GAME 32: DAL (15-17) @ UTA (23-9) | 116-120 loss

[KillerLeft]

100% with you....but it had worked earlier in this game (miracle!) so they went back to it.

Yeah, and plus I don’t think they have much of a choice tonight.

[Scott41theMavs]

Yeah, and plus I don’t think they have much of a choice right tonight.

If Chriss was playing worth a damn, they would.

[KillerLeft]

Way to diss my offer of a fist-bump.

Fist bump accepted, Don’t get me wrong.

[Scott41theMavs]

So sad Sanford couldn't get that to fall.

[KillerLeft]

If Chriss was playing worth a damn, they would.

I don’t know, man. I think the only eligible players who have ever practiced with this team are the five starters and Boban. The Jazz are a really good team, and I think they are damn near 100% healthy. I get why they would go with the starters.

[Kammrath]

Impressed with Kidd's coaching ability to make these Mavs misfits competitive.

[Scott41theMavs]

Impressed with Kidd's coaching ability to make these Mavs misfits competitive.

Yep.

[KillerLeft]

Impressed with Kidd's coaching ability to make these Mavs misfits competitive.

Yeah, he is doing some really good things. I have to give it to him. Unfortunately, for me, personally, the bizarre choice not to play Porzingis at his correct position is coloring everything. It’s just not beautiful basketball anymore on the offensive end. I genuinely like most of what he is doing on defense, and I think he has gotten the team to buy into it.

[Scott41theMavs]

Only good thing I've seen out of this stretch (aside from Chriss's two good games) is that Sterling Brown might actually be worth his salary. Too bad about how we spent the rest of our cap.

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Starters all plusses in the box, replacement players all minuses. Hopefully DFS gets well and Luka and Maxi get out of Covid protocols soon. Bollocks and THC can stay in their hotel rooms.

[MrGoat]

That one was frustrating. We just can't get it done in the clutch without Luka, we need him back

[Kammrath]

Unfortunately, for me, personally, the bizarre choice not to play Porzingis at his correct position is coloring everything. It’s just not beautiful basketball anymore on the offensive end.

They have to know. The only thing that makes sense is them preparing to trade him and wanting to keep him healthy and happy in the meantime.

[Scott41theMavs]

They have to know. The only thing that makes sense is them preparing to trade him and wanting to keep him healthy and happy in the meantime.

I'll be happy if they get back one good starting-caliber player and an expiring salary at this point. Dragic, Anunoby, and a protected first?

[Mavs2021]

I maintain that Brunson is far more valuable than we realize around here. I am happy the Mavericks are not in a situation to even consider building around him, but I honestly believe there are some teams in the NBA who look at him and wonder if it’s possible. The list of teams for whom he could be the missing piece is even longer, and the list of teams that would be happy to pay him as a sixth man is probably endless.

If the Mavericks don’t clear enough dead salary to retain him or at least use him to start moving the roster forward in some productive way, I am going to freak out.

You watch Brunson, Ntilkina, S. Brown, and these misfits play hard defense, get deflections, then you see the lack of securing rebounds and all the 2nd chance points for the Jazz, you realize how much of a catastrophe that decision for THJ/Bullock over a big like Markkanen/Collins was. We need the consistent secondary ball-handling from Brunson and Ntilikina. Even S. Brown seems better at it than Bullock/THJ. 

At this point, once again begging the Mavs to, just invest minutes in Ntilikina/J. Green/S. Brown. Hope that the more minutes they get the better their shooting becomes. I´m so over THJ/Bullock contributing absolutely nothing in terms of defense, play-making and rebounding.

We desperately need to move that $27M package of THJ/Bullock. The Knicks might be willing to bring back Bullock, if you just take Knox´s expiring contract and be done with it. Don´t double down on mistakes again. Admit and move on. If the Pistons are still interested in THJ let´s get Olynyk/Diallo for him. Throw in Boban or WCS.

Doncic/Brunson/Burke
Brown/Ntilikina/Diallo
DFS/Green/Knox
Kleber/Powell/WCS
Porzingis/Olynyk/Brown

Let´s roll.

[cow]

JB is a crafty scorer but he's a terrible passer and has chucker tendencies.  He had a terrible opening to the 4th quarter and then hero balled us back into the game.  Giving him a big contract would be a mistake.  He's not a starting caliber player for a contender.

KP gets two shots in the 4th quarter.  

We've done a good job tanking without trying but it's looking more and more like it is time to try.  These team needs to be burnt to the ground.

[Mavs2021]

JB is a crafty scorer but he's a terrible passer and has chucker tendencies.  He had a terrible opening to the 4th quarter and then hero balled us back into the game.  Giving him a big contract would be a mistake.  He's not a starting caliber player for a contender.

KP gets two shots in the 4th quarter.  

We've done a good job tanking without trying but it's looking more and more like it is time to try.  These team needs to be burnt to the ground.

All I know is that he´s better at shooting, better at passing, better at rebounding, better at dribbling and better at defense than THJ. So the answer to who I´d rather pay $17M is pretty easy.

The Mavs finally need to be realistic for once and make a two year plan. The Warriors are 27-6 without Klay Thompson and have not cashed in the Wiseman trade chip, if they desire to. We cannot compete with that team (or the Suns, Bucks, Nets) under any circumstances, so we need to use the next 12-15 months to clean out our mistakes and set up the roster for the future, that means

1. Trade THJ
2. Trade Bullock
3. Play Brunson, Green, Ntilikina, S. Brown, M. Brown regular minutes and just live with the results
4. If the result are two lottery assets, use them wisely by drafting or trading.
5. Extend DFS/Brunson
6. Run down the contracts of Powell/Burke/Boban/WCS.
7. Make decision on Porzingis

That´s the todo list until the summer of 2023.

[cow]

All I know is that he´s better at shooting, better at passing, better at rebounding, better at dribbling and better at defense than THJ. So the answer to who I´d rather pay $17M is pretty easy.

Go watch the beginning of the 4th quarter and tell me about Brunson's passing again (missing an easy lob to Chriss and turning the ball over on a routine 2 on 1 fast break...he also screwed up an easy fast break in the previous game).  No one is asking the question of THJ versus JB.  That's spilt milk in the first place and in the second place, the incorrect response to overpaying THJ is overpaying Brunson unless you are happy being a fringe payoff team.

[Mavs2021]

Go watch the beginning of the 4th quarter and tell me about Brunson's passing again (missing an easy lob to Chriss and turning the ball over on a routine 2 on 1 fast break...he also screwed up an easy fast break in the previous game).  No one is asking the question of THJ versus JB.  That's spilt milk in the first place and in the second place, the incorrect response to overpaying THJ is overpaying Brunson unless you are happy being a fringe payoff team.

I have been one of the first people to say Brunson is more of a SG than a PG, but people need to stop nit-picking singular plays. THJ botched a 3 or was it even a 4 on 1 fastbreak a couple of games ago. The fact remains that Brunson can create shots for himself and others at a higher level than THJ. He´s a proven winner. He´s also just 25 years old.

I think there is a market for THJ in a salary dump, so just accept that and do it. Maybe Kings for Bagley (if you are lucky), Pacers for Lamb, Pistons for Olynyk + any guard.

The recent weeks have clearly shown that this team needs more play-making, more defense, more hustle and heart.

Doncic is part of the team cohesion/defensive problem, but THJ/Bullock are an even bigger part of the overall picture, when they account for $27M in salary.

We all love Boban, but the fact that he cannot even get on the f*cking floor right now and you pay him $3.5M (instead of the minimum or not sign him at all) basically makes him a marketing tool like Satnam Singh.

In a sense these COVID cases have made the path for Nico much clearer.

[Borkhan]

What about Carlik from G league. he is small but still...

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All I know is that he´s better at shooting, better at passing, better at rebounding, better at dribbling and better at defense than THJ. So the answer to who I´d rather pay $17M is pretty easy.

The Mavs finally need to be realistic for once and make a two year plan. The Warriors are 27-6 without Klay Thompson and have not cashed in the Wiseman trade chip, if they desire to. We cannot compete with that team (or the Suns, Bucks, Nets) under any circumstances, so we need to use the next 12-15 months to clean out our mistakes and set up the roster for the future, that means

1. Trade THJ
2. Trade Bullock
3. Play Brunson, Green, Ntilikina, S. Brown, M. Brown regular minutes and just live with the results
4. If the result are two lottery assets, use them wisely by drafting or trading.
5. Extend DFS/Brunson
6. Run down the contracts of Powell/Burke/Boban/WCS.
7. Make decision on Porzingis

That´s the todo list until the summer of 2023.

And keep telling luka that his pinnacle years are wasted for that...

[Chicagojk]

The guys fought hard and it was a semi entertaining watch.  Only semi entertaining because we all knew the outcome.  Although much closer than we expected.

It didn't tell us much though.   Really I want to see how Jalen and KP looked.  Jalen is being asked to run the Luka offense with less NBA players.   He looks so worn down at the end of games.  Asking to him to score or create offense for a whole game is too much to ask imo.   He would look so much better playing with other creators.   I thought KP looked good too.  Although for me at this stage seeing him on the court more often than not and seeing if he can combine forces with Luka to both be better selves are the bigger questions for me.  Both are TBD.  The threes are frustrating though.   

As far as the other guys, I thought Chriss was solid.  He has nice hands and appears to have a decent feel for the game. The big issue for him is fouls.  Is that who he is or is it a mix of being thrown out there and fighting for an NBA paycheck?  Not much help if he gets a foul every two minutes.  Frank looks confident out there but he needs to be a more reliable shooter.  Most nights, he won't be asked to carry a scoring load if he is in the rotation, but he needs to be more of a threat when he does shoot it.   

I will be really interested to see how the Jazz do in the playoffs.  I think for the last two years when we play them I leave thinking that is the best team in the league (not last night though), but something always seems to happen in the playoffs.  If they don't win this year, I don't know if they can bring the same team back.  

Hopefully we get some guys back soon.   It was interesting watching these guys fight, but I feel the more we see them the more difficult it will be to watch.

[Chicagojk]

The guys fought hard and it was a semi entertaining watch.  Only semi entertaining because we all knew the outcome.  Although much closer than we expected.

It didn't tell us much though.   Really I want to see how Jalen and KP looked.  Jalen is being asked to run the Luka offense with less NBA players.   He looks so worn down at the end of games.  Asking to him to score or create offense for a whole game is too much to ask imo.   He would look so much better playing with other creators.   I thought KP looked good too.  Although for me at this stage seeing him on the court more often than not and seeing if he can combine forces with Luka to both be better selves are the bigger questions for me.  Both are TBD.  The threes are frustrating though.   

As far as the other guys, I thought Chriss was solid.  He has nice hands and appears to have a decent feel for the game. The big issue for him is fouls.  Is that who he is or is it a mix of being thrown out there and fighting for an NBA paycheck?  Not much help if he gets a foul every two minutes.  Frank looks confident out there but he needs to be a more reliable shooter.  Most nights, he won't be asked to carry a scoring load if he is in the rotation, but he needs to be more of a threat when he does shoot it.   

I will be really interested to see how the Jazz do in the playoffs.  I think for the last two years when we play them I leave thinking that is the best team in the league (not last night though), but something always seems to happen in the playoffs.  If they don't win this year, I don't know if they can bring the same team back.  

Hopefully we get some guys back soon.   It was interesting watching these guys fight, but I feel the more we see them the more difficult it will be to watch.

Let me add, I have always been a Brunson homer but it stuck out to me last night that Jalen was being hidden on defense late by putting him on the weakest offensive player on most possessions.   I know this is nothing new but just peaked my attention.   That is probably the defender you want Luka guarding when he is healthy.