GAME 4: DAL (2-2) @ BRK (1-4) | 129-125 win

[KillerLeft]

The SD minutes PERIOD are an issue. -37.5 on/off for him through 4 games. And I don't think those numbers are deceptive at all. The team is struggling massively on BOTH ends when he plays.

He was great as a 6th man, playing on a team with established roles that led to impressive spacing. Building a season around him in a more important role is proving to be problematic early on.

[Kammrath]

He was great as a 6th man, playing on a team with established roles that led to impressive spacing. Building a season around him in a more important role is proving to be problematic early on.

I personally think the solution is relatively easy (or at least the first attempt at a solution): Give Wood starter minutes and make Wood THE second featured player on the team. Minimize SD's role and make him a backup PG almost exclusively.

[KillerLeft]

I personally think the solution is relatively easy (or at least the first attempt at a solution): Give Wood starter minutes and make Wood THE second featured player on the team. Minimize SD's role and make him a backup PG almost exclusively.

I think we all feel that way.

The problem with that wish is that it REQUIRES Wood to be used more as a solo big. That’s basically the reason he’s not playing more, and particularly why he’s not closing games. Because A) Kidd knows he can only play one if he doesn’t want to get run out of the gym and B) he trusts Kleber significantly more on defense. 

Hopefully this isn’t the final plan and he’ll get some chances to prove that he can do it, but to this point @"DanSchwartzgan" has been right on the money about how the Mavs feel about Wood’s defense. It’s resulting in some frustration from all of us.

[Jommybone]

You guys are nuts. Just 4 games in you’re complaining about the guy shooting 51% from the field and 57% from deep, who has upped his minutes, efficiency, and scoring average over his sensational half-season with Dallas last year. 

Of course he suffers from playing 100% of the no-Luka minutes. That doesn’t make him the cause of the team’s problems when Luka sits.

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I think we all feel that way.

Not so, amigo.

[KillerLeft]

You guys are nuts. Just 4 games in you’re complaining about the guy shooting 51% from the field and 57% from deep, who has upped his minutes, efficiency, and scoring average over his sensational half-season with Dallas last year. 

Of course he suffers from playing 100% of the no-Luka minutes. That doesn’t make him the cause of the team’s problems when Luka sits.

He has been great when the spacing has allowed him to get downhill with the ball at will, just like he was able to do last season. However, there has been much more of him trying to create offense out of nothing this season than last, and those positions are typically not going very well.

I do agree that four games is not a proper sample and that it’s not time to freak out yet at all. I think Dinwiddie will find his niche soon enough.

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Not so, amigo.

Seriously? You haven’t found yourself wishing for more Wood minutes? I stand corrected! I honestly believe that is a fairly uncommon opinion, to this point.

[ThisIStheYear]

The Mavs really needed a win but it was kind of a concerning game. Brooklyn isn’t that good and were on a back to back. To win, Luka had to lead the team in rebounds and steals, get as many assists as the rest of the team combined, and score more than twice as many points as anyone on the roster.  The one man show we’re seeing early this season is just not sustainable, even as great as Luka has been.

[Jommybone]

Seriously? You haven’t found yourself wishing for more Wood minutes? I stand corrected! I honestly believe that is a fairly uncommon opinion, to this point.

Ah, not what I thought you meant. Kind of, yes. Especially 4th Q at Phoenix. But not at the expense of SD minutes, which is what I thought you were agreeing with. Spencer is easily among our 5 best players and ought to be in the closing lineup in my view. Christian is somewhere between second and sixth best, with the other 5 being (in this order):

Luka
DFS
Spencer
Maxi
Reggie

[sterlingmallory]

I personally think the solution is relatively easy (or at least the first attempt at a solution): Give Wood starter minutes and make Wood THE second featured player on the team. Minimize SD's role and make him a backup PG almost exclusively.

I think we all feel that way.

The problem with that wish is that it REQUIRES Wood to be used more as a solo big. That’s basically the reason he’s not playing more, and particularly why he’s not closing games. Because A) Kidd knows he can only play one if he doesn’t want to get run out of the gym and B) he trusts Kleber significantly more on defense. 

Hopefully this isn’t the final plan and he’ll get some chances to prove that he can do it, but to this point @"DanSchwartzgan" has been right on the money about how the Mavs feel about Wood’s defense. It’s resulting in some frustration from all of us.

I commented in the Christian Wood thread basically this. We need to either treat him like the second best player on the team and give him the minutes and shots that entails (and as you said, that means playing him more as the solo big), or I think we should just trade him by the deadline. He's going to demand too much money if we're only going to use him as a 25mpg bench player that you can't trust in crunch time.

[SleepingHero]

McGee's play was again horrific. Im glad Kidd didn't let him last more than 2 mins in the 3rd after he essentially alone gave up a 5 point run in 50 seconds. 

His body language and overall effort was atrocious. Is there something to read here? Perhaps he's getting mad that Wood is knocking on the starting door?

[Jommybone]

I think McGee’s problem was the lack of a center to defend. Recall how much Gobert and Ayton struggled against the Mavs when we played Maxi at center? It’s not all about the 3 ball. Simmons and Durant as the only bigs puts lots of strain on an opposing center. Probably the same reason Wood had his first mediocre performance.

[Mavs2021]

I think McGee´s problem is that he´s simply old and shit. Somehow Mavs fans talked themselves into him being more than a Mark Madsen towel waiver on a few championship teams with the late career drive of a VAJ. Veteran leadership, championship pedigree and all that BS we heard.  

McGee already peaked when Luka called him Joel in practice.

[Branduil]

So far the Mavs' strategy of replacing Brunson with absolutely nothing gets a big F.

[mvossman]

The SD minutes PERIOD are an issue. -37.5 on/off for him through 4 games. And I don't think those numbers are deceptive at all. The team is struggling massively on BOTH ends when he plays.

The biggest problem are the minutes he is on the court without Luka or Wood.  That should never happen when this team is healthy.  

I'm not going to worry about Dinwiddie after the small sample of 4 games.  No reason to think we wont get roughly what we got last year from him.  If anything I would expect his offensive efficiency would go down and right now it is even higher.

If there is any player I am worrying about right now its McGee.  He gets the same small sample caveat as everyone else, but when you are dealing with a mid 30s player you always wonder when he is going to start falling off the cliff, and I am worried we are already there.  That would add him to the long list of stupid non min contracts we have handed out in the last couple of years (WCS, Boban, Burke, Brown, ...)

[KillerLeft]

If there is any player I am worrying about right now its McGee.  He gets the same small sample caveat as everyone else, but when you are dealing with a mid 30s player you always wonder when he is going to start falling off the cliff, and I am worried we are already there.  That would add him to the long list of stupid non min contracts we have handed out in the last couple of years (WCS, Boban, Burke, Brown, ...)

This is a player who was benched by his last coach (a coach of the year type) in the playoffs...AGAINST THE MAVS, who had a front row seat to observe all the ways in which he doesn't measure up to what's required in today's game.

[mvossman]

I personally think the solution is relatively easy (or at least the first attempt at a solution): Give Wood starter minutes and make Wood THE second featured player on the team. Minimize SD's role and make him a backup PG almost exclusively.

I'm on board with giving Wood starter minutes, but it seems like an overreaction to reduce Din to backup minutes.  He is the fourth best player on the team.  Who are you planning on giving his minutes to?

[Kammrath]

I'm on board with giving Wood starter minutes, but it seems like an overreaction to reduce Din to backup minutes.  He is the fourth best player on the team.  Who are you planning on giving his minutes to?

You are misunderstanding my point. I am 100% in agreement with you.

I want SD to not be treated as the second best player on the team, meaning he is on the floor without Luka OR Wood. He needs to be with one of them all the time. It all starts with Wood playing 32-35 mins and ALWAYS being on the court when Luka rests AND sharing the floor with Luka in all crunch time minutes.

[mvossman]

This is a player who was benched by his last coach (a coach of the year type) in the playoffs...AGAINST THE MAVS, who had a front row seat to observe all the ways in which he doesn't measure up to what's required in today's game.

McGee was not brought in here to handle a 5 out playoff offense.  He was brought in to give 15 minutes a game during the regular season to reduce the wear and tear on the center rotation.  I was not a fan of the signing, but its not easy to find a significant playoff contributor for the tax MLE.

[mvossman]

Ah, not what I thought you meant. Kind of, yes. Especially 4th Q at Phoenix. But not at the expense of SD minutes, which is what I thought you were agreeing with. Spencer is easily among our 5 best players and ought to be in the closing lineup in my view. Christian is somewhere between second and sixth best, with the other 5 being (in this order):

Luka
DFS
Spencer
Maxi
Reggie

I agree with all of this including the order above.  This is probably an overreaction to a small sample, but in my mind Wood clearly fits in that second spot behind Luka.

[Scott41theMavs]

I agree with all of this including the order above.  This is probably an overreaction to a small sample, but in my mind Wood clearly fits in that second spot behind Luka.

I don't agree with it. If Dinwiddie isn't our third-best player, we're in trouble. GK is great, but Din is of course far better at creating his own shot.

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So far the Mavs' strategy of replacing Brunson with absolutely nothing gets a big F.

I think the Mavs were willing to give up JB because they had acquired Wood as a good shot creator (which, except when facing Simmons' and Durant's defense, he has been). Thing is, they could have had both. Dumb, bubblegum! (bubblegum being Cuban)

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Yes, we beat two good teams.  Both coming off the second leg of a back-to-back.

Let's see how they respond when they are coming off of a back-to-back. Those are tough.  It works both ways.