08-03-2021, 06:23 PM
(08-03-2021, 05:38 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: Basically, this is how I see things:
1) since 2011, the Mavericks have been trying different versions of this more flexible approach to team building. I feel like there have been subtle changes to philosophy from within that approach, but mostly fans just refer to it as an all encompassing “plan powder.“ That’s fine.
2) I hated it in 2011, I hated it all the way through the years when Dirk couldn’t really play anymore, but I started to see the possibilities of it the second Luka was drafted. I felt that the opportunity for it to succeed increased exponentially with the generational superstar in place. But, like having a quarterback on his rookie contract in the NFL, the clock was ticking until this summer. At times I was happy the Mavs missed out on targets like Bullock, because I viewed the next opportunity for something better as a better path then some of the names everyone around here was infatuated with.
3) Had the KP trade and extension not been such a colossal failure (to this point), I think they might have done quite a bit better these last couple of seasons.
4) Alas, this approach was not successful, and I feel that’s pretty hard to argue at this point. They wanted to get another star next to Luka before his extension, and unless this is the best trade deadline ever, it doesn’t look like that is going to happen. That is a fail.
5) I believe this strategy came straight from Cuban, and if Harrison had replaced Donnie LAST SEASON, I think we would have seen them pass on guys like Bullock at that time, just like they did. I have no idea yet whether he would have made a difference with how successful they were at their primary targets. We never will.
6) Now that we are in the final off-season of cheap Luka, it seems clear that everyone realized that the time to plan for year to year space is over and so they made some deals. They aren’t super sexy deals, but I bet they were the best deals they could make. Who knows if this is an official long-term change or if they’ll just position themselves for the off-season of 2023 or whatever. I guess that all depends on where they go with Porzingis from here. But, they signed the best players they could.
7) I don’t think it’s the best off-season ever by any stretch of the imagination, and I think the overall plan from 2018 to now has to be viewed as a failure, but this off-season in a vacuum was actually a little bit better than I expected. I do see evidence that they went into the market place with a type of player in mind, and to me that is a good start.
8) I would think that the posters who have been most vocal about their displeasure for the approach over the past decade would be happier than they seem to be. These are not one year deals, they did not lowball people to preserve cap space for next summer. The players you wanted had better opportunities to play on teams they preferred in most cases. Or, maybe in some cases, the new Mavs management team just didn’t like those players as much as you did. But, the philosophy you hated seems to be fairly over, at least for the time being.
Anyone should feel free to call me on any of this if you think I am misinterpreting it. That’s just how I can justify being upset with the long term results but OK-ish with the last 48 hours. No use crying about it, imo.
Expectations have changed now that the Mavs have acquired a potential top 5 all time player — a Jordan, Magic, Bird, Lebron level talent. Luka is a corporation, so far, the Mavs are running a nice lemonade stand, assuming the latest moves work out. On the one hand, maybe the Mavs have kicked the can down the road without making the big mistake, but they’ll have to come up with something splashy soon and show that they can pinch their weight (I mean Luka’s weight) or this will end badly. The walls and sacrifice bunts aren’t going to cut it.