THE CRUCIFIX: Cato: Wood isn't thrilled w/ his role...Will depart in the summer

[KillerLeft]

Part of my problem with the Kidd hire was their were reports of him using “mind games” with players. I just find that approach, in any setting or relationship to be disingenuous and misguided. Just say what your expectations are and he’ll either meet them or not and you have your answer. It’s fine to call people out or occasionally get angry with them— those are all natural human responses to stress or disappointment. Premeditating some scheme to manipulate a response you want from another (adult) human is, frankly, a little weird. Christian Wood isn’t 5 years old. If he’s so problematic don’t trade for him. Just my opinion.

I really don't think this is something he's doing "to" Wood, I think it's something he's doing "for" Kleber. I think everyone sees the writing on the wall, but this team got really far leaning on Kleber last season and I think the locker room probably has a ton of respect for him. Kidd is probably just trying to get everyone on the same page with as little blood on the walls as possible. There might be a little bit of a "make Wood earn it" angle mixed in, but I think most of it is treating the core guys with the respect they've earned. 

Not to mention Kleber is probably 10x more comfortable with the rotation plan they wanted to use against Paul/Ayton down the stretch. 

Look, I'm not saying he handled it in exactly the right way, or that I would've done it the same way, but I think there are more plausible reasons than "mind games" for the choice he made. 

I also think if Wood keeps playing the way he did in game 1 he'll find himself finishing games really soon. Probably with the locker room's backing, which, again, is what I think Kidd's aim might be here.

---

But every indication is that CW knows exactly what is going on and is buying in to what Kidd is communicating to him.

Yeah, Wood has been exuding the right attitude, so far, which should indicate to us that there's a reasonable plan in place for everyone to feel valued and contribute. 

I think game 1 was a success, other than that horrible stretch in the 3rd. Better than I expected, actually. 

So much of life is about expectations. I keep learning that lesson over and over, each time with more nuance.

[dynamicalVoid]

Maxi hardly plays regular season it seems...so I kind of dont agree with that respect angle towards him even if it does make sense it some way.

Maxi is a play off player to me.   Thats the only time hes useful because of unique size and mobility on defense.  Lets be honest...hes not very good at bball...but can be used in playoffs for his defense.

Hes poster boy for unskilled NBA player that can be used in a Playoff setting.

[Jason Terry]

I really don't think this is something he's doing "to" Wood, I think it's something he's doing "for" Kleber. I think everyone sees the writing on the wall, but this team got really far leaning on Kleber last season and I think the locker room probably has a ton of respect for him. Kidd is probably just trying to get everyone on the same page with as little blood on the walls as possible. There might be a little bit of a "make Wood earn it" angle mixed in, but I think most of it is treating the core guys with the respect they've earned. 

Not to mention Kleber is probably 10x more comfortable with the rotation plan they wanted to use against Paul/Ayton down the stretch. 

Look, I'm not saying he handled it in exactly the right way, or that I would've done it the same way, but I think there are more plausible reasons than "mind games" for the choice he made. 

I also think if Wood keeps playing the way he did in game 1 he'll find himself finishing games really soon. Probably with the locker room's backing, which, again, is what I think Kidd's aim might be here.

---

Yeah, Wood has been exuding the right attitude, so far, which should indicate to us that there's a reasonable plan in place for everyone to feel valued and contribute. 

I think game 1 was a success, other than that horrible stretch in the 3rd. Better than I expected, actually. 

So much of life is about expectations. I keep learning that lesson over and over, each time with more nuance.

Excellent post. Managing expectations is so key to everything

[Smitty]

"Mind games" means he is not communicating clearly and is being inconsistent with what he says and how he behaves (as RC apparently did quite frequently). But every indication is that CW knows exactly what is going on and is buying in to what Kidd is communicating to him.

I agree with this. It was the first game of the year. FWIW Kidd, Wood and the veterans from last year probably all learned something from Game 1, as they should. I see it playing out just fine, if Wood continues his play. It's a long season.

I'm excited about the Luka/Wood combo and would love for it to work out for both the Mavs and Wood, that he stay here long-term. It means that Wood is good and bought in and that the Mavs believe it to be sustainable.

[Smitty]

More context to go with what I heard on the radio.

https://twitter.com/sixfivelando/status/...74688?s=46&t=kq7-wRc2m-mRXf5CV-9Ltg

[F Gump]

All the whining and hand wringing  - post after post after post - because Wood didn't happen to play the last 46 seconds of this one single game is just nuts. Goodness. What nonsense.

[dynamicalVoid]

Bad coaching decisions and typical last seconds Luka...equate to a loss this time.

[dirkfansince1998]

All the whining and hand wringing  - post after post after post - because Wood didn't happen to play the last 46 seconds of this one single game is just nuts. Goodness. What nonsense.

If you aren´t interested in a certain topic just ignore it. Maybe others think your endless free agency/trade what ifs are just as nonsensical but no one attacks you for posting them.

[MarkAguirreWrathofGod]

It wasn’t just the last 48 seconds. Wood played 12 minutes the entire second half, right. He was rolling again and sat until 2:40 left in the game if I’m remembering right. Maxi was having one of his afraid to shoot games, we were being outrebounded and were having trouble scoring.

[F Gump]

If you aren´t interested in a certain topic just ignore it.

Usually I do. But not when it's totally made-up nonsense that's invading almost every thread. As I read the conversations, it's one misstatement of FACT after another, being lobbed back and forth leading to reactions (to the made up nonsense) that are off the charts.

SOMEONE needed to say something, long before, and point to the facts. No one spoke up. So I did.

[F Gump]

It wasn’t just the last 48 seconds. Wood played 12 minutes the entire second half, right. He was rolling again and sat until 2:40 left in the game if I’m remembering right. Maxi was having one of his afraid to shoot games, we were being outrebounded and were having trouble scoring.

I appreciate your response, but it you look at the way he was played in the 2nd half, it was such a non-event, or at least should have been.

In the 3rd, Wood came in at a normal time for a non-starter, about halfway through the quarter. He played straight through until about halfway through the 4th. He certainly needed a rest, and was rested until 2-3 minutes left, giving him 4-ish minutes of game time to recover from a full-quarter stretch. Then he played down the stretch until there were 46 secs left, and they decided to insert Dinwiddie for him.

From the way people are responding, you'd think (a) he didn't play at all in the 4th, or down the stretch, and (b) the issue is a big number of minutes he was being not used. But really, there's just a question of whether it might have been been better if he was used (inserted earlier, or taken out later) by about 30 secs or so here or there. And that's just such a nothing burger, and it's just one game that maybe was less than ideal, so the extremity of the points being offered feels like something from the theater of the absurd imo.

[Jommybone]

Reminds me a lot of Kidd’s first game with the Mavs playing for Avery Johnson. Got benched to end the game. A near miss at San Antonio. The board went crazy. Guess that one turned out ok, but the coach wasn’t there for the ending.

[Razzmatazz_Hopskidillydoo]

Also, I will repeat it regularly, do not get attached to Wood. Only two outcomes are possible IMO. He plays very well, and the Mavs won't pay him what it will cost to keep, or he starts to dislike his role and/or plays poorly where the Mavs wouldn't want to resign him anyway.

If Wood proves to be a good locker room presence and plays in-sync with Luka and the team, at the same time raising all his numbers, then it would be another dumb move for the Mavs not to resign him. The Mavs are coming off from the JB disaster, and they could not afford another one just a year after. Should they let Wood go, this team takes a steep deep plunge in talent.

The attachment issue shouldn't really be for the fans, but for Luka. If I were Luka, and I have finally found a reliable lieutenant by my side, as well as a class A pick-and-roll partner, I'd be majorly pissed if my team doesn't retain him. You can't tell him we're waiting for this ïnsert-star-player" in free agency to pair with him who's better than Wood, but we can't just seal the deal this time, but we're going to be opportunistic all year round and get his guy next time.

Say goodbye to Luka this early if that happens.

The concern really is NOT if the Mavs will pay him, they have to. They have no choice if he plays out of his mind, injury free, and no baggages. The concern is if Wood isn't willing to sign because he really isn't truly happy here.

[Chicagojk]

I made a point awhile ago that Dallas front office appears really deliberate.   I am not saying that is a bad thing.  Both deliberate and aggressive can both work.  I personally feel there is a time for both.  For instance, my main issue losing Jalen is not that we didn't offer 25 million a year, it was not making him warm and fuzzy last offseason trying to sign him last offseason.  I didn't think he would take that offer, but at least he would have known he was wanted.   It turned out he would have accepted that.  It still pains me how differently I would feel about our roster if he was in place of Hardaway...anyway, moving on.  

I am not saying the Mavs should offer Wood an extension now, but they need to do it sooner or later (around 20 game mark), if they like him.   It is probably very unlikely he accepts a 4 yr, 78 million dollar deal.  But there is something to say having security now, vs waiting 6 months.   Even if he declines, at least he knows you want to resign him.   In fact, if he declines, I keep checking in weekly showing how much we value him.

Maybe after 20 games, we all feel we don't see him as a long term fit.  But if we do, we have to offer him sooner than later.  If we get to the trade deadline, there is no way he signs and will wait until the offseason to get a bigger payday.  Early in the season could potentially be a different story.

[ItsGoTime]

Not sure he views the $17M as his max extension amount as starter money that he said he is looking for. If so, I’m in on him for that amount.

[KillerLeft]

Not sure he views the $17M as his max extension amount as starter money that he said he is looking for. If so, I’m in on him for that amount.

Tough to know what's best in the Wood situation. 

He's very talented. The best version of him is worth quite a bit. And, he of course wants quite a bit, so my guess is that he's going to play really hard (and well, most of the time) here this season. We're all going to grow to like him a lot, I'd bet. 

But, his history says he doesn't work hard consistently. Maybe he's turned a corner, and the teams in Detroit and Houston just weren't operating at a high enough level for it to matter, and that's why he slacked off at times, missing practices, etc. Or, maybe that's just who he is, and the second he gets extended, re-signed, whatever, he's immediately going to relax and return to an underwhelming state.

If it's the latter, extending him right away might be the worst possible choice. 

Then again, if they let him walk for nothing, Brunson-style, I'll have to be miserable for another entire summer. I don't know how many of those I have left in me as a Mavs fan. 

Is it possible that the best, safest course of action is to trade him at the deadline? Maybe he's the prize you mix in with Powell's contract to get an established guy?

[mvossman]

Maxi hardly plays regular season it seems...so I kind of dont agree with that respect angle towards him even if it does make sense it some way.

Maxi is a play off player to me.   Thats the only time hes useful because of unique size and mobility on defense.  Lets be honest...hes not very good at bball...but can be used in playoffs for his defense.

Hes poster boy for unskilled NBA player that can be used in a Playoff setting.

While I agree his highest value is in the playoffs, he was crucial to this team succeeding in the regular season, especially after the TDL.  Team defense tanked at the end of the season when he was out.  I feel like playing defense at his level is an NBA skill.

[dynamicalVoid]

While I agree his highest value is in the playoffs, he was crucial to this team succeeding in the regular season, especially after the TDL.  Team defense tanked at the end of the season when he was out.  I feel like playing defense at his level is an NBA skill.

Id take slightly lesser defensive player with similar size that can catch passes, doesnt make lazy passes or horrible passes that get stolen, can do basic dribbling and has a basic feel for the game(doesnt airball layups or throw ball over the backboard when trying to give someone an alli-oop).

I get what your saying...but, imo, you need better all around bball players on the court to be really competitive in the NBA.  People dog on Goberts skills and only being defense...dude is way better at everything than Maxi.  You have to be able to at least dribble to score on blow-bys or make a decent pass to another teammate after your blow-by.  You have to have basic bball skills or your leaving lots of points on the court that other teams finish at a normal clip.  IMO, last two years Luka has been surrounded by guys like that other than Brunson.

[dynamicalVoid]

Mavs really need to do their homework by interviewing as many past coaches and teammates of Christian Wood as they can.

It would be disappointing if he "turns lazy" after getting paid.  But...hes with the best basketball player in the world, good organization and on a team that will be competitive with Luka around.  He has the chance for Luka to turn him into a household name.   Hopefully this is all stimulating to him and keeps him engaged.

[ItsGoTime]

Tough to know what's best in the Wood situation. 

He's very talented. The best version of him is worth quite a bit. And, he of course wants quite a bit, so my guess is that he's going to play really hard (and well, most of the time) here this season. We're all going to grow to like him a lot, I'd bet. 

But, his history says he doesn't work hard consistently. Maybe he's turned a corner, and the teams in Detroit and Houston just weren't operating at a high enough level for it to matter, and that's why he slacked off at times, missing practices, etc. Or, maybe that's just who he is, and the second he gets extended, re-signed, whatever, he's immediately going to relax and return to an underwhelming state.

If it's the latter, extending him right away might be the worst possible choice. 

Then again, if they let him walk for nothing, Brunson-style, I'll have to be miserable for another entire summer. I don't know how many of those I have left in me as a Mavs fan. 

Is it possible that the best, safest course of action is to trade him at the deadline? Maybe he's the prize you mix in with Powell's contract to get an established guy?

So, this is also part of the JB conundrum. At the TDL, either it was made known that NYK were who was gonna sign him in the offseason or FOs figured it out. No one wanted him (if they were shopping him, knowing he was going to leave) and NYK weren’t going to pay Dallas for an asset they were pretty confident they would get in a few months.


I see that type scenario playing out yet again. I think offensively CW is for sure going to be worth $17.5M going into the future even if there are motivation/motor issues. Being the offensive force he is and able to play the C or PF spot makes him pretty valuable for trade if we don’t want to deal with the other issues.

On top of all that. If he does have motivation issues and just wants a payday, paying him next offseason based on his motivated play this year might turn out just like the KP issue (only he actually fits offensively, just not defensively).

Also, it will be extremely hard for even people close to the situation to tell if he is only playing for a payday. This is why extending him asap, if he actually would take the max extension, is the best option.