01-30-2021, 01:00 AM
(01-30-2021, 12:51 AM)Kammrath Wrote: A fair point....but KP has been trending so negative all by himself that I am not sure it condemns that lineup as totally out of the question. But if I needed to win the game tomorrow night and Maxi was available, I would go with DP and Maxi because at least they would TRY.
Big problem with KP is that the Mavs cannot afford to bench him. He probably needs more reps to get in rhythm and benching him would create internal problems. Not to mention that he is a max player and once he is out of the rotation his trade value would tank even more.
Question is if the Mavs rushed his return. Compared to the early 19/20 season he has similar problems on offense but his mobility is even worse. Offense isn´t the biggest problem. Defense is. Right now he plays Boban/old Dirk level pick and roll defense and teams are attacking him on every single possession. Obviously also on the coaches but it is difficult to hide a slow bigman. Especially against a team with great spacing.
Lineups without KP are probably the best option right now but as you hinted earlier...it won´t happen. The Mavs are stuck with KP and need to find a way to make it work.