MAVS NEWS: Luka Wins Community Cares Award! | DLive's Mom Passes Away

[The Jom]

Dang, those numbers look phenomenal. Give me either or both of those guys!

[dirkfansince1998]

Dang, those numbers look phenomenal. Give me either or both of those guys!

Kyrie vs Brunson was never the problem. Pick whoever you want.

Problem was Kyrie vs Brunson + DFS + SD + 2029 1st + 2027 2nd + 2029 2nd

Mavs gave up a lot of value just to replace Brunson.

[KillerLeft]

~walking into the thread to make a comment about this current Mavs team~

~seeing "MAVS NEWS" has devolved into a heated extensive ongoing argument over Brunson contract 2 years ago~

~backing away from the thread until some other time~

 Unto each their own. I look forward to talking about this for the next 10 years, just like when they were stupid enough to let Nash go.

[youzigizag]

Ahh so you're one of those who think he would have voluntarily turned down an extra $60 to $70 mil of guaranteed money (if we were wanting to offer that)

Either Im mistaken.

I worded something wrong.

Or youre mistaken.

Genuinely confused about your comment.

Is the post in response to me saying that I dont think he Mavs could have satisfied what Brunson saw in New York even if we offered Max or near Max?   If so...I think Jalen probably takes it.  What were Mavs able to offer?  32-33M?  I forget if the number could have been inflated if Designated.  Again...I forget the absolute most Mavs could over before and after Designating if the numbers differed.  

I think he maybe takes the 24M difference to be a Mav.   But...he seems very confident, very skilled...taking a discount,  whether it was the most New York could offer or an actual discount at 26M,  might have been worth it to play with family, be close to family/friends and be the #1 on a team in a large market.   

I dont know the 60/70M figure youre talking about.

[Jym]

Either Im mistaken.

I worded something wrong.

Or youre mistaken.

Genuinely confused about your comment.

Is the post in response to me saying that I dont think he Mavs could have satisfied what Brunson saw in New York even if we offered Max or near Max?   If so...I think Jalen probably takes it.  What were Mavs able to offer?  32-33M?  I forget if the number could have been inflated if Designated.  Again...I forget the absolute most Mavs could over before and after Designating if the numbers differed.  

I think he maybe takes the 24M difference to be a Mav.   But...he seems very confident, very skilled...taking a discount,  whether it was the most New York could offer or an actual discount at 26M,  might have been worth it to play with family, be close to family/friends and be the #1 on a team in a large market.   

I dont know the 60/70M figure youre talking about.

The Knicks signed him to a 4 year $104 million deal
The most we could offer was 5 years and $175 million 
Knicks actually gave him less than I had remembered. His contract declines yearly

[youzigizag]

The Knicks signed him to a 4 year $104 million deal
The most we could offer was 5 years and $175 million 
Knicks actually gave him less than I had remembered. His contract declines yearly

I get it now.  Guaranteed money.  70M guarnteed is a lot.

You have a point.   Some people arent looking at it from strictly money like some.  Dont get me wrong...I agree with you...most take the money.

[KillerLeft]

The Knicks signed him to a 4 year $104 million deal
The most we could offer was 5 years and $175 million 
Knicks actually gave him less than I had remembered. His contract declines yearly

It seems very likely to me that he re-signs here for the max. Would he have resigned for half way between the New York offer and the max? What about like $10 million more than the NY offer? I suppose we will never know, because the Mavericks never made him any of those offers. 

What sucks is that he would have been a bargain on any of those deals, up to and including the max.

[The Jom]

Luv me sum Brunson. Yes, we should’ve matched. But part of his blowing up in NY is getting top-banana whistles in his favor, like he was never gonna get here. And part of what makes Kyrie so valuable is his ability to put 29 on the board tonight in a dominating performance, while getting only 2 FTs.

[SleepingHero]

Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth)
Jason Kidd on the Mavs' depth: "We're deep. This is the first time the Mavs have been deep in a long time."

[mvossman]

Disagree. 

No interest in bashing Kyrie, because I’m relatively hapoy with his play (if not the trade to get him). But give me Brunson, and I think the numbers show THAT when you realize that Brunson is the focus of his offense and Kyrie isn’t.

Actually history shows this viewpoint is probably wrong.  Normally the first option argument would make sense, but history shows it does not with Brunson.  He has always been more effective as the primary ball handler.  His best games were with Luka out, and his best minutes in games with Luka were when Luka was off the court.  He would not be putting up the numbers he currently is if he was playing most of his minutes next to Luka.

Kyrie is a better offensive compliment to Luka (they both have similar defensive limitations due to size).  Does it make up for the age difference, availability difference and all the assets we game up for Kyrie?  Obviously its not even close.  Mavs got very lucky to land Lively as the consolation prize for FO incompetence.

[Chicagojk]

I liked this comment from Iztok:

2. Mavs playing big early then winning with a big version of small ball


******************
My favorite version of small ball. Going small ball, but big.

[KillerLeft]

I liked this comment from Iztok:

2. Mavs playing big early then winning with a big version of small ball


******************
My favorite version of small ball.  Going small ball, but big.

The point of "small ball" was never, ever, ever the "small" part. It was and will always be about "skill ball." It's just even today, there is a shortage of big players who can MOVE like smaller players. So, most of the time teams have to go smaller to get BETTER. 

That's why you don't give up on Kleber when you have him, and why you don't trade guys like O-Max before you know how good they'll be. Can you IMAGINE if they could rotate O-Max in with Kleber and Washington???????

[Jason Terry]

The point of "small ball" was never, ever, ever the "small" part. It was and will always be about "skill ball." It's just even today, there is a shortage of big players who can MOVE like smaller players. So, most of the time teams have to go smaller to get BETTER. 

That's why you don't give up on Kleber when you have him, and why you don't trade guys like O-Max before you know how good they'll be. Can you IMAGINE if they could rotate O-Max in with Kleber and Washington???????

Our big small ball lineups will be amazing going forward. Maxi, PJ, Omax (and Jones Jr) are all capable of being part of elite small ball lineups. All have played the 4 and 5 so are interchangeable. 

Lively is the real game changer. He has the quickness and motor to play “skill ball” 5. If he could develop a 3 ball we would be unstoppable. And Lively would be an all star 

As time goes on, i think Gafford will be viewed as a luxury and not a necessity. Before Luka is on the big max we can afford this. He may get the squeeze one day depending on how Lively and Omax develop. As well as how long Maxi can remain effective.

[KillerLeft]

Great clip from the Hoop Collective about this very topic. McMahon is surprisingly correct for a change and Bontemps is right, as usual. 

https://youtu.be/LNz8MYlVQ14?si=C1cx_BMRLruQBFG7

[SleepingHero]

@NBAW0RLD24
Mavs since the trade deadline:

— 5-0 record
— 1st in defense
— 8th in offense
— 2nd in Net Rating
— Averaging margin of victory by 18 PTS

They cannot be stopped right now.

[DanSchwartzgan]

It is nice to have three choices at the five to go with the four mentioned below.  Having multi-position bench players (Maxi 5/4, DJJ 4/3, THJ 3/2 and Exum 3/2/1) gives us tons of optionality.  

I think we got our Aaron Gordon.  

I think we solved the non-Lively minutes (Maxi was +26 and Gafford was +9 against OKC.  Last night Gafford was +9 against another strong opponent in Phoenix and Maxi was +3 (+5 as the only big).  PJW is an important part of unlocking Maxi as the five.  Grant and DJJ just didn't provide enough size and exposed Maxi.  

Other than THJ, everyone outside of Kyrie and Luka can defend (and Luka is better than he's ever been).  It is easy to put 3 defenders on the floor with our stars and not lose a ton offensively.  

It feels like Tim hasn't hit a 3 since the trade (he's 6/26 or 23%) and PJW is .222 from 3 since arriving.  So, we haven't seen the best version of this yet.

The biggest thing is Luka seems energized.  He's +71 over the last four games (that's 17.75 per game as opposed to his season long number of +3.0).  He's averaging almost 11 assists (imagine if Tim and PJ started hitting 3's).  It was 8.8 assists prior to the last four games.  He has a legit shot at MVP now and it will largely depend on where we finish in the standings.  My hope is he takes fewer nights off (while playing) and we keep the pedal to the metal and see if we can catch one of the top 4.



The Mavs Blog
@TheMavsBlog
In their short time together, this four man lineup for the Mavericks has been FANTASTIC. ⬇️

Doncic - Irving - Green - Washington

Offensive Rating: 117.9
Defensive Rating: 94.4
Net Rating: 23.5

Just change out the five as needed.?

[The Jom]

Good stuff. Seems to me that Maxi at the 5 also unlocks DJJ at the 2, with enough shooting surrounding him to keep the O humming. DJJ, PJ, Maxi is a lot of defensive length.

[dirkfansince1998]

Only really bad lineup combination against the Suns was DJJ/Maxi/Gafford. Maxi at the five allows the Mavs to have another mediocre shooter on the floor. If Maxi plays next to another non shooting big the addition of DJJ ruins the spacing.

[Jason Terry]

Can’t forget about Exum. He’s going to take this to an even higher level. I see him playing big playoff minutes

[Chicagojk]

It is nice to have three choices at the five to go with the four mentioned below.  Having multi-position bench players (Maxi 5/4, DJJ 4/3, THJ 3/2 and Exum 3/2/1) gives us tons of optionality.  

I think we got our Aaron Gordon.  

I think we solved the non-Lively minutes (Maxi was +26 and Gafford was +9 against OKC.  Last night Gafford was +9 against another strong opponent in Phoenix and Maxi was +3 (+5 as the only big).  PJW is an important part of unlocking Maxi as the five.  Grant and DJJ just didn't provide enough size and exposed Maxi.  

Other than THJ, everyone outside of Kyrie and Luka can defend (and Luka is better than he's ever been).  It is easy to put 3 defenders on the floor with our stars and not lose a ton offensively.  

It feels like Tim hasn't hit a 3 since the trade (he's 6/26 or 23%) and PJW is .222 from 3 since arriving.  So, we haven't seen the best version of this yet.

The biggest thing is Luka seems energized.  He's +71 over the last four games (that's 17.75 per game as opposed to his season long number of +3.0).  He's averaging almost 11 assists (imagine if Tim and PJ started hitting 3's).  It was 8.8 assists prior to the last four games.  He has a legit shot at MVP now and it will largely depend on where we finish in the standings.  My hope is he takes fewer nights off (while playing) and we keep the pedal to the metal and see if we can catch one of the top 4.



The Mavs Blog
@TheMavsBlog
In their short time together, this four man lineup for the Mavericks has been FANTASTIC. ⬇️

Doncic - Irving - Green - Washington

Offensive Rating: 117.9
Defensive Rating: 94.4
Net Rating: 23.5

Just change out the five as needed.?

I brought up Gordon either before or right after the trade was made.  I hedged saying I wasn't really sure of PJ's game and I thought Gordon was a little bit bigger, a little more skilled, and a little more athletic. 

Gordon's stats are nothing special...especially considering who he plays with.  30% from three.  14 points per game.  6.5 rebounds.   But he has found a role and plays it well for one of the best teams in the league.  I don't know if Gordon is considered the 3 or 4, but he is a good match with Porter.  Both guys are big.   Porter is more of the wild card.  A guy who can get you 30 with some really tough shots.   Gordon is more of your guy who does a little bit of everything and fills in when needed.   Can PJ do that with the Mavs?