02-16-2022, 12:59 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-16-2022, 03:22 PM by KillerLeft.)
(02-16-2022, 12:48 PM)F Gump Wrote: I know there's a lot of clamor about the Mavs supposedly needing to add another center, but I think that's way off base. The Mavs went all season with too many of them imo, and the roster is now finally getting into some semblance of balance, not a shortage of centers.
The roster had SIX (!) centers. (Side note: How dumb was that?!?!?) Now we're in a panic when we are down to four. But c'mon, we only play one at a time! Having a roster of mostly centers is not smart.
I also think the failure to see the roster construction leads to the alarm that Maxi can't hold up, because he's going to be forced to play a massive amount of minutes. Um no.
Yes Maxi played 35 last night, but that was abnormal, due to the combination of so many things in one game --- Powell in foul trouble, Chriss not available to provide some minutes when that happened, Bullock being out, Bertans and Dinwiddie still feeling their way and not reliable yet for extended play. Change even one or two of those issues, and Maxi is likely in the 20-25 range, which is what we are seeing all the time.
Powell plays half the game more or less, Maxi plays the other half, and both stay fresh. That's not a heavy load at all.
I don't think anyone (or at least not everyone) is having trouble understanding the roster numbers you're laying out. It's a good point, don't get me wrong, but we discussed it a ton at the beginning of the season. I think the divergence in my thinking from yours is:
1) Boban shouldn't even count. I don't think he can help.
2) I'm intrigued by Chriss and happy he's on the roster, but don't think he's ready for playoff success just yet, even in a smaller role.
I definitely agree that Powell/Kleber are good enough (for now), and I LIKE the plan to stay with the 6'9"-6'11", switchable, feet-moving big for the whole game. I LOVE it, in fact. I just wish there was a non-Boban (wrong type), non-Chriss (not ready) option behind them right now, that's all. Kleber does have a history of wearing down at the end of these seasons when the play gets more physical. That's not imaginary.
I guess "I wish they had better center depth" might be more accurate than "I wish they had more center depth."
For comparison, I don't expect Ntilikina, Burke or SBrown to be in the plan for the playoff rotation at all, but I'd feel much, much better about them getting minutes if the unexpected happened and they're needed than I would if Chriss had to play (even though I like his potential).
Maybe Chriss can play enough down the stretch before the playoffs to keep Kleber rested for them. I hope so.