12-15-2020, 06:35 PM
@"hakeemfan" It's not that I don't understand that way of thinking - I do.
I just don't harbor any optimism about any of that. The game has changed forever, imo.
I think Dirk would've been Dirk in any era. The Mavs got super lucky with him, personality wise. He was the right guy for the right market. Giannis is similar to him - maybe even more grateful to Milwaukee than Dirk was to Dallas, as Giannis grew up poor.
I know we have some Slovenians in the community who've followed Luka for a long time, but I've read/watched/heard enough about him already to know that, while he is a fine young man and far from being a Hardenesque scumbag, he regards himself HIGHLY. I'm telling you now (feel free to disagree, but I'm not backing off of this): this kid is going to get FRUSTRATED when they don't win. WAY more than Dirk ever did. He walked into the NBA thinking he was SUPPOSED to win. Dirk wondered if he was good enough to play here and almost quit during his first season. The two personalities couldn't be more different.
I will be SHOCKED if he stays in Dallas longterm, unless doing so provides him with the best chance of winning. Not a chance, but the best chance.
And, in a general way, those of us hoping that this whole AAU superteam thing was a passing fad...idk, man. I think those folks are cruising for disappointment. I think it's going to get worse and worse and worse (from those people's perspectives). You've got to remember that to the majority of people under 30, Lebron is a HERO. He liberated athletes from their corporate masters and taught them how to take control over their lives, careers and fortunes. It's only people who view this all from the angle that things were better before who have a problem with this new way, and they're dying. The youngins don't care about teams anymore - they LIKE it this way. In my view, Giannis's decision today will have no effect on this tide, whatsoever.
In my opinion, it's pointless to debate whether this new mentality is good or bad, but I do hope the Mavs are doing everything they can to understand it and adapt.
I just don't harbor any optimism about any of that. The game has changed forever, imo.
I think Dirk would've been Dirk in any era. The Mavs got super lucky with him, personality wise. He was the right guy for the right market. Giannis is similar to him - maybe even more grateful to Milwaukee than Dirk was to Dallas, as Giannis grew up poor.
I know we have some Slovenians in the community who've followed Luka for a long time, but I've read/watched/heard enough about him already to know that, while he is a fine young man and far from being a Hardenesque scumbag, he regards himself HIGHLY. I'm telling you now (feel free to disagree, but I'm not backing off of this): this kid is going to get FRUSTRATED when they don't win. WAY more than Dirk ever did. He walked into the NBA thinking he was SUPPOSED to win. Dirk wondered if he was good enough to play here and almost quit during his first season. The two personalities couldn't be more different.
I will be SHOCKED if he stays in Dallas longterm, unless doing so provides him with the best chance of winning. Not a chance, but the best chance.
And, in a general way, those of us hoping that this whole AAU superteam thing was a passing fad...idk, man. I think those folks are cruising for disappointment. I think it's going to get worse and worse and worse (from those people's perspectives). You've got to remember that to the majority of people under 30, Lebron is a HERO. He liberated athletes from their corporate masters and taught them how to take control over their lives, careers and fortunes. It's only people who view this all from the angle that things were better before who have a problem with this new way, and they're dying. The youngins don't care about teams anymore - they LIKE it this way. In my view, Giannis's decision today will have no effect on this tide, whatsoever.
In my opinion, it's pointless to debate whether this new mentality is good or bad, but I do hope the Mavs are doing everything they can to understand it and adapt.