08-02-2020, 04:13 AM
(08-02-2020, 03:36 AM)Mavs2019 Wrote: He also had the ball in his hands in big games, moreso for Madrid than Slovenia with Dragic.
I didn't say he didn't. Point was, that it was not him that set the culture. It was the vets. When things didn't go well vets stood up. It was the vets that set the tone on defense and play a bit dirty if needed. If Luka went a little crazy, the vets established order. Plus European basketball is not star driven. If a guy makes two stupid things in a row, he will be sent to the bench to calm down, no matter who he is. Luka was great, but a lot of burden was carried by the vets.
Mavs simply don't have this. If Luka doesn't have his day or can't create, there are few options to turn things around. The whole offense is designed around Luka. I said it before and I will say it again - this team would be a contender with CP3. We need an enforcer or two type of player.
After calming down a bit, I am also starting to get concerned about coaching. Ok, Mavs exceeded expectations. But a lot of it was because Luka really took plenty steps forward from last season and because of decent role players. But, this end of games troubles are not a one or two game thing. They have become a system problem. And this goes against coach. Why would we need a coach, if we are just waiting for the guys to figure it out. While stupid mistakes like not grabbing a crucial rebound after a missed free throw (I think it happened 3 times this season already) or missed free throws are not coach fault, there are other system faults that are:
1. Offense falls apart once the opponent really commits on defense. Coach needs to find different schemes that would improve that. Diversify offense a bit, not just bet on one horse.
2. I don't remember any situation this season when we were able to create a great shot in last offense of the game with limited time available. I remember many more failed attempts like against Houston. Pass to Luka behind three point line with defense set which leads to impossible steb back three. You do this when you have 0,5 second left, not 3,5 seconds. Luka is great, but I think he needs more time than a couple of seconds to create a good look, because he uses a series of tricks and fakes to get himself in position or drag defense towards him. When given limited time, his only solution is a step back three.
(08-02-2020, 03:36 AM)Mavs2019 Wrote: How can he be a losing player like KAT?
I didn't say he is. I said I am affraid he will become.