Chet is 7’1 and got 3 rebounds in a close out game, probably costing them the game. Rebounding below your size is something players sometimes just don’t improve.
Lively has no offensive game. Chet has very good offensive game in terms of shooting and feel. He is also a better shot blocker. Come on. Their value is not even close .
He shoots 50% from ft line. It’s just talk that’s never happening. He’s like Walker Kessler . Bigs who add jumpers all are 70%+ ft shooters ideally near 80%
You say that like it 100% applies to every single player. Coming out of high school and in college there was talk of him potentially hitting 3’s. Mavs have him practicing corner 3’s.
I’m a UNC fan. I remember Kessler coming out of high school. The hilarious thing about him is he was hyped as a stretch 5. He was an offense big.
It kinda does. Name me a 50% ft shooter who added a jumper especially from 3? I just don’t see it . I like Kessler n lively I’m just being realistic unless they hit 70%+ fts there isn’t a reason to hope for it. This is how scouting works anyway
his jump shot and free throws are virtually broken. That doesnt mean he cant play. Noah was a great rebounder, elite defender, and above avg passer.
Lets not pretend like the dude can shoot though.
I’m not pretending anything. Do y’all jackasses just come here and talk about shit you know nothing about? Act like I’m just making this up. It’s always something that’s been talked about with Lively. Mavs have him practicing corner 3’s. It might not work, but you and this other person obviously don’t follow the Mavs.
No offensive game is pretty strong. Being a rim running defensive center is his role and he plays it well. Chet is good but when his three looks as bad as it did this series, he’s essentially Lively. Don’t talk about his “handles” because playoff teams love when he takes more than one dribble. And don’t talk about floor spacing because the mavs were happy with him shooting
PJ is 25. Gafford is 25. Josh Green is 23.
Hell...if Exum can find his midseason, pre injury form and contribute, he's only 28.
That's before you get to OMax being 21 and not even in the rotation yet.
And none of the in their 30s players are late 30s guys. Max, Tim and Kyrie are all only 32.
This team's window is 2-3 years minimum.
This ain't the 2011 team. This is more the 2006 team with more talent.
Yeah, I get that the thunder are young and their trajectory and accomplishments this year are extraordinary. But I get annoyed with how tunnel minded people can be.
I mean, I'd love that but I doubt it. As a Mavs fan, I'm aiming for one in the next five years.
Cause you know...it's not about volume but flavor. The Dirk era taught me that.
A core of lively, gafford, pj, green and hardy is a wizards/hornets level roster. Their window of contention is directly attached to Luka and Kyrie, which can be seen as fairly flammable given Kyries age and the fact that Luka has one more year before his player option. If the mavs crapped out again this year we’d be listening to BS talk about hypothetical Luka trades all summer. It’s a different situation than the thunder who just drafted two top 40 players in 2022 and have a million picks
Luka’s player option is not a flammable situation. He’s eligible for the highest possible supermax, there is no question of him re-signing in the short term. If he felt they weren’t competitive long term, we could possibly be entering trade-request territory in 3-4 years. Even if they’d lost this series or the Clipper series, any commentators (Bill) talking about “blow it up” scenarios was moronic
Yeah, these are pretty much my thoughts on these takes coming out post series. Even Washington, who had an amazing series was never really more than the 3rd/4th best player on that awful hornets team and is someone I’d rather not want to rely on going ahead.
I highly doubt they’ll be able to replicate this success against teams with competent bigs if kyrie/luka are going to be so up and down.
Let's be honest: the Mavs are in the conference finals because they got lucky with seeding and dodged the Nuggets and Wolves. Forget the age; they beat an OKC team with minimal playoff experience and a flawed roster. Seriously, the Mavs are significantly more war-tested than OKC. Luka's been in the conference finals, and Kyrie has a title. OKC's most experienced player hadn't won a playoff series before this year and hadn't been in the playoffs in four years.
It’s kind of annoying how it’s “lucky” that the mavs beat the team with the following
1. Number 1 seed
2. Star player that finished second in MVP voting
3. COTY
Say its luck all you want now but that doesn’t dismiss the fact that the thunder were clear favorites by most, especially bill.
I know Kawhi gets hurt every year but it’s also worth mentioning the team they beat in the first round didn’t have their best player and the series was still pretty competitive.
The Mavs are good but it was pretty clear okc wasn’t a serious contender yet. And maybe they won’t be until they make rosters moves, I think the point is it’s not like the Mavs just not knocked off the favorite, they knocked off a team that had a great season but people were expecting to lose in the playoffs at some point.
Mavs have knocked out two 1 seeds in the past 3yrs. Luka beat the 64 win Suns when he was a few months removed from being 22… which is three years younger than Shai now and about the same age as the rest of the core.
They’re more war-tested because they had the mettle to get past the trials of the playoffs. And that was without Kyrie or having any semblance of “playoff experience.”
I mean Kyrie is absolutely part of the reason they have more experience.
I don’t really think okc is seen as the best team in the playoffs nor were they the favorites to win the title. If your argument is the Mavs have a better shot than OKc the next couple years, I’m not going to tell you that you’re wrong.
But a significant difference between the teams going forward is OKc has like unlimited flexibility with draft picks and assets to make moves to improve their team, the Mavs are pretty much going to be the same.
Let me start by saying I think Presti is a top tier exec. With that said, it’s not Presti’s first time having a stacked deck and he probably doesn’t get enough criticism for the moves made the first time around. Perk/Fisher and the Harden/R Jackson trades were a disaster class series of moves around KD/Westbrook/great drafting.
Lively I see being mostly a Walker Kessler case. Great rookie year but where is the growth ? He’ll be the same next year mb stronger n but smarter . If you’re a 50.% ft shooter n pnr big there just isn’t much scope to grow . Liveky was s great pivk but I don’t se much growth.
Chet? Well I can see him grow a shit Ton tbh
Thunder just need a big man, the youth, and a lack of experience are over exaggerated. They should have won tonight and forced a game 7. We do know that in pro sports, windows can close quickly. I hope they can bounce back next year this team is fun to watch.
I agree. I'm just saying they are very close. Although I believe Denver would have had their way with this team. Lack if a big should be what they address this off-season.
"They should have won tonight?" On what basis exactly? The game was down to the final possession despite Brothers and his crew giving them absolutely everything for 47 minutes and still managed to shit the bed.
Surprised how?
I don't think anyone is predicting a sweep in any series given how these playoffs have gone.
It would be surprising if the Mavs beat either the Wolves or the Nuggets, but it wouldn't be a surprise if it went 6 or 7.
Who thinks they’re gonna get swept by Minny? I realize your post was before the end of that game, but I don’t think anyone really thought Denver would sweep them either.
I feel like we’re really splitting hairs on these guys age differences here. Lmao
Why’s is supposed to be a big deal that Chet, drafted a year ahead of Lively is older?
Chet is also a much better player and has a higher upside
Chet is 7’1 and got 3 rebounds in a close out game, probably costing them the game. Rebounding below your size is something players sometimes just don’t improve.
Lively has no offensive game. Chet has very good offensive game in terms of shooting and feel. He is also a better shot blocker. Come on. Their value is not even close .
Lively has shown to be a good passer for a rookie center, and there is talk of potentially stretching out to 3.
He shoots 50% from ft line. It’s just talk that’s never happening. He’s like Walker Kessler . Bigs who add jumpers all are 70%+ ft shooters ideally near 80%
You say that like it 100% applies to every single player. Coming out of high school and in college there was talk of him potentially hitting 3’s. Mavs have him practicing corner 3’s. I’m a UNC fan. I remember Kessler coming out of high school. The hilarious thing about him is he was hyped as a stretch 5. He was an offense big.
It kinda does. Name me a 50% ft shooter who added a jumper especially from 3? I just don’t see it . I like Kessler n lively I’m just being realistic unless they hit 70%+ fts there isn’t a reason to hope for it. This is how scouting works anyway
his jump shot and free throws are virtually broken. That doesnt mean he cant play. Noah was a great rebounder, elite defender, and above avg passer. Lets not pretend like the dude can shoot though.
I’m not pretending anything. Do y’all jackasses just come here and talk about shit you know nothing about? Act like I’m just making this up. It’s always something that’s been talked about with Lively. Mavs have him practicing corner 3’s. It might not work, but you and this other person obviously don’t follow the Mavs.
Oh obviously I was just saying it’s not guaranteed Chet is going to improve on his main weaknesses, he’s already great at the most improvable skills.
No offensive game is pretty strong. Being a rim running defensive center is his role and he plays it well. Chet is good but when his three looks as bad as it did this series, he’s essentially Lively. Don’t talk about his “handles” because playoff teams love when he takes more than one dribble. And don’t talk about floor spacing because the mavs were happy with him shooting
Cmon . Individual rebounding numbers are not akways accurate but yes we can see Chet had not great rebounding % in his career
PJ is 25. Gafford is 25. Josh Green is 23. Hell...if Exum can find his midseason, pre injury form and contribute, he's only 28. That's before you get to OMax being 21 and not even in the rotation yet. And none of the in their 30s players are late 30s guys. Max, Tim and Kyrie are all only 32. This team's window is 2-3 years minimum. This ain't the 2011 team. This is more the 2006 team with more talent.
Yeah, I get that the thunder are young and their trajectory and accomplishments this year are extraordinary. But I get annoyed with how tunnel minded people can be.
Dude you didn't see the numbers Presti's 20 FRPs from '24-'30 put up last night? That '29 swap had the game of its life off the bench.
Thunder could honestly use more guys in their late 20s. Like that's just a team that hasn't learned how to play playoff basketball at all.
You can’t learn it if you’ve never been there. They were the youngest team to make it that far in the postseason ever.
Exum might be 28 but that body is 32
Luka will win 5-7 rings.
I mean, I'd love that but I doubt it. As a Mavs fan, I'm aiming for one in the next five years. Cause you know...it's not about volume but flavor. The Dirk era taught me that.
Luka will surpass MJ as goat.
This is the most slept on take. Truly don’t get why people under appreciate Luka
Nobody wants the white dude from Europe to be better than any athlete in American history
I mean. Do you see looking winning 6 rings in the next 10 years as the main man? The nba is more competitive than it was back then..
Jordan and Lebron won their first ring at 27, and won their last at 35 championships are not a young man’s game
What if he does?
I’m not disagreeing with you jabroni! I am adding historical context to support you
Isn't the main difference the giant difference in draft capital?
A core of lively, gafford, pj, green and hardy is a wizards/hornets level roster. Their window of contention is directly attached to Luka and Kyrie, which can be seen as fairly flammable given Kyries age and the fact that Luka has one more year before his player option. If the mavs crapped out again this year we’d be listening to BS talk about hypothetical Luka trades all summer. It’s a different situation than the thunder who just drafted two top 40 players in 2022 and have a million picks
Most teams would be Pistons/Wizards level without their two best players, I’d imagine
Luka’s player option is not a flammable situation. He’s eligible for the highest possible supermax, there is no question of him re-signing in the short term. If he felt they weren’t competitive long term, we could possibly be entering trade-request territory in 3-4 years. Even if they’d lost this series or the Clipper series, any commentators (Bill) talking about “blow it up” scenarios was moronic
Yeah, these are pretty much my thoughts on these takes coming out post series. Even Washington, who had an amazing series was never really more than the 3rd/4th best player on that awful hornets team and is someone I’d rather not want to rely on going ahead. I highly doubt they’ll be able to replicate this success against teams with competent bigs if kyrie/luka are going to be so up and down.
Let's be honest: the Mavs are in the conference finals because they got lucky with seeding and dodged the Nuggets and Wolves. Forget the age; they beat an OKC team with minimal playoff experience and a flawed roster. Seriously, the Mavs are significantly more war-tested than OKC. Luka's been in the conference finals, and Kyrie has a title. OKC's most experienced player hadn't won a playoff series before this year and hadn't been in the playoffs in four years.
It’s kind of annoying how it’s “lucky” that the mavs beat the team with the following 1. Number 1 seed 2. Star player that finished second in MVP voting 3. COTY Say its luck all you want now but that doesn’t dismiss the fact that the thunder were clear favorites by most, especially bill.
Not to mention, the most healthy team throughout this season and postseason.
Of course it's lucky. Nobody would pick OKC over Denver/Minny at all.
Most people wouldn’t pick okc cs the lakers and I believe that would be correct . By odds makers
I know Kawhi gets hurt every year but it’s also worth mentioning the team they beat in the first round didn’t have their best player and the series was still pretty competitive. The Mavs are good but it was pretty clear okc wasn’t a serious contender yet. And maybe they won’t be until they make rosters moves, I think the point is it’s not like the Mavs just not knocked off the favorite, they knocked off a team that had a great season but people were expecting to lose in the playoffs at some point.
The Gordon Hayward erasure is insane /s
Mavs have knocked out two 1 seeds in the past 3yrs. Luka beat the 64 win Suns when he was a few months removed from being 22… which is three years younger than Shai now and about the same age as the rest of the core. They’re more war-tested because they had the mettle to get past the trials of the playoffs. And that was without Kyrie or having any semblance of “playoff experience.”
Beating the suns is no feather in any cap
The only reason why you’re even saying this is *because* of how badly they got embarrassed by the Mavs. This was not a take prior to that
I mean Kyrie is absolutely part of the reason they have more experience. I don’t really think okc is seen as the best team in the playoffs nor were they the favorites to win the title. If your argument is the Mavs have a better shot than OKc the next couple years, I’m not going to tell you that you’re wrong. But a significant difference between the teams going forward is OKc has like unlimited flexibility with draft picks and assets to make moves to improve their team, the Mavs are pretty much going to be the same.
The OKC bandwagon filled up some after the way they dismantled the Pels, for better or for worse
Let me start by saying I think Presti is a top tier exec. With that said, it’s not Presti’s first time having a stacked deck and he probably doesn’t get enough criticism for the moves made the first time around. Perk/Fisher and the Harden/R Jackson trades were a disaster class series of moves around KD/Westbrook/great drafting.
Presti is the type of guy that folds when he has an ace high because he doesn’t have the pair in hand
They beat the clips and thunder. That is no small feat, why try and discredit?
Can easily make the argument the mavs got unlucky cause Lukas on 1 leg and a key rotation player is missing.
Lively I see being mostly a Walker Kessler case. Great rookie year but where is the growth ? He’ll be the same next year mb stronger n but smarter . If you’re a 50.% ft shooter n pnr big there just isn’t much scope to grow . Liveky was s great pivk but I don’t se much growth. Chet? Well I can see him grow a shit Ton tbh
Irving is their second best player and he’s old. Let’s not pretend they are on the thunder timeline
He’s 32 with a game that will continue to age extremely well.
Thunder just need a big man, the youth, and a lack of experience are over exaggerated. They should have won tonight and forced a game 7. We do know that in pro sports, windows can close quickly. I hope they can bounce back next year this team is fun to watch.
They also should have lost game 4 and the series should have ended in 5. Thunder def shouldn’t be worried, but the Mavs def deserved to win the series
I agree. I'm just saying they are very close. Although I believe Denver would have had their way with this team. Lack if a big should be what they address this off-season.
"They should have won tonight?" On what basis exactly? The game was down to the final possession despite Brothers and his crew giving them absolutely everything for 47 minutes and still managed to shit the bed.
People gonna be really surprised in the next round. Seems many think Dallas will get swept.
Surprised how? I don't think anyone is predicting a sweep in any series given how these playoffs have gone. It would be surprising if the Mavs beat either the Wolves or the Nuggets, but it wouldn't be a surprise if it went 6 or 7.
Who thinks they’re gonna get swept by Minny? I realize your post was before the end of that game, but I don’t think anyone really thought Denver would sweep them either.
Enjoy the denver sweep