07-23-2021, 11:07 AM
(07-23-2021, 09:11 AM)vfromlmf Wrote: This brings me to Collins, Robinson, Ball, Graham and Holmes: younger guys who may not be ready to win at the highest level but will make this team better and also fit Luka's timeline.
I have a hard time believing ATL will let Collins walk after their run to ECF. Cuban broke up the Mavs Championship team but that was driven by concerns about an aging roster and a desire to land a bigger fish. Collins in young and fits perfectly with Young. My money has ATL dealing Gallinari and signing Collins to a near max deal. (Gallinari to Dallas?)
I like Holmes but only if the Mavs go in an entirely different direction and trade KP. I don't see it happening. KP is your unicorn center.
Robinson is interesting as an uber-efficient floor spacer but doesn't solve the Mavs secondary creator problem.
There's a lot to like about Ball but is he just the next Delon Wright, JRich? He's a better shooter than those two but he has concerning flaws in the half court. Does he want to play in Chicago?
That leaves Devonte Graham, a guy the Mavs' are known to like who just turned 26. He's an analytics darling and certainly a starter in this league -- but he's blocked behind a future star and another starting caliber guard on big money. Graham is efficient, can shoot the 3, can play on or off ball, can create for himself or others and he plays defense. He gives the Mavs another look with some speed and quickness at guard.
If I'm Dallas my first call is obviously to Kawahi ... but when he says no my next call is to Devonte Graham.
I'm not sure the Hawks are willing to pay Collins the max. The fit is not perfect. Collins and Capella like to operate in the same space. There is a reason Collins numbers were down significantly from previous season. I think he is best paired with a stretch 5. There are not a lot of those, but we have 2. I can see the theoretical fit on this team, just struggling with having 80 mil tied up cap to the front court when most of it should be spend on backcourt.
Another guy you should have in the young guys list is Normal Powell. It will be difficult to pry him away from Portland unless they blow it up, but I would have him on the list ahead of Holmes or Graham.
Graham is interesting. He is so similar to Ball at a lot cheaper price, but I worry about his size and getting hunted in the playoffs. Also, if we get a true secondary play maker, I'm probably going to want to stagger that guy with Luka to lead the second unit. Not sure I want two undersized guards in the second unit. That is something I do not have to worry about with Ball. Honestly Ball is my first target due to talent, age and fit. But if we can't get him or any of the other big gets, I would definitely look Graham up. If we go that route, I would want to see if I can trade Brunson for a two way big wing into cap space.