A Few Thoughts on Mavs 99, Clippers 114

[mavsluvr]

"A Few Thoughts. . ." 2300+ words later lol. 

I guess I got a little carried away with this one, lol. 

As for the game, I saw 99 problems (and yes Luka was one) but I'm gonna hold my breath until it becomes more of a pattern. 

But I will say this: throwing in Barea was a forlorn move and there was no point in it. The game was practically over. Why not give that opportunity to someone who is actually part of the regular rotation? JJax, Seth, Brunson, Delon, whoever. These are the guys we need to build up and rely on. 

I just don't like the idea when things are going bad, Carlisle relapses to Puerto Rican rum. I think long term it sends a bad message to his team.

Carlisle has only brought Barea in twice this season. I thought it was a good move in both cases. I hear what you're saying about giving the younger players the opportunity, and I think that's generally a good thing. But, in this case, the young players were just faffing about, lost in space, not knowing what in the heck to do. In a situation like that, I think bringing in a veteran who can show them how to get out of a jam is a good idea, as they weren't looking like figuring it out themselves. Doing that twice in 17 games seems reasonable. 

I might agree with you if the game had really been practically over. But it was the middle of the third quarter. 

[SportPsychMav]

"A Few Thoughts. . ." 2300+ words later lol. 

I guess I got a little carried away with this one, lol. 

As for the game, I saw 99 problems (and yes Luka was one) but I'm gonna hold my breath until it becomes more of a pattern. 

But I will say this: throwing in Barea was a forlorn move and there was no point in it. The game was practically over. Why not give that opportunity to someone who is actually part of the regular rotation? JJax, Seth, Brunson, Delon, whoever. These are the guys we need to build up and rely on. 

I just don't like the idea when things are going bad, Carlisle relapses to Puerto Rican rum. I think long term it sends a bad message to his team.

Carlisle has only brought Barea in twice this season. I thought it was a good move in both cases. I hear what you're saying about giving the younger players the opportunity, and I think that's generally a good thing. But, in this case, the young players were just faffing about, lost in space, not knowing what in the heck to do. In a situation like that, I think bringing in a veteran who can show them how to get out of a jam is a good idea, as they weren't looking like figuring it out themselves. Doing that twice in 17 games seems reasonable. 

Bringing in Barea was definitely a right move at the time.

Even though he is the smallest, he is one tough physical and confident guy that can get under the skin of the opposition. We lack that as a team in general, so I think it was a good move.

[fifteenth]

I think if we weren't playing the long game and trying to develop younger players and instead just trying to win each game as a one-off game then JJB would be in the rotation. He's probably our 2nd best player at the moment.

[mavsluvr]

I think if we weren't playing the long game and trying to develop younger players and instead just trying to win each game as a one-off game then JJB would be in the rotation. He's probably our 2nd best player at the moment.

Agreed. I wonder if we will see more of him later in the season, if they are in need of a few Ws.

[SportPsychMav]

Justin Jackson is held back, some conspiracy theorists would probably suggest he is protected from being requested as a trade piece.

[fifteenth]

Agreed. I wonder if we will see more of him later in the season, if they are in need of a few Ws.

I've had the same thought. Might even incorporate him into the rotation at the end of the season so that he can be part of the playoff rotation.

[mavsluvr]

 
They do make it clear that these are weaknesses if the Mavs want to be considered an elite team. While they are already pretty good, issues like these need to be addressed to take it to the next level. 

 

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First things first, How about them Lumberjacks!

Take that, Duke!  Woo-hoo!

There are tiers at the top of each conference.  We are currently tied for fourth, but it doesn't mean we are top tier.  We've beaten fellow top of the west contenders Houston and Denver and almost took down the Lakers, but it doesn't mean we are top tier.  We can say "it was just a bad night", but this definitely showed gaps that have to be filled in order to take the next step.  Still, if someone had said on 10/1 that we'd be playing .650 ball and would be 3 1/2 games ahead of the 9th place team on 11/27, we'd have all been happy to take it.

I don't think the Mavericks expected Luka to be this good this soon, and now they find themselves in somewhat of an awkward position. Luka is arguably ready to go to the next level, and the rest of the roster isn't. Wonder if they would have made any different decisions in the offseason if they had realized.  

These are all different ways of saying the same things you just said, but here are my thoughts in terms of filling the gaps:

1.  We don't have a creator for when teams knock Luka off his game.  The design of this team was to have a second creator in the starting lineup.  But, Luka is so ball dominant that it is hard to take advantage of the skill of another creator (or is it that we don't have another creator and therefore Luka has to be more ball dominant).  Either way, Wright, Curry and Brunson have either not been up to the job or have preferred coming off the bench.  We still haven't lost a game where Hardaway has gotten two or more assists and last night he got one.  He's been a willing passer during our recent win streak.  But, he's not a natural creator.

Yup. 

2.  We have to be able to play with force at the wing.  DFS is having a great season, but try as he might, he's too skinny to guard the studs of the league.  Jackson and THJ are no help here either.  I love me some DFS, but in an ideal world, we'd have someone better here forcing Finney to be the hustle play glue guy who dominates bench players.

From what I know about DFS, I really like him as a person and as a Maverick teammate. But he's a borderline starter, at best, and maybe a 7th or 8th man on a contender. I don't mind having him here, at all. Like some of the others, he's just playing a notch above his level. Not his fault. Or Carlisle's. They have who they have. 

3.  We have to be able to play with force in the paint.  KP is a super-skinny offensively gifted big who is a great help defender.  Powell and Maxi have proven to be helpful, but they've traditionally done most of their damage against bench bigs.  The Clippers paint dominance (scoring and especially offensive rebounds) just killed us.  Same thing happened late against the Lakers.  Powell was no match one on one in the post against AD.  I get that Dallas has a vision of playing KP as a 5 and having either floor spreading Maxi or PNR savant Powell in the game with him.  But, neither is the way to go against the best in the league.  We need more beef, but that beef either needs to be able to hit an outside shot or replicate some of Powell's superior screen game.  Donnie has said "you almost can't draft a big anymore if he can't hit a 3".  But, you also can't play a big with KP who can't hold his own defensively and on the boards...even if they can hit a 3.  

I actually don't think they are trying to play KP as a 5, other than situationally, as he has been very clear that he has no interest in that. But the difference between power forwards and centers isn't all that substantial in a five-out system. And your point that we are missing a beefy big man with skills and mobility is a good one. 

All of this is to say what has been said many times before.  We have two stars and 8 guys who are essentially good 5-7 types.  It makes us deep and often that is good enough.  But against the best, we are really missing guys who can be our third and fourth best player on a consistent basis.

I think it's good to get a reality check now and again. Otherwise, it's too easy to start believing your own press releases and kidding yourself that you've solved your problems. Not that I think the Mavs were doing that. 

Good comments.

[mavsluvr]

As long as KP is unable to take advantage of mismatches, he can't be that player.

For this team to take that next step, KP has to punish teams.  The last couple of games, KP would take off and it looked like he was going to do something spectacular at the rim but then seems unsure at the last moment.  I hope that comes with time.  I know he has the talent.  I think he should be shooting better right now.  

That would be consistent with still being in a learning mode. It's going to take a while, I think. 


Clipper have 3 offensive studs and 3-4 all world defenders at the end of the game.  Dallas has one offensive stud.

Yeah. 

Clippers are better than the Lakers and would have given a healthy KD lead GSW all they wanted.

One other thing is how old tiny JJB can get what he wants and seems unaffected by the Clippers D.

Good point. I love it!

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Justin Jackson is held back, some conspiracy theorists would probably suggest he is protected from being requested as a trade piece.

And then there's Occam's razor, lol.

[Scott41theMavs]

And then there's Occam's razor, lol.

Occam's razor for a guy not getting minutes is that he hasn't earned them. Given what we've seen from Justin on the court last year and the beginning of this year, he would have to be one lazy dog in practice for that to come anywhere close to the truth. He is obviously and objectively a better and more talented ballplayer than DFS and THJ.

[fifteenth]

Occam's razor for a guy not getting minutes is that he hasn't earned them. Given what we've seen from Justin on the court last year and the beginning of this year, he would have to be one lazy dog in practice for that to come anywhere close to the truth. He is obviously and objectively a better and more talented ballplayer than DFS and THJ.

I don't think you're using the words "obviously" and "objectively" appropriately. His offensive game is smooth with his floater and he's shooting well but those aren't the only skills needed on the court. It's hard to argue against how THJ and DFS have performed.in their roles. I don't know that J.Jax would play as well with Luka as THJ has and I don't know that he'd be the kind of glue guy / swiss army knife that DFS has.

Nick and Isaac on Locked on Mavs were against THJ when he was shooting pull up jumpers and missing shots, but with the way he's played recently they think he should start. And they've always wanted DFS to start (no one has the combination of defense and possession adding that he has at wing, his shooting has been fine and he does significant things in crunch time pretty much every game).

But the main reason I bring up those guys is that they think he needs to improve the rest of his game (outside of floaters and hitting shots) to be able to break into the rotation.

You don't have to agree with any of this, just making the point that it's not obviously or objectively true that Justin is better right now than THJ and DFS.

[mavsluvr]

And then there's Occam's razor, lol.

Occam's razor for a guy not getting minutes is that he hasn't earned them. Given what we've seen from Justin on the court last year and the beginning of this year, he would have to be one lazy dog in practice for that to come anywhere close to the truth. He is obviously and objectively a better and more talented ballplayer than DFS and THJ.

Occam's razor definitely doesn't lead you to the conclusion that the Mavs are hiding Jackson from trade suitors, lol. I suppose anything is possible. 

Not sure why you say that Jackson is "obviously and objectively a better and more talented player than DFS and THJ." What is the obvious and objective proof of that? I am willing to be convinced, but I don't remember him soaring over the other journeymen. Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention.

[jesusshuttlesworth82]

And then there's Occam's razor, lol.

 He is obviously and objectively a better and more talented ballplayer than DFS 

Hard disagree.  He is a good shooter and has that floater.  The rest of his game is G-league level.  Looks completely lost on the fast break, on defense, on the boards.  Can't make layups on the fast break.  Not a good/fluid athlete.  Falls for easy pump fakes on defense.  Harden would shoot 30 free throws if JJ guarded him.  Gets bullied on the boards.  

He provides some value when his 3pt shot is going down.  When it's not, he's completely worthless.  Harrison Barnes was a huge upgrade for the Kings and we know HB is quite average.

[mavsluvr]

Powell is a bench guy who has been Peter Principled. He seems like a fine person and a good locker room guy, but on a contending team, he belongs on the second unit, unless a starter is unavailable. 

I am not that harsh on Powell. I think he could be a good number 5 guy, if we would have good number 3 and number 4. But we don't and so he is exposed more and looks bad. Like Zubac - he is absolutely nothing special on either side of the floor, but looks good because defense needs to focus full time on the other four starters.

No intention to disrespect Powell. It's not his fault that he was pretty good at something, so he was promoted to a higher level of responsibility carrying expectations that he may not be able to fulfill. Agree that he would look better if he were surrounded with better teammates. Not sure I agree that he would be a good starting center on a contender, if that is the aim, but he might well do a very fine job against other bench players

[ItsGoTime]

Why would someone give us a good player like Grant for free? Denver actually paid a first round pick for him. You can only hope to use TE to absorb a bad contract in exchange for picks. So look at Felicio or Exum type of contracts. I think first rounder is unlikely to take this kind of contract.

Apparently you read that as if I was proposing a trade. I had forgotten about Den giving up a 1st for him, nbd if we can't get him.

[mavsluvr]

Powell and KP killed us against the Clippers. No rebounding and no heart. Need someone that takes easy baskets personally and actually puts in the effort to clean up the glass

KP had ten rebounds. More than anyone else on the court, from either team.

[Dahlsim]

And then there's Occam's razor, lol.

Occam's razor for a guy not getting minutes is that he hasn't earned them. Given what we've seen from Justin on the court last year and the beginning of this year, he would have to be one lazy dog in practice for that to come anywhere close to the truth. He is obviously and objectively a better and more talented ballplayer than DFS and THJ.

I wouldn't assume that because a guy isn't getting minutes he just hasn't 'earned' them because he's not yet good enough.   
Coaches have their own reasons and preferences and systems.  They can't play everyone with the minutes that are available so they're looking to implement their system and find rotations that make it work.  

JaVale McGee for example. He played in Dallas and in limited minutes he seemed to look good at times and had some really good games but he never 'earned' the minutes here.  He went on to Golden State and won NBA championships as a real contributor.  Now he's starting for the Lakers and contributing there too on another top contender, maybe the best team in the NBA again. 

Some players may well be more than good enough but have to end up in the right situation to display that.

[ThisIStheYear]

A good loss.

[SportPsychMav]

A good loss.

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