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Alex's avatar

Iztok, I expect you're going to be preoccupied with the Lakers playoff run for the coming weeks, but I'm really looking forward to you doing a deep dive on the Mavs roster construction and what they can do to maximize AD's skillset in the offseason, because it seems pretty obvious that plugging AD into the Luka sized hole they created with the trade isn't going to do it even when Kyrie gets back on the floor if this team wants to compete for a championship.

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Iztok Franko's avatar

Hey Alex! That's the plan for sure. Let's first see what comes out the next couple of days, if any changes, and what's the messaging out of exit interviews. Then we'll have better picture, to think about next steps.

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Bmarcial8's avatar

Iztok, great breakdown and I look forward to the Lakers playoff run. Rudy G must be so sick of LD. An otherwise great career and good player beclowned by Luka. The history there is a perfect microcosm of a personal infatuation with Lukas game.

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Iztok Franko's avatar

Thanks! It’s gonna be fascinating series with Lakers preferred way of playing being smallball with shooting wings

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Bmarcial8's avatar

I think about this Lakers roster as the max potential of Doncic/Brunson final year. Similar limitations but each piece is 25% better (mental metric). Plus Lebron.

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Iztok Franko's avatar

Also wings much bigger than Bullock/Dorian/Maxi

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Terry K. Cargill's avatar

The end of this season feels like the end of the Mavs to me. While I will watch with some interest what moves they make this summer, the future seems very bleak for the following reasons:

1. I believe that it will be harder to get Free Agents to come to the Mavs after this turmoil.

2. I believe that the team leadership (MGM and owners) lacks a vision for how to move forward. Nico was hired because he was a relationship guy, not because he was a basketball savant. Cuban stated the the new NBA was about relationship when they hired him. He has great knowledge of the players, but lacks fundamental understanding of team.

3. While Kidd has done a great job holding this team together this year, his association with this fiasco may limit his ability to lead as the team moves forward.

4. Ownership has gambling and a new stadium as its primary goals, not basketball.

5. The actions and rhetoric used in trading Luka, and the denial of Dirk's place with this team and city have seriously damaged fan involvement and is leading to apathy in the community.

I will find it interesting to see how this is handled moving forward. It currently looks like the blind leading the blind.

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