04-30-2021, 07:51 AM
Piece of the Cuban interview yesterday with Tim Cato in The Athletic yesterday. Nothing surprising.
How has Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis’ relationship evolved over the past two years, and are you surprised it’s been scrutinized the way it has?
I’m not surprised about anything being scrutinized. That’s the way the NBA works and more often than not it’s the work of one team or another trying to invent the rumor mill so that players and teams have to respond. Whether it’s trade rumors or whatever.
And as far as their relationship, it’s a good, solid business relationship like two coworkers in any other business may have. You may not go to happy hour with your peers all the time. You might go out to dinner with them now and again and you are work friends and get along great at work. That’s pretty much how they get along. Over time, relationships improve, particularly if a team is winning.
No one expected Doncic to be this good so soon. How much did his immediate stardom change the way you wanted or planned to build this team after drafting him?
When you have a generational talent like Luka, you build around him. It’s pretty straightforward and obvious. And the more games you play with him as the focal point, the more you learn what pieces you need and then you do your best to go out and get them.
Doncic is eligible to sign a max extension before next season. Would you agree that using cap space to sign free agents becomes a less viable method for team building once you have two maximum salaried players on the roster? Does it put a particular emphasis on the significant cap space you’re projected to have this offseason, since it could be viewed as an expiring asset of sorts?
Depends on what the marketplace is. On one hand, players want to play with Luka and KP. On the other hand, sometimes it’s easier to combine assets to get top-tier players. We will do whatever we need to build around LD and KP.
How much do you believe other star players, circumstances permitting, want to play with Doncic?
From what I’m hearing from them, a lot.
How has Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis’ relationship evolved over the past two years, and are you surprised it’s been scrutinized the way it has?
I’m not surprised about anything being scrutinized. That’s the way the NBA works and more often than not it’s the work of one team or another trying to invent the rumor mill so that players and teams have to respond. Whether it’s trade rumors or whatever.
And as far as their relationship, it’s a good, solid business relationship like two coworkers in any other business may have. You may not go to happy hour with your peers all the time. You might go out to dinner with them now and again and you are work friends and get along great at work. That’s pretty much how they get along. Over time, relationships improve, particularly if a team is winning.
No one expected Doncic to be this good so soon. How much did his immediate stardom change the way you wanted or planned to build this team after drafting him?
When you have a generational talent like Luka, you build around him. It’s pretty straightforward and obvious. And the more games you play with him as the focal point, the more you learn what pieces you need and then you do your best to go out and get them.
Doncic is eligible to sign a max extension before next season. Would you agree that using cap space to sign free agents becomes a less viable method for team building once you have two maximum salaried players on the roster? Does it put a particular emphasis on the significant cap space you’re projected to have this offseason, since it could be viewed as an expiring asset of sorts?
Depends on what the marketplace is. On one hand, players want to play with Luka and KP. On the other hand, sometimes it’s easier to combine assets to get top-tier players. We will do whatever we need to build around LD and KP.
How much do you believe other star players, circumstances permitting, want to play with Doncic?
From what I’m hearing from them, a lot.