GAME 15: DEN (9-6) @ DAL (9-6) | 127-99 win

[Jym]

I feel like Luka's turnovers haven't been mentioned enough

He has somehow dropped from 4.5 down to 3.2 a game with a major spike in usage

[omahen]

Nice win. 

Denver was playing 3 rookies in the last minutes of a blowout game. Mavs were playing 3 30+ year olds, a 27 year old and a vet in his 6th NBA season.

[Kammrath]

I feel like Luka's turnovers haven't been mentioned enough

He has somehow dropped from 4.5 down to 3.2 a game with a major spike in usage

AND his FTAs are up to 11.5 from 7.5....

AND his 3PAs are down from 8.8 to 7.9...

ALL three of those things are huge developments for him. He was awesome tonight.

[KillerLeft]

I feel like Luka's turnovers haven't been mentioned enough

He has somehow dropped from 4.5 down to 3.2 a game with a major spike in usage

What an excellent point.

[cow]

He's also up to 1.3 ref arguments per possession.

[Mapka]

He's also up to 1.3 ref arguments per possession.

That's like half of how much I have to the TV rewatching the game.

[juanc]

Don’t listen to KL 

Isn't this, like, rule #1 on this forum?

[Mavs2021]

Nice win. 

Denver was playing 3 rookies in the last minutes of a blowout game. Mavs were playing 3 30+ year olds, a 27 year old and a vet in his 6th NBA season.

It´s what the Mavs do. There is no commitment to youth development, although literally all their success comes from the draft: Dirk, Luka, Brunson, Howard. That Hardy was not on the Magic/Wizards back-to-back, the Houston game or the Nuggets without three starters just speaks to the organisational disarray and failure of this franchise. They don´t even have a plan.There is no clear road map for the development of my rookies.

I just pulled up two Firefox tabs. One with the Legends schedule, one with the Mavs schedule.

The Legends didn´t even have a game between Nov 5th and Nov 12th and it still didn´t occur to the Mavs that the Magic/Wizards B2B on Nov 9th/10th could be a good opportunity for him to play some minutes. I really wonder what these coaches/staff do all week. I bet if they gave the ballboy both schedules and 5 minutes, he could figure this out.

You all think it´s a coincidence the only players the Mavs have developed in the last 15 years happened to be during tanking years? Okay god knows Luka and Brunson didn´t need much developing, but you think DFS with his 29% 3pt shooting is still here today, if the Mavs played for wins. They´d have benched him for 35 year old Richard Jefferson like they did Jae Crowder in chase of another 1st round exit.

The funny part is that they then proceed to draft raw talent like Josh Green and Tyrell Terry over ready now rookies like Bey or Bane, while they have absolutely no plan or commitment how to develop these raw players.

This season on the Grizzlies:

23rd pick: 280 minutes
19th pick: 215 minutes
38th pick: 58 minutes
48th pick: 18 minutes
Undrafted: 14 minutes

That´s five rookies for a total of 600 minutes. There is ONE player on the whole Grizzlies roster that is older than 27! 

Compared to the Mavs:

37th pick: 10 minutes.

Geez I wonder why the Grizzlies have more success with young players. They have five rookies playing 600 minutes. We have one playing 10 minutes in a month.

That´s also a culture. The Grizzlies view rookies as investment to success. The Mavs view them as distraction to success.

[dirkfansince1998]

McGee interview had some interesting parts that haven´t been mentioned. If what he is saying is true the coaches set him up for failure. Asking him to play higher up in the pick and roll. Hedge or even switch. Instead of the drop defense he has played in the last few years. If the Mavs wanted a guy that can do those things they shouldn´t have signed McGee.

[DanSchwartzgan]

McGee interview had some interesting parts that haven´t been mentioned. If what he is saying is true the coaches set him up for failure. Asking him to play higher up in the pick and roll. Hedge or even switch. Instead of the drop defense he has played in the last few years. If the Mavs wanted a guy that can do those things they shouldn´t have signed McGee.

Mav’s went on a 17-2 run when he came in.  Ironic thing is most of that run came with Luka, SD, RB and DFS (the other starters when he was starting).  He’s here, and probably for the long run.  So, we better hope they can find a productive role for him.  He’s had some nice spurts since he started coming off the bench.

Wood as a solo-big last night was +21.  He managed to almost completely avoid Jordan (who actually played decent) and did 100% of his +/- damage when Jordan was off the court.  This is what I mean when I say Wood is being ‘protected’.  It isn’t a swipe at him.  It is a way for him to find some success and build on it.  The minutes are starting to come.  Four games before the injury his minutes were 23, 23, 23, 21.  Four games since are 25, 24, 31, 26.  The closer he comes to playing 30+, the more of those minutes will come against starters.  The thing we (I) probably need to start watching is not just Wood solo-big minutes, but who they come against.  If he finds success there…fantastic (especially if it increasingly comes against starters).  If he doesn’t, or if they don’t try it, then Wood as a solo-big is a specialty lineup.  Nothing wrong with that if it works.

As I’ve said many times, Wood doesn’t have to be the solo-big to start.  The Maxi/Wood minutes are fantastic.  There is probably a 32 minute role where some comes with Maxi (or someone like Maxi) and some comes as a solo-big against subs. The goal isn’t to make Wood into something he’s not just because it fits a philosophy.  The goal is to find winning lineups when he’s on the court and when he isn’t and for those lineups to be viable against various types of opponents.

Man this team is fun to watch when they hit 40% of their 3’s.  More of that please.

[dirkfansince1998]

Mav’s went on a 17-2 run when he came in.  Ironic thing is most of that run came with Luka, SD, RB and DFS (the other starters when he was starting).  He’s here, and probably for the long run.  So, we better hope they can find a productive role for him.  He’s had some nice spurts since he started coming off the bench.

Definitely his best game of the season. Just suprised by some of the things he mentioned post game. When they signed him most of us expected him as an option to change things up on both ends. And that includes playing to his strengths. Playing drop defense against the pick and roll and keeping him close to the rim. Him mentioning that they are asking him to step out of the paint and play higher up suprised me.

[Chicagojk]

https://twitter.com/papajulz19/status/15...97312?s=46&t=Var6gBEuILAS8M__alaZlg

[DanSchwartzgan]

Definitely his best game of the season. Just suprised by some of the things he mentioned post game. When they signed him most of us expected him as an option to change things up on both ends. And that includes playing to his strengths. Playing drop defense against the pick and roll and keeping him close to the rim. Him mentioning that they are asking him to step out of the paint and play higher up suprised me.

Something else he said was that he likes playing with “a scoring four”.  He thinks the minutes where he and Wood are together have been amazing and will be great going forward.  There have only been 12 of those minutes so far, but he’s right.  It is a +36 (124/88).  

Is the path to Wood starting a path that runs alongside McGee?.  McGee/Wood against certain bigs and Powell/Wood where switching is more important (with Maxi/Wood finishing)?  I think any of those combos is more likely than Wood starting with DFS as the next tallest player.

People seem to think I’m anti-Wood or anti more minutes for Wood or anti Wood starting.  I’m not.  I’m just pointing out what is and trying to interpret why.  What is is they are bringing Wood along slowly and I don’t have nearly the problem with that that some seem to.  I’m also even more convinced than I was in the summer that Wood as a solo-big is a specialty lineup (and should be a really good one at certain parts of the game).  I think come March/April we will look back and laugh at some of the conversations around this (assuming, as I do, that we’ve been on a path to developing the best version of Wood in Dallas all along).

[StrandedOnBeauboisHill]

People seem to think I’m anti-Wood or anti more minutes for Wood or anti Wood starting.

For the record I certainly don't think that and appreciate the lens you shine on the situation.

Javale was very promising and we should all be rooting on him to come around because he adds such a different dynamic for us but I hope they keep him in this bit role unless he clearly starts to outplay Powell.  If McGee and Wood work together then it should in theory lead to more Wood minutes by default if McGee can find a way to get minutes back.  My only problem with the Wood/McGee pairing is the same as the Wood/Powell pairing, it takes Wood out of the rim runner role which is where he's done soooooooo much damage so I hope we can find another big at some point to give us the same effect of the Maxi/Wood pairing (which is why I'm very onboard with the PJ Washington idea that you floated).

[dynamicalVoid]

https://twitter.com/papajulz19/status/15...97312?s=46&t=Var6gBEuILAS8M__alaZlg

This dude will be on a team with Luka one day.

They are always hanging out talking after games when their teams play.

[ItsGoTime]

https://twitter.com/papajulz19/status/15...97312?s=46&t=Var6gBEuILAS8M__alaZlg

If I’m being honest, there have been those type situations for Luka and the result is the same.

[dynamicalVoid]

If I’m being honest, there have been those type situations for Luka and the result is the same.

Exactly

[KillerLeft]

People seem to think I’m anti-Wood or anti more minutes for Wood or anti Wood starting.  I’m not.  I’m just pointing out what is and trying to interpret why.

I don't think you're anti-Wood at all. And, I appreciate your insight, as always. 

I just don't think Wood is a special player at the 4. If that's really the way it goes, I'm just not as excited about him, that's all. Bringing him around slowly is GREAT, but at the end of the day the 5 (and without some other player onto whom the opposing 5 can be hidden) is where Wood has a chance to be a true nightmare for opposing teams, imho. To me, that's the dream, and it's worth quite a bit of risk and patience if there's any chance it can be a reality. 

But, that's my opinion of the message, not the messenger. I think you've been right on the money in terms of predicting how Wood will be used here, so far. It's just not how I hoped they'd approach things.

---

Javale was very promising and we should all be rooting on him to come around because he adds such a different dynamic for us but I hope they keep him in this bit role unless he clearly starts to outplay Powell.

I think he has looked better because he's playing a role much better suited for him.

[DanSchwartzgan]

For the record I certainly don't think that and appreciate the lens you shine on the situation.

If McGee and Wood work together then it should in theory lead to more Wood minutes by default if McGee can find a way to get minutes back.  My only problem with the Wood/McGee pairing is the same as the Wood/Powell pairing,

Thanks.

The Locked On podcast spent a good bit of time today on McGee’s post game comments.  A segment was about the defensive comments that @"dirkfansince1998" pointed out.  I wonder if they will continue to make McGee play like Powell or will let him play drop which is his comfort zone.  Let’s say we get to a point where Wood is starting with one of them.  I could see which one being opponent dependent depending on the type of center defense is most likely to work.  The other side of this is which from among Powell and McGee is the better solo-big for those mid second quarter minutes when Luka returns and Wood sits.

The offense with Wood paired with either doesn’t have to force Wood to the corner.  There are many more things that can be done.  Super small sample size alert, but the O-Ratings for McGee/Wood and Powell/Wood are significantly better than the O-Rating for Maxi/Wood.

[KillerLeft]

As I’ve said many times, Wood doesn’t have to be the solo-big to start.  The Maxi/Wood minutes are fantastic.

I wonder...we've been focussed on "big" reasons this hasn't been the plan for starting. Limiting Kleber to keep him healthy and effective, the fit of all the bigs together and how best to get that rotation optimized, etc.

Is this maybe about something else? Like, is Kidd trying to avoid sitting either Dinwiddie, Bullock or DFS out of some sense of loyalty and trust built during last season? If so, I think that's pretty misguided.