07-01-2021, 02:26 AM
(06-30-2021, 12:45 PM)Okstate819 Wrote: Is it really up for debate? We all just watched a 25 year old with issues in both knees who got substantially less mobile and lost his ability to defend the rim. Crazy season coming off a short offseason or not... He isn't going to miraculously re-gain athleticism. Fact is, he could be significantly worse defensively at 27,28 than he was last year.
That's not to say he cant still be an effective NBA player, especially offensively but he was just essentially played off the court in the playoffs (Carlisle went zone to avoid it). Does the new regime want to have a 30+ cap hit on a player who can be played off the court? Time will tell
I think KP played at least 2 months too early. You can compare injuries or surguries, but JJJ had his meniscus surgery 2 months before KP, and he came back towards the end of the season. That is a major time difference.
Wonder if the Mavs speed up the timeline because the Mavs dropped to the last spot in the West after the Covid debacle. He was probably medically cleared at that point, but it looked like he went from rehab into playing without much preparation. Maybe they thought he would somehow play himself into shape.
Getting your legs back and doing condition work and playing games every other day, its not something that is really working together. "Destroying" your legs in the weight room and playing a game the next day. Thats not something you do during the season.