Porzingis + 2nd round pick for Dinwiddie, Bertans

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Hmm. 12 pts in 13 minutes for the Latvian Luncher

[doclinkin]

Perhaps KP can rehabilitate his value similar to how Kuzma has done this season. Kuzma was largely seen as a below average player although it turns out he was just not being utilized correctly plus the Lakers had guys like LeBron/AD which made Kuzma redundant. Perhaps KP was a bad fit with Luka - interestingly enough I believe Beal/Luka have had some back forth disputes.

KP's TS% would be really good if he ever knocks down 3s consistently like he did earlier in his career.

He hits above .40% from long two this year (16' to inside the 3pt line), which is generally a good indicator that a player can extend that range with better conditioning (the form is there, they just need to get their legs under it). He has been gunning that 3 like an autocannon though, trying to regain his touch or hit a streak I suppose. If Coach Wes can encourage him to take better shots, and not take every shot, then maybe we see an uptick.

Interestingly his role on this team looks like it'd be similar to Kuzma: outside shooting Big with a bit of a face-up game. Drive to finish inside. Rebound with length. I wonder if there is redundancy or if they can play together. Porzingis adds shot blocking. Kuzma has proven clutch from outside in close games, and improved his playmaking this year.

As I talked about in the line-ups thread, maybe we can get synergy if we can play Tall Ball, inverting the court without giving up size. I like the idea of the vertical passing lanes that exist for a 7'3" guy with a catch and shoot game. Tall ball movers like Deni and Kuz can take advantage of this, passing over most defenders. Neto finishes well inside for a little guy. Rui if he is not crowded in traffic is a mismatch for most. Kispert cuts and attacks the interior. If KP does regain his outside touch then Bigs may have to follow him, opening the interior for guards and wing players to cut to the paint.

But yeah, the same goes for Bryant as well. If if if. If they shot better they'd be better. Still, I'm game for hope.

KP does seem like a good guy, therefore a decent fit in the locker room, where both Bertans and Dinwiddie seemed to sour the mix. Smart, easy-going. Maybe he and Wes get on the same page.

He has the weirdest on/off rating though.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01/on-off/2022

He has a positive effect for the team in rebounding% offense and defense both. More blocks, more assists, fewer turnovers. And yet, somehow, he ends up 2 points worse per 100 possessions, where the only thing working against him is a 2% difference in eFG%.

[FAH1223]

Hmm. 12 pts in 13 minutes for the Latvian Luncher

Maxi Kleber had some clutch defense on Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. I now see how Jason Kidd has the Mavs so high defensively.

Perhaps KP can rehabilitate his value similar to how Kuzma has done this season. Kuzma was largely seen as a below average player although it turns out he was just not being utilized correctly plus the Lakers had guys like LeBron/AD which made Kuzma redundant. Perhaps KP was a bad fit with Luka - interestingly enough I believe Beal/Luka have had some back forth disputes.

KP's TS% would be really good if he ever knocks down 3s consistently like he did earlier in his career.

He hits above .40% from long two this year (16' to inside the 3pt line), which is generally a good indicator that a player can extend that range with better conditioning (the form is there, they just need to get their legs under it). He has been gunning that 3 like an autocannon though, trying to regain his touch or hit a streak I suppose. If Coach Wes can encourage him to take better shots, and not take every shot, then maybe we see an uptick.

Interestingly his role on this team looks like it'd be similar to Kuzma: outside shooting Big with a bit of a face-up game. Drive to finish inside. Rebound with length. I wonder if there is redundancy or if they can play together. Porzingis adds shot blocking. Kuzma has proven clutch from outside in close games, and improved his playmaking this year.

As I talked about in the line-ups thread, maybe we can get synergy if we can play Tall Ball, inverting the court without giving up size. I like the idea of the vertical passing lanes that exist for a 7'3" guy with a catch and shoot game. Tall ball movers like Deni and Kuz can take advantage of this, passing over most defenders. Neto finishes well inside for a little guy. Rui if he is not crowded in traffic is a mismatch for most. Kispert cuts and attacks the interior. If KP does regain his outside touch then Bigs may have to follow him, opening the interior for guards and wing players to cut to the paint.

But yeah, the same goes for Bryant as well. If if if. If they shot better they'd be better. Still, I'm game for hope.

KP does seem like a good guy, therefore a decent fit in the locker room, where both Bertans and Dinwiddie seemed to sour the mix. Smart, easy-going. Maybe he and Wes get on the same page.

He has the weirdest on/off rating though.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01/on-off/2022

He has a positive effect for the team in rebounding% offense and defense both. More blocks, more assists, fewer turnovers. And yet, somehow, he ends up 2 points worse per 100 possessions, where the only thing working against him is a 2% difference in eFG%.

Looks like Spencer and Davis aren’t toxic… yet

Read on Twitter

[payitforward]

Glad for them to do well. No need to wish anyone anything but success.

[doclinkin]

Glad for them to do well. No need to wish anyone anything but success.

If Bertans does start hitting I'd be super curious to see what the difference is. He and the Zinger were both shooting the worst they have in their career. Maybe Doncic plays better with a stretch 4 than a stretch 5? Maybe Doncic simply doesn't like Kristaps?

I would not be surprised at all if Dinwiddie climbs out of a funk. Recovery from injury and a better defined role seem like they would make all the difference here.

[dirkdiggler4177]

Both look really good today. Dinwiddie struggled with his shot, but he really helped with his penetration against the tight Heat defense. Having 3 ballhandlers makes a difference, we only had 2 at best. Bertans also played very well. So fun to watch him shoot.

[Bob8]

Glad for them to do well. No need to wish anyone anything but success.

If Bertans does start hitting I'd be super curious to see what the difference is. He and the Zinger were both shooting the worst they have in their career. Maybe Doncic plays better with a stretch 4 than a stretch 5? Maybe Doncic simply doesn't like Kristaps?

I would not be surprised at all if Dinwiddie climbs out of a funk. Recovery from injury and a better defined role seem like they would make all the difference here.

The biggest problem with KP is that he's not playing constantly. 12 games in a row was the most this year. He is inefficient his whole career, that won't change.

[9 and 20]

Glad for them to do well. No need to wish anyone anything but success.

If Bertans does start hitting I'd be super curious to see what the difference is. He and the Zinger were both shooting the worst they have in their career. Maybe Doncic plays better with a stretch 4 than a stretch 5? Maybe Doncic simply doesn't like Kristaps?

I would not be surprised at all if Dinwiddie climbs out of a funk. Recovery from injury and a better defined role seem like they would make all the difference here.

If Bertans starts playing well, maybe he's just motivated again. I don't start paying attention at work until I'm getting at least 17 mil a season, so I get it.

It's still strange that Dinwiddie was thrown under the bus after all they did to trade for him in the offseason. 5 team trade, if I remember right. Plus I thought he and Brad were friends. I know his garbage play had a role in him getting the boot, but there were some signs there that he wasn't completely washed.

Good luck to both of them.

[closg00]

Nobody at all is surprised to see Bertan's begin to regain his form in Dallas hitting 50%, if Widdie get's back to 100%, shocked Mavs fans will be quite pleased.

Side comment: Soon to be paid Jalen Brunson was a 2nd round pick.

[leolozon]

Glad for them to do well. No need to wish anyone anything but success.

If Bertans does start hitting I'd be super curious to see what the difference is. He and the Zinger were both shooting the worst they have in their career. Maybe Doncic plays better with a stretch 4 than a stretch 5? Maybe Doncic simply doesn't like Kristaps?

I would not be surprised at all if Dinwiddie climbs out of a funk. Recovery from injury and a better defined role seem like they would make all the difference here.

Bertans is just better at hitting open shots.

KP's % from 3 is going to go up too. 34 games is just too small of a sample size just like it was for Bertans.

[keynote]

It makes sense that LL No J would look better on a more talented team. He's not exactly a perpetual motion machine like the elite 1-dimensional catch and shoot players are (e.g., Duncan Robinson). He instead relies on his height, range, and quick release. So, on a bench unit with limited scoring punch, opposing teams could smother him on D. Defenses would scheme him out of the game relatively easily.

Dallas has more talent and better playmakers; teams can't focus on Davis as much. He'll get more open looks without having to expend more energy.

[smoothSeph]

Hmm. 12 pts in 13 minutes for the Latvian Luncher

Maxi Kleber had some clutch defense on Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. I now see how Jason Kidd has the Mavs so high defensively.

Perhaps KP can rehabilitate his value similar to how Kuzma has done this season. Kuzma was largely seen as a below average player although it turns out he was just not being utilized correctly plus the Lakers had guys like LeBron/AD which made Kuzma redundant. Perhaps KP was a bad fit with Luka - interestingly enough I believe Beal/Luka have had some back forth disputes.

KP's TS% would be really good if he ever knocks down 3s consistently like he did earlier in his career.

He hits above .40% from long two this year (16' to inside the 3pt line), which is generally a good indicator that a player can extend that range with better conditioning (the form is there, they just need to get their legs under it). He has been gunning that 3 like an autocannon though, trying to regain his touch or hit a streak I suppose. If Coach Wes can encourage him to take better shots, and not take every shot, then maybe we see an uptick.

Interestingly his role on this team looks like it'd be similar to Kuzma: outside shooting Big with a bit of a face-up game. Drive to finish inside. Rebound with length. I wonder if there is redundancy or if they can play together. Porzingis adds shot blocking. Kuzma has proven clutch from outside in close games, and improved his playmaking this year.

As I talked about in the line-ups thread, maybe we can get synergy if we can play Tall Ball, inverting the court without giving up size. I like the idea of the vertical passing lanes that exist for a 7'3" guy with a catch and shoot game. Tall ball movers like Deni and Kuz can take advantage of this, passing over most defenders. Neto finishes well inside for a little guy. Rui if he is not crowded in traffic is a mismatch for most. Kispert cuts and attacks the interior. If KP does regain his outside touch then Bigs may have to follow him, opening the interior for guards and wing players to cut to the paint.

But yeah, the same goes for Bryant as well. If if if. If they shot better they'd be better. Still, I'm game for hope.

KP does seem like a good guy, therefore a decent fit in the locker room, where both Bertans and Dinwiddie seemed to sour the mix. Smart, easy-going. Maybe he and Wes get on the same page.

He has the weirdest on/off rating though.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01/on-off/2022

He has a positive effect for the team in rebounding% offense and defense both. More blocks, more assists, fewer turnovers. And yet, somehow, he ends up 2 points worse per 100 possessions, where the only thing working against him is a 2% difference in eFG%.

Looks like Spencer and Davis aren’t toxic… yet

Read on Twitter

Was Davis ever toxic? We saw him have one shouting match with Avdija but I don’t think that makes him toxic. Never heard anything bad about Davis the 3 years he was here.

[payitforward]

Hmm. 12 pts in 13 minutes for the Latvian Luncher

LOL !!

I read that as "Launcher" 3-4 times before just now noticing what you'd done! Outstanding!

[Ruzious]

Regardless of the talent level around him, he sucked here for the last year and a half. Whether or not he does the same there remains to be seen. Ironically, seems like he'll be playing a lot with Dinwiddie. DinDins won't make a lot of turnovers, but he's also not good at setting up teammates.

[Ruzious]

Hmm. 12 pts in 13 minutes for the Latvian Luncher

Maxi Kleber had some clutch defense on Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. I now see how Jason Kidd has the Mavs so high defensively.

He hits above .40% from long two this year (16' to inside the 3pt line), which is generally a good indicator that a player can extend that range with better conditioning (the form is there, they just need to get their legs under it). He has been gunning that 3 like an autocannon though, trying to regain his touch or hit a streak I suppose. If Coach Wes can encourage him to take better shots, and not take every shot, then maybe we see an uptick.

Interestingly his role on this team looks like it'd be similar to Kuzma: outside shooting Big with a bit of a face-up game. Drive to finish inside. Rebound with length. I wonder if there is redundancy or if they can play together. Porzingis adds shot blocking. Kuzma has proven clutch from outside in close games, and improved his playmaking this year.

As I talked about in the line-ups thread, maybe we can get synergy if we can play Tall Ball, inverting the court without giving up size. I like the idea of the vertical passing lanes that exist for a 7'3" guy with a catch and shoot game. Tall ball movers like Deni and Kuz can take advantage of this, passing over most defenders. Neto finishes well inside for a little guy. Rui if he is not crowded in traffic is a mismatch for most. Kispert cuts and attacks the interior. If KP does regain his outside touch then Bigs may have to follow him, opening the interior for guards and wing players to cut to the paint.

But yeah, the same goes for Bryant as well. If if if. If they shot better they'd be better. Still, I'm game for hope.

KP does seem like a good guy, therefore a decent fit in the locker room, where both Bertans and Dinwiddie seemed to sour the mix. Smart, easy-going. Maybe he and Wes get on the same page.

He has the weirdest on/off rating though.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porzikr01/on-off/2022

He has a positive effect for the team in rebounding% offense and defense both. More blocks, more assists, fewer turnovers. And yet, somehow, he ends up 2 points worse per 100 possessions, where the only thing working against him is a 2% difference in eFG%.

Looks like Spencer and Davis aren’t toxic… yet

Read on Twitter

Was Davis ever toxic? We saw him have one shouting match with Avdija but I don’t think that makes him toxic. Never heard anything bad about Davis the 3 years he was here.

Probably not in the way you mean it, but I'd call showing up out of shape after signing a huge contract and playing poorly at both ends somewhat toxic. Either way, I'm glad to watch Wizards games without them.

[Bob8]

Maxi Kleber had some clutch defense on Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. I now see how Jason Kidd has the Mavs so high defensively.



Looks like Spencer and Davis aren’t toxic… yet

Read on Twitter

Was Davis ever toxic? We saw him have one shouting match with Avdija but I don’t think that makes him toxic. Never heard anything bad about Davis the 3 years he was here.

Probably not in the way you mean it, but I'd call showing up out of shape after signing a huge contract and playing poorly at both ends somewhat toxic. Either way, I'm glad to watch Wizards games without them.

...and Mavs fans are glad not to look at injury report nonstop. It looks like win/win situation.

[Ruzious]

Was Davis ever toxic? We saw him have one shouting match with Avdija but I don’t think that makes him toxic. Never heard anything bad about Davis the 3 years he was here.

Probably not in the way you mean it, but I'd call showing up out of shape after signing a huge contract and playing poorly at both ends somewhat toxic. Either way, I'm glad to watch Wizards games without them.

...and Mavs fans are glad not to look at injury report nonstop. It looks like win/win situation.

True - though Bertans was anything but durable in his time with Washington.

[Bob8]

Probably not in the way you mean it, but I'd call showing up out of shape after signing a huge contract and playing poorly at both ends somewhat toxic. Either way, I'm glad to watch Wizards games without them.

...and Mavs fans are glad not to look at injury report nonstop. It looks like win/win situation.

True - though Bertans was anything but durable in his time with Washington.

Expectations for max. player are much higher. It's frustrating, if he misses game after game. Btw. Mavs have better record without him, that's probably the reason for making this trade easily. Maybe he fits better in Washington.

[RoyceDa59]

Wash got the best player, the best salary flexibility and secured the most draft picks in this trade. Well done.

[Ruzious]

...and Mavs fans are glad not to look at injury report nonstop. It looks like win/win situation.

True - though Bertans was anything but durable in his time with Washington.

Expectations for max. player are much higher. It's frustrating, if he misses game after game. Btw. Mavs have better record without him, that's probably the reason for making this trade easily. Maybe he fits better in Washington.

Fwiw, Washington has a much better record without Beal. I don't think Washington wants to give him away.