TAKE DAT WIT YOU 11/16

[SleepingHero]

He plays like a freight train -- big enough and strong enough to overcome his defenders. The thinking is that if he loses much weight, whatever small gains he might earn in "thin player" advantages would be more than offset by the losses in his abilities to be a guy who is heavier, stronger, and more physically powerful than many, if not most, of the guys he faces. 

Freight train is a good analogy to his style of play. I'd add that he's a freight train with the starting gun. He controls when the race starts, knows the timing, and then just plows through whatever's in front of him with all the force of a train. Add in some subtle shiftiness and the balance of a gymnast and you start to see why Luka can just easily score 10 points a quarter. 

I for one don't mind his weight. I don't think it's radically hurting him. In fact, I think his weight actually helped him last night against DEN when Rivers rolled up on his ankle. We jest about that extra cushion but the fact his medical results showed no damage is incredible. If Luka were to lose a few pounds I wouldn't be against it either, since he'll naturally adjust his approach. 

Right now I think Luka's major hurdle is getting his mentality right. I'm starting to notice that he'll get in a mindset where he does everything in his power to play against the refs. Against Denver for instance he kept blindly rushing in drive after drive in the hopes of forcing a foul. Each time he didn't get a call he got angrier and angrier that just forced him into this negative cycle, until the pot spilled over and he got a tech. He seemed to snap out of it after the bench made a run and made it a game to end the 3rd. I love that Luka has that never ending passion, but I also think it's his greatest weakness.

[fifteenth]

JB is THE Mavs story of the season IMO. Without him I truly think this team would be under 0.500, no exaggeration. If Luka sits for a number of games, I really look forward to how JB holds the fort down.

JB has been great, and I'm really interested in seeing how the team plays tonight. I suspsect that it'll be pretty rough for the team and JB without Luka. Hope I'm wrong!

[fifteenth]

I for one don't mind his weight.

My concern about an NBA player carrying too much extra weight is that I've believed the Dirk and Nash (Duncan, etc) stories that an extended prime can result from taking good care of yourself. I think not taking care of yourself can remove years of effectiveness.

[ballsrchr]

Sorta. I'd really love to know why Rick never tried the Luka/KP pnr as a staple. That would have fit his system. Seems like something besides system may have been going on as well. It may be the Rick and Jason have both tried to find ways to keep KP healthy, but Kidd's method seems to combine load management with integrating him more into the offense.

RC had his pets and his dog house.  If you were one of his pets...you were highly touted and you played.  In his dog house?...sometimes you were publicly scorned and denigrated, and you rarely played.

So...maybe RC just didn't like KP.  He may not have liked Luka either, but if he didn't play him he would have been gone sooner.  That's just how good Luka is...and I see him getting better.

Kidd is still too new for us to know what kind of coach he will be.  He has had a rocky start as a coach and a man--but I'm still hopeful that he has learned something in the last few years.  I'm a living example that you can live and learn with time and experience, so...I'm pulling for Kidd...and the Mavericks.

For the most part the Mavs have not played very well.  But they are still 9 and 4.  I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but I'll take it.

[Kammrath]

My concern about an NBA player carrying too much extra weight is that I've believed the Dirk and Nash (Duncan, etc) stories that an extended prime can result from taking good care of yourself. I think not taking care of yourself can remove years of effectiveness.

Yeah, joint issues will develop if a player carries an unnatural amount of weight. 

I personally want Luka a little bigger than the average NBA player, but with muscle. But as he ages he will need to thin a little out as all the great ones have. Lebron cut significant weight and carbs out in 2014 to trim his playing weight by an estimated 25-30 lbs (and Lebron was ALREADY in great shape before that compared to most). That was a key move for Lebron having the long career he has.

[haveitall]

Freight train is a good analogy to his style of play. I'd add that he's a freight train with the starting gun. He controls when the race starts, knows the timing, and then just plows through whatever's in front of him with all the force of a train. Add in some subtle shiftiness and the balance of a gymnast and you start to see why Luka can just easily score 10 points a quarter. 

I for one don't mind his weight. I don't think it's radically hurting him. In fact, I think his weight actually helped him last night against DEN when Rivers rolled up on his ankle. We jest about that extra cushion but the fact his medical results showed no damage is incredible. If Luka were to lose a few pounds I wouldn't be against it either, since he'll naturally adjust his approach. 

Right now I think Luka's major hurdle is getting his mentality right. I'm starting to notice that he'll get in a mindset where he does everything in his power to play against the refs. Against Denver for instance he kept blindly rushing in drive after drive in the hopes of forcing a foul. Each time he didn't get a call he got angrier and angrier that just forced him into this negative cycle, until the pot spilled over and he got a tech. He seemed to snap out of it after the bench made a run and made it a game to end the 3rd. I love that Luka has that never ending passion, but I also think it's his greatest weakness.

His weight is hurting him.  He hasn't had a good start to the season (by his own standards) because he's heavier than last spring.  He looks red faced and out of breath.