07-01-2021, 02:12 PM
(07-01-2021, 02:03 PM)dirkfansince1998 Wrote: I am in the pro Kleber camp. He ranked among the top three in on court and on/off rating for most of the season. Tanked his +/- numbers in the last 20 games. Was in and out of the rotation. Missed games and looked really bad when he played. Despite the steady decline at the end of the season the Mavs defense was 3.1pts better with him on the floor. Overall he was one of the better defenders on a bad defensive team.
The Mavs asked him to do the impossible. Cover a lot of ground and compensate for KPs lack of mobility. Guard the best opposing big...sometimes even wing. That shouldn´t be his role. Maybe one of those tasks but not all of them. Kleber was the only big that worked next to KP and him not being able to play his usual role was one of the reasons for some of the crazy lineups in the Clippers series.
Yeah, I don't disagree with any particular point here, or with those who have a favorable bird's eye view of the Kleber situation. I'm just advocating for a more constantly updating version of "group think" around here.
I still like Kleber, and I totally wouldn't throw him in the trash, especially while he's on that dope contract. Just saying that at this point I'm willing to concede that losing him (in the right deal) wouldn't be the end of the world.
I have been resistant to the idea of moving some of these core guys for a while, but in light of these new changes I'm ok with a little more turnover (if it's productive) while the decision makers are turning over. Continuity is likely to mean less next year than it has for quite a while, and less than it will for the several seasons after that, too.