01-05-2021, 04:08 PM
There is no mystery with Boban's minutes. He is impactful on the offensive end. But he's a big liability on the defensive end. I'm not sure why his use is such a big thing here.
The evidence says there are no physical reasons for his limited minutes, and the issue is his overall ability. If he has some impairment that creates a danger of breaking down by playing, it seems like the doctors wouldn't clear him for play. Plus, when there are injuries to those ahead of him on the depth chart, he plays a lot, and there's no problem.
I like when he plays. He makes me smile. A big guy who can do the things he does, it's fun to watch. He is so skilled, and knows how to use his size in a way many bigs don't seem to understand.
What he's doing with the Mavs - a chemistry guy who makes life better for your superstar, and a 3rd string center who gets play at various times due to injury or game situations - feels very appropriate.
I do think the Mavs missed an opportunity to get a bit more on-court value out of him last season. Given his strengths and weaknesses, it seems to me he has extra value when you can't stop the other team anyhow - and when swapping baskets would be good enough to serve your purpose. That's certainly true in garbage time, of course, but it was also true last season when the Mavs would have big leads and then couldn't keep them as the game was nearing the end. Swapping baskets would have been a "win" in that circumstance.
Hopefully that ship has sailed. Using him in that way is just a temporary solution - you really want to improve where your defense is good and you can win the game at the end. But if the Mavs again show they can't stop the other team, possession after possession, he makes a lot of sense to use in that circumstance and help keep the margin steady.
The evidence says there are no physical reasons for his limited minutes, and the issue is his overall ability. If he has some impairment that creates a danger of breaking down by playing, it seems like the doctors wouldn't clear him for play. Plus, when there are injuries to those ahead of him on the depth chart, he plays a lot, and there's no problem.
I like when he plays. He makes me smile. A big guy who can do the things he does, it's fun to watch. He is so skilled, and knows how to use his size in a way many bigs don't seem to understand.
What he's doing with the Mavs - a chemistry guy who makes life better for your superstar, and a 3rd string center who gets play at various times due to injury or game situations - feels very appropriate.
I do think the Mavs missed an opportunity to get a bit more on-court value out of him last season. Given his strengths and weaknesses, it seems to me he has extra value when you can't stop the other team anyhow - and when swapping baskets would be good enough to serve your purpose. That's certainly true in garbage time, of course, but it was also true last season when the Mavs would have big leads and then couldn't keep them as the game was nearing the end. Swapping baskets would have been a "win" in that circumstance.
Hopefully that ship has sailed. Using him in that way is just a temporary solution - you really want to improve where your defense is good and you can win the game at the end. But if the Mavs again show they can't stop the other team, possession after possession, he makes a lot of sense to use in that circumstance and help keep the margin steady.