MAVS NEWS:

[F Gump]

You might be right. It's a spec on what the Mavs are thinking, rather than really saying, "Oh, they're just fine." Imho, they're fine for now, *if* they want to see the season as more developmental than anything else. If that's the case, it rubs me the wrong way in that I don't see the urgency they ought to have in that scenario to clear roster space for Seva. I think he has a sky-high ceiling, however low his current floor might be. It also would seem to indicate that 1) Kyrie really loves the city of Dallas, and that 2) he's having more fun and fulfillment mentoring than he would be in a winning situation. 

Another thing with the developmental approach, I really do believe the PJ-for-Scoot move is there on Portland's end, so if the Mavs aren't doing it, they either don't think much of Scoot at all, or they value PJ long-term more than we think they might, or a blend of those two. In any event, not pulling the trigger on that must mean there are limits to the developmental approach.

1 Seva
I know you really like Seva. I saw what you saw, but was not nearly as impressed. While I think he showed some possible "potential," in a few ways, I think the NBA level would be way way over his head at this point. I want him to become a starter-level NBA player, and think he needs a better basketball foundation first. I don't think he's a small step away, but rather it would be several giant steps upward, too many.

Not to talk him down, but NBA is an incredibly advanced level of competition, and the Euro guys can show a little bit, but never obtain the tools to get their foot in the door. His league is even lower. 2nd rounders from the US usually have played several years at a much higher level than some Euro leagues, and even those guys are borderline just to stick on the end of someone's bench. (My biggest Seva issue?  IMO Too passive - he didn't look even close to being ready for a war this hard.)

2 Kyrie
From everything I've seen, he wants to be here, stay here, be a mentor and leader, create a legacy here. And win while he does so. I'm good with that. Don't see the Mavs FO rocking that boat at all. MY admittedly optimistic take on Kyrie -- I don't think this season will be a to-be-determined test run of that, but more like an extension of what he's already been doing here. Yes, at some point I think his skills will begin to decline, but I think when that happens, he's more likely to sign to stay at a reduced salary, rather than either side push him out the door. 

One other point: as they develop kids, Mavs will need veterans to set the tone and lead the way. Kyrie fits there, but he won't be doing that stuff alone. DP was a big part of that, but I don't think he will be back. That off-the-court landscape will be a factor in who else stays (or perhaps who is added at some point) as they go forward.

3 Scoot
He's a small offensive-specialist PG whose offense is meh, and after 3 years it doesn't seem to be getting better. He's not the offensive answer you might be looking for. I'm not particularly interested (and since POR traded for a player to start instead of him, maybe POR isn't high on him either.) He might be VERY cheap in another year or two (not that I would be eagerly waiting) as a "second draft" project player, for a team who might think they can develop him into something useful.

As for the fact the Mavs haven't traded PJ for him, not sure it tells us anything about the Maqvs overall approach. As for why, there's no way to know based on the fact we know ZERO about what each team thinks of the other's player, or their own player, or whether either team even considered such a trade at all. I value PJ way more highly, and it's not close in my book.