PLAYOFFS ROUND 1: #4 DAL (4-2) vs #5 UTA (2-4) |

[hakeemfaan]

I didn't say you did.  I said a better front office wouldn't have done that deal.  It wasn't the right time.  The team wasn't built to pivot should that trade not work out.  And it wasn't like KP didn't have massive red flags when it came to health.  There are good and bad times to take risk.

If you see my posts from them, I was against the trade only because I felt two first round picks and a #9 pick (DSJ) was too much for a 7’3” guy with skinny legs and a bad injury. Plus he was a FA too and could have gone elsewhere. 

However all that would have been worth it, and I believe he would absolutely still be here, if there was a fit between him and Luka. None of us could have predicted that would never work out.  Luka is a PnR savant and KP can go both inside and out and has no talent limitations in that two man game. Who could have predicted his spatial awareness was so poor?  True maybe the FO could have scouted that but KP had never played with a genius PG like Luka. So you can understand the optimism. 

As for putting all chips in, this team really has no great assets and lucked into Luka. At some point you would have to push all your chips to the center.  You can ask to wait and the danger there is Luka gets fed up and demands to get out. Then the complaint would be that the Mavs should have done something earlier. 

It is very very difficult to get a true legit stud foundational piece. I can’t fault any team for going all in to get that piece especially when they had a transcendent piece who was ready to win for the moment he arrived in the league.  I know it sucks that it didn’t work out but IMO a lot of front offices, including very good ones, would have done what the Mavs did at that point.