will either sign an extension with the Bucks or they will need to trade him.  Maybe someone who had set themselves up to trade for Giannis would be interested in two years of AD as a consolation prize.  

I see three possible paths:

1.  AD is really good and the team gels as the season progresses and Kyrie returns.  As a result, we have a decent playoff run.

2.  AD produces good numbers, but the team just doesn’t work.  It takes some pressure off of Flagg in his Rookie year, but it becomes clear there is no reason to wait two more years to start to build around Flagg.

3.  AD is hurt a lot and we end up in the lottery again.

I realize this is projected to be a good draft, I think 1 and 2 above are better outcomes than 3.  They provide an AD who might have some positive trade value.  I think the third option probably puts you in the back half of the lottery and an albatross AD contract for the next two seasons.  So, I want AD to succeed here, just not so much that Nico wants to add years.  I hope that ends up being someone else’s decision to make.

There is no future for this team.

We just barely went 2-1 on a five game homestand against three of the seven worst teams in the league, while being well-rested with no travel stress or hostile enviroment. The predictable players are hurt already. The moron that created that mess is still in charge. 

This is a generational draft. Rick Carlisle is happy tanking.  That´s when you know. Projected Top 7 are All-Star locks imho, except for the Mexican kid.

You fire Nico and the whole medical staff and tank.

[Chicagojk]

Looks like Lively is not in Mexico.  Wasn't a part of the team photo they just posted.   Reason why Davis is there and he is not playing but not Lively?

[Smitty]

League sources tell @TheSteinLine that Dallas indeed plans to hold Anthony Davis (left lower leg) out Saturday in Mexico City and take a cautious approach.

Meeting the local media before this afternoon's practice, Jason Kidd said the team regards Davis' status as "day to day."

[Mavs2021]

Looks like Lively is not in Mexico.  Wasn't a part of the team photo they just posted.   Reason why Davis is there and he is not playing but not Lively?

Cause AD is arguably the biggest star on both roster. I assume he´ll have to do some promotional work.

[KillerLeft]

Cause AD is arguably the biggest star on both roster. I assume he´ll have to do some promotional work.

Bingo. "NBA Ambassador Davis" reporting for duty.

[Smitty]

Looks like Lively is not in Mexico.  Wasn't a part of the team photo they just posted.   Reason why Davis is there and he is not playing but not Lively?

I’ve been waiting to see an official report the Lively did or did not travel. I know AD and Gafford did travel with the team to Mexico.


Edit: the best I could find…

@GrantAfseth
An injury report will be available later, but a few Dallas Mavericks practice notes:

- I didn’t see Dereck Lively II with the team.
- Daniel Gafford at least warmed up with the team.
- Anthony Davis said he’s “day-to-day.” He went to the back when workouts started.

[Smitty]

I’m officially at panic meter 10 with Lively. I know, I know, you’re all tired of me bringing it up but this kid just can’t stay on the floor. If I’m the Mavs FO I can’t justify giving him a big contract. I went from thinking the bone bruise designation on the second night of the B2B was a BS thing and being smart with him… to now thinking he’ll miss multiple weeks with a knee sprain.

The talent and potential are there but I think I want out of the Lively business, especially at MLE+ numbers…

Talk me off the ledge KL.

[KillerLeft]

Talk me off the ledge KL.

I think you were the one who posted his on/off impact earlier on this very page. When you have a player this impactful, you wait and let him figure out how to play a full season. This board seems to believe that health only decreases over time, but with certain types of players who are as young as lively, I submit that it can actually improve. See Tyson Chandler, Marcus Camby, etc. I just don’t think you give up on him at this point, nor do I think it should even be crossing our minds.

Now, that doesn’t mean you give him a huge contract, but there’s a world in which he doesn’t command one from any team and that might play in the Mavericks’ favor, long term. 

For now, we just watch. Of the four qualified centers on this team, he is the one I would trade last.