GDT: Pistons at Mavericks 7:30 CST

[rimrocker]

"German Shepard"....first time I've heard that but I love it for Kleber.

[AO41]

2 bad Poseidon’s by DSJ

Awaome D by Maxi

[saclare]

LUKKKAAAAAA

[thewizard]

Lol Kleber the German Shepherd. I love it.

[Underdog]

Did Followill just call Maxi Kleber 'The German Shepard'??

I like it!

[saclare]

DSJ has to have the confidence to finish that last drive, not try to force it in to DAJ who was coming for the follow. Reverse that!

[Underdog]

I absolutely love Luka's swagger.

[Skywalker]

I'm having all sorts of feels in my pants right now tbh

[AO41]

Luka better be on the ALL STAR team

[Underdog]

Luka hitting those clutch FTs.

[rimrocker]

What the hell was that by the Pistons in the last 20 seconds?

[Underdog]

Game. Blouses.

[mavsjunkie]

Wow... Okay, I liked how DSJ played today. That's the guy we fell in love with last year.

[saclare]

Damnnnnn I thought that last step back by Luka was going in...

And LOL at the Pistons in the final 20. Griffin can't get out of there soon enough.

[AO41]

It’s so good to see how much Luka is respected by everyone but especially ALL the foreign players. I think they know how much he will mean and that he will take international basketball to another level.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by mavsjunkie

Wow... Okay, I liked how DSJ played today. That's the guy we fell in love with last year.

It's because he is being prioritized over Barnes and Matthews. IMO, it was really that simple.

I really would be surprised if Wes keeps starting or for that matter keeps playing.

[turin]

Grats Mavs! You needed this one. Nice to see Wes on the bench to close. Also, what else does Maxi have to do to be a regular in the starting lineup? I'd prefer both him and DFS over Wes. Well, we got a W, so I'll take what I can get. I hope Rick was paying attention tonight.

[saclare]

Originally Posted by mavsjunkie

Wow... Okay, I liked how DSJ played today. That's the guy we fell in love with last year.

This. He also didn't seem upset or pouting when he sat down the late late stretch. Gotta have DFS and Maxi out there in this one for the defense and rebounding. Plus they deserved to be after their spurts pretty much held off the Pistons and may have won it for the Mavs.

[turin]

I'm okay with Luka, DSJ, Barnes, Maxi, DAJ starting. Hell, I'd PREFER Luka, DSJ, DFS, Maxi, and DAJ, but we know that's not happening. LOL

[turin]

Maxi should've been on Griffin from the start. I still can't believe Wes was on Griffin at all. LOL

[saclare]

Luka Doncic with 32-8-8

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by saclare

Luka Doncic with 32-8-8

All-Star.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by turin

Maxi should've been on Griffin from the start. I still can't believe Wes was on Griffin at all. LOL

Good thing Rick pulled his head out of his ass after a few minutes in the first quarter but don't understand why he shoved it back in when the 2nd half started.
God his rotations drive me nuts.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by turin

Grats Mavs! You needed this one. Nice to see Wes on the bench to close. Also, what else does Maxi have to do to be a regular in the starting lineup? I'd prefer both him and DFS over Wes. Well, we got a W, so I'll take what I can get. I hope Rick was paying attention tonight.

@MavsHighlights: Interesting

[mavsjunkie]

Originally Posted by Underdog

All-Star.

No doubt.

[Underdog]

@tim_cato: Rick Carlisle on whether the team's starting five, which was -13 and didn't close either half, will remain the same: "You'll have to show up Sunday and see."

[rimrocker]

DFS should get the start against the Raptors....best option to guard Leonard.
But of course it will be Wes.

[Underdog]

@NBATV: Cool Hand Luka does it again.

The rook went off for 32 PTS, 8 REB and 8 AST in the @dallasmavs' win!

https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1089011943526912000

[jleefilled]

Originally Posted by Underdog

@NBATV: Cool Hand Luka does it again.

The rook went off for 32 PTS, 8 REB and 8 AST in the @dallasmavs' win!

https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1089011943526912000

It still feels almost surreal that our little Mavericks ended up with this kid. Much thanks to the Suns, Kings and Hawks organizations for making dreams come true!

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by Underdog

@tim_cato: Rick Carlisle on whether the team's starting five, which was -13 and didn't close either half, will remain the same: "You'll have to show up Sunday and see."

LOL it's so weird why he is so unwilling to do the obvious. Wes must be the best lockerroom player of all time.

[Underdog]

Eddie Sefko: "Are you allergic to 2-pointers?"

Maxi Kleber: "Eh, kind of."

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by thewizard

Is this real life? Barnes is passing the ball. DAJ is playing hard. Dennis looking decisive and free. Are we actually good or does Detroit just suck that much?

Little of both. Mavs seems to have an identity when at home.

[j0Shi]

Bullets:

• DJ hugging Rick
• LOL of the night from Harp: "I'm extremely impressed with DJ as a passer."
• The lack of shooting is really hurting our pick and rolls. Teams just swarm the paint and Luka has a difficult time hitting his floater or passing to the roller.
• I felt like we used the DSJ/Luka pairing better than ever. Luka was the primary ball-handler and DSJ helped pushed the tempo. Then Dennis moved to PG with the second unit.
• Dennis is so good when he attacks the rim (and lethal in the open court). I think his success depends on whether the team can put him into situations where he can use that skill. I'm still concerned about his viability in the half-court as witnessed by his atrocious fourth quarter performance.
• Dirk will never get to #6 in all-time scoring, right? That wide-open airball three from the corner was painful.
• We need to count hockey assists for Luka. Dude is insane. 32-8-8.
• I'm not sure why we aggressively try to establish Barnes in the 3rd when he has a rough shooting night. We had Luka AND Dennis going but still went to him with countless possessions. It contributed to the initial run Detroit made in the third.
• DFS is back. The two-man unit of him and Kleber is a +6.4 pp100 in 395 minutes.
• Talking about two-man units, here are our top five +300 minutes played: Kleber / Powell, Kleber / JJB, Kleber / DFS, Kleber / Doncic, Kleber / DJ. Might be me, but is there a pattern? Four big blocks and four big threes by the German Shepherd.
• It's obvious at this point, but Barnes has to work on passing this off-season. He so great on collapsing the defense and then basically just has to stop and pass the ball to anyone on the perimeter. Even if that's not an open shot, the next swing will lead to one. Instead, he forces all those contested tries.
• Wes benched for Kleber and DFS. Woo-motherfucking-hoo. We won with Wes and Barnes combining for 9 points on 2-14 shooting. Go figure.
• Shot by Drummond at 5:54 was after the shot clock expired plus offensive basket interference. Sports smartest refs caught being dumb again and of course the two-minute report doesn't cover that.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by j0Shi

It's obvious at this point, but Barnes has to work on passing this off-season.

He hasnt topped more than 3 assists in a game this season.

[dirt_dobber]

Can't wait until Barnes and Wes are gone. Would love to see our team with two more young athletic guys. We have some nice pieces on our G-league team.

[j0Shi]

Originally Posted by dirt_dobber

Can't wait until Barnes and Wes are gone. Would love to see our team with two more young athletic guys. We have some nice pieces on our G-league team.

Some people think HB might decline his option and search for more long-term security. I'm not as confident. Besides that, he can work in a reduced role. He just has to play like Kleber, basically.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by j0Shi

Some people think HB might decline his option and search for more long-term security. I'm not as confident. Besides that, he can work in a reduced role. He just has to play like Kleber, basically.

He does seem to be unhappy right now and that might be affecting his game.
Wouldn't surprise me if he does opt out but I'm not sure anyone will pay him what he will be making. His play certainly doesn't warrant a max, or near max, contract.

He's the type of guy we could possibly get an expiring and a young or future asset in return by the TDL. If we could get something like that I'd be fine in the right deal because I don't see him as a long-term piece on this team.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by j0Shi

Some people think HB might decline his option and search for more long-term security. I'm not as confident. Besides that, he can work in a reduced role. He just has to play like Kleber, basically.

We're not going to give Barnes a reduced role, it would kill his trade value... Hell, I'm starting to think the only reason Wes got benched last night is because we've given up on trying to trade him and plan to just let his contract expire, otherwise he'd probably still be getting showcased as well.

Opting out actually makes a lot of sense for HB this summer. Sure, he's not going to get another payday as big as the one he's coming off of, but he's healthy and still putting up points, so he should be able to secure at least 4/60. Sure, he'd be sacrificing $10m next year, but he'd be set for the next 4... Plus, if he's unhappy here, it would allow him to choose his next destination -- if he opts in, there's a good chance we trade his expiring contract, and the teams who make those trades tend not to be the best destinations. Opting out this summer allows him to control his own destiny while he's in the best position to do so -- he'd get a fresh start on a new team with a new contract so he can focus on the game and not the business side of things. Barnes seems like a dude who would prefer that... At this point, opting out makes more sense than opting in.

[Scoobay]

Originally Posted by jleefilled

It still feels almost surreal that our little Mavericks ended up with this kid. Much thanks to the Suns, Kings and Hawks organizations for making dreams come true!

Is there strong evidence the Grizz would have taken Luka?
JJJ is no slouch and seems to be playing really well.

[sefant77]

Rumors are that Luka blacklisted Memphis