Random Mavs News & Articles

[EricaLubarsky]

Hinton and Bey were largely disappointing in their opener. -10 and limited minutes off the bench. Doesn’t seem like the coach trusts or likes them.

[EricaLubarsky]

Hinton and Bey were largely disappointing in their opener. -10 and limited minutes off the bench. Doesn’t seem like the coach trusts or likes them.

[MFFL]

Mavs PR
@MavsPR
·
Feb 13
The Dallas Mavericks have recalled two-way rookie Nate Hinton from the Long Island Nets and have transferred Hinton to the Santa Cruz Warriors of the
@nbagleague
.

[SMC0007]

https://twitter.com/All_Things_Mavs/...649071628?s=19

Mavs interested in Drummond if Cavs buyout. Lol.

[SMC0007]

https://twitter.com/All_Things_Mavs/...649071628?s=19

Mavs interested in Drummond if Cavs buyout. Lol.

[Dallas41]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

https://twitter.com/All_Things_Mavs/...649071628?s=19

Mavs interested in Drummond if Cavs buyout. Lol.

That's just dumb

The only way they could get him is via a trade.

He ain't choosing Dallas over Brooklyn, LA clippers, LA Lakers or Boston if he gets a buyout.

From just about everything I've read regarding Drummond the Pistons are asking for a 2nd round draft pick as the major return. Obviously, you have to off load some contracts for salary matching but the pick is mainly what they want.

This is just a another case about the Mavs loving their boys in blue and trying to get something of value for nothing in return and that approach has repeatedly failed.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by Dallas41

That's just dumb

The only way they could get him is via a trade.

He ain't choosing Dallas over Brooklyn, LA clippers, LA Lakers or Boston if he gets a buyout.

From just about everything I've read regarding Drummond the Pistons are asking for a 2nd round draft pick as the major return. Obviously, you have to off load some contracts for salary matching but the pick is mainly what they want.

This is just a another case about the Mavs loving their boys in blue and trying to get something of value for nothing in return and that approach has repeatedly failed.

I agree it's not going to happen via buyout route.

Unfortunately for Detroit they can demand whatever they want... it's like us demanding a huge haul for Lebron, but we don't have him. Neither does Detroit have Drummond. Lols

[Dallas41]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

I agree it's not going to happen via buyout route.

Unfortunately for Detroit they can demand whatever they want... it's like us demanding a huge haul for Lebron, but we don't have him. Neither does Detroit have Drummond. Lols

yeah and to make matters worse look at the defensive coaching job S.Silas has done in Houston vs our execution on defense in Dallas

https://twitter.com/KellyIkoNBA/stat...76762244120585

[EricaLubarsky]

Problem with Drummond is he is a UFA after this year. Sure we'd acquire his bird rights with him, but he already said that he wants to go to Brooklyn.

No matter what we pay to get him, he probably just pouts and signs with Brooklyn this summer.

I'm not sure I'd pay a second-rounder for a 44 game rental

[BPo001]

Originally Posted by Dallas41

yeah and to make matters worse look at the defensive coaching job S.Silas has done in Houston vs our execution on defense in Dallas

https://twitter.com/KellyIkoNBA/stat...76762244120585

Were the Mavs supposed to block Silas from getting promoted to head coach? Be happy the guy is succeeding in his new role. I’d love to get Drummond, but as already stated he said he wants to go to Brooklyn. Why ship out assets for a half season rental? This team isn’t winning a championship this year with or without Drummond.

[EricaLubarsky]

https://streamable.com/gaj2eb

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

https://streamable.com/gaj2eb

Eww.

But he's also capable of this.

https://youtu.be/LzQ7rhLXxIE

[Dallas41]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

https://streamable.com/gaj2eb

I'll play a long

Do the Mavs need Drummond to score or do they need him to rebound the ball based on what you've seen from this team?

Based on what I've seen Drummond, wouldn't even need to avg 10 points per game with the Mavs. They are going to score points in bunches with or without him right.

But what they can't seem to do right now is win games because they can't rebound or protect the paint.

Those are the only two areas I think Mavs fans should be concerned with in regards to Drummond not his offense.

Would he help this team win games simply by rebounding and playing post defense?

Feed that dog a bone a few times per game on offense and watch him anchor your defense to a point where guys like Gobert, Jokic, Davis, Kanter, Zion, Aldrige, Cousins and Vucevic aren't bullying you inside the paint on a nightly basis.

[nejc]

Hey, on a positive note, we have Luka! there are may teams, many have great players, but only we have Luka! He'll win the championship, he knows how to win, he doesn't really need an all star team to do so. I've been watching him since he was 14, in real madrid. that team wasn't a championship team at all (real madrid junior team), and they've made it. when he won euroleague with mvp award, they were not favorites, but he brought it home. in a year or two, mavs will be champs, that's just the nature of Luka... you might think that euroleague is 3 or 4 levels beneath nba, but it's not so. many great nba players suffered here, dominique wilkins, for example, kobe on the other hand, as well. it's different game here. and luka masterted it here and he's mastering there. As a philosopher Axl rose said, just a little patience! We shall win the chapionship again! Mark my words!

[EricaLubarsky]

https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/ma...aking-excuses/

Mavs understand reasons for Kristaps Porzingis’ defensive woes, but they’re not making excuses

[EricaLubarsky]

We have a game tomorrow and I'm actually excited

Spurs are 1 game up on us for the 7th seed. Beating them would really help us climb.

Also Mavs have the 2nd easiest schedule for the remainder. Spurs have the second hardest schedule to finish.

[EricaLubarsky]

For people complaining about us resting our stars vs OKC

We just picked up two wins and now hold the tie breaker against the 6th and 7th seeded teams ahead of us.

And the guys are fresher.

That is all.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

For people complaining about us resting our stars vs OKC

We just picked up two wins and now hold the tie breaker against the 6th and 7th seeded teams ahead of us.

And the guys are fresher.

That is all.

Also, we're now only 1.5 games behind Denver for the 5th seed. The Mavs are 11-3 over the last 14 games, with two of those losses being the aforementioned OKC game where Luka and KP rested, and the crazy nailbiter against Portland where Dame hit the buzzer-beating step back 3. The other loss came against the #1 seeded Sixers who, who are arguably the championship favorites (certainly in the top 3-5 anyway.)

But yeah, we need to fire Carlisle and Donnie, and Cuban needs to sell the team.

[purplefrog]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

Also, we're now only 1.5 games behind Denver for the 5th seed. The Mavs are 11-3 over the last 14 games, with two of those losses being the aforementioned OKC game where Luka and KP rested, and the crazy nailbiter against Portland where Dame hit the buzzer-beating step back 3. The other loss came against the #1 seeded Sixers who, who are arguably the championship favorites (certainly in the top 3-5 anyway.)

But yeah, we need to fire Carlisle and Donnie, and Cuban needs to sell the team.

All of that is fine and dandy, but when I look at the amount of salary dedicated to JJ, Powell, THJ, Burke, WCS, and Iwundu it is over $50M in contracts. It is also a short-term resource that could be leveraged, in theory, to improve the team (JJ and THJ are expiring). I would hope the MBT are looking to improve the team and not just assuming they have a championship roster.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by purplefrog

I would hope the MBT are looking to improve the team and not just assuming they have a championship roster.

If the MBT thinks this is a championship roster, they should not only be fired, they should be fired out of a cannon into the sun.

Honestly, do you think that they think this is a championship roster? Whatever you might think of their decisions over the years... you can't possibly think they're that dumb, right?

[purplefrog]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

If the MBT thinks this is a championship roster, they should not only be fired, they should be fired out of a cannon into the sun.

Honestly, do you think that they think this is a championship roster? Whatever you might think of their decisions over the years... you can't possibly think they're that dumb, right?

Cuban said he thought continuity was important and that "we have a good team". He seemed to downplay the likelihood of any deals being completed by the trade deadline. He might just be blowing smoke, but I could see them sticking with their current roster. I believe that at the minimum they should be looking to trade JJ and his large expiring contract. I like JJ and thought he would play an important role, but it hasn't really turned out that way in my opinion.

If you believe the rumors there are quite a few very good players available if the right deal comes around. I hope the MBT is on the phone and aggressively pursuing something and not passively waiting around for something to fall in their lap. They might be thinking they will continue to evaluate the current roster and look to make deals in the offseason. That would not surprise me. I feel some urgency to upgrade, but I am not at all certain the MBT sees it that way.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by purplefrog

Cuban said he thought continuity was important and that "we have a good team". He seemed to downplay the likelihood of any deals being completed by the trade deadline. He might just be blowing smoke, but I could see them sticking with their current roster. I believe that at the minimum they should be looking to trade JJ and his large expiring contract. I like JJ and thought he would play an important role, but it hasn't really turned out that way in my opinion.

There's about a 1000% chance he's blowing smoke. Every coach and every owner says they have a good team. What the hell is he supposed to say? "The team sucks, we need to make a trade otherwise the season is over?"

If you believe the rumors there are quite a few very good players available if the right deal comes around.

I'm honestly not sure which rumors you're referring to. So I don't know if I believe them or not. Which "very good" players are supposedly available? So far the potential trades that I've seen floated around in the media are very, very "meh." Unfortunately I don't think anyone so desperate at the moment to shed salary that they'll trade impact players in exchange for an expiring contract. Especially before the offseason. I hope I'm wrong. Keep in mind that since pretty much everyone re-signed with their teams before the season even started, this is now one of the weakest free agent classes in recent memory. So I doubt anyone is particularly motivated to clear salary for a free agent signing- unless someone really wants Andre Drummond or something.

I hope the MBT is on the phone and aggressively pursuing something and not passively waiting around for something to fall in their lap. They might be thinking they will continue to evaluate the current roster and look to make deals in the offseason. That would not surprise me. I feel some urgency to upgrade, but I am not at all certain the MBT sees it that way.

I'm going to go ahead an predict that there will be no significant trades before the deadline and we will have to wait for the offseason for any meaningful movement. Not because the MBT loves the team so much, but because there simply isn't a deal to be made. I want to upgrade the team as much as anyone, but I don't want to force a trade just for the sake of it.

This applies not just to Dallas, but to anyone. Meaningful midseason trades are actually quite rare. There's maybe 1 or 2 per year across the league. The other 28 or so teams usually wait until the offseason.

[MFFL]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

I'm going to go ahead an predict that there will be no significant trades before the deadline and we will have to wait for the offseason for any meaningful movement. Not because the MBT loves the team so much, but because there simply isn't a deal to be made. I want to upgrade the team as much as anyone, but I don't want to force a trade just for the sake of it.

I agree

There are some names that I am interested in like Gordon and Collins but, (a) I doubt they REALLY get traded, and (b) I don't think the Mavs have the assets to acquire them

There might be some championship-level teams filling out their roster but we're not in that category yet

[EricaLubarsky]

Do people honestly think that Cuban is 100% okay with this team and not trying while Mavs fans are the only ones that see the team as flawed?

The NBA is brutal. Trades are hard and we're in a rough position to make a trade. That doesn't mean we're not trying but improving takes both assets and the stars aligning just right. We don't have the assets to male most trades and even then you have to pray,

[EricaLubarsky]

Do people honestly think that Cuban is 100% okay with this team and not trying while Mavs fans are the only ones that see the team as flawed?

The NBA is brutal. Trades are hard and we're in a rough position to make a trade. That doesn't mean we're not trying but improving takes both assets and the stars aligning just right. We don't have the assets to male most trades and even then you have to pray,

Is say the odds of a trade in the next 1.5 weeks is almost zero, but if one doesn't happen its not for lack of effort.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Do people honestly think that Cuban is 100% okay with this team and not trying while Mavs fans are the only ones that see the team as flawed?

The NBA is brutal. Trades are hard and we're in a rough position to make a trade. That doesn't mean we're not trying but improving takes both assets and the stars aligning just right. We don't have the assets to male most trades and even then you have to pray,

Is say the odds of a trade in the next 1.5 weeks is almost zero, but if one doesn't happen its not for lack of effort.

No, obviously not 100% okay with the team, but my bet is that Cuban feels like this team is closer to a contender than they really are. I'd say he is more like 90% okay with this team. He is also probably like many of us fans that when we get on a streak and "we're contenders" then hit a slump and "we suck" and Donnie and Rick have to put him back in neutral.

Are we in a rough position to make a trade though? No other team wants 18M THJ contract falling off the books, or 16M from JJ falling off?

I don't think there will be a move made either and if so it will be for a lack of trying. Whether it's justified in some way or not, I can't see them being aggressive in improving the team, but I can see them holding out hope that someone calls them and offers more than what some of our availables are worth. Unless we call that trying.

[Dallas41]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

No, obviously not 100% okay with the team, but my bet is that Cuban feels like this team is closer to a contender than they really are. I'd say he is more like 90% okay with this team. He is also probably like many of us fans that when we get on a streak and "we're contenders" then hit a slump and "we suck" and Donnie and Rick have to put him back in neutral.

Are we in a rough position to make a trade though? No other team wants 18M THJ contract falling off the books, or 16M from JJ falling off?

I don't think there will be a move made either and if so it will be for a lack of trying. Whether it's justified in some way or not, I can't see them being aggressive in improving the team, but I can see them holding out hope that someone calls them and offers more than what some of our availables are worth. Unless we call that trying.

Sounds like to me that Cuban is content with the roster unless a STAR player becomes available.

Mark Cuban: “Unless it’s a game-changing star, I don’t see us doing anything at all. So, if someone decides they’re blowing it up OK, then we’ll talk to anybody about any great player.



I personally feel as if a guy like Arron Gordon improves this team big time on the defensive end or Drummond solves the rebounding issues.

But those aren't STAR players so I'm guessing the Mavs won't bother with them....

They have Luka and KP seems like they would still try to upgrade by at least getting another quality starter if he's not a STAR player.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by Dallas41

Sounds like to me that Cuban is content with the roster unless a STAR player becomes available.

Mark Cuban: “Unless it’s a game-changing star, I don’t see us doing anything at all. So, if someone decides they’re blowing it up OK, then we’ll talk to anybody about any great player.



I personally feel as if a guy like Arron Gordon improves this team big time on the defensive end or Drummond solves the rebounding issues.

But those aren't STAR players so I'm guessing the Mavs won't bother with them....

They have Luka and KP seems like they would still try to upgrade by at least getting another quality starter if he's not a STAR player.

So unless a team wants to dump a game-changing star, we love our boys in blue. Sounds like we are just going to kick the can down the road until we can step up to the free agency plate and take a big ol' swing at a game changing star which we will undoubtedly whiff. Don't be surprised when we take THJ and JJs expired contract and turn it into.... THJ's new contract. That's about when they upsell the Bey, Terry, and Green emergence. In the meantime a ton of fans will probably once again say that everyone wants to play with Luka yet it doesn't happen.

[BPo001]

Brad Townsend: I’m told that James Johnson has arrived back in Dallas. If he passes all of his COVID-19 tests in the coming week, the soonest he would be eligible to play is the March 24 game against Minnesota. – via Twitter townbrad

[BPo001]

Brad Townsend: I’m told that James Johnson has arrived back in Dallas. If he passes all of his COVID-19 tests in the coming week, the soonest he would be eligible to play is the March 24 game against Minnesota. – via Twitter townbrad

[Dallas41]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

So unless a team wants to dump a game-changing star, we love our boys in blue. Sounds like we are just going to kick the can down the road until we can step up to the free agency plate and take a big ol' swing at a game changing star which we will undoubtedly whiff. Don't be surprised when we take THJ and JJs expired contract and turn it into.... THJ's new contract. That's about when they upsell the Bey, Terry, and Green emergence. In the meantime a ton of fans will probably once again say that everyone wants to play with Luka yet it doesn't happen.

Check out the Mark Steins comments on these trade rumors


March 15th, 9:00 a.m. - Aaron Gordon has Dallas listed as a place he’d like to play, per Jake Fisher of Bleacher Report. There are some interesting teams on Gordon’s list and he’d be quite the talent infusion, but he’s a confounding player. He wants to play a specific way that doesn’t maximize his skills, loving post ups and threes when he’s average at both. He also may be a bit of a tweener forward, but at 25 he’s got a tantalizing toolbox of skills that perhaps just need the right coach to unlock.

March 12th, 8:30 p.m. - On a Locker Room, Mark Stein says that the Mavericks are surprised this roster hasn’t worked out better and they’d be looking to improve at the deadline.

March 9th - Mark Cuban told the Mavs Stepback Podcast that he values “continuity” and that they wouldn’t make a big splash unless it was for a star.

March 6th - The Mavericks are one of a half dozen teams interested in Larry Nance. Nance is essentially the player Dallas hoped Dwight Powell could one day be before his injury. This one seems a stretch as the price could be too high.

March 2nd - J.J. Redick interests the Mavericks if he’s on the block, per Kevin O’Conner on the Mismatch podcast. He’s old but can still shoot. It’s unclear what the cost would be for Redick and Dallas likely doesn’t have the assets.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Are we in a rough position to make a trade though? No other team wants 18M THJ contract falling off the books, or 16M from JJ falling off?

I said it already. No. I don't think any team is particularly desperate to shed salary right now, enough to part with anything of value for just an expiring contract alone. The expiring contract will have to be part of a larger package along with first round picks and/or promising young prospects, and the Mavs have neither.

So yeah, the Mavs are in a pretty damn tough spot to make a trade- especially before the deadline. If this free agent class were still historically loaded, then maybe. But this is now a really weak free agent class. So, I don't think anyone is eager to give up actual good players for James Johnson's expiring contract.

[Dallas41]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

I said it already. No. I don't think any team is particularly desperate to shed salary right now, enough to part with anything of value for just an expiring contract alone. The expiring contract will have to be part of a larger package along with first round picks and/or promising young prospects, and the Mavs have neither.

So yeah, the Mavs are in a pretty damn tough spot to make a trade- especially before the deadline. If this free agent class were still historically loaded, then maybe. But this is now a really weak free agent class. So, I don't think anyone is eager to give up actual good players for James Johnson's expiring contract.

Which is not good for the Mavs because as it stands right now this team is another 1st round exit.

In fact I can't even remember when was the last time they've made it past the 1st round outside of the 2011 Finals and prior to that season they were bounced if I'm not mistaken by the Spurs in the 1st round.

So this really goes way back to like a decade since Dallas has been a legit playoff contender.

I think if a player like Gordon is really on the market they should at least offer up something of value and stand pat hoping more time together will make them better this year.

Kleber is a stretch 4 that I think Orlando would like plus young prospects like Green and Terry might entice them. I know neither player has played much in Dallas but that's not to say in Orlando they wouldn't get any time.

Kevin Porter Jr is a prime example of what could potentially happen if you give minutes to a young player and I highly doubt Kevin Porter Jr would sniff the floor in Dallas.

Orlando would probably say no but Cuban seems only set on another star player and not willing to settle for just a very good Player like Gordon.

[Zeus]

I expect Saddiq Bey to be a solid contributor in our playoff run this year.. Oh dang it, we forgot to draft him.

[purplefrog]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

There's about a 1000% chance he's blowing smoke. Every coach and every owner says they have a good team. What the hell is he supposed to say? "The team sucks, we need to make a trade otherwise the season is over?"

Maybe, "We like our team, but we will be looking to improve our roster at the trade deadline"?

I'm honestly not sure which rumors you're referring to. So I don't know if I believe them or not. Which "very good" players are supposedly available? So far the potential trades that I've seen floated around in the media are very, very "meh." Unfortunately I don't think anyone so desperate at the moment to shed salary that they'll trade impact players in exchange for an expiring contract. Especially before the offseason. I hope I'm wrong. Keep in mind that since pretty much everyone re-signed with their teams before the season even started, this is now one of the weakest free agent classes in recent memory. So I doubt anyone is particularly motivated to clear salary for a free agent signing- unless someone really wants Andre Drummond or something.

Gordon
Horford
Collins
Aldridge
Rubio
Oladipo
Tucker
Fournier
Markkanen
Lowry
Drummond
Reddick

I'm going to go ahead an predict that there will be no significant trades before the deadline and we will have to wait for the offseason for any meaningful movement. Not because the MBT loves the team so much, but because there simply isn't a deal to be made. I want to upgrade the team as much as anyone, but I don't want to force a trade just for the sake of it.

This applies not just to Dallas, but to anyone. Meaningful midseason trades are actually quite rare. There's maybe 1 or 2 per year across the league. The other 28 or so teams usually wait until the offseason.

We know that Aldridge and Tucker will be on new teams before the season is over. It may be through a buy out rather than a trade and if that is the case, I seriously doubt they would choose Dallas. Same goes for Drummond. That trio will likely sign with a contender, making the chosen team even stronger. The Mavs' trade assets will be fewer in the offseason, so I think the time to be on the phone wheeling and dealing is now. It may be that I am overestimating the value of the expiring contracts of JJ and THJ, as well as the reasonable contracts of WCS, Burke, and Iwundu (maybe even Powell, if the incoming salary was for multiple years), but given the realities you point out it may be the Mavs are stuck for the next couple of years and the most we can hope for is that KP stays healthy and reaches his potential as a legitimate #2. If so, then prayers are more important than looking for a trade partner.

[tap2390]

Originally Posted by Zeus

I expect Saddiq Bey to be a solid contributor in our playoff run this year.. Oh dang it, we forgot to draft him.

And I expect Mavs fans to continue to bitch about every move the FO makes despite the fact that since 2017 (they year we started getting "good" draft picks) we've added Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson, Kristaps Porzingis (by way of Dennis Smith Jr.), and three promising rookies this year.


Edit: By the way hindsight is 20/20. Please show me where you were clamoring for Saddiq Bey prior to the draft.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by tap2390

And I expect Mavs fans to continue to bitch about every move the FO makes despite the fact that since 2017 (they year we started getting "good" draft picks) we've added Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson, Kristaps Porzingis (by way of Dennis Smith Jr.), and three promising rookies this year.


Edit: By the way hindsight is 20/20. Please show me where you were clamoring for Saddiq Bey prior to the draft.

Saddiq Bey was popular on the wish list for members here. I can't speak for Zues specifically but many wanted him. I was hoping for Bane and he actually gained momentum on here as well. Those 2 guys are doing quite well and contributing already so I can understand peoples frustration. The is hope our rooks will end up being successful, which will have to include fighting thru Ricks odd rotations to get a chance.

There's a joke somewhere in how we get the brother or cousin of good players, not the actual good players. Tyler Bey, Seth Curry, Kostos Ant.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by purplefrog

Gordon
Horford
Collins
Aldridge
Rubio
Oladipo
Tucker
Fournier
Markkanen
Lowry
Drummond
Reddick

Those are all reasonable targets. Although I'm not sure I even want a few of them.

It may be that I am overestimating the value of the expiring contracts of JJ and THJ, as well as the reasonable contracts of WCS, Burke, and Iwundu (maybe even Powell, if the incoming salary was for multiple years),

I think they are tradeable assets, but the catch is I don't think anyone wants to give up value for an expiring contract alone. So if we're going to trade JJ or THJ, I think a package would probably also have to include something like say Brunson, Green, and two second rounders. Would you give that up for any of the guys on that list? I would for only a couple of them- Collins is a no brainer. Lowry is still really good, but he's very old and he's also a free agent at the end of the year, so there's not much incentive for Toronto to trade him for an expiring contract. The other guys on that list are all pretty "meh" to me, and would probably fetch more on the open market than the Mavs can offer anyway.

Everyone needs to realize that it is 100% a seller's market right now. I mean, look what the Pelicans got for Jrue Holiday.

On that note, we really, really, really need at least one of the guys we drafted to become a productive NBA player. We're not going to be competitive in trades without at least one promising young prospect.

but given the realities you point out it may be the Mavs are stuck for the next couple of years and the most we can hope for is that KP stays healthy and reaches his potential as a legitimate #2. If so, then prayers are more important than looking for a trade partner.

Sadly, I think this is it. I'm leaning very heavily toward the "prayers" scenario. KP essentially fell out of the sky for us. He was disgruntled and the Knicks were all star-eyed about the possibility of signing Durant and Kyrie. I worry that the only way we're going to be title contenders is if someone else falls out of the sky too.

[Zeus]

Sadly, when you are trying to continue to build around Luka on an organization that doesn't land star free agents you need to maximize the draft. You can't even begin to tell me that the Mavs didn't whiff in a major way by not drafting Saddiq Bey. His rebounding and athleticism and already demonstration of a 3 and D type proficiency would really have added to this core.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by Zeus

Sadly, when you are trying to continue to build around Luka on an organization that doesn't land star free agents you need to maximize the draft. You can't even begin to tell me that the Mavs didn't whiff in a major way by not drafting Saddiq Bey. His rebounding and athleticism and already demonstration of a 3 and D type proficiency would really have added to this core.

We can't really judge for sure yet because we have no idea what Green is or isn't yet. But so far, I'm inclined to agree. Bey would almost certainly be starting for us right now had we drafted him. And you are right that we absolutely cannot afford to whiff in the precious few draft picks we have.