10-28-2022, 12:19 AM
(10-27-2022, 11:04 PM)Kammrath Wrote: I personally think the solution is relatively easy (or at least the first attempt at a solution): Give Wood starter minutes and make Wood THE second featured player on the team. Minimize SD's role and make him a backup PG almost exclusively.
(10-27-2022, 11:10 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: I think we all feel that way.
The problem with that wish is that it REQUIRES Wood to be used more as a solo big. That’s basically the reason he’s not playing more, and particularly why he’s not closing games. Because A) Kidd knows he can only play one if he doesn’t want to get run out of the gym and B) he trusts Kleber significantly more on defense.
Hopefully this isn’t the final plan and he’ll get some chances to prove that he can do it, but to this point @"DanSchwartzgan" has been right on the money about how the Mavs feel about Wood’s defense. It’s resulting in some frustration from all of us.
I commented in the Christian Wood thread basically this. We need to either treat him like the second best player on the team and give him the minutes and shots that entails (and as you said, that means playing him more as the solo big), or I think we should just trade him by the deadline. He's going to demand too much money if we're only going to use him as a 25mpg bench player that you can't trust in crunch time.