(12-01-2022, 05:28 PM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: I wanted to spend a little time on this while I had some time today.  First, let me say that I'd probably have tried Wood/Maxi starting (with DFS/Green/Luka) if it were me.  But, there are some challenges to making the rest of the rotation work around this lineup.

1. I think we have to consider Maxi's limitations as about a 24 minute a game guy.  If you want him to start and finish halves, then his 24 minutes would be the first and last six minutes of each half.  There just isn't much point in subbing him out sooner than six minutes into the half.  Most teams leave starters in for about 8 minutes, sit them for 8 and bring them back for the final 8.  Maxi can't quite do that.  You can play around and do 8 on then 12 off then 4 on, but ultimately the issue is the same.

2. Pairing Maxi with Wood to start and finish halves together eats up most of Wood's minutes.  This is a good thing as they play well together.  But, if Wood gets 32, then you have about 4 minutes a half of Wood as solo-big and then need 8 minutes a half with Powell as solo-big.  Yes, you can overlap that some by playing Powell more minutes.  Kidd has only tried that 17 minutes all season.  Instead Kidd is giving Wood and Powell (or McGee when he plays) about the amount of solo-big minutes listed above.  So, the lineup change is essentially just mixing up when they occur with one exception... the unintended consequence of moving Wood/Maxi to starter status and Powell to the bench is....

3.  We only have one Dorian.  If you want him starting and finishing halves, there isn't enough of him to also play during the solo-big minutes for Wood and Powell.  Without him we are playing those minutes with an undersized center and a bunch of guards.   When you put Wood/Maxi/DFS together for significant time there just isn't enough Dorian to also cover 16 minutes of Powell-solo big time and 8 minutes of Wood solo-big time and play.  

I think you need another player like Maxi or DFS to make the Maxi/Wood starting lineup work.  Or, you have to split up the Wood/Maxi/DFS starting trio.  That is essentially what Kidd has done.  He's just chosen to do it differently by starting Powell/DFS.   They are +5.6 together.  Maxi with Wood come off the bench and are +8.4.  Going the other way around, the pairings aren't nearly as good.  Wood/DFS is -2.6.  Powell/Maxi +0.0.  And, the 3-man lineups with Luka are also better the way Kidd is doing it.  Powell/DFS/Luka is +9.3.  Wood/Maxi/Luka is +16.  Wood/DFS/Luka is -4.6.  I think if we hid the names your affinity for +/- might lead you to the same conclusion as Kidd if you take into account that DFS can't play 48 minutes.  At the very least, what he's doing isn't idiotic or stubborn or a plot to undermine the team or the GM.

As I've said before, I'd prioritize building up Wood's minutes over starting him.  That might change if we traded for someone like Crowder.  Short of that, the Powell/DFS and Wood/Maxi pairings make a lot of sense.   It feels to me like Kidd is trying to make the shortcomings of Powell and Wood work as best he can while also positioning things to have DFS and Maxi finish halves.  I'd probably prefer to continue playing around with what Kidd is doing around Powell/DFS/Luka (the THJ experiment).  I might also try a Green experiment and even a THJ/Green experiment (moving SD to the bench) before I'd go through the gyrations necessary to make a Wood/Maxi starting lineup work.  Even more important than that though would be to find a closing lineup that works and give that group time to gel before the playoffs...especially if that grouping includes a younger player like Green.  He needs reps if he's going to be counted on in that role.

(12-01-2022, 07:10 PM)mvossman Wrote: All that being said, if we are going to stick with Powell in the starting lineup and give Timmy a real run, Din has to come off the bench.  I don't think we can survive Luka/Timmy/Din long term from a defensive perspective.  You could make a real argument for going with:

Starting  Powell/DFS/Green/Timmy/Luka

Bench    Maxi/Wood/Bullock/Frank/Din

(12-01-2022, 10:00 PM)Kammrath Wrote: https://twitter.com/JerryEngelmann/status/1598511232155521024

(12-01-2022, 10:03 PM)dirkfansince1998 Wrote: Wonder why he isn´t with the team anymore. Was he part of the gambling crew?

(12-01-2022, 10:06 PM)Kammrath Wrote: https://twitter.com/MavsFilmRoom/status/1531763366255009793

(12-01-2022, 10:13 PM)dirkfansince1998 Wrote: A front office that values analytics would have stayed away from McGee and Facu.

(12-01-2022, 10:13 PM)dirkfansince1998 Wrote: That explains some of the roster moves in the summer. A front office that values analytics would have stayed away from McGee and Facu.

(12-01-2022, 10:17 PM)Mavs2021 Wrote: Yes, if only we had advanced analytics to tell us that.

In the old days, people called it having two eyes and in these cases a semi-functional brain.

(12-01-2022, 10:20 PM)dirkfansince1998 Wrote: Felt like half of this board was convinced that McGee would bring rim protection and rebounding. Based on the eye test.
Facu is a special case. Already posted it a couple of times but it takes a special team to sign the player with the worst +/- numbers in the entire league. Entire Nuggets roster had positive on court numbers next to Jokic. Except for one guy. And that´s the guy the Mavs picked.

(12-02-2022, 01:29 AM)SleepingHero Wrote: Burn this whole thing to the ground. Keep only Luka, Green, maybe Hardy, maybe DFS, maybe Dinwiddie.

(12-02-2022, 01:32 AM)cow Wrote: Extract value from everyone else and build this team the right way.  Of course Cuban is incapable of doing this in the first place and would be unwilling in the second place.

(12-02-2022, 01:38 AM)SleepingHero Wrote: My anger towards Cuban is just building. Fans should be protesting the heck out of this team and it's performance and blame falls solely on Cuban for getting the team here. 

I really do wonder what a DFS+Wood+Bullock package can fetch and in my dreams why can't it be OG+Gary Trent Jr. 

In all my years of watching the Mavs I haven't detested watching an iteration this much. Aside from Luka watching this team play is like pulling teeth.