The Mavs could and should have gone for Caruso when he left LAL. It was a missed opportunity. Similarly, Bruce Brown was exactly what last season's roster needed and could have been had for cheap last summer... DeAnthony Melton is another. All three of these guys have similar characteristics... good defenders, some ability to space the floor, some play-making ability, and some ability to put the ball on the floor and take it to the rim when Luka is drawing more of the opposing defense's attention.
Well, I definitely agree that the Mavs need to grow their own talent!
The Mavs FO have not valued the draft for a long time. There have been times when I have wondered if they even scout or do workouts. They certainly do not do either activity to the level of some other teams like the Lakers. So, in order to make up for past deficiencies of the Mavs FO though, why can't one solution be to poach young players who have already shown something after being drafted, but have not yet shown not so much that they become too expensive to trade for? It's better to try for a Max Christie now before he blows up and becomes the next Austin Reaves.
Christie is going to be behind Reaves and D'lo at the SG position. I think Reaves will be the starter there but they will likely also use Gabe-D'lo together. They are bound to add a 3rd SG at some point in the season too, to replace the out-going Lonnie Walker and Malik Beasley. So, Hardy for Christie just might be possible.
(07-18-2023, 08:41 PM)F Gump Wrote: Mavs need to grow their own developing talent, so to speak. The solution isn't to pore through someone else's and hope they let you have one (which of course they will only make the leftovers available to you), but to find the raw material yourself from 2nds and UDFAs and have the skilled personnel to make those into key players. That's where Caruso, Reaves, Christie, and so on came from. Also Strus, Vincent, Duncan Robinson, etc. And Alvarado, Herb Jones. J Vanderbilt. Naz Reid. The list goes on and on.
Well, I definitely agree that the Mavs need to grow their own talent!
The Mavs FO have not valued the draft for a long time. There have been times when I have wondered if they even scout or do workouts. They certainly do not do either activity to the level of some other teams like the Lakers. So, in order to make up for past deficiencies of the Mavs FO though, why can't one solution be to poach young players who have already shown something after being drafted, but have not yet shown not so much that they become too expensive to trade for? It's better to try for a Max Christie now before he blows up and becomes the next Austin Reaves.
Christie is going to be behind Reaves and D'lo at the SG position. I think Reaves will be the starter there but they will likely also use Gabe-D'lo together. They are bound to add a 3rd SG at some point in the season too, to replace the out-going Lonnie Walker and Malik Beasley. So, Hardy for Christie just might be possible.