07-29-2021, 12:11 PM
(07-29-2021, 09:47 AM)StepBackJay Wrote: Ya'll need to understand how critical it is to get past the first round next year. We don't need young guys with upside or undervalued role players. We need whatever combination of players that are going to help Luka get to the 2nd round, period end of story. Getting to the 2nd round is a big milestone in his career and the Mavs growth as a team in the Luka era. It also probably means Mavs were able to be a top 5 seed which is good. Not making to playoffs or losing in the first round will be a huge negative and add a lot of FUD on the whole Luka situation. That is how this year's moves should be evaluated.
Luka has already been MVP in taking his team to second-most prestigious league in the world. Yes, Americans don't care about that, but he's not American. I very much doubt Luka gives a flying f*** about 'making it out of the first round'. Anything less than a championship is always going to be falling short for him.
There's no question that Dallas has to sell him that they have a strategy (and the ability to carry out that strategy) to build a contender around him. What is in question is a) how patient Luka is willing to be if he thinks the team is moving in the right direction; b) how much Luka cares about one ring vs contending for multiple rings; and c) how much Luka cares about being the guy who gets the ring (Giannis, Dirk) vs being a guy on a team that gets a ring (Durant, Davis).