2021-2022 MAVS NEWS: 4th in West | WCF loss [ARCHIVED]

[mvossman]

Well +/- just put the Mavericks in the WCF. Say what you want about it, it is the only stat the NBA cares about.

This is silly.  There is a huge difference looking at team +/- vs small sample player +/-.  Bullock had by far our highest plus minus last night.  I didn't realize he was our best player on the court, but glad to have plus minus tell me otherwise.

[mvossman]

I think we also need to think long-term. Powell and Maxi are both expiring and entered their thirties. So how long will they be able to provide what they provided this offseason? Are you rolling with them for next two or three seasons and hope their production will remain similar? Maxi also surpassed his previous playoff and regular season achievements, so I wonder how sustainable that is. 

It might be prime time to sell high. I would strongly seek for an upgrade, if available. Batum and others mentioned might be a short term solution, but Mavs need something long term.

Powell has not provided much.  I agree that he needs to be upgraded, and ideally long term if that is possible.  Ideally we can get a short term solution through trade/MLE and a long term solution via draft.

Maxi has been invaluable to us and probably wont bring that much back in a trade.  I have no idea why we would want to move him.

[mvossman]

In terms of potential, Marquis Chriss sure looks like the kind of body/athlete who could develop into another Maxi.

He looks the part and was drafted the part but there is a reason he was signed to a two-way in his 6th season.  He has shown very little improvement in a long time and its hard to see him ready for meaningful playoff minutes anytime soon.  We need more playable depth in the near term.

[cow]

He looks the part and was drafted the part but there is a reason he was signed to a two-way in his 6th season.  He has shown very little improvement in a long time and its hard to see him ready for meaningful playoff minutes anytime soon.  We need more playable depth in the near term.

Besides following an opposing player into the tunnel, he's been really unremarkable.  I can't even put my finger on it.  He fouls a ton and always tries to handle too much when he gets the ball.

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/townbrad/status/1526209957179273216

[michaeltex]

Ayton had two great games and disappeared, kind of like Paul and I don't think that is a coincidence. 

I agree. CP has always elevated the play of big men he's paired with, he has been superb at setting them up for success which usually opens up his shot. So in taking CP3 out of the game, you essentially take out their big man. Two for the price of one.


Since Dal could do this with a single, long defender, they were able to blitz Booker and dare someone else to beat them. Crowder was a problem earlier in the series, but he's not going to consistently carry the team. 

Luka's a good setup guy, but a conventional center may clog the lane too much for his (or JB's, or Spence's) effectiveness.

[mvossman]

My stance exactly on Maxi.

I'm not surprised this is your stance.  Lets get rid of the one guy that allows us to play 5 out effectively.

This playoffs must be a conflict for you, being a huge proponent of a rim running center and watching this team flourish under a primarily 5 out game plan.  Do you not see the beauty and efficiency of this?  We are effectively countering max (or soon to be max) centers with an MLE guy that is playing good defense and shooting occasional 3s.

[Kammrath]

my seat the “trade Maxi” crowd is smoking crack.

Nobody needs to agree with the logic, but "smoking crack" is dismissive of the fact that there are real reasons to trade Maxi this offseason:

1) Asset management. Sell high for once. 
2) He is shooting an unsustainable 49.2% from three in the playoffs.
3) He is turning 31 toward the beginning of next season.
4) You cannot rely on him to give you much more than 20-25 mins.
5) He has long term durability issues with his back. 
6) He has been fantastic in the playoffs (GREAT!) and yet the Mavs have been outscored when he has been on the court over the 13 games combined.

 Again, nobody is being the "thought police" here (think what you want and disagree) but I think disparaging the opinions of others (as "crack smoking") isn't helpful to discourse and realizing roster decisions are complex and difficult.

[michaeltex]

Powell has not provided much.  I agree that he needs to be upgraded, and ideally long term if that is possible.

This was mostly true for this series, and may be more widely true over a season.


Still, this is a guy that was diving on the floor in a scrum for the ball in a game 7 while ahead by 30+ points. That's the dirty work you get from DP. Big heart and a desire to play whatever role needed to win.

Oh yeah, Luka was down in the same pile fighting for the ball. That's the team spirit it takes to go deep in the playoffs.

[mvossman]

Maxi has answered a lot of questions.  I was really worried how he struggled with play and health the last two playoffs.  I think he is an ideal bench piece who can finish games for you.  I think he is a guy you really need to watch his minutes on.   Maybe play him 20 minutes a game and then in certain stretches get him up to 28-30 minutes.   I just don't think he can stay at 28-30 minutes for long stretches of regular season games.

Yep.  We need another Maxi.  I think part of the reason he is doing so well this playoffs is that he was out the last couple of weeks of the regular season.  The last two seasons he was playing heavy minutes right up to the end for playoffs for seeding purposes.

[Kammrath]

I'm not surprised this is your stance.  Lets get rid of the one guy that allows us to play 5 out effectively.

This playoffs must be a conflict for you, being a huge proponent of a rim running center and watching this team flourish under a primarily 5 out game plan.  Do you not see the beauty and efficiency of this?  We are effectively countering max (or soon to be max) centers with an MLE guy that is playing good defense and shooting occasional 3s.

I want JC. I thoroughly believe he allows you to play 5 out. I also think he gives you a rim-running element to mix it up.

It is Luka and a Kidd defensive scheme (not Maxi) who is effectively countering the max centers. I am not suggesting getting rid of Luka or Kidd. And just because something is working for Luka right now, doesn't mean there isn't a better way forward to make things even easier on him.

[mvossman]

This was mostly true for this series, and may be more widely true over a season.


Still, this is a guy that was diving on the floor in a scrum for the ball in a game 7 while ahead by 30+ points. That's the dirty work you get from DP. Big heart and a desire to play whatever role needed to win.

Oh yeah, Luka was down in the same pile fighting for the ball. That's the team spirit it takes to go deep in the playoffs.

Nobody will question his heart, and I'm not saying we need to dump him, but he should not be starting.  If we manage to replace him in the starting lineup with a 5 out guy, then you could play any combination of that guy, Powell and Maxi you wanted.

[SleepingHero]

https://tenor.com/view/try-again-gif-11077418

[michaeltex]

Nobody will question his heart, and I'm not saying we need to dump him, but he should not be starting.  If we manage to replace him in the starting lineup with a 5 out guy, then you could play any combination of that guy, Powell and Maxi you wanted.

I agree that we need more depth, but not necessarily a replacement of these guys.

[sterlingmallory]

The way I see it, we have 6 guys right now that I really trust to play big minutes in the playoffs: Luka, Brunson, Dinwiddie, Finney-Smith, Bullock, and Maxi. That is our core and they allow us to play with the identity we have created for ourselves. Thus, we should not be moving any of those guys right now. We should only be looking to add to that core at this point.

Where we should be looking for upgrades is over guys like Powell, Bertans, Green and Ntilikina. Hopefully Green and Ntilikina can improve naturally and negate the need to upgrade them, but it wouldn't hurt to take a look around. I would like to find a regular season rotation big in the Steven Adams mold to upgrade Powell and I would really love another DFS/Bullock type wing to lessen the reliance on Bertans, Green, and Frank.

[SkenfromLMF]

Nobody needs to agree with the logic, but "smoking crack" is dismissive of the fact that there are real reasons to trade Maxi this offseason:

1) Asset management. Sell high for once. 
2) He is shooting an unsustainable 49.2% from three in the playoffs.
3) He is turning 31 toward the beginning of next season.
4) You cannot rely on him to give you much more than 20-25 mins.
5) He has long term durability issues with his back. 
6) He has been fantastic in the playoffs (GREAT!) and yet the Mavs have been outscored when he has been on the court over the 13 games combined.

 Again, nobody is being the "thought police" here (think what you want and disagree) but I think disparaging the opinions of others (as "crack smoking") isn't helpful to discourse and realizing roster decisions are complex and difficult.

That said, there is no trade that needs to be pursued that diminishes the talent or returns less production. Maxi is a difficult asset to flip because he is so important. I would rather try to find pieces that help protect him in the regular season and I believe Bullock was instrumental to that this year. Now we need to put another playable big (better than or a more developed Chriss) next to him to keep him fresh to be a closer.

[mvossman]

I want JC. I thoroughly believe he allows you to play 5 out. I also think he gives you a rim-running element to mix it up.

It is Luka and a Kidd defensive scheme (not Maxi) who is effectively countering the max centers. I am not suggesting getting rid of Luka or Kidd. And just because something is working for Luka right now, doesn't mean there isn't a better way forward to make things even easier on him.

No doubt Luka and Kidd are a part of it, but I feel like you are really minimizing Maxi contribution.

[F Gump]

Nobody needs to agree with the logic, but "smoking crack" is dismissive of the fact that there are real reasons to trade Maxi this offseason:

1) Asset management. Sell high for once. 
2) He is shooting an unsustainable 49.2% from three in the playoffs.
3) He is turning 31 toward the beginning of next season.
4) You cannot rely on him to give you much more than 20-25 mins.
5) He has long term durability issues with his back. 
6) He has been fantastic in the playoffs (GREAT!) and yet the Mavs have been outscored when he has been on the court over the 13 games combined.

Maxi isn't getting traded.

Like every NBA player, repainting his positives into negatives, or questioning his future, or dreaming about better, is mostly just conversational nonsense. Plus, anyone you can name as a replacement will be extremely expensive to get and will  have lots of flaws and question marks too - Maxi isn't perfect, but neither will be the next guy if put under the same sort of critical microscope.

Maxi is a building block in what they are putting together, not a discardable asset, because he fits all their wish lists - he contributes on both ends, he makes 3s, he's a mobile big, he has a modest price tag, and he is a home-grown talent.

[haveitall]

https://tenor.com/view/try-again-gif-11077418

Called it Mavs in 7.  Next one Mavs in 6 over GS.

[SleepingHero]

If any one has an instagram account please go look at Luka's story. It is hilarious. He is a giant troll and is just reposting all the memes we've posted here.