MAVS NEWS: Luka Is Hurt, But is Trudging On | DLive's Mom Passes Away| Maxi OUT

[KillerLeft]

Do Mavs fans here not think this team can contend because of the way last year ended? If they sign Kyrie this offseason, without ever seeing him play for the team last year, I think most everyone would have a more positive outlook.

2 years ago they went to the WCF with Luka, Brunson, Reggie, DFS and Powell as the starters.

The others that played more than 18 minutes in that series:
Dinwiddie
Maxi
Ntilikina
Bertans

The starters this year, if you add a Capela type: Luka, Kyrie, Green, Williams, Capela

Others:
Maxi
Curry
Hardy
Holmes
Powell
Omax
Lively

Luka is better than he was 2 years ago. Kyrie is no worse than Brunson on the court. Green and Williams are about equal for what Reggie and DFS did that year and Capela (or other) is significantly better than Powell.

And the bench isn’t even comparable if we’re talking about Frank and Bertans getting burn.

I think they have a chance of being a top 6 team, sure. 

Can't speak for anyone else, but the things I'm most worried about are:

1) that there are no fewer than 11 teams in the West with reason to think that way. This might not be the most dominant the West has ever been at the top, but I think it's probably the deepest I've seen during my fandom. 

2) I am not super worried about this, but technically, we haven't really seen Luka/Kyrie work together to synergetic bliss. I assume they can play together as well as Luka/Brunson, but we need to see it. 

3) Kyrie, in general, is a wild card. We are currently in the honeymoon phase with him as fans, but I promise you that the problems with his other teams weren't just misunderstandings driven by the media. Maybe he plays this entire year, or even this entire contract out without incident, but I wouldn't bet my life on it. 

4) I'm excited about the talent/athletic infusion, but the new players are young. Great for the future of the team, both medium and long term, not so great for those hoping to see a 50-win season. Doesn't mean it's not possible, but it's a concern. 

5) In a general sense, I'm a believer in continuity. It's one of the reasons I'm not concerned so much about keeping Powell around. In a team dynamic, even the slightest change can create waves that nobody sees coming, both good and bad. And, if they're good waves, it usually takes a couple of years keeping the core together for them to reach their potential. This, to me, feels like year 1 of a new direction in some key ways. I doubt they will reach the best version of themselves this year, but you never know. 

6) I do think there are things Luka has left to learn about being the focal point of an NBA contender. You don't win points around here being remotely critical of Luka, and that's not my intention, but I think that even with his gifts, which are many and substantial, he has some things to learn about how to win at this level. Recently, it has seemed like the community is more worried about him leaving than whether or not he'll be able to get to the top level. I hope HE is focused on getting better. 

7) Jason Kidd...trying to go in with an open mind, but in both of his first two seasons he has tried to reconstruct the Lakers' bubble team and systems. The first year he gave up about halfway through the year and let them revert back to the awesome stuff Carlisle had in place. Last year, he stubbornly kept at it. I hate those systems, hate that team, and generally haven't found much reason to respect his abilities as a basketball tactician, so far. This year will be his last chance, for me. I don't need them to win, but I need to see some evidence of organizing principals that have worked recently in the NBA.