FA: Kemba Walker to DAL | his knee is "not good"

[Mapka]

It’s funny how the Heat signed Duncan Robinson to that big contract and sat him when he didn’t play well. Apparently we can’t sit Tim because we don’t want that much salary sitting around. Tale of two teams.

I guess they have some other players stepping up unlike us.

[DanSchwartzgan]

 
They could wait just one more day before signing Facu, because it was very obvious Detroit will release Kemba. And if they wouldn't, Mavs could still sign Facu a day later.

And Dallas thought it was obvious NY would be forced to do a S&T for Brunson until they weren't.

We have no idea how long Facu's agent was willing to wait.  We also have no idea what other things Detroit might have done to get to 15.  The 'obvious' doesn't always play out.

[omahen]

And Dallas thought it was obvious NY would be forced to do a S&T for Brunson until they weren't.

We have no idea how long Facu's agent was willing to wait.  We also have no idea what other things Detroit might have done to get to 15.  The 'obvious' doesn't always play out.

If they would be looking for a bigger role, they could have signed Dragic. If the scouting is really not so inept, anyone could see he is a much better player than Facu. And if his defense was a concern, than prioritizing Kemba makes zero sense.

[Chicagojk]

I view this as a short term regular season move.   In short bursts, Kemba can still be a good.  The main issue is his knees.   Eventually they will cause him problems and it has also zapped him of the elite quickness he use to have.   He is still quick but when you are super small, when you lose a little it is really apparent.  

So, I would not get our hopes up to much.   Boston was the ideal spot for him and his body just wasn't up for it.   Coming home to NY was also a golden opportunity but outside of a few games he was quickly removed from the lineup.  

I do think he could be ok here in a smaller role.  I envision him playing with Dinwiddie for 12-15 minutes a game.  Maybe more if he gets on a heater.   I just hope it isn't Green that loses minutes.

[Chicagojk]

I am not sure about that. It seems they were actually looking for another cheerleader and perhaps Kemba same as Dragic also didn't want that. The reality showed they desperately need more on offense Facu couldn't deliver. So the most interesting thing for me is, where the minutes will come from.

They could wait just one more day before signing Facu, because it was very obvious Detroit will release Kemba. And if they wouldn't, Mavs could still sign Facu a day later.

I am probably making something out of nothing, but what are their plans for McKinley Wright?  Do they have any?  I think he certainly deserves a two way spot, but I am not sure if he is a NBA player.    I thought they signed him as a two way guy to be an emergency point to be trotted out there a few times.   Since then, the Mavs have signed two small point guards.   

I really hope there is a plan for development of our two way guys.   And not we signed these guys because we brought them to camp and they were available.  

This isn't a knock on Wright who has been pretty good in the G-league (it is his third year so you expect good play), but if he is not in any plans moving forward....then what are we doing here?

[KillerLeft]

I really hope there is a plan for development of our two way guys.   And not we signed these guys because we brought them to camp and they were available.  

This isn't a knock on Wright who has been pretty good in the G-league (it is his third year so you expect good play), but if he is not in any plans moving forward....then what are we doing here?

Totally agree. 

I'm not sure if other teams actually use their G-League squad as a farm system, but the Mavericks sure don't.

[omahen]

but what are their plans for McKinley Wright?  Do they have any? 

I think this goes for both 2-way spots. They signed an experienced vet to the second spot and don't look willing to give him any minutes. So why is he here? It is not like he will develop, he is who he is. 

Mavs just look like a total mess. Their g-league team features (I think) zero players from last season, other than Yudai Baba who seems to enjoy playing g-league his whole career. Other than Hardy, the youngest player on the team is 24 years old (a bunch of them). There is also zero continuity with the 2-way guys.

[Kammrath]

I think this goes for both 2-way spots. They signed an experienced vet to the second spot and don't look willing to give him any minutes. So why is he here? It is not like he will develop, he is who he is. 

Mavs just look like a total mess.

Still looks like the exact problems the Mavs had with Donnie and RC....no cohesive, united vision as a coaching team and management. 

Feels like Nico/Fin are making roster decisions that Kidd is unwilling to align with. And as such Nico has made more roster decisions that Kidd wants and those have turned out to be pretty disastrous. 

The singular thing that Nico needed to do was clean up the mess of an incoherent vision and a power battle between GM and coach. So far it looks like a total fail.

[KillerLeft]

Still looks like the exact problems the Mavs had with Donnie and RC....no cohesive, united vision as a coaching team and management. 

Feels like Nico/Fin are making roster decisions that Kidd is unwilling to align with. And as such Nico has made more roster decisions that Kidd wants and those have turned out to be pretty disastrous. 

The singular thing that Nico needed to do was clean up the mess of an incoherent vision and a power battle between GM and coach. So far it looks like a total fail.

I think your analysis is a little off here. 

Donnie and Coach Carlisle were (and probably are) friends. Very close. So close that Carlisle felt exposed and uncomfortable enough to move on voluntarily once Donnie got fired. I doubt there was any such "power struggle" here, at least between them. If there was a disconnect in how the team operated, I'd say it was between them (together) and someone else, like Cuban, for example. 

Cuban literally said in public that Harrison "had a ways to go with player evaluation." I doubt seriously he has been given any power whatsoever when it comes to talent, putting player types together, etc. At any rate, whomever/however they're making these decisions, I don't see any evidence that it has changed from last summer to this summer. To me it just seems like some of the choices have worked out and some haven't.

[Kammrath]

Donnie and Coach Carlisle were (and probably are) friends. Very close. So close that Carlisle felt exposed and uncomfortable enough to move on voluntarily once Donnie got fired. I doubt there was any such "power struggle" here, at least between them. If there was a disconnect in how the team operated, I'd say it was between them (together) and someone else, like Cuban, for example. 

Donnie and RC being friends and having a level of mutual respect does not mean they saw eye-to-eye and had a cohesive vision and direction for the team. I think there is a ton of evidence of a mismatch between coaching and GMing in the last decade of the Mavs organization. And I personally feel like the signs are still there that roster decisions are being made that don't align with how the coaching is approaching things (two-way spots, Wood, etc).

[dirkfansince1998]

Big difference is that in the MBT era Dirk was more involved than Luka. As much as I love him most reports I saw mentioned him as the driving force behind the Rondo trade.
For better or worse Luka has shown no interest in GMing.

RC case is interesting because right now we are getting a ton of evidence that all the stuff he supposingly wasn´t willing to do is happening in Indiana. Rebuild. Give young players big minutes and allow them to make mistakes. Develop young players. We also have various reports about draft picks that Donnie wanted to make over the years.

Putting both together it is very likely that the instant gratification mentality is all about Cuban. Trying to find short cuts to the top instead of longterm plans. A little big like his investment strategy.

[Kammrath]

very likely that the instant gratification mentality is all about Cuban.

I don't disagree that this is a very real possibility. 

My main observation is that there is not a top-down clear and cohesive vision and direction. And without that unification the organization is always going to falter and be bogged down with inefficiencies (i.e. be a mess).

P.S. Kemba SCREAMS "a Cuban move" to me. SCREAMS it.

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/...3742726146

[KillerLeft]

Donnie and RC being friends and having a level of mutual respect does not mean they saw eye-to-eye and had a cohesive vision and direction for the team. I think there is a ton of evidence of a mismatch between coaching and GMing in the last decade of the Mavs organization. And I personally feel like the signs are still there that roster decisions are being made that don't align with how the coaching is approaching things (two-way spots, Wood, etc).

Oh, I agree with all of that. Synergy between how the team is constructed and coached is crucial, and that’s not always present here in Dallas. The part I don’t think there is evidence to support is that it seems like you’re under the impression that the more successful acquisitions were Harrison’s, while the bombs were on Kidd. I think that’s the least nuanced conclusion possible. 

In reality, people get some things right and others wrong, professionally. Whatever their process is, I think it’s more reasonable to assume it’s fairly consistent from transaction to transaction, even if what’s “consistent” is that the process is a mess. Kidd might’ve liked the idea of Wood far more than the reality he saw when camp started, for example. The lack of follow through in the playing time relative to the asset price paid to acquire him, while disappointing, might not indicate anything other than buyer’s remorse (whether we see/understand why or not). OR, maybe this is the role they envisioned all along and it’s just that they don’t value late firsts even close to how much we do. Maybe they’re all shocked that people are making such an issue out of this. 

The only thing we know for sure is that Cuban doesn’t trust Harrison to make player evaluations. We know that because he went almost out of his way to declare it PUBLICLY in an interview, as if he were jealous of the attention the new hire was getting, possibly. Or, maybe he thought it was so obvious that he didn’t realize how many eyebrows would raise from such a simple statement. Whatever the case, the thing I’m most sure about is that Harrison hasn’t been the “decider” on a single player acquisition since he arrived. Whether the main voice has been Kidd, Finley or Cuban I don’t feel comfortable guessing, but whomever it is, everything from the last two years (at least) us on them, good and bad.

[Chicagojk]

Oh, I agree with all of that. Synergy between how the team is constructed and coached is crucial, and that’s not always present here in Dallas. The part I don’t think there is evidence to support is that it seems like you’re under the impression that the more successful acquisitions were Harrison’s, while the bombs were on Kidd. I think that’s the least nuanced conclusion possible. 

In reality, people get some things right and others wrong, professionally. Whatever their process is, I think it’s more reasonable to assume it’s fairly consistent from transaction to transaction, even if what’s “consistent” is that the process is a mess. Kidd might’ve liked the idea of Wood far more than the reality he saw when camp started, for example. The lack of follow through in the playing time relative to the asset price paid to acquire him, while disappointing, might not indicate anything other than buyer’s remorse (whether we see/understand why or not). OR, maybe this is the role they envisioned all along and it’s just that they don’t value late firsts even close to how much we do. Maybe they’re all shocked that people are making such an issue out of this. 

The only thing we know for sure is that Cuban doesn’t trust Harrison to make player evaluations. We know that because he went almost out of his way to declare it PUBLICLY in an interview, as if he were jealous of the attention the new hire was getting, possibly. Or, maybe he thought it was so obvious that he didn’t realize how many eyebrows would raise from such a simple statement. Whatever the case, the thing I’m most sure about is that Harrison hasn’t been the “decider” on a single player acquisition since he arrived. Whether the main voice has been Kidd, Finley or Cuban I don’t feel comfortable guessing, but whomever it is, everything from the last two years (at least) us on them, good and bad.

You may be right.  Nico has certainly not given me the alpha personality type when I hear him talk.  I don't want to judge him off a few interviews as different personality types can succeed in these roles.

I do think the Mavs need an alpha in their GM role though....especially with their setup.  Cuban is always going to think he is the smartest man in the room.   Someone needs to be able to curb his "get rich quickly" schemes without pissing him off.   Second, With Cuban there will always be another Bob V lurking.    NBA front offices are very political and there is always someone trying to get power.  Sooner or later Cuban will listen to someone selling an attractive vision.   Lastly, of course Kidd is an alpha.  He is one of the greatest players ever and is widely known as a basketball savant.  Of course, he is going to have strong views.   A strong GM needs to be able to listen to his coach but ideally build the team with moves of his vision.

[Kammrath]

The part I don’t think there is evidence to support is that it seems like you’re under the impression that the more successful acquisitions were Harrison’s, while the bombs were on Kidd. I think that’s the least nuanced conclusion possible.

That really isn't my position. I just think McGee, Sterling Brown, no Dragic, Facu, were Kidd driven (and think there is quite a bit of evidence to that). I speculate that Wood was Nico driven simply because of how Kidd has responded. But that is total speculation. You are 100% accurate that it COULD be that Kidd wanted Wood and then immediately changed his mind. 

I just think the overall evidence is that Nico is NOT imposing his will in anyway on the roster. It seems like Kidd and Cuban are more likely to be the real power at work. And I personally think Kidd has a TON. That has been my working theory since early in the season.

[Moviemavguy]

Yeah, one year non-guaranteed for Kemba means I doubt he'll see the floor much, if at all.  Cuban did this move to appease people, but I'm not really sure Kidd really wanted it.  

Meanwhile, I hear this kid in Frisco can play...  ..  .

[Kammrath]

the Mavs need an alpha in their GM role

I cannot agree with this more. The Mavs need a GM that can put the coach in his place AND Cuban. If Nico is NOT that then he needs to change or be removed. Of course, Cuban may prefer having an alpha COACH in place. Which I very much disagree with in the vast majority of situations. The only exception would be if that coach truly saw himself as a GM FIRST and foremost, more than a coach. 

Coaching MUST be secondary to team building IMO and fit within the team building vision. To put coaching above team building is to put the cart before the horse.

[dirkfansince1998]

I cannot agree with this more. The Mavs need a GM that can put the coach in his place AND Cuban. If Nico is NOT that then he needs to change or be removed. Of course, Cuban may prefer having an alpha COACH in place. Which I very much disagree with in the vast majority of situations. The only exception would be if that coach truly saw himself as a GM FIRST and foremost, more than a coach. 

Coaching MUST be secondary to team building IMO and fit within the team building vision. To put coaching above team building is to put the cart before the horse.

Thing is that Cuban most likely doesn´t want that. Otherwise you don´t hire an unexperienced GM and openly speak about all the stuff he still has to learn. If I had to guess Rosas was that kind of guy and he only lasted three month.

[michaeltex]

One year, non guaranteed means KW is flip-able at the TDL, correct? Small salary, but one that is instantly disposable by the trade partner. If it's indeed for the minimum, that's $2.7M for trade value.

Of course, he could show some of his old magic and make everybody happy he's here.