12-19-2022, 01:09 PM
I thought a little more about this Wood "starting vs. bench" thing, and here's the bottom line for me:
1) When you look at Wood, the Mavs, and THIS SEASON, I don't care whether he starts or comes off the bench, as long as he's being used more like he has been these past few games. And, it should be noted that he was only used that way because Kidd's hand was forced through injuries/availability, so there's no guarantee he's smart enough to keep going with it and not settle right back into the ridiculous approach they've tried all season. This is my primary concern.
2) HOWEVER, the elephant in the room is Wood's expiring contract. Will they want him back? What will that cost? Is there a chance he'll be retainable at an "off the bench" price? I honestly don't know, but I know many reading this will laugh out loud and shake their heads at the absurdity of the question, while others might be muttering "he'd better be, because they shouldn't pay more than that." To me, that's the issue. If they let another asset walk out of the door for nothing just because they don't want to pay him as much as some other team, I'm going to lose my mind.
SO, for me, #2 leads to the logical conclusion that they kind of owe it to themselves to try starting him and viewing him as Luka's sidekick on offense for at least a portion of this season, and that portion probably needs to happen prior to the TDL. They kind of need to find out whether or not they believe he's worth retaining even at a price point higher than they hope. That probably doesn't mean up to the max, but I bet it's possible he gets an offer squarely in the "starting scorer" range. If they don't want him back in that role, I would trade him, personally. Anything to avoid getting "Brunson'd" two years in a row.
Besides...don't we all kind of wonder how this would look, deep down? And, if the team is hovering around .500, anyway, what do they truly have to lose?
1) When you look at Wood, the Mavs, and THIS SEASON, I don't care whether he starts or comes off the bench, as long as he's being used more like he has been these past few games. And, it should be noted that he was only used that way because Kidd's hand was forced through injuries/availability, so there's no guarantee he's smart enough to keep going with it and not settle right back into the ridiculous approach they've tried all season. This is my primary concern.
2) HOWEVER, the elephant in the room is Wood's expiring contract. Will they want him back? What will that cost? Is there a chance he'll be retainable at an "off the bench" price? I honestly don't know, but I know many reading this will laugh out loud and shake their heads at the absurdity of the question, while others might be muttering "he'd better be, because they shouldn't pay more than that." To me, that's the issue. If they let another asset walk out of the door for nothing just because they don't want to pay him as much as some other team, I'm going to lose my mind.
SO, for me, #2 leads to the logical conclusion that they kind of owe it to themselves to try starting him and viewing him as Luka's sidekick on offense for at least a portion of this season, and that portion probably needs to happen prior to the TDL. They kind of need to find out whether or not they believe he's worth retaining even at a price point higher than they hope. That probably doesn't mean up to the max, but I bet it's possible he gets an offer squarely in the "starting scorer" range. If they don't want him back in that role, I would trade him, personally. Anything to avoid getting "Brunson'd" two years in a row.
Besides...don't we all kind of wonder how this would look, deep down? And, if the team is hovering around .500, anyway, what do they truly have to lose?