05-12-2021, 04:14 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-12-2021, 04:15 PM by dirkfansince1998.)
(05-12-2021, 03:38 PM)dynamicalVoid Wrote: Ok...I know you guys know my stance on the Playoff being the benchmark to test a player...
But the comment above is what confuses me...
They are a better team...as in...you know for a fact that this team will play better in a Playoff atmosphere without KP?
Maybe I value Post-Season play too highly. But to say a team plays better without KP and it be about reg season stats doesnt fly with me.
KP has his flaws...but I think he is still a big time player in this league. To suggest a team will play better without a big time player in a Playoff setting is risky. You could be right.
I dont care how great of chemistry the team has reg season without KP. How do they look in Post-Season? When things start to matter in Post-Season...I would prefer to have a big time player in the League on my squad.
Let me go big picture. I don´t think Knicks KP was as good as some people want to make us believe. He was way better on defense (legit top 5 rim protector) but his offense was mediocre. Solid volume, below average scoring efficiency and no playmaking for others. The entire hype was based on KPs potential. A unicorn with deep 3-point range that could play like a guard on offense and dominate the paint on defense. It never translated to team success for the Knicks but the potential was obvious. In stretches KP was putting up outstanding numbers (25/10, 2+ blks, great shooting percentages). Overall he only had one season with above average 3-point shooting. This is the first season of his career with above average TS. He also struggled with minor injuries and faded as the season progressed (anemia related).
Don´t think the Mavs made a mistake when they traded for him. It was a gamble and in hindsight they probably would be more hesitant but at the time it was the right move.
And this is where it gets more complicated. I already mentioned that the entire KP hype was more about his potential (not his on court production). That hasn´t changed. The entire "Unicorn" fantasy sounds great but in reality he has clear limitaitons and instead of being a nightmare matchup for the opponent RC has to figure out ways to hide him on defense.
We are getting flashes (bubble last season) but overall he isn´t living up to his contract. Things could obviously change. Maybe he just needs to stay healthy and will take the next step within the next two years but that´s a big "maybe".
If the Mavs want to keep KP they are gambling on two things. Him staying healthy. Him improving as a player. I would gamble on his health if he would have Durant/Embiid/Davis impact. I would gamble on his development if he could stay healthy. He misses out in both cases. Not quite good enough to accept the big risk. Not healthy enough to expect big improvements.