Terry vs Maledon

[Playmaker]

So watching last nights game it seems as Terry has no clue how to run a team.  He looked timid out there.  When the ball was given to him he was playing hot potato with the ball and was standing in the corner for most of his time on the court.  There was no aggression to break down the defense to get himself shots or set his teammates up.  

I know it was only the first preseason game so I'm willing to give him a chance.  But it will be interesting to watch the careers of these two players to see if the Mavs made the correct choice.  For the record I thought the Mavs should have taken Maledon.

Maledon preformed well against many of the San Antonio starters.  Watch below for yourselves.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyJWCwZ5tII

[dirkfansince1998]

I will never understand takes like this. We had the same thing after Brunson was drafted and Robinson was taken a few picks later.
Brunson was a great 2nd round pick. Instead of focusing on the one guy that might have a better career we could also talk about nearly 20 1st round picks that are clearly worse.
We all have our personal favorites. I would have prefered SBey over Green. Maybe Bey will have the better career but as long as Green develops into a solid role player the Mavs still made the right pick. No team can make the perfect pick every single time.

[Playmaker]

I will never understand takes like this. We had the same thing after Brunson was drafted and Robinson was taken a few picks later.
Brunson was a great 2nd round pick. Instead of focusing on the one guy that might have a better career we could also talk about nearly 20 1st round picks that are clearly worse.
We all have our personal favorites. I would have prefered SBey over Green. Maybe Bey will have the better career but as long as Green develops into a solid role player the Mavs still made the right pick. No team can make the perfect pick all every single time.

The Mavs don't exactly have a history of evaluating talent well at the lower end of the first round.  Its why they treated the draft as an after thought for so many years and the they never seem to have young tradeable assets that the rest to league desires.  

If they routinely miss their evaluations something needs to change.  Whether that's the scouting department or Donnie changing his philosophy.  The Mavs have become slightly better over the years as they have now occasionally draft useful NBA players and not total busts (Shane Foster, Jared Cunningham, Nick Fezekaz, Moe Ager, ect)

Brunson is good role player for tbe Mavs but a case can be made that they missed that evaluation as well.  If the Mavs were looking to draft an PG, Devonte Graham would have been the better option.  Robinson from a pure talent perspective would have been better as well.

[khaled1987]

When it comes to 2nd round, getting a good NBA player is good get. 
While you will always need to find a steal from time to time, and it is an absolute necessity in building a team, you can't say a team done bad just because one team got a better player.

I was disappointed but Terry yesterday, but if he turns into a Seth Curry type of shooter  in his 2nd year, he is an absolute steal.

Also, I would love to look at it like this:  Bucks fans probably sees Hinton and wishes they drafted him over Merrill and Nwora

[ClutchDirk]

I for one have no issues with what the Mavs have done with their picks the last couple of years...we either got a good to great player or used them to get a special player...

Donnie deserves a significant raise instead of being fired...

https://media.giphy.com/media/TLCu2CAARC.../giphy.gif

[david75090]

Terry is very young looking and it was his first game. Had to have been some nerves.

[BigDirk41]

I find it hilarious to judge any player off their first preseason game. Steph Curry shot the ball really poorly last night. I guess it's safe to say he's washed up. Terry looked like a nervous 20 year old kid in his first ever NBA game. Please give the kid some time to judge him. He may or may not turn out to be a good player, but let's give him the chance.

[Playmaker]

Terry is very young looking and it was his first game. Had to have been some nerves.

Maledon is actually younger than Terry and unlike him has had experience on professional stage.  He also is taller, longer and has more of NBA body.  These are the things that should distinguish one prospect over another.

Its why Presti is a much better talent evaluator than Donnie.

[omahen]

Could we please stop drawing conclusions after one preseason game...

[Playmaker]

I find it hilarious to judge any player off their first preseason game. Steph Curry shot the ball really poorly last night. I guess it's safe to say he's washed up. Terry looked like a nervous 20 year old kid in his first ever NBA game. Please give the kid some time to judge him. He may or may not turn out to be a good player, but let's give him the chance.

I find it hilarious that you are trying to make a parallels btwn a 20yo rookie with no skins on the wall to perhaps the greatest shooter the NBA has ever seen.

[KillerLeft]

Donnie Nelson will never, ever, ever get fired. Never. Never, ever. 

Given that, I find arguments made on the internet that he should be extremely boring. This is especially true during a three year stretch when the Mavs' team building effort has been somewhere between an A++ and a B-, depending on how view the overall plan. 

Is it possible that Maledon will be better than Terry? Yes. Is it possible that missing out on Maledon, whose ceiling here would've been a backup PG, will somehow haunt the Mavs and their fans for the next decade? I highly doubt it. 

Give me the guy who broke the NBA's IQ test and projects as one of the best shooters in the draft. I have absolutely no problem with the pick. I wasn't disappointed by his first pre-season game at all. On the contrary, he looked bigger than I thought and although he over dribbled once or twice, I thought he stepped into quite a few good shots with confidence (didn't make many of them). I thought he moved the ball quickly, intelligently and decisively. He actually reminded me of Terry once as he came around a screen and pulled up in space with a nice looking jumper. It didn't go in, but I have no doubt that he'll hit a lot of those in his career.

[Playmaker]

Could we please stop drawing conclusions after one preseason game...

Like I said I'm willing to give Terry a chance but for me I will be watching these two to see how their careers unfolds.  That is overall message of my post.  

Not that I think Terry will suck.  However, discerning between NBA prospects is important.  Its part of team building and the difference between good front offices and great ones.

[KillerLeft]

Its part of team building and the difference between good front offices and great ones.

So, I agree, but to be totally honest, I think Presti is one of the worst GM's in the history of pro sports. 

Can't give him credit for drafting three future MVP's without acknowledging that he couldn't keep the team afloat enough to get even one of them to end their careers there. And, ONE finals trip (a loss) to show for that? 

The draft is only part of the job, and I don't think it's even the most important one. But, if your point is that Presti is good at the draft, then sure.

[ClutchDirk]

Maledon is actually younger than Terry and unlike him has had experience on professional stage.  He also is taller, longer and has more of NBA body.  These are the things that should distinguish one prospect over another.

Its why Presti is a much better talent evaluator than Donnie.

Kings fans would give their first born to have Donnie and the decisions he has made...

Baby GOAT...Unicorn...perennial playoff contender...path to get another Max FA...deep bench...

Mavs fans harp on a second round pick every year...

[Omega_Supreme]

It is not premature to be worried that the Mavs may have blown their picks. The guys they drafted have high ceilings but the early criticism is warranted. If you are in win now mode then targeting win now players should have been the goal.

I will say this, I saw a lot of upside in Josh Green and I love Tyler Bey.

Tyrell Terry is going to take some time to adjust but I think in the end all of our picks will work out.

[juanc]

https://www.basketball-reference.com/tea.../2018.html

That's the Mavs roster in the 2017/2018

https://www.basketball-reference.com/tea.../2021.html

And that's what we have now. 3 years and the Mavs went from bottom 5 team in the leage, led by Barnes, DSJ and 39year old Dirk Goatitzki, to one of the better teams in the league(and the most promising one).

So YEAH LETS FIRE DONNIE!

[KillerLeft]

If you are in win now mode then targeting win now players should have been the goal.

Well, but I'd argue that simply drafting three rookies (carrying FOUR to start the season) is so much less "win now" than we expected. I interpreted this entire off-season as confirmation that they understand they're not very close. That's a REALLY good thing, imo. 

They should absolutely fight and claw to maintain their foothold in the playoffs, and if at all possible, they should try to improve on last season's results. But, I was pleasantly surprised that they bought in on some young players and see committed to developing them. You guys get that none of them even have to contribute in the playoffs for this team to improve this year, right? I think they did an outstanding job of balancing their need to be competitive now (but not really) with their need to get more talented and athletic as they move into the future (which was the real need).

[Playmaker]

So, I agree, but to be totally honest, I think Presti is one of the worst GM's in the history of pro sports. 

Can't give him credit for drafting three future MVP's without acknowledging that he couldn't keep the team afloat enough to get even one of them to end their careers there. And, ONE finals trip (a loss) to show for that? 

The draft is only part of the job, and I don't think it's even the most important one. But, if your point is that Presti is good at the draft, then sure.

The break down of OKC started with the decision of letting Harden go.  That was all cheap ass Clay Bennet not wanting to pay the luxury tax to give Harden a new contract.  

You don't think Presti would have kept both Harden and Ibaka if given the choice?

[KillerLeft]

The break down of OKC started with the decision of letting Harden go.  That was all cheap ass Clay Bennet not wanting to pay the luxury tax to give Harden a new contract.  

You don't think Presti would have kept both Harden and Ibaka if given the choice?

In part, yes.

But, it came out later that Presti didn't quite understand another option that could've solved the problem without giving up Harden. I would say understanding the CBA and constantly doing creative things with contracts (like Nelson does) is another way by which we can judge GM's, nay? 

And, while Presti drafted Harden, it's pretty clear in hindsight that even he (they) didn't know what they had. Morey did, and made the great move to acquire him. Looking back, why weren't the Thunder in the process of reorganizing around Harden as a core piece (along with Durrant) instead of bringing him off the bench and ultimately deciding he was the most expendable of the three? Isn't it crystal clear by now that Westbrook was the (relative) dud? 

And, let's say we think the OKC small market problems are holding him back (they probably are). Why hasn't a better franchise in a larger market saved him yet? Morey is so good he can literally run his team into the ground on a blockbuster deal he doesn't want to make, bail on the fallout of that and then get hired in an even better city with an even more storied franchise weeks later. If Presti was available next summer, are we sure he'd even be offered another shop, or do we think he'd have to work under someone for a while, first?

My opinion is that he's a small town GM for a small town team. He does some things really well, but really, he's got his job not because he's the best, but because he's one of the best who you can get for a cheap price.

[Playmaker]

Well, but I'd argue that simply drafting three rookies (carrying FOUR to start the season) is so much less "win now" than we expected. I interpreted this entire off-season as confirmation that they understand they're not very close. That's a REALLY good thing, imo. 

They should absolutely fight and claw to maintain their foothold in the playoffs, and if at all possible, they should try to improve on last season's results. But, I was pleasantly surprised that they bought in on some young players and see committed to developing them. You guys get that none of them even have to contribute in the playoffs for this team to improve this year, right? I think they did an outstanding job of balancing their need to be competitive now (but not really) with their need to get more talented and athletic as they move into the future (which was the real need).

I wouldn't not read the situation this way.  The Mavs have used this strategy before in the 2000 draft when they drafted three rookies in the first round (Etan Thomas, Courtney Alexander, Donnell Harvey) after being in the playoffs.

All of those players were quickly moved for other pieces.