Mavericks 2017 Draft #9

[Pinkyring]

Sorry I thought you were suggesting 2017 9th Pick + Curry + 2018 for 6 or 7 .

New York -While they should have the money to pay Curry up to the Max , I don't see how they would prefer Curry over the 7th Pick who they will have locked into a value contract for years to come . Not to mention the age difference . NY needs to blow it up and start stockpiling high picks not pay a 28 year old Curry $20 Million

Minnesota -Not sure they would even have the money to re-sign Curry in the 1st place . But again do they want a

28 year old Curry at $20 Million in 2018
Wiggins for Max or near max in 2018
Lavine also FA in 2018

Then the following year
Towns Max 2019
Jones FA in 2019

Curry doesn't strike me as the player that puts them over the top especially one they pay $20+ Million too and surely luxury Tax with all the rest of the players they have to pay . If I'm Minnesota I'm taking Issac or Markannen who fills a need for their team and who's locked into a value contract .

Now while I do value Curry and would want a 10-15 Pick back in a trade I don't think other teams would be willing to give that so Dallas is better off keeping Curry instead of the trash you could get for him . Then hope they can work out a reasonable deal with Curry or slightly overpay him and trade him later when all other 29 teams can trade for him .

Again Dallas is better off keeping Curry

So ny should be trying to stock pile picks and not pay a 28 year old sg 20m per but we should? Goodness

We are a lot closer in our rebuild then they are ... And why would New York give up the 7th pick in a deep draft several players in that range have star potential for a player that they need possibly $20+ Million in cap space to re-sign when if they want him just sign him as a free agent ? I don't see NY or any team giving up a TOP 10 Hell probably even a Top 20 Pick for Curry with NO guarantee they can re-sign him ...No Bird Rights , No Early Bird Rights , No RFA matching Rights nothing .

Just curious how much would you pay for Curry ?

How exactly are we closer to a rebuild than ny. They have a blooming star, we dont, they also have a better pick than we do. As for curry, if he sustains last years production he's probably a 15m guy just not here, every single solid player on our roster is overpaid, adding another that doesnt make us better is a waste of money

[Mr B]

So ny should be trying to stock pile picks and not pay a 28 year old sg 20m per but we should? Goodness

We are a lot closer in our rebuild then they are ... And why would New York give up the 7th pick in a deep draft several players in that range have star potential for a player that they need possibly $20+ Million in cap space to re-sign when if they want him just sign him as a free agent ? I don't see NY or any team giving up a TOP 10 Hell probably even a Top 20 Pick for Curry with NO guarantee they can re-sign him ...No Bird Rights , No Early Bird Rights , No RFA matching Rights nothing .

Just curious how much would you pay for Curry ?

How exactly are we closer to a rebuild than ny. They have a blooming star, we dont, they also have a better pick than we do. As for curry, if he sustains last years production he's probably a 15m guy just not here, every single solid player on our roster is overpaid, adding another that doesnt make us better is a waste of money

They also have Phil Jackson who appears to be clueless without Jordan/Pippen or Shaq/Kobe. He appears to be determined to run the Knicks into the ground.

[Teffer10]

Right now it's all speculation, and based on people's perceptions of the Mavs it's going to be a foreign guy. Kind of the way that people blindly mock no-name foreign guys to the Spurs, and then the Spurs go out and draft some different no-name foreign guy.

Despite what other people on this board think about them, I'm actually intrigued by Markkanen and Ntilikina... That's not to say I wouldn't rather have Isaac or Smith, but I do think either would do well here...

But for the record, I'm still very much on the 'trade the pick for Bledsoe' bandwagon

I don't know why so many people are low on Markkanen. A 7 foot freshman in college shooting 42.3% on 3s on high volume is pretty much unheard of. Shooting that high of a % is rare for anyone as a freshman. Fultz and Ball, the only two top prospects that shot over 40% other than Markkanen, didn't even shoot that well, both a tad over 41%. Monk was at 39.7%. Markkanen is the PERFECT guy next to Noel imo. If I was a Mavs fan I'd be really high on him. You can't really stop him from scoring, particularly on the perimeter. He has an elite skill that will allow him to play right away. The most important skill. If you can't shoot in the nba today (and hopefully with 3 pt range), you better be elite at something else, and I don't know that most of the other prospects can say that.

I love Isaac but I think his upside is mostly defense and he will likely be best as a PF. A pairing with Noel doesn't seem ideal at all. I do like Smith, because he's explosive, but he's not a great shooter and a terrible defender. I really like what I read about Ntilikina but just haven't seen him enough to know.

I think Markkanen has a place in this league but not much more than a roll player. We simply need a quality starter from this pick either directly from the pick or via trade.
If Markkanen has a work ethic anywhere close to Dirk and Barnes then I might be more intrigued because Dirk would be the perfect mentor for him but my biggest concern is his lack of motor/aggression.....something that simply cannot be taught. Right now I see him somewhere between a Ryan Anderson and a Matt Bonner. If he works on his game and shows there can be incremental improvement I can change my mind but I just haven't seen it though I'll it admit it has been a small sample size.

Perhaps you can shed more light on some of this being an Arizona fan.

[Pinkyring]

We are a lot closer in our rebuild then they are ... And why would New York give up the 7th pick in a deep draft several players in that range have star potential for a player that they need possibly $20+ Million in cap space to re-sign when if they want him just sign him as a free agent ? I don't see NY or any team giving up a TOP 10 Hell probably even a Top 20 Pick for Curry with NO guarantee they can re-sign him ...No Bird Rights , No Early Bird Rights , No RFA matching Rights nothing .

Just curious how much would you pay for Curry ?

How exactly are we closer to a rebuild than ny. They have a blooming star, we dont, they also have a better pick than we do. As for curry, if he sustains last years production he's probably a 15m guy just not here, every single solid player on our roster is overpaid, adding another that doesnt make us better is a waste of money

They also have Phil Jackson who appears to be clueless without Jordan/Pippen or Shaq/Kobe. He appears to be determined to run the Knicks into the ground.

True but roster wise they are further along in the rebuild

[bwgood77]

Despite what other people on this board think about them, I'm actually intrigued by Markkanen and Ntilikina... That's not to say I wouldn't rather have Isaac or Smith, but I do think either would do well here...

But for the record, I'm still very much on the 'trade the pick for Bledsoe' bandwagon

I don't know why so many people are low on Markkanen. A 7 foot freshman in college shooting 42.3% on 3s on high volume is pretty much unheard of. Shooting that high of a % is rare for anyone as a freshman. Fultz and Ball, the only two top prospects that shot over 40% other than Markkanen, didn't even shoot that well, both a tad over 41%. Monk was at 39.7%. Markkanen is the PERFECT guy next to Noel imo. If I was a Mavs fan I'd be really high on him. You can't really stop him from scoring, particularly on the perimeter. He has an elite skill that will allow him to play right away. The most important skill. If you can't shoot in the nba today (and hopefully with 3 pt range), you better be elite at something else, and I don't know that most of the other prospects can say that.

I love Isaac but I think his upside is mostly defense and he will likely be best as a PF. A pairing with Noel doesn't seem ideal at all. I do like Smith, because he's explosive, but he's not a great shooter and a terrible defender. I really like what I read about Ntilikina but just haven't seen him enough to know.

I think Markkanen has a place in this league but not much more than a roll player. We simply need a quality starter from this pick either directly from the pick or via trade.
If Markkanen has a work ethic anywhere close to Dirk and Barnes then I might be more intrigued because Dirk would be the perfect mentor for him but my biggest concern is his lack of motor/aggression.....something that simply cannot be taught. Right now I see him somewhere between a Ryan Anderson and a Matt Bonner. If he works on his game and shows there can be incremental improvement I can change my mind but I just haven't seen it though I'll it admit it has been a small sample size.

Perhaps you can shed more light on some of this being an Arizona fan.

He must have a great work ethic to be as fundamentally sound and such a great shooter already. He has great agility, runs the floor well, plays above the rim, can play pick n pop, and his shot is impossible to defend because he has a high release point and kind of leans back while shooting.

I don't know that he has great defensive upside. At times, with his agility he showed he could stay on smaller guys when he had to switch but sometimes he'd get a bit lost, and he was somewhat of an inconsistent rebounder.

I think he kind of has the exact opposite strengths as Noel and would complement him well if they played together. But, at the same time, unless you were playing a team that played two bigs that might not be ideal unless Noel could guard the 4.

But he's elite in something rare (a 7 footer who can shoot that well from 3) and I think all of the prospects have quite a few weaknesses, at least outside of the top 2 or 3, and I don't know if you could say that many outside of the top 2 or 3 are elite at anything either. I guess it depends on what you are looking for and if you are happy with Barnes as your future 4 and don't want an offensive option that could play small ball 5 if needed.

[Teffer10]

I don't know why so many people are low on Markkanen. A 7 foot freshman in college shooting 42.3% on 3s on high volume is pretty much unheard of. Shooting that high of a % is rare for anyone as a freshman. Fultz and Ball, the only two top prospects that shot over 40% other than Markkanen, didn't even shoot that well, both a tad over 41%. Monk was at 39.7%. Markkanen is the PERFECT guy next to Noel imo. If I was a Mavs fan I'd be really high on him. You can't really stop him from scoring, particularly on the perimeter. He has an elite skill that will allow him to play right away. The most important skill. If you can't shoot in the nba today (and hopefully with 3 pt range), you better be elite at something else, and I don't know that most of the other prospects can say that.

I love Isaac but I think his upside is mostly defense and he will likely be best as a PF. A pairing with Noel doesn't seem ideal at all. I do like Smith, because he's explosive, but he's not a great shooter and a terrible defender. I really like what I read about Ntilikina but just haven't seen him enough to know.

I think Markkanen has a place in this league but not much more than a roll player. We simply need a quality starter from this pick either directly from the pick or via trade.
If Markkanen has a work ethic anywhere close to Dirk and Barnes then I might be more intrigued because Dirk would be the perfect mentor for him but my biggest concern is his lack of motor/aggression.....something that simply cannot be taught. Right now I see him somewhere between a Ryan Anderson and a Matt Bonner. If he works on his game and shows there can be incremental improvement I can change my mind but I just haven't seen it though I'll it admit it has been a small sample size.

Perhaps you can shed more light on some of this being an Arizona fan.

He must have a great work ethic to be as fundamentally sound and such a great shooter already. He has great agility, runs the floor well, plays above the rim, can play pick n pop, and his shot is impossible to defend because he has a high release point and kind of leans back while shooting.

I don't know that he has great defensive upside. At times, with his agility he showed he could stay on smaller guys when he had to switch but sometimes he'd get a bit lost, and he was somewhat of an inconsistent rebounder.

I think he kind of has the exact opposite strengths as Noel and would complement him well if they played together. But, at the same time, unless you were playing a team that played two bigs that might not be ideal unless Noel could guard the 4.

But he's elite in something rare (a 7 footer who can shoot that well from 3) and I think all of the prospects have quite a few weaknesses, at least outside of the top 2 or 3, and I don't know if you could say that many outside of the top 2 or 3 are elite at anything either. I guess it depends on what you are looking for and if you are happy with Barnes as your future 4 and don't want an offensive option that could play small ball 5 if needed.

Just curious as a Suns fan if you would embrace a Bledsoe for our pick deal if you happen to draft Ball or one of the other top PGs in this draft.

[bwgood77]

I think Markkanen has a place in this league but not much more than a roll player. We simply need a quality starter from this pick either directly from the pick or via trade.
If Markkanen has a work ethic anywhere close to Dirk and Barnes then I might be more intrigued because Dirk would be the perfect mentor for him but my biggest concern is his lack of motor/aggression.....something that simply cannot be taught. Right now I see him somewhere between a Ryan Anderson and a Matt Bonner. If he works on his game and shows there can be incremental improvement I can change my mind but I just haven't seen it though I'll it admit it has been a small sample size.

Perhaps you can shed more light on some of this being an Arizona fan.

He must have a great work ethic to be as fundamentally sound and such a great shooter already. He has great agility, runs the floor well, plays above the rim, can play pick n pop, and his shot is impossible to defend because he has a high release point and kind of leans back while shooting.

I don't know that he has great defensive upside. At times, with his agility he showed he could stay on smaller guys when he had to switch but sometimes he'd get a bit lost, and he was somewhat of an inconsistent rebounder.

I think he kind of has the exact opposite strengths as Noel and would complement him well if they played together. But, at the same time, unless you were playing a team that played two bigs that might not be ideal unless Noel could guard the 4.

But he's elite in something rare (a 7 footer who can shoot that well from 3) and I think all of the prospects have quite a few weaknesses, at least outside of the top 2 or 3, and I don't know if you could say that many outside of the top 2 or 3 are elite at anything either. I guess it depends on what you are looking for and if you are happy with Barnes as your future 4 and don't want an offensive option that could play small ball 5 if needed.

Just curious as a Suns fan if you would embrace a Bledsoe for our pick deal if you happen to draft Ball or one of the other top PGs in this draft.

Yes. And ideally, I'd take Fultz if we can get the top pick, or if we can get top 2 or 3, Josh Jackson and then Ntilikina with your pick. If we got Fultz, I'd go with Isaac if available or maybe Markkanen if still there...though Chriss and Bender can hit the 3 so perhaps something else if Isaac was gone. I think the vast majority of die hard Suns fans, at least on our forum here, don't want any part of Ball.

[HotrodBeaubois]

So ny should be trying to stock pile picks and not pay a 28 year old sg 20m per but we should? Goodness

We are a lot closer in our rebuild then they are ... And why would New York give up the 7th pick in a deep draft several players in that range have star potential for a player that they need possibly $20+ Million in cap space to re-sign when if they want him just sign him as a free agent ? I don't see NY or any team giving up a TOP 10 Hell probably even a Top 20 Pick for Curry with NO guarantee they can re-sign him ...No Bird Rights , No Early Bird Rights , No RFA matching Rights nothing .

Just curious how much would you pay for Curry ?

How exactly are we closer to a rebuild than ny. They have a blooming star, we dont, they also have a better pick than we do. As for curry, if he sustains last years production he's probably a 15m guy just not here, every single solid player on our roster is overpaid, adding another that doesnt make us better is a waste of money

Noah signed the next 3 years until he is 35 years old owed over $55 Million ( $17.7-$19.3 Million )

Lee signed the next 3 years until he is 34 years old owed over $36 Million ( $11.7-$12.8 Million )

Players 25 or under
Porzingus 22 32.8 MPG
Hernangomez 23 18.4 MPG
Ndour 25 10.3 MPG
Baker 24 16.5 MPG
Plumlee 25 8.1 MPG
Randle 24 12.5 MPG
7th Pick

1 player 25 or younger with 20+ MPG

Coach Jeff Hornacek
Phil Jackson


Dallas

Barnes 25 signed for 3 more years until he's 27 years old owed $72 Million ( $23.1-$25.1 Million )
Matthews 31 years old signed for 2 more years until he's 32 years old owed over $36 Million ( $17.8-$18.6 Million )
Powell 26 years old signed for 3 more years until he's 28 years old owed $29 Million ( $9.0-$10.2 Million )
Noel 23 years old RFA probably signs for 4-5 until he's 26 or 27 years old for around $25 Million a year or a little less

Players 25 or under
Noel 23 22.0 MPG
Barnes 25 35.5 MPG
Hammons 25 7.4 MPG
Yogi 24 29.1 MPG
Brussino 24 9.6 MPG
DFS 24 20.3 MPG
Uhtoff 24 12.8 MPG
9th Pick


4 players 25 or younger with 20+ MPG

Coach Rick Carlisle
Donnie Nelson

1-Yes New York has a budding star ( Porzingus ) but so does Dallas ( Barnes ) Sure Porzingus is the better of the 2 but he's not terrible either . Dallas also has another really good player in Noel who has potential to be a really good player . And for now they also have a good player in Curry whether he stays or not we don't know yet

2-Yes New York has the better pick ( 7th ) Dallas also has a good pick ( 9th )

As for Curry if he cost just $15 Million a year then he will be a Mav


New York is a absolute Dumpster Fire who their budding 22 year old star wants out . I could see Porzingus forcing a trade or leaving as a free agent .. You see any Dallas players publicly looking to jump ship ?

[Mr B]

How exactly are we closer to a rebuild than ny. They have a blooming star, we dont, they also have a better pick than we do. As for curry, if he sustains last years production he's probably a 15m guy just not here, every single solid player on our roster is overpaid, adding another that doesnt make us better is a waste of money

They also have Phil Jackson who appears to be clueless without Jordan/Pippen or Shaq/Kobe. He appears to be determined to run the Knicks into the ground.

True but roster wise they are further along in the rebuild

Yea the Mavs have no one on their roster that is close to Porzingis.

[Mr B]

I don't know why so many people are low on Markkanen. A 7 foot freshman in college shooting 42.3% on 3s on high volume is pretty much unheard of. Shooting that high of a % is rare for anyone as a freshman. Fultz and Ball, the only two top prospects that shot over 40% other than Markkanen, didn't even shoot that well, both a tad over 41%. Monk was at 39.7%. Markkanen is the PERFECT guy next to Noel imo. If I was a Mavs fan I'd be really high on him. You can't really stop him from scoring, particularly on the perimeter. He has an elite skill that will allow him to play right away. The most important skill. If you can't shoot in the nba today (and hopefully with 3 pt range), you better be elite at something else, and I don't know that most of the other prospects can say that.

I love Isaac but I think his upside is mostly defense and he will likely be best as a PF. A pairing with Noel doesn't seem ideal at all. I do like Smith, because he's explosive, but he's not a great shooter and a terrible defender. I really like what I read about Ntilikina but just haven't seen him enough to know.

I think Markkanen has a place in this league but not much more than a roll player. We simply need a quality starter from this pick either directly from the pick or via trade.
If Markkanen has a work ethic anywhere close to Dirk and Barnes then I might be more intrigued because Dirk would be the perfect mentor for him but my biggest concern is his lack of motor/aggression.....something that simply cannot be taught. Right now I see him somewhere between a Ryan Anderson and a Matt Bonner. If he works on his game and shows there can be incremental improvement I can change my mind but I just haven't seen it though I'll it admit it has been a small sample size.

Perhaps you can shed more light on some of this being an Arizona fan.

He must have a great work ethic to be as fundamentally sound and such a great shooter already. He has great agility, runs the floor well, plays above the rim, can play pick n pop, and his shot is impossible to defend because he has a high release point and kind of leans back while shooting.

I don't know that he has great defensive upside. At times, with his agility he showed he could stay on smaller guys when he had to switch but sometimes he'd get a bit lost, and he was somewhat of an inconsistent rebounder.

I think he kind of has the exact opposite strengths as Noel and would complement him well if they played together. But, at the same time, unless you were playing a team that played two bigs that might not be ideal unless Noel could guard the 4.

But he's elite in something rare (a 7 footer who can shoot that well from 3) and I think all of the prospects have quite a few weaknesses, at least outside of the top 2 or 3, and I don't know if you could say that many outside of the top 2 or 3 are elite at anything either. I guess it depends on what you are looking for and if you are happy with Barnes as your future 4 and don't want an offensive option that could play small ball 5 if needed.

I see Barnes as a 3. Even if Barnes ends up being a 4 Markkanen would make him expendable if he's able to develop into a star or even if he develops into a player equal to Barnes.

If the Mavs draft Markkanen they will definitely need to surround him with good defenders. Similar to the way they did with Dirk in 2011. I think even at his best he will end up being about at good at defense as Dirk is.

[bwgood77]

I think Markkanen has a place in this league but not much more than a roll player. We simply need a quality starter from this pick either directly from the pick or via trade.
If Markkanen has a work ethic anywhere close to Dirk and Barnes then I might be more intrigued because Dirk would be the perfect mentor for him but my biggest concern is his lack of motor/aggression.....something that simply cannot be taught. Right now I see him somewhere between a Ryan Anderson and a Matt Bonner. If he works on his game and shows there can be incremental improvement I can change my mind but I just haven't seen it though I'll it admit it has been a small sample size.

Perhaps you can shed more light on some of this being an Arizona fan.

He must have a great work ethic to be as fundamentally sound and such a great shooter already. He has great agility, runs the floor well, plays above the rim, can play pick n pop, and his shot is impossible to defend because he has a high release point and kind of leans back while shooting.

I don't know that he has great defensive upside. At times, with his agility he showed he could stay on smaller guys when he had to switch but sometimes he'd get a bit lost, and he was somewhat of an inconsistent rebounder.

I think he kind of has the exact opposite strengths as Noel and would complement him well if they played together. But, at the same time, unless you were playing a team that played two bigs that might not be ideal unless Noel could guard the 4.

But he's elite in something rare (a 7 footer who can shoot that well from 3) and I think all of the prospects have quite a few weaknesses, at least outside of the top 2 or 3, and I don't know if you could say that many outside of the top 2 or 3 are elite at anything either. I guess it depends on what you are looking for and if you are happy with Barnes as your future 4 and don't want an offensive option that could play small ball 5 if needed.

I see Barnes as a 3. Even if Barnes ends up being a 4 Markkanen would make him expendable if he's able to develop into a star or even if he develops into a player equal to Barnes.

If the Mavs draft Markkanen they will definitely need to surround him with good defenders. Similar to the way they did with Dirk in 2011. I think even at his best he will end up being about at good at defense as Dirk is.

I agree, but I think he could very well be a better 3 pt shooter than Dirk. Not that he will likely be as good overall, but Dirk only averaged over 40% from 3 a few times in his career and started off not so great though he did quickly rectify that in his second year and shot in the high 30% range for quite some time after that.

[Mr B]

He must have a great work ethic to be as fundamentally sound and such a great shooter already. He has great agility, runs the floor well, plays above the rim, can play pick n pop, and his shot is impossible to defend because he has a high release point and kind of leans back while shooting.

I don't know that he has great defensive upside. At times, with his agility he showed he could stay on smaller guys when he had to switch but sometimes he'd get a bit lost, and he was somewhat of an inconsistent rebounder.

I think he kind of has the exact opposite strengths as Noel and would complement him well if they played together. But, at the same time, unless you were playing a team that played two bigs that might not be ideal unless Noel could guard the 4.

But he's elite in something rare (a 7 footer who can shoot that well from 3) and I think all of the prospects have quite a few weaknesses, at least outside of the top 2 or 3, and I don't know if you could say that many outside of the top 2 or 3 are elite at anything either. I guess it depends on what you are looking for and if you are happy with Barnes as your future 4 and don't want an offensive option that could play small ball 5 if needed.

I see Barnes as a 3. Even if Barnes ends up being a 4 Markkanen would make him expendable if he's able to develop into a star or even if he develops into a player equal to Barnes.

If the Mavs draft Markkanen they will definitely need to surround him with good defenders. Similar to the way they did with Dirk in 2011. I think even at his best he will end up being about at good at defense as Dirk is.

I agree, but I think he could very well be a better 3 pt shooter than Dirk. Not that he will likely be as good overall, but Dirk only averaged over 40% from 3 a few times in his career and started off not so great though he did quickly rectify that in his second year and shot in the high 30% range for quite some time after that.

Offensively he's very similar to Dirk. Although from what I've seen he doesn't have a strong post game. And I would bet he's nowhere near as good a passer as Dirk is. He would need to develop that. From the videos that I've seen of him he looks athletic enough to develop a post game. Dirk has shown that you don't have to be bulky to have a good post game. Markkanen would be a good project for Dirk too. Working with Markkanen could be a way for Dirk to transition into coaching (if that's what he wants to do).

All of this would depend on what kind of heart Markkanen has. That's something I don't have a clue about when it comes to Markkanen. How strong is his desire to get better and be a champion? That's the question. But that's the question on all of the draft picks.

My preference is for the Mavs to draft Dennis Smith Jr but if they end up with Markkanen I'd be ok with that too. He really is a perfect complement to Noel.

[The Sparest]

I think he kind of has the exact opposite strengths as Noel and would complement him well if they played together. But, at the same time, unless you were playing a team that played two bigs that might not be ideal unless Noel could guard the 4.

That is what I like about drafting Markannen. I think he could be a great compliment to Noel, and Noel to him. The rebounding worries me, but Dirk was a poor rebounder when he started out, so I think there is reason to believe Lauri can improve there too.

[HotrodBeaubois]

I see Barnes as a 3. Even if Barnes ends up being a 4 Markkanen would make him expendable if he's able to develop into a star or even if he develops into a player equal to Barnes.

If the Mavs draft Markkanen they will definitely need to surround him with good defenders. Similar to the way they did with Dirk in 2011. I think even at his best he will end up being about at good at defense as Dirk is.

I agree, but I think he could very well be a better 3 pt shooter than Dirk. Not that he will likely be as good overall, but Dirk only averaged over 40% from 3 a few times in his career and started off not so great though he did quickly rectify that in his second year and shot in the high 30% range for quite some time after that.

Offensively he's very similar to Dirk. Although from what I've seen he doesn't have a strong post game. And I would bet he's nowhere near as good a passer as Dirk is. He would need to develop that. From the videos that I've seen of him he looks athletic enough to develop a post game. Dirk has shown that you don't have to be bulky to have a good post game. Markkanen would be a good project for Dirk too. Working with Markkanen could be a way for Dirk to transition into coaching (if that's what he wants to do).

All of this would depend on what kind of heart Markkanen has. That's something I don't have a clue about when it comes to Markkanen. How strong is his desire to get better and be a champion? That's the question. But that's the question on all of the draft picks.

My preference is for the Mavs to draft Dennis Smith Jr but if they end up with Markkanen I'd be ok with that too. He really is a perfect complement to Noel.

My Preference is
1-Dennis Smith
2-Fox
3-4 Markannen / Frank ...Frank really scares me but if he is good then his size would work great with Curry . If it's Markkanen i wouldn't hate it , we have a need at the position and i think he could do well there

As for Markkanen being as good as Dirk ? I don't think it's even close BUT
1-Markkanen looks to be a much better shooter than Dirk by a pretty good margin
2-We now have the Blue Print for Dirk so any like player that plays here we already know what works instead of needing several years to figure it out .
3-Do we really need Markkanen to be as good as Dirk to be successful ?
4-We know that Dirk was very successful with a Athletic Center ( Tyson ) , Now we have another athletic Center in 23 year old Noel . It took until Dirk 13th season in Dallas for us to find out how good the Tyson / Dirk combo worked . We didn't get Tyson until his 10th season in the NBA at the age of 28 . So pairing a 23 year old Noel with a 20 year old Markkanen with what we know could be extremely beneficial
5-Who says our best player needs to be a Dirk like Markkanen ? Even a really good Markkanen as our 2 or 3rd best player and we could be pretty successful

[HotrodBeaubois]

Would never happen but what I hope we can do is

Trade Matthews + 2018 Unprotected 1st + 2020 Top 10 Protected 1st to Minnesota for the 6th Pick + Aldrich + Pekovich ( both expire after this season Aldrich $2 Million Guarantee in 2018

Dallas picks Smith or Fox with the 6th pick and grabs Markkanen with the 9th pick

1-The picks that we give up may not be that bad . I think we are a better team than our record showed then we add Smith-Fox and Markkanen while just losing Matthews . I don't consider Matthews a big loss with Curry ready take all the starting SG minutes and Barnes would move back to starting SF with Brussino backup SG / DFS backup SF . Then you have Dirk starting PF with Markkanen at backup PF until Dirk retires . I think we are a much better team maybe we don't make the playoffs ( maybe ) but I doubt we are looking at a Top 10 pick either . Then by 2020 if all goes well with Smith-Fox / Curry / Barnes / Markkanen / Noel we should be a playoff team if not a contender / fringe contender so you are looking at pick in the 20's so basically yo are trading maybe Matthews + 2018 12-15 + 2020 20-25 Pick for Smith or Fox

2-By trading Matthews for the expiring contracts of Aldrich / Pekovich with just $2 Million guaranteed we open up money to pay and keep Curry . I would still look to trade Barea and Powell but the big contract of Matthews would be gone

3-As for Minnesota it all comes down to if they think they have too many young players and could use a veteran Matthews to help them . They also get 2 1st round picks and still have cap space this year to make another move or 2

PG-Smith-Fox / Yogi
SG-Curry / Brussino
SF-Barnes / DFS
PF-Dirk / Markkanen / Uhtoff
C-Noel / Mejri / Hammons

Thats a pretty good team now and a great start for the future

[JamesConway]

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With the NBA Combine starting today we should soon find out about the Mavs having interviews with players. Not that it's gonna mean much in terms of who we will draft but it's still a fun time every year.

News on (the higher projected) players having individual workouts with teams shouldn't be too far away either.

[Devassa]

Read on Twitter

With the NBA Combine starting today we should soon find out about the Mavs having interviews with players. Not that it's gonna mean much in terms of who we will draft but it's still a fun time every year.

News on (the higher projected) players having individual workouts with teams shouldn't be too far away either.

Diallo is a very intriguing prospect. He's definitely the biggest wild card in the draft from what I've read... Ive read mocks where he is a fringe top 10 pick and some where he is a mid 2nd rounder. The fact that we are interested in him alone makes me think Dallas would prefer to trade back in the draft. I'd be open to it for the right offer obviously.

[SOUNDCHASER]

Obviously we could make a trade to pick Hamidou up later in the draft if he falls and that would lend credence to our interest in Markannen with that 9th pick because that is leaving us with a need at PG and we are not going to get much of a pick to snag anyone else with what we have to trade.

I like his last name we could have the Ham brothers with him and Hammons. Also reminds me of an old joke about a dickydo.

[Pinkyring]

Markannan is nothing like dirk its really a lazy comparison, prime dirk had a very good handle was a good athlete and was pretty quick for his size, markannan at best is ryan anderson he has no handle no in between game and is an old freshman at 20. Thats the last guy i want us to take and i hope he goes before we pick

[Pinkyring]

According to mike fisher the mavs love fox and after studying him some i do too. If he had a career like westbrook lite it wouldnt surprise me at all