TDL Archived: The 2nd Rnd Pick Yankee Swap

[F Gump]

Isn't taking the time to reach the journeyman with rare talent who you were able to acquire relatively cheaply one of the only ways to recover quickly from the hell-scape that has been the Mavs' plan for the past 2-3 seasons? Don't we think, given where they are today, right now, that this is at least worth giving the kid a chance to prove he can or can't do it? 

I, personally, have enjoyed watching the recent stretches wherein Wood is played as a solo big and shooting has provided him with space. If it turns out he can't perform well enough in those circumstances to win games, then fine, but my goodness, I sure think he's doing well enough already to justify extending this experiment a little longer. If they had just started with this approach, there's a chance he'd be even better by now. There's also a chance it would've been horrific, sure, but I doubt it, and it's not like they were tearing up the Western Conference before everyone got hurt.

IMHO, not only should the Mavs be trying/hoping to make things work with Wood, they should be DESPERATE to do so. If this was playing out for another team in less dire circumstances I might feel totally differently.

I'm not sure what you are arguing for.

I would argue that the Mavs have pulled out all the stops on trying to get him to the next level from day one. And are continuing to do so. And it's still problematic. And they are still hopeful, and will continue to try, I would expect, because even if he isn't a keeper, they need to make him sellable.

They aren't holding him back. They see his scoring skills. But they have been demanding (in exchange for minutes) he work to fix the flaws - which, if not fixed, will make him a disaster to re-sign, and which will keep him from being what they really need.

The reality is that Wood has bounced from team to team, and his scoring skills have not overcome his lack of skill and focus in the rest of the game. The Mavs have to make a huge commitment in a big hurry, or move on in a different direction.

And we all WANT him to be better (as do the Mavs, of course). But they are stuck in a time crunch on decisions with some hard deadlines. Right?