Mavs 107, Kings 121

[mavsluvr]

3) JR is NOT a good defender and that has been proven over and over this season. When leaned upon as a stopper he will not come through most nights. DFS is also NOT a stopper. Leaning on either for that role leads to the breakdown of the whole D at the point of attack and KP has NOT been good playing behind these guys this season at all.

4) Whether the talent is not deep enough or whether RC is unwilling to play deeper players is debatable to me. But the result of fatigue feels pretty unquestionable at this point.

3) Agree that Josh has not lived up to the hype on either end of the floor. The defense as a whole has come together and looked really good on occasion this season, but seems to have fallen apart lately. 


4) The players do show signs of exhaustion. I strongly suspect that some of them are also playing through nagging injuries.

[hakeemfaan]

Absolutely nothing.

But I have come to accept the fact that 75% of the time a player getting playing time for RC has NOTHING to do with what they personally do good or bad during a game.

RC is starting to finally get some heat from the local media. The morning Ticket guys talked about Luka doing his own thing and Kp taking bad shots and asked what was RC doing other than clapping around like Garrett used to do.

[hakeemfaan]

Bama. As mentioned on the game thread, this is the wrong game to stand up for KP. 

I have called out Luka’ heroball and lack of defense plenty this season. I have defended KP as well. 

However last night KP looked lost. I don’t know a better way to put it. He was not assertive at all. Luka started his heroball stuff after no one other than Jalen seemed interested in doing anything. Plus Luka was playing hard on defense too.e

[TXBamanut]

Tim Cato has a new Athletic article delving into the question of what is wrong with the Mavericks. 

His conclusions --

-- The team is too dependent on Luka for scoring. Luka creates good looks for his teammates, and they too often don't convert. 

-- The team relies on at least two of KP, Hardaway, and Brunson -- maybe also Richardson -- to have 20-point games from night to night. That often works, but also often doesn't, and is a hallmark of a lower seed playoff team.


https://theathletic.com/2528764/2021/04/...-improved/

Are these points justified?

1)  I think Luka generates looks and good looks, but not always the looks that they are accustomed to making with consistency.  I think KP is a prime example of this.

2)  I differ from Kamm in that KP can be consistent, but agree with Kamm's qualifier..."within the current system".  That's is the problem.  We can't treat him like Tyson Chandler who can shoot a three.... that's not going to work.  I've beat this drum to death that no big man in history has ever been able to excel in the NBA without the offense and the PG putting him in spots to achieve that.  If they just decide to run the "James Harden" offense of dribble around and everyone wait until Luka finds you...the Mavs will fail.

So I say this to #2 -- They must find more playmaking and change the offensive system to put KP in position to score or they must trade KP for some 3D guys or another 1-2-3 that you can pass the ball to and let him get his own shot, because what we have now, it's working.

The best game I've seen the Mavs have this season (feelingswise, admittedly not from a deep dive in the numbers) was the game against Milwaukee a couple of weeks ago.  
Luka and KP had 20 shots that were balanced usage throughout the game. DFS had 10 rebounds and that was a great example -- no Giannis, so that's fair, but KP getting 15 boards.  In that game, KP had a horrendous 3rd quarter going 1-5, but they didn't ignore him and stayed with him and he went 4-4 in the fourth.  I think that's important to note.

Last night against the Kings, KP turned down one 3 I thought he should have taken, so when he shows up with 4 shots in the last half, pretty much 1 shot relegated every 5-6 minutes of game time, and the last 8 minutes of the game with really nothing...it's not going to go well at this point.

Nick from Locked On Mavs today said "he just needs to take over and demand the ball" --- he's gets in the post and demands the ball and it doesn't come or it comes way too late and his lost the position (you can't pin people forever), so that mentality doesn't work for me.

[TXBamanut]

Bama. As mentioned on the game thread, this is the wrong game to stand up for KP. 

I have called out Luka’ heroball and lack of defense plenty this season. I have defended KP as well. 

However last night KP looked lost. I don’t know a better way to put it. He was not assertive at all. Luka started his heroball stuff after no one other than Jalen seemed interested in doing anything. Plus Luka was playing hard on defense too.e

Well, that is your perspective, man, and though I respect your perspective, I still disagree, because we aren't talking about him turning down shots last night or just one game.  This is a problem that is snowballing with each game, so I don't think relegating it to a "game by game" basis when it crops up is the issue.  This has been going on all year...and it's a problem and the bad night, looking lost --- all that is part and parcel of the problem, but it is ongoing.

Every game where it starts to be "well, you just stand here until I'm done" type of thing with a star player becomes "here we go again" in the mind of a person, often and that becomes attached to what happened last time.

Like I pointed out also, at half, as terrible as KP was shooting, Luka was shooting worse, but they didn't go away from him and he corrected himself.  Similar to the Milwaukee game I just referenced.  KP went 1-5 in the 3rd and they didn't stop going to him and he went 4-4 in the fourth.  We will either win consistently with them both as a big part of what we do, with Luka driving the boat obviously, but when he gets relegated, because of the makeup of this team, the team will be hurt.

Star players are like this.  You expect them to get righted so you go with them.  Role players like THJ or Brunson or DFS, they can be off and you just move to the next guy because you have a bunch of that category.  You can't just move to the next guy because your star isn't because you have 1, maybe 2 of those guys and if they are what you go down with the ship on.  Just is the nature of sports.

[ballsrchr]

8) Yes, the roster that is played by RC (cannot speak to what is buried on the bench) has not been improved in any meaningful way since the KP trade. The failure to develop rookies year after year is the main culprit in my opinion and it has snowballed over the last decade to this point.

While I think some of our biggest problem(s) are a poorly assembled and utilized "team"...I also believe that KP is not a good fit for any Luka led "team."  KP is a unicorn (truly...and he thinks so as well) who should have a team built around him.  That's not going to happen with Luka on the team.  Who do you trade?  I trade KP in an instant.  Luka can be a cornerstone for a championship team...but the coach(es) need to get a handle on him NOW...and get that cornerstone firmly embedded in a worthy "team."  I frankly wonder what the coaches are doing...year after year...

And finally...your point #8 is something that has irritated me to no end for the last 12 years or so.  Maybe expanding the playing rotation would be a radical new approach...

[TXBamanut]

While I think some of our biggest problem(s) are a poorly assembled and utilized "team"...I also believe that KP is not a good fit for any Luka led "team."  KP is a unicorn (truly...and he thinks so as well) who should have a team built around him.  That's not going to happen with Luka on the team.  Who do you trade?  I trade KP in an instant.  Luka can be a cornerstone for a championship team...but the coach(es) need to get a handle on him NOW...and get that cornerstone firmly embedded in a worthy "team."  I frankly wonder what the coaches are doing...year after year...

And finally...your point #8 is something that has irritated me to no end for the last 12 years or so.  Maybe expanding the playing rotation would be a radical new approach...

I'm going to agree with this and add something that no one wants to admit when they talk about Luka.  Until Luka learns to share some of the load, there is no real time star that is coming here to play with Luka...and I'm not sure there will ever been a big man star that he can play with if he can't share the load.

I think trading KP will expose it more, not cure it.

[omahen]

I'm going to agree with this and add something that no one wants to admit when they talk about Luka.  Until Luka learns to share some of the load, there is no real time star that is coming here to play with Luka...and I'm not sure there will ever been a big man star that he can play with if he can't share the load.

Do you realize that Luka won everything that could be won in Europe by age 18? And I mean on a team level, not individual level. I doubt that money and fame really changed him.

I can't agree with any statement about Luka not willing to share the ball/load. That is just wrong statement.

[KillerLeft]

KP is a unicorn (truly...and he thinks so as well) who should have a team built around him.  That's not going to happen with Luka on the team.  Who do you trade?  I trade KP in an instant. 

I think you've cut to the heart of the issue, but I disagree with part of your conclusion (though not the ultimate one).

Yes, I agree that KP seems to feel as though the offense should be built around what makes him comfortable (speculation, but reasonable, imo). But, I don't think that's a good thing for any team to do, or for him, when said and done. Just look at how quickly Luka elevated a bad Mavs team to the playoffs - his first season with the reigns, basically. Did KP have a similar effect in NY? I'd say no.

It's true that KP might look better and more comfortable if the team was geared around him, but I don't think there's much evidence that this would translate to improvement for the team in terms of winning percentage. Even those who disagree with that will surely agree that placing his needs ahead of Luka's, at this point, would be silly. 

If he was a winner he'd be all about trying to find a way to exist within THIS team's structure and contribute to wins in whatever way needed. This is Luka's team, and that fact wasn't hidden from him at any point of the process. Either he's trying to do that and failing or he's got some sort of chip on his shoulder about the situation. Either way, it's not working. Now, I do think Luka deserves some blame for not helping to make it work, too, but the dude is 22. It's going to take some time for him to reach that level of mastery over the game and specifically over being the driving force of an NBA contender. Today, the most apparent thing to my eyes is that Porzingis just isn't the player we hoped he was, and from a variety of different angles. There are nights when he literally doesn't even try to play defense, and you just can't have that from your max contract center. For me, that's the end of the conversation. Other, more nuanced points ring hollow after that. 

So, I think it's a no-brainer that KP should be moved at the first opportunity, but I'm not hopeful that there will be a line of teams willing to provide the kind of value most here seem to expect. If I were a rival GM watching the Mavs this season, KP, on that contract, is one of the last players I'd want to add to my roster.

[mtrot]

The pace is on Carlisle and nobody else. We play slow, so we don´t commit the evil turnovers. We don´t go after offensive rebounds, cause it exposes us defensively. Been that way for 15 years.

Of course you can run with Luka. The dude could probably throw fullcourt alley-oop passes behind his back.

Another reason rookies are screwed here btw. They can´t use the one advantage they have: young legs to outrun old people down the floor. So instead they are supposed to outsmart guys in the halfcourt that have 15 years of know-how on them.  Josh Green cannot outsmart Ingles and Bogdanovic in the halfcourt with Gobert waiting at the rim, but he can out-run them down the floor. If he was allowed to (be on the floor).

IOW, sometimes it's effective to think outside the box, but RC doesn't seem capable of that.

[KillerLeft]

Until Luka learns to share some of the load, there is no real time star that is coming here to play with Luka...and I'm not sure there will ever been a big man star that he can play with if he can't share the load.

There's some major truth to be absorbed here, no argument. 

For me, it doesn't change the bottom line. Either Luka and KP are trying to get this to work, or they aren't. Either they can or they can't. I don't think there's any way the Mavs could possibly choose KP over Luka, do you? Maybe it doesn't come to either/or, and maybe we all just need to be patient as the two of them go off on a walkabout this summer and drink peyote around a campfire together, but if  it's got to be either/or, I'm choosing Luka and I'm inclined to get on with it as soon as possible. 

You're absolutely right about Luka needing to improve in the area of helping that second guy impact the team, but maybe this, specific combo of personalities and expectations is adding to that issue? Just a thought, because all we can do here is speculate.

[michaeltex]

I'm going to agree with this and add something that no one wants to admit when they talk about Luka.  Until Luka learns to share some of the load, there is no real time star that is coming here to play with Luka...and I'm not sure there will ever been a big man star that he can play with if he can't share the load.

I think trading KP will expose it more, not cure it.

I agree that Luka needs someone to help with the load. I contend that there has been nobody consistent enough to trust with the burden. The fact is, the offense DOES center on Luka, but too often there is no help from the other positions. There have been games when he would have had 20 assists except for the clunkers shot by teammates. I don't like his hero ball domination, but sometimes nothing else is working. 

As for KP. He does have a unique skill set, and I wanted sooo badly to believe he could be #2 if not #1b. But I'm starting to think that maybe his clock is running out in DFW. With the lack of picks and a thin FA class, moving KP could be the Herschel Walker thing to do.

[Kammrath]

DFS playing 32 MPG on $4M is the least of our f****** problems.

I LOVE DFS and think he brings a lot to this team. But he is NOT two key things:

1) An elite shooter. DFS is 2nd worst in the NBA at corner 3 percentage for those who shoot more than 2 corner threes a game. He shoots 35% from corner three whereas almost everyone who shoots as many as he does shoots at least 40% from there and some up to 50% from there. 

2) An elite defender. It is hard to quantify this, but IMO and according to many stats DFS is an average defender overall (better in some situations and pretty bad in others).

If his 32 mins could be upgraded to someone who actually did BOTH of those things that would improve this team a TON IMO. Teams constantly leave DFS open for threes knowing they usually won't be punished and also regularly attack him on defense (like with DeRozan the other night) exposing that he even though he gives you good effort and fight, he generally cannot lock anyone down completely.

[Kammrath]

RC is starting to finally get some heat from the local media.

He needs to.

But honestly it is the whole MBT in some amorphous way that is responsible. I cannot separate where the responsibiolity is Cuban, Donnie, or RC. I have NO CLUE where the buck really stops on stuff and what is going on behind the scenes. 

So do I think RC is at fault? Yes, and I have thought that for probably 8+ years in various degrees.

Am I confident it is RC's fault? NO. 

I am confident of one thing: the MBT collectively is failing right now and has been for the last 10 years.

[Kammrath]

KP is not a good fit for any Luka led "team."

Absolutely 100% convinced of this and was back in January/February already. My stance for months has been unwaveringly that KP needs to be traded this summer.

[cow]

I LOVE DFS and think he brings a lot to this team. But he is NOT two key things:

1) An elite shooter. DFS is 2nd worst in the NBA at corner 3 percentage for those who shoot more than 2 corner threes a game. He shoots 35% from corner three whereas almost everyone who shoots as many as he does shoots at least 40% from there and some up to 50% from there. 

2) An elite defender. It is hard to quantify this, but IMO and according to many stats DFS is an average defender overall (better in some situations and pretty bad in others).

If his 32 mins could be upgraded to someone who actually did BOTH of those things that would improve this team a TON IMO. Teams constantly leave DFS open for threes knowing they usually won't be punished and also regularly attack him on defense (like with DeRozan the other night) exposing that he even though he gives you good effort and fight, he generally cannot lock anyone down completely.

Of those available, I'm not sure there is someone that is that upgrade in both of those categories.  Ideally Maxi/DFS are rotational guys and you start one of the two based on matchups.  

Maxi is the bigger problem right now which pains me to say as he's my favorite current Mav.

[Kammrath]

I think it's a no-brainer that KP should be moved at the first opportunity

He needs to be moved this summer. But I think pre-draft, post-draft, post-FA, or closer to training camp are all options. The Mavs need to do a massive overhaul to this team, even just for the sake of snapping them out of whatever rut they are stuck in. And I personally would include a coaching change, but understand if they don't.

[cow]

Odds of KP being moved:  20%
Odds of Rick being fired:  1%

[Kammrath]

Odds of KP being moved:  20%
Odds of Rick being fired:  1%

Odds of the Mavs losing in the first round in 2022: 79%

[cow]

Odds of the Mavs losing in the first round in 2022: 79%

Got to get there first.  Odds 8%