12-04-2021, 11:04 AM
I think Luka's leadership might be part of the problem, sure.
But, he's 22. I think we're seeing why teams built around 22 year olds don't really succeed. He has already accomplished so much, and I have thought for years that the expectations for him have been a little too high, considering his age. But, then again, he keeps producing, and has completely changed the trajectory of an entire franchise. I think it's important that we don't lose sight of that, even as we start to be more critical of him, which will justifiably happen as time passes.
All of the criticisms of Luka - conditioning, arguing with the refs, playing lazy at times - they all hold a certain amount of water. They're all valid, to a point. I don't think they're THE problems with the team, nor do I think the roster around him is THE problem, although the lack of alignment between how the roster is constructed and how the new coach wants his team to play might be pretty high on the list.
Speaking of coaches, all of these Luka problems were noticed in prior seasons, too. For whatever reason, they didn't seem like such insurmountable "defcon 2" issues back then. The offense was amazing. For me, the most glaring difference from prior seasons to this one is the number of major changes to the coaching staff. The offense has changed. The defense has changed. We've read reports that the "tone" of practice has changed. Maybe a young team like this shouldn't be allowed to have "loose" practices?
Optimistically, I'll continue to hope that these are just growing pains. A "feeling out" process between the team and new coaching staff. But, it's undeniably true now that both the team and staff are relatively "young" in experience, from certain angles. It's possible that one or both parts of that equation are simply not up to the task.
Regardless, the team was never going to be a true contender until its best player reached a more mature place. I am around 22 year olds all the time for work, and I don't care how great they are at what they do or how long they have done it, they're kids. They literally don't think the way mature adults do. In the NBA, players are in their primes from about 28-32, give or take a few years. Whichever team gets Luka on his next contract is really, truly going to be lucky to have him. I sure hope it's the Mavericks, and I sure hope they're set up for success on both the coaching staff and roster side of things by then.
None of this is to say that all of this is pointless until Luka gets older. I 100% agree that the team should be better than it is right now. But, pinning all of your hopes, including superstar level play, franchise/locker room leadership, recruitment, etc, etc, to a 22 year old who isn't even from this country is probably the best way to ensure that he gets sick of carrying your water and looks for a better run organization when the time comes, imo.
Bottom line - the Mavericks aren't a very well run organization, and haven't been for a long, long time. Luka can single handedly raise their ceiling and expectations, but he can't single-handedly make up for all of it.
But, he's 22. I think we're seeing why teams built around 22 year olds don't really succeed. He has already accomplished so much, and I have thought for years that the expectations for him have been a little too high, considering his age. But, then again, he keeps producing, and has completely changed the trajectory of an entire franchise. I think it's important that we don't lose sight of that, even as we start to be more critical of him, which will justifiably happen as time passes.
All of the criticisms of Luka - conditioning, arguing with the refs, playing lazy at times - they all hold a certain amount of water. They're all valid, to a point. I don't think they're THE problems with the team, nor do I think the roster around him is THE problem, although the lack of alignment between how the roster is constructed and how the new coach wants his team to play might be pretty high on the list.
Speaking of coaches, all of these Luka problems were noticed in prior seasons, too. For whatever reason, they didn't seem like such insurmountable "defcon 2" issues back then. The offense was amazing. For me, the most glaring difference from prior seasons to this one is the number of major changes to the coaching staff. The offense has changed. The defense has changed. We've read reports that the "tone" of practice has changed. Maybe a young team like this shouldn't be allowed to have "loose" practices?
Optimistically, I'll continue to hope that these are just growing pains. A "feeling out" process between the team and new coaching staff. But, it's undeniably true now that both the team and staff are relatively "young" in experience, from certain angles. It's possible that one or both parts of that equation are simply not up to the task.
Regardless, the team was never going to be a true contender until its best player reached a more mature place. I am around 22 year olds all the time for work, and I don't care how great they are at what they do or how long they have done it, they're kids. They literally don't think the way mature adults do. In the NBA, players are in their primes from about 28-32, give or take a few years. Whichever team gets Luka on his next contract is really, truly going to be lucky to have him. I sure hope it's the Mavericks, and I sure hope they're set up for success on both the coaching staff and roster side of things by then.
None of this is to say that all of this is pointless until Luka gets older. I 100% agree that the team should be better than it is right now. But, pinning all of your hopes, including superstar level play, franchise/locker room leadership, recruitment, etc, etc, to a 22 year old who isn't even from this country is probably the best way to ensure that he gets sick of carrying your water and looks for a better run organization when the time comes, imo.
Bottom line - the Mavericks aren't a very well run organization, and haven't been for a long, long time. Luka can single handedly raise their ceiling and expectations, but he can't single-handedly make up for all of it.
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