BRUNSON BURNER: to NYK for 4yrs/$104M (no SnT) | NYK docked 2025 2nd for tampering

[fifteenth]

They haven't started him yet (when everyone is healthy) so maybe that should tell us something. Then again, maybe not.

I think this is because of the "two big" thing. I'm on the "fix the KP situation" train, of which you may be Conductor, and of which, in my mind, would help the Brunson thing. Also, as far as starting him this season, Brunson's development hasn't been stagnant. We went into the season wondering if Brunsons could be the secondary playmaker, and it appears to me that he's becoming (or has become) that. The last step in the process would be he and Luka learning to play off of each other, which leads to...

are you really sure that starting him is ok if it takes the ball away from Luka?

I am ok with this. Luka can reduce the amount he has the ball and still have the ball alot. I think there is evidence that Kidd is trying to create possessions where Luka is off the ball. I think that potential diversification is a good thing, could help Luka, and could make fourth quarters and playoff games more doable for the Mavs. 

There ARE scenarios that could play out wherein we'll wish the Mavs had capitalized on Brunson's value when they had the chance. Nobody that I've read on this board (except maybe @cow) wants Brunson to be gone or doesn't think he'll be worth his next deal (that might be an oversimplification of Cow's thinking, sorry). If they can make it work, great! I just feel in my bones that we're on a dead-end path to feeling gipped this summer. I'm scared to death.

I agree. There are tons of possible disaster scenarios.

I want them to figure out how to keep Brunson and DFS. The Mavs may fail at that, or they may include them in trades that are good for the Mavs somehow. The future is unknown. But when I comb through the roster and look for who to keep around to play with Luka, Brunson and DFS are at the top of my list. I'm not going to worry about being scared about what might happen. I'll just wait and feel bad about it when the disaster happens.