08-16-2020, 08:22 AM
I think I disagree that they are going to dump Powell. I haven't done the math but I think you can do a max slot without moving Powell. This assumes that we aren't adding any new money. The cap could be 125 and I believe Wright will be off the team by that point. It's probably possible to keep THJ + DP and still create a max slot. I am fairly certain the Mavs will offer THJ exactly how much they need to in order to preserve that slot.
Powell might actually be okay if he joins the second unit with Maxi. As much as Powell was above-the-rim on offense he was a feet on the ground, arms up defender so not a ton lost there. The big question is whether or not Powell will still be effective as a roll man in PnR. I think he will be because rolling to the basket isn't all ab your vertical ability. I also would look to Rudy Gay as a favorable comparison to Powell in terms of age and athleticism when he suffered his achilles. RG has still had a very good career since then. I could see Powell still being an effective roll man and better suited for the bench.
All that to say I believe KP as center with 5 out is how Rick is going to play his starting unit. I don't think there's any doubt which means that KP and Powell will not play a lot together, especially in the starting unit. Mavs really need a good defender that plays bigger than his size. There are a bunch of SF/PF's that could be stop gaps this year.
I fully expect the Mavs to do like short-term contracts this year. I would be very surprised to see a full MLE thrown at anybody. The one guy that could get extended is THJ. I am expecting short-term moves that shore up the team for 1 season while they try to land a bigger fish. The one caveat is that Mavs have ammunition this summer to land a big fish so that wrinkle where I could see them landing a big fish sooner than later.
Powell might actually be okay if he joins the second unit with Maxi. As much as Powell was above-the-rim on offense he was a feet on the ground, arms up defender so not a ton lost there. The big question is whether or not Powell will still be effective as a roll man in PnR. I think he will be because rolling to the basket isn't all ab your vertical ability. I also would look to Rudy Gay as a favorable comparison to Powell in terms of age and athleticism when he suffered his achilles. RG has still had a very good career since then. I could see Powell still being an effective roll man and better suited for the bench.
All that to say I believe KP as center with 5 out is how Rick is going to play his starting unit. I don't think there's any doubt which means that KP and Powell will not play a lot together, especially in the starting unit. Mavs really need a good defender that plays bigger than his size. There are a bunch of SF/PF's that could be stop gaps this year.
I fully expect the Mavs to do like short-term contracts this year. I would be very surprised to see a full MLE thrown at anybody. The one guy that could get extended is THJ. I am expecting short-term moves that shore up the team for 1 season while they try to land a bigger fish. The one caveat is that Mavs have ammunition this summer to land a big fish so that wrinkle where I could see them landing a big fish sooner than later.