2021-2022 ROSTER TALK: [ARCHIVED]

[Jason Terry]

I see a lot of comments regarding old regime vs new regime.  I think it is fairly well established that Cuban was effectively the GM and Donnie was basically a glorified scout with a good eye for European talent (Dirk, Giannis, Luka).  I know there has been lip service to Nico being the GM, but there is very little evidence to suggest that so far.  Based on what I see, Nico was brought in to bring organization and attract free agents (something he completely failed at in his first year).  Here is what I see:

1.  If Cuban really wanted somebody to completely take over GM duties, it makes no sense to hire somebody with zero NBA front office experience.  This screams more than anything to me that Cuban intends to keep a very heavy hand in doings, and is not ready to hand of the reigns to an experienced executive who will want to do things their way.

2.  Last offseason was a typical Cuban offseason.  Go after a high dollar big name veteran player and miss, tell everyone you biggest need (secondary playmaker with size) and do nothing to fill it, completely fail your last chance in the foreseeable future to use cap space, and acquire a trade exception that you will never use.  It was textbook.

3.  That trade has Cubans handprint all over it as well.  To begin with, there is no chance it happens without his sign-off.  Tossing away a second in that trade is a typical Cuban move.  Regardless of the fact that the trade worked out well for the Mavs, there is a reason just about every pundit panned the Mavs for it.  And although we finally address the need for another playmaker, we left a gaping hole in the frontcourt that we did not address.

I will believe there is a significant change in the way this FO operates when I see it.  Until then, I am expecting status quo.

Bullock was one of the best FA signings of the entire offseason. Leading the NBA in playoff minutes for a contender 

1. Nico was brought in for his relationships. This is Cubans biggest weakness. Time will tell how much impact this has. So far, players from other teams heap praise on him. He has players like Dinwiddie giving him a shout out on court after buzzer beaters

2. We were hamstrung by the KP albatross last offseason 

3. A 2nd we don’t even have a roster spot for? The pundits/masses/fans are proven wrong time after time. What they think or what is consensus doesn’t matter at all……..what hole in the frontcourt? Looks like we are going along contending just fine as it is. The frontcourt player we are missing is a regular season player. Not needed at the moment just like frontcourt darling Gobert wasn’t needed for the Jazz 2nd half of game 3