2021-2022 ROSTER TALK: [ARCHIVED]

[KillerLeft]

And Powell IS needed?

I was replying to the idea of just ADDING Holmes via TPE, and don't you agree that it would be better to send Powell out in that deal?

As far as whether Holmes makes sense in ANY way, it feels like you're worried about how all the minutes fit. I think your argument is that Holmes would be better than Powell, so that move would be bad. But at the same salary, I would rather have the better player, and worry about the fit later.

We know Powell can't help in playoffs. Holmes might. Holmes also provides some insurance against injury, and regarding 2023 free agency (when contracts expire for both Maxi and Wood).

On a bigger scale, I want pieces who can produce, on value-sized contracts. I think Holmes is much more likely to qualify, than Powell.

Well, I was responding to the why of the total topic, not just your post. I think it was @"vfromlmf" who first pulled this thread, so I guess I'm responding to him as much or more than you. But, let me clarify.

I don't know that Powell, specifically, is needed, but I do think a 3rd center who can play will be needed at various points in the season, yeah. 

But, I suspect that role will be so small that Powell will be overqualified, and that the role literally won't exist in the playoffs unless there are injuries at the worst time possible or unless Wood is a big swing and a miss, fit wise. Both things are possible, but I don't feel like they're planning for that or that they should be, necessarily. 

If I'm right, and this is a small 3rd center role we're talking about, with Powell going from starting to "emergency only," it stands to reason that anyone we think is possibly an upgrade to Powell (but not enough of one to supplant Kleber or Wood) will be similarly overqualified and underused. 

BOTH Powell and Holmes make WAY, WAY too much money for this role I think we're talking about, but Powell is expiring soon, while Holmes has guaranteed years to go. I'd think they'd be looking forward to not paying anyone that much to be the 3rd center. 

For the reasons above, I struggle to imagine the Mavericks would be interested in Holmes at all, at this point. 

But, let me go a little farther with it. This next bit is separate from all of my logic above (which anyone is free to disagree with, of course):

I don't believe Powell was not played in the playoffs because he wasn't good enough in some general sense. I think they made a decision that their best route, offensively, was to get the opposing big out of the paint with Kleber, who can shoot. I also believe this thinking is manifesting right before our eyes into their plans for the immediate future. I think it's part of why they cooled on Gobert. To over simply the point, I don't believe they chose Wood from the list of all conceivably available centers, I believe they chose him from the list of all conceivably available centers who can shoot and help with spacing. This process would put Wood at the very top of the list, probably. I might be wrong about them thinking that way, but I don't think so. If I'm right, then I think it tells us two more things:

1) They aren't thinking about Holmes at all.

2) They are still planning to play Kleber a ton at center.

I suspect that those who are still clamoring for another big man are thinking that Kleber is going back to full-time 4, or that Wood will spend a lot of time at 4. I don't agree with that, but it's the only thing that could possibly motivate such a wish, imo. I guess we'll have to see what happens.