(06-17-2021, 09:36 PM)TXBamanut Wrote: No...way.  I have been screaming at my TV all year on 5-7 plays just like that all year long.  If I was KP, I'd be pissed, adn it wouldn't be thinking "I'm better than that guy" (which I doubt seriously), but "hey, I'm open, I have a better shot than that."

Here's the problem with all you folks who beat me up when I say this stuff and get so righteously indignant when you think Luka can improve in this area.  He DOES take shots he should not take.  There have been loads of times that he's pissed his help off doing crap like the video above.  It doesn't destroy the fact that he's a generational talent to point that out and admit it.  It doesn't blame all the losses on him and it doesn't give KP a pass for when KP's been playing like crap.

BUT some of it does rest on Luka.  He's not perfect and a 40+ usage rate and having to put up 44/15/10 as an average will not get you from round 1 to a ring.  #fact

Luke reminds me of the classic extremely talented leader who really can do most things better than the people he leads...supremely talented, extremely high capacity, but those type of leaders can got the route of hovering over their direct reports, and because of their affinity and skill can't stand to watch someone take longer or not do as great a job as they do, so they end up taking over and pushing the person to the side.  Those subordinates either get used to having their work done for them or if they truly have talent, they leave because they want to be a part of it.  They get frustrated and most of them know, "Yes he's better", but they want to contribute and as a leader, you WANT people that care about contribution and selling out for the company (or team in this case)...and the high strung talent, you usually have to mentor into a more respectable understanding of life...the more talented, the more you put up with and vice versa.  It's the classic bottleneck -- in Luka's case, it's TERRIBLE that he assists on or scores like 80+% of the teams points.  Some of you wear that like a badge...that will get him to leave in a couple of years when he figures it out that he can't do that and win in the NBA.  That's not a shot, that's a reality.

It's a false dichotomy to say that if you point this out you somehow don't recognize the greatness of Luka or don't apppreciate him or are some KP fanboy.  You can do both, and honestly, I think that's the most balanced analysis of the team.  You can hate on KP all you want, but he's right...the ball is better when it moves, and when I say move, when the ball is moving, assists are more spaced out and come from several people.  20 assists by one player doesn't mean the ball was moving well, it means one dude moved the ball well...it often means it didn't move well.  Often the best basketball comes when the ball moves 3 passes off the drive and the shot you get is primo...the Mavs just didn't do that often last year.  They fell into Luka dribble until he scored or got someone a shot, and that wore him down.  Yes, he got them amazing shots, but in the 4th, in the playoffs, he and the team paid the price.

Even though Luka is probably as close as you can get to a player who can do it by himself, he can't through a deep playoff run, because no one can (which I pointed out was a lesson that MJ said he learned from the '86 series against the Celtics)...they've all got to be better.

But after a year of frustration, I'm not sure they will make it as constructed.

(06-17-2021, 09:47 PM)Kammrath Wrote: MacMahon Nugget (from Lowe Podcast):

KP's relationship with Luka is "awkward." KP will not storm in and demand a trade, but he does not like playing in DAL at all.

(06-17-2021, 09:58 PM)dirkfansince1998 Wrote: Whoever lands RC should be forced to take KP as well.

(06-17-2021, 09:49 PM)dirkfansince1998 Wrote: But that brings us back to the counter point. Who are the guys that are capable of driving and kicking it out to create the best possible shot. Three of the starters cannot put the ball on the floor (DFS, Kleber, KP). THJ can do it but he lacks the court vision to find the open guy.
I am not ignoring your point. Agree in general. Just think that it is hard to do the things that you are asking for with the current Mavs roster. Ball movement with multiple ballhandlers used to be the focal point of the Mavs offense in the late Dirk years. People  complained about the undersized lineups with multiple ballhandlers.
Best example is the Clippers series. The big difference between the role players was the ability to put the ball on the floor and make easy plays of the dribble. Morris, Batum and Jackson could do it. Mavs struggled.

We will see how the new coach approaches the situation. Will we see more play calling and less flow. Will the new GM add the necessary playmakers.

(06-16-2021, 12:42 PM)SwisherPrice Wrote: The free-flowing offense is nothing new in the NBA, many teams run it - including the Suns. However, most teams have multiple shot creators to make it work successfully. The Mavs don't have the personnel outside of Luka but they also had no real Plan B or C so thus the reliance on Boban.

(06-17-2021, 09:49 PM)dirkfansince1998 Wrote: We will see how the new coach approaches the situation. Will we see more play calling and less flow. Will the new GM add the necessary playmakers.

(06-18-2021, 09:30 PM)Branduil Wrote: The Pelicans certainly could be game for it, considering the potential of his fit with Zion and their desperation to put a good time around him. I'd want a treasure trove of picks from them though considering how lacking the players they have to offer us are.

(06-18-2021, 09:34 PM)Jommybone Wrote: Why not for s&t Collins straight up? Hawks prefer Maxi? Really?

(06-18-2021, 09:34 PM)Jommybone Wrote: Why not for s&t Collins straight up? Hawks prefer Maxi? Really?

(06-18-2021, 09:18 PM)StepBackJay Wrote: Best potential KP partners:

- GSW: Wiggins-based. GSW may not see enough of an upgrade for the risk of KP but you never know.
- Wiz: Bertans, young guys, probably third team involved. Wiz are desperate enough to make a big move and the pieces they are giving up aren't that great.
- Hornets: Hayward-based, similar situation in Charlotte and they have a surplus of wings, guards but no center.
- Pels: Adams/Bledsoe. Pels need spacing and I think would like the upside of KP. Adams/Bledsoe are basically dumps. Adams fits Dallas much better. Dallas also gets their cap sheet in order given the much easier-to-move contracts. Pels have a surplus of picks. They could easily dump KP next year if it didn't work out.

That's ab it. I don't see an OKC deal. I think Horford would have been the target there, but Celtics already made that deal.

(06-18-2021, 10:06 PM)StepBackJay Wrote: Bertans is useful as a stretch big

(06-18-2021, 10:06 PM)StepBackJay Wrote: I think they are looking at KP on the cheap which would be Bertans and Bryant, maybe a pick if we are lucky.

KP would be an expensive upgrade combination of those guys (ie stretch big). Bryant has his own injury issues and is not known as a defender. KP has more defensive potential than he does. KP also has a lot more upside than Bertans.

Bertans is useful as a stretch big and the deal sheds a lot of future cap space for Dallas. Both Bertans and Bryant could be more easily moved in other deals. Sometimes the first deal isn't the main point, its trying to break a dollar into quarters so you can make other moves.

(06-19-2021, 08:11 AM)khaled1987 Wrote: Just hope that other team front offices don't share same opinion about KP contract (he is currently 2nd in a poll about worst contract in the NBA)