02-10-2021, 09:56 AM
(02-10-2021, 01:40 AM)mavsluvr Wrote: I'm sorry to say that I think there's a lot to this. When the guys initially were diagnosed, I thought the situation was way under blown, as if they might be a little under the weather for a few days, but should be good to go in short order. Cuban said afterwards that this disease is not like a cold, where when it's over, it's over -- the effects linger, and they're still dealing with that. And WCS' feeling that the guys were rushed back, relative to how sick they had been, was disturbing, if it was accurately reported. The Mavs have lost 41 player-games to the virus/protocol, more than any other team. Organizations, or people, for that matter, can only withstand so many things going wrong at the same time, and I would be surprised if the team hadn't buckled to an extent under the weight of all these adverse events.Add to it the short off season, short training camp, playing more games than most and the associated massive travel schedule and the Mavs are where they are today. No doubt there are a few games they might have eked out, but at least they are only a few games out of the playoffs. The home stand will help everybody get centered and allow for extra practice to iron out the kinks, basically restarting their season.
I am still excited about the potential for this team. I do have concerns about the defensive focus. It is definitely important as it keeps them in games when the offense isn't running well, but too often it seems like nothing works on either end of the court. Now that all the rotation players are back, I'm hopeful we will see this group show it's true colors. KP is finding a groove, THJ is looking like a 6th man candidate, there are finally enough bodies for a decent frontcourt group, and Luka's gonna Luka. It would be great to finish the season on a hot streak.