He made the mistake of thinking he was smarting than everyone else. I remember his comments (just the general gist) and as you say, he pretty much thought he understood how the new CBA would drive the cap and people's behavior.
Doesn't bode well for him that this is his 3rd franchise in less than a year, but I hope he gets a chance to show off.
The Mavericks just traded for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. Gafford looks like a good pick-up as he's a very solid center and durable. Washington is a good player with middle of the road stats, but he's 6' 7" and the Mavs will pencil him in at PF. He's too small. I don't understand why they keep picking guys like this.
Yep. They traded Williams (a bust), Curry (a bust) and a #1 pick, which is typical, as they have devalued draft picks over the years. Williams was supposed to be a starter but he was also undersized and apparently over-rated.
I think PJ has a 5" better wingspan than Grant. That's significant. But he is definitely more "forward" than "power forward." PJ is an upgrade over Grant imo, and 25yo. Gafford is a huge upgrade at backup Center. Also 25yo. Mavs gave up a first and no players of value for two improved fits. I thought it was good overall.
We're past the point of judging forwards by their size any longer. Zion is basically a 6'6" C and because of his strength, no one questions it. Same goes for Washington. He's a banger and gives improved presence out there. Now, judging Luka by his lack of workout habits is definitely on the table.
Is there a reason as to why Texas didn't get a college night? The hats for the other schools are actually nice.
Gafford missed his first shot last night, coming within 2 consecutive FGs of Wilt Chamberlain's record. I really like what he brings each night.
While the Mavericks have the best record in the league over the past 20 games or so, only the Nuggets and Thunder were "great." I'll say this: they actually look like they're having a good time from night to night, and that's nearly a free ticket to the 2nd round of the playoffs when you enter it on a hot streak. But when they finally have to play one out of Denver, OKC, or Minnesota in a 7-game series, and either Doncic or Irving has a rough night shooting, I don't think they'll be able to sustain the success. Their bench is only working when Hardaway or Kleber make shots.
Agreed. You didn't mention the Clippers. At least they don't have that a-hole Morris anymore. I think he got into Luka's head a little bit. Here's the deal, if our playoff chances are dependent on Hardaway then we won't win it all. It's just a matter of time when he puts up an oh for nine on 3 point shots. Check his stats a few years ago in the 7th game against the Clips: Yeah, that's one game but we lost and they then dropped that huge contract on him.
We've had very little Lively and JGreen as well. And PJ has been very spotty offensively, as of late. I agree that we'll need someone besides Luka/Kyrie/Gafford to step up if Luka or Kyrie has a rough night. But that could be any of a few guys. I don't see us getting by Denver unless we're hitting all cylinders, and believe Minnesota's size will offset ours. I see OKC as young still. Healthy, I see us handling them ok.
I'm optimistic for the Clippers series. I know they've had their issues in the past with them, but the way that scoring has been up, I don't think that LA's nominal difference in improved defense is going to be the deciding factor this go-around. OKC might be a different story for the 2nd round, assuming they got that far. Luka and Shai are a wash. It would come down to Kyrie + everyone else versus OKC's depth.
