AROUND the NBA: Pat Bev Suspended 4 Games Next Season| PHX Fires Vogel

[KillerLeft]

Re: Josh Green. I'm in the top 95th percentile of believers, and I think he's ready to perform. I hope we'll see it this year.

But, the MAVS (not me, the Mavs) tried to give his job to Thybulle, who is about three inches higher in the NBA meta than Ntilikina, and are now going out of their way to hint that O-Max could potentially sneak into the starting lineup. That's not what I'd call a clear endorsement of Green.

Dan, I know you think it's smart to play O-Max with the starters and Green in the second unit, and I actually liked your logic when you made that point. BUT, once Green isn't a starter (if that actually happens) he must then compete, both directly and indirectly, with THJ, Curry AND Hardy (who the current management team actually drafted, not a holdover from Donnie and Voulgaris like Green) for any type of role, whatsoever.

Maybe a month into the season Green finds himself ensconced in a 25-30 minute per night role and is so indispensable that the memory of this conversation seems silly, but I'm telling you I have a sneaky suspicion that some of the decision makers don't see him the way his most hardcore fans do.