Apologize to Coach Rick

[dynamicalVoid]

Not apologizing.
I love RC, and like what some has pointed out, he makes this team better than it actually is.

And as for Luka, I don't know if it's Kidd's system or not, but he looks lethargic out there, apart from looking slow and heavy (which isn't Kidd's fault of course). He seems to be holding back and would only be aggressive in spurts.

As for the Denver loss -- it's expected that Jokic would dominate the Mavs, but extra domination happens when you let DP out there.

This loss is on Kidd as well as Luka.

I think DP is extremely well liked and he is being given every chance possible with this new regime.

Luka seems to be force feeding him down low...and its not working.  I suspect the force feeding is for our own evaluation while also seeing if Luka can work some magic and increase DP's value by getting him involved.

Kind of hard to sell DP to another team if you wont even play him.

I am just assuming this is what is going on.  

But I agree.  The DP and KP experiments should end asap.

[soog]

It was also one of the league's worst defenses.

Kidd isn't making the Mavs miss wide open threes and RC didn't make them make wide open threes. There is so much more going on than to scapegoat coaching at this point. 

Also, this team is 3-2 (same record as DEN and better than LAL, for example) with its only losses against two of the top teams in the league ON THE ROAD. Yes, they were UGLY. Yes, there are ISSUES to discuss. But this team is still 3-2 and has showed lots of promise on D and has also missed a lot of wide open shots. Let's let this play out some more before concluding it is coaching.

I find point differential is a better evaluation of where a team stands than record early in a season.  By the end of a season a team’s record will converge to its differential.  These mavs are much worse than the 3-2 record indicates.  The eye test tells you that and the differential confirms it.  They squeaked out small wins against bad teams and were blown out by good teams.

Point differential has them 12th in the west, which looking at the teams above and below them seems about right with the way they have been playing.

[Kammrath]

I find point differential is a better evaluation of where a team stands than record early in a season.

I agree with this on one level....but a 5 game sample size is SMALL anyway you cut it. You have to do a lot of interpreting at this juncture and bias will often shine through the most.

[ThisIStheYear]

Jason Kidd has a head coaching record, and it’s been pretty awful.  I don’t know why people expect different.  How much will it cost Cuban to eat his contract?

[soog]

I agree with this on one level....but a 5 game sample size is SMALL anyway you cut it. You have to do a lot of interpreting at this juncture and bias will often shine through the most.

Agreed, it is a small sample set and bias can come through.  But I would have to say that this small sample set leaves little room for multiple interpretations.  They were down to bad teams by a lot. They lost to good teams by a lot.  Their shooting is awful.  Their spacing is poor.  Their organization on offense is very poor.  

Additionally we actually have a VERY large sample set to look at because the personnel hasn’t changed much over the last 3 years.  So we know who these guys are and what hey are capable of.  If we look at these 5 games as a part of the 3 year sample set it is even more telling.


To paraphrase one smarter than I, the simplest explanation is most often the correct explanation.

[Moviemavguy]

Coaching won't fix what has been ailing this roster for going on three years now.  Put actual talent around Luka NOW or just tank for a pick.  Otherwise, treadmill of mediocrity.

[ItsGoTime]

Coaching won't fix what has been ailing this roster for going on three years now.  Put actual talent around Luka NOW or just tank for a pick.  Otherwise, treadmill of mediocrity.

Truer words have never been spoken!

[audiosway]

Coaching won't fix what has been ailing this roster for going on three years now.  Put actual talent around Luka NOW or just tank for a pick.  Otherwise, treadmill of mediocrity.

This is the real problem and has been. I was against going after KP when they did it. I took quite a bit of flak for that. But, this is why I didn't want him. And they gave up a good bit of assets for him. They gave away Curry for what ended up as nothing.

[SleepingHero]

I know we all are waiting for Kidd's downfall, which is puzzling if you want the Mavs to succeed, but the Mavs got blown out on a 2nd night of of a B2B in one of the more difficult places to play on the road. I think there are PLENTY of other reasons to pin this blowout on. The team looked good right up until the 3rd quarter, ya know cause they're exhausted. 

This team missed wide open shot after shot. I agree with others the offensive sets have often led to dead passes and unproductive movement, but that's fixable. I also recognize the defense looks much improved and the team is looking to fight every night (up until it's a 30 point blowout). 

We do need to consolidate our role players and solidify the starting 5. It also doesn't help our supposed 2nd star isn't reliable.

I don't think there is anything more to read into from this loss.

[hakeemfaan]

Curry and Barnes would be the 2nd and 3rd best players on our current roster.  Not saying I want  them back. Just that it is a sad indictment of the previous regime. So much talent and asset mismanagement without any clear plan other than hoping that some FA stud lands in their laps.

[cow]

Coaching won't fix what has been ailing this roster for going on three years now.  Put actual talent around Luka NOW or just tank for a pick.  Otherwise, treadmill of mediocrity.

Tank for a pick we'll inevitably fuck up.  

[dynamicalVoid]

Tank for a pick we'll inevitably fuck up.  

It will make this board more interesting though ha.

Now that Mavs are possibly tanking and valuing the draft...all the prospect talk will be fun read and see who was good at evaluating.

[cow]

It will make this board more interesting though ha.

Now that Mavs are possibly tanking and valuing the draft...all the prospect talk will be fun read and see who was good at evaluating.

We'll never tank though.  The team isn't that bad.  Shots will start to fall and Luka will round (un-round?) into form.  This still feels like a bottom seed/play-in team.  Even with the Clippers woes, the West is much better with Memphis taking the leap, GSW hopefully returning to form and my favorite sleeper in the Kings.

[dynamicalVoid]

Curry and Barnes would be the 2nd and 3rd best players on our current roster.  Not saying I want  them back. Just that it is a sad indictment of the previous regime. So much talent and asset mismanagement without any clear plan other than hoping that some FA stud lands in their laps.

Imagine being in the room with a bunch of wealthy schemers running a basketball operation...and with bright eyes and overly optimistic chuckles they come to the conclusion that they dont have to do anything at all...

No recruiting...

No drafting...

No developing...

That stuff is a waste of time and stupid Organizations waste money and hours developing players...

"WERE JUST GOING TO SIGN PLUG AND PLAY VETS!"

Everyone looking around at each other like they are the smartest things on earth.

I can hear the The Ticket Mark Cuban bit voice in my head as Cuban is explaining the plan to the room.

[hakeemfaan]

Imagine being in the room with a bunch of wealthy schemers running a basketball operation...and with bright eyes and overly optimistic chuckles they come to the conclusion that they dont have to do anything at all...

No recruiting...

No drafting...

No developing...

That stuff is a waste of time and stupid Organizations waste money and hours developing players...

"WERE JUST GOING TO SIGN PLUG AND PLAY VETS!"

Everyone looking around at each other like they are the smartest things on earth.

I can hear the The Ticket Mark Cuban bit voice in my head as Cuban is explaining the plan to the room.

I won’t say they haven’t developed.  DFS and Maxi’s games grew here. It is just that RC was forever being handed scraps and asked to develop them. There is a ceiling to those types of players. I won’t even blame them for the draft misses. It happens. 

The real issue is that they did not value the draft as those misses became a self fulfilling prophecy that the draft was not worth it. That’s why we always threw in picks. The real solution would have been to hoard picks, trade players a year early, …etc. Danny Ainge hoarded picks and it has not always worked out. However at least that is pursuing a good plan and trying to play the percentages.  The MBT otoh always seemed to be like the lazy guy not working hard and hoping he will become rich by hitting the lottery.  Why even pay a GM for that kind of a strategy?

[Scott41theMavs]

No apology from me, thanks.

Re: nearly all of the comments here: come on, guys, you all are smarter than this.

The most annoying thing about these first five games is Luka's attitude and how it is affecting his play. He's obviously extremely displeased with something that he was fine with before. I'd give good money to know what it is.

[dynamicalVoid]

No apology from me, thanks.

Re: nearly all of the comments here: come on, guys, you all are smarter than this.

The most annoying thing about these first five games is Luka's attitude and how it is affecting his play. He's obviously extremely displeased with something that he was fine with before. I'd give good money to know what it is.

Nah...he seemed to start out like this last year.

Maybe you are on to something that is there...but Luka didnt seem interested the first part of last year either, imo.

I 100% guarantee that Luka and his team are fully aware of what Dallas is doing...and he had to sign off on it.

If that means tanking which leads to Luka looking like he is playing half ass...whatever it is...Luka knows what is going on.

If we are trying to tank...we cant criticize Luka...because he is trying to help us meet that objective.

[Kammrath]

If we are trying to tank...we cant criticize Luka...because he is trying to help us meet that objective.

That's kind of what it feels like!

[ballsrchr]

Well, let's see.  You have a generational talent...in Luka...who must play happy, with the ball, from the top, and who scores with abandon from any place on the floor--all while nearly averaging a triple double--and you ask him to drive to the basket and kick out in order to involve other players in the offense.  I mean...what could go wrong with that?  What generational player wouldn't be unhappy with a scheme like that?  You don't find generational players on basketball God's trees.  They come along only once in awhile--thus: generational.  Play the man to his strengths!  He will score.  He will get assists.  He will get rebounds.  He will make the team better.  He will be happy.  But, wtf, put some talent around him before he decides to move to another team.
Yeah, yeah...I know...he has a contract.  Let's ruin a generational basketball player because we want to see him involve less talented people in the offense...

End of rant.

[KillerLeft]

Carlisle can coach, but has warts. Kidd has already done some things right, but has warts. It's all pointless. There's one major, huge, stinking pile of s**t in the corner of this room. We all know who it is, and nothing the team tries will be truly successful until someone high up in the organization finds enough balls to clean it up.