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

[Razzmatazz_Hopskidillydoo]

Kidd's far from perfect, but look at how Powell and McGee are handled things.

McGee sucked, got his starting job yanked and came in tonight for a handful of quality minutes.  His best stint as a Mav this go around.  He's not complaining.
Powell started all last year and got no meaningful burn for four games.  When his number is called, he gives maximum effort.  He's not complaining.

You want to butt heads with your coach, fine.  It's not smart, but fine.  Don't fucking yell at your teammates though.  You aren't established here and the established guys don't pull that shit.  

And I want Wood to succeed.  His offense is great.  I wish he'd get all of THJ's opportunities and more.

DP for all his effort is still a JAG.
And McGee is a spare.

Maybe they are of good character, but IMHo these guys do not expect to be out on the floor every night.
Wood on the other hand -- he knows he has it and expects more.

I agree with you, arguing with a teammate isn't a good look and Wood shouldn't do that, specially early on.
Even if THJ deserves to be yelled at.

[cow]

DP for all his effort is still a JAG.
And McGee is a spare.

That's my point.  Wood in his first three games looked like a approximation of KD/Hakeem.  We got him for a late first round pick and four players that shouldn't be in the league.  Look at the returns teams are getting for much lesser players.  Something just doesn't add up.

And no, I don't think Kidd is handling this perfectly or anywhere close but I don't think the blame is a one way street.  Wood could easily be our second best player but he still needs to earn it.  Din should sit him down and big brother him.  Dude gets the business of the NBA and how to fit in.

[IamDougieFresh]

Someone of his talent shouldn't be getting passed around like a bottle of crown.  I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop and we are starting to see it.

Lmfaoooooooooooooooooooo

[cow]

Lmfaoooooooooooooooooooo

qq

[dynamicalVoid]

Question...

Do you think anyone told themselves that the A-Bomb should earn its spot in the lineup compared with the Howitzer?

Its a stupid argument.  You all know it too.  Earn what?

[cow]

Question...

Do you think anyone told themselves that the A-Bomb should earn its spot in the lineup compared with the Howitzer?

Its a stupid argument. 

With that analogy, you'd be the expert on stupid arguments.

[dynamicalVoid]

With that analogy, you'd be the expert on stupid arguments.

Sick burn.

Savage roast, bro.

[MarkAguirreWrathofGod]

I don’t understand what the end game is with Wood here. He’s seemingly been a good soldier— playing great ball in the role he’s been given, not complaining in the press. This team is so talent starved. And asset bereft, for that matter. I feel like we NEED Wood to work out, just like we need Josh Green to. Otherwise we are relying on a bunch of over 30ish year old guys whose best ball is either here now (Dinwiddie) or behind them (everyone else not named Luka). Heck, even Dodo looks a step slower than last season. Defensive cohesion takes time. Plenty of defensive breakdowns to go around on this team, it isn’t only Wood. In the meantime, I don’t see what purpose yanking Wood around serves. We shop him in December and we’ll get nickels on the dollar. He’s a rental unless he agrees to an extension somewhere which isn’t likely to happen. He’s not leaving 5m per year on the table. His extension is 17+ If I’m not mistaken, and I think he’ll get between 20-28m per year. Just play the guy.

[Kammrath]

I don’t understand what the end game is with Wood here. He’s seemingly been a good soldier— playing great ball in the role he’s been given, not complaining in the press. This team is so talent starved. And asset bereft, for that matter. I feel like we NEED Wood to work out, just like we need Josh Green to. Otherwise we are relying on a bunch of over 30ish year old guys whose best ball is either here now (Dinwiddie) or behind them (everyone else not named Luka). Heck, even Dodo looks a step slower than last season.

PREACH.

[dynamicalVoid]

I don’t understand what the end game is with Wood here. He’s seemingly been a good soldier— playing great ball in the role he’s been given, not complaining in the press. This team is so talent starved. And asset bereft, for that matter. I feel like we NEED Wood to work out, just like we need Josh Green to. Otherwise we are relying on a bunch of over 30ish year old guys whose best ball is either here now (Dinwiddie) or behind them (everyone else not named Luka). Heck, even Dodo looks a step slower than last season. Defensive cohesion takes time. Plenty of defensive breakdowns to go around on this team, it isn’t only Wood. In the meantime, I don’t see what purpose yanking Wood around serves. We shop him in December and we’ll get nickels on the dollar. He’s a rental unless he agrees to an extension somewhere which isn’t likely to happen. He’s not leaving 5m per year on the table. His extension is 17+ If I’m not mistaken, and I think he’ll get between 20-28m per year. Just play the guy.

It doesnt make sense.  Only plausible explanation is that Kidd is an agent of the illusion.  The illusion wants to confuse you and make you ask "why?".  Why does it want to do that?  Because thinking is money/power/energy to the illusion?

Anyway...it doesnt make sense and I suspect all we will get is Kidd dancing around the issue and not giving a justified answer all while never playing Wood in proper minutes or rotations.

[mvossman]

I don’t understand what the end game is with Wood here. He’s seemingly been a good soldier— playing great ball in the role he’s been given, not complaining in the press. This team is so talent starved. And asset bereft, for that matter. I feel like we NEED Wood to work out, just like we need Josh Green to. Otherwise we are relying on a bunch of over 30ish year old guys whose best ball is either here now (Dinwiddie) or behind them (everyone else not named Luka). Heck, even Dodo looks a step slower than last season. Defensive cohesion takes time. Plenty of defensive breakdowns to go around on this team, it isn’t only Wood. In the meantime, I don’t see what purpose yanking Wood around serves. We shop him in December and we’ll get nickels on the dollar. He’s a rental unless he agrees to an extension somewhere which isn’t likely to happen. He’s not leaving 5m per year on the table. His extension is 17+ If I’m not mistaken, and I think he’ll get between 20-28m per year. Just play the guy.

Are we sure about that?  He got 14 the last time he was on the open market and was had for a crappy first and even crappier contracts.  If this stint goes bad after his issues in Houston his rep as a player with red flags is going to be worse.  I don't like the way Kidd is handling this, but Wood's next contract is going to be wildly dependent on how things go here.

[DanSchwartzgan]

I don’t understand what the end game is with Wood here. He’s seemingly been a good soldier— playing great ball in the role he’s been given, not complaining in the press.

Plenty of defensive breakdowns to go around on this team, it isn’t only Wood. In the meantime, I don’t see what purpose yanking Wood around serves.

He’s not leaving 5m per year on the table. I think he’ll get between 20-28m per year. Just play the guy.

Good question.  What some call ‘yanking’ others call coaching.  It is a big leap of faith to go from ‘traded for trash’ from Houston to $20mm plus.  We should probably recalibrate how Wood is seen around the league based on what we know (his trade value) rather than what we suppose. Could he grow into that guy?  I think that is what Dallas is trying to do with him.

Wood is not a starting center on a good team.  He just isn’t.  So the first bit of coaching is to break him of thinking he is.  One way of doing that is finding him some success as a scoring four.  It is working.  All of his per minute numbers are above his career averages.  His TS% at .683 is a career high…freaking .683!  His Reb% of 19.7 is a career high.  His On Court is a career high and his On Minus Off is really good.  Is it because he’s a stud or because he’s being used well.  It is one thing to get numbers on bad teams where role doesn’t matter.  It is totally something else to do it while also playing winning basketball.

Do we know that Wood can do this against starters?  No we don’t.  Do we know that he can do it for 32 minutes a night?  No we don’t.  Its OK.  We have 74 games to figure it out.  No need to panic.  Personally, I’d prefer letting Wood build some momentum and be given a bigger role over time versus throwing him into the deep end and having to take things back from him.  I get that the team D stats aren’t bad with Wood (especially with another big next to him…as predicted).  But, he’s really lost at times right now.  It probably won’t always be that way and he probably won’t always be a 24 minute backup either.

[Kammrath]

Is it because he’s a stud or because he’s being used well.

It is because he is a stud of a player. I truly believe that. I watch him and I see it. AND he has a history of doing it and having a positive impact on winning, even if those teams sucked.

[KillerLeft]

Wood is not a starting center on a good team.  He just isn’t.

YET.

I submit that the first bit of coaching SHOULD BE teaching him where he's falling short of being worthy of that descriptor and motivating him to FOCUS his efforts in those areas. 

THAT would be "getting him paid" as Kidd claims so often is his goal with players. And, if successful, it would make this team 10x more dangerous than it is right now.

Bring Wood off the bench and make sure you're doing what you have to do to win games while you teach him this stuff? Sure, no need to sacrifice the team's goals for the sake of one newly acquired journeyman player.

Completely turn your back on any possibility of him playing the position that offers him a chance to be a high-paid starter and maybe even a star? That's nut-bar factor 9.

[F Gump]

Good question.  What some call ‘yanking’ others call coaching.  It is a big leap of faith to go from ‘traded for trash’ from Houston to $20mm plus.  We should probably recalibrate how Wood is seen around the league based on what we know (his trade value) rather than what we suppose. Could he grow into that guy?  I think that is what Dallas is trying to do with him.

Wood is not a starting center on a good team.  He just isn’t.  So the first bit of coaching is to break him of thinking he is.  One way of doing that is finding him some success as a scoring four.  It is working.  All of his per minute numbers are above his career averages.  His TS% at .683 is a career high…freaking .683!  His Reb% of 19.7 is a career high.  His On Court is a career high and his On Minus Off is really good.  Is it because he’s a stud or because he’s being used well.  It is one thing to get numbers on bad teams where role doesn’t matter.  It is totally something else to do it while also playing winning basketball.

Do we know that Wood can do this against starters?  No we don’t.  Do we know that he can do it for 32 minutes a night?  No we don’t.  Its OK.  We have 74 games to figure it out.  No need to panic.  Personally, I’d prefer letting Wood build some momentum and be given a bigger role over time versus throwing him into the deep end and having to take things back from him.  I get that the team D stats aren’t bad with Wood (especially with another big next to him…as predicted).  But, he’s really lost at times right now.  It probably won’t always be that way and he probably won’t always be a 24 minute backup either.

I'm very much in this camp, rather than the one assuming the coaches are hard-headed, mistreating Wood and don't want him to succeed. Some reasonable, rational responses to the situation.

Not being on the team or coaching staff, I don't know the play calls or expectations, but I have a strong suspicion that an issue might be Wood failing to execute those sets as expected. In this forum, Wood gets drooled over because of individual stats, but Wood's buy-in and working within the TEAM aspect (or lack of same) is way more important. It's revealing that Powell's success (and added minutes) are coming to a GREAT degree because he is willing to do the little things that open up the floor for all the others. Others have made that comment. And it wouldn't stand out so much if others at his position (namely, Wood) were doing the same.

On defense, the lack of willingness has been apparent. But it's likely there on offense too. We've been told that ONLY Powell is actually doing the -and-roll part of the PNR every time, and that's been a vital part of opening up the floor for the ones driving and the ones shooting. My impression is that Wood prefers to not do the screens, and after he does one he wants to drift to the perimeter rather than do a hard roll, which caters to his own desire to get the ball, but isn't team oriented and doesn't help others get good looks.

So I strongly suspect a lack of willingness to work within the TEAM concept is what has Wood on a short leash -- and let's be honest, Powell's impact has been greater than Wood (or McGee) so the shift in minutes is earned, not given.

[Moviemavguy]

How does one know that Wood isn't a starting center on a winning team if he hasn't started yet?  

McGee got a chance to start and sucked.  Check. 

Powell got a million starts no matter how poorly he played.  Check. 

Wood was second in PER behind only Luka in the first three games.  BENCH AND 25 minutes per game no matter what!

We will never know if Wood is that good until he gets the chance.

[KillerLeft]

How does one know that Wood isn't a starting center on a winning team if he hasn't started yet?  

That's a good question. 

The answer seems to be "all the data from his two previous NBA stops, both of which were bad teams and would've been bad with or without Wood, regardless of what position he played." 

Not definitive enough for me, sorry.

[DanSchwartzgan]

Completely turn your back on any possibility of him playing the position that offers him a chance to be a high-paid starter and maybe even a star? That's nut-bar factor 9.

So, are Siakam and Collins and Grant not highly paid?  I’d submit they are the better comparisons than the big scoring centers of the league.  Is there something wrong with adding our version of Siakam or Collins to this roster?  Why does he have to be something he isn’t.

[Kammrath]

The answer seems to be "all the data from his two previous NBA stops, both of which were bad teams and would've been bad with or without Wood, regardless of what position he played."

And it is not even statistically true. DET and HOU were both better defensively when Wood played.

[DanSchwartzgan]

And it is not even statistically true. DET and HOU were both better defensively when Wood played.

Which isn’t the point Killer is making at all.