GAME 63: IND (28-35) vs. DAL (32-31) | 124-122 loss

[Jym]

it would've been a five game losing streak but for the victory against the spurs. our record since luka returned: 1-5. continue the good job guys and we'll join the race for wemby as well... oh wait, is our 23' pick protected or not?

top 10 protected

[LukaMVP]

well, good job then. You have every reason to tank for a higher pick when you have the chance to get a historical talent, even though the chance is minimal (still bigger than us winning the championship though, with the current roster and COACH). gonna be fun to see how screwed up the rockets and spurs will be if we get the no.1 pick and draft wemby. then kyrie will resign with us even for less pay. with the trio of wemby/kyrie/doncic, we STACKED!

[donzingis38]

Truly disappointed in Kidd. I'm also starting to think that he is the problem.

Was never on the same page with Wood and McGee. Hard to play for a coach who doesn't trust you.

McGee
Kleber
Green
Kyrie
Luka

would be my ideal starting lineup. Enough with Powell as a starter. I think he'd be more useful coming off the bench.

Please wake up!!!

[LukaMVP]

best role for kidd is an assistant coach imho. he can help player improve. he deserves some credits for developing alphabet into the player he is. but when you hire him to be in charge of your team, especially if you're supposed to contend for championship or sh!t, you're f*cked.

[dirkfansince1998]

Somebody has to explain how Holiday went from DNP on a worse team to starting on the Mavs. Explanation should also include a reason for Green´s minute reduction.

[Jym]

Somebody has to explain how Holiday went from DNP on a worse team to starting on the Mavs. Explanation should also include a reason for Green´s minute reduction.

https://www.azquotes.com/picture-quotes/...-78-39.jpg

[omahen]

Mavs desperately need a defensive PF to help in the PnR. It was obvious even before they traded DFS. The Green move to the bench for starting Holiday is just unexplainable. It makes zero sense on any level. Mavs also need a point of attack defender. It is not like teams are attacking Luka. They don't need to switch anything. They just run a PnR and its 5 on 4. 

I am so tired of this incompetent FO. They just don't know how to build around Luka. Sure Kyrie helped with one of the issues Mavs had, but the trade made other issues (defense, rebounding) even worse. The maddening part is, that it was obvious it did.

[Jym]

Mavs desperately need a defensive PF to help in the PnR. It was obvious even before they traded DFS. The Green move to the bench for starting Holiday is just unexplainable. It makes zero sense on any level. Mavs also need a point of attack defender. It is not like teams are attacking Luka. They don't need to switch anything. They just run a PnR and its 5 on 4. 

I am so tired of this incompetent FO. They just don't know how to build around Luka. Sure Kyrie helped with one of the issues Mavs had, but the trade made other issues (defense, rebounding) even worse. The maddening part is, that it was obvious it did.

The saddest thing of all is that this was probably their one all-in year where Cuban will be spending an insane amount of tax 
Could they really not find a fringe starter SF/PF hybrid in such a critical time?

[Branduil]

Kidd is far from the only problem with this franchise, but none of them can be solved fully while he is here. Like, why is Justin Holiday starting when he wasn't on the team last week? Why was Josh Green benched for no reason? What are we doing here?

[Razzmatazz_Hopskidillydoo]

Truly disappointed in Kidd. I'm also starting to think that he is the problem.

HE IS the PROBLEM.
Cuban too, but it's mostly JKidd.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

well, good job then. You have every reason to tank for a higher pick when you have the chance to get a historical talent, even though the chance is minimal (still bigger than us winning the championship though, with the current roster and COACH). gonna be fun to see how screwed up the rockets and spurs will be if we get the no.1 pick and draft wemby. then kyrie will resign with us even for less pay. with the trio of wemby/kyrie/doncic, we STACKED!

In the immortal words of Biggie Smalls, "It was all a dream....

[LukaMVP]

if we begin tanking right now and finish in the bottom third, although the chance at #1 would still be small, a top ten pick would be realistic for us, and we can draft a legit 3rd option (provided kyrie either stays or brings back a borderline star via s&t). with the core of kyrie(or some other star)/luka/rookie(top10 pick), plus some upgrades to our supporting cast, we would be a better built team than we are now.

[Chicagojk]

Mavs desperately need a defensive PF to help in the PnR. It was obvious even before they traded DFS. The Green move to the bench for starting Holiday is just unexplainable. It makes zero sense on any level. Mavs also need a point of attack defender. It is not like teams are attacking Luka. They don't need to switch anything. They just run a PnR and its 5 on 4. 

I am so tired of this incompetent FO. They just don't know how to build around Luka. Sure Kyrie helped with one of the issues Mavs had, but the trade made other issues (defense, rebounding) even worse. The maddening part is, that it was obvious it did.

The Green move is really confusing.  Green is not a finished product and we should all expect up and downs.  He was doing well in the role and was growing into it.   I am not sure why they thought the need to bring him back to the bench.   He does need to stay out of foul trouble.   These games should be important to him playing end of game minutes.  It is not like we have a ton of choices either.

I would pair Green with Kyrie.   I would match their minutes up as much as possible.   I think they work well together in a faster pace.    

There are so many issues with this team now and does anyone think this front office can land the plane this offseason successfully?   I think we all have doubts.

I mentioned earlier while there are many problems it is tough to get around we lack a quality starting PF and starting C on this roster (or at least one who fits what Kidd wants).  That is pretty remarkable for a team over the tax.  Even worse they don't even have a young developmental PF or C who  shows some hope down the road.   I swear to God if they try to sell us McGee this offseason, I will flip.   

Buyout guys rarely work but I would seriously consider at least one more...maybe two.   Noel and Eugene?

---

if we begin tanking right now and finish in the bottom third, although the chance at #1 would still be small, a top ten pick would be realistic for us, and we can draft a legit 3rd option (provided kyrie either stays or brings back a borderline star via s&t). with the core of kyrie(or some other star)/luka/rookie(top10 pick), plus some upgrades to our supporting cast, we would be a better built team than we are now.

I don't think this is in the cards.  You can't tell Luka (ready to win now) and Kyrie (30 and also wants to win) that we are not a serious franchise.   This team may struggle to make the playoffs as is though.    I just have a bad feeling we will lose in the playin and get the 11th pick which winds up going to the Knicks.

[ItsGoTime]

Noel, Johnson and Bo Cruz.

---

They could give Luka and Kyrie the Christian Wood treatment, pretty sure they’d be fine with that. What could possibly go wrong?

[omahen]

There are so many issues with this team now and does anyone think this front office can land the plane this offseason successfully?

I will be very surprised if they do. This Mavs experience is not fun for me anymore. Less and less point to sacrifice night hours to watch them. I don't care about individual achievements and I don't want to support underachievers (as in Mavs FO). I will wait till offseason, but I fully expect another dissapointment, which will be it for me. I said at the Brunson fiasco, that Mavs are not capable of building a contender. Puting the right pieces next to Luka. Nothing since have convinced me otherwise. Just a failed move after failed move. Despite Irving being a better player than SD, the loss of DFS and consequential total collapse of defense which was bad as it was, might actually result in Mavs being worse team then before the trade with even less assets to cover all the holes. 

I think Mavs need a really good defensive PF, who is not a total liability on ofense. This might be enough of a piece to make the defense work again, even with existing centres. Powell is more or less useless in the current offensive scheme they play. It is difficult to watch him at the top of the key with all the space in the world and he doesn't even look at the basket. However, Luka and Kyrie are good enough to keep offense good. Wood will be likely gone. So, for me to continue to be engaded, a minimum I expect is an elite defensive PF who is not a total liability on offense (Thybulle is not it!). Elite center could be an alternative, but we would still need a starter level PF (none of them will be cheap) in this case.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1630792375877468160

[SwisherPrice]

RC really won. He upgraded to a better roster and delivered the dagger to the Mavs by pushing Kidd as his replacement

[chaparral]

RC really won. He upgraded to a better roster and delivered the dagger to the Mavs by pushing Kidd as his replacement

And got Haliburton, who the Mavs tried to move up to get when Rick was w/the Mavs.

[SleepingHero]

Did anyone else notice Luka openly mock RC by saying call a timeout sometime in the 3rd? Dude really doesn't like him.

[bodhisattva]

Did anyone else notice Luka openly mock RC by saying call a timeout sometime in the 3rd? Dude really doesn't like him.

He is a spoiled little princes, who thinks he knows everything. As all modern players, he has all the right answers, to make him look cute, but actions tell a different story.
He will be humbled in the next few years, due to Mavs sucking because of their FO. Maybe he learns something.
If we go on personality traits (if I would be a player on a team and have a option to choose) I am going with Giannis or Jokič 10 out of 10 times. He might by better on certain days, but his talent doesnt outweigh whining, crying, complaining and entitlement.

And I am writing this as a Slovenian, and it hurts. He is a bad representation of what we appreciate in this country.
Hopefully he has a hard look in the mirror one day (soon, dude is 24!) and grows up. Wish him all the best, but if you take a neutral stance its hard to see past it.
We all played with dudes like this. Personally I prefer a "dog" with less talent, than a dude who whines on calls, refuses to play when he thinks he knows better etc. You know what I am talking about, we all have a friend like that, and for me it ruins a game when we play. I prefer 5 dogs, who run, shoot and keep their mouth shut. Even if we loose.

Its one of those...I am not mad, just disappointed...