TAKE DAT WIT YOU 8/20

[Mapka]

If I had to judge Nico solely based on this off-season, I don´t think anything has changed, but the names on the cover. Didn´t do anything in the draft. Didn´t do any asset management/youth movement either.

BUT....

....the summer is not over yet....

AND

....you have to give him another 12 months. You can´t fix the sh*t he inherited in four weeks. But I think two summers and a TDL, plus lots of contracts expiring or entering the final year, he gains a ton of flexibility to move pieces around, so his actual long-term plans become clear. Assuming he has long-term strategies, which is never a sure thing with this franchise.

So there is still a chance that the roster looks completely different in 12 months. For example as long as Porzingis stays healthy for six months, you could most definitely dump him for expiring contracts to a rebuilding place like Orlando, Detroit or even Sacramento. That´s easier to do with two years left than three. With two you are more than half way through the tunnel and can see the light at the end already.

I think there changed a lot.
He seems to be more patient about adding the "piece that fixes all" and less dependend on getting this player.

He got his "Danny Green" when the old regime maybe would have chased DeRozan or Dinwiddie. (I would have prefered to get one of them, but DeRozan signed way higher and Dinwiddie might be to risky).

There are only two longterm plans in the NBA: being lucky or being very very bad - and lucky then.

We were bad at both of them but got success by trading a pick to "buy some luck".

[mavsluvr]

Yeah, I was shocked that Nico stood pat for the most part. 

But Chad Ford absolutely nailed that prediction and warned us fans right after Nico was hired that it was the most likely scenario for DAL. He also said he thought the coming trade deadline and next offseason would be times of big overhaul for the roster. I have no reason to start doubting Chad Ford now, so that is a big part of where my prediction comes from. So yeah, I expect MAJOR overhaul in the next 12 months.

Yes, I remember that prediction. 

I think of Ford as more of a draft specialist, but maybe he has moved more into the overall roster-building space? 

Perhaps he will prove prophetic. But, as far as your ideas are concerned, are you anticipating a major overhaul because 

(1) you want a major overhaul to occur, or 

(2) you have a deep level of trust in Chad Ford's view of the Mavs' roster-building, or 

(3) you have made specific observations leading you to believe this is the way the Mavs are heading?

Also, do you think Nico is setting roster-building strategy now, or is Cuban still having major input into the process?

[Kammrath]

But, as far as your ideas are concerned, are you anticipating a major overhaul because 

(1) you want a major overhaul to occur, or 

(2) you have a deep level of trust in Chad Ford's view of the Mavs' roster-building, or 

(3) you have made specific observations leading you to believe this is the way the Mavs are heading?

Also, do you think Nico is setting roster-building strategy now, or is Cuban still having major input into the process?

My reasons:

1) My experience over the years tells me that GMs almost always put their significant "stamp" on the roster within the first two offseasons they are around. 

2) Chad Ford predicting that Nico would do this not this offseason, but at the TDL and next offseason.

3) Cuban stating that he wants a second star and assuming such an acquisition will "gut" the current roster.

4) My belief that KP will not prove to be a much better fit this year.


My desire is for this team to compete as soon as possible, my desire does not care whether that comes through a major overhaul or not.

[mavsluvr]

My reasons:

1) My experience over the years tells me that GMs almost always put their significant "stamp" on the roster within the first two offseasons they are around. 

2) Chad Ford predicting that Nico would do this not this offseason, but at the TDL and next offseason.

3) Cuban stating that he wants a second star and assuming such an acquisition will "gut" the current roster.

4) My belief that KP will not prove to be a much better fit this year.


My desire is for this team to compete as soon as possible, my desire does not care whether that comes through a major overhaul or not.

Okay, then. Perhaps we will see Nico blowing it up and maybe raising the roster a level, immediately or eventually. In terms of trying to read the tea leaves, it seems to me that reasonable arguments can be made that they either are or aren't heading into a major overhaul. Donnie said that the Mavs planned to be very aggressive in free agency this summer, and then they proved to be very conservative, so I don't know if that represents a change in focus or whether Nico just needs some time to learn the job. 

The Mavs got two votes on Basketball News' debate on which team made the worst use of its offseason. I have to say, I pretty much see their points. 

[b]Jackson Frank:[/b] It’s the Dallas Mavericks for me. They didn’t get substantially better in an offseason when they touted lots of cap space and resemble a very similar team to last year. They still need a secondary creator to aid Luka Doncic. The wing defense is lackluster. The center rotation is worrisome. This just felt like a considerable misstep, given Luka’s superstardom and the financial flexibility drying up moving forward.

[b]Ethan Fuller:[/b] Portland could win this off of the Chauncey Billups hiring (and subsequent fallout) alone, and I'm sure some of our fellow writers picked the Trail Blazers. So I'll add another team in the Dallas Mavericks, whose offseason consisted of a front-office blowup, three minor roster additions headlined by Reggie Bullockand the hiring of Jason Kidd as head coach. Kidd not only was convicted of domestic abuse in 2001 — and has done little publicly to atone for it — but he also has a 183-190 record as the head coach of talented teams. And there is anecdotal evidence of a problematic past in Milwaukee. It's hard for a team to regress with a rising star, but that seems to be what the Mavs are doing despite Luka Doncic's ascension.

https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/r...-offseason

[mavsluvr]

Michael Pina of SI.com has a slightly more favorable point of view, apparently giving the Mavs credit for not doing something disastrous. 

I recently wrote about Dallas’ offseason in the context of Luka Dončić’s extension and how patience can be their friend and enemy. The Mavericks have not added another ball handler (Kyle Lowry, Mike Conley and Chris Paul, let alone Spencer Dinwiddie and even Dennis Schröder were technically available) but did beef up their wings with Reggie Bullock and Sterling Brown, two players who complement Dončić in other ways. Things could’ve gone better. They also could’ve been a lot worse. Jason Kidd in as head coach is a total wildcard. 

Grade:  B-

https://www.si.com/nba/2021/08/24/nba-of...nce-grades

[KillerLeft]

Michael Pina of SI.com has a slightly more favorable point of view, apparently giving the Mavs credit for not doing something disastrous. 

I recently wrote about Dallas’ offseason in the context of Luka Dončić’s extension and how patience can be their friend and enemy. The Mavericks have not added another ball handler (Kyle Lowry, Mike Conley and Chris Paul, let alone Spencer Dinwiddie and even Dennis Schröder were technically available) but did beef up their wings with Reggie Bullock and Sterling Brown, two players who complement Dončić in other ways. Things could’ve gone better. They also could’ve been a lot worse. Jason Kidd in as head coach is a total wildcard. 

Grade:  B-

https://www.si.com/nba/2021/08/24/nba-of...nce-grades

Funny, because this same guy predicted that the Mavs would miss the playoffs last year after a similar off-season. His reasoning: "Name one player other teams are concerned about on that team other than Luka Doncic." Since that part of the equation hasn't changed, this analysis seems like an arbitrary about face to me.

[mavsluvr]

Funny, because this same guy predicted that the Mavs would miss the playoffs last year after a similar off-season. His reasoning: "Name one player other teams are concerned about on that team other than Luka Doncic." Since that part of the equation hasn't changed, this analysis seems like an arbitrary about face to me.

That could well be. 

He gave the Mavs credit for re-signing Luka ("an event justifying a parade in itself"), and for internal improvement from last season. Also had a degree of optimism that KP can be brought around. Even thought there was an outside chance the Mavs could reach the Finals, as "the West isn't the death march it used to be."

Still, admitted that the results were disappointing, "stacked against expectations."

Personally, it seemed to me he was putting the best face on it. A B- seems pretty generous, at this point. 

Do you have a view on the offseason?

[KillerLeft]

Do you have a view on the offseason?

The same one I've had since about a week after free agency started. 

I was pretty excited when the dust cleared, as it seemed like the headlines were "Mavs re-sign THJ and are about to trade for Dragic." Those were both great things, imo, and so the Bullock and SBrown acquisitions seemed like great secondary moves. I would've given THAT off-season a B.

Then, we find out Dragic is probably not happening. 

Then, they give an actual multi-year guaranteed contract, above the vet minimum, to Boban. 

These two pieces of info, especially the first, shine a different light on everything for me, personally. I'd say C- or D+ is where I'd be if the season started today. I like most of what they did, but they didn't do enough.

Honestly, the most significant change of this off-season is probably the downgrade in coach from Carlisle to Kidd. I get the argument that a new voice might help in some ways, and maybe considerably, but until we see evidence of that being the case I think we have to look at it from the perspective of "which one is the better head coach?" And, honestly, that's a huge no-brainer in a vacuum, right?

[Kammrath]

I think we have to look at it from the perspective of "which one is the better head coach?" And, honestly, that's a huge no-brainer in a vacuum, right?

Don't we have to look at it from the perspective of "which one is the better head coach for THIS team and for LUKA?"

The fit is literally EVERYTHING IMO. Without fit, all the coaching ability in the world becomes moot.

[KillerLeft]

Don't we have to look at it from the perspective of "which one is the better head coach for THIS team and for LUKA?"

The fit is literally EVERYTHING IMO. Without fit, all the coaching ability in the world becomes moot.

Maybe, but my point is that we have absolutely no information on that topic until the season starts. So, until then, it's all on paper, just like Bullock coming in and Richardson going out. This is a sport played in real life, not on paper. But, in a vacuum, I take Carlisle over Jason Kidd and his under .500 record (with two teams just as talented as the Mavs are) 10/10 times. 

Until we know this is a positive, it sure seems like logic would have us view it as a negative. Again, we're talking about a guy who has failed, not succeeded, as a head coach so far. I see no prior relationship between Kidd and Luka here - nothing that would lead me to believe this was his pick, and so nothing that convinces me he's super thrilled about it. Maybe he will be, maybe he won't. 

As I've said numerous times, I'm ok with the logic that has some happy about Carlisle leaving - I really am. It just would've been nice if the new guy had a history of actually being a good coach. Kidd absolutely does not. They're basically playing the lottery here. It's not what I would've done, for sure. Might pay off, but if it doesn't...man, it could be a disaster.

[mavsluvr]

The same one I've had since about a week after free agency started. 

I was pretty excited when the dust cleared, as it seemed like the headlines were "Mavs re-sign THJ and are about to trade for Dragic." Those were both great things, imo, and so the Bullock and SBrown acquisitions seemed like great secondary moves. I would've given THAT off-season a B.

Then, we find out Dragic is probably not happening. 

Then, they give an actual multi-year guaranteed contract, above the vet minimum, to Boban. 

These two pieces of info, especially the first, shine a different light on everything for me, personally. I'd say C- or D+ is where I'd be if the season started today. I like most of what they did, but they didn't do enough.

Honestly, the most significant change of this off-season is probably the downgrade in coach from Carlisle to Kidd. I get the argument that a new voice might help in some ways, and maybe considerably, but until we see evidence of that being the case, I think we have to look at it from the perspective of "which one is the better head coach?" And, honestly, that's a huge no-brainer in a vacuum, right?

Can't argue with any of that. 

I think the Kidd move has to be graded "incomplete," at best. Certainly, the history on paper doesn't provide much reason for optimism. 

I have also been less than overwhelmed with the Nico move, although that has potential to improve with time. In my experience, companies who bring someone in who is much younger/less experienced than the position would seem to call for have a reason for that. They want someone who will be easier to "boss around," and will not provide resistance in terms of aggressively imposing his own agenda. I suspect this was the case with Nico, being brought in when the GM position seemed to cry out for someone who had succeeded in such a position himself and would not be learning the job as he went along. Forcing Nico to admit at his initial press conference that Cuban was the boss said it all. Have you ever seen anything like that before?

[omahen]

I think the result can only be compared against the goals. Mavs were announcing all the time how this is crucial offseason and how extremely active they will be to put a team around Luka. They chose to maximize cap space despite it was quite obvious for quite some time that free agent crop will be extremely poor (and was known even before that that Giannis would be the only really good one to begin with). As usual the cap space strategy failed completely and the end result is "run it back", dumping JRich for air and signing another role player with MLE to replace him. Asset base didn't increase and we have same bad position to make a significant trade as we had it before. We basically can't waste any assets for improvements around the edges (Dragic, Markkanen) as we would lose any hope for a significant trade. At least sell the TPE for draft assets and trade M.Brown for a second rounder, if you don't count on him... 

Based on this I don't understand how someone can give them a B- for this result at this point.

[mavsluvr]

I think the result can only be compared against the goals. Mavs were announcing all the time how this is crucial offseason and how extremely active they will be to put a team around Luka. They chose to maximize cap space despite it was quite obvious for quite some time that free agent crop will be extremely poor (and was known even before that that Giannis would be the only really good one to begin with). As usual the cap space strategy failed completely and the end result is "run it back", dumping JRich for air and signing another role player with MLE to replace him. Asset base didn't increase and we have same bad position to make a significant trade as we had it before. We basically can't waste any assets for improvements around the edges (Dragic, Markkanen) as we would lose any hope for a significant trade. At least sell the TPE for draft assets and trade M.Brown for a second rounder, if you don't count on him... 

Based on this I don't understand how someone can give them a B- for this result at this point.

I think this is a good point. There was so much fanfare going into the offseason. So much trumpeting of Nico's popularity among free agents, and how players were going to be lined up around the block to play for Kidd and with Luka. Some put a lot of stock in Carlisle leaving as opening the floodgates for guys who wanted to play here, but not for Rick. So much waving of the cap-space flag, and how this was the make-it-or-break-it summer. Positions of need identified, but not filled. 

Seems like a lot of hat, and not much cattle.

[Jmaciscool]

That could well be. 

He gave the Mavs credit for re-signing Luka ("an event justifying a parade in itself"), and for internal improvement from last season. Also had a degree of optimism that KP can be brought around. Even thought there was an outside chance the Mavs could reach the Finals, as "the West isn't the death march it used to be."

Still, admitted that the results were disappointing, "stacked against expectations."

Personally, it seemed to me he was putting the best face on it. A B- seems pretty generous, at this point. 

Do you have a view on the offseason?

Personally I agree with him that re-signing Luka is obviously a great thing, but I don't give the front office any extra credit for it since there wasn't a real threat of Luka actually leaving.

I give them credit for getting off of Richardson without giving up any assets (something that seemed doubtful), for resigning THJ to a reasonable contract, and signing theoretically good-fit players in Bullock and Brown without waiting on "big fish".

I take away credit for not addressing the biggest need (playmaker) that they themselves acknowledged as the biggest need.  I'd like to dock points as well for not (seemingly) making a major improvement to the team, but I don't know if that's a realistic take based on the players available and the assets the Mavs had.

So for me it balances out to a C grade so far and agree that a B- seems a bit generous.

[DanSchwartzgan]

FWIW, The Athletic ranked us as the 19th best (or 11th worst) off-season


The skinny: The Mavs will move up if they wind up securing Goran Dragic. The 35-year-old is an obvious fit: His skill in scoring and passing and his friendship with fellow Slovenian Dončić would help take pressure off the 22-year-old superstar. It would be an especially good save after swinging and missing on Lowry. Carlisle’s departure, coming on the heels of Nelson’s, coming on the heels of The Athletic’s reporting on the dysfunction in the Dallas front office, made it clear the Mavericks needed a major overhaul. 

Harrison, the former Nike executive who knows everyone in the game, is the new GM. He’s liked by almost everyone, and that will help in the transition, but it will still be a transition. Kidd, with a third high-profile coaching shot, brings edge, point guard expertise and expectations. You’d think he’s smart enough to not repeat the mistakes he made in Brooklyn and Milwaukee, and that Mark Cuban was smart enough not to have signed off on the hire without first clearing it with Dončić. 

Bullock made 473 3s and shot 40 percent from deep the last four seasons, so he’ll fit right in with Hardaway and Maxi Kleber alongside Dončić. The Richardson deal for Seth Curry was a bust, but at least the Mavs didn’t wallow in it; we’ll see if the 21-year-old Brown is there to stay or, as rumored, he’ll ultimately be in a potential deal with Toronto for Dragic

[Kammrath]

made it clear the Mavericks needed a major overhaul.

[Jason Terry]

Can't argue with any of that. 

I think the Kidd move has to be graded "incomplete," at best. Certainly, the history on paper doesn't provide much reason for optimism. 

I have also been less than overwhelmed with the Nico move, although that has potential to improve with time. In my experience, companies who bring someone in who is much younger/less experienced than the position would seem to call for have a reason for that. They want someone who will be easier to "boss around," and will not provide resistance in terms of aggressively imposing his own agenda. I suspect this was the case with Nico, being brought in when the GM position seemed to cry out for someone who had succeeded in such a position himself and would not be learning the job as he went along. Forcing Nico to admit at his initial press conference that Cuban was the boss said it all. Have you ever seen anything like that before?

Definitely worth watching the introductory press conference for anyone who hasn’t. Stay till the end when the hardball questions come. 

It’s just like you said. It was embarrassing for Nico. Cuban going full Jerry. Then Cuban gets visibly upset and stumbles around trying to keep from admitting Bob is still on the payroll. Cynt Marshall being asked to explain how her zero tolerance policy instituted jives with Kidd’s domestic assault record. 

Having said that I really like the moves made so far. We added two 3&D wings which will help in the playoffs. Extensions for Luka and THJ(DFS next?). Still possibly Dragic/Lauri. New GM and coach for a fresh start for everyone after a frustrating year. Specifically KP is in need of a do-over. It could go either way, but it’s the smart move to give him this season. This is his last chance.........

Grade is incomplete. No major trades until a decision is reached on KP. Maybe June? Trade deadline if he looks same as last year?

[Chicagojk]

I would give the offseason a D as of now.   There are too many unknowns and my expectations were bigger.    I need to be honest, I didn't know much about Bullock or Brown.   I wouldn't have been shocked if we signed Bullock for 3 million....I just not aware of his good play for Knicks.   Same with Sterling Brown.  To be truthful, if someone had said prior to FA the Mavs could sign Brown or Denzel Valentine for the minimum, I would probably have preferred Valentine because I am more familiar with his game.   

I can see the value of them both after learning more about them, but this team still needed an upgrade in talent.   Maybe this still happens.  If it does, the Bullock and Brown makes more sense to me.   If it doesn't, we are really counting on a big KP turnaround to either stay a top 5 team or improve a little.  I would have preferred an upgrade in starter talent with an hope of KP turnaround.   

For me Bullock plus Dragic without giving up Green/Jalen would be  a solid B- for me.  With the limited big names on the market this offseason, this would be satisfactory.  It would also keep us in solid position of potentially making another trade in the next year with solid priced assets, but not high upside assets.

Bullock plus Dragic and Lauri without giving up Green/ Brunson would be a B plus offseason and I would be very happy with this.   If you could get Lauri without giving up Maxi it may push it up to an A for me.

As of now though, D is my grade.