**Official Luka Doncic Thread**

[regularp]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

Absolutely. You could tell the first week of the season. Pretty sure I called out his over usage around then. It's not just the other players either. James Harden and the Rockets tried this style of play for 3-4 years with no success. You can't just have one guy control every aspect of each offensive possession; just doesn't work.

Of course it isn't gonna work. They don't have the talent to compete regardless of how they play. They are the '05-07 Lakers; just enjoy the Luka Show.

They're in cap hell through 2025 without any real assets. At some point in the next year or two, we'll hear whispers about Luka wanting out.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

Absolutely. You could tell the first week of the season. Pretty sure I called out his over usage around then. It's not just the other players either. James Harden and the Rockets tried this style of play for 3-4 years with no success. You can't just have one guy control every aspect of each offensive possession; just doesn't work.

Yep or Carmelo forever as iso king, harden as you mentioned, Westbrook in OKC…. Heck the best ever in current times (lebron) couldn’t do it alone. Even he needed bosh/wade, Kyrie and AD. Don’t get me wrong Luka is incredible on his own merits but this style can’t and won’t do more than win a round or two period. Lebron was the one exception as he took teams to the finals countless times but could never cash in alone.


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[Scottish Punk]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

There’s no alternative. The only other ball handler on the team is Dinwiddie. The only other shot creator on the team is Wood. Literally everyone else is dependent upon Luka to create for them.

If the other guys can’t make shots, there’s no hope for this team. Same as it’s always been.

Agree to a point. It is a bit of a chicken/egg thing. Nobody else on the team creates their own shot because Luka has the ball all the time. Since Luka has the ball all the time, everybody else on the team waits for him to do something.
I think coaching is a large part of it and talent and Luka also play a part. I haven't watched a ton of Mavs basketball since it is still football season, but i did watch some of last night's game.

I don't see a lot of effort on either end of the floor from the Mavs. On offense, everybody just kind of stands around and watches Luka. When Luka passes the ball, he just stands around as well. Very little off ball movement to open up shots. This seems like a coaching thing. Defense is just passive for the most part, Green seemed like the only guy hustling.

I would like to see Luka set more of an example, especially on defense. He just doesn't do anything on that side. Maybe he is conserving energy and it is no different than other no defense, high usage guys - Harden, Trae, etc. More ball movement on the offense side as well. Teams tend to follow the attitude and energy of the superstar. The next step in Luka's development is to stop worrying about getting his numbers and setting the tone for the team. He will get there, he is still young. As been mentioned, superstar players are typically 25-26 when they break through to the finals. Luka has a few more years to figure things out.

Front office needs to their part and upgrade the roster for sure as well. Would do wonders to lower the Luka dependence with another elite scorer added to the mix.

[oshmeehan]

Kemba to the rescue for the Mavs!

[KhalDrogo]

Originally Posted by Scottish Punk

Agree to a point. It is a bit of a chicken/egg thing. Nobody else on the team creates their own shot because Luka has the ball all the time. Since Luka has the ball all the time, everybody else on the team waits for him to do something.

Powell, Bullock, THJ, DFS, and Maxi were not guys who could create their own shot before Luka. Maybe THJ to some degree, but he’s very obviously lost a few steps. Square peg, round hole.

They built this roster offensively for Luka to dominant the ball and everyone else shoot threes. Just like last year, the question is what do they do when the threes aren’t falling? And just like last year, the answer is shoot more threes because they don’t know or can’t do anything else. They want to be GS with a bunch of scrubs. Go back a year in this thread and we’re all saying the same things. You just have to hope that these guys find their form.

I don’t know who all is going to be available in free agency this off-season, but they should be bringing back Seth to at least give Luka one guy who can reliably shoot the three.

[KhalDrogo]

Originally Posted by oshmeehan

Kemba to the rescue for the Mavs!

Better than Campazzo. I can shoot the ball better than that bum.

[sethc1020]

Mavs signing Kemba Walker and cutting Campazzo. Kemba may be a bit past his prime but at least gives them at another facilitator and ball handler

[NeedChapmans]

Originally Posted by sethc1020

Mavs signing Kemba Walker and cutting Campazzo. Kemba may be a bit past his prime but at least gives them at another facilitator and ball handler

The level of inefficiency just goes up a peg / it's not a move that will do anything but bury them further.

If we're being honest here, this iteration of the Mavericks is dead. The only way forward is a tear down and rebuild which could cost them Luka. The contract lengths are deadly enough where that might very well happen.

[2010GBPackers]

Originally Posted by Scottish Punk

Agree to a point. It is a bit of a chicken/egg thing. Nobody else on the team creates their own shot because Luka has the ball all the time. Since Luka has the ball all the time, everybody else on the team waits for him to do something.
I think coaching is a large part of it and talent and Luka also play a part. I haven't watched a ton of Mavs basketball since it is still football season, but i did watch some of last night's game.

I don't see a lot of effort on either end of the floor from the Mavs. On offense, everybody just kind of stands around and watches Luka. When Luka passes the ball, he just stands around as well. Very little off ball movement to open up shots. This seems like a coaching thing. Defense is just passive for the most part, Green seemed like the only guy hustling.

I would like to see Luka set more of an example, especially on defense. He just doesn't do anything on that side. Maybe he is conserving energy and it is no different than other no defense, high usage guys - Harden, Trae, etc. More ball movement on the offense side as well. Teams tend to follow the attitude and energy of the superstar. The next step in Luka's development is to stop worrying about getting his numbers and setting the tone for the team. He will get there, he is still young. As been mentioned, superstar players are typically 25-26 when they break through to the finals. Luka has a few more years to figure things out.

Front office needs to their part and upgrade the roster for sure as well. Would do wonders to lower the Luka dependence with another elite scorer added to the mix.

Spot on. Not only will the Mavs have to completely redo their roster to take the pressure off of Luka to do everything, Luka is going to have to learn to play basketball without the ball in his hands. Even the most fervent Luka fan knows deep down that they are unsure he has the ability to play another way. Like Ross mentioned above - Luka's game looks eerily similar to Harden, Carmelo, and Harden. The Mavs need a complete overhaul yesterday. If they continue to allow Luka to play the style of basketball he is playing, it could turn into a habit and they need to break him of it, stat!

To be clear, this is a 50/50 "who's at fault." Both the Mavs and Luka have a hand in this.

[dkcardman]

Mark Cuban's formula for winning- "Luka Magic Activate". Mark, Luka aint Shazaam and Magic isnt real....

[KhalDrogo]

Originally Posted by NeedChapmans

The level of inefficiency just goes up a peg / it's not a move that will do anything but bury them further.

If we're being honest here, this iteration of the Mavericks is dead. The only way forward is a tear down and rebuild which could cost them Luka. The contract lengths are deadly enough where that might very well happen.

They should tear it down.

[NeedChapmans]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

They should tear it down.

It's not going to be easy. Dallas has just two 1st round picks in the next SIX drafts (2025 & 2027) and a lot of bad money still on the books in the next few years. Looking ahead to the '24-'25 season (below). It's like carrying a Westbrook type contract the next to years and getting a similar return (between THJ / DFS / DB). You can bring in one top level or two mid-level guys but the bench would suffer.

The harder part will be convincing Luka that in '25-'26, things will be better. That's a long time.

[daeve]

Originally Posted by NeedChapmans

It's not going to be easy. Dallas has just two 1st round picks in the next SIX drafts (2025 & 2027) and a lot of bad money still on the books in the next few years. Looking ahead to the '24-'25 season (below). It's like carrying a Westbrook type contract the next to years and getting a similar return (between THJ / DFS / DB). You can bring in one top level or two mid-level guys but the bench would suffer.

The harder part will be convincing Luka that in '25-'26, things will be better. That's a long time.

Yep... their best bet would be to go after risky guys nobody else will want. Maybe go after Westbrook [now that he's cool with coming off the bench] - Primo, Bridges... maybe try to trade for Simmons after the Nets finally dissolve?

They're going to have to get creative to infuse some talent into this team. Seems they're not super risk averse since they signed a wife-beater as head coach. Gonna be interesting to see how they handle it.

[Dnic]

Originally Posted by Scottish Punk

Agree to a point. It is a bit of a chicken/egg thing. Nobody else on the team creates their own shot because Luka has the ball all the time. Since Luka has the ball all the time, everybody else on the team waits for him to do something.
I think coaching is a large part of it and talent and Luka also play a part. I haven't watched a ton of Mavs basketball since it is still football season, but i did watch some of last night's game.

I don't see a lot of effort on either end of the floor from the Mavs. On offense, everybody just kind of stands around and watches Luka. When Luka passes the ball, he just stands around as well. Very little off ball movement to open up shots. This seems like a coaching thing. Defense is just passive for the most part, Green seemed like the only guy hustling.

I would like to see Luka set more of an example, especially on defense. He just doesn't do anything on that side. Maybe he is conserving energy and it is no different than other no defense, high usage guys - Harden, Trae, etc. More ball movement on the offense side as well. Teams tend to follow the attitude and energy of the superstar. The next step in Luka's development is to stop worrying about getting his numbers and setting the tone for the team. He will get there, he is still young. As been mentioned, superstar players are typically 25-26 when they break through to the finals. Luka has a few more years to figure things out.

Front office needs to their part and upgrade the roster for sure as well. Would do wonders to lower the Luka dependence with another elite scorer added to the mix.

As you said you don't watch many games, without Luka doing what he does this team would maybe not even have won a game at this point they can't make wide open shots setup by Luka to save their lives.

[tjforce]

Originally Posted by Dnic

As you said you don't watch many games, without Luka doing what he does this team would maybe not even have won a game at this point they can't make wide open shots setup by Luka to save their lives.

Really? The worst start to an NBA season ever was 0-15 50 years ago.

You think this team might be 0-19 at this point without Luka?

[TSonn]

I think they need to put Hardy in the rotation to see if he can be a spark who can get his own shot.

If not, then kick the tires on:
NAW
Killian Hayes
Kevin Porter Jr

If Fultz looks good when he comes back maybe Cole Anthony will be available. Heck, maybe Fultz will even be available. TRoss and Gary Harris are probably available for basically nothing.

[Ferg1945]

Originally Posted by Dnic

As you said you don't watch many games, without Luka doing what he does this team would maybe not even have won a game at this point they can't make wide open shots setup by Luka to save their lives.

I don't know.

Teams that don't rely on 1 guy to control everything turn into a "team" quite often and play better. Offense is more fluid and guys have more defined roles. They don't stand around and wait for their opportunity.... like they do now.

Luka guys tend to think he is the messiah and basketball didn't exist before he arrived. (Refer to the bolded statement) He is great and everyone else is trash. The offense would 100% change and I don't think the Mavs would be the worst team to ever play the game. Would they be a playoff team? They might sneak into the 7-10 range.

[Duvalier]

A Luka PSA 10 Select Silver Courtside sold for $6600 in a Probstein auction on ebay? Prices are down that much?

[Ferg1945]

Originally Posted by Duvalier

A Luka PSA 10 Select Silver Courtside sold for $6600 in a Probstein auction on ebay? Prices are down that much?

The geniuses at Probstein had 2 end at the exact same time. That's always a great idea.

[maj78]

Originally Posted by Ferg1945

The geniuses at Probstein had 2 end at the exact same time. That's always a great idea.

That was so stupid of Probstein. The one that ended first sold for $8,300 and the one that ended shortly after sold for $6,600. I’m sure the guy who’s card sold for $6,600 was thrilled with Probstein.

[Duvalier]

Originally Posted by Ferg1945

The geniuses at Probstein had 2 end at the exact same time. That's always a great idea.

Originally Posted by maj78

That was so stupid of Probstein. The one that ended first sold for $8,300 and the one that ended shortly after sold for $6,600. I’m sure the guy who’s card sold for $6,600 was thrilled with Probstein.

Both prices are surprising for a PSA 10 of that Luka, especially with how Probstein auctions usually go with the "bidding".

[KhalDrogo]

Luka got hammered at Goldin this weekend. Flawless down big. Galactic TG+ did 9.6k after doing 19.5k six months ago.

The next year will be a great buying opportunity. Just have to be patient and selective.

[Duvalier]

Didn't realize prices fell THAT much.

[TSonn]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

Luka got hammered at Goldin this weekend. Flawless down big. Galactic TG+ did 9.6k after doing 19.5k six months ago.

The next year will be a great buying opportunity. Just have to be patient and selective.

I want that Galactic but not for $10k still. Might have to look for the Rookie Revolution Galactic because I hope the Base Galactic doesn't fall into my price range lol.

[KhalDrogo]

Originally Posted by TSonn

I want that Galactic but not for $10k still. Might have to look for the Rookie Revolution Galactic because I hope the Base Galactic doesn't fall into my price range lol.

I was the under bidder on it. If there weren’t so many auctions coming up over the next month, I would have been aggressive on it. But I have faith that another will show up and be cheaper before the season ends.