MAVS NEWS: Luka Is Hurt, But is Trudging On | DLive's Mom Passes Away| Maxi OUT

[omahen]

You have to stop someone in the playoffs and having Lively, DJJ and Exum on the court is the most promising way to do that.  We don't platoon our bench so Kidd basically has to manage substitutions that positively answer the following questions (but not necessarily all at once):  

1.  Can good Josh give you Exum like productivity when he's in for Exum?
2.  Is Killer correct and GWill's D is good enough to cover bigger bench wings/PF's when DJJ is sitting?
3.  Can THJ's O cover the few minutes one of Luka or Kyrie sits in a playoff game?
4.  Do we have an answer for the non-Lively minutes at the five?

In theory one through three should be fine if everyone is healthy.  Four worries me (which is why I keep harping on this).  I just think this rotation makes a ton of sense for the here and now if we can better cover the non-Lively minutes.

I think the answer for three is more complex. THJ is too expensive to play just those minutes Luka or Kyrie will not. But his defense is not good enough next to Luka and Kyrie. He is a good player and has an excellent offensive season. Cash in while we can. I realize it might be difficult to do that at TDL, so lets hope he can stay as productive and doesn't get injured for whole season. But, if Mavs want to be a contender, they need a better defender in his minutes while not sacrificing much of the offense he brings. But, offense has never been Mavs problem.

I saw an interesting thought on one of the podcasts in past week or so (don't remember which exactly it was). Assuming Mavs finish season solidly, get in the playoffs and win a playoff series or perhaps two. Is the best way forward cashing in on Irving? He has a decent contract and some team desperate for a star might be enamoured enough to give up some serious assets (the assumed result implies Kryie was playing well). His fit offensively next to Luka is great, but it will be always difficult to build a solid defense with those two on the court. And he sort of doesn't fit the timeline. 

The problem is, I wouldn't want to trade him just for some assets, I would want a good player back. And there is probably a limited number of teams Kyrie would be happy to go to. I am not interested in overhyped guys like Reaves and/or role players like Vando. I would want a legit starter either from the team Kyrie would be going to or third team. 

Here is an interesting idea - Kyrie for Lukas son in Phoenix (I guess Mavs would need to throw in more assets to help Phoenix with flexibility). Phoenix is more or less stuck and time is working against them. They also desperately need a PG that has no problem playing off-ball. Booker is a great player and he also showed he is capable of playing defense if he wants to. Could be a great fit next to Luka.