GDT: game 21 (20?) - Suns (9-8) at Mavs (8-11) 8:00 pm FSSW/LP

[EricaLubarsky]

Mavs play another game.

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Mavs play another game.

I’m not sure if more games is the answer sir. If you could take this down, and postpone the games for a week, it would at least save our basketball sanity.

[SMC0007]

Is this the line to watch the waffle stomping?

[Dallas41]

I'm not going to predict anymore wins and I'm not going to predict anymore good games from KP.

This team has sucked all the enthusiasm out of me.

They need to make one of those deadline deals that nets them 3 quality players in a single trade

Haywood, Butler and Stevenson type deal from 2010.

Hopefully this time around it's Vucevic, Gordon and Ross.

[Melonhead]

Mavs are favored -1.5. That feels like a trap so I’ll hold off but how anyone thinks this team can win right now is beyond me.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by Dallas41

I'm not going to predict anymore wins and I'm not going to predict anymore good games from KP.

This team has sucked all the enthusiasm out of me.

They need to make one of those deadline deals that nets them 3 quality players in a single trade

Haywood, Butler and Stevenson type deal from 2010.

Hopefully this time around it's Vucevic, Gordon and Ross.

We like our boys in blue

[Dallas41]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

We like our boys in blue

I'm glad you used that PHRASE by Donnie because this article today talks about what is wrong with the Mavs today and their FA thought process most years.

Also watch the videos and pictures he use to support his article and it makes you wonder what in the world is this coaching staff doing because I know they see the same things while breaking down film.

https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2021/1...-utah-jazz-nba

After another blowout loss, it’s time for an airing of grievances about these Mavericks

If you’ve been following my writing and listening to my work on the postgame podcasts this season, you’ll know that I’ve been a pretty patient guy when it comes to this Mavericks season.

There are tons of reasons for that, which I’ve repeated ad nauseum. The team has been decimated by COVID and injury rehab for their second best player. Just this season, I’ve written multiple “hey, don’t worry things are still cool” pieces on the site. I’ve written about how the Mavericks showed off a bit of their true potential in their beatdown of the Clippers. I got excited about the first starting lineup change of the season that showed some good things against the Rockets. When Luka Doncic played perhaps his most complete game as an NBA player in a dominant win against the Hornets, I gushed about it. Suffice to say, I’ve been pretty calm.

So I think it means a lot that I’m pretty pissed off!

Seriously, what is this nonsense? I understand the Mavericks season has been anything but easy, but did the Mavericks get Monstar’d a week ago? Why does it seem to necessitate the Mavericks getting their asses whipped for the first 12 minutes of the game before they understand it’s time to play and get serious? I understand most of my answers are probably answered by the reasons I outlined at the start of my second paragraph, but at a certain point a good team with (supposedly) good players craps the bed so much and so quickly that you start to become the Joker.

I don’t even know what to say anymore. The double whammy of the Mavericks missing half their rotation for half of this season and the team getting so thoroughly and hilariously waxed recently makes it really hard for me to stay patient or write about X’s and O’s and break down tape. What would I even write about or create gifs of? All I could do is find a gif of the Mavericks farting and falling down and follow that up with me writing “this team is a trash fire” and clicking publish.

Since I’m at a loss for words about this team, I’m just gonna go down a list of my grievances

The best way to showcase the level of disinterest the Mavericks had to start this game is to point at the rebounding. Utah had seven (7!) offensive rebounds in the first quarter. That is too many! Here’s a trip down the floor where Rudy Gobert gets two offensive rebounds with three Mavericks standing near him and no other Jazz player that close to the rim.

Kristaps Porzingis does zero boxing out. I’m sorry, but standing next to a guy and slightly hunched over is not boxing out. Just because you’re touching your man, it doesn’t mean you’re boxing out. This was in the opening minutes of the game! What a sign of things to come.

To be fair to Porzingis, at least he actually touched the guy he was supposed to be boxing out. Look at James Johnson spaced out in the paint here:

Mike Conley, number 10, grabs this rebound and Johnson doesn’t even know where Conley is. Here’s another possession in the first quarter where the Mavericks have four players in the paint, ready to rebound. The Jazz have one player crashing the boards.

I’m convinced something happened before the Mavericks sat Kristaps Porzingis on the second night of a back-to-back against the Rockets a week ago. In the previous four games before he sat, he averaged 21.8 points per game on 36-of-62 shooting (58 percent). In the three games after he came back? He averaged 15 points per game on 18-of-50 shooting (36 percent). The dude looks completely different from the Porzingis that started the season against the Hornets on Jan. 13. He seems slower, like he’s playing in quicksand. You can practically see the gears turning in his head when he gets the ball, mechanically going through his predetermined set of moves without room for improvisation. Kirk stole this from me after I wrote it in our MMB slack, but it really does feel Harrison Barnes-like when Porzingis has the ball. Wait, that’s disrespectful to Barnes — he can actually post up well. Porzingis is working his way back from his second knee surgery rehab in two years, so there’s always time for him to work his way back. But at a certain point it’s just has to be better than this. The Mavericks are paying Porzingis way too much money to only be good for 30 games a season. They’ve just got to find a way to get more out of him.

Tim Hardaway Jr. continues one of the strangest seasons I’ve ever seen and I think he’s going to give me a heart attack before it’s over. Are we sure Monta Ellis has it all? Hardaway might take that crown, because the dude seriously takes all or nothing to the extreme. He was 1-of-5 tonight, 0-of-1 on threes and did literally nothing else — three assists, one steal and one rebound, more bad defense. Just in the month of January alone, Hardaway has posted the following shooting lines: 1-of-5, 4-of-13, 0-of-12, 3-of-11, 4-of-15, 11-of-14, 12-of-20, 8-of-12. It’s almost impossible for him to have a pedestrian game. What’s hilarious is that before Friday’s loss he was shooting 39.7 percent from three, after shooting 39.8 percent from three last season. So in a vacuum, he’s basically been the same. Hell, he entered tonight shooting 50.5 percent on two pointers, which he shot 48.5 percent on last season. Somehow he still manages to be one of the more frustrating players on the team. Basketball is weird.

Juwan Morgan, the second year Jazz player who hasn’t played much in his two seasons and entered tonight’s game having played a total of 34 minutes, played 21 minutes against the Mavericks and scored a career high 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-4 from three. The Jazz played him as a small ball five in the first half and he hit both his three pointers in the first seven minutes of his playing time. So two three pointers in 21 minutes. Porzingis has played 90 minutes in his last three games and made four three pointers.

I’m going to be pissy about 2019 free agency for the 348th time: Bojan Bogdanovic, who signed a 4-year, $73 million contract in the summer of 2019 to leave the Indiana Pacers and join the Utah Jazz, scored 32 points on 16 shots, going 7-of-11 from three Friday night. He shot 41 percent from three last season and although he’s struggled a bit this season coming back from a hand/wrist surgery, he was still shooting 36 percent from three as a starter on a team with the best record in the NBA. Let me remind you, the Dallas Mavericks had max cap room in the summer of 2019. Their biggest free agent signings were Delon Wright, who isn’t on the team anymore, to $28 million contract and Seth Curry, who isn’t on the team anymore, to a $32 million contract. The Mavericks didn’t sign Bogdanovic because they had zero interest in signing him, because for some reason the Mavericks hate overpaying good role players. This wasn’t even a case of competing with a glamour market — he left Indiana for UTAH. Why did he? Because the Jazz gave him a crap ton of money! That’s how you persuade good players to leave their teams. I’m sorry to break this news to you but not every good player signs a team-friendly value contract. Most of them sign fairly large ones, because good basketball players get paid a lot of money. The Mavericks should try it sometime, maybe in the 2021 offseason? What a thought!

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by Dallas41

I'm glad you used that PHRASE by Donnie because this article today talks about what is wrong with the Mavs today and their FA thought process most years.

Also watch the videos and pictures he use to support his article and it makes you wonder what in the world is this coaching staff doing because I know they see the same things while breaking down film.

https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2021/1...-utah-jazz-nba

After another blowout loss, it’s time for an airing of grievances about these Mavericks

If you’ve been following my writing and listening to my work on the postgame podcasts this season, you’ll know that I’ve been a pretty patient guy when it comes to this Mavericks season.

There are tons of reasons for that, which I’ve repeated ad nauseum. The team has been decimated by COVID and injury rehab for their second best player. Just this season, I’ve written multiple “hey, don’t worry things are still cool” pieces on the site. I’ve written about how the Mavericks showed off a bit of their true potential in their beatdown of the Clippers. I got excited about the first starting lineup change of the season that showed some good things against the Rockets. When Luka Doncic played perhaps his most complete game as an NBA player in a dominant win against the Hornets, I gushed about it. Suffice to say, I’ve been pretty calm.

So I think it means a lot that I’m pretty pissed off!

Seriously, what is this nonsense? I understand the Mavericks season has been anything but easy, but did the Mavericks get Monstar’d a week ago? Why does it seem to necessitate the Mavericks getting their asses whipped for the first 12 minutes of the game before they understand it’s time to play and get serious? I understand most of my answers are probably answered by the reasons I outlined at the start of my second paragraph, but at a certain point a good team with (supposedly) good players craps the bed so much and so quickly that you start to become the Joker.

I don’t even know what to say anymore. The double whammy of the Mavericks missing half their rotation for half of this season and the team getting so thoroughly and hilariously waxed recently makes it really hard for me to stay patient or write about X’s and O’s and break down tape. What would I even write about or create gifs of? All I could do is find a gif of the Mavericks farting and falling down and follow that up with me writing “this team is a trash fire” and clicking publish.

Since I’m at a loss for words about this team, I’m just gonna go down a list of my grievances

The best way to showcase the level of disinterest the Mavericks had to start this game is to point at the rebounding. Utah had seven (7!) offensive rebounds in the first quarter. That is too many! Here’s a trip down the floor where Rudy Gobert gets two offensive rebounds with three Mavericks standing near him and no other Jazz player that close to the rim.

Kristaps Porzingis does zero boxing out. I’m sorry, but standing next to a guy and slightly hunched over is not boxing out. Just because you’re touching your man, it doesn’t mean you’re boxing out. This was in the opening minutes of the game! What a sign of things to come.

To be fair to Porzingis, at least he actually touched the guy he was supposed to be boxing out. Look at James Johnson spaced out in the paint here:

Mike Conley, number 10, grabs this rebound and Johnson doesn’t even know where Conley is. Here’s another possession in the first quarter where the Mavericks have four players in the paint, ready to rebound. The Jazz have one player crashing the boards.

I’m convinced something happened before the Mavericks sat Kristaps Porzingis on the second night of a back-to-back against the Rockets a week ago. In the previous four games before he sat, he averaged 21.8 points per game on 36-of-62 shooting (58 percent). In the three games after he came back? He averaged 15 points per game on 18-of-50 shooting (36 percent). The dude looks completely different from the Porzingis that started the season against the Hornets on Jan. 13. He seems slower, like he’s playing in quicksand. You can practically see the gears turning in his head when he gets the ball, mechanically going through his predetermined set of moves without room for improvisation. Kirk stole this from me after I wrote it in our MMB slack, but it really does feel Harrison Barnes-like when Porzingis has the ball. Wait, that’s disrespectful to Barnes — he can actually post up well. Porzingis is working his way back from his second knee surgery rehab in two years, so there’s always time for him to work his way back. But at a certain point it’s just has to be better than this. The Mavericks are paying Porzingis way too much money to only be good for 30 games a season. They’ve just got to find a way to get more out of him.

Tim Hardaway Jr. continues one of the strangest seasons I’ve ever seen and I think he’s going to give me a heart attack before it’s over. Are we sure Monta Ellis has it all? Hardaway might take that crown, because the dude seriously takes all or nothing to the extreme. He was 1-of-5 tonight, 0-of-1 on threes and did literally nothing else — three assists, one steal and one rebound, more bad defense. Just in the month of January alone, Hardaway has posted the following shooting lines: 1-of-5, 4-of-13, 0-of-12, 3-of-11, 4-of-15, 11-of-14, 12-of-20, 8-of-12. It’s almost impossible for him to have a pedestrian game. What’s hilarious is that before Friday’s loss he was shooting 39.7 percent from three, after shooting 39.8 percent from three last season. So in a vacuum, he’s basically been the same. Hell, he entered tonight shooting 50.5 percent on two pointers, which he shot 48.5 percent on last season. Somehow he still manages to be one of the more frustrating players on the team. Basketball is weird.

Juwan Morgan, the second year Jazz player who hasn’t played much in his two seasons and entered tonight’s game having played a total of 34 minutes, played 21 minutes against the Mavericks and scored a career high 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-4 from three. The Jazz played him as a small ball five in the first half and he hit both his three pointers in the first seven minutes of his playing time. So two three pointers in 21 minutes. Porzingis has played 90 minutes in his last three games and made four three pointers.

I’m going to be pissy about 2019 free agency for the 348th time: Bojan Bogdanovic, who signed a 4-year, $73 million contract in the summer of 2019 to leave the Indiana Pacers and join the Utah Jazz, scored 32 points on 16 shots, going 7-of-11 from three Friday night. He shot 41 percent from three last season and although he’s struggled a bit this season coming back from a hand/wrist surgery, he was still shooting 36 percent from three as a starter on a team with the best record in the NBA. Let me remind you, the Dallas Mavericks had max cap room in the summer of 2019. Their biggest free agent signings were Delon Wright, who isn’t on the team anymore, to $28 million contract and Seth Curry, who isn’t on the team anymore, to a $32 million contract. The Mavericks didn’t sign Bogdanovic because they had zero interest in signing him, because for some reason the Mavericks hate overpaying good role players. This wasn’t even a case of competing with a glamour market — he left Indiana for UTAH. Why did he? Because the Jazz gave him a crap ton of money! That’s how you persuade good players to leave their teams. I’m sorry to break this news to you but not every good player signs a team-friendly value contract. Most of them sign fairly large ones, because good basketball players get paid a lot of money. The Mavericks should try it sometime, maybe in the 2021 offseason? What a thought!

Good article.

Not sure I agree with the part about overpaying good role players. We don't have a major problem with that, or we DO have a problem with that. DP and Messley come to mind. They just don't have good intuition on FA. We drew a hard line on Boogie because of injury and possibly attitude but we Maxed KP and previously paid and Messley after major injuries as well as DP.

[EricaLubarsky]

KP not playing

[Grady Wilson]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

KP not playing

What a joke...

[Dallas41]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

KP not playing

LOL

Powell vs Ayton this should be good

[mac222b]

Originally Posted by Grady Wilson

What a joke...

He had played only 16mins because of fouls when RC put him back in for 10 meaningless minutes. RC also managed to play Luka 32 in a blowout. Green got 9.

[Dallas41]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

KP not playing

I'm not going to predict a win but Booker is out to for tonight.


Can the Mavericks stop anybody?
Dallas has the league’s worst defense over the stretch of the last eight games. It’s not surprising the Mavericks are 2-6 in this period. The Mavericks started the season with a new defensive mindset and were among the NBA's best defenses after the first ten games. But Dallas’s defense fell off the cliff when Covid-19 hit the team.

The Suns have their own struggles, especially on the offensive end. Devin Booker missed the last three games because of the left hamstring strain. He is listed as “out” for tonight's game per NBA injury report. The Suns are 2-7 over the last two and a half weeks. Booker’s absence is hurting them on the offensive end and the Suns are 22th ranked offense over the span of the last six games. With Booker out, this is an opportunity for Dallas to finally start turning things around on defense.

[purplefrog]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

KP not playing

I am not surprised. The condensed schedule is brutal and he is just not physically able to keep up. I think the Mavs are in a position where they need to decide if they want to roll the dice and bet KP will be better next season or look to move him at the trade deadline. In the meantime, I would see if the Kings are willing to do a KP for Hield and Holmes trade.

[mac222b]

Originally Posted by purplefrog

I am not surprised. The condensed schedule is brutal and he is just not physically able to keep up. I think the Mavs are in a position where they need to decide if they want to roll the dice and bet KP will be better next season or look to move him at the trade deadline. In the meantime, I would see if the Kings are willing to do a KP for Hield and Holmes trade.

Ouch. That would be a severe sell low.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by purplefrog

I am not surprised. The condensed schedule is brutal and he is just not physically able to keep up. I think the Mavs are in a position where they need to decide if they want to roll the dice and bet KP will be better next season or look to move him at the trade deadline. In the meantime, I would see if the Kings are willing to do a KP for Hield and Holmes trade.

Oh God. I don't think we are there yet Bubba. Thats 30% value

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

KP not playing

If he doesn't play:

1. Pu$$y

2. Rick fvcked up last night with all the meaningless minutes.

[Dallas41]

Anyone want to dispute that Luka is not getting frustrated now....

Doncic on the Mavs four-game losing streak

"Terrible. ...
Right Now It's Looking Like We Don't Care,
Honestly, If We Win Games Or Not.

[purplefrog]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

Oh God. I don't think we are there yet Bubba. Thats 30% value

I agree in principle. However, we should know by the trade deadline if KP will be able to contribute much this year. Can we write off this year and say, "Oh well it was just a COVID condensed schedule + rehab from injury year, and next season will be better"? I am not sure how patient the MBT should be because his value could plummet. Big, long contract + limited playing time = low value. I agree we are not there yet, and it is not the only conversation to be had, but I would rather have someone on the court making three pointers (even with his liabilities) than someone with a similar contract and in street clothes a third of the season.

[FreshJive]

Originally Posted by Dallas41

Anyone want to dispute that Luka is not getting frustrated now....

Doncic on the Mavs four-game losing streak

"Terrible. ...
Right Now It's Looking Like We Don't Care,
Honestly, If We Win Games Or Not.

The gif that Melon posted a link to in the gdt says it all. Luka and Jrich yelling at each other, and Luka throws the towel over his face.

[Grady Wilson]

Originally Posted by Dallas41

Anyone want to dispute that Luka is not getting frustrated now....

Doncic on the Mavs four-game losing streak

"Terrible. ...
Right Now It's Looking Like We Don't Care,
Honestly, If We Win Games Or Not.

It's concerning now and for the future. If things don't turn around I can see Luka seriously exploring his options.

[Grady Wilson]

Originally Posted by purplefrog

I am not surprised. The condensed schedule is brutal and he is just not physically able to keep up. I think the Mavs are in a position where they need to decide if they want to roll the dice and bet KP will be better next season or look to move him at the trade deadline. In the meantime, I would see if the Kings are willing to do a KP for Hield and Holmes trade.

That would be an awful trade for Dallas.

[FreshJive]

Held and Timmy have very similar numbers. Heild is slightly better from 3, and THJ is way better from 2 with a lot more attempts per game. They are about the same rebounding wise, and similar defensively.

[purplefrog]

Originally Posted by Grady Wilson

That would be an awful trade for Dallas.

Right now it's not a great trade, but one or two months from now it might look a lot better than anything you can get for a $30M a year guy in street clothes who may have lost his appetite for rebounding and prefers to hang around 30 feet from the basket. Hopefully, in the next few weeks he returns to something closer to his performance in the bubble before his second injury.

It is one thing to have to sit out back-to-backs, it is quite another to be largely ineffective half of the time you are on the court when that is already limited. If he continues on his current path, his value will drop dramatically. Another setback with rehab, or God forbid, a new injury and forget it. On a more positive note, you can hope he has a strong second half of the season and maybe you roll the dice again or you look for a much better trade in the offseason. I wouldn't take that gamble.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by purplefrog

I agree in principle. However, we should know by the trade deadline if KP will be able to contribute much this year. Can we write off this year and say, "Oh well it was just a COVID condensed schedule + rehab from injury year, and next season will be better"? I am not sure how patient the MBT should be because his value could plummet. Big, long contract + limited playing time = low value. I agree we are not there yet, and it is not the only conversation to be had, but I would rather have someone on the court making three pointers (even with his liabilities) than someone with a similar contract and in street clothes a third of the season.

No I am down for trading him for sure. I'm just saying we don't have to take peanuts for him

[Dallas41]

So since we are on the KP topic

He's played the last 3 games by himself at C without another big to disrupt his offensive space and to me it didn't look good.

Now I'm wondering again why wouldn't Drummond fit here since KP isn't playing in the paint?

[Melonhead]

If KP was traded at the deadline, I think it would be drastic and either situation I feel the season could very well be already lost. Doesn’t mean I’m against it.

It would depend on the return for sure, but I don’t think there’s a magic bullet to fix the team. There’s core issues that continue to rear their head, KP or no KP.

I would be very interested in seeing what packages are available, but I also start to worry about outside perception (to other players) that cornerstones of your roster can be shipped out of town so easily. Long term it could make players hesitant to sign with Dallas.

[FreshJive]

In other KP related trade news:

Due to lack of minutes, Dennis Smith Jr. has asked the Knicks to let him join their G-League team in the bubble, reports @SBondyNYDN.

[Grady Wilson]

At this point I just want to see a win. Period. They don't need to win in convincing fashion, although it would be very nice. Even if it's a last second shot, I don't care. I want to see a win so it can hopefully be the start of a turn around.

[Grady Wilson]

Originally Posted by FreshJive

In other KP related trade news:

Due to lack of minutes, Dennis Smith Jr. has asked the Knicks to let him join their G-League team in the bubble, reports @SBondyNYDN.

Wow

[Grady Wilson]

Originally Posted by purplefrog

Right now it's not a great trade, but one or two months from now it might look a lot better than anything you can get for a $30M a year guy in street clothes who may have lost his appetite for rebounding and prefers to hang around 30 feet from the basket. Hopefully, in the next few weeks he returns to something closer to his performance in the bubble before his second injury.

It is one thing to have to sit out back-to-backs, it is quite another to be largely ineffective half of the time you are on the court when that is already limited. If he continues on his current path, his value will drop dramatically. Another setback with rehab, or God forbid, a new injury and forget it. On a more positive note, you can hope he has a strong second half of the season and maybe you roll the dice again or you look for a much better trade in the offseason. I wouldn't take that gamble.

I really wonder if he and Luka will ever be able to coexist. Last year, if I remember correctly, there were some rumblings that the two weren't meshing like they hoped. When Luka was out for several games that's when KP played great. Whatever the case, it's getting frustrating

[Grady Wilson]

Originally Posted by Melonhead

If KP was traded at the deadline, I think it would be drastic and either situation I feel the season could very well be already lost. Doesn’t mean I’m against it.

It would depend on the return for sure, but I don’t think there’s a magic bullet to fix the team. There’s core issues that continue to rear their head, KP or no KP.

I would be very interested in seeing what packages are available, but I also start to worry about outside perception (to other players) that cornerstones of your roster can be shipped out of town so easily. Long term it could make players hesitant to sign with Dallas.

Good points...

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by Melonhead

If KP was traded at the deadline, I think it would be drastic and either situation I feel the season could very well be already lost. Doesn’t mean I’m against it.

It would depend on the return for sure, but I don’t think there’s a magic bullet to fix the team. There’s core issues that continue to rear their head, KP or no KP.

I would be very interested in seeing what packages are available, but I also start to worry about outside perception (to other players) that cornerstones of your roster can be shipped out of town so easily. Long term it could make players hesitant to sign with Dallas.

I could see Boston having some interest in KP.
Would probably take a 3-way deal for us to land a star but it would be cool if Donnie could make some type of a deal to acquire someone like Beal.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by Dallas41

So since we are on the KP topic

He's played the last 3 games by himself at C without another big to disrupt his offensive space and to me it didn't look good.

Now I'm wondering again why wouldn't Drummond fit here since KP isn't playing in the paint?

Those people are slowly coming around to the Drummond idea.

[Melonhead]

WCS coming up with effort blocks.

I’m going to be analyzing every Luka/JRich interaction after seeing them arguing in the huddle last night. I thought Luka passed up an easy pass to him on the fast break but it turned out well on a tougher pass to the corner to THJ

[Melonhead]

Ayton getting an o board over Powell but didn’t even have to jump haha

[sefant77]

Damn Powell just doesnt roll hard to the rim anymore...

[Melonhead]

Look at what is generating the offense:

DEFENSE

[Melonhead]

I don’t understand why people are down on WCS. He always gives effort. Stats don’t always show some of the little things he does. For 4 million he can get you 20 minutes.

[Melonhead]

Man I hate Chris Paul