2020-2021 ROSTER TALK: Archived

[vfromlmf]

I question whether or not another FO would fall for that little trick.

I mean, it wasn't really a trick. I had major questions about KP coming into the game last night. In fact, it might have been the most important game of his Mavs career. Could he even get in a defensive stance? Can he still move well enough to defend pick & roll? Is he still capable of doing unicorn things?

And it clearly wasn't just me questioning KP's level. The were talks among serious NBA writers that the Mavs might have to ATTACH assets just to get off KP's contract. That's insane.

What we saw last night was good asset management. The Mavs sat KP against Embiid. Nothing good would come out of KP returning against the top center in the league. Instead, they put him in the best position to be successful upon his return ... against 34 year old 6' 8" Jeff Green. And they clearly made an effort to get him the ball in his favorite spots on the post. 

For his part, KP delivered. He did unicorn things offensively and defensively. 

Now, was this smart asset management part of a plan to restore his trade value? Or was it simply to restore his confidence? Maybe a little of both. Either way, smart asset management.