JJP wrote:arkuo wrote:Dallas is one Doncic or KP injury going from a number 4 seed to a 7th seed. That 6th to 8th seed will put you against Golden State, Lakers or Clippers - essentially another 1st round exit.
You could say that about a lot of teams though. Next year, the Lakers could also be one injury away from being in the bottom half of the conference. Minnesota might be a lottery team without Townsend. Look at Golden State without one or two of their stars. How is Houston going to upgrade? Next season Houston is probably a lottery team if Harden gets hurt or starts to wear down. Westbrook certainly won't carry them - and they will likely have a new coach. The Pelicans too will be going through a new coach and new playbook.
For all of Dallas's warts, they have a solid system with players who know it well, and a coach that no one questions (except fans). They beat Milwaukee during the regular season without Doncic, and they beat the Clippers in the playoffs without KP. They will certainly be better next season. I'm not sure the negative take is fully warranted.
Fair enough.
Given those odds, I'd prefer to get a more stable player like Goran Dragic. Think he'd accept the full MLE? Miami is looking to gear up for a big 2021 shopping spree, I doubt they'd add more money to their cap by re-signing Dragic after this year.
To be honest, Dragic is one of the biggest reasons why Miami is playing so well. Everybody's eyes are on Jimmy Butler, but Dragic runs to offense really well. He has played both as a starter and as a 6th man in the Heat this playoffs. I'm sure he can play the 6th man role here too. Perfect secondary playmaker who could move the needle, plays big especially on big games in the playoffs. If he can be had for the full MLE, I'd take him, and keep Seth than trading him for Richardson IMO.
C-Porzingis / Powell / Boban
PF- DFS / Kleber
SF- THJ / Jackson
SG- Dragic / Curry
PG- Doncic / Brunson / Burke
That way you dont need to run 99% of the offense through Luka. I'd also look at Kelly Olynyk if Dragic cant be had. 7 feet tall, can shoot 3s, tough on defense.