2018 NBA Draft

[Underdog]

@Rrlewis2: ESPN/DraftExpress update their mock draft today. Brace yourself #Mavs fans.

#MFFL

[sefant77]

Originally Posted by Magnum_3_Ball

Just gonna have a little more fun with this.

Let's say the draft order does finish like this:

1) Sacramento
2) Atlanta
3) Orlando
4) Phoenix
5) Dallas


With Divac involved, I could definitely see the Kings taking Doncic.

1) SAC - Luka Doncic

Would have to project ATL taking whoever they have rated as the best big on their board, with Doncic gone.

2) ATL - DeAndre Ayton (Altho, I could see Bagley III going here too)

I could see Orlando passing on Bagley III because of the similar skill set to Aaron Gordon. Also because unexpected things happen in the draft. I could see them taking Michael Porter Jr here, if their scouts have him rated as a generational talent. Could see them reaching on Bamba here, altho that's less likely with them just having drafted Jonathan Isaac last year. Could see them drafting Trae Young here too. They could take so many players we'd like to get our hands on, one reason I'm really hoping we sneak ahead of them for worst record. But for speculation purposes, I'm going to give them...

3) ORL - Michael Porter Jr

The Suns biggest need is at PG, if they're drafting here I can see them taking Trae Young over Marvin Bagley III

4) PHX - Trae Young

This is one of the nice things about the Mavs finishing with a top 5 pick, even top 6, which I don't see them falling further than 6th. A player like Marvin Bagley III could fall to them. It's not likely that Bagley himself falls, but it's not absurd either. Sitting here at 5 the Mavs have their pick of Bagley III or Bamba. Plus, they could take a long look at Jackson Jr from Michigan State or Mikal Bridges from Villanova. All 4 of these players I've heard described multiple times as possibly the best player in this draft. By the way, say Kings' ownership views Ayton as too good to pass up no matter what Divac says, then you could see a scenario where Doncic falls to 5, and the Mavs once again are looking at a player who many say could be the best player in this draft. Same is true of Michael Porter Jr, if he declares. For our purposes, I'm going to have the Mavs take...

5) DAL - Marvin Bagley III


If I'm right, and the Mavs don't fall any further than the 6th pick, then I'll probably be happy with anyone they pick, unless it's Porter Jr. Too worried about the back with that kid. This is going to be an exciting sweat for the Mavs til Lottery night!

Really hope they sneak out the 3rd pick. If Sac is 1 and Atl is 2, then I think Sac takes Doncic and the Mavs get whoever is left over between Ayton and Bagley III. I ain't mad at that.

I think the Hawks are trying to avoid drafting Bagley since they had with Collins such a nice draft steal. So i think they are going for center or wing.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by Underdog

@Rrlewis2: ESPN/DraftExpress update their mock draft today. Brace yourself #Mavs fans.

#MFFL

Wooooooo.

Who do they predict we'll get in the lottery in 2019?

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Wooooooo.

Who do they predict we'll get in the lottery in 2019?

I get the feeling that the people who make these mocks tend to pick the best players for the teams they like most, then try to have all the other teams "talk themselves into" the players left over... If we somehow picked at #8, I'd rather see us draft one of the Bridges, then try to trade our way to around pick #20 and get either Mitchell Robinson or Brandon McCoy (if we just have to come out of this draft with a center). Wendell Carter is someone I'd take closer to #10.

Although I don't see us drafting outside the top-5 unless the lottery balls conspire against us... And even then, it probably won't be worse than #6.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by Underdog

I get the feeling that the people who make these mocks tend to pick the best players for the teams they like most, then try to have all the other teams "talk themselves into" the players left over... If we somehow picked at #8, I'd rather see us draft one of the Bridges, then try to trade our way to around pick #20 and get either Mitchell Robinson or Brandon McCoy (if we just have to come out of this draft with a center). Wendell Carter is someone I'd take closer to #10.

Although I don't see us drafting outside the top-5 unless the lottery balls conspire against us... And even then, it probably won't be worse than #6.

You're more optimistic than I. We're barely 4th and terrible at tanking with the easiest upcoming schedule of any lottery-bound team.

Difficulty of remaining schedule:

Kings - 5th hardest
Suns - 6th hardest
Nets - 12th hardest
Hawks - 14th hardest
Grizz - 24th hardest
Magic - 25th hardest
Mavs - 27th hardest

Everyone is all bunched up within a game or two and the Mavs have the single easiest schedule of all of those lottery contenders while being terrible at actually pulling off the tank. Remember last year when we won game 82, missed our chance at #8 and almost got ourselves #10 (which would have cost us Smith)?

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

You're more optimistic than I. We're barely 4th and terrible at tanking with the easiest upcoming schedule of any lottery-bound team.

Difficulty of remaining schedule:

Kings - 5th hardest
Suns - 6th hardest
Nets - 12th hardest
Hawks - 14th hardest
Grizz - 24th hardest
Magic - 25th hardest
Mavs - 27th hardest

Everyone is all bunched up within a game or two and the Mavs have the single easiest schedule of all of those lottery contenders while being terrible at actually pulling off the tank. Remember last year when we won game 82, missed our chance at #8 and almost got ourselves #10 (which would have cost us Smith)?

Nets have nothing to gain by tanking since they don't have their pick, Grizz and Magic SOS is close enough to ours not to really matter (is Conley coming back?)... I guess it just depends on what we do around the trade deadline -- I could see us going all-in on the tank if some of these vets get shipped out for picks.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Nets have nothing to gain by tanking since they don't have their pick, Grizz and Magic SOS is close enough to ours not to really matter (is Conley coming back?)... I guess it just depends on what we do around the trade deadline -- I could see us going all-in on the tank if some of these vets get shipped out for picks.

You think the Mavs will trade to rebuild rather than trying to get a deal?

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

You think the Mavs will trade to rebuild rather than trying to get a deal?

Get a deal on who? There aren't any good players getting shipped at the trade deadline. Maybe this summer, but I don't see us using our cap space on anything other than overpaid/underperforming players with picks attached in the next couple weeks.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Get a deal on who? There aren't any good players getting shipped at the trade deadline. Maybe this summer, but I don't see us using our cap space on anything other than overpaid/underperforming players with picks attached in the next couple weeks.

Noel and McRoberts for Monroe comes to mind. A few smaller moves that would make us immediately better. Borderline starters and solid bench guys are certainly there to be had.

Best we can do for trading down is probably second rounders, but I could see us nabbing someone like Monroe, seeing who we get in the draft (Ayton/Bamba) and either offering him a backup spot or starting spot with us. In the short term, having a starting center would make us better, though, and would make it harder to tank for top 5.

[saclare]

Originally Posted by Magnum_3_Ball

This is true, but at the same time, very close behind Miller's primary job of winning games, is his secondary job of recruiting next year's crop. You don't want to have a reputation of not developing a top flight, 1 & done NBA prospect while you had him.

Very true. I remember reading that was a factor in Mo Bamba signing with Texas. Not sure how big of a factor, but he stated the work done with Jarrett Allen and the coaching staff, preparing him and expanding his game.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Noel and McRoberts for Monroe comes to mind. A few smaller moves that would make us immediately better. Borderline starters and solid bench guys are certainly there to be had.

Best we can do for trading down is probably second rounders, but I could see us nabbing someone like Monroe, seeing who we get in the draft (Ayton/Bamba) and either offering him a backup spot or starting spot with us. In the short term, having a starting center would make us better, though, and would make it harder to tank for top 5.

Monroe is exactly the kind of overpaid/underperforming player I was talking about -- his contract is expiring, so trading for him doesn't do anything for us unless we're either shedding longterm salary by sending back Wes/Powell, or if we're getting picks in return... He isn't a longterm roster upgrade, so there's no other reason to trade for him. The FO no longer has any delusions about making the playoffs at this point.

[saclare]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Monroe is exactly the kind of overpaid/underperforming player I was talking about -- his contract is expiring, so trading for him doesn't do anything for us unless we're either shedding longterm salary by sending back Wes/Powell, or if we're getting picks in return... He isn't a longterm roster upgrade, so there's no other reason to trade for him. The FO no longer has any delusions about making the playoffs at this point.

Someone mentioned elsewhere about the potential of making that trade for Monroe and buying him out. Perhaps getting PHX 2nd rounder for a closer look at Noel or whoever they'd want, really.

Edit: It was Spreedom in the general forum, "Mavs at the trade deadline" thread.

[saclare]

Originally Posted by Underdog

@Rrlewis2: ESPN/DraftExpress update their mock draft today. Brace yourself #Mavs fans.

#MFFL

Why are they mocking the Mavs #8?

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by saclare

Someone mentioned elsewhere about the potential of making that trade for Monroe and buying him out. Perhaps getting PHX 2nd rounder for a closer look at Noel or whoever they'd want, really.

No reason to buy him out when his contract is already expiring this summer... And I already said the only reason to trade for him would to get a pick attached.

Maybe we play him a bit to see if we have any interest in signing him this offseason, but otherwise we have no interest in Monroe as a player.

[Magnum_3_Ball]

I know that post I made last night was really long, but somebody read that & then tell me how we're picking 8th?

Somebody look at the Mavs remaining schedule & tell me how we get to 30 wins? Tank or no tank, this team isn't good enough to get to 30 wins. It just isn't. Not with the addition of Greg Monroe, not if every Maverick magically stays healthy the rest of the season. For us to drop that far in the draft order, we'd have to astronomically bad luck. Like say every other team we play is missing 1 or 2 of their best players due to injury or rest. I can't really forecast that.

Even if that happens, there's still a lot of PHX vs SAC, ATL vs ORL, CHI vs BKN, MEM vs LAL games left on the schedule. Somebody has to win those games. Trust me when I say this, I spent several hours on this last night, the Mavs are going to finish somewhere between the 3rd and 6th worst record in the league this year. I'd give you 10-1 odds on that, and I'd be making money.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Magnum_3_Ball

I know that post I made last night was really long, but somebody read that & then tell me how we're picking 8th?

Somebody look at the Mavs remaining schedule & tell me how we get to 30 wins? Tank or no tank, this team isn't good enough to get to 30 wins. It just isn't. Not with the addition of Greg Monroe, not if every Maverick magically stays healthy the rest of the season. For us to drop that far in the draft order, we'd have to astronomically bad luck. Like say every other team we play is missing 1 or 2 of their best players due to injury or rest. I can't really forecast that.

Even if that happens, there's still a lot of PHX vs SAC, ATL vs ORL, CHI vs BKN, MEM vs LAL games left on the schedule. Somebody has to win those games. Trust me when I say this, I spent several hours on this last night, the Mavs are going to finish somewhere between the 3rd and 6th worst record in the league this year. I'd give you 10-1 odds on that, and I'd be making money.

Because ESPN worked their mock backwards and thought about which players they'd like to see on certain teams, rather than considering where teams will actually finish and then determining who they'd most likely pick.

[Magnum_3_Ball]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Because ESPN worked their mock backwards and thought about which players they'd like to see on certain teams, rather than considering where teams will actually finish and then determining who they'd most likely pick.

Yeah I looked at several mocks last night, 5-6 most posted within the last 3-4 weeks, sites like Sporting News, SI, Bleacher Report, etc. Their draft order was ridiculous. One mock had Chicago drafting first, another had Boston drafting 2nd with the Lakers pick, one had the Kings drafting 5th. Let me tell you something, the biggest lock of this entire draft order is the Kings drafting in the top 3 picks.

But that's just bad research on their part. I saw one mock that had Boston picking 8th with the Lakers pick, but if the Lakers finish 8th that pick goes to Philadelphia. If whoever is putting the mock together doesn't even know that much, what does that say about the quality of their mock in general?

If the Mavs finish with the 6th worst record in the leauge, which I'm confident based on my research last night they will finish no worse than the 6th worst record, then the worst they could do is pick 9th. There would be a 1 in 100,000 chance they pick 9th, a 1 in 2,500 chance they pick 8th, and basically a 96% chance they pick 6th or 7th. I'm not certain I have the math exactly right on that, but the basic idea is right. Very long odds they would pick 8th or 9th, very likely they would pick 6th or 7th, with an outside shot at a top 3 pick.

Edit: Actually I think the math on picking 9th is 1 in 1,000, and the math on picking 8th is 1 in 400. Even this might be wrong, it's been a long time since I took a math class. Lol. Kinda same difference tho.

[Magnum_3_Ball]

I'm seeing on another forum, in Draft Express' updated mock they have Jaren Jackson Jr going 5th. I saw some more highlights of him last night & read up on him a bit more. Starting to really like this kid. Feel like he's a clear cut 2nd tier player in this draft, and depending on how the rest of his season plays out/combine performance, he could push for top tier consideration.

DX also had Bagley at 4, with Bamba ahead of him at 3. I keep seeing Bagley getting knocked. Find that interesting.

[EricaLubarsky]

Goodness gracious, the more I look the more I see an embarrassment of riches from this draft.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Goodness gracious, the more I look the more I see an embarrassment of riches from this draft.

That's why our primary focus should be to get as many high picks as possible... Like, I have no problem packaging future firsts for firsts in this draft.

[Magnum_3_Ball]

Originally Posted by Underdog

That's why our primary focus should be to get as many high picks as possible... Like, I have no problem packaging future firsts for firsts in this draft.

I would love to get another 1st round pick this year. Wouldn't mind another 2nd round pick either.

Hasn't been much discussion of the guys in the mid to late 1st round because we know the Mavs will pick before that, but who are some of the players who peek your interest?

I'm intrigued by UNLV's Freshman Center Brandon McCoy. He did a respectable job defending DeAndre Ayton when they met earlier this year, and he's been projected in the 20s in most mocks I've seen.

A lot of people are starting to fall in love with Oregon's Freshman Wing Troy Brown. I think he's a strong candidate to move up into the back end of the lottery, but if the Mavs produced a mid 1st round pick somehow & he were still sitting there, I'd be very interested.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Magnum_3_Ball

I would love to get another 1st round pick this year. Wouldn't mind another 2nd round pick either.

Hasn't been much discussion of the guys in the mid to late 1st round because we know the Mavs will pick before that, but who are some of the players who peek your interest?

I'm intrigued by UNLV's Freshman Center Brandon McCoy. He did a respectable job defending DeAndre Ayton when they met earlier this year, and he's been projected in the 20s in most mocks I've seen.

A lot of people are starting to fall in love with Oregon's Freshman Wing Troy Brown. I think he's a strong candidate to move up into the back end of the lottery, but if the Mavs produced a mid 1st round pick somehow & he were still sitting there, I'd be very interested.

Yeah, I mentioned it somewhere in one of these threads, but if we don't land a center with our first pick, I'd love to somehow trade players/picks for something around pick #20 and grab Brandon McCoy or Mitch Robinson, maybe Daniel Gafford if he doesn't keep climbing. Hell, there's a chance Robert Williams is still there, which is closer to where I'd prefer to get him.

I also dig Troy Brown, but agree that he's likely to keep climbing -- same with Miami's Lonnie Walker and Bruce Brown... A couple other guys I have my eye on are Keita Bates-Diop and Shake Milton... I also wonder where Justin Jackson or Anfernee Simmons end up getting drafted. Some of these guys may be gettable with our second rounder.

[Magnum_3_Ball]

Wow! Sacramento just went into Miami & pulled out a 1 point win! Pretty incredible too. They played them tight all game, went into the 4th quarter down 1, and Miami started the 4th on a 12-1 run, then the Kings came back & won it!!!

[saclare]

Lol thatta way Sacto.

Also, on Dan Gafford. The interest will cool. He's a great kid and supremely athletic, but has a good way to go on development. He's an advanced shot blocker, rebounder, and finisher, especially dunking. However, he could work on his defense, post offense, and learn to grow confident in his short to mid-range shots, which I think he is solid at hitting but he doesn't seem to trust it.

He had a grand total of 0 points last game against Georgia. A lot can be attributed to our senior guards taking over that game, but I wish Mike Anderson would do more to get him involved. I'd really like to see a pick and roll game, since I'd think he'd thrive in it.

I really think he stays one more year. I can see why he gets lotto projections in some spots, and second round in others. He definitely has a lot of potential, and I'd love him in a Mavs uniform, I just don't see that happening in the first round at this point.

[Magnum_3_Ball]

I just found the Adrian Wojnarowski podcast. I was listening to the episode with Zach Lowe from the start of the season, and at 34:20 in (link here: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art...woj/e/51417701) they talk about something very interesting. I never knew Steph told the Warriors not to draft him because he wouldn't sign there. They talk about how Porzingis would of gone 10th to Orlando in 2014, but he didn't want to play for them & decided to stay another year in Europe. Even further with the unicorn, they talk about how Philly wanted him, but he wouldn't work out for them. Philly wound up taking Jahil Okafor instead, and New York wound up with Porzingis despite the fact Phil Jackson never even saw him play until very late in the scouting process.

Very interesting stuff, especially for Mavs' fans. I've always agreed with what Zach Lowe said "call these players' bluffs". But teams fall for it time & time again from Eli with San Diego to the Giants in the NFL, to Stevie Franchise with the Grizzilies, Kobe falling to 13th & then a trade to the Lakers LOL... I think we're blessed here in Dallas. Btw, earlier in the podcast they talk about the tanking reform and discuss how teams attract quality FAs.

I could see a scenario where the Mavs are picking 4th, with say Sacramento picking 3rd, and a prized draft pick is telling his agent to make sure Sacramento knows he won't sign with them that he wants to play for the Mavs. Not only are we a well-thought of organization around the league from the players' perspective especially, but we might owe a lot to New York passing on Dennis Smith Jr last year because with DSJ now a future top 5 draft pick has a reason to want to come play with the Mavs!

[Magnum_3_Ball]

2009 draft is pretty remarkable. Zach Lowe says in that podcast that one day he wants to go back & do an oral history of the '09 draft. Made me wanna go back & take a look at it.

It's crazy, if you take Blake Griffin, James Harden, and Steph off the table, you could legitimately say the 2nd round picks were more productive than the 1st round picks.

[saclare]

Originally Posted by Magnum_3_Ball

2009 draft is pretty remarkable. Zach Lowe says in that podcast that one day he wants to go back & do an oral history of the '09 draft. Made me wanna go back & take a look at it.

It's crazy, if you take Blake Griffin, James Harden, and Steph off the table, you could legitimately say the 2nd round picks were more productive than the 1st round picks.

Ermm that's a stretch. Beverley, Green, and Mills are respectable to that argument. Also miss mentioning DeRozan, Rubio, Holiday, Teague, Gibson, and Carroll.

Looks like the draft played out pretty normally.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by saclare

Ermm that's a stretch. Beverley, Green, and Mills are respectable to that argument. Also miss mentioning DeRozan, Rubio, Holiday, Teague, Gibson, and Carroll.

Looks like the draft played out pretty normally.

I'd say that having no superstars and only one borderline star in the group makes it weak. Journeymen starters, sure, but no starters.

[saclare]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

I'd say that having no superstars and only one borderline star in the group makes it weak. Journeymen starters, sure, but no starters.

Griffin, Harden, Steph, and DeRozan all claim multiple All-Star nods. Not bad from the draft, though I understand your statement and/or sentiment. I just fail to see how the 2nd round offers much of anything outside of those mentioned.

[Magnum_3_Ball]

Originally Posted by saclare

Ermm that's a stretch. Beverley, Green, and Mills are respectable to that argument. Also miss mentioning DeRozan, Rubio, Holiday, Teague, Gibson, and Carroll.

Looks like the draft played out pretty normally.

You're only talking about players who are still in the league. I'm talking about the value each player had for their selection i.e. a guy like Chase Budinger. Sure, he's no longer in the league, but he's a guy who was drafted 44th overall & saw his 2nd NBA contract through. That's exceeding expectations for the 44th player taken; not to mention, seeing his 2nd contract through is more than you can say for Thabeet, Jonny Flynn, Terrence Williams, or Eric Maynor, for example.

I didn't leave out DeRozan or those other guys. I'm saying if you add up the value on each side, it probably slants to the 2nd round players IF you remove Blake, Harden & Steph. If you take out DeRozan & those other guys, then the 2nd rounders win in a landslide.

2009 1st rounders (minus Blake, Harden, Steph)

Tyreke Evans
Rubio
Jordan Hill
DeRozan
Brandon Jennings
Gerald Henderson
Psycho T
James Johnson
Jrue Holiday
Ty Lawson
Jeff Teague
Darren Collison
Omri Casspi
Taj Gibson
DeMarre Carroll
Wayne Ellington
Toney Douglas

2009 2nd rounders

Dante Cunningham
DeJuan Blair
Jonas Jerebko
Jodie Meeks
Patrick Beverly
Marcus Thornton
Chase Budinger
Danny Green
Patty Mills



Eh, ok. You got me. Just on total numbers alone the 1st rounders are up 17-9. But, still that's a pretty below average 1st round crop & a pretty above average 2nd round group, imo.

[Magnum_3_Ball]

Listening to the Woj podcast with Draft Express/ESPN's Jonathan Givony on & going back to the Doncic discussion here the past few days some interesting things said.

Wojnarowski "I had GMs coming to me after the Arizona/Texas A&M game the other night & saying (Ayton) that's the #1 pick"

Givony "I think it takes more courage to take Bagley or Ayton (#1) because Doncic has done it vs NBA players. You saw Doncic with Porzingis switching onto him & Doncic scoring on him repeatedly. You saw Doncic just kick Evan Fournier's ass & that's a near max guy in the NBA. You saw him destroy Ricky Rubio in the semi-finals of an European championship. What Ayton and Bagley are doing is impressive, and those guys are great prospects, and they have just as good a chance to go #1 as Doncic, but still they're doing it against kids. I think Doncic is just a lot more proven. I don't think it takes any courage at all to take him #1."

Which the question to Givony was "Does it take more courage to take a foreign player over a NCAA star #1?"

Later on Givony says "I could see where Duke has a deep run in the tournament and Bagley plays amazing, Ayton too, and it's in the media every day & there's a lot of public pressure on the team drafting #1 to take one of those guys. If that happens and Doncic falls to #3 and plays great, wins the Rookie of the Year, then I'm not gonna wanna hear anybody say oh how were we suppose to know, he was all the way in Europe. Hell no."

Givony seems convinced Doncic is the #1 pick in this year's draft. Another thing said in this podcast that I found pretty remarkable. They said the year before the Knicks took Porzingis at 4, he was in this same Spanish ACB league and he only averaged 7 and 4 and had some really bad games. They say Doncic hasn't had any bad games and is averaging 16, 7 and 5 at the time of the podcast.

[EricaLubarsky]

It's definitely going to be interesting. Luckily, I don't think the Mavs have to make that call. At this point, I'm just hoping the MAvs can avoid 7/8.

I really wonder about Ayton. I highly doubt he will make it out of the second round. UofA really isn't going far and it's not really Ayton's fault. Duke and Michigan, on the other hand, will most likely make the final four. A lot of that is the supporting cast, though. It's definitely easier to draft Bagley after he makes a splash in the final four/championship game than it's going to be to take Ayton who will have been eliminated early in the tourney, even if he puts up some solid numbers. A lot of people throw around the "he knows how to win" thing, but UofA has had a tough time with injuries and centers have it toughest when it comes to making an impact. Without guards to assist, Ayton is going to have a hard time impressing in the tourney.

The NCAA vs. International thing is even more interesting. As far as I can tell, we've only ever had two players drafted first from overseas-- Yao Ming and Andrea Bargnani. Yao was amazing in his relatively short career. Bargnani was good but not great for a 1st overall, although he did come from one of the worst draft years on record. Really makes me wonder if we'll see an international in a draft as strong as this. Things have certainly changed since Dirk.

[Magnum_3_Ball]

I see where you're coming from on Ayton. However, and I'm definitely not qualified to speak on the quality of these two players, several mocks have the Wildcats' guards Junior Allonzo Trier and Sophomore Rawle Alkins going in the 2nd round this year.

I could see Arizona making it to the Final Four actually. I mean, everything will depend on seeding. I saw a "bracketology" mock tournament on ESPN last week that had Arizona seeded #4 in the West with like Duke, Oklahoma, and Michigan State (I believe). Whatever their mock tournament seedings were I was I like yeah Arizona has no chance.

However, this is a down year for the Pac 12. Arizona is ranked #11 in the country right now and they only have Pac 12 schools left on their schedule before March Madness. Arizona State at #21 is the only other Pac 12 school that's ranked or even sniffing the top 25. They only play Arizona State one more time, and they only face 2 other teams in the Pac 12 with a player on their roster that's being discussed in this upcoming draft, USC one more time and Oregon one more time. Probably at worst they finish 24-7, but you could also see them at 26-5, and jumping up to take a 2nd or 3rd seed in the tournament. If things break right, I could see them making the Elite 8 & Ayton getting some exposure. Could also see the Wildcats getting bounced in the 2nd round tho too.

Totally agree on everything you said about Duke & the "he knows how to win" nonsense. I'm starting to have some real concerns about Bagley III. I read some posters on other forums talking about how his game revolves around scoring inside & off put backs and whether he has the strength to be successful doing that in the NBA. Other posters questioning his passing & shooting abilities.

Unless the Mavs make a lot of stupid moves like not tanking when they should, or just run really hot with team injuries, etc. there's no way in my mind they pick any lower than 6th. And, I'm saying like less than a 3% chance of that. It's much more likely the Mavs end up with a top 3 pick than pick any lower than 6th. They're pretty much in store for a top 5 pick if they play their cards right.

Man, thinking about that podcast with Woj & Zach Lowe talking. Say Sacramento picks 1st, Atlanta picks 2nd, and Dallas is picking 3rd. A guy like Doncic might hold both of those top 2 teams hostage & say "Don't draft me. I'm going to Dallas, or if you take me, I'm going back to play for Real Madrid for a year". Maybe DeAndre Ayton would try to pull a stunt like that too. I'm hearing that none of the top 6 picks last year would work out for Sacramento. Lol. It's definitely nice to be in the Mavs' shoes were any of the top prospects are hoping they land in Big D w/ DSJ!

[Magnum_3_Ball]

Dang. ATL after being 9 at the half, was up by 1 on CHA with 2:59 to go in the 4th qtr, but couldn't hang on. Would of been nice to see the Hawks saddled with a W.

Oh well, at least Charlotte gets saddled with the W instead.

[Magnum_3_Ball]

Wow. Utah was in a tight one with TOR on the road all game long & Ricky Rubio of all people hits the game winning 3 for the Jazz with 5 seconds left.

[Magnum_3_Ball]

Dang. CHI, after being down by 12 to start the 4th, took a 1 pt lead with 2:46 left to go in the 4th qtr, but they couldn't hold on. Smh.

Oh well, at least the Lakers were saddled with the W.

Here's the thing that I don't get with folks saying they fear we'll wind up drafting like 8th or 9th. I know the Mavs haven't been smart about tanking in the past, so I understand the fear. However, we have the 4th worst record in the league. I mean, We've had ATL vs CHA tonight, LAL vs CHI tonight. These other teams at the bottom play each other too. We'd really have to run exceptionally bad to finish with a worse record than 6th.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Magnum_3_Ball

Dang. CHI, after being down by 12 to start the 4th, took a 1 pt lead with 2:46 left to go in the 4th qtr, but they couldn't hold on. Smh.

Oh well, at least the Lakers were saddled with the W.

Here's the thing that I don't get with folks saying they fear we'll wind up drafting like 8th or 9th. I know the Mavs haven't been smart about tanking in the past, so I understand the fear. However, we have the 4th worst record in the league. I mean, We've had ATL vs CHA tonight, LAL vs CHI tonight. These other teams at the bottom play each other too. We'd really have to run exceptionally bad to finish with a worse record than 6th.

Like I say, you can't tank if you're already losing.

[Magnum_3_Ball]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Like I say, you can't tank if you're already losing.

That's an excellent point. I mean, the Mavs have trouble scoring the ball & these last 2 games have shown we're not very good defensively either.

[EricaLubarsky]

Nets +2.0 (12th hardest schedule)
Grizzlies +1.5 (24th hardest schedule)
Phoenix +1.0 (6th hardest schedule)
Dallas === (27th hardest schedule)
Kings -0.5 (5th hardest schedule)
Orlando -1.0 (25th hardest schedule)
Hawks -1.5 (14th hardest schedule)

We are going to have to tank real hard to get out of this alive. 33 Games left and 3.5 Games separate the #1 and #7. Mavs have the easiest schedule of all of the bottom 7 teams. Suns have the 6th hardest schedule left and are only 1 game back. Grizz going full tank despite the easy schedule with Conley out.

[Magnum_3_Ball]

Grizz definitely in tank mode now. Ugh...

I wonder how Gasol's going to respond