RS 20/21 - Mavs vs Sixers (7:30PM EST)

[XTraderXL]

Lol Luka has a 2nd chance at a 3pter and he airballs it... even though he was extremely short on the first one. How is that even possible?

Be careful about criticising Luka. Archx will call you a troll if you dont take part in his Luka circle jerk

You're just talking **** without any context or reason all the time. Again, why are you in Mavs threads? Go to Knicks or something...

Why so emotional?

[dirkforpres]

There are real fans and then there is you

Sent from my SM-G960U using RealGM mobile app

I promise you I’ve been a Mavs fan longer than you’ve been alive probably. This team isn’t fun to watch and we all know exactly what seed they’ll be at seasons end... what’s the point in torturing yourself until then?

So you've seen the Buckner/Cleamons eras? Those were so much fun weren't they?

Again not sure what you expected from this team, but they are where they should be.

Sent from my SM-G960U using RealGM mobile app

Yes I was... It’s way different when a bad team is bad versus when a good team is. This team is not at all enjoyable. They’re clearly not having fun out there and its not having fun watching it either. I’m not sure how anyone could think otherwise

[ejs78]

Yes they are good....7 seed good so there's gonna be alot of up and downs. Feels like you think they should be a 2 or 3 seed.

I promise you I’ve been a Mavs fan longer than you’ve been alive probably. This team isn’t fun to watch and we all know exactly what seed they’ll be at seasons end... what’s the point in torturing yourself until then?

So you've seen the Buckner/Cleamons eras? Those were so much fun weren't they?

Again not sure what you expected from this team, but they are where they should be.

Sent from my SM-G960U using RealGM mobile app

Yes I was... It’s way different when a bad team is bad versus when a good team is. This team is not at all enjoyable. They’re clearly not having fun out there and its not having fun watching it either. I’m not sure how anyone could think otherwise

Sent from my SM-G960U using RealGM mobile app

[Absinthe]

Talent gap was too huge to overcome. If the 3 ball is not there, then the Mavs have no chance vs any team it feels like.

I made the same observation against the Spurs. The Mavs are the type of team that could get hot in the playoffs and knock off anyone or they could potentially get swept. It all comes down to the three ball. Brunson and Luka are the only two players on the entire team who can drive to the basket. Richardson and DFS are particularly awful at creating their own shots. A team can’t have a lineup in the modern NBA with wings who can’t drive the ball and expect to win. If anyone has watched this team play for an extended period of time they simply don’t get easy buckets or shoot a lot of free throws. It’s uphill all game every game.

[dirkforpres]

Yes they are good....7 seed good so there's gonna be alot of up and downs. Feels like you think they should be a 2 or 3 seed.

So you've seen the Buckner/Cleamons eras? Those were so much fun weren't they?

Again not sure what you expected from this team, but they are where they should be.

Sent from my SM-G960U using RealGM mobile app

Yes I was... It’s way different when a bad team is bad versus when a good team is. This team is not at all enjoyable. They’re clearly not having fun out there and its not having fun watching it either. I’m not sure how anyone could think otherwise

Sent from my SM-G960U using RealGM mobile app

There’s no reason why this team shouldn’t be top 4-5. Carlisle is stuck thinking Richardson, Powell, and Melli are the answer and Nellie failed to address any of the major concerns at the deadline either. I honestly have no idea how anyone associated with this team can convince themselves of any chance at postseason success not involving Luka essentially becoming 2016 Lebron, which is sad and exactly what they did to Dirk unfortunately

[BlueSan]

It gets a bit depressing looking at this team. Probably feels the same for almost all the teams in the NBA except for maybe top seeds

[Bob8]

You cannot do anything, if your second star is injured/resting more than 1/3 of the season. I would trade him as soon as possible, if they get decent player back. Baby-sitting him to not get destroyed by Embiid on national TV is just too much. And next week we will hear how he's not getting enough shots. Poor boy.

[Mavrelous]

This is the 1st time of the season, except the time when the team was team was totally depleted due to COVID , where they look totally overmatched.
With Mavs, Blazers and Lakers losing, the west was blown wide open for seeds 5-11, no one is really safe.
The Lakers are playing Utah twice, Mavs twice and Boston in the next 6 games, if they don't get AD/LBJ, thye can find themselves dragged to the western bottom mud battles, Blazers schedule is very tough, Memphis is on momentum, not sure when they'll get JJJ back.

[41Dirk41]

We love our guys in blue...Maybe not...

[Archx]

Talent gap was too huge to overcome. If the 3 ball is not there, then the Mavs have no chance vs any team it feels like.

I made the same observation against the Spurs. The Mavs are the type of team that could get hot in the playoffs and knock off anyone or they could potentially get swept. It all comes down to the three ball. Brunson and Luka are the only two players on the entire team who can drive to the basket. Richardson and DFS are particularly awful at creating their own shots. A team can’t have a lineup in the modern NBA with wings who can’t drive the ball and expect to win. If anyone has watched this team play for an extended period of time they simply don’t get easy buckets or shoot a lot of free throws. It’s uphill all game every game.

Mavs are such an enigma. They can beat the best team in the league and make it look easy while doing it and the next game they'll look like they would struggle against G-league team. I say this all the time, no consistency and no variety in their game. Too much reliance on long range game purely because of the reasons you mentioned. Houston with Harden played similary and after a period of time he had enough and ran away.
I hope they can re-construct this roster and Rick draws up a different system for the next year. But for now, hopefully Mavs will be able to find their rhythm in the playoffs to at least do some damage.

When it comes to a playoff spot, to make matters even worse, apparently Lakers are getting AD and LBJ back right when Mavs play them twice in a row.

[agentofatlas]

Talent gap was too huge to overcome. If the 3 ball is not there, then the Mavs have no chance vs any team it feels like.

I made the same observation against the Spurs. The Mavs are the type of team that could get hot in the playoffs and knock off anyone or they could potentially get swept. It all comes down to the three ball. Brunson and Luka are the only two players on the entire team who can drive to the basket. Richardson and DFS are particularly awful at creating their own shots. A team can’t have a lineup in the modern NBA with wings who can’t drive the ball and expect to win. If anyone has watched this team play for an extended period of time they simply don’t get easy buckets or shoot a lot of free throws. It’s uphill all game every game.

Mavs are such an enigma. They can beat the best team in the league and make it look easy while doing it and the next game they'll look like they would struggle against G-league team. I say this all the time, no consistency and no variety in their game. Too much reliance on long range game purely because of the reasons you mentioned. Houston with Harden played similary and after a period of time he had enough and ran away.
I hope they can re-construct this roster and Rick draws up a different system for the next year. But for now, hopefully Mavs will be able to find their rhythm in the playoffs to at least do some damage.

When it comes to a playoff spot, to make matters even worse, apparently Lakers are getting AD and LBJ back right when Mavs play them twice in a row.

I don't think the Mavs are an enigma. The reason the Mavs shoot a ton of threes cause it's a way for them to bridge the talent gap vs other teams (playoff teams to be exact).

Morey mentioned this before when he was in Houston. He and the Rockets played the same way cause they felt that it was the only way for them to beat the Durant-Curry Warriors and kudos to them they almost did it. But of course game 7 happened, and the three ball abandoned them.

Anyways, the future is up to the FO now. Luka's sophomore campaign really accelerated the teams timeline and I'm curios to see how the FO will build around him. Hopefully they become more aggressive this offseason and don't go all "plan powder" on us.

[taikibansei]

You cannot do anything, if your second star is injured/resting more than 1/3 of the season. I would trade him as soon as possible, if they get decent player back. Baby-sitting him to not get destroyed by Embiid on national TV is just too much. And next week we will hear how he's not getting enough shots. Poor boy.

I find these posts especially ironic given that Embiid has also been injured/resting more than 1/3 of this season. Indeed, Embiid had just returned from his own break...for the month of March. Was Embiid ducking all those centers then?

Bigs who are active on both ends of the court--like Embiid and AD and KP (and the now-injured Wiseman), etc.--are almost always injury-prone. The human body is just not meant to be that big and that active for so long, and time management is really the only way to deal with this. However, as we saw yesterday, having that big be healthy for a key game can be devastating...to the opposing team.

The Mavs can and do compete with the best when both Luka and KP play. What they need are consistent third and fourth options for when KP is out and/or when Luka needs a rest. Right now, the Mavs win whenever Brunson, Hardaway, DFS, etc. have a good game too. The problem is that you can't count on these latter players to have good (or even okay) games. In my opinion, they either need to become more dependable, or they need to be replaced.

[Heezzi]

I made the same observation against the Spurs. The Mavs are the type of team that could get hot in the playoffs and knock off anyone or they could potentially get swept. It all comes down to the three ball. Brunson and Luka are the only two players on the entire team who can drive to the basket. Richardson and DFS are particularly awful at creating their own shots. A team can’t have a lineup in the modern NBA with wings who can’t drive the ball and expect to win. If anyone has watched this team play for an extended period of time they simply don’t get easy buckets or shoot a lot of free throws. It’s uphill all game every game.

Mavs are such an enigma. They can beat the best team in the league and make it look easy while doing it and the next game they'll look like they would struggle against G-league team. I say this all the time, no consistency and no variety in their game. Too much reliance on long range game purely because of the reasons you mentioned. Houston with Harden played similary and after a period of time he had enough and ran away.
I hope they can re-construct this roster and Rick draws up a different system for the next year. But for now, hopefully Mavs will be able to find their rhythm in the playoffs to at least do some damage.

When it comes to a playoff spot, to make matters even worse, apparently Lakers are getting AD and LBJ back right when Mavs play them twice in a row.

I don't think the Mavs are an enigma. The reason the Mavs shoot a ton of threes cause it's a way for them to bridge the talent gap vs other teams (playoff teams to be exact).

Morey mentioned this before when he was in Houston. He and the Rockets played the same way cause they felt that it was the only way for them to beat the Durant-Curry Warriors and kudos to them they almost did it. But of course game 7 happened, and the three ball abandoned them.

Anyways, the future is up to the FO now. Luka's sophomore campaign really accelerated the teams timeline and I'm curios to see how the FO will build around him. Hopefully they become more aggressive this offseason and don't go all "plan powder" on us.

They also had Chris Paul on the team. Where is the Chris Paul for the Mavs?

[daoneandonly]

You cannot do anything, if your second star is injured/resting more than 1/3 of the season. I would trade him as soon as possible, if they get decent player back. Baby-sitting him to not get destroyed by Embiid on national TV is just too much. And next week we will hear how he's not getting enough shots. Poor boy.

Yeah I'll have to agree with you here. I'm over KP. I'm still not a huge Brunson fan, but I'm also starting to get fed up with Richardson now as well. Getting frustrating watching Luka carry such a heavy load because eh doesnt have reliable teammates

[dirkforpres]

but I'm also starting to get fed up with Richardson now as well

Bro where have you been? He’s been a train wreck all season long on both ends of the court. I’m honestly worried about him opting in now because I have no idea what other mindless team would ever offer him more than what his PO would be. Josh Green should be getting every single one of his minutes

[daoneandonly]

but I'm also starting to get fed up with Richardson now as well

Bro where have you been? He’s been a train wreck all season long on both ends of the court. I’m honestly worried about him opting in now because I have no idea what other mindless team would ever offer him more than what his PO would be. Josh Green should be getting every single one of his minutes

I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt cause eh got Covid early and was on a new team. I always liked him in Miami too, but now starting to think that was all Spo. He wasnt that great in Philly either and has done nothing here, so looks like it was Coach Spo that made him a legit player. That same thought would make me hesitate in giving Duncan Robinson any kind of deal as well.

Green does deserve a chance, but our scouting sucks. Clearly the pick should have been Saqqiue bey or Desmond Bane if DOnnie and co did their jobs

[Bob8]

You cannot do anything, if your second star is injured/resting more than 1/3 of the season. I would trade him as soon as possible, if they get decent player back. Baby-sitting him to not get destroyed by Embiid on national TV is just too much. And next week we will hear how he's not getting enough shots. Poor boy.

I find these posts especially ironic given that Embiid has also been injured/resting more than 1/3 of this season. Indeed, Embiid had just returned from his own break...for the month of March. Was Embiid ducking all those centers then?

Bigs who are active on both ends of the court--like Embiid and AD and KP (and the now-injured Wiseman), etc.--are almost always injury-prone. The human body is just not meant to be that big and that active for so long, and time management is really the only way to deal with this. However, as we saw yesterday, having that big be healthy for a key game can be devastating...to the opposing team.

The Mavs can and do compete with the best when both Luka and KP play. What they need are consistent third and fourth options for when KP is out and/or when Luka needs a rest. Right now, the Mavs win whenever Brunson, Hardaway, DFS, etc. have a good game too. The problem is that you can't count on these latter players to have good (or even okay) games. In my opinion, they either need to become more dependable, or they need to be replaced.

Embiid is back 10 days and is already playing back2backs, KP is back 3 months and has played 1 back2back in that time. And I have never seen KP being that dominant that Embiid was yesterday. No problem for waiting for a player, who is dominant from the first second in the court after injury.

I understand injuries happens, but what's the point having max. player, who cannot normally play even 3 months after return? You cannot lose 10 back2backs just because your star is resting. He has played 17 matches in 2 months, what kind of rest he needs?

[Bob8]

You cannot do anything, if your second star is injured/resting more than 1/3 of the season. I would trade him as soon as possible, if they get decent player back. Baby-sitting him to not get destroyed by Embiid on national TV is just too much. And next week we will hear how he's not getting enough shots. Poor boy.

Yeah I'll have to agree with you here. I'm over KP. I'm still not a huge Brunson fan, but I'm also starting to get fed up with Richardson now as well. Getting frustrating watching Luka carry such a heavy load because eh doesnt have reliable teammates

Brunson is great player to run second unit or to finish matches, when he's hot. And he's cheap, at least for now. Richardson cannot do neither and strangely enough he's mostly not even guarding best guards. Watching him shooting is one of the most painful things in Mavs. I'm surprised that his % aren't even lower.

[arkuo]

You cannot do anything, if your second star is injured/resting more than 1/3 of the season. I would trade him as soon as possible, if they get decent player back. Baby-sitting him to not get destroyed by Embiid on national TV is just too much. And next week we will hear how he's not getting enough shots. Poor boy.

Yeah I'll have to agree with you here. I'm over KP. I'm still not a huge Brunson fan, but I'm also starting to get fed up with Richardson now as well. Getting frustrating watching Luka carry such a heavy load because eh doesnt have reliable teammates

Brunson is great player to run second unit or to finish matches, when he's hot. And he's cheap, at least for now. Richardson cannot do neither and strangely enough he's mostly not even guarding best guards. Watching him shooting is one of the most painful things in Mavs. I'm surprised that his % aren't even lower.

It will depend on how Bill Duffy leverages Richardson's contract. He shares the same agent as Luka and it depends if he leverages Richardson's new contract to earn more in commission while Luka gets convinced to stay in Dallas despite a mediocre front office and mediocre coaching. You have to remember that Donnie Nelson aint no Pat Riley. You have zero leverage in free agency. Zero.

[taikibansei]

You cannot do anything, if your second star is injured/resting more than 1/3 of the season. I would trade him as soon as possible, if they get decent player back. Baby-sitting him to not get destroyed by Embiid on national TV is just too much. And next week we will hear how he's not getting enough shots. Poor boy.

I find these posts especially ironic given that Embiid has also been injured/resting more than 1/3 of this season. Indeed, Embiid had just returned from his own break...for the month of March. Was Embiid ducking all those centers then?

Bigs who are active on both ends of the court--like Embiid and AD and KP (and the now-injured Wiseman), etc.--are almost always injury-prone. The human body is just not meant to be that big and that active for so long, and time management is really the only way to deal with this. However, as we saw yesterday, having that big be healthy for a key game can be devastating...to the opposing team.

The Mavs can and do compete with the best when both Luka and KP play. What they need are consistent third and fourth options for when KP is out and/or when Luka needs a rest. Right now, the Mavs win whenever Brunson, Hardaway, DFS, etc. have a good game too. The problem is that you can't count on these latter players to have good (or even okay) games. In my opinion, they either need to become more dependable, or they need to be replaced.

Embiid is back 10 days and is already playing back2backs, KP is back 3 months and has played 1 back2back in that time. And I have never seen KP being that dominant that Embiid was yesterday. No problem for waiting for a player, who is dominant from the first second in the court after injury.

I understand injuries happens, but what's the point having max. player, who cannot normally play even 3 months after return? You cannot lose 10 back2backs just because your star is resting. He has played 17 matches in 2 months, what kind of rest he needs?

Thanks for the chuckle!

1) Embiid and KP have played in basically the same amount of games this season. (36-34)

2) Over his career, Embiid has been a poster child for managed minutes, playing in less than 20% of the games in his 7-year career. Heck, KP looks like an iron man compared to Embiid--having played in thirty more games total (in just 6 years).

3) You've never seen KP being that dominant?--again, hilarious stuff. I'd argue that KP, despite being a distant second option, has put up better numbers multiple times this season--e.g., 2021-02-08 vs. Minnesota, 2021-02-12 vs. NOP, 2021-03-10 vs. SAS, 2021-03-26 vs. IND, 2021-04-08 vs. MIL, etc. These games showcase some of the best production by a starting center this season--and again KP, unlike Embiid, is coming back from a major knee injury and is a distant second option.

4) Finally, yes, Embiid (when he plays) is the better player. Still, fun fact: Between March 11 and April 1, the 76ers played 11 games without Embiid...and won eight (8) of them for a .727 winning percentage. The Mavs without KP are at .500 for the season.....

Indeed, that final comment underlines the main point of my initial post to this thread--the problem isn't Luka or KP, it's that you don't have any consistency from your 3rd, 4th and 5th options. Good teams still win over the short term without their best players; the Mavs aren't there yet, and the problem is the rest of that roster.