11-25-2023, 11:48 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-25-2023, 11:55 AM by KillerLeft.)
It's pretty easy to see why Lively and Powell were playing ahead of Holmes, imo, just like it's pretty easy to see why the Mavs become interested in some of the bigs we talk about around here but seemingly have zero interest in some of the others.
For the Mavs to become interested:
1) the center must be a pick and roll player (Holmes qualifies here, but MANY of the names people fixate on do not). If they aren't SOME type of pick and roll big (rim runner, pick-n-pop spacer, SOMETHING) the Mavs won't look twice at them. That should be obvious by now.
2) The reason Holmes isn't viewed as favorably as Powell to start with, imo, is that Powell, like Lively, is a VERTICAL SPACER. That seems to be what the team believes is MOST necessary for their offensive system to work. Regardless of how much we each think Holmes does/does not have left, I think it's safe to say his vertical spacing days are over. I have a pretty confident feeling that the centers started the season in the order LUKA preferred, not just the coaches, and that VERTICAL SPACING was the crux of what formed the ranking.
EDIT: Having said the above, it's possible that everyone involved wants to move protecting the paint and rebounding up in the importance equation a little at this point, and IF Holmes really is better at that stuff (I'm far from convinced he will be, consistently) maybe it's time for him to get some time.
For the Mavs to become interested:
1) the center must be a pick and roll player (Holmes qualifies here, but MANY of the names people fixate on do not). If they aren't SOME type of pick and roll big (rim runner, pick-n-pop spacer, SOMETHING) the Mavs won't look twice at them. That should be obvious by now.
2) The reason Holmes isn't viewed as favorably as Powell to start with, imo, is that Powell, like Lively, is a VERTICAL SPACER. That seems to be what the team believes is MOST necessary for their offensive system to work. Regardless of how much we each think Holmes does/does not have left, I think it's safe to say his vertical spacing days are over. I have a pretty confident feeling that the centers started the season in the order LUKA preferred, not just the coaches, and that VERTICAL SPACING was the crux of what formed the ranking.
EDIT: Having said the above, it's possible that everyone involved wants to move protecting the paint and rebounding up in the importance equation a little at this point, and IF Holmes really is better at that stuff (I'm far from convinced he will be, consistently) maybe it's time for him to get some time.