Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryan_Wilson
I honestly don't know how RC can go back to what we were doing to start this season. This team looked like it had no identity and no idea how to utilize the players on the floor. When Dirk and Dwill come back I really hope I don't see a change in how the offense is being run. I'm not saying Dirk has to come off the bench but we can't go back to Barnes being the 3rd option and being largely ignored for long stretches at this point.
http://stats.nba.com/league/player/#...ort=Poss&dir=1
Biggest gripe people had about Parsons(about his play on the floor), myself included, was that he can't create his own shot. We couldn't just give it to him and say, "go make it happen". So far Barnes is doing that, and in the last 2 games he's even doing it with the entire defense knowing it's coming. Do I think he's going to stay at this insane mark all year? Probably not. His isolation efficiency in conjunction with the frequency he is being asked to do it is arguably the best in the NBA right now. That's not something anyone was predicting, small sample be damned. But I do not want to see us go back to what I saw early in the year. IMO, we have an identity and it's also good for the development of Barnes to stay this way as well.
-Edit-
Actually after I walked away... i totally forgot to factor in Barnes is playing the 4. So while it doesn't mean Dirk HAS to come off the bench still for Barnes to remain this effective. The fact is we haven't SEEN Barnes get these same looks at the 3 while Dirk is on the floor playing the 4. It would appear he is abusing all types of defenders though so it might not be as big of a factor as some think. So far it looks like if a guy is afraid of his quickness(bigger 4's) he's simply shooting it with space or taking them off the dribble. If it's a smaller more athletic guy, he's posting them up or simply shooting over them with his length. I don't really know what my opinion is of what I'd like to see from the starting lineup since we just haven't seen what any of it looks like at this point. It's interesting though for sure. |
I think one thing to consider is putting butts in the seats. Is Barnes a draw to get people to come to games? From what I've heard, the Arena has been half empty so far. One of the only reasons for anyone to go to a game the past two seasons is to see the greatness of Dirk on the court. And it does mean something to hear his name announced in the arena.
Logically though, I agree. I really can't imagine him being better than Barnes at this point, and that is a wonderful thing if true. The Mavs finally have future beyond Dirk.
You definitely have a giant issue with Bogut and Dirk starting together. They are just too big and slow at their respective points in their careers. They would have been wonderful together 5 years ago, but the game has changed so much.
The real question is whether Rick can tame his temptation to rely on the vets too much.