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[KillerLeft]

The case for McGee. Not a guy like him. Not a new style of offense or defense dependent on his skill set. The case for him and nobody else. It goes like this:

1. Versatility is better than any given style. For this reason, the Mavs are dedicated to playing both 5 out and with a traditional big. Picking one exposes you in a way that versatility does not. Think of it as diversification.

2. In the modern NBA, 5 out is better. Thus, the Mavs don’t want a significant investment in a dinosaur center that they may, in many matchups, only put on the court for limited minutes. That’s why they were shopping down the discount aisle rather than making a bid on Rudy. 

3. There is no better traditional center in the league who is willing to sit on the pine 33 mins a night while being a good teammate and not breaking the bank. JaVale is that guy. 

This is not a wow move. I’m not trying to say it is. It’s hugely disappointing to me that this was our top priority on July 1. But it does not merit the gnashing of KillerLeft’s teeth. It doesn’t signal the end of the 5-out era. It doesn’t return the team to the Stone Age. And it won’t result in an elevated role for Dwight Powell. 

To the contrary, JaVale is your Dwight replacement. G‘bye, dear Dwight. We hardly knew ye.

1) Flexibility is great. And just because your big CAN shoot, doesn’t mean you are FORCED to play him in a 5-out approach. That’s straw man. Wood can be a 5-out spacer AND a vertical spacer. So can Kleber, for that matter.

2) McGee is the opposite of flexible. When he’s on the floor, you’re locked into certain play style choices on both ends. Yes, you can take him off of the floor when you need to, but the way the roster is set up he basically MUST be played at least 10-15 minutes. Otherwise, you’re depending on what you can get from Green, Ntilikina, etc. What happens if you play a defensive team against whom you can’t get away with a clogged paint for even that short length of time? maybe 1-2 of the Green/Ntilikina/Hardy/Dorsey crew steps up and this works, making my concerns a complete non-issue. Maybe not. I’m not comfortable with that risk with the stakes being what they are coming off of last season.

3) if they had added other rotation qualified players, such as Brunson (or a replacement for him) and (even “or”) the wing they said they needed (obvs), they’d be flexible enough to use McGee (or a cheaper version of his type) only in situations that call for it. But, for me, the main concerns with the center position were addressed by the Wood trade.