(11-25-2025, 02:58 PM)StrandedOnBeauboisHill Wrote: .... if you trade your 21 year old center at his lowest value when he's shown top 10 center in this league potential already then ....

(11-26-2025, 06:10 AM)F Gump Wrote: ITEM 1 - I absolutely 1000% think this ^ is a massively wrong evaluation, even though thoughts like this about Lively (expectations he is looming as a future all-star dominant big) from lots and lots of posters are often repeated in various threads.

What is being ignored - and imo it's a MAJOR part of player evaluation -- is that a player has to be evaluated based on "regularly repeatable" ability, not on "peak" ability. Lots of players can look like an all-star in 1 game, but the true all-star is the one who can play at that level in about EVERY game. 

And Lively has not ever shown "regularly repeatable" ability to play at a high level in every game - because he hasn't shown that he can be available, way too often, to even play at all. Even when he plays he's not really a 30 mpg guy on a regular basis, as far as we have EVER seen. The injuries have been an issue over and over and over and over. As the old saying goes, the top ability for a player is availability. We have seen no potential at all for Lively to have ongoing consistent availability.

ITEM 2 - Now do some of you vocal critics see why I have been saying it would be a mistake to trade Gafford? In our desire to make trades, we keep ignoring how bad it is to be without good centers, where the team gets manhandled and dominated on the boards, and take for granted the difficult task of getting 1-2 good ones to handle the needs for 48 minutes. 

Where will we ever find minutes for all of these centers, you demanded to know? In fact, we haven't really had enough minutes played by GOOD centers this season. Even with the [supposed] "too many centers" roster, we have seen a steady early-season diet of C minutes going to the meh 3rd stringer (Powell) and the raw 2-way guy (Cisse) and at times no one at all (because you might as well try small ball and see if that helps) because we just don't have other options. Ugh.    

To be clear, I don't think the best plan is to have a bunch of gimpy centers and hope you have 2 of them healthy each game. But because of the injury tendencies, for now, the Mavs are FAR from having too many good centers and not enough minutes. 

Does it really matter this season? IMO not at all. But for the long run, the priority needs to be getting players who can suit up every game, or close to it.

(11-26-2025, 06:10 AM)F Gump Wrote: ITEM 1 - I absolutely 1000% think this ^ is a massively wrong evaluation, even though thoughts like this about Lively (expectations he is looming as a future all-star dominant big) from lots and lots of posters are often repeated in various threads.

What is being ignored - and imo it's a MAJOR part of player evaluation -- is that a player has to be evaluated based on "regularly repeatable" ability, not on "peak" ability. Lots of players can look like an all-star in 1 game, but the true all-star is the one who can play at that level in about EVERY game. 

And Lively has not ever shown "regularly repeatable" ability to play at a high level in every game - because he hasn't shown that he can be available, way too often, to even play at all. Even when he plays he's not really a 30 mpg guy on a regular basis, as far as we have EVER seen. The injuries have been an issue over and over and over and over. As the old saying goes, the top ability for a player is availability. We have seen no potential at all for Lively to have ongoing consistent availability.

(11-26-2025, 01:58 PM)StrandedOnBeauboisHill Wrote:  We're an incredibly reactionary society these days and we act like a foot injury means we got to dig this kid a grave a put a fork in him.  Literally every single able bodied human being has the potential to correct health issues, especially at such a young age.  Some more than others sure and like I said, if we weren't in rebuilding mode then I'd probably be looking to maximize value but that's pretty far from the case.

(11-26-2025, 04:24 PM)F Gump Wrote: What you call "reactionary" is - imo - simply a case of accepting what's been staring us in the face for a LONG time. At some point, it's time to admit that what we have is what we have. It is what it is. 

It would be reactionary if this was the first time Lively was injured and it was a minor bump or bruise. But we are a LONG WAYS from that. It's actually been true for a LONG time that Lively seems to be made of glass. For me, I've been wary of Lively's persistent injury record for at least a year -- and that year was just more of the same. It's this injury after the last one after the one before that after the one before that -- and on and on and on. In fact, this is how many separate injuries just this calendar year? 3? 4? 5? I'm losing count. In addition (and perhaps important to some) foot injuries on players who are big and players whose games depend on jumping are a very bad thing that can linger forevvvvveeeeerrrrrr.

HOPE he can be healthier? Sure, that makes sense. But based on how we got here, it's not the basket you want to put your eggs in. Build around that? That wouldn't be smart at all.

(11-26-2025, 05:14 PM)StrandedOnBeauboisHill Wrote: I think we're talking past each other a little bit.  I'm not denying that Lively has a troublesome history with injuries at all and I'm not suggesting building around him either at this point.

This is what I would frame as admitting what we have.  A 21 year old only in his third pro year who has shown flashes of being a really good piece who is recovering from foot surgery on a pretty shitty team that shouldn't be winning games this season if they're valuing the future and happens to be up for an extension next year.  

So I guess the question is what would you do in that situation?  I actually think that he's playing himself into a what would be considered a much lower annual contract number if he extends this season compared to what everyone thought would be an immediate, no questions asked, max contract watching him as a rookie.  With that in mind, I'm still extending him this offseason because I kind of want to take advantage of that and hope it works out because if that doesn't work out....who cares this team isn't competing for championships for a long time, even if Lively gets healthy.

Is your position that we shouldn't extend him?

(11-28-2025, 09:22 AM)HoosierDaddyKid Wrote: https://x.com/basednoahh/status/1993910905369973143


Nico was seen at a Dallas bar.

(11-23-2025, 09:13 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: It feels like somewhere in hear it would be safe to bring AD back and not impact losing (even if you assume he plays well).

(11-29-2025, 11:08 AM)HoosierDaddyKid Wrote: https://bsky.app/profile/nbastat.bsky.social/post/3m6rfj4xfms2n


CF, became the youngest player ever with 10 assists in a game.

(11-29-2025, 11:08 AM)HoosierDaddyKid Wrote: https://bsky.app/profile/nbastat.bsky.social/post/3m6rfj4xfms2n


CF, became the youngest player ever with 10 assists in a game.

(11-30-2025, 09:46 AM)Chicagojk Wrote: With November coming to an end it is probably a good time to appreciate a few of Nico's moves.  Caleb finishes the month of November with 4 made baskets.....for the whole month.   AD blows that out of the water with 6 makes.   10 makes for the month.   I don't know where we would be without that production.

(11-30-2025, 12:35 PM)SleepingHero Wrote: NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral)
NBA Leaders in Total Clutch Points:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — 74
Cade Cunningham — 59
Tyrese Maxey — 51
Cooper Flagg — 48
James Harden — 42
Nikola Vučević — 36
Deni Avdija — 35
Devin Booker — 35
Anthony Edwards — 34
Lauri Markkanen — 34