11-25-2021, 05:04 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-25-2021, 05:18 AM by KillerLeft.)
(11-25-2021, 04:21 AM)meistermatze Wrote: For instance, who can, Killer? Like I mentioned, even Gobert can get forced off the court it you attack him enough.
Adebayo can. That's the dream. Davis, when healthy and playing well. Theis, if you want a cheap option.
There are others in that same mold, and there are others closer to the KP mold (like Gobert) who do it better than KP does. I think it's fair to point out that even Gobert struggles with this issue, but maybe unfair to use that commonality to lump the two players together. Gobert will probably get played off of the floor again at some point deep in the playoffs, but I feel like it happens to KP much more frequently and against much less scary opponents. Plus, to even compare their impacts defensively when they're both playing well and not getting run out of the gym is pretty insulting to Gobert, imo. Gobert actually moves much faster on defense than Porzingis does, and can cover greater distances with efficient steps.
It's not even that I think (the current version of) Porzingis is terrible. When he's playing like he has this past two weeks, you want him on your team. I just don't see a way to justify him being the highest paid member of your team - a guy you're too scared to bench when Chris Paul decides to eviscerate him down the stretch, when everyone in the building knows KP can't do a thing about it. EDIT: And maybe this is the true problem, because there will be a time when Mavs success depends on KP sitting down the stretch against a certain team with a certain approach. Will Kidd do it? If he does, will KP throw a huge tantrum? I like that he's playing better right now (I REALLY do) but I think he's in denial about his place in the league and on the team.
I honestly don't think it pays right now to max out bigs - there are just too many ways it can bite you.