2020-2021 ROSTER TALK: Archived

[KillerLeft]

I believe the ability is there for RC to figure out how to unlock...better than he has. I think the more time on the court and in practice KP has, the more it will become apparent. The question in my mind, is how much time will he get on the court and in practice if he keeps getting injured.

You might be absolutely right about the above. You are definitely right about the "staying on the court" part, and while I'm not as worried about his health (in a vacuum) as others, it does have an effect on how quickly the team learns to maximize his skills, and how quickly he and Luka learn to play together, so that's a good point. 

A lot of this debate, imo, depends on how the Mavs see the front court rotation. Unfortunately, KP is out to start the season, so we won't know right away, but in my opinion, if the Mavs STILL think the best way to utilize him is as a third option SPACER while Luka and Powell run the action together...if that's the case, that will tell me a lot about how Carlisle views Porzingis. He's a GREAT shooter, and that's a valuable role, but I don't know if I can buy it. Seems like a waste. 


Who knows, maybe there are layers to that stuff they didn't even get to last year where those actions develop into high-post face up touches for KP. I'm ready for ANYTHING, it's just that, like I keep saying, I was underwhelmed with what we actually saw last season. He's obviously a GREAT finisher of plays, both in the paint on those rolls or cuts and by shooting off of the catch.

I just really believe that the team needs more offensive creation. Richardson will help a bit in that department, but not in the kind of meaningful way I'm hoping to see (I don't think). This whole KP debate, for me, is about whether or not he's going to get in the way of adding that. Right now, he is not preventing it, but as you keep saying, they haven't successfully identified their guy yet, or gotten him to say "yes." If they don't complete that mission before the end of next summer, I believe that it will get much harder to do so, because of KP and his contract. That's all I'm saying. 

For someone like you, who believes Luka/KP are enough, this is no big deal, and I can see how you might be annoyed at how the Mavs are approaching things. For someone like me, who does NOT, it's almost like I can't even let myself start hoping for success until they get that guy. So, the approach has become my favorite team storyline, in a way.