12-31-2020, 10:10 PM
(12-31-2020, 07:26 PM)Thukydides Wrote: I thought the Mavs started the game well, had decent energy on defense, but couldn´t really find an offensive groove early. The Hornets hit some tough shots and gained the lead. The lack of resilience was puzzling as it felt like the Mavs had already given up in the 2nd.
I was also bewildered by that. It looked like they were hanging their heads by halftime. Go figure.
So what´s the take away?
1) Rick must sit Powell´s ass ASAP. I´m the biggest RC believer, but this is too obvious and should be backed up by all analytics. Today I wanted to explain to my brother how bad Powell looked defensively and all I came up with as an example was 40 year old Dirk and thinking about that, the comparison is not off. Absolutely unplayable.
I can see where you're coming from. Pretty soon, KP will get back, and Powell's role may well diminish. I will be surprised if Carlisle "sits his ass" completely at this early stage. He is coming off an Achilles tear and many months away from basketball, so I don't think his leash will be limited to four games. That injury typically takes a while to recover from (as in, more than one season), and I look for the Mavs to try to make it work. But a serious question exists as to whether he will ever be the same player. His old burst and explosion have been notable by their absence. And if rim protection and rebounding is what is primarily needed for that spot now, he was never A+ in that department, even in his best days. But WCS and Bobi aren't plug-and-plays for that role. I would guess that Powell's role is adjusted, but not completely eliminated, soon.
2) We need rebounding and toughness and I´m ready to trade pieces away for that. Burke and Brunson seem to be redundant and not a good fit. Try to package one of them for frontcourt help! And this issue is not solved by KP coming back.
I agree that Brunson and Burke are similar players, and Carlisle has already largely broken up the pairing. I'm not convinced that they really need an additional rebounding body, or if they do, I don't think it needs to be a major piece. They have plenty of players who are capable of being good rebounders in normal times -- they're just not doing their job very well yet.
3) Man, we miss Seth way more than I thought we would. He is such an baller. His efficiency was kind of contagious it seems like. Guys just saw the ball going through the net. In almost every game last year we went on some kind of run energized by quick threes and some Luka stuff. It seems to be mostly gone. On the other hand I love the defense by J-Rich, so jury´s still out on that one.
Yes, the thing that has hit me most about this is how much Seth spaced the floor, whether he ever took a shot or not. They still have enough shooters that I think the tradeoff for better defense is worth it, but having a guy that tied up a defender that closely every night is a dimension they had to sacrifice for it. For now, anyway.
4) Luka man. I´ve said a lot regarding that and was criticized hard by Omahen. So I will stay silent for now.
LOL, that would strike fear into my heart, too. Luka is such a competitor, I really think he will be okay. Worst case, maybe they have to shut him down for a week or two and have him do intense conditioning, like they did with Dirk that year he showed up out of shape. That's presuming he doesn't somehow get hurt, of course. But, I guess it remains to be seen.
Good thoughts.