GAME 18: DAL (9-9) @ TOR (10-9) | 100-105 loss | Mavs 1-6 on the road

[Mavs2021]

Best player in the league CHECK
Championship level pay-roll CHECK
.500 record CHECK
Doing same thing over and over again expecting different result CHECK
Kick everybody else out of room CHECK
Smartest man in room CHECK

[IamDougieFresh]

Raptors forced it out of Luka’s hands. If only we had a player with offensive skill who could punish the double team. Maybe someone like Christian Wood?

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Now on to Milwaukee to face that monster.

[Kammrath]

To be fair. Mavs played way better with Powell or Kleber at center. Wood was bad. He had a quick scoring run in the 2nd half and Kidd probably should have gone with the hot hand but he also was a disaster on the defensive board. Not sure if he had one successful boxout in the entire game.
If he wanted to make Kidd´s case about winning plays, rotations and fundamentals he couldn´t have done a better job.

Wood had a BAD game. But you STILL put your best players in down the stretch. You don't bench Luka because he has had a bad game. You play him hoping he bounces out of it. 

Kidd keeps riding the same scrubs down the stretch and having the same bad results.

[BolsDamols]

Now on to Milwaukee to face that monster.

I agree Jevon Carter has been a monster.
Giannis has been good too though

[KillerLeft]

Now on to Milwaukee to face that monster.

If I were Kidd I’d rest about 3 of the main guys, including Luka. It’s a loss, either way.

[cow]

The truth is we don't have a second best player, just a bunch of would-be 6th men and a few starting quality role players.

[Kammrath]

The truth is we don't have a second best player, just a bunch of would-be 6th men and a few starting quality role players.

Very possible.

But tell me with a straight face Wood isn't one of the Mavs top 5 players.

[cow]

Very possible.

But tell me with a straight face Wood isn't one of the Mavs top 5 players.

He is and that's exactly the problem with the roster.  And that's not a knock on him.

[JamesConway912]

First game I watched in months, and yikes. About as awful as expected.

Everybody is forced to do too much. They can barely play Dinwiddie and Doncic together to get the offense going. A TON of Luka OR Dinwiddie-lineups were played with some funky result. You suddenly end up with Luka being trapped almost every possession and then have a bunch of 3D guys being forced to do stuff they barely ever did in the NBA.

The could have used a dude like VanVleet tonight. Or you-know-who.

What an awful team. We've done pretty much everything wrong since draft night 2018 and that's impossible to overlook now.

[Kammrath]

He is and that's exactly the problem with the roster.

No way. Wood being a top 5 player on the team is not the problem.

The problem is Wood being the SECOND best player (embarrassing for overall talent) AND him not getting played like it (embarrassing coaching). THAT'S the problem.

[JamesConway912]

The truth is we don't have a second best player, just a bunch of would-be 6th men and a few starting quality role players.

+ a bloated up payroll with limited picks to trade.

[Razzmatazz_Hopskidillydoo]

Trade has to happen.

Current construction and strategy points to the team, not making the play-offs.

[Jym]

That Kyrie trade looking mighty tempting right now

[HoosierDaddyKid]

I agree Jevon Carter has been a monster.
Giannis has been good too though

You know who I'm talking about. Carter has been good though. He's a bulldog. I bet the Nets could still use him.

[burekemde]

Finally we played our best unit for short time, no wonder it was productive. Luka, Wood, Dinwiddie, Maxi and DFS. Best five players. Why not doing that for long stretches and put the game away early?

The other lineups we have. Mavs cant beat Toronto with 4 players against 3. That's the situation in every play where Luka is doubled and takes out two Toronto players out. We cant play 4 against 3.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Mavs are 1-6 on the road, ouch....

[cow]

+ a bloated up payroll with limited picks to trade.

MBT should sit down Luka and talk to him about blowing the team up.  Point to Boston and the quality of roster they've built and our obvious shortcomings.  Try to get value out of Dorian and Dinwiddie.  Try to get off of one of THJ/Bertans.  Develop Green.  Figure out what to do with Wood.  Fire Kidd and Nico.  Force Cuban to sell the team.

[IamDougieFresh]

Ez win if they would have started Luka - Green - DFS - Maxi - Wood. Change my mind.

[cow]

Ez win if they would have started Luka - Green - DFS - Maxi - Wood. Change my mind.

Luka made shitty passes. Green made stupid fouls.  Dorian made stupid turnovers.  Maxi stupidly passed up open shots.  Wood played soft against a very touch team.