The sky is for sure not falling, cause we're still, record-wise, in a better situation than I ever thought was going to be the case coming into the season. I thought at this point we might be about a .500 team (maybe just under) that was starting to really click and find our groove (kinda like the Thunder are pretty much). I will say, we started off with a pretty big bang, and are petering out so far comparably. That has my mind wondering what the reasons for this might be.
How much less of a long term approach is blowing up this team and getting the maximum value out of the players to retool with starting quality players in starting spots and finding bench players that fit in around them? What has THJ and Kleber done so well that they are untouchable to some (Unless they net a star? A star? Really? Is that the bar? Are they stars themselves?)? Why would we not move on from Curry? How is DW's contribution so high that it can't be exceeded? Same for JB and JJ. DFS has been better than ever, but is that so good that it is enough?
Do we need to fully blow the team up to get better results? Maybe maybe not, I just don't think there is so much upside to the team we currently have constructed, and no, I don't think it is possible that this team is a group of title contenders, no matter how long we give them. I can't budge from that thought, but I can allow for others to believe it, just will never understand them.
In closing, no, this team isn't horrible, and if we set our standards to being the Rockets, great in the regular season, unfulfilling playoff runs no one will be upset.
- We've seen Luka go from absolute stud, noone can touch him, to pretty dang good already once in his rookie season. Is this happening again? I certainly hope not, but the question IMO has to be raised at this point because as Luka goes, so do the Mavs. Which brings me to the next question.
- The quality of players around Luka (and KP, but mostly Luka). It's been discussed ad nauseam this season about the quality of player we have outside of Luka and KP. I think if there is a #1 reason Luka is breaking down in his second season, it's because of the supporting cast. While I think they're giving everything they most likely can, it just isn't good enough. THJ has been a revelation this season, but he's only scoring 14 ppg (throughout the season, which matters when talking about why Luka might be breaking down). DFS has been great, but he's not doing what we see others probably can. Curry has been ok, but even by his standards, I think he's not shown up as much. I could keep going, but I think you get the gist of this point.
- RC. This is the first time I've wondered about him as a coach. Not that I'm saying get rid of him, in any way, far from that, I just wonder if those last few years of tanking without "tanking" has changed him a bit (other than his love of small ball)? I can't put my finger on it, but it just doesn't seem like we're getting the best out of our high end, long tenured, coach.
How much less of a long term approach is blowing up this team and getting the maximum value out of the players to retool with starting quality players in starting spots and finding bench players that fit in around them? What has THJ and Kleber done so well that they are untouchable to some (Unless they net a star? A star? Really? Is that the bar? Are they stars themselves?)? Why would we not move on from Curry? How is DW's contribution so high that it can't be exceeded? Same for JB and JJ. DFS has been better than ever, but is that so good that it is enough?
Do we need to fully blow the team up to get better results? Maybe maybe not, I just don't think there is so much upside to the team we currently have constructed, and no, I don't think it is possible that this team is a group of title contenders, no matter how long we give them. I can't budge from that thought, but I can allow for others to believe it, just will never understand them.
In closing, no, this team isn't horrible, and if we set our standards to being the Rockets, great in the regular season, unfulfilling playoff runs no one will be upset.