08-22-2020, 10:08 AM
(08-21-2020, 02:10 PM)Scott41theMavs Wrote: To Dan and the others who agree with him -
yes, you do want to have other stars around him,
yes, you need another ballhandler/facilitator to spell him when he sits and to take a bit of the pressure off him
yes, perhaps even diversify the offense a bit - when he's on the court.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
So we agree
I think the fork in the road between us is what is meant by "a better version of Burke". The issue with THJ at SG (and any combo of DFS, Maxi, Seth KP and Powell filling out the starting lineup) is there is no playmaking. The most recent Lowe Post podcast talks about the cat and mouse game being played between Dallas and LAC as it relates to defending Luka. Note that there is no mention of even thinking about anyone else. As good as Luka is, that is just too predictable. You have to give opposing D's something else to think about (other than who to cheat off of).
When you use terms like "actively demand the ball", then you are thinking about a different player than I am. I think facilitating 25% of the time shared with Luka is probably a max also (more agreement). But, a "better version of Burke" isn't a ball dominant ball hog (in my view). For instance, I'm not advocating Donovan Mitchell (not that that would ever happen) or Kyrie Irving. I'm thinking something more like a younger version of George Hill or Brodgon, Jrue, VanVleet or Dinwiddie. Plenty of ability off the ball when the ball is in Luka's hands, but also plenty of ability to create O on their own to keep D's honest.