07-20-2023, 02:16 AM
(07-20-2023, 12:28 AM)SleepingHero Wrote: Heading into this offseason, I emphatically said if Powell remains the starting 5 then they have failed outright.
Given that we're heading more and more to that reality I'm struggling to maintain that line of thought. The Mavs by all accounts have had a great offseason. Best one in years. Yet despite their additions they didn't address probably the most glaring need. Can Holmes be that? If so then this offseason was an A+. If not, then I have to knock the grade down to a B-.
Powell is a fantastic role player and does a lot of things correctly, but a starting center he is not. This is about the time someone will quote me and say it matters less who starts and more who finishes, and to a point I agree. Yet, the need for a consistent rebounder and rim protector, who can also defend bigger guys, is very much apparent.
Funnily enough, I doubt anyone here would expect it but Boston used Grant Williams primarily as a big stopper. He spent significant time guarding Embiid, Giannis, AD, Jokic, Bam, and practically every other center the Celtics faced against. He had varying success. He was fantastic against Giannis, a little less so individually against Embiid. He shut down Bam and even held his own against Jokic.
Point is, perhaps we're thinking a bit narrowly (myself included). Yes the Mavs failed to make a significant stride at center, but they might've still fulfilled what they were lookin for with Grant Williams.
That was my rose colored take on it. They still objectively need to rework the center position. I'm pretty sure it was Nico himself that said that they needed to remake the entire lineup. So far they haven't really unless Holmes comes out swinging and is a valued contributor. Which is a long shot.
I agree with the first part. For years Mavs needed to improve top of the rotation, as they lacked that 3rd and 4th best player on a contender but had a bunch of (at best) five best players. As it is now, they only replaced Bullock with GW, who was 8th man in rotation for Boston. We hope he is more than that. We hope Green can take another step forward and become credible starter, who he wasn't last season. Mavs had great individual moves, but didn't address biggest issues of the roster. I am affraid how this season will look like.