06-04-2022, 08:42 PM
(06-04-2022, 11:44 AM)dynamicalVoid Wrote: Mavs FO should spend a few quality hours reviewing tape of Centers/Front Court Players they like and draft one they are most confident in. Throw out the past("Mavs suck at drafting" or "hitting on pick 26th is low" talk)...if there is no easy solution right now available for trade...dont waste a pick and cheap contract by trading it for some scrub that is plug and play...draft a guy. If he doesnt work out as planned...include him in a trade for a Center that does become available that checks all your boxes in the near future.
Is that not reasonable? Or is that just "not how its done" in the NBA?
I mostly agree. As I see it ...
The idea that you look for a replacement center in the draft is logical. And I agree that the Mavs need to do the scouting and analysis at an expert level to get someone who will pan out and be able to play a regular role eventually, rather than draft with an assumption of likely failure. And I agree they need to take the swing at drafting a guy, and developing, to develop their own skill at drafting. There's no substitute for trying and failing, and learning from the mistakes. Do one draftee a year, every year, and an UDFA if they have no pick, until they start figuring it out and become great. THERE IS NO SHORTCUT AND CUBAN HAS AVOIDED THE DRAFT AND LOOKED FOR ONE FOR 20 YEARS - TO THE TEAM'S DETRIMENT.
About the center, the challenge is that the Mavs need someone NOW ... and unless you are drafting in the top 10 (and often even not then), whoever you draft is not going to be ready to be a regular until a year or three from now. For example, Chriss was a top 10 pick a few years ago - and now he's a deep backup still in need of improvement before he can get minutes. While there are exceptions at times, you can't plan on your guy being an exception to the truth that almost all the guys entering the league just aren't good enough to rely on yet. It will take time.
Centers tend to take a bit longer. But you need to draft someone, center or not, BPA since you need to be penciling in that they will be ready to really help in 2023 or 2024 if they develop like you expect. And needs will be different then, so a wing or a point or a big can all be valuable if they can play and are cheap. Then get to work.