TDL Archived: The 2nd Rnd Pick Yankee Swap

[Smitty]

“people are already starting to ultra-spin it around here, and it hasn't even happened yet”

Preach

[Kammrath]

people are already starting to ultra-spin it around here, and it hasn't even happened yet.

Can you elaborate?

[KillerLeft]

Can you elaborate?

I don't want to call people out, and I'm not talking about you. Anyone who knows you knows that you're going to find a way to see this in a positive light. It's predictable and part of who you are, and therefore somehow less annoying. Plus, you've been one of the last to jump on the Brunson bandwagon, maintaining until very recently that you didn't think he was a fit. I think that's incorrect, but I can respect your conviction on it. 

But there have already been a couple of posts intimating that this won't be so bad, and yes, it will be so bad. This isn't a death sentence for the team, because Luka and DFS won't let them be bad, but man...to imagine the Mavs first not using the cap space of the past few seasons to collect as much talent as we hoped, and now (maybe) losing one of the most significant pieces they have found with no means of replacing him for the next several years? 

That kind of (potential) setback merits a little grief, and I hope people are allowed to deal with it for a day or so.

I still don't believe it's going to happen. I just can't.

---

Brunson might be an All Star next season. On either team.

[VintagePejav2]

Just listened to the BS podcast (part 4) from last night (recorded before the Stein report, obviously). They (Bill, Russillo, and KOC)  all mentioned the relationships between Brunson and the Knicks’ decision makers - even saying that World Wide Wes has known Jalen since he was a baby. They mentioned the $25M-$27M starting salary. But the big one I think was KOC saying that he interviewed Brunson during the playoffs. Brunson actually let it slip out that while he was carrying the bigger load against Utah (with Luka out), he thought it was helping him prepare to one day be a high usage player.

[Kammrath]

I don't want to call people out, and I'm not talking about you. Anyone who knows you knows that you're going to find a way to see this in a positive light. It's predictable and part of who you are, and therefore somehow less annoying. Plus, you've been one of the last to jump on the Brunson bandwagon, maintaining until very recently that you didn't think he was a fit. I think that's incorrect, but I can respect your conviction on it. 

But there have already been a couple of posts intimating that this won't be so bad, and yes, it will be so bad. This isn't a death sentence for the team, because Luka and DFS won't let them be bad, but man...to imagine the Mavs first not using the cap space of the past few seasons to collect as much talent as we hoped, and now (maybe) losing one of the most significant pieces they have found with no means of replacing him for the next several years? 

That kind of (potential) setback merits a little grief, and I hope people are allowed to deal with it for a day or so.

I still don't believe it's going to happen. I just can't.

Cool. Understand where you are coming from now, appreciate the elaboration.

I support grief, it is important in the human experience. But falling into the trap of endless negativity is toxic and that's what I try to resist (and I hope this board never becomes that, like the rest of the internet).

It will SUCK if JB walks for nothing. But adversity makes greatness. It will be fascinating to see how Luka responds, to see how other players respond and step into the void. It will be fascinating to see how Nico rallies and creatively approaches the team building in its wake. I for one find sports to be a wonderful thing to follow because of the adversity and the failure. 2011 wouldn't have been special in the way it was without 2003, without Nash walking, without 2006, without 2007, etc. Mavs may have only one championship but it is so much sweeter in some ways because the road there was so winding.

[Kammrath]

But the big one I think was KOC saying that he interviewed Brunson during the playoffs. Brunson actually let it slip out that while he was carrying the bigger load against Utah (with Luka out), he thought it was helping him prepare to one day be a high usage player.

JB's performance without Luka against UTA changed everything. It really did.

[KillerLeft]

JB's performance without Luka against UTA changed everything. It really did.

I was sold during the stretch of the regular season that Luka missed. The ball was moving, the offense clicked and Brunson was awesome.

[Branduil]

Cool. Understand where you are coming from now, appreciate the elaboration.

I support grief, it is important in the human experience. But falling into the trap of endless negativity is toxic and that's what I try to resist (and I hope this board never becomes that, like the rest of the internet).

It will SUCK if JB walks for nothing. But adversity makes greatness. It will be fascinating to see how Luka responds, to see how other players respond and step into the void. It will be fascinating to see how Nico rallies and creatively approaches the team building in its wake. I for one find sports to be a wonderful thing to follow because of the adversity and the failure. 2011 wouldn't have been special in the way it was without 2003, without Nash walking, without 2006, without 2007, etc. Mavs may have only one championship but it is so much sweeter in some ways because the road there was so winding.

Sometimes adversity just kills you though. See the post-2011 years

[Kammrath]

Sometimes adversity just kills you though.

Not a problem if you believe in the resurrection of the dead.

[Kammrath]

I was sold during the stretch of the regular season that Luka missed. The ball was moving, the offense clicked and Brunson was awesome.

I just needed to see it in the playoffs. I was skeptical in large part because I have such a bias toward physical measurements and JB is small and lacking in athleticism.

[Branduil]

I mean the goal with a player like Doncic should not be to eventually win 1 title. It should be to win multiple titles. You don't do that if you just let 20ppg playoff performers go for nothing.

[Kammrath]

I mean the goal with a player like Doncic should not be to eventually win 1 title. It should be to win multiple titles. You don't do that if you just let 20ppg playoff performers go for nothing.

1) Multiple titles starts by winning one. And trying to win multiple before you win one can keep you from winning any. 

2) If JB walks it is 100% going to be because HE CHOSE to walk. Nico has made it abundantly clear he is wanted in DAL and I see no sign of the Mavs trying to low ball him (like they did Nash). The Mavs cannot control JB wanting to be out of Luka's shadow. Sure, blame the rookie contract, blame not extending him. But at the end of the day, JB has to WANT to be in DAL. Be mad at him if he walks, it is HIS choice.

[dirkfansince1998]

I support grief, it is important in the human experience. But falling into the trap of endless negativity is toxic and that's what I try to resist (and I hope this board never becomes that, like the rest of the internet).

See. That´s why I am proposing one toxic day per year to let it all out. In my case. Day one of free agency.

[Branduil]

1) Multiple titles starts by winning one. And trying to win multiple before you win one can keep you from winning any. 

2) If JB walks it is 100% going to be because HE CHOSE to walk. Nico has made it abundantly clear he is wanted in DAL and I see no sign of the Mavs trying to low ball him (like they did Nash). The Mavs cannot control JB wanting to be out of Luka's shadow. Sure, blame the rookie contract, blame not extending him. But at the end of the day, JB has to WANT to be in DAL. Be mad at him if he walks, it is HIS choice.

I don't believe this for a second. This will be on Cuban and only Cuban.

[Jmaciscool]

I don't believe this for a second. This will be on Cuban and only Cuban.

If Cuban doesn't match or exceed the offer from the Knicks then yeah, that's on Cuban 

But if Brunson turns down more money from the Mavs in order to be "the guy" on the Knicks then I don't think that's on Cuban or Nico, that's just Brunson pursuing something that the Mavs can't provide.

[Branduil]

If Cuban doesn't match or exceed the offer from the Knicks then yeah, that's on Cuban 

But if Brunson turns down more money from the Mavs in order to be "the guy" on the Knicks then I don't think that's on Cuban or Nico, that's just Brunson pursuing something that the Mavs can't provide.

The Mavs can offer more money than the Knicks can, so we'll see soon enough.

[Kammrath]

This will be on Cuban and only Cuban.

“The search for a scapegoat is the easiest of all hunting expeditions.”

― Dwight D. Eisenhower

[Branduil]

“The search for a scapegoat is the easiest of all hunting expeditions.”

― Dwight D. Eisenhower

Man I hope Cuban is paying you some of the money he saved with his penny-pinching for the last decade if you're gonna go to bat for him like this

[Kammrath]

Man I hope Cuban is paying you some of the money he saved with his penny-pinching for the last decade if you're gonna go to bat for him like this

Cuban sucks. I don't like him. But he is not to blame for everything that doesn't go the Mavs way.

[Branduil]

Cuban sucks. I don't like him. But he is not to blame for everything that doesn't go the Mavs way.

Not everything, but when players leave this team multiple times, because he doesn't want to pay them... it's a pattern.