(07-19-2025, 05:21 PM)DallasMaverick Wrote: What happens if they win, but don't look pretty?  Is it a failure for you?

(07-19-2025, 05:57 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: Ironically, this past OKC Thunder team was the farthest away from it we've seen in quite a while. It's a shame Indiana couldn't beat them, imo. That would have been a victory for GOOD basketball.

(07-19-2025, 06:25 PM)F Gump Wrote: I think the observation you make here speaks to the point that some of us have, in pushing back against your mantra that this team CAN'T win because it is strong in the wrong areas.

Our point (or mine, anyhow) is that basketball is an incredibly dynamic, multi-faceted sport, and as a result winning can come on all kinds of shapes and sizes. IMO teams are better to develop their own formula, rather than to try to shoehorn their roster to fit a certain general Pattern for Winning.

OKC won the wrong way, or with a bad style. Yet they won. And are well positioned to win again.

To put it another way that we have discussed before in this forum, if you can be really good at what you do, you can force other teams to adjust to you, rather than vice versa. The Mavs have spent way too many years trying to match and outdo a style used by others, to their own detriment. I may be wrong, but it's my belief that in light of their current roster, the Mavs route is going to be way more promising trying to create the former path (where others have to adjust to them), rather than the latter.

(07-19-2025, 08:01 PM)omahen Wrote: Here is a fun proposal. Hi Nico, Rob here, remember me? I am offering you Vincent for Martin straight up. Vincent is short, but he plays defense and I heard a very smart man say that defense wins championships. You could use a back-up PG until Kyrie returns and Vincent is expiring - you save 20 mil in next two seasons. We could take a gamble on a player like Martin, since we are already hoping for half our roster that they will return to their glory years from several seasons ago. Another one makes it only more certain that we will strike lucky on at least some. We could use him in our rotation and we save the two mil we need to complete the Smart deal. I know you lack just a little bit of space below the 2nd apron to do the deal, but you will do something to free a roster spot anyway. What do you say?

Edit: thinking more about it, Vincent is actually a better player and you could easily show you are fleecing us, so I think you should throw in a second rounder. Who values them anyway...

(07-19-2025, 06:54 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: No argument against any of that. Agree completely. 

I'm just not sure I see how the Mavericks are going to force other teams to adjust to what they're doing (at least not yet).

(07-19-2025, 11:54 PM)DallasMaverick Wrote: …and do it in a beautiful, elegant way that pleases your eyes…

(07-19-2025, 08:01 PM)omahen Wrote: Here is a fun proposal. Hi Nico, Rob here, remember me? I am offering you Vincent for Martin straight up. Vincent is short, but he plays defense and I heard a very smart man say that defense wins championships. You could use a back-up PG until Kyrie returns and Vincent is expiring - you save 20 mil in next two seasons. We could take a gamble on a player like Martin, since we are already hoping for half our roster that they will return to their glory years from several seasons ago. Another one makes it only more certain that we will strike lucky on at least some. We could use him in our rotation and we save the two mil we need to complete the Smart deal. I know you lack just a little bit of space below the 2nd apron to do the deal, but you will do something to free a roster spot anyway. What do you say?

Edit: thinking more about it, Vincent is actually a better player and you could easily show you are fleecing us, so I think you should throw in a second rounder. Who values them anyway...

(07-19-2025, 06:54 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: I'm just not sure I see how the Mavericks are going to force other teams to adjust to what they're doing (at least not yet).

(07-21-2025, 03:02 AM)DL2RimRocker Wrote: Anybody hear anything about Mavs working on a 2 for one deal with Cleveland for Dean Wade?
I guess trying to clear a spot for Exum.

OMax/Powell for Wade might work.

Nothing concrete but read some stuff about it on another board.

(07-21-2025, 09:09 AM)omahen Wrote: Since there is still not much going on, let me have a shout-out to our friends in the Eastern conference. Do they know, they are allowed to improve their teams? The only one that actually got seriously better is Orlando (at the cost of 4 FRP going West). Atlanta to an extent, although I am not sure if anyone can count on KP being healthy. Indy and Boston gor worse with injuries and Boston sold "half" their team. Milwaukee got worse with Lillard injury and moves they made are not making them better as they would be with Lillard. Cleveland and NY are same, Philly is probably a lost cause due to injuries. Detroit is the same. All the rest are meh or will be openly tanking (BKN, Was). None of these meh teams made any kind of serious move to give them hope to be better than last season.

Meanwhile in the West, Utah is the only one openly tanking team, while everyone else is at least hoping to fight for play-offs and are trying to improve in that aim. Although teams like Sacramento, New Orleans, Phoenix and Portland will be up for some rough reality checks early in the season, imho.

Champions kept their young team together and will have one more year of experience. Houston got better if Durant stays healthy. Denver and Clippers got better, so did Lakers. Minnesota lost one rotation player but otherwise kept their core. GSW kept their core and they might have something more up their sleeves before the season start (they have plenty of assets to make some moves). Memphis is in a soft retool, but still kept most of their core and added assets. Bane is actually the only serious player I remember that left West for East.

(07-21-2025, 11:26 AM)HoosierDaddyKid Wrote: What injuries did Detroit incur? Ivey is back from a broken leg. Stewart was hurt during the Knicks series, Ron Holland had a great summer league. Cade has developed into one of the better lead guards in the league. And they lost Beasley to gambling accusations. Not saying they'll be better, by adding Robinson and Levert, but they're in the mix for a playoff spot with Orlando and Atlanta. If Philly can get reasonably healthy with Embiid and George, they'll be in the mix as well. They have talent.