2. IQ time for Payton: I get it he a good spark off the bench and Payton is serviceable but by not having him out there from the start usually digs us a deep hole that puts more pressure on IQ to jump start the team. Ironically there might be less pressure on IQ as a starter than off the bench. No longer will he be expected to spark us and get us out of a hole. Also, Shooting % is again 100 pts. higher than Payton.

ccch wrote:Maybe it's time for some changes:
1. Burks for Bullock: Bullock not showing much anymore. Shooting % is 100 pts lower than Burks. We need scoring and some intensity.

2. IQ time for Payton: I get it he a good spark off the bench and Payton is serviceable but by not having him out there from the start usually digs us a deep hole that puts more pressure on IQ to jump start the team. Ironically there might be less pressure on IQ as a starter than off the bench. No longer will he be expected to spark us and get us out of a hole. Also, Shooting % is again 100 pts. higher than Payton.

We are a slow team with randle handling the ball, when peyton handles the ball, we have slow centers that don't run don't space, don't shoot.

We don't shoot enough 3's and we certainly don't make enough. But our most concerning issue is the pace we play at, it's half court 90% of the time.

We had a losing record with burk in the starting line up. Put IQ in the starting line up, and you have the same issue with peyton and the bench crew.

We need to make a trade and and acquire what we lack, which is speed and shooting.

Some of you are calling for frank to start or play in general knowing damn well he does not provide speed, shooting, or penetration, plus they had him playing off the ball the few minutes he got.

The answer to our few issues is nowhere on this roster

However we need more. This isn’t the season to win hearts and minds with the deepest draft in decades. The Mavs are a mess so let’s get the two best assets we can...

Quick/Frank
Burks/Rivers
Barret/Knox
Randle/Toppin
Mitch/Noel

Steps...

1. GS, Denver, Suns - need rim protectors to battle Davis. Get what you can for Noel. Can you add Bullock to a package? ($9.5MM for defense and shooting)

2. Get the second rounder for Bullock.

3. Call everyone on Burks

4. Buy out Payton or trade him to the Nets for a second round pick

Recalibrate your assets in the offseason.

You will have enough to get Bradley Beal (2 lottery picks, Obi and the Mavs second first rounder with Knox gets it done if you want it)

Sign Kyle Lowry to 1 year 30-35MM contract

Or just keep building with your lottery picks.

MS wrote:Honestly... We aren’t making the playoffs, we are playing hard, the league is noticing, we have some players.

However we need more. This isn’t the season to win hearts and minds with the deepest draft in decades. The Mavs are a mess so let’s get the two best assets we can...

Quick/Frank
Burks/Rivers
Barret/Knox
Randle/Toppin
Mitch/Noel

Steps...

1. GS, Denver, Suns - need rim protectors to battle Davis. Get what you can for Noel. Can you add Bullock to a package? ($9.5MM for defense and shooting)

2. Get the second rounder for Bullock.

3. Call everyone on Burks

4. Buy out Payton or trade him to the Nets for a second round pick

Recalibrate your assets in the offseason.

You will have enough to get Bradley Beal (2 lottery picks, Obi and the Mavs second first rounder with Knox gets it done if you want it)

Sign Kyle Lowry to 1 year 30-35MM contract

Or just keep building with your lottery picks.

In other words go back to tanking so you could see frank play, because that's the only guy you change in the rotation

The lamp is moving in a direction where we're going to see more quickly than Peyton and more Burks than Bullock, but this doesn't solve the issue that it is going to be pretty hard to win on nights where Bullock Payton and rivers don't contribute anything.

Achieving is are IQ, Mitch, Noel, RJ, and All star perhaps Randle.
Middling is Burks, Bullock, Payton, and Rivers. Austin looks bad at times.

Losing confidence is Toppin and Knox. Thibs is a brutal taskmaster.
A lot of games and little practice time. Gleague is a month long bubble thing. Not sure who benefits or not.
At some point Thibs has to think to the future and push Frank, obi, knox and perhaps Dennis to the limits and see who breaks thru or who just breaks.
Not loving the OBI and Knox regressions. Not even going to lay blame. Thibs seems to be installing more and more on them.
Not sure why Mitch minutes were limited. Noel was playing well and perhaps Mitch is fried a bit.

Basically it goes back to either Randle or RJ for me as their games both require more spacing and outside shooting support since neither is a great outside shooter at this point. We don't have to rush but I really hope we at least see what we have in Toppin before resigning Randle to anything long-term. Last year we couldn't give Randle away and he likely has decent value at the moment - its a gift we should use.

jskinny35 wrote:Again I'd rather sell high and trade Randle and try to reboot even if it means Toppin isn't ready for more minutes (which he isn't). I don't know if Toppin will become what we all hope - but he plays fast and will really never be anything more than a bench player if Randle remains. Now if we could make Randle the 6th man that would be great but it's not happening and doesn't solve all of the roster problems either way.

Basically it goes back to either Randle or RJ for me as their games both require more spacing and outside shooting support since neither is a great outside shooter at this point. We don't have to rush but I really hope we at least see what we have in Toppin before resigning Randle to anything long-term. Last year we couldn't give Randle away and he likely has decent value at the moment - its a gift we should use.

This is why I can't understand the justification for RJ and Randle to lead the league in minutes played. They do not compliment each other. And if 2 people deserve to get the most minutes, shouldn't they compliment each other somehow? If not, then regardless which lineup you put out there, there will always be 3 players who can't shoot (if you include a center). Now put Payton as your starting PG, and you see why we sometimes have bad starts. If teams are smart, and realize we only have to guard 1 players outside the 3 pt line. And if that 1 player is not consistently hitting open shots, he becomes a single point of failure (Bullock or Burk).

If you notice the lineup that closed the game yesterday, it had 3 shooters....With RJ on the bench. As soon as you sub a shooter our for RJ, all you have to do is play zone to stop us. But when you have 3 shooters on the floor, that zone will get busted, especially if IQ is 1 of the 3 guards.

knicks1248 wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

knicks1248 wrote:When Burk starts, RJ touches drop, burk is capable of 15 to 18 shots, while bullock looks to do a little of everything

We are a slow team with randle handling the ball, when peyton handles the ball, we have slow centers that don't run don't space, don't shoot.

We don't shoot enough 3's and we certainly don't make enough. But our most concerning issue is the pace we play at, it's half court 90% of the time.

We had a losing record with burk in the starting line up. Put IQ in the starting line up, and you have the same issue with peyton and the bench crew.

We need to make a trade and and acquire what we lack, which is speed and shooting.

I'd be curious to see the number behind your Burks/Barrett statement. I believe Burks is a solid ball mover and draws defense towards him unlike Bullock, which opens up the lanes for Barrett. Burks and Barrett should be a good pairing.

burk 3-14 against sac off the bench
burk 3-14 against utah started

In the last 6 games he's shooting 34% fg 31% FROM 3 in 25 min and we are 2 -4

I have to tell you, on the whole, I like knicks1248's assessment of the plus/minus of pulling Bullock for Burks. For every switch of players, got to take in consideration what you are adding and also what you are taking away, both in terms of the starting lineup and the second line with IQ.

The starting lineup has 2 dominant players: RJ and Randle, every other player in that lineup is an outlet player. Mitch is the dunker, Bullock tries to play the spacer/shooter, Elf should be on the shelf but what can you do.

The second line is similar'ish: IQ and Burks *should* be the main guys with any of Noel, Rivers, Obi, Knox as outlet players. Rivers dominates the ball too much for my tastes but he is out there as another ball handler.

Switch Burks and Bullock and the chemistry of those two units is a HUGE adjustment. Starting lineup get a distance player but you are taking away touches and shots from mostly RJ. In the second line, you take away a gravity player that will help IQ in Burks.