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

[cow]

I buy that comp. 

I think the difference is that Ellis was given every chance in the world to be a featured player on good teams, and just was what he was. 

Wood's fans, myself among them, feel as though he has never really been given a shot to grow into such a role. And for my money, he succeeded enough here in this opportunity to justify another lease on it. But, committing to that, from the Mavs' perspective, simply isn't a "win-now" proposition, and they really only have until this deadline to decide. So, it's "hey, if you're willing to try and be a bench scoring 3rd big, let's get it!" And no, he isn't. 

I'm not convinced committing to patiently build around Luka/Wood isn't a better path than what they chose, considering Luka is 23 and under contract. BUT, when you trade for a 31 year old superstar, you're announcing to the world that you're going for it NOW. That goal makes bringing along a young guy like Wood in a featured role kind of not a great idea.

Kind of an aside but something I've been thinking about a lot is that we need to be careful with the sentiment that "Luka is only 23".  Because of early start in professional basketball, he'll be in his prime sooner than the typical NBA player.  He's got more wear and tear on him as well especially considering how he is deployed today.  I also get the feeling that he isn't planning on a 20-year career but for that, we can point to his youth and say "who knows?".

No idea what to do with Wood.  There are times when he looks like a poor man's KD.  There are times when he looks lost.  There are times when he looks disinterested.  The last one is terrifying considering this is a contract year.  I just want to know what the professional evaluators see that his fans don't.  He seemingly doesn't have a lot of value or appeal to most of the NBA but he can could easily be a 20-10 guy.