HALLELUKA: Luka Clinches All-NBA 1st team. 4th in 5 years

[KillerLeft]

Luka was again team worst -17 against SAS (while two of the starters had +13 and +18, so it wasn't just a collective starter group failure). That is now 5 of the 8 games he has been last (or 2nd to last on one of them) on the team in +/-. Sample size now up to 8.



When Luka isn't playing, I am seeing ALL five Mavs players are playing with a collective energy, effort, and scramble that is just not there when he is playing. Even when slow-ass Boban is in there, the energy and effort on D feels better.

Why??

1) Is Luka out of shape? Poor diet and conditioning practices? Tired from the Olympics? 

2) Is Luka nursing a nagging injury or have some tendinitis? I have seen him on the bench icing his right knee.

3) Is Luka pouting/frustrated over something? Rule changes? Change of scheme on O he doesn't like? The Mavs not trading KP and getting him more reliable help?

Honestly my guess would be its a combo of all three. But I am only speculating. Regardless my eyes over eight games tell me he is easily the "effort" weak-link on this team and so far the numbers seem to be saying that it is especially bringing down the team D.

All valid theories. Let me add a 4th: 

4) Is Luka simply a 22 year old kid, facing defenses that have figured out some of what he's been doing and making it more difficult for him out there? Are we finally seeing the "sophomore slump" we thought he had been able to avoid, altogether, only to learn that he's so great it just took a while longer to reach this point than normal? 

Or, 5) Does the fact that the team is testing new offensive philosophies have anything to do with it? Like, maybe the old Luka-centric offense was more about putting him in familiar situations in order for him to succeed right away, rather than to go away from everyone else, as we've often accepted as fact around here?

I don't know, either.

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5)  New Officiating Rules making it harder to get to the line.

This, combined with the blatant fact that spacing hasn't often been close to ideal so far during this young season, would be pretty high on my list of theories as well. 

The way the NBA is, I feel like if it was the ball we'd have superstars bitching about it in the press nonstop.