MAVS NEWS: Luka Wins Community Cares Award! | DLive's Mom Passes Away

[ItsGoTime]

Thank you for deleting that shit 

Ya, editing it on my phone got to be too much work. I’m a lazy bastard!

[IamDougieFresh]

Ya, editing it on my phone got to be too much work. I’m a lazy bastard!

Happens to me all the time too on mobile so I end up just not completing the post

[Kammrath]

I read and carefully consider every word you write here. I have defended your takes on countless occasions, even when I didn’t fully agree with them, because I felt they were being misrepresented. I stuck up for what I thought was fair in those situations, as I am doing today.

You attacked me with that gif. You’re not “listening” to me. You’re accusing me of being negative. 

Others are straw-manning my nuanced opinion (which isn’t even complicated, yet seems difficult for some of our best to understand) and putting words in my mouth.

I am not being negative. I am being truthful about my reactions to what’s happening. People are free to disagree, obviously. I’m not backing down. Without the move you and I both are hoping for, I’m NOT going to be happy with the off-season. Period. If you are, that’s cool.

Are you saying that I must agree with others’ opinions or risk making this place less fun? If so, I’ll happily go.

1) My gif had nothing to do with you. I wasn't even responding to you. I was responding to ONE line from another poster about there being a LOT of speculation going on. That's it.

2) I do appreciate your reading which is why I was surprised by your characterization of me just being a flip flopper who didn't hold an opinion.

3) My frustration with the endless negativity is NOT you man. I know you have the maturity to hear my frustration so I said to you, but it is NOT in reference to you. 

4) When I have ever claimed everyone needed to agree? All I care about is people NOT mis-characterizing other's positions AND mis-characterizing the Mavs front office and their decisions.

[Kammrath]

Do you at least realize that other people might have similar thoughts for completly different reasons. One calls it negative drivel. Others just dissenting views. I see it completly differently. This board needs more dissent. Different opinions. More variety. Less herd mentality. And that goes both ways. There is a place for sunshine pumping. There is a place for negativity. And anything in between.

I don't think disagreeing with the Mavs is "negativity" at ALL. I see "negativity" as the WAY in which one states one's opinion and dissent. 

And I am not here to police anyone, just frustrated at the negativity that fills the rest of the internet seemingly starting to take over here. If that continues I personally will bow out. I hate the internet overall, a cesspool of negativity, non-listening, and hateful vitriol.

[F Gump]

I proposed trades at the TDL (what most now wish the FO had done) because I knew he was gone...not because I didn't like him.

There's apparently more to that Brunson analysis.

According to Skin Wade, the Mavs DID do exactly what you wanted. And what we have is that result.

They looked for deals for Brunson at the TDL. However, the return of value wasn't there, and they felt there was more to be gained by keeping him than by trading him.

That was part of the equation of whether to trade or not -- what will a team give for a player who will be a UFA in the summer? Will someone want to ignore the risk and pay for his value as a player? 

It's true that they couldn't keep him after all. But unfortunately, they factually didn't have an alternate that would have made a difference, because they did what you proposed and looked for that deal, and it wasn't there. When the trade value was minimal, it apparently made more sense to keep him on the roster, reap his immediate value on the team and hope and and trust you could re-sign him when the time came.

[IamDougieFresh]

If it turns out that Mark and Nico actually have a GOOD plan for this season that reveals itself in the coming weeks then everything will be great and a Mark/Nico apology thread will be posted immediately.

While perhaps unfair to Nico, there is a long history of front office failures and a lot of people have no reason to think won’t continue. Even if Nico was the best GM of all time, it doesn’t matter if Cuban messes it up.

Positives since Nico took over: 
Wood trade
Actually getting back into the draft to take a player they believed in
Shitstaps trade
Bullock signing

Negatives: 
Lost Brunson
Roster has huge holes (off-season isn’t over tho)
Order in which needs have been prioritized and/or not addressed at all (arguably subjective despite all my takes being factual)

[Kammrath]

If it turns out that Mark and Nico actually have a GOOD plan for this season that reveals itself in the coming weeks then everything will be great and a Mark/Nico apology thread will be posted immediately.

While perhaps unfair to Nico, there is a long history of front office failures and a lot of people have no reason to think won’t continue. Even if Nico was the best GM of all time, it doesn’t matter if Cuban messes it up.

Positives since Nico took over: 
Wood trade
Actually getting back into the draft to take a player they believed in
Shitstaps trade
Bullock signing

Negatives: 
Lost Brunson
Roster has huge holes (off-season isn’t over tho)
Order in which needs have been prioritized and/or not addressed at all (arguably subjective despite all my takes being factual)

This is a great take. 

I disagree with "huge roster holes" personally, but understand where some are coming from on that.

[IamDougieFresh]

This is a great take. 

I disagree with "huge roster holes" personally, but understand where some are coming from on that.

And to be fair, I think that at worst, the team is at the same level as last year. +Wood -Brunson is neutral for the team imo. Big men rotation is much better. Ball handling rotation is worse... actually, currently there is no rotation unless Hardy is magically ready to play some serious minutes. I don't see how the front office could know whether he is ready or not leading me to agree that they are not done.

[Jommybone]

And to be fair, I think that at worst, the team is at the same level as last year. +Wood -Brunson is neutral for the team imo. Big men rotation is much better. Ball handling rotation is worse... actually, currently there is no rotation unless Hardy is magically ready to play some serious minutes. I don't see how the front office could know whether he is ready or not leading me to agree that they are not done.

Really? I think of myself as one of the few optimists on this board, and I can’t get anywhere close to this sunshiney over this. Another team wanted to pay JB 26mm/yr to steal him from us. Another team gave us Wood for a bag o beans. You must think NY and Hou front offices are way, way dumber than us if you think this is a neutral development.

[IamDougieFresh]

Really? I think of myself as one of the few optimists on this board, and I can’t get anywhere close to this sunshiney over this. Another team wanted to pay JB 26mm/yr to steal him from us. Another team gave us Wood for a bag o beans. You must think NY and Hou front offices are way, way dumber than us if you think this is a neutral development.

I just think Wood is going to be really good for us and I think Luka will be able to absorb a lot of the pressure of losing JB because he is well... amazing.

[F Gump]

 +Wood -Brunson is neutral for the team imo.

 
I disagree, even though I am hopeful Wood will be really good. Here's why.

I would agree that Brunson's impact can be replaced and maybe exceeded, but by "Wood + playoff-playable PG/offense creator" ....But they don't have that other piece, the spot that JB filled, and that's very important to what unlocks the Mavs.

As Kidd pointed out on Friday, Luka playing with another PG all the time allows (a) Luka's workload to be lessened in quantity, and broadened in quality, and (b) Luka to learn to be dominant playing behind the defense, as JK put it. But you can't do much of that if you only have one other decent PG. If it's only Luka and SD, Luka isn't able to play with SD all that much, whose primary minutes will be used to run the team when Luka is sitting.

As Luka goes, so goes the Mavs -- and they are missing a vital piece to making Luka more effective.

[SleepingHero]

[mvossman]

If it turns out that Mark and Nico actually have a GOOD plan for this season that reveals itself in the coming weeks then everything will be great and a Mark/Nico apology thread will be posted immediately.

While perhaps unfair to Nico, there is a long history of front office failures and a lot of people have no reason to think won’t continue. Even if Nico was the best GM of all time, it doesn’t matter if Cuban messes it up.

Positives since Nico took over: 
Wood trade
Actually getting back into the draft to take a player they believed in
Shitstaps trade
Bullock signing

Negatives: 
Lost Brunson
Roster has huge holes (off-season isn’t over tho)
Order in which needs have been prioritized and/or not addressed at all (arguably subjective despite all my takes being factual)

If we are going back to last offseason, then I would add the negatives:

Did not trade KP when we could have replaced frontcourt hole with cap space (doubt his value was much lower than at TDL)
Took no advantage of last chance at cap space (over 30 mil) and instead went with THJ, WCS, Brown, Boban and useless TPE
FO stated top priority was getting a playmaker with size and completely failed (until KP trade when we crushed frontcourt depth)

I have not liked anything the FO has done since the Wood trade, but I accept that the offseason is not over yet.

[IamDougieFresh]

 
I disagree, even though I am hopeful Wood will be really good. Here's why.

I would agree that Brunson's impact can be replaced and maybe exceeded, but by "Wood + playoff-playable PG/offense creator" ....But they don't have that other piece, the spot that JB filled, and that's very important to what unlocks the Mavs.

As Kidd pointed out on Friday, Luka playing with another PG all the time allows (a) Luka's workload to be lessened in quantity, and broadened in quality, and (b) Luka to learn to be dominant playing behind the defense, as JK put it. But you can't do much of that if you only have one other decent PG. If it's only Luka and SD, Luka isn't able to play with SD all that much, whose primary minutes will be used to run the team when Luka is sitting.

As Luka goes, so goes the Mavs -- and they are missing a vital piece to making Luka more effective.

I agree it’s a problem

---

If we are going back to last offseason, then I would add the negatives:

Did not trade KP when we could have replaced frontcourt hole with cap space (doubt his value was much lower than at TDL)
Took no advantage of last chance at cap space (over 30 mil) and instead went with THJ, WCS, Brown, Boban and useless TPE
FO stated top priority was getting a playmaker with size and completely failed (until KP trade when we crushed frontcourt depth)

I have not liked anything the FO has done since the Wood trade, but I accept that the offseason is not over yet.

I agree with you, my list was made quickly and probably missed a ton.

[radix]

I doubt anyone here is going to comprehend this, as 85%+ of the posters are just in complain only mode and the other 14.99% are lost in some fantasy trade scenario computations, but here goes anyway.

I think Hardy could have a major career break through playing on a team with Luka. Let me break down why.

Steph Curry is arguably the best shooter in NBA history. Actually it's not really arguable. He is. Steph figured out a way to train his shot beyond anything any shooter has even done. In my opinion, I do not believe there is anyway that Klay Thompson becomes the shooter he is without modeling his game after Steph. It is obvious that Steph influenced Klay and whatever training Steph was doing, Klay adopted it. Same with Jordan Poole. Poole never becomes the shooter he was last season without modeling Steph.

Now Luka has a different game than Steph. It's not based on pure shooting and movement without the ball. Luka is all about controlling the pace, using dribbling and footwork to create separation and then making shots in traffic or dishing dimes as the defense collapses. He is the best in the world currently at this type of game play. Brunson modeled his game after Luka. No surprise, Luka was right in front of his face, so why not? People said Brunson was redundant because he has the same style as Luka. Yeah, he does, because he modeled his game after Luka. 

Hardy is a gym rat. He wants to get better. Hardy will probably study Luka. And it just so happens that Hardy's current weaknesses are Luka's strengths. Hardy lacks change of pace, decision making with the ball and getting separation with patience and control. If Hardy models after Luka, these things will become strengths. Hardy already has the pure shooting stroke and ability to move without the ball. If he adds Luka style magic to his game the way Brunson did, in 2-3 years he will be an all-star. His ceiling is high. 

Very high.

[IamDougieFresh]

I doubt anyone here is going to comprehend this, as 85%+ of the posters are just in complain only mode and the other 14.99% are lost in some fantasy trade scenario computations, but here goes anyway.

I think Hardy could have a major career break through playing on a team with Luka. Let me break down why.

Steph Curry is arguably the best shooter in NBA history. Actually it's not really arguable. He is. Steph figured out a way to train his shot beyond anything any shooter has even done. In my opinion, I do not believe there is anyway that Klay Thompson becomes the shooter he is without modeling his game after Steph. It is obvious that Steph influenced Klay and whatever training Steph was doing, Klay adopted it. Same with Jordan Poole. Poole never becomes the shooter he was last season without modeling Steph.

Now Luka has a different game than Steph. It's not based on pure shooting and movement without the ball. Luka is all about controlling the pace, using dribbling and footwork to create separation and then making shots in traffic or dishing dimes as the defense collapses. He is the best in the world currently at this type of game play. Brunson modeled his game after Luka. No surprise, Luka was right in front of his face, so why not? People said Brunson was redundant because he has the same style as Luka. Yeah, he does, because he modeled his game after Luka. 

Hardy is a gym rat. He wants to get better. Hardy will probably study Luka. And it just so happens that Hardy's current weaknesses are Luka's strengths. Hardy lacks change of pace, decision making with the ball and getting separation with patience and control. If Hardy models after Luka, these things will become strengths. Hardy already has the pure shooting stroke and ability to move without the ball. If he adds Luka style magic to his game the way Brunson did, in 2-3 years he will be an all-star. His ceiling is high. 

Very high.

Edit: Removed my reply. I see how it was interpreted as disrespectful and rude. I was just trying to be funny and I felt the joke was more on myself.

I’m very sorry @"radix". Would love to see more posts from you.

[omahen]

what will a team give for a player who will be a UFA in the summer? Will someone want to ignore the risk and pay for his value as a player?

Kemba, Burks, Noel, FRP and 2 SRP in the summer. At TDL it would likely be the picks and one smaller contract. 

I think that beats nothing.

[Kammrath]

Not trying to disrespect you chief, but we’re you high when you wrote this? Because this is exactly the type of thing I would think of on some delta 8 gummies. I can just imagine myself now, high as fuck, chilling with some friends, eating some cool ranch Doritos thinking I just had the most profound thought.

“Guys here me out. If Hardy becomes exactly like Luka he will be top 20 all time. You know what I’m saying?”

Why? What's the point of saying this? If you don't think his opinion is legit, move on. No need to make fun, we aren't in middle school. 

This is why some folks are shy to post on here. Say anything positive and you get made fun of, geez.

[Kammrath]

Hardy is a gym rat. He wants to get better.

Your opinion on Hardy is definitely higher than mine....BUT I think he shows a lot more promise than I thought during the draft process. And his attitude, mentality, and work ethic are what will set him apart if he succeeds in the NBA. 

He absolutely shows more promise than JB did at the same time, so your outlook isn't crazy. Here's to hoping you are right!

[DanSchwartzgan]

Highly misleading when you are lumping in Dinwiddie's primary ball handler role in WAS vs Brunson's role as a secondary ball handler. Dinwiddie had a lower Assist % than Brunson when he joined the Mavs despite his role being mainly a distributor vs Brunson's scorer role.

In the 7 games he started for the Mavs (small sample size), he had an assist % of 20%. Compare that to Brunson's 24% when he started 61 games. 

When you compare Brunson's assist numbers to other "secondary ball handlers," he's elite, especially when you factor in his low turnover numbers. 

It's not easy playing next to Luka, arguably the most ball dominant player in the league. Can Dinwiddie do that at a high level for a full season with great success?  

Even if the passing is similar (I think Brunson's better), Brunson is better than Dinwiddie at every other facet of offense. Isn't that the more important part, playing off-ball to Luka? 
 

You are correct.  The assist percentage I quoted was full season and benefits from the 27.5 he produced in DC.  Dinwiddie produced Assist percentages of 35, 25 and 35 the three seasons prior to that.  His career average is 29.2 compared to 23.6 for JB.  If we are making a prediction for the next season about whether someone can replace the 24 Brunson put up last season, I'll take the guy with a career average five percentage points higher.

Also, the numbers don't agree on the "every other facet" of offense statement.  In Dallas (which is the boundary you selected) Dinwiddie put up 20 points per 36 compared to 18.3 for Brunson.  SD hit .404 of his 3's compared to .373 from JB.  Their overall FG% was a wash at .502 to .498, but SD has the higher TS% .624 to .583 because he gets twice as many FT attempts per minute played.  Dinwiddie has the higher PER, WS/48, Box +/- and a higher Net Rating and Simple Rating (82Games.com).  

I'm sure the next thing that will happen is someone will produce a half dozen compilation stats that show Brunson is better.  I'll direct you to VORP and EPM for starters.  I'm not trying to prove JB is a bad player or that Dinwiddie is better than him.  I'm trying to disprove your statement that Brunson is better in "every other facet" of offense (which I think I've done admirably).  And now I have to go take a shower to wash off the stench of saying negative things about JB.

I think if you have to replace JB (and recall it wasn't our choice that he left), Dinwiddie does the job fairly well.  He'll benefit from the addition of Wood and the return of THJ.  What we haven't done, and should be concerned about, is that we haven't replaced the role Dinwiddie played off the bench.