MAVS NEWS: Luka Is Hurt, But is Trudging On | DLive's Mom Passes Away| Maxi OUT

[Luka77]

To put the blame on Exum for Maxi’s injury is ridiculous. Yes, it was an unnecessary play and Exum could have made a different pass, but Maxi chose to try to make a hero dunk on that play over Coffey. He could have easily backed off and put the ball down on the floor. It’s not as if Exum threw him that pass while he was in mid-air over the defender.

I’m a physician, and I treat a lot of AC joint injuries. When I saw how he fell, and later the pain he was in, I was surprised he didn’t break his clavicle. Needless to say, with the ligamentous injuries he suffered, he won’t be returning any time soon. It’s hard to say how long he’ll be out without seeing films, doing an exam, etc. As others mentioned above, he might require surgery to allow for appropriate, athletic participation-level recovery. Poor guy. Just can’t stay healthy.

Exum deserves 50% if not more of the blame for causing Maxi's injury.

Yes, Maxi could have chose different than thinking he is prime Vince Carter and he can just jump over Amir Coffey.   But unlike Exum at least Maxi made an aggressive move or playing with any heart/irrational confidence.  

Exum is out there playing a passive game of hot potato by feeding the trailer on that play.  He wanted nothing to do with making a play for himself or others and he has been doing it the entire series.

[Chicagojk]

That just sucks for maxi. Freak injury. He was playing so well.

It will be Interesting how this impacts Dallas against OKC. That is a good 20 minutes we have to replace. I wonder who picks those up. Not crazy with Jones jr at PF. Although maybe OKc is one team that won’t punish you. I much prefer him guarding with two bigger bodies. It also impacts out small ball lineup. Omax isn’t ready and is on crutches anyway.

Moving forward, I still think we need to look for an eventual maxi replacement. I am not sure I Omax is ready next year but it would be great if he was ready for those early regular season minutes so we can really watch Maxi minutes. May need to have a veteran for insurance as well.

[Chicagojk]

Big series for Lively too. He appears to really be motivated playing against his rookie peers in Wemby and Chet. I think he will need to be really good. Chet has been playing really well and really took it to Jonas. In the games I saw Jonas could use his muscle but it didn’t really matter because Chet countered with skill and speed. Keeping lively on the court will be inportant

[Winter]

Big series for Lively too.  He appears to really be motivated playing against his rookie peers in Wemby and Chet.  I think he will need to be really good.  Chet has been playing really well and really took it to Jonas.  In the games I saw Jonas could use his muscle but it didn’t really matter because Chet countered with skill and speed.  Keeping lively on the court will be inportant

It will be interesting to see how the Mavs fill the rotation issue without Maxi.  Lively has recently looked like a willing participant in defending the perimeter, so I'd like to see more of that. But how do use Lively to replace Maxi's minutes on offense? One of these days, we will need to see if Lively can shoot a 3-ball. Maybe Maxi's absence will make Kidd curious.

[OBX Maverick]

Exum deserves 50% if not more of the blame for causing Maxi's injury.

Yes, Maxi could have chose different than thinking he is prime Vince Carter and he can just jump over Amir Coffey.   But unlike Exum at least Maxi made an aggressive move or playing with any heart/irrational confidence.  

Exum is out there playing a passive game of hot potato by feeding the trailer on that play.  He wanted nothing to do with making a play for himself or others and he has been doing it the entire series.

I do agree that Exum (and often Green) have been playing a game of hot potato on offense. At least Green seemed to emerge in game 6 and want to be a difference maker. Hopefully, he’ll continue in that mode. Judging by his playing time in the second half Friday, I would say that Green will be making up at least a chunk of the Maxi minutes. They’re different players obviously, but we’re not left with a whole lot of options. Probably THJ, too, to be honest, if he ever recovers from the ankle.

[mvossman]

Kkeber’s injury isn’t a surprise. It’s who he is. Obtaining a reliable small ball center is probably priority 2 for the off-season. Since Powell can’t play with DLive or Gafford, PJ is just going to have to buck up and play 42 minutes per night.  PJ and Maxi are really the only playable power forwards on the roster.

Luka and DJJ can play some power forward, especially against OKC.  Play them together when PJ needs rest.  If they want to go small ball, PJ has played some small ball center in the past.  As early as next season we could add Omax to the list, and Maxi will still be on the roster.  I would argue that upgrades to 6th man and then 5th starter are still higher priorities.

[KillerLeft]

I think the level of defense in this video is being slightly oversold by this guy (whose bit seems to be going as extreme with his takes as possible), but it was nice to see something positive about Luka’s defense, which HAS been better (except for the end of game 4, holy geez).


https://youtu.be/MUnZ3cLJyxQ?si=BaFwcwUFKDF0_iSo

[omahen]

I think the level of defense in this video is being slightly oversold by this guy (whose bit seems to be going as extreme with his takes as possible), but it was nice to see something positive about Luka’s defense, which HAS been better (except for the end of game 4, holy geez).


https://youtu.be/MUnZ3cLJyxQ?si=BaFwcwUFKDF0_iSo

This guy is so extremely annoying  If I remember correctly, there were regular season stats about Luka being an actual good primary defender in the regular season. He is worse in rotations and help defense. Although again, I think Mavs regular season defense scheme is designed in a way that Luka doesn't rotate to save his energy. Which is of course very difficult to execute and probably a reason why defense falls apart many times.

[Smitty]

It will be interesting to see how the Mavs fill the rotation issue without Maxi.  Lively has recently looked like a willing participant in defending the perimeter, so I'd like to see more of that. But how do use Lively to replace Maxi's minutes on offense? One of these days, we will need to see if Lively can shoot a 3-ball. Maybe Maxi's absence will make Kidd curious.

I think we matchup well with OKC even without Maxi.

SGA 6’6 - DJJ 6’5
Dort 6’3 - Kyrie 6’2
Giddey 6’8 - Luka 6’7
JWill 6’5 - PJW 6’7
Chet 7’1 - Lively 7’1

G/F Wallace 6’4 - Green 6’5
G/F Joe 6’4 - Exum 6’5
G/F Wiggins 6’6 - THJ 6’5
C Jaylin Williams 6’9 - Gafford 6’10

Lively won’t start but will play starter minutes.


MPG in Round 1 (minus Maxi):

Luka 42.6 mpg
Kyrie 40.0 mpg
PJW 35.3 mpg
DJJ 29.3 mpg
Lively 20.3 mpg
Gafford 18.2 mpg
Green 16.9 mpg
Exum 8.8 mpg


Rotation against OKC:

Luka 42 | Exum 6
Kai 40 | Exum 8
DJJ 24 | Green 24
PJW 38 | DJJ 10
Lively 24 | Gafford 24


The Mavs can play small ball with PJ at the 5 also. He’s played there plenty in his career.

Luka - Kai - Green/Exum/THJ - DJJ - PJ

This lineup with Maxi at the 5: LuKai, Green, DJJ, Maxi had a net rating of 28.8 in 48 minutes. 
It’s not as simple as saying a swap of PJW for Maxi will be as effective - but I think it will still be positive.

[KillerLeft]

I, too, feel pretty good about the coming series.

The Kleber injury is going to hurt, and I am fairly worried about Luka’s knee, as he is going to be forced to guard smaller, faster players in bigger areas of space in this series. if it weren’t for those two things, I would feel very, very confident that the Mavs were heading towards the Western Conference finals.

I am a little curious what the approach will be – I halfway think it might be behoove the Mavericks to slow this one down, rather than play faster as they have recently. This is because size and strength are undoubtably their biggest advantages against OKC and I think the offensive glass is their friend. Just something I’m pondering, not a full take yet.

[OBX Maverick]

I, too, feel pretty good about the coming series.

The Kleber injury is going to hurt, and I am Tfairly worried about Luka’s knee, as he is going to be forced to guard smaller, faster players in bigger areas of space in this series. if it weren’t for those two things, I would feel very, very confident that the Mavs were heading towards the Western Conference finals.

I am a little curious what the approach will be – I halfway think it might be behoove the Mavericks to slow this one down, rather than play faster as they have recently. This is because size and strength are undoubtably their biggest advantages against OKC and I think the offensive glass is their friend. Just something I’m pondering, not a full take yet.

I think Luka’s knee will be fine. Luka is a warrior, but it’s also hard to tell sometimes how much he’s dramatizing things. I suspect that with the 3 days of rest, he’ll be a new player against OKC. I honestly think the cold/flu he had was as much a problem as the knee last round.

[KillerLeft]

I think Luka’s knee will be fine. Luka is a warrior, but it’s also hard to tell sometimes how much he’s dramatizing things. I suspect that with the 3 days of rest, he’ll be a new player against OKC. I honestly think the cold/flu he had was as much a problem as the knee last round.

This is optimistic, but not in a delusional way. You could be absolutely correct, and I sincerely hope you are!

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

JKidd gets a long term extension

https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/...6818120117

[Winter]

JKidd gets a long term extension

https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/...6818120117

For the record, I don't have much opinion on Kidd as a coach. He doesn't seem particularly good or bad either way in regard to Xs and 0s.. 

However, I suspect he has created a positive culture within the organization - along with Nico and people like Finley and Dirk (and the assistant coaches). It's hard to tell how true this is, but I sense it some from what the players say. It seems to play out in Kidd's demeanor - and I'm guessing he really changed his colors in Los Angeles from what I've read. I feel more positive about this and how it effects players like Kyrie and others.

So carry on guys.

[omahen]

JKidd gets a long term extension

https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/...6818120117

Ok. After first round win it was expected to happen. I am a bit surprised by the timing, as I would imagine negotiations for such an extension are time consuming. Isn't this a big distraction during key part of the season?

Was it Mavs or Kidd that was in a hurry? To me personally, it seened that Kidd is very eager to get this done ASAP ever since the regular season ended.

[surfpuckmd]

Kidd is still among the league's worst head coaches.  He has had some recent success though so it would be strange to not retain him given the circumstances.  He adjusted his lineups successfully in the latter part of the season and we played really well especially on defense.  He deserves credit for that.  

Winning a playoff series is always an accomplishment but defeating the Clippers without Kawhi Leonard is a very modest accomplishment.  

I still think Kidd is a poor offensive coach and does a terrible job advocating for his players when the officiating is not even.  Much of Luka's complaining is the result of Kidd's mutism from the bench.  He has said some awful things through the media as well.  It would be easy to upgrade Coach Kidd.  

The Lakers had expressed interest in JKidd through the media though so I believe the Mavs felt they needed to go ahead and commit to him.  

I remain hopeful that we'll hire a former head coach as a lead assistant this off-season.  Vogel should be available and might complement Coach Kidd's decision making.  Maybe we can have a lead assistant in charge of talking to the officials during the game?  Maybe a different assistant can communicate through the media?

There is probably a solution here and I hope Nico and Lindsay find it.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Ok. After first round win it was expected to happen. I am a bit surprised by the timing, as I would imagine negotiations for such an extension are time consuming. Isn't this a big distraction during key part of the season?

Was it Mavs or Kidd that was in a hurry? To me personally, it seened that Kidd is very eager to get this done ASAP ever since the regular season ended.

His name was floated out there just two days ago as a possibility for the Lakers HC job.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7Sj83ga7Lc

[omahen]

His name was floated out there just two days ago as a possibility for the Lakers HC job.

I know. But this can also be just a pressure from his camp to get things done. He had a contract for another year, so he couldn't go to Lakers without Mavs giving their blessing.

[Chicagojk]

two of the three years he had the team playing their best ball down the stretch. Just really impassioned ball. We will see how this year ends. Luka and Kyrie seem to love him. He seems to never publicly embarrass a player. Not sure if that is just a public thing or if it goes on the same behind the scenes.

I am not sure how many coaches would have handled that really rough stretch after the all star break and losing back to back homes against a injury depleted philly team and Indy. I thought things were spiraling downward. Whatever happened, things changed really fast after that and they never looked back.

With all that though, I am still in the not sure phase with him. He has deserved his contract though. I assume Nico will follow. I also think we have the blueprint of the type of team Kidd wants. He wants a physical, long team. Maybe with a touch more shooting.

[SleepingHero]