(04-14-2021, 10:59 AM)dirkfansince1998 Wrote: THJ + Richardson sharing the floor has been a problem all season long. -112 in 706 minutes. By far the worst two man combination that is playing major minutes. Offfense tanks when both share the floor. 108.5 O-rating. 114.2 D-Rating. -5.7 net rating. Worst among all two-man combinations that played more than 300 minutes.
56.6% TS when both are on the floor. Again.Worst among all two-man combinations that played more than 300 minutes. Also rank in the bottom 5 in ast/tov ratio and rebounding rate.

Just a terrible fit. Not enough shot creation on offense. A SG sized wing defending the opposing SF on defense. Two below average rebounders playing next to each other.

(04-14-2021, 02:56 PM)BasketballJones41 Wrote: The Luka hate is getting weird.

(04-14-2021, 03:41 PM)Kammrath Wrote: Let me be clear, I have ZERO hate for Luka (in fact if anything I am a blind, biased fanboy). But I do think he has two issues:

1) Maturity.

2) Fitness/conditioning/diet. 

I 100% get he is a kid and we need to have patience with him, but it doesn't change the fact that these ARE the issues at the moment with him.

(04-14-2021, 03:41 PM)Kammrath Wrote: 1) Maturity.

(04-14-2021, 03:45 PM)ItsGoTime Wrote: A lot of issues can be lumped into this 1 criticism. Those multiple things could be construed as hate too.

(04-14-2021, 04:20 PM)cow Wrote: We do know he is a competitor so he'll figure this out much like Jordan did after getting manhandled by Detroit so many seasons.

(04-14-2021, 03:58 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: I've said it before, but I really feel this way: it's like we're waiting in line at six flags. A little patience is all we need.

(04-14-2021, 04:24 PM)Kammrath Wrote: https://twitter.com/TimCowlishaw/status/1382441596931612676

(04-14-2021, 03:58 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: There is some good and unusually balanced discussion about Luka going on in this thread. We all love him so much it's kind of difficult to bring up even minor criticisms around here for fear of striking the wrong chord. 

Nevertheless, I think both @"F Gump" and @"Kammrath" make valid points. Luka does need to get better about his conditioning. Luka does need to do (even) better on the floor, understanding that he's the leader of the team and the wins or losses are going to rest ultimately on his shoulders. Luka does need to learn to keep the refs out of his thinking during play, and not to hang his head after missing a shot, letting his man beat him back down the floor. 

All of those things are true, imho, and it's STILL clear that he's a special, once-in-a-generation talent. 

Here's the thing that I don't think people are fully understanding: HE IS 22. I've been writing over and over for like a year that all of this contention talk and all of these super high expectations are premature. Luka is putting up top 5 numbers because he's phenomenal and because he landed on a team fully willing to go all in on building around him. But, in the last five minutes of a close, meaningful game, he's not a top 5 player yet. It couldn't be more clear, imo. He's a 22 year old kid. I mean, at this point, he's almost a lock to literally throw the ball directly to a defender a couple of times per game. He's still dribbling into triple teams down the stretch. He's amazing, so it works sometimes, but this notion that he ALWAYS makes the right play rings false. 

Between now and say age 26 (?), my dude is going to improve. A LOT. Most of that improvement is going to happen between the ears, and I don't think it's selling his current level short to say so. It's AMAZING that he's this effective at this age, and pulling a team from where the Mavs were in 2018 up to where they are now is no small thing. But, getting from where they are now to where the top 4-5 teams are is probably even more difficult, and it's not ONLY about adding other talented players to the roster. 

I've said it before, but I really feel this way: it's like we're waiting in line at six flags. A little patience is all we need.

(04-14-2021, 04:20 PM)cow Wrote: Being critical of someone isn't hate.  Part of the issue without society today is wanting to lump everything into black or white when there is a lot of grey in-between.  Luka could have a better body right now and stay in condition year round.  He might need another early exit or two from the playoffs to figure that out.  We do know he is a competitor so he'll figure this out much like Jordan did after getting manhandled by Detroit so many seasons.  Maybe Carlisle needs to tweak his minutes a bit in the short term.  In the long term, as the team gets better, his usage should hopefully go down which will help on the wear and tear aspect.

(04-14-2021, 04:29 PM)BasketballJones41 Wrote: I think Luca is going to be ready to compete much sooner rather than later. It’s all going to come down to whether the MBT can put the right team around him. But man if we can ever get that right cast around him I think that he can bring us multiple titles.

(04-14-2021, 04:32 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: Yeah, that's fair enough, and you might be right. I hope so. I'm not married to any predictions of the time needed, I'm only pushing back on the idea that Luka is ready now, so the record must either be on the other players or the coach. I think a significant portion of the team's growing pains we're witnessing is caused by the blatant fact that the team's star is going through growing pains of his own. Seems like we agree on that.

(04-14-2021, 03:58 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: There is some good and unusually balanced discussion about Luka going on in this thread. We all love him so much it's kind of difficult to bring up even minor criticisms around here for fear of striking the wrong chord. 

Nevertheless, I think both @"F Gump" and @"Kammrath" make valid points. Luka does need to get better about his conditioning. Luka does need to do (even) better on the floor, understanding that he's the leader of the team and the wins or losses are going to rest ultimately on his shoulders. Luka does need to learn to keep the refs out of his thinking during play, and not to hang his head after missing a shot, letting his man beat him back down the floor. 

All of those things are true, imho, and it's STILL clear that he's a special, once-in-a-generation talent. 

Here's the thing that I don't think people are fully understanding: HE IS 22. I've been writing over and over for like a year that all of this contention talk and all of these super high expectations are premature. Luka is putting up top 5 numbers because he's phenomenal and because he landed on a team fully willing to go all in on building around him. But, in the last five minutes of a close, meaningful game, he's not a top 5 player yet. It couldn't be more clear, imo. He's a 22 year old kid. I mean, at this point, he's almost a lock to literally throw the ball directly to a defender a couple of times per game. He's still dribbling into triple teams down the stretch. He's amazing, so it works sometimes, but this notion that he ALWAYS makes the right play rings false. 

Between now and say age 26 (?), my dude is going to improve. A LOT. Most of that improvement is going to happen between the ears, and I don't think it's selling his current level short to say so. It's AMAZING that he's this effective at this age, and pulling a team from where the Mavs were in 2018 up to where they are now is no small thing. But, getting from where they are now to where the top 4-5 teams are is probably even more difficult, and it's not ONLY about adding other talented players to the roster. 

I've said it before, but I really feel this way: it's like we're waiting in line at six flags. A little patience is all we need.

(04-14-2021, 09:38 PM)DrMav Wrote: Let’s also not ignore the fact that the refs are allowing Luka to be assaulted this year. Yeah he needs better conditioning and such, but if he wasn’t being physically beat up to this degree, he also probably wouldn’t pick up lingering injuries and wear down.