ozwizard8 wrote:joesha1698 wrote:Mavs might as well trade everyone except centers and Luka and Kyrie. I would trade for one more star and fill the team with 3 and D ( legit shooters from 3) and take my chances rather than depend on soft, often injured, and inconsistent players.
I would rather have a Big 3 + two centers and a bunch of 3&D players ---- that you can rotate in and out of the lineup depending on who's hitting and playing the best defense on a given night than what we currently have.
I know this may sound harsh but I rather have 1 great player ( like a Siakum) than 3 inconsistent players that make more collective mistakes in Green, Washington, and THJ and Mr big Toe.
Think about it, Kyrie, Luka, Gafford, lively, Siakum ( or someone similar) + a combination of great 3&D role players that can be used on a given night is better than having guys who are inconsistent, undisciplined, turnover prone, and don't give the necessary effort .
If this continues we should really consider cleaning house and changing our approach. Build a big 3 and find 3&D through trades.
This is how I feel as of right now after what Im witnessing. We may be better off with 3 great players + 2 very good centers and a bunch of 3 and D guys. That's how I feel right now.
The fact that many doesn't want to accept is that LOSING and MISERY brought to the Mavs with Kyrie trade.
You may wanna fantasize about a big 3, Nets fans dreamed about it with Kyrie who was coupled with KD-Harden. The fact is Kyrie is no longer that guy. He is in Allen Iverson Denver mode. He'd score and have some good games every once in a while but it'd happen against easier teams in most cases.
There is a reason Kyrie teams are constantly losing and underperforming in last 6-7 years whereas Brunson teams doing better than expected. It doesn't mean Brunson is a flashy, more athletic player. Kyrie can make tough shots but his overall game doesn't help the W column as it should for a MAX player.
Trading everyone and keeping Luka-Kyrie doesn't make sense because Kyrie keeps failing every team. He failed Tatum-Brown, he failed KD-Harden and now its Luka.
Kyrie is putting up great numbers and playing efficient. Fans ( unrealistically) want a 31 year old to run around and play in playoff mode night in and night out and it's not realistic. This is why Brunson just got hurt. Veteran players are trying to avoid these injuries because they know better. This is how Luka was playing prior to trading for Kyrie and its not sustainable. He's going to pay for it in his 30s with chronic injuries.
I won't get into some of the other stuff you said because it's your opinion and not based in all the facts and definitely not properly contextualize.
I maintain my overall point. The biggest problem with the Mavs is coaching/ no accountability culture, and inconsistent guys who make between 11-17 million a year to be 3 and D guys but are very inconsistent game to game and make a lot of mistakes.
I look at it this way - maxi, green, thj, Washington = 60-70 million a year. Are we getting consistent ball hawk defense, consistent shooting, and less turnovers?
The more one of these guys tend to touch the ball, the more we get a turnover, missed shot, and suspect defense...and we seem to want to put all that on Kyrie and Luka but that's simply unfair. I would take my chances with Kyrie and Luka and the two centers the Mavs have.
For 25-35 million we would be better off with an all-star level PF who is and inside and out threat. We could then spend that 15 million on 3 and D guys who consistently bring the defensive effort and knock down 3s at a high level. With Luka less is more. We need less guys making decisions so we can become a more efficient team. So why would I take my chances with PJ, green, thj - when I can have a big 3 handle the ball who are way more efficient?
A better version of the Mavs are as follows:
Lively
Sikaum type PF
3&D shooter
Kyrie
Luka
Bench
Gafford
3&D backup PF
3&D backup SF
3&D backup SG
3&D backup PG
When you have vets who clearly understand their roles - it's allows your best players to increase efficiency because they make better decisions with the ball. What Luka and Kyrie need from the guys around them is to do three things at a high level: Hit shots , play defense, and take care of the ball.
The problem is we have too many guys (named above) who are making mid tier money but cannot consistently do those things better than a vet minimum guy. This is definition of overrated. Our best role player vs the Sixers on both sides of the ball was DJ Jr and he makes literally a 1-2 million a year. The guys making collectively 60 million and yet - missed a lot of shots, turned the ball over, and played their typical uninspiring defense.
This is really the problem with the Mavs. All big 3s are not created equally. A Luka, Kyrie, and siakum big 3 with lively and gafford - with a bunch of 3&d minimum salary guys ( that can be mixed and matched on a given night) to ensure effort and shot making - is a way more efficient team, that has a consistent inside and outside threat, it also reducing bad decisions/ including shot selections and turnovers, and it ensures effort on defense and increase shot making. It also deals with an issue that we have now that no one is talking about...when you have a lot of overpaid players/ inconsistent players ( maxi, Washington, green, thj) it kills chemistry because these guys collective mistakes, lack of effort, and missed shots/ ill-advised shots - adds up to a less efficient team that cannot stop anyone. That's exactly who the Mavs are. When you think about the identity of the Mavs -its the mid tier paid guys / coaching that is holding this team back the most. I blame mgmt for that. Markets like Dallas ( that struggle to get big names ) tend to over play and over value mid tier guys. Players on min contracts routinely out play these guys as you seen with the Sixers.