MAVS NEWS:

[KillerLeft]

I like boffum!

Me, too, my dude. I LOVE PJW. 

I just don't love his fit with Flagg as much as you do. 

To be fair, this move might not portend what I think it does, and their prospective fits with Flagg might not even factor into any sort of "reshaping" of the roster at all. And if that ends up being the case, I'll be in the camp that thinks this was a waste of the TPE and 3 2nds.

[KillerLeft]

Khris return has not been ruled out.

This is not a knock against Stein, but I don't put much stock in his Mavs reports.  I don't think he is making things up but he is getting stuff from agents probably.    A quick nugget the Mavs have interest in Simons may pump up some urgency from another team or two.     I don't think anything is leaking from Dallas.


https://x.com/MavsFilmRoom/status/2072737033622032398

He's not only getting stuff from agents - he's got front office contacts all over the league. He and Jake Fischer are both VERY plugged in. 

But I think it's fair to assume the current status of his MAVS sources isn't as robust as it used to be (the nice way of saying it). Kinda seems like Cuban was a significant portion of his Mavs info.

[Chicagojk]

so lets see.  Coach Dusty May won the NCAA championship.    Morez Johnson won the NCAA tournament.    Sergio won a championship.  A Tarik the guy they acquired yesterday won a championship with the coach some could be a candidate with the Mavs this year.


https://x.com/BasketNews_com/status/2068047580664156478

[mvossman]

Oh...I disagree with that part, then. I think he's a great fit if you only look at those two next to him. Almost ideal, in fact...IF you're looking at all three in a 4/5 sort of rotation. But, I also think that group, together, is among the better options for a bigger lineup I've seen around here.

I'm not sure an Aldama/Flagg frontcourt is going to be a viable defensive option.  If we are talking about great combination for 4/5 rotation I like Lively/Rez/Flagg quite a bit better.  Maybe they are giving up on Lively.

[KillerLeft]

Khris return has not been ruled out.

https://x.com/MavsFilmRoom/status/2072737033622032398

Not sure how legit this is, but I will say that both he and the Mavs made the mutual decision not to buy him out so he could ring chase last season, so the assumption he'd suddenly want to ring chase for the minimum this season always struck me as odd. No matter what, I hope the Mavs are able to get something for their trouble...a 2nd in a sign and trade...something. 

And, germane to our conversation today re Aldama and PJW...Middleton has permitter skills. To my thinking, he'd be more of a fit with how I'd want Flagg used, too. I think he's a bit on the old side for me, personally, but I don't hate the fit in terms of play style at all.

[KillerLeft]

I'm not sure an Aldama/Flagg frontcourt is going to be a viable defensive option.  If we are talking about great combination for 4/5 rotation I like Lively/Rez/Flagg quite a bit better.  Maybe they are giving up on Lively.

I can't worry about defense until I see an offense that holds my attention through an entire game and provides Flagg with space to become what he can. 

I don't think Aldama ruins the defense, especially if mixed in with guys like Flagg, Johnson, Lively, etc. I think the main issues with that defense are likely happening on the perimeter, but MOSTLY, I want to fix this team's OFFENSE.

[Smitty]

All Things Mavs | Jimmy C Hoops (@All_Things_Mavs)
Stein (@TheSteinLine) believes Josh Broghamer and Phil Handy will remain on Dusty May's coaching staff.

Frank Vogel is no longer with the Mavs, and Jay Triano is expected to join Micah Nori's staff in Portland.

[Scott41theMavs]

I'm not sure an Aldama/Flagg frontcourt is going to be a viable defensive option.  If we are talking about great combination for 4/5 rotation I like Lively/Rez/Flagg quite a bit better.  Maybe they are giving up on Lively.

“An Aldama/Flagg frontcourt’s defense” - frontcourts are 3 players. I think an Aldama/Rez/Flagg frontcourt would be beyond viable defensively.

[dirkfansince1998]

All Things Mavs | Jimmy C Hoops (@All_Things_Mavs)
Stein (@TheSteinLine) believes Josh Broghamer and Phil Handy will remain on Dusty May's coaching staff.

Frank Vogel is no longer with the Mavs, and Jay Triano is expected to join Micah Nori's staff in Portland.

No clue about Broghamer but Handy is THE relationship guy. Players love him. Makes sense to keep him.

[cow]

“An Aldama/Flagg frontcourt’s defense” - frontcourts are 3 players. I think an Aldama/Rez/Flagg frontcourt would be beyond viable defensively.

Rez with you and me beside him would be viable defensively.

[mvossman]

If there's a difference between the two shooter's, it's this. Aldami's game is almost everywhere on the court facing the basket and shooting from a variety of distances. He appears to hunt for any perimeter shot if he's open. That's not PJ's game who does his best work down low. PJ shoots from the perimeter on catch-and-shoot corner threes and occasionally from the elbow - and is a very good rebounder and player inside. They are both good. But as Killer mentioned, there's a real difference in spacing and how defenses will defend these players.

This is well put, and I would agree that he is a better fit offensively.  But he is a worse fit defensively, especially if you can't viably play him at center.  Just seems odd to spend assets at a position that you were already set both short term and long.

[Winter]

This is well put, and I would agree that he is a better fit offensively.  But he is a worse fit defensively, especially if you can't viably play him at center.  Just seems odd to spend assets at a position that you were already set both short term and long.

I've never watched him on defense so I wouldn't know. But as a perimeter threat, he's the one thing we don't have in our bigs.

[mvossman]

“An Aldama/Flagg frontcourt’s defense” - frontcourts are 3 players. I think an Aldama/Rez/Flagg frontcourt would be beyond viable defensively.

I meant at the 5 and 4.  That grouping would be fine, but I would have rather spent assets to find a small forward that could provide Aldama level shooting and better perimeter defense.

[Chicagojk]

Seems telling that Tarik supposedly wants to play in then NBA next year and is then thrown into a trade yesterday.  

He has good size and a beautiful shot.   Looks like one of those guys who may find it hard to deal with the speed and quickness of the NBA.

I think the Mavs are going to be aggressive.  I thought a few weeks ago that they were not going to be.

[KillerLeft]

I meant at the 5 and 4.  That grouping would be fine, but I would have rather spent assets to find a small forward that could provide Aldama level shooting and better perimeter defense.

See, to me that's a completely different player. They might still get that guy, tomorrow, or two years down the road! 

THIS is a stretch BIG. I don't care what anyone says - you CAN play him at center. Or, if your opponent is playing super big, you CAN use him to pull a big out of the paint, even if he is at the 4. 

I really hope the roster ends up making more sense fairly soon. I'd hate to spend all this energy arguing about this and find out the roster construction is even crazier than last year.

Look, if Aldama is out there with EITHER Flagg OR Johnson...does it really matter who's low man? You don't think that could work, defensively, if used at appropriate times against appropriate opponents? Man, I do...idk, maybe I'm naive.

[michaeltex]

Is it safe to say that we're not just improving shooting, but we're building depth as well? Injury, Illness, fatigue, personal issues, etc. all cause missed games. Beyond whoever is starting, it seems like the MBT is building depth to absorb these problems and still keep performance high. It also provides flexibility against opponent's play style or someone's off night.

Given the amount of missed games the last few years, that's not a bad place to be.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

I meant at the 5 and 4.  That grouping would be fine, but I would have rather spent assets to find a small forward that could provide Aldama level shooting and better perimeter defense.

Yep. I just see too many guys whose best position is the 4. That’s the big problem for me. You already had too many guys whose best position is the 4. Now you’ve added more. 

You can write down 1-2 of them as a center and 1-2 as a small forward on paper and go “see they all fit.” I don’t know. It’s tough. One might call these players versatile. I say penciling them in out of position isn’t versatility.

For me, PJ would have to be moved for a solid return for any of this to make sense.

[mvossman]

See, to me that's a completely different player. They might still get that guy, tomorrow, or two years down the road! 

THIS is a stretch BIG. I don't care what anyone says - you CAN play him at center. Or, if your opponent is playing super big, you CAN use him to pull a big out of the paint, even if he is at the 4. 

I really hope the roster ends up making more sense fairly soon. I'd hate to spend all this energy arguing about this and find out the roster construction is even crazier than last year.

Look, if Aldama is out there with EITHER Flagg OR Johnson...does it really matter who's low man? You don't think that could work, defensively, if used at appropriate times against appropriate opponents? Man, I do...idk, maybe I'm naive.

Could you get away with that at times?  Sure.  Would you want to that often when you have Lively/Rez/Flagg available?  Not really.  I guess you can consider him insurance against Rez developing a viable 3 point shot.  In my mind Rez was always going to be the long term stretch big who can play the 4 and 5, in which case Aldama is kind of redundant.  If they have no faith in Lively health and see Rez as a full time 5 then it would make more sense to me.

[KillerLeft]

Could you get away with that at times?  Sure.  Would you want to that often when you have Lively/Rez/Flagg available?  Not really.

See...I think THAT trio is problematic offensively. At least until Johnson becomes a much, much more lethal shooter from the outside. I think he will, to be clear, but not right away. 

Defensively, I agree that's a great trio, but I don't think ALL THREE of them need to be plus defenders, especially given that this offense has been so incredibly sad.

[mvossman]

Is it safe to say that we're not just improving shooting, but we're building depth as well? Injury, Illness, fatigue, personal issues, etc. all cause missed games. Beyond whoever is starting, it seems like the MBT is building depth to absorb these problems and still keep performance high. It also provides flexibility against opponent's play style or someone's off night.

Given the amount of missed games the last few years, that's not a bad place to be.

For some of the roster, yes.  I mean this team is set at power forward.  But there is zero depth in the backcourt.  Kyrie is going to get run into the ground at this rate.