(01-02-2021, 04:23 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: Quite right, the unusual circumstances are unusual for every team.Totally agree with all this nuance and all the POSSIBILITIES of the why. I also believe this is a funk that they will figure out as a squad, ESPECIALLY when KP returns. I really think that is a big lynch pin to all this. I myself have watched the games with ZERO expectations, haven't even weighed in on the game thread polls as to who will win, I'm that indifferent to the winning aspect of the early season.
My thoughts are some combination of the following:
1) lots of teams besides the Mavs are also struggling. The standings are WEIRD right now. So, the circumstances are affecting other teams, too. We’re just hyper focused on our team. For example, Denver fans are probably WAY more freaked out than we are, and their star is playing WELL. Luka isn’t, so there’s reason to believe this is a temporary situation for the Mavs.
2) The Mavs got YOUNGER this off-season, and experience wasn’t their strong suit to being with. Mix in a different approach with more time spent on defense with that youth and less prep time than usual, and I can understand why they might be prone to a little early season funk. Someone mentioned the other day that they’re ALSO tangibly transitioning farther away from the Barea/Dirk Mavs from a leadership standpoint, which I think might be a bigger adjustment than we realize, especially with KP out and Powell not being himself yet (if he ever will be). If Luka really is the team’s leader, then, we’ll...he’s 21. That’s going to be a work in progress.
3) sometimes, things just work. Point being, some of the teams who look prepared might have actually lucked into a mix of goals/personnel that just fit together more quickly. That doesn’t necessarily mean those teams did training camp any better than other teams (although it could mean that) and it doesn’t mean they will all look this good in a month.
Some of the reasons are because I've seen RC's pattern of tinkering with lineups for the first part of the season before solidifying players and roles. Can't get mad when this is the "gathering information" point of the season. Some guys (like KP and Powell) are still working out kinks from injuries. Also, we've added a legit starter to this group which is a pretty big shake-up because it moves players into new positions (THJ into a possible/probable different spot, DFS the same and Powell in a position he has not succeeded in in the past.).
Those are my reasons WHY. They don't excuse these professionals from poor play though in my mind.