Game 38: Memphis Grizzlies (13-23) vs Dallas Mavericks (22-15)

[Mavs2021]

Even in the wins I was not convinced by our non-Lively defense recently and Powell as our only big (and he was still by far the best of the bunch). We just cannot compete with a rotation that includes Powell, Williams, Morris and Holmes as our PF/C. We just get abused, when teams really focus on that glaring interior weakness. Williams looks more and more like a bust. He´s simply too short and slow. He´s truly position-less in a bad sense.

Also don´t get why Kidd didn´t play O-Max earlier. That game screamed for hustle and fight in the paint, not snail veterans.

[RGP1981]

Kidd doesn't have anything going for them outside of Luk-Kai.

New PF needs to be either:
1. Dynamic in O, more than just a spot up shooter with decent D.
or
2. A muscle inside, can score and rebound down low, won't be pushed around and needs to at least capable of shooting the 3 (if needs to shoot one by necessity).

Looking across the NBA at "realistic" options.... Taylor Hendricks seems to fit your description in #2 very well, and is also capable of defending perimeter players. At the time of the draft, I wanted the Mavs to pick him since he seems like the perfect PF to put next to Luka. He is raw though, so I'm saying this based on the potential I see there.

Jabari Smith is another who would be perfect, but trading for him is not realistic.

I wonder what it would take to trade for Hendricks. And is a lineup like this one below capable of having a consistent Top 5-10 offense + Top 5-10 defense?

- Dejounte, Grimes, Luka, Hendricks, Lively

[HoosierDaddyKidd]

What an unacceptable loss.

How the hell does this team beat the best team in the West the previous game, and then lose to a statistically horrible Grizzlies team that lacked their top 2 guys? Shameful.

That's how it is sometimes. It's a long season, and all good teams are going to lose games against perceived inferior opponents. Mavs didn't play with the same energy Memphis did. They got hammered on the boards, 54-33 with 8 of them offensive rebs, with a team that was lacking bigs, and the same size as the Mavs.

[omahen]

That's how it is sometimes. It's a long season, and all good teams are going to lose games against perceived inferior opponents. Mavs didn't play with the same energy Memphis did. They got hammered on the boards, 54-33 with 8 of them offensive rebs, with a team that was lacking bigs, and the same size as the Mavs.

Memphis basically did to Mavs what Mavs did to Minny 2 days ago. They were more motivated and a lot of it can be understandeable. It was a trap game with first game of Ja out. Special motivation to other Grizzlies that will decrease perhaps already next game

[Chicagojk]

Iztok's thoughts

https://twitter.com/iztok_franko/status/...9800593437

[Chicagojk]

ouch

https://twitter.com/DrewHill_DM/status/1...9375873390

Desmond Bane hopes the Mavericks have regrets.

“They were supposed to take me,” Bane said. “You know that. The PA guy came up and apologized. He said he thinks about it every day.

“That’s exactly what I want them to be thinking about.”

[DanSchwartzgan]

Iztok's thoughts

https://twitter.com/iztok_franko/status/...9800593437

Here is another:

2. Playing super small against a team that had only the PHYSICALITY card left to play

Without Ja & JJJ the only thing Grizzlies had was bulk in Smart, Bane, Tillman, Roddy...

Mavs responded by playing tiny units for most of the game. Got bullied on the glass and in the paint.



We actually won the Powell minutes...in fact he came into the game four times and we either held our own or won each segment.  We got just trashed when he wasn't in the game.

I feel bad for the people who paid to see this.  I've come to expect this team will waste an evening of my life from time to time.  It shouldn't be my expectation, but it is.  But wasting someone's time and money when they pay hundreds of dollars to be there has to stop.  I get that it is a long season and no one wins a championship in January.  But, this team does this way too often.

[omahen]

Here is another:

2. Playing super small against a team that had only the PHYSICALITY card left to play

Without Ja & JJJ the only thing Grizzlies had was bulk in Smart, Bane, Tillman, Roddy...

Mavs responded by playing tiny units for most of the game. Got bullied on the glass and in the paint.



We actually won the Powell minutes...in fact he came into the game four times and we either held our own or won each segment.  We got just trashed when he wasn't in the game.

I feel bad for the people who paid to see this.  I've come to expect this team will waste an evening of my life from time to time.  It shouldn't be my expectation, but it is.  But wasting someone's time and money when they pay hundreds of dollars to be there has to stop.  I get that it is a long season and no one wins a championship in January.  But, this team does this way too often.

Agree to an extent. But what was the main reason for this? I don't think it was just lack of wish, at least not as a majority. As you also recognize (and Iztok), it had more to do with roster construction added with limitations because a couple of guys still can't play. Small ball minutes killed us and we simply didn't have personell to play in a different way. Not sure why Holmes played only 3 minutes. Not that he was great, but 7 minutes of GW at center was an absolute disaster. And this is not so much on GW but him being played in a wrong role.

[Chicagojk]

Agree to an extent. But what was the main reason for this? I don't think it was just lack of wish, at least not as a majority. As you also recognize (and Iztok), it had more to do with roster construction added with limitations because a couple of guys still can't play. Small ball minutes killed us and we simply didn't have personell to play in a different way. Not sure why Holmes played only 3 minutes. Not that he was great, but 7 minutes of GW at center was an absolute disaster. And this is not so much on GW but him being played in a wrong role.

I can't remember the Holmes minutes that much, but were they that bad?   He sort of had a smirk when he was subbed out.   I know he gave up an offensive rebound after contesting a shot but also had a nice assist.  I don't have many expectations, but thought we should have given him more run.    We were just begging Grizz to attack the rim.  They did.  Got a lot of baskets at the rim, open threes, and got rebounds on a lot of their misses.  

This was not the issue last night due to us being shorthanded,  but I really want to get to a place where this team can withstand a bad Luka game.   A game where he takes his foot off the pedal and let others carry the burden.    Jokic does this at times.   He will be the passer and not look to score much, until it is needed.    It feels even when Luka is struggling or injured, it is still the same offense.    Maybe put him in the post and run action away from him?    Something like that.    With Green, Hardaway, Grant, etc struggling last night, we didn't have many other options.

[surfpuckmd]

Even in the wins I was not convinced by our non-Lively defense recently and Powell as our only big (and he was still by far the best of the bunch). We just cannot compete with a rotation that includes Powell, Williams, Morris and Holmes as our PF/C. We just get abused, when teams really focus on that glaring interior weakness. Williams looks more and more like a bust. He´s simply too short and slow. He´s truly position-less in a bad sense.

Also don´t get why Kidd didn´t play O-Max earlier. That game screamed for hustle and fight in the paint, not snail veterans.

I hated the Grant Williams trade.  I will never understand why we gave up a 2030 pick swap to get a guy we could have just signed in free agency.  Very much a Mark Cuban move.

Williams has been overall disappointing as his defense is weak.

However, he makes more sense next to Lively.  Without Lively, Grant's many weaknesses are accentuated.

Also, agree on OMax.  This was a game to bring in Richaun Holmes and OMax and see if anyone was willing to try to defend and rebound.

Wenyen Gabriel would be a nice fit given our current predicament.  I don't understand why Markieff Morris is sitting on our bench right now when there are useful players available.

[StrandedOnBeauboisHill]

https://x.com/Mavs_FFL/status/1745086871464468752?s=20

[Nowitzki Way]

https://x.com/Mavs_FFL/status/1745086871464468752?s=20

And they are not wrong.

[Jason Terry]

https://x.com/Mavs_FFL/status/1745086871464468752?s=20

They are not wrong. We need bigger players and Holmes never got a chance. The bridge is burned though. He will be traded 

These non-Lively games are perfect Omax games. Let Powell play his minutes but when he sits there’s not a better option. Omax plays bigger than DP, Holmes, GWill and everyone we have not named Lively. He has the energy out there. He should play the big role as we have nothing to lose. Can’t do worse than what we put out there last night

[sefant]

Green has been overrated as a defender..a simple cross and he is lost - does wild closeouts on shooters
I don't know what his saving grace is anymore - on offense he is very inconsistent, basketball IQ is not very good, and confidence is lacking.
He does get the occasional highlight and fastbreak layup..Exum has outperformed him significantly this season. He has stagnated as a player.

I mean at least the defense was solid with Green. Starters were +50 net with a 95 DefRtg in 10 min. Doesn't get any better than this. The rest was the problem.

The problem is that Kidd is thinking he can get away with going small, and not only going small, he thinks DJJ is enough to carry shitty defender lineups basically ALONE. 

Putting lineups without any size, but also without any defense on the floor. If the small lineup would consist of Exum/Green instead of THJ/Seth its probably working way better alongside Grant. If Luka is also disinterested or injured to play any defense, defensive problems getting way worse.


Green / DJJ +20.8 net
Hardy / DJJ -25.2 net
THJ / DJJ -31.9 net
Seth / DJJ -75.5 net 
Grant / DJJ -150 net

DJJ had 3 positive net ratings, Kyrie/Green/Powell.

[omahen]

I can't remember the Holmes minutes that much, but were they that bad?   He sort of had a smirk when he was subbed out.   I know he gave up an offensive rebound after contesting a shot but also had a nice assist.  I don't have many expectations, but thought we should have given him more run.    We were just begging Grizz to attack the rim.  They did.  Got a lot of baskets at the rim, open threes, and got rebounds on a lot of their misses.  

This was not the issue last night due to us being shorthanded,  but I really want to get to a place where this team can withstand a bad Luka game.   A game where he takes his foot off the pedal and let others carry the burden.    Jokic does this at times.   He will be the passer and not look to score much, until it is needed.    It feels even when Luka is struggling or injured, it is still the same offense.    Maybe put him in the post and run action away from him?    Something like that.    With Green, Hardaway, Grant, etc struggling last night, we didn't have many other options.

I mean, Holmes minutes were so short, I don't exactly recall. Seems like coach didn't like what he saw.

GW small ball did work ok against Minny. But Mavs were the team hustling there on a playoff level while Minny perhaps wasn't. It obviously didn't work against Memphis. But, it is easy to be a general after the game. I understand Kidd giving it a shot to see if something positive happens. It didn't and GW didn't play again. Not sure why we don't play him at PF anymore, although he is a dissapointment defensively. It seems like he is a specialist against certain type of PF, but can't guard quick guards (too slow) or centers (too small). I expected way more physicality from him.

I agree about the second part. Offense either goes through Luka or he is standing around taking best opposing defender out of defense. I think the fact that Luka is shooting way more than he did in past seasons (less dependant on drives to the rim) is also making an impact. While his average efficiency is actually career best, I think variance is bigger. He has a bunch of "can't miss" games, but also some "can't hit a broad side of the barn games" (which for him means 30 points on not so great efficiency). Mavs don't have a back-up for those kind of games. 

Last thing, as someone else already noted. Mavs offense this game was way too much relying on Luka and Kyrie. Memphis did a good job taking everyone else out of the game. Still, the biggest problem was inability to counter Memphis physicality, especially with small ball lineups.

[fifteenth]

I've been watching the NBA for about 35 years. I completely understand that every season has several "you just don't have it today" games.

But I'm not sure that's what's going on with these Mavs. These games seem to happen too often.

I have no evidence for this, it's just a guess. But I wonder if there is a maturity thing going on, which Luka is a big part of, where underestimating a particular opponent starts the night or days before. They see Memphis with no Ja on the schedule and just flat out don't take the process seriously.

I know at least a couple of these games have happened in party cities. I remember in New Orleans; Luka couldn't even stay on his feet during the game. He just dribbled the ball up and fell down over and over again. Luka scored in this game, but his team sure didn't have much interest in the game.

[dirkfansince1998]

Last thing, as someone else already noted. Mavs offense this game was way too much relying on Luka and Kyrie. Memphis did a good job taking everyone else out of the game. Still, the biggest problem was inability to counter Memphis physicality, especially with small ball lineups.

Mavs had one assist in the first quarter. It was iso ball all game long. Grizzlies switched the pick and roll. Didn't double or trap. Stayed home on shooters. Let Kyrie/Luka iso on whatever perceived mismatch they created after the switch.
I wonder if more teams will try a similar approach. Especially when Luka is playing through minor injuries. Would think that when Luka is at his best Tillman cannot stay in front of him.

[Scott41theMavs]

And they are not wrong.

Have Holmes's minutes when he did play been that bad? The way that Kidd has handled his minutes, you'd think he was Christian Wood in terms of defense and locker room antics, and Charles Smith on offense. I mean, he must have slept with Kidd's girlfriend or something. It boggles the mind and has zero explanation beyond coaching idiocy.

[Jason Terry]

I've been watching the NBA for about 35 years. I completely understand that every season has several "you just don't have it today" games.

But I'm not sure that's what's going on with these Mavs. These games seem to happen too often.

I have no evidence for this, it's just a guess. But I wonder if there is a maturity thing going on, which Luka is a big part of, where underestimating a particular opponent starts the night or days before. They see Memphis with no Ja on the schedule and just flat out don't take the process seriously.

I know at least a couple of these games have happened in party cities. I remember in New Orleans; Luka couldn't even stay on his feet during the game. He just dribbled the ball up and fell down over and over again. Luka scored in this game, but his team sure didn't have much interest in the game.

Luka has really improved his maturity this year it has seemed. Less crying to the refs. More holding himself accountable on defense. Better shooting and shot selection. Faster pace…….this feels like it will work itself out. I trust Kai to be a leader to the players. I trust Nico that he will make a trade to fix some of the roster issues 

Holmes is obviously upset publicly. Hardaway’s dad came out publicly and attacked Luka over the summer. It could be we have some guys that need to be moved out of the locker room and this is causing problems

[dirkfansince1998]

Have Holmes's minutes when he did play been that bad? The way that Kidd has handled his minutes, you'd think he was Christian Wood in terms of defense and locker room antics, and Charles Smith on offense. I mean, he must have slept with Kidd's girlfriend or something. It boggles the mind and has zero explanation beyond coaching idiocy.

Better than Williams/Morris small ball center minutes. Really bad compared to Lively/Powell.

On/off
Lively +9.1
Powell +4.2
Holmes -5.7
Morris -21.2

pick&roll percentile
Powell 90.1
Lively 76.8
Williams 30.1
Holmes 8.5

He has been really bad at the most important skill/role in the Mavs scheme. Resulting in career low scoring efficiency (51% TS). Small ball bigs can at least stretch the floor (on paper).
He isn't a pick and roll option. He cannot shoot. He has no role on the Mavs.