PRESEASON GAME 1: DAL @ OKC | 98-96 win

[mvossman]

I don't expect this to sway you, and I type this knowing you'll roll your eyes and call me a dinosaur as you read it, but after watching this team try to make Porzingis a viable piece of the puzzle for a couple of seasons, my position is that any stat claiming the Mavs were a better team with him than without is a stat I probably won't be giving much weight to in the future. 

Again, that's not intended to be aggressive towards you or analytics at all. I just HATED the way the team played with him on the floor, with the exception of a few stretches during which he manned the 5 by himself competently. @"DanSchwartzgan" would probably still tell you that Powell/Porzingis together was their best option, and he'll have data to support it, too. While I actually like Powell more than anyone here other than him and there were things about that approach that worked, I just turned the page on that plan for a variety of reasons and sorry, I'm just not excited about trying it again, even with a different player. 

McGee or Powell with DFS or Kleber, sure. 

Wood with DFS or Kleber, fine. 

McGee or Powell with Wood is something I am just not excited about trying. I hope they get it out of their system early and aren't too stubborn about it.

So this is a different argument more based on aesthetics than effectiveness.  To be honest, I don't disagree to some extent.  Its definitely a factor to me at roster level when building a team.  But I feel like you kind of have to go with what works best.  In that regard, I think there is a big difference between Powell/Wood and McGee/Wood.  

Powell and Wood make no sense on the court together.  Powell stunts Wood's offensive options and neither can protect the rim.  If you don't have a rim protector on the court (something we were forced to do for long stretches after the TDL last year) then you might as well go with your most mobile lineup that can switch everything.  I'm really curious who is better defensively in that role between Wood and Powell, but the answer is definitely not both.

McGee and Wood on the court together is a different animal.  McGee may limit Wood somewhat offensively, but he can help protect Wood's limitations defensively.  I have no interest in seeing those two on the court for 20 minutes on a regular basis, but you could get away with 5 minutes a game if necessary.