10-22-2022, 12:20 AM
(10-21-2022, 08:35 AM)Smitty Wrote: 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.