10-01-2020, 09:29 AM
A lot of discussion about the need for a ball-handler and/or wing and/or 3rd star. We need to compare where Mavs were in the summer of 2019 against where they are now. What is the same, what is different?
2019 primary expressed needs:
- Secondary ball-handler and solid defender next to Luka
- Athletic defensive wing
- 3rd star player
What we netted in 2019:
- Missed on Danny Green who was slotted for the defensive wing
- Missed on Kemba who would have been the secondary ball-handler and 3rd star
- Missed on Beverley who was the defender, shooter and sort of ball-handler next to Luka
- Signed Wright to be the secondary ball-handler and defender next to Luka
- Signed Curry as primarily a shooter, maybe just a BPA/value pick-up although he has some ability to create as well.
What can we deem are the needs in 2020?
- Still need an athletic defensive wing, I don't see anything that changed that. Mavs tried and missed on both Danny Green and Iguodala at the TDL. They ended up signing MKG as a flyer. This reinforces they idea that there has been no change here.
- 3rd star is still a want/need. Everything we have seen or heard is that Mavs are all a 3rd star through trade or 2021 FA.
- Secondary ball-handler is the big question mark. Wright was a bust. THJ was much better than the Mavs thought he would be. He is a shooter, scorer, *decent* creator and okay defensively (better than we thought at least). I think THJ having such a good such year for the Mavs lessened the urgency for a second ball-handler. Luka is a very high usage player but that's not necessary a problem, at least in the short term. To me this went from a major need to a lower priority behind the other two big needs which is the 3rd star and athletic, defensive wing.
So to wrap-up, I see a lot of chatter ab the Kemba pursuit last year being interpreted to mean that Mavs are hot after a star secondary ball-handler. In my view, that pursuit was much more about getting a 3rd star than getting a ball-handler. Many Mavs media types acknowledged that the fit of Kemba and Luka was not perfect. Kemba was all ab basically best star available that was gettable.
All that to say I would not bank on the Mavs prioritizing a secondary ball-handler this offseason just bc they were hot after Kemba last year.
2019 primary expressed needs:
- Secondary ball-handler and solid defender next to Luka
- Athletic defensive wing
- 3rd star player
What we netted in 2019:
- Missed on Danny Green who was slotted for the defensive wing
- Missed on Kemba who would have been the secondary ball-handler and 3rd star
- Missed on Beverley who was the defender, shooter and sort of ball-handler next to Luka
- Signed Wright to be the secondary ball-handler and defender next to Luka
- Signed Curry as primarily a shooter, maybe just a BPA/value pick-up although he has some ability to create as well.
What can we deem are the needs in 2020?
- Still need an athletic defensive wing, I don't see anything that changed that. Mavs tried and missed on both Danny Green and Iguodala at the TDL. They ended up signing MKG as a flyer. This reinforces they idea that there has been no change here.
- 3rd star is still a want/need. Everything we have seen or heard is that Mavs are all a 3rd star through trade or 2021 FA.
- Secondary ball-handler is the big question mark. Wright was a bust. THJ was much better than the Mavs thought he would be. He is a shooter, scorer, *decent* creator and okay defensively (better than we thought at least). I think THJ having such a good such year for the Mavs lessened the urgency for a second ball-handler. Luka is a very high usage player but that's not necessary a problem, at least in the short term. To me this went from a major need to a lower priority behind the other two big needs which is the 3rd star and athletic, defensive wing.
So to wrap-up, I see a lot of chatter ab the Kemba pursuit last year being interpreted to mean that Mavs are hot after a star secondary ball-handler. In my view, that pursuit was much more about getting a 3rd star than getting a ball-handler. Many Mavs media types acknowledged that the fit of Kemba and Luka was not perfect. Kemba was all ab basically best star available that was gettable.
All that to say I would not bank on the Mavs prioritizing a secondary ball-handler this offseason just bc they were hot after Kemba last year.