HALLELUKA: Luka Clinches All-NBA 1st team. 4th in 5 years

[SleepingHero]

https://twitter.com/CallieCaplan/status/...40225?s=20

[Reunion Mav]

https://twitter.com/CallieCaplan/status/...40225?s=20

NBA radio reports results of Luka MRI showed no structural damage and that he can return as soon as pain subsides. Should be day to day.

[LukaMVP]

good news luka will be back soon. but kidd should give luka some rest to make him 100% healthy and ready for playoffs. it seems to me that luka hasn't fully recoverd from the injury before ASB, and kyrie ain't the only season we haven't seen another phenomenal show from luka since then.

[ThisIStheYear]

Playoffs?  You kidding me?  I just hope we can win a game.

[BigDirk41]

Would anyone here consider trading Luka for the #1 pick and a big package with that #1? Draft Wimby and try to do it right this time. Let's say it's the #1 pick in the draft, a borderline all star, a desirable young player and 3 future firsts. That's a huge haul, but no player of Luka's stature has ever been traded at 24 years old.

[omahen]

Would anyone here consider trading Luka for the #1 pick and a big package with that #1? Draft Wimby and try to do it right this time. Let's say it's the #1 pick in the draft, a borderline all star, a desirable young player and 3 future firsts. That's a huge haul, but no player of Luka's stature has ever been traded at 24 years old.

I think this line of thinking is crazy in the first place. Mavs already have a (at least) top 10 player in the league. That is the most difficult thing to achieve. There is absolutely no guarantee Wemby (as great as he looks) will become a top 10 player. But let me entertain this idea anyway.

The proposal you are giving is that basically a team is selling everything they have for Luka. In the end you do need two stars to build around. Detroit, Houston and San Antonio are most likely to get a number one pick. Which of this teams is able to give up all the assets for Luka and still hope to be able to build around him? They would be extremely limited in building around him. I think it makes way more sense for any of them to pick Wemby and use all their assets to build around him, hoping he becomes that top 10 player you need. 

I would say a way more realistic possibility is that someone that is halfway there trades the future for Luka. Sort of what Phoenix did with Durant. New Orleans for example could offer one of Ingram or Zion, a couple of their young players and a bunch of picks and hope the remaining core would be a contender. Toronto has a perfect team to surround Luka. Barnes and (lets say) Anunoby plus all the picks for Luka could make the remaining core a contender. OKC with Holmgren and whatever salary fillers and gazillion of picks is an option that would make sense for OKC.

[SleepingHero]

Would anyone here consider trading Luka for the #1 pick and a big package with that #1? Draft Wimby and try to do it right this time. Let's say it's the #1 pick in the draft, a borderline all star, a desirable young player and 3 future firsts. That's a huge haul, but no player of Luka's stature has ever been traded at 24 years old.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKZJdaiJF84


Luka is Luka but Wemby could be just as good as Luka!

No way do I trade him for basically any package while he has 4 years left on his deal. There isn't a single package out there that could change my mind.

[LifeAquatic]

Would anyone here consider trading Luka for the #1 pick and a big package with that #1? Draft Wimby and try to do it right this time. Let's say it's the #1 pick in the draft, a borderline all star, a desirable young player and 3 future firsts. That's a huge haul, but no player of Luka's stature has ever been traded at 24 years old.

I don't think its crazy, as I don't think anyone at this point should be untradeable.  BUT - since Luka is a generational talent, I'd have to actually trust the Mavs FO to pull this off properly, which I don't currently. 

It think any thought of a trade like that is based on the idea that you want to build your team a certain way, one that makes you a faster paced team whose offense gets the most out of the other young players on the team and can play great defense. Luka doesn't fit that description (re: Pace, Involvement of other players, and defense) , so if that is what the goal was and you had a FO that could pull it off then it would be something to consider if and only if you could get back a haul appropriate to a 24 year old top 5 player in the league who is under contract. 

I also don't care so much about the overall number 1 because the haul for him would have to be a boatload of picks plus good players, and I don't know tht the team with the overall number 1 would have the good players I'd want in return. Toronto comes to mind for the players I might want, but not sure they'd have enough total assets to make me give up Luka.

But, if you could end up with a load of picks, revamped roster that plays faster and great defense, built around good young players, then its something to think about.

[SleepingHero]

https://twitter.com/LukaUpdates/status/1...68545?s=20

[DallasMaverick]

https://twitter.com/LukaUpdates/status/1...68545?s=20

That's awesome!

[BigDirk41]

He really can't move well. He looked happy, but not close to playing.

[Knutsen]

He really can't move well. He looked happy, but not close to playing.

That‘s what I thought as well… Moving like an old man. Would come handy for the next 2 ultra-important games, but fear he‘ll be out.

[SleepingHero]

He really can't move well. He looked happy, but not close to playing.

Those were my initial feelings as well. But I then saw him moving around practice like this 

https://twitter.com/CallieCaplan/status/...G99bUtAAAA

So I'm starting to think he was just being super precautious.

[omahen]

Those were my initial feelings as well. But I then saw him moving around practice like this

I also noticed the awkward moving. But my guess was, he has some kind of therapeutic device attached

[Chicagojk]

He was moving faster than he was at the all star game.

[ItsGoTime]

When a strained muscle is warmed up it’s much different than when it’s cooled down.

[SleepingHero]

https://twitter.com/627zach/status/16380...36386?s=20

[Chicagojk]

https://twitter.com/627zach/status/16380...36386?s=20

If true, that is promising.

On the other hand, it is sort of embarrassing.

[SleepingHero]

If true, that is promising.

On the other hand, it is sort of embarrassing.

I kind of understand it. The amount of stamina Luka needs to perform at his level playing against NBA players is an incredible amount. He probably could barely run with that thigh as we saw. Not hard to imagine his conditioning took a small toll to recover for his injury.

I don't think this has anything to do with his history of being in shape though. I know some members of the media are definitely going to try and spin it that way.

---

If true, that is promising.

On the other hand, it is sort of embarrassing.

I kind of understand it. The amount of stamina Luka needs to perform at his level playing against NBA players is an incredible amount. He probably could barely run with that thigh as we saw. Not hard to imagine his conditioning took a small toll to recover for his injury.

I don't think this has anything to do with his history of being in shape though. I know some members of the media are definitely going to try and spin it that way.

[Hogmelon]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/3606...e-playoffs