Dallas Mavericks trade for PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, at the deadline! And Mavs-Knicks Recap

Dallas Mavericks trade for PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, at the deadline! And Mavs-Knicks Recap

N [Applause] Hello welcome to pod Maverick after dark this is Kirk Henderson and Josh Bo we are editors over at Mavs Moneyball we are joining you on Thursday February 8th trade deadline day at 9:20 p.m. how are you doing Josh I’m doing pretty good how are you doing I’m pretty good I’m I’m

Actually really good this is uh this this series of early games and getting to bed on time has resulted in in just me feeling good and and you know we’re going to be here so for full disclosure for everyone you know I know a lot of

People are asking me Kirk why didn’t you and Josh go live during the day right after trade deadline well the main reason is we have jobs and um these are not our jobs these are this is our lightly uh compensated Hobby which we do for fun so we’re going to get to the

Trades because we know lots of people probably want to talk about those trades but first uh we we do think it it’s you know in everybody’s interest since we always recap the game we’re going to talk about the Mavs Nicks game a little bit and then we will lead into that

Trade discussion so the Dallas Mavericks just defeated the New York Knicks 122 to 108 in a game that uh felt a little like a trap game but not really cu the Knicks are super duper hurt white Dante as bman Jones calls him lit up the Mavericks but he’s been lighting up everybody for

Several weeks now but it didn’t really matter because LCA donic had 39 points 11 assists four steals a block Maxi kba turned back the clock to to have four blocks on the Knicks Derrick Jones Jr probably played one of his more complete games in several weeks it was it was a

Nice win that the the TNT announcers if you had the box score covered up the TNT announcers did a really really good job of trying to make it seem like a very big game do you know what I mean yeah I think they kind of knew the crappy hand

They were dealt when they saw the injury report it was a fun game yeah it was they’re professionals they had to sell that that’s part of their job but yeah it was I mean this was a game the the Knicks were almost too hurt like for even the worst Mavs Tendencies to really

Make a difference I mean in the second half hartenstein their Center didn’t play because of an Achilles injury didn’t seem like a serious one just like a it look like a maybe hopefully a mild didn’t look like he tore it or anything but they’re just taking precaution they

Had two guys available on the bench for the entire second half um so they didn’t have you know much to go with I mean they played I mean their starting lineup everyone in their starting lineup played at least 39 minutes or more 39 43 45 41 that’s that’s vibs though for you you

Know yeah yeah I know but it was it was exasperated with with what their roster was going through so I mean you could tell toward the end that team was exhausted they had 14 turnovers so the m just had to outlast yes Outlast um I think the

First thing that jumps out to me uh there are some good things we can talk about but the first thing is Luca played 40 minutes again um I think he wants to at this point he maybe he does but he has now played 40 minutes or more in five out of the

Last uh no six out of the last seven games and actually seven out of the last nine games he’s been 40 minutes or more that’s you know if that’s what he wants to do that’s fine if if the coaching staff you know but and I get people

Telling me like well with Kyrie back it’s not you know the workload is not the same he’s still playing for but like that’s fine that makes a difference yeah that makes a difference but like 40 minutes in an NBA game is still for like they gotta find a way to get him some

Games where he’s just not playing 40 minutes I don’t know if it’s I don’t know what they got to do maybe they do have to sit him like I know everyone hates the sitting of stars but I’m just saying if he if he averages 40 minutes in the month of February which he’s

Doing right now he averaged 38.8 in the month of January I don’t care how good a shape he is I don’t care how good uh the workload is that’s gonna catch up to you oh and he averaged 39 minutes a game uh in uh in December so like I’m pretty

Sure he’s leading the league in he’s leading the league in minutes it’s really commendable and I think it’s awesome because I I think he took last season it’s obvious he took last season personally yeah in terms of how it ended in the embarrassment of of missing not

Only the playoffs but missing the playin um and I think you know the games that he missed I’m sure he was frustrated seeing how many games he missed and still feeling hurt and worn down by the end of the year sure um so he’s obviously taken his physical conditioning more seriously because if

He was in the shape that he was in last season and he was having this minutes load I I don’t know if he would he would make it to All-Star break so you know it’s it’s not that I’m trying to say like sky is falling or or Luca is going

To get hurt or something’s bad but like they just they got to figure out a way to find some balance there and and play just a little bit less uh minutes because that’s the main thing like because they Tred and you know what kid tried the fourth quarter they were up 20

And it got down to 12 in like two minutes and kid kind of got kid actually looked kind of pissed off and called for called a timeout and had to put Luca back in the game so it’s not one of those things where kid just has him on

The floor like take him out I just the team the way the team’s playing they just it’s hard to find him sometime off the floor so for sure yeah for sure I I I liked um Josh Green’s game tonight gave the Mavericks that just the the

Extra I’m gonna run really damn hard is is fantastic uh and I’m really enjoying watching you know him lead breaks and push off the break he had a like a pair of moves in the first half like a rim rocking dunk after like four back-to-back turnovers between the two teams that was pretty

Fantastic and then later he had a right-handed layup from the same spot on the floor that was really like he did a Euro Step that that led to that layup with the scoop over the top and you know we’re we kind of hard on Josh because his his um contribution sometimes seem

To wax and Wayne despite the minutes that he gets and I I I don’t know I I liked his defense tonight something else we’ve been critical of so it was it was it was good to see him yeah no turnovers yeah which is a big deal um it the vibe

Of the team felt felt a little different obviously because there’s a trade and we’ll get the why and we’ll talk about that once we talk about the trades a little more but just pretty interesting to me just in in a nutshell that they were able to keep

Uh Josh green because I think his um his go go go element that he brings is pretty is pretty valuable to this team which is a lot of like I don’t want to say like plotting guys that’s not right but nobody else plays at that speed stationary might might be better better

Word for those guys not yeah uh yeah absolutely right and kind of playing off that you know he played really well and he had six rebounds which was also nice uh as Steel on a block like it’s always nice when he fills up the stat sheet because there just feels like nights

Where he just just it’s not there um so he’s been pretty consistent with that so I agree I liked his game kind of on the same token uh Derrick Jones Jr also kind of came back uh in a big way with 18 points uh seven free throw attempts

Which tied for the team lead and it’s like how many times has one of the Mavericks leader in free throw attempts not been Kyrie or Luca when both of those guys have been playing you know the last year and a half the last half year or whatever it’s been almost a year

It’s been a year actually so for the last year so I thought his game was really nice I thought um you know he still only made one three and only took three he his game tonight was really uh emblematic of why when we’re talking about pieces that fit around Luca and

When people bring up perimeter players that can’t that have like oh this guy’s shooting 33% or 34% that’s not a good fit with LCA and it’s like I get that but if a guy has a little something off the bouns if he can do a little something attacking a close out driving

Going towards the bucket going towards the rim that can counteract a lot of the shooting deficiencies that can pop up from a player that’s not shooting as well that you think that you need next to Luca like it’s not I think the way the NBA is trending and how defenses are

Playing these teams you just you need more than spot up shooting we’ve been saying that since like 2019 you need more than guys that just can catch and shoot and I think you’re kind of seeing it with Derrick Jones you’re seeing it with Josh Green you’re seeing it with

Dante aom just how important just not necessarily running a pick and roll or or creating something out of nothing it’s just when the ball is swung to them and there’s a aggressive close out can you do something besides just hot potato the ball around and you saw that tonight

With I thought he was really good uh First Step aggressive catching Defenders off balance that are closing out hard putting them on their heels and just going toward the basket really strong and aggressively he had three assists seven free throw attempts like for a non Luca non Kyrie player to get seven free

Throw attempts on this Mavs team that means things are like really really humming and and they look really good uh when those guys are able to move with the ball in their hands so if I had one criticism of the game it’s actually sort of with the game plan is when the Knicks

Really started sending hard doubles at Luca you got to move Kyrie out of the corner every now and again Kyrie being in the far Corner drives me crazy because you’re either asking Luca to get the ball to him on a crazy pass or you’re hoping the ball gets there out of

Reversal and it just didn’t a lot of the times bring Kyrie up let him run at at the at the nail in the middle of the floor every now and again they did use Luca and Kyrie on a lot of screens which I thought was really fun uh they’ve not

Done that in a while so so that’s you know let’s just balance the criticism with with something interesting oh yeah it was very good but I I just if you have two unbelievable ball handlers let’s use two unbelievable ball handlers it’s a it’s it’s a concept um yeah for

Sure all right Kyrie screening thing was really that was I feel like Kyrie set more screens for Luca tonight in the third quarter than he has in like the last like two weeks of games worth if they’ve played together so I think that’s I might you know we don’t have to

We’ve got a lot to talk about with trades and stuff so I don’t want to carry on this game too much but that’s something I might look into like when we’re done talking I I would love that yeah it was that was fun to watch uh

Okay so before we head on to the trade talk for those of you who are here in the Stream if you could do Josh and I a favor head down and hit the like button while you’re down there consider subscribing we do a fair number of shows

Uh we will also uh as I’m kind of getting back into the swing of things now that my child is sleeping more uh going to be doing more and more of these live shows after games we’ve done one every night this week in the previous two games we’re going to do one tonight

As well and what I mean by the secondary live show is it’s a show where you can come and talk basketball just like Josh and I are doing here it’s a very easy link you click through it you can use it on your phone you can use it on your

Computer if you want to uh you can show your video if you like if you don’t want to it can be Audio Only too I like talking with mass fans I want to hear what your takes are I want to hear what your thoughts are we will talk tonight

Probably uh for as long as long as folks want to go and uh it’ll be good because you know what I I think if if you’re really excited about these trades I think you should celebrate that if you’re really kind of fearful about elements of of what it means for the

Maverick’s future we should talk about that too um if you’re listening on an audio only stream do me a favor leave us a review those are very important for us we’re still working out on some small Kinks with the Apple feed but we’ll figure that out and anybody else that’s

Listening or watching the video at a later date please go ahead and leave us a comment that not part of the live chat okay now for those listening to the audio uh version I’m going to drop some ads in here if you can listen to those

As well Josh and I will be right back okay so if you want to hear my trade deadline story um I’m working this morning busy day busy day at the old office and I throw together just because I wanted to have something where it Ms Moneyball for people to comment I I put

Together about a 250w post and I just note that I don’t think any trades are going to happen for the Mavericks or if they do it’s going to be something small and kind of inconsequential I just I just didn’t see the juice I didn’t see we’ve talked about that in here for days

And uh as I press um publish as I press publish uh the Daniel Gafford news passes through the wires and the way that was phrased by Adrien War Janowski was particularly interesting because for those of you who are are like kind of catching up on this a day later we

Didn’t really know what the Mavericks gave up in terms of draft compensation for most of the day is that right Josh is that kind of the timeline yeah I don’t think we really knew the only thing we knew was that they were trying to Route draft compensation from another

Team to Washington like it wasn’t going to come from the Mavericks uh draft Capital like they were trying to find picks from someone else to then send to Washington and then I don’t think we knew I think Stein or Tim McMahon one of them

Were the one of the first ones to to to show the details but the Mavericks kind of sent a press release because it was actually a separate transaction they sent a press release about two two o’clock Dallas time uh which I guess was right after the trade deadline that said

They swapped the their first rounders in 2028 with OKC to get a 2024 pick from the Thunder and then that’s that’s when we knew so it and the trade was first reported like earlier this morning so it was like four or five hours before we really knew the full details of that

Trade so let’s sort of talk about the player first um our our Gracie villiard uh over at MZ Moneyball who is a Virginia resident so I think she catches some some Wizards games wrote sort of a what to expect from Daniel Gafford piece uh I’m not going to sit here and act

Like I’m super familiar with Daniel Daniel Gafford my the stat that I really enjoyed was that he is eighth in the league in dunks while Derrik Lively is seventh and my broad-based conclusions from this is that the Mavericks now have a center that they if if he and uh

Derrik Lively are healthy there is no reason that Dallas Maverick shouldn’t play without a true Center unless it’s a tactical decision for All 48 minutes of basketball correct uh that’s one of the pro the biggest advantage of doing this trade probably the reason why they did

It I mean how long have we been talking about backup center I mean we’ve been talking about backup center since Dirk like since the mid 2000s like you think about when they had Eric dampier and and and G jop like who was the starter who was the backup when they had Tyson

Chandler they needed a backup center and with Brendan Haywood disappointing at times dur like it’s feel like it’s always been a thing like not only have the Mavericks always needed a center they’ve Al always needed a backup center so gafford’s interesting yes always so what’s interesting is Gafford I think

Was a lot of Mavs fans like they wanted him to be like their full like before how long have we kind of how long has Daniel Gafford been a a like a Mavs fan Target probably like three years now and so pre- Lively I think that that was a lot of people that

Wanted to uh to bring him in as like a Buy Low kind of starting option so yeah he’s I mean he’s really fun in the sense that he’s athletic as hell he dunks and he block shots like crazy uh I think he is uh he’s averaging yeah 2.2 blocks per

Game career high uh he’s scoring 1.43 points per possession as the role man in the pick and roll he might be one of the most elite like in terms of like Advanced Data I thought I saw that he might be like the most elite finisher in

The league he’s he’s up there I mean he’s shooting Bas 69% from the floor he’s shooting 73% on rim runs which is very very good like you said he’s he’s top 10 in dunks uh he makes sense as a backup as a starter like I was never too

High on the Mavericks acquiring him because he still has some some weaknesses which it’s easier to get around that when he’s coming off the bench which presumably he is uh you know he’s not his blocks are good but hisi defensive numbers are not great again you’re playing he’s been playing in

Washington for most of his career so he’s never going to have really good impact defensive stats but one of the criticisms of you know he little bit of a block Chaser instead of a true maybe rim protector like the block number might be a little inflated in terms of

His actual defensive impact but still the Mavericks will take guys that will block sh like they need some guys that can block shots and make defensive plays period even if you give up a little bit uh when you don’t get the block and then another thing is he’s actually not a

Great rebounder he’s I think I mean he’s never averaged more than eight a game he’s averaging eight right now in 26 and a half minutes I’ll take that yeah I know it’s better here’s the thing everything about him is better than what the Mavericks were getting from their backups bigman positions before today

But the thing that you know he’s just not a start like I just don’t think he’s the starter in a winning team which hey guess what you have Derrik Lively so he doesn’t need to be the starter on your team so the move makes so much sense um

Now that the Mavericks have felt like they found their center of the future and Lively okay um and it just it takes away a lot of the risk involved although you know we can talk about the the compensation but in terms of the player it’s a really it’s a really clean fit

For the Mavericks yeah and he’s young yes young cost controlled he’s on uh he’s getting about 13 million next season 14 million season after that which is only going to look better as the salary cap Rises or even if it’s stay static it’s a good deal right now

So that’s also important so and they moved who who went to Washington uh ran Holmes and I think just the rerouted draft pick yeah the rerouted draft well yeah the rerouted draft pick which is the I want to say it’s the wor it doesn’t really matter but it’s a 2024

Pick from Oklahoma City how the Mavericks acquired that pick is they are swapping draft picks in 2028 um hold on to that because I want to talk about that in aggregate yeah later on yeah um the move by itself I enjoy the move yeah I enjoy the

Move I I think it’s the the kind of move that we thought they needed to make but didn’t know if they had the means um I do sort of like I feel a little bit bad for rwn Holmes because he came to the Mavericks and he he basically moved off

A um a trade kicker trade kicker yeah which meant I I think he was fed one thing and and something else happened I mean there was weren’t there reports that there m there like the Mavericks feel like they can try ran Holmes if they can’t make a

Trade for a center like after that deal was done or something like that yeah it was that was not I just I that leaves a funky taste in my mouth is all I’ll say um I don’t like that when that happens to players because it you know you never

Know when stuff like that gets around um okay so then I ended up going to the gym so I’m sitting on that and I I didn’t even you know we didn’t find out about the draft stuff till later in the day which was fine I go to the gym I come

Out of the gym to like 30 tweets tagging me with he’s gone it was like it was like that that similar to the the scene and and uh the fifth Harry Potter movie where the guy realizes that that Voldemort’s back and it’s like all these he’s gone and it’s just it’s it’s Grant

Williams was traded along with uh Seth um was there anybody else nope just those two uh a 2027 first round pick top two protected as we learned um more on that in a little while for PJ Washington who is in the first year didn’t first year of a four-year deal that he signed

With the Hornets in the offseason is that right yep making about on average like 16 a year I think yeah and he was your I get the numbers he was your guy uh that you just sort of were like in the middle of uh it was like I don’t

Know six days seven days in free agency and you’re like why hasn’t anybody signed this guy yet and he became the dude that Mavs fans just sort of were like gosh what if we could get PJ what if we could get PJ and it was just sort

Of a recurring theme I feel and now here we are uh several months later with PJ Washington talk to me about his numbers talk to me about his fit uh Jack um wonder if Jack’s gonna join us uh Jack mon Le I hope you I don’t know how to

Say Jack’s last name even though he’s worked for me for two years uh is hopefully maybe going to be joining the show to talk about uh he wrote a nice piece that’s up on M’s Moneyball as well kind of briefly describing what he thinks his the impact is going to be um

But why don’t you kind of walk us through because you he’s been kind of one of your guys for a little while yeah I just like his versatility at the four he’s 67 72 wingspan he’s really athletic like kind of gets lost in Charlotte a little bit and especially like with some

Of the other athletes he’s played with Charlotte like that Hornets team has actually had a lot of like really aw over the last like three or four years but he’s like up there like he’s got a great vertical he’s a great he’s a great dunker which I mean I feel like

That’s another thing I’ve been asking the Mavericks to do since they drafted Luca is give him like explosive athletic players that can do harm to the rim Washington can certainly do that um he can play the four in the Charlotte he’s been kind of like playing four small ball five they occasionally exper

Experimented with him at the three but his his natural position is the four uh you don’t want him playing Five unless it’s like tactical trying to gimmick something up like that’s not his his final position because he is he is 67 he is 72 so it’s good size for power for

Power forward in today’s NBA but he also is kind of twish like Slender he doesn’t have he’s not like the strongest guy in the world which is okay in the you know you don’t need your force to be Drew Goods anymore got crazy right yeah he’s 72 wingspan so that’s

That’s not really good you know a plus wingspan as we all know like the the the thing to go back to that where wingspan is always concerned is that the Mavericks were not interested in Desmond Bane because of his negative wingspan meaning his wingspan was shorter than uh

His height and so to have a Wings a lot most NBA athletes have a plus wingspan bigger than their height so if you’re you’re six foot seven then your arms is out or longer than 67 yeah his wingspan being seven seven inches more is quite a

Lot yes it’s it’s pretty good um he’s kind of a his his game when you describe his game it sounds better than like and then you go look up the stats and you’re kind of like well why aren’t his stats better because he’s kind of really well-rounded like he has three level

Scoring ability in terms of he is comfortable shooting threes he’s comfortable in the mid-range and he’s fairly comfortable at The Rim like he’s pretty good he’s pretty comfortable with the floater he’s got a good floater um and he’s got a good mid-range he’s got a good turnaround in the small post where

Like if someone switches and attacks him with a smaller Defender he’s fairly comfortable doing that and you he’s good in picking pop he’s good in picking roll um the last two seasons that Charlotte’s actually experimented him with him running some pick and roles I looked some stats up earlier today he ran 71

Possessions last season as the pick pick and roll ball handler they didn’t end well but like they tried it so like that’s something um and he had 32 he’s had 32 this season so that’s actually kind of a lot for a guy like him um but

He’s comfortable as a rle man he was pretty good as a rle man last season all of his numbers are down this season but I think that’s just because Charlotte is bad and weird and sure they have weird games I mean been hurt yeah yeah and they haven’t really committed to him

They’ve been bringing him off the bench but like he’s got a good jump shot it looks good and then you look at the last three years he’s at 32 this year 34 year before 36 the year before that career 35.9% three-point shooter and yeah some of that is definitely looks like he’s

Playing on a bad team he doesn’t have great point guard play but he did play for Lonzo ball for a couple years even though lonzo’s been hurt so it’s not like he hasn’t played next to like total scrubs at point guard like Lonzo is a pretty good passer when he’s healthy um

So and his spot up shooting and his catch and shoot three-point shooting Is Not Great like it’s in the low 30s the last couple years and you’re just kind of like why because you watch him and his film and his jumper looks great I mean he 11 days ago scored 43 points

Against the Jazz and made seven threep points that was when we were all kind of like collectively like well we’re not getting that guy yeah so like it’s there like this is a guy that the tools are there to be a really high level NBA starter it just never happened in

Charlotte and the risk you know were the Mavs are it’s makes perfect sense because they don’t have necessarily the ammo to go get a Bonafide guy like we said when they traded for Kyrie they have to buy low on someone and hope that he works out here they kind of have not

Necessarily like a dart throw I don’t think it’s that risky like there’s enough tape on him and enough Talent there that I think he’s gonna do okay here but they can’t get by A Perfect player because they can’t afford a perfect player because if the perfect player perfect Wing was available

There’s like eight teams that want to win games right now that have more to offer than the Mavericks have to offer in trades um Oklahoma City is one of the best teams in NBA and they own every draft pick for the next like 30 years so

Like if there’s a good player um out there sorry I just saw saw a nice comment there by Sterling yeah yeah soing um since the the chat won’t let me go yourself it’s okay is Harris might be a wet blanket he’s also a nice dude I am not it’s okay hey it’s all

Good I’m not not everything is for everyone but yeah basic basically he’s a guy that like the talent and the tools look better than the numbers and the the upsell is let’s put him with Luca let’s put him with Kyrie let’s get them here in Dallas where they have tended to get

The most out of most of the role players they’ve signed you look at Derrick Jones you look at Dante aom you look at guys before that dorany Smith even Maxi’s best years so you just kind of look at that and you think okay we can if we can

Get that out of undrafted guys and second rounders what if we can get this out of a guy that was you know a lottery pick or a pretty high first round pick that’s young and let’s see where it goes and again cost control he’s on he’s got

A pretty decent contract for the next three years so that’s also helpful so sorry I kind of rambled there no no that’s great I want the rambling because one of the things that I was confused by and this is mainly just do the way the

Rest of my afternoon went was the uh the draft compensation so as we know we said that the Mavericks sent a first round draft pick top two protected I’m seeing in multiple places that the Dallas Mavericks uh thank you to David Sanchez in the chat for sharing the Athletics

Post but did the Mavericks get two first rounders back two second rounders back I’m sorry two second rounders yeah that’s what I meant yeah they did it’s in the official press release too got I gotta gotta be honest man so everybody who knows me kind of tends to know how I

React to stuff and I had like 30 DMS and text messages of being people being like you hate this trade because of the first- round pick my initial inclination to this pick was G and we’re going to talk about that in a second because a first- round pick

Is a first round pick getting back two seconds is interesting to me I like it I I I like that more than I particularly because if one of them is this year I’m not sure what year they are but if one of them is this year Charlotte sucks oh

Hey they’re gonna suck for a while while yeah so so that’s that’s really you know those late uh you know that’s where we get Brunson that’s where the you can really get some guys uh uh and and I know a lot of our fans are probably like

Why do you care about drafting so much Kirk because honestly the MS are pretty good at drafting that that it’s been their biggest roster wins over the last like five years have been all draft so so that’s sort of where I’m at all right

So now that we we kind of we like the players um do you let me ask you this do you think one of the phrases that that’s we’ve uttered over and over again does this move the needle does it move the needle for you this year this year I

Don’t know if it changes their ceiling too much but before everyone kills me it’s because I still thought that their ceiling was a non-playing team like okay in the five or six seed range but I think what this helps is um maybe gets them closer to that and

Maybe this trade this year probably the biggest thing is it adds a little stability to their floor with their injuries and stuff like that like just getting these two guys in here hopefully will prevent any type of uh collapse that we saw last season so that’s a big

That’s I mean that’s a big plus uh so yeah I don’t you know if if they’re not the top four teams in the west are really good the top five in the west right now are really good so I don’t know if I would favor the maver you know

If the Mavericks are in the six they’re gonna play one of the one of the best teams in the league really like not want to play the Clippers that’s not great I just can’t handle it and it it feels like that’s pre-ordained at this point just in anyway but but

Yeah for this season I I think the biggest Boon is that it’s gonna help the bottom from falling out okay but also I think it’s gonna help I mean I don’t know if we can go to you next but my big thing is how this affects them going

Forward and I think that’s probably the big point but I mean I know your take is that you don’t think it changes the ceiling that much at all right I could be swayed I mean when you go into all like there’s six games over 500 right

Now we were worried about them going an All-Star break under 500 so at a certain point in time you got to say all right things feel like things feel good things are trending in the right direction if they were to somehow sneak one out past Oklahoma City on Saturday and then they

Better dang well close out the Wizards and the Spurs before All-Star break talk about a great feeling now if you win two of those next three still a really good feeling because you’re see that point you’re seven games over 500 um so this season I I I just don’t know

Um my initial kind of way back before the season started was I thought this team could be out of the plan that was sort of My Hope top top six um still don’t know about that just because the way things are shaking out the Mavericks have had really bad injury luck they

Need to stay they need to stay healthy but when you watch a team like tonight that pulls through against a pretty feisty Knicks team even though they’re all hurt they just they got something I’ve been saying that for weeks and I’m just so negative about the Mavericks year in

And year out so I feel like me actually saying I feel like they have something is is of consequence now maybe I’m just dead wrong but it just be me being the positive one for a while is so odd um now I am I I talk to me about why you

Think this is a good future building move one that they’re both 25 years old okay and very quietly the roster is Young this is kind of a young team now remember we joked about you know like when Oran was 29 or 30 and and Maxi’s 30

And pal is I think he’s he’s I think he’s 30 now and we would joke about how he was both Carl and kid and Donnie Nelson would talk like this team was just a full of 22 like everyone was Luca’s age I was like no it’s basically

Just luuk and Brunson and everyone else is close to the wrong side Jason kid being like they’re a young team we’re like no but now they kind of are they kind of are a young team um most of their core are besides Kyrie and Tim junor like the most important players on

The team are all basically 25 or younger with Luca PJ Gafford Lively green Hardy um that’s a lot of that’s a lot of nice youth there so uh so that’s that’s one thing and they’re all cost controlled so something you can build upon and that means it’s contract like if they do need

To move these guys later they’re all on deals that are pretty reasonable and in that midlevel range that I feel like you need like it’s really hard to make trades when all your contracts are like tied up with two Max guys and then like a bunch of minimum guys like having

These mid- tier contracts I think makes it easier to do trades in the future if they need to you know maybe these guy you know that’s that’s like worst case scenario if if they don’t turn out the way you want them to um but also because they can still do stuff maybe

Not as much stuff as we thought if they kind of held on to the pick but they can trade if things go as according to plan and they give up the 2024 pick they can trade two picks this summer okay they still have Josh green and they still

Have Jaden Hardy who are the Josh green thing like keeping Josh Green is a big deal I big deal like I I hate on him with with just Relentless Fury Regard in vain but yeah but regardless of how we feel it’s obvious that League wide he has something in terms of which is

Actually important you hold on you always move later right so the fact that they still have two picks they still have their two young players that you would consider are their best trade ships like they didn’t lose that much in tra in making these deals so that’s why

I think it’s pretty good like the fact that they still have the ability to move green for even better piece or they don’t move green because green looks awesome so uh they still have flexibility like they have more flexibility than I think we originally thought but still there is some

Downsides that we can talk about about like how they got to this point and who they had to move and how that kind of adds to the totality of they gave up you know with with Grant Williams Because you kind of have to add in what they

Traded for Grant uh into this deal because he didn’t even last a full season so that’s part of it and I get that part of it but it was nice to see them be aggressive uh in a way that still allows them to continue to be aggressive going forward like they are

Not done next summer like there is still a roster spot today right also yeah who is presumably gonna be filled by we I G Circle back on that I need to be I need to be a wet blanket for a minute okay but did you hear did you see what kid

Said because I know sometimes you don’t see yeah he he made that kind conf I yeah right so bear with me for a second future first round draft compensation the Dallas Mavericks owe this year’s 2024 pick to the Knicks assuming the bottom doesn’t fall out the 2027 pick to

The uh first round pick to the the Charlotte Hornets 2028 pick swap to the Oklahoma City Thunder 2029 first round pick unprotected to the Brooklyn 2030 pick swap with the San Antonio Spurs now somebody today was like where did that 2030 pick Swap come from it came from the signing of Grant Williams

That that that was the thing that had to happen because it was a three Trader three teamer back with the Celtics and the Spurs in order to to make some things happen and I just got to tell you guys when I think about the PJ Washington Grant Williams transaction as

A whole you’re telling me that we traded for PJ Washington for a first round draft pick and a 20 or a 2027 first round draft pick and a 2030 pick swap that’s the way the math works there am I right that is yeahor to look at it I

Don’t want to be a wet blanket that sucks that sucks yeah go ahead might tell me okay that’s that they’re happy with it I just want I just need to say out loud that it sucks because draft Capital does matter and now as we hit on earlier the two second

Round picks coming back from Charlotte which was something I didn’t really factor into my analysis when I tweeted that out earlier really does that that helps helps me deal actually yeah but you only have so many so many cards you can play right that’s all yeah and I I I

Don’t think you’re wrong no you’re not wrong you know the Mavericks considering how much draft Capital they’ve spent in the Luca era you would think that they would have a more set roster like they’re still trying to figure it out so that’s the downside and the downside is is you

Think about I mean not the downside with these two players specifically but we just talking in totality of what they’ve been doing their last three big ticket off season moves in 2022 it was Christian Wood and javil McGee 2023 it’s Grant Williams neither of those guys lasted

More than a season wood goes you give up a first round pick for wood and he leaves out the door for nothing because he did not work you give javel McGee the second biggest contract of his career at age 37 or 34 what however old he was uh

And he last one year and you have to wave him and they’re going to be paying a portion of his salary for the next I think four more seasons after this one and then you give the 2030 pick swap for Grant Williams uh and he doesn’t even

Make it to the all-star break and so on one hand I appreciate that this front office does not sit on their hands compared to how maybe the previous regime did things because I think like member 2019 free agency that was the definition of them I mean they wouldn’t

Even admit that they did something wrong with that free agency no that’s what incredible and I think that was our biggest criticism of that front office back then with Donnie leading the show was how uh they weren’t proactive enough right like that was the thing they just

Kind of had this master plan and if it didn’t work they’re like whatever and that’s not how you do things uh so the fact that they’re able to admit so quickly hey this isn’t working let’s get it out here and try something new that’s something that not a lot of front

Offices do but on the other end of the token eventually the moves have to work like yeah you cannot keep like it’s great that you can move on very quickly when you make a mistake better work yeah you can’t keep making mistakes these two better work there’s not a lot of chip

Chips left to play now now also there’s something else that plays into this um LCA was just asked about it and uh he says management discussed both deals with him and he readily approved of both which Brad Thomson has the whole video of it and like just I I it both there’s

A lot of criticism of LC which I find to be but I I’ve been trying to tell people that I don’t really think Luca started to get involved until after he scored 60 points against the Knicks and looked around and was like Jesus Christ is anyone gonna help me I I I

Really do I don’t think until that January because that’s the first time Stein and McMahon really started talking about something he didn’t really do with the other stuff because why should he that’s the front office job that stuff yeah he’s now saying like just the visual of Luca being like

Pack him up see you later Grant thanks for wearing my shoes that’s pretty good uh but yeah so yeah like I said it’s great that the this new front office is proactive a lot of GMS Kirk we’ve been watching the NBA for a while sunk cost fallacy is a real

Thing with a lot of these GMS and they get trepidacious look at the Chicago Bulls like the last three years in terms of an organization dragging its feet and not pulling the trigger and admitting when something’s not working so it is a good quality for an organization to have

Yeah but like we said they gotta hit like these moves have to work if PJ Washington is another Grant Williams they don’t really you know there’s not there’s not much to do there because you you keep running out of wiggle room to rectify the mistake and eventually there’s no more one room left

And you’re done so it’s great that they were able to move on from these and I and I think that’s my main takeaway from today is how aggressive this front office is and realizing when something’s not working and trying to fix it but also got to get it right it’s got It’s

Got to work so there’s one roster spot available and this was just a recurring our chat is all over this and like I just wouldn’t I just wouldn’t have predicted this so so Spencer Den Woody is the free agent is that the deal uh he was traded today and I believe I don’t

Know if he’s already been waved yet but he’s going a plan though he’s going to get waved yeah game Toronto I think right yes yeah yeah and and he he’s sitting two two rows back behind Jason kid he’s looking at his phone most of the game which was like really hilarious

Um okay and he wav yeah and so there there’s two players that are being like heavily discussed for that roster spot for the Maverick the other is uh besides Spencer deny the other is the is the other um the other Morris twin which um no for

Me it’s a hard no and and to be quite candid I’m just going to take this position right now no thank you to Spencer deny either no like I I I feel crazy like they mov they moved Spencer last year guys because Spencer’s Vibes were garbage he was giving these really long lengthy

Answers that were basically like trying to pass blame around and then they moved his butt out of there so if you’re saying 30 Games Spencer deny is is going to bring great Vibes the great Vibes in that in that other team were Jaylen Brunson not

Spencer Den wty so if if you really like him because you like him and you think he’s fun for the team I get it I don’t think the basketball thing is going to help the Mavericks that much he is wased I know that’s what we said about

When he was in Washington though so we’ll true and then he came to Dallas and made every single three-pointer he took for two years I don’t know maybe they got the magic sauce here uh I it isn’t I don’t that part is all you know

I’m I get that part of it I just didn’t think like hey the first thing they need is another ball handler but I wonder if the exm injury stuff it’s deeper we know that’s a good point so I don’t think they they they seriously consider him if

They think exom is gonna be able to close the season just fine that’s a good take because otherwise why would you because exom is totally can totally do what did what he’s been doing this season not better so yes with much more Force yeah and I wonder if kid has

Gotten a good look at the Jaden Hardy experience while exom has been hurt and is like nope I I do not want to go into the playoffs with Jaden Hardy as my backup point guard because that’s kind of what he is if xm’s hurt like who’s

The first guard Off the Bench besides I don’t know maybe maybe see this is why Josh and I don’t talk before games or before podcasts maybe you’ve convinced me maybe I’m maybe I’m all in on I just I’m a big Vibes guy and like I I am pretty sure Grant Williams got

Packed not just because he was bad at basketball but because he is super annoying like so annoying did you ever like he tweeted out that photo where he’s like here yall want to caption this and it’s like dude just make a three-pointer stop asking for attention make a three-pointer how much do you

Think the Luca liked the uh popcorn quote that he gave to the ringer if luk shooting negative 40% from three I I mean you know yeah for the month there or whatever it is it’s it’s like I’m sure like you just like again like last thing

On Grant and we can talk about him in the other show but it’s like you can’t put out big-time leadership Vibes if you suck if that’s not how leadership Works unless you’re like a 37-year vet who’s been in the trenches you don’t get to do

That at 23 and be like let’s go a no don’t do it just hit your shots play basketball yeah that’s tough and I feel kind of bad because I felt like you know we all like the Grant Williams move when it happened and I think one of the things

That I tried to do was like temper expectations a little bit but I don’t think either of us thought it would get this bad but it probably says something that he’ll he’ll bounce back too I really think that like he he’s not this bad he just couldn’t pull up and it was

Only getting worse yeah I think yeah I think he got a little bit in his head with the bigger contract and they kind of told him hey you’re one of our three star like you’re the third starter after Luca and Kyrie and you have to be the defensive lynchpin which he’s never been

Before because he got to play next to a lot of great defenders in Boston so um he’s not gonna get to do that in Charlotte so best of luck to him but apparently he’s from Charlotte so maybe a little home cooking can hey hope so

Hope so I wish all these guys well he’s nice he’s just yeah no I’ll I’ll one day I’ll I’ll I’ll maybe one day I’ll look fondly back on the Grant Williams experience but I can promise nothing I don’t think you will I can promise nothing that’s okay yeah that’s okay

Um all right we got stuff that’s so there’s a ton of stuff up at Mavs Moneyball decom I mean a ton of stuff we have written this month something just like like pretty absurd for us in the neighbor like today there’s like nine or 10 things we normally only do three to

Four things a day and there’s just a lot of content head over there and check it out some really great stuff from the people who put in their time they take time off work to do this sort of stuff none of us get any money out of this

It’s worth the damn it’s not worth the time we put into it all we really really do it is because we like talking about Mavs and we want to share stuff with you so head over there and read some things um do you have anything else before uh I

Let you go get to work no no I don’t think so other than I don’t know it’s exciting it’s I was reminded again today that like people love the trades man they do I tweet pretty innocuous Daniel Gafford like just summary of what I thought and it just so like I know

Twitter doesn’t matter but like the re like the retweets the views people are hungry for the trade trade stuff man you’re right about that man I kind of forgot about it well I’m G to host the secondary show G to put on our you have fun it’ll be fun yeah yeah

Everybody hang out and um I’m gonna post the link here in a second um I’m GNA put our ridiculous uh rights free music up on top of the video I’m going to go uh pour another glass of water and I’ll be right back thanks so much for those of

You listening on the audio feed uh the Mavs party show will be up on Friday afternoon and then we’ll be back uh Saturday as well so everybody hang out for just a minute I will be right Back [Applause] Welcome one welcome all welcome back to Mavs Party part part of pod Maverick this is our post game postgame fan show where you get to come up and talk a little basketball with me uh which might not be your cup of tea but if you have a

Take you want to get off your chest I really do recommend this it’s so much more fun to actually speak about basketball to another human being than it is to type about it on Twitter on your phone looking at Reddit looking at YouTube well I guess we are on YouTube I

Want you to come up here and talk basketball with me there is this h a a Pinn a link in the chat that you can go and click to if you are on Twitter and want to join this I can link you directly just shoot me a DM I check

Those throughout this uh we will be here for as long as folks have opinions and want to talk about the Mavericks it’s only 10 o’clock I would like you know I can get at least another hour um but if if anybody wants to to come up please go

Ahead and click that link we got our usual entry correspondent Brian hanging out tonight coming literally going to start referring to you as a correspondent because you come up here every night so yeah guys go ahead and click that link please join the show uh I would really really appreciate because

I like talking oops to you Brian what’s going on man that’s funny I like being the cold bear of your uh John man I’m excited are you excited talk to me what’s what’s which one is more for you uh of the two trades oh man I honestly I think that

So I’m gonna zag I know which player I’ve been more adamant about us bringing in and who I’m like more excited to see play but that gaffer deal dude on a couple of different levels right because it was only getting off of holes bad salary

Which I do hope he’s able to rehab his rep a bit in Washington I know he’s not going to get like a whole lot of eyeballs there but they don’t have another Center so they’re GNA have to play him and I hope he’s able to play well in this minutes because yeah I

Completely feel what you said at the start of the previous show where there was definitely he was told one thing and then on the way out it might not have been quite the same especially with him waving his treade kicker yeah messing with dude’s money just sucks I don’t

Like it yeah yeah no it it doesn’t feel good uh but and I I don’t think that he got all of the opportunities that he probably could have had while he was here but we tried him out a couple of times some times it worked sometimes it didn’t we

Knew we needed an upgrade and we went and got one not only did we get one and Gafford we got a guy who I’ve been big on them going to go and get for like a year and a half now did it with honestly without touching our pool of seconds I

Thought we were gonna have to we sent out a swap to OKC 2028 but we like we could talk about the picks in a second I’m not worried about that 27 pick I’m not worried about that 28 swap because those only matter if you’re betting on

Luca Don being the first player in the history of the sport to turn down that super max extension and I don’t think he’s walking away from that money yeah I keep having this conversation um my friend Harold who messages me he’s like he’s like guys really think Luca could

Maybe make up that money this is a lot of of of pressure in the front office I’m just like and I never heard of a dude making up a hundred million doll before you feel me yeah and I feel like he he might not

Be able to do that I feel like he could probably touch it just with like the fame that he has overseas particularly in Europe and the way that he could like do endorsement deals over there and really kind of recoup a lot of his NBA

Money if he doesn’t you know if he wants to go that route but why do that when you could just have the best of both worlds and I like he’s gonna take the biggest contract he can take here and get his uh his commercial money but that

That that’s an as side The Gafford deal sure I am excited about that just because we have seen now a handful of good trades and good business done in between us and Sam presy and if Nico is developing a good working relationship with Mr first round pick piggy bankman

That can only spell good things for us like if we just have like kind of a give and take partnership like that like yeah we gave them a swap but they didn’t have to give up that first even if it was protected even if it’s in the 2024 draft you know which

Some GMS and teams like AR Valley like that they didn’t have to give up that first and make that trade possible for us especially with us being in their division in their conference right Central playoff opponent right and I feel like it’s kind

Of a you know had on had a favor for a favor kind of thing with us looking out at the draft and allowing them to jump whoever was angling to get to 11 to try and take Cas Wallace because I remember at the time that being what was reported

Someone was GNA jump to 11 and take that dude yeah and yeah no so just that being able to happen and that being something we can kind of keep our eye on in the future as far as like okay we know if we need to make it a three team deal or

Something we know kind of Who The Usual Suspects are going to be that we’re going to be going to we’re gonna be going to Washington we’re gonna be having talks with New York maybe and we’re going to be going to OKC and those are three teams with a lot of assets and

Smart GMS who like aren’t going to screw over their teams but are willing to do good business with you if you’re not a complete dun about it sure mean and the Thunder have to do something about the glut of picks they own anyways because it becomes a devaluing situation if you

Just hold on to them till the end of time yeah I remember being mad um mad quote unquote mad uh you remember the end of the first round of this past Draft when Denver dug their hand in the Thunders cookie jar like they sent them

A pick I think it was right before the draft uh sent them a pick and OKC sent them back like a future pick and a pick in the 24 draft and yeah that’s the pick that they used to take Julian St at the back end of the first round and I was

Like yeah that’s what smart GMS are GNA do the Thunder they cannot roster all those picks especially the ones that are coming up in the next like two years right so yeah go talk they’re already fix to P like 37 supermax contracts at this point with all the great players

They have so dude they just had to like offload and wave four or five guys to day they did poor poor do Dave Bert is is out there and and Charlotte now hopefully he’s a man of the people out there for them hey man big head is a gift that

Keeps on giving that contract is good you know what I’m saying uh it’s what maybe a guaranteed five mil next year so yeah no that thing is looking pretty enticing and so it was definitely easy for them to move off of that and they definitely did us a solid by allowing us

To move it open up that TP uh that tpe during the draft to make the omx and ran Holmes trade possible and now that’s turned into Gafford so you know good business is done all around I’m really excited for what that could spell for the future with dealings with OKC in

Particular but also dud we don’t have the worst center rotation in the league anymore we actually one of the best so I’m did you just reminded me of something I just want to talk about it I turn I I am a I’m I’m nearly 40 years

Old I it should not be a surprise to anyone that I have listened to Bill Simmons my entire life okay I’ve read him since I was 18 he is a big part of my internet experience I like him even though a lot of people are grown weary

Of him I turned off that trade deadline podcast I was not going to listen to it because he says he said early on that finding a rim rolling Center is easy and so drik Lively therefore doesn’t have much value to him that’s why he’s not in his top

75 and then he proceeds to put Josh giddy as his 75th player and I’m like giddy’s not even gonna play on the Thunder he has negative value they had to trade for Gordon Hayward specifically because teams have been sagging off gidy putting their centers on him on just

Letting him Rock from the corner that just made me think of it because you’re right like the Mavericks now have the the Josh and I mentioned this I think that the fact that you can play an actual Center should you so choose for 48 minutes of an NBA game is

Something we have not been able to do since before the birth of Christ it has never happened during my time as I mean no it’s really been since like 2002 the Mavericks had 133 centers to throw at Shaq it’s been such a long time since the Mavericks had real centers it’s nice

Real centers like an actual we’ll we’ll see if he is a starting power forward I believe PJ is a starting caliber power forward I believe he’s got that type of talent at least offensively on defense is it’s I think it’ll be when he is locked in it will look

Good at its floor it’s G to be better than the worst that we were getting from Grant by far but the wingspan alone makes a difference over and a half wingspan over a 100 possessions per game times 30 Games a year you know I don’t how many possessions a guy plays in a

Game but if he’s playing 26 minutes or 32 minutes if he’s playing it’s it’s enough to where I’m gonna sit there and say the guy with longer arms the bigger lineup is gonna be harder to score on than the smaller lineup just over the course of time so

That Luca is no longer the second biggest Maverick is important you know someone tweeted at me today I think it was my man Jordan who was up here on the last show he said we have a normalized team now and and it’s such a minor thing

But I think it matters because you don’t want Luca to have to guard like you want to be able to hide Luca just because of his offensive burden and it’s nice that they just have some bigger guys now I I think that’ll matter and not just like

Size dude we have bench players coming off of the bench now we have guys who are on minimum able to slide back into the role they were like brought here to play like Dwight pal getting to be like the third big who plays maybe every other

Game that’s great he was he’s been good for us this year he’ll be great in that role Derrik Jones Jr gave us way more frankly than we deserved this season right and he’s tired out people started try and turn on him I said how quickly

Y’all foret what he did for us now he’s gonna be going back to a bench rooll where he can come in play three or five guard the center guard point of attack do whatever we need him to do Off the Bench and just plug holes and I feel

Like that is the perfect way to use him and now we’ve got Dante exam if presumably if bring him like a ball handler with our uh lone spot that we have left on the roster like one of these buyout guys people have been clamoring for Spencer Den witty I

Wouldn’t mind that I would prefer they go get Delon Wright just because I think he’s a better point of attack Defender let’s just bring back an old Maverick is what you’re is is what you’re saying you’re going to be fine with I I mean there so those were the guards that I

Could think of that could like dribble and walk you g at the same time that are on the market like Kyle low would be nice but that’s a that’s yeah that would hurt me I he’s too washed yeah he’s too washed yeah yeah I don’t know I’m just like

Guys are slided in the roles are supposed to be in we have a normal looking roster with a normal looking rotation that’s normal size now that that’s fun that’s fun that’s all I have to say and and before I let you go and bring up the next person I got to tell

You what would make me feel great about this whole thing and what would bring it all together is a brand new coach hey man look you you talking summer talk now CA I’m look we we get to the summer right I’m just being as

We we get to the summer say we you know what I’m saying we land as the seven seed or whatever we get into the plan we got two chances to win two games don’t yeah next thing you know we got a new coach we’ve got Josh Green Tim

Hardway Jaden Hardy om Max two open first four seconds a pick swap we’ve got we’re g we’re just gonna coach Bud it we’re gonna say coach bud we’re gonna be talking about you a little bit no this kyri I’m the coach LC is the coach Daniel Gaff is the coach

Yeah just sure what if we did make Kyrie the coach be like bro we need you for 40 45 games a year but we need you to coach the other thing honestly that would be so much more fun than what we watched the first half of the Season he’s like

He’s a he’s a good Clapper he’s a he’s enthus Astic he obviously knows ball let’s do that like at the very least he’d have the dude’s attention in the Huddle I know I I think that’s true I think he I that might Le like a true leadership position might might spur

Something in him hey you never know all right man thanks so much for getting us started of course dude thanks for having me happy trade deadline everybody that’s right talk soon okay coming up next is jmax jmax welcome to the show long time no see welcome back hey how’s it going

It’s good what’s going on tonight what are you thinking uh super happy uh just stoked about the possibilities where we’re going uh the guy before me said most of it no let’s hear it again I want to hear what you’re happy about that’s the whole point of this thing well I I

Don’t want to reiterate too much on what’s already been said but uh like the front office issue of it I know what you’re saying like yeah they they were getting rid of sets they did pick up Christian Wood but I mean they got Christian Wood and opened

Up five four or five roster spots and then they brought anybody they could bring it like they’re working like off the barroom floor trying to like piece something back together shout out to Theo penson yeah shout out to Theo penson you know podcaster Elite um so they’re just like you know

What’s it been three years now and they’ve been non-stop trying to or Nico has been trying to put stuff together and I think they’ve put something together and we have some assets this summer and that’s not where we were at the end of last year you remember sure

Yeah we we were scratching our heads going what the hell is this team going to do yeah and now we’re at the Trad trade Dead uh trade deadline and um we’ve got better basketball players all around and um you know it feels like we’re two actual players deep per

Position if needed paper yeah yeah on paper that I feel like we have like green Hardy and omx I feel feel like are going to come right back up uh through like um Hardy’s a what seconde player and he looks like a second-year player he’s probably a small shooting

Guard not a point guard and they’re trying to create something out of him I don’t mind giving him a few years to figure it out but I don’t want to see him in the playoffs and you know that kind of stuff um same with omx you know uh maybe omx

Starts hanging out with PJ Washington and PJ gets him to slow down a step and observe before he just barrels through somebody um you know it’s all about you know getting good people around and Dwight pal being a the new theop penson that’s awesome you know he’s a a raah ra

Guy for sure and uh I guess the last thing is for the front office is they pulled the trigger on everything else that wasn’t working so if they give all this to kid and he can’t call good timeouts and he can’t make good substitutions and he can’t do

Anything that he’s supposed to do as a coach send so hard in the postgame stuff where he’s like well I don’t know if they’ll be ready on Saturday don’t know if they’ll be ready to play and part of me is like my man it’s basketball these guys have played basketball their

Whole lives let’s let them go play some basketball exactly and it’s like I don’t know I think if kid can’t make it happen Jared Dudley is sitting there I mean I don’t know there there’s options at coach so if if kid can’t make something happen um you know everybody

Likes him that’s great but maybe he takes Michael Finley spot uh instead of instead of the the lead seat on the bench but that’s pretty much all I got man I’m just super happy to have uh NBA sized players that’s right big guys is nice big guys is nice and I love the

Fact that all these guys are under 25 just starting their Prime you know nobody’s stuck in this mediocrity of like oh this is what I am so this is all you’re going to get you know our oldest players are Maxi and thj and Kyrie but you know he’s Kyrie so

We just deal with that but it’s great great stuff great stuff well man thank you so much for joining oh no problem man thanks for doing the shows oh of course talk to you soon all right all right later all right so we got a lot lot of folks in here we

Got seven folks waiting to talk I’m going to go in orders everybody appeared in the room um yeah and that was uh that was lla um she is uh she was barking outside while and I really hope you guys didn’t hear her on the show she’s barking like a

Lunatic um all right so come we’re gonna bring everybody up uh we’ll not take I’ll probably try to you know we we’ll try to keep everybody’s comments relatively brief but I’m not going to cut you off just to be cognizant of the fact we got a lot of folks waiting I

Want everybody to be able to have a chance to talk going next my man Henry Henry team captain Kyrie what’s going on tonight what going on everybody what’s Shing did you enjoy the game I I did enjoy the game but I want to start here

I’m in your deepest of Hearts my guy did you notice the hole that was missing from Grant Williams and ran Holmes tonight did you miss him no and I thought that Luca in particular played with a a little more air about him um I was really worried him being in New York

City for three days like that just struck me as a bad combination and he looked good he looked light he looked ready to go and then in the post game he seems to be just very businesslike it reminded me frankly of how LeBron works with guys which I think sometimes is not

The best for team morale but I’m sorry grant grant got plenty of chances and he couldn’t come through I did not miss either one of them and the slight is I forgot he was on the team within 24 hours it was absolutely amazing um he wanted to take away that I did think

About today is I’m assuming PJ is gonna start so then you’ll have PJ um you still have so now you have a Luca Lively pairing with PJ to step out space it maybe a pick and pop free to line of the three then when Luca rest in the second quarter then Kyrie’s running

The show by himself now you have Maxi at the four Gafford at the five so now you have Luca Lively lob threat Kyrie Gafford lob threat PJ spaces and then now you have Maxi to space the floor so there’s really not too much of a drop off

Once they go to the bench normally Kyrie had to come in with Dwight pal and other so now he actually has something to work with so um different and different guys who can step up in case of injuries I mean one of my friends today was like I think Derrick

Lively is a little injury prone I’m like he broke his nose yeah no that was a freak that was freak I’m not worried about that but it’s nice though because it feels little there’s some insurance going on here yeah yeah yeah because because now you basically four and five

You have the rle man and the pop in both situations with Gafford and uh Maxi uh and then you now have Lively and uh PJ Washington so that’s also a nice thing I’m I’m hoping I am hoping kid no longer has the excuse of roster so no more subliminals and passive

Aggressive you now have a good roster if you don’t make this work fam because I’m I’m a give I’ve been an avid get the kid the hell out of Dallas like restraining order I don’t even want him in the the for I don’t want him in DFW I

Have been very adamant about that yes it’s true if he was playing 3D chess and he was just just throwing out lineups to let management know in a passive aggressive way that we need to upgrade the roster now we have I want to see what he’s going to do with it

There’s no longer an excuse what I did like today though was I saw backto back two back Luca Kyrie pick and rolls or Kai Luca pick and rolls um with the short fade which I have no idea why we haven’t done that sooner but I like that

A lot it that has that’s the only thing I can think of but it like it’s just it’s Kyrie’s a rle man is hilarious he’s so good what do you do I mean obviously you throw size at him but it’s like that’s a terrifying role man if he gets the ball

At the in the in the short roll oh yeah oh yeah and again they did it for each other and again I have no idea why we didn’t do this sooner why did this take so long for this to do you genuinely can’t do anything this team is

Unguardable like if you get one more shooter on the floor with them I I particularly just those two one more like cuz Josh Green was really good at spreading the floor tonight yeah small but it’s just if there’s there’s a lot there that’s why I I you know there’s

Something with this team I don’t know how good they can be but I know how good they feel whenever they’re really cooking I’m going out on the limb and saying by the end of the okay so everybody likes to not not everybody but Lucas STS like to try to meet Rod

Brunson when he was here as if he was the reason y’all had a seventh ranked defense with that one time y went to the Western Conference Finals um it wasn’t it was Doran FY Smith it was obviously Max paying at High level so on and

So regie was playing at a high level as well I I think we finished top 15 so probably like average maybe 12 somewhere in there depending on how we got it I’m going to go on the lmon say Western Conference Finals I’m going to go out and put that

Out because if we I want the Thunder but we’d have to be the AFC so which means we’d have to play that extra game for the playing but in in in I guess in la la land I would prefer the Thunder because they’re inexperienced the wolves boneheaded inex

Experience um as long as we don’t play the Clippers or Denver in the first round I think we get past the first round um and then we kind of go from there because when asses get tight Palms get sweaty we have we know for a fact that these two rise to the occasion

Nobody wants to see us in a seven game series and I’m standing on that nobody wants to see Luka and Kan because I think Kai play I’m looking forward to seeing Kyrie play in a in a really really big game again um the funny part about watching Luca tonight was just the

Sheer amount like the the announcers were like trying to will the Knicks back into it and then Luka would just come down and sticking absolutely he that that stretch of Threes that him and Dante D venzo were shooting back and forth was just so fun but in the end of

The day I’m taking Luca to make those shots and I would take Kyrie to make a lot of the same shots Dallas MAV fans you are in for a treat you’ve never seen locked in Kai I mean forget he had one bad stretch and that was in the second

Round against Milwaukee his last year in Boston outside of that he’s pretty much been amazing uh in the playoffs and and mass fans get to see that the higher the more pressurized the situation goes the higher KY Rises to the occasion and I’m looking forward to being back on the

Show and seeing you guys be like Kyrie was unconscious like genuinely nothing you can do I love it my man thanks so much for hanging out you got anything else for us no that’s it my guy Western Conference Finals put it on paper and uh that’s it man I’ll be back

On the next one bold talk soon see you man all right coming up next is my guy um brandom what’s going on man what’s going on Kirk you doing all right I am doing okay is it’s only 10:30 this feels great it’s not two: in the morning yeah

It’s a it’s a big difference right yeah so what’s up what do you think man I like it man I mean to me I feel like longterm well not even longterm but within the foreseeable future you know Dallas has assets that they can you know trade think about this worst case scenario um

Things go bad it won’t look like the 2012 2013 season because you remember not I hated that season that’s the season that I I started to get active on Twitter and like I had to delete a whole bunch of really mean tweets about Lamar Odum he made me so mad and I didn’t

Really understand his struggles at the time that was a horrible season that’s the Year Jason Terry left in I mean they that that roster was terrible and someone can argue that it was probably one of the worst Mavs roster ever and you know they couldn’t

Get rid of people and you know they were trying to bring in guys and to play because they didn’t have enough guards they’re bringing in you know James and everybody else now Derek Fisher they brought in Derek fiser they brought in it was bad they had Rody on the roster

OJ mayo it was bad well OJ mayo didn’t play that year he was hurt I think he was just kind of like talent but um now if you think about it within the perable future in the worst case scenario you have your fourth year your last year is

A PJ Wasington Josh Green be up you know Dwight P be off of his contract Hardway be off his contract so worst case scenario they can let guys walk and then if if you know Josh St continue to play well or if he does play well in the

Future kind of progress him and hard Hardy they have some trades and that’s kind of how you know they could get back in the mix of things if if things just the bottom falls out so to me I feel like they got good assets you know as

For like their talent you know they need a size you know they they need to size with you know some age some NBA age some Talent as well so I feel like that you know it’s a win I like it more more more talented guys is something we’ve called

For on this on this podcast for forever so it’s nice to have that or at least different guys that’s what I told my friend Matt Moore he’s like I don’t know if you’re gonna like Gafford I’m like look I’m looking forward to yelling about somebody new I don’t need Dwight

Pal and Maxi anymore it’s been six years yeah you know somebody brought up the point with M with pal being the third big you know hopefully he could be a mentor even though he’s not like super old he could be a mentor and kind of you know teach guys to be professional like

I don’t know a lot about pal but it seems like for the most part he seems kind of professional about his minutes and you know just kind of the team culture so you know maybe he could be some type of Voice or some type of uh you know example for those guys but

Dallas like I said before they they get Kentucky Talent you know Mash burn is good they had Tony Del I don’t know if you remember Tony D they had Tony Del had one of the most random 50 point scores in NBA history she sh time Walker

They had Roger bro so they Rondo he wasn’t a factor but he was still a Kentucky but you know they they get good Kentucky guys I kind of get excited because I kind of like watching Kentucky play but you know hopefully he could be in that line of good Kentucky players

But you know and this is the last thing Kurt think about this Melo melo’s a good melo’s a good passer and when they played it was exciting I mean they were they were doing exciting stuff so Lucas is a good passer too but Dallas doesn’t play exciting basketball like you know

Charlotte did and hopefully you know with him being there and having the ability to you know kind of play at a higher level that it could bring some excitement to the games because with Dallas you kind of know what to expect hopefully you know him coming in and you

Know bringing what he had in Charlotte that energy and and that ability to play you know at a different speed you know it’ll kind of you know create an exciting culture because you know when Brandon wght was there it was kind of exciting and we haven’t seen anything

Exciting like that in a while so you know kind of a little bit of nostalgia kind of rorate what was going on back then it’s a good time man I like you brandom is a real let’s REM some guys he he’s he’s been a Mavs fan since uh what

Do you think how far how far back do you go Kirk I go back to uh man I tell you what I’ll go back to um Dallas had one commercial on it was the it was the Empire carp you probably remember 188 2300 they were the only not the only but

They were the they were the commercial so when they went to commercial break you know they had the little short five minute news and they 2300 Empire so I I go back to basically Sam perk is Rookie year so pretty much around that time maybe 86 87

I’ll go back to that matter of fact I go back to the year before right as they started to get real good and fleece uh the the some fans don’t know this the Mavericks are directly responsible for the steppan rule because they just kept taking draft picks from the Cleveland

Cavaliers remember they they had Mark Price He was a he was a Dallas draft pick that’s crazy well thanks so much for hanging out with us we’ll talk soon okay Thank you Kirk all right coming up next uh is Frank but before I bring Frank up I want

To ask some folks if you can go ahead and like the stream while you’re down there if you haven’t done it already go ahead and hit subscribe uh I would really appreciate it we try to do the show as often as I can uh which is after most games particularly now that the

Season is in full gear um and if you’re listening on an audio stream please leave me a review and uh you know i’ I’ve my emails pretty easy to find there’s also uh we also have our our our team kind of email here where is it at

It is POD Maverick podcast gmail.com if you got any questions uh and want to talk a little hoop with me I try to answer most folks because uh I’m just a guy with the platform don’t really know anything special just uh got lucky at

The right time and now here I am so all right coming up next is my man Frank Frank welcome to the show you’re muted at the moment how you reading me boom cool thanks for having me man hey sure so fun day man real fun day hard to hard to get

Anything done at work just constant refresh constant not just just a fun chaotic day I I I turned in a work task almost two hours late because I just lost track of time like whoops sorry trade deadline yeah join the party no but um I I really it’s just fun to see

Us making moves you can see I mean they said that they’ve made a move every single year LC’s been on the team and um it sucks that it always happens around the tradeit deadline maybe they feel they can get the best value around that time otherwise maybe they do it a little

Earlier in the you know at the beginning of the year or even offseason but you can tell they care I mean nobody I don’t think I mean a lot of people were on the Grant Williams uh train man I mean it was exciting to think to think he was

Going to come in and I was too high expectations maybe thinking he was going to come in and um maybe like retransform our defense or give us a maybe even an identity you know since Bullock had left or his talents had left in the season

Before um so uh and then I’m gon be all over the place man sorry I’m trying to I listen to four or five guys and I’m trying to not copy and paste what they this is a this is a celebratory podcast because we don’t really there’s not enough to

Be you know I sometimes come in like a wet blanket because I just I I think about the big picture sometimes too much but this is definitely a time where I think you should enjoy you know the fact that the Mavs did something and if you’re excited about it that’s good yeah

Everybody’s putting on their GM caps today everybody’s just trying to put so much weight in oh I’m not sure it’s a good idea that we’re we’re doing all these pick swaps and stuff and I get it I know everybody’s trying to have some foresight or maybe no body wants to

Everybody’s trying to protect themselves from being wrong about you know it being a bad idea that we were trading all our picks but D when you have Luka it doesn’t matter you you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take you don’t sit Pat with the roster that’s clearly not

Working you make these moves and you just you you deal with it later I mean last year dur in the offseason nobody projected that they nobody you would have got 10,000 to one odds thinking that they would have been able to turn Berton into Lively and just what they’ve

Been able to they’ve turned you know trash into maybe not treasure but they’ve definitely repurposed uh some of the negative assets that everybody was down about into at least something serviceable now you look at our roster man we’ve got nine 10 people under 26 27 years old

That’s a big and everybody has some kind of value we’re not a team full of negative assets anymore it’s you know say this say this crashes and burns and you know at least going into going into the summer we have guys we can do stuff

With so so you know we’re you know we’re we’re making the most of it obviously we the having to clean up from the previous regime and then obviously Nico hasn’t he’s not batting a thousand we know he’s you know he’s saidit he’s missed a few

Um on the targets but uh and then moving moving on Jason kid the in the uh presser just now was saying hey be patient you know PJ may even come off the bench ya y y but I like our offense because you know it’s very to me it’s

Almost you can almost plug in play if you over simplify it because it’s simple pick and roll Alca Keep Your Head on the swivel make the correct read and it’s not a bunch of like like Golden State s offense for that is pretty complicated there’s a lot of off the ball movement

There’s a lot of staggered screens everywhere if you really watch the x’s and those it’s a pretty intricate offense whereas the Mavericks are you know Know Your Role um it’s you know it’s more surgical it may not be as fun like the previous guy was saying charlot’s offense is really fun or more

Surgical offense we’re going to take everything the defense gives you Luca is going to make the the read nine times out of 10 and you just got to you know PJ Wasington for instance he uh there was a stat where he said he’s like in a

80 percentile and like pick and roll and then 80 percentile and uh pick and pop and doing doing something positive with I can’t remember the exact stat but he is very strong in the pick and rle so I I think I think uh the ceiling has been

Raised this year um with Luca dude you just nobody saw us going to the West Conference he’s grown his his game is matured you see the way he dissects double teams you put more Talent on the floor I mean I agree with the other guy Wern conference is probably a little uh

Bullish but um I think we’re a lock for the playoffs now I’ll say that I love it Frank thanks so much man see you all right coming up next is my man Krishna Krishna you got seven people behind you I’m gonna put that in your court so so because you’re you’re good at

Soliloquizing what are you thinking um I’m doing good how are you I am great it’s been far too long far too long it has been I wondered where You’ been but then again I haven’t been doing these so it’s like I I realized that if

I want folks to come I need to do these more regularly no no it’s okay I mean you’ve been busy everyone’s been busy I honestly I’m happier I got rid of Twitter off like I took it off my phone it’s good it can be good to do that it’s

Good it’s nice now like I have a barrier so like if I have to do it I have to go on my computer and I’m like do I really want to do this on my computer want step yeah for sure oh God but no it’s it’s

Good um I’ll talk about the game I think it was good you know looking at that that’s a depressing bench it reminds me of I think it was I want to say it was the Lakers where they literally had one player on the bench I remember this and

I think it was actually think it was Chris Cayman who Chris Cayman on the MS but that was that was bad but you know the Knicks are what they are they’re just a team that you know Tibido like runs players into the ground and so they just give their effort but solid wins

It’s been surprising I think like the stat was we hadn’t had a three- game Road Trip like a winning three games in a row on the road trip with wins since 2019 I don’t know how that’s possible but you know that that’s fine you know whatever the circumstances you needed to

Get wins at this point especially with the injuries going on so that’s all good and in terms of the trade I’ll be honest I was a little shocked um I was kind of with you and I thought that the team wasn’t really going to make a trade just

Because I thought they were going to hold on to the pick move into the summer with three and I don’t know I like both of them I understand like more people are positive on The Gafford one so I’ll talk about that more I think it’s a a solid

Pickup he’s 26 he’s a pretty good Center I don’t think he’s a I don’t think he has much more of a ceiling I think like I don’t think he’s going to become any better than he already is in terms of adding a lot more to his offensive game

Like he’s he’s literally a dunk like a a dunking like Center like he’s a rim Running Center like that’s all he’s going to be really but that’s fine like that’s what you want in your backup center and he’s a solid defensive Center I think his rebounding could be better

But if you play him with another big I don’t think that’s a huge issue like the issue we’ve had is I want to see it at least yeah the issue is if Lively is your only big it’s hard if Max is your only big it’s it’s nearly impossible

Dtes are like now you have the possibility at least putting someone who’s going to help right not necessarily going to always get it 25 right that correction so yeah I mean both the guys are 25 I think PJ is also 25 which helps but it a solid pickup I

Don’t think it’s anything big and what it does is it gives insurance for lively Lively’s had obviously the injuries I think are more unlucky than anything right but it also gives him Insurance in terms of like when you’re playing that many minutes 40 minutes a game like it’s

Almost inevitable you’re going to have games where you just pick up five foul yeah we’ve been honestly when he’s played we’ve been very lucky that he that’s not happened as much as it had I think has he fouled out at any point this season I cannot recollect no I

Don’t think he has maybe once maybe twice but not enough to where it it’s it’s like in it’s not where it’s become a thing yeah I think he’s gotten close I remember I think it was the OKC game where he had like five like he’s gotten

Very close with five so that’s good I think that’s a positive and like you said like it’s the the roster is just now taller like it’s more balanced where you have guys that are you know obviously shorter but you have guys that are much taller now um so yeah Gafford

Trade it’s fine I get it the swap most people don’t like it I think it’s fine like I I was expecting something like that to happen in terms of the PJ Washington trade um I think it was smarter that you went with Grant and Seth two guys who are really not

Contributing really that’s just the truth you know the harsh unfortunately and yes you had to move a first and it’s top two protected all of that but you consider what PJ is on in terms of a contract like a four a pretty solid $4 million contract for four years like

Theoretically the cap increases in that time and then what it also does is if you need to move off of him $14 million in a cap that increases is not the worst thing to move off of for a guy who at the end of that contract would be 29 so

I don’t think it’s the worst thing but what it also does is it just gives you a legitimate four like it feels like that’s the the spot we’ve been missing is I feel like we’ve had decent Wing players even like Derk Jones Jr is fine there uh even Dante like is serviceable

Playing as a three but it feels we’ve never had well I think Dante’s kneee might be more messed up than we know I think that’s part of so too but you know I just like I don’t think the three was as big a problem like I felt like Derek

Is there and then if you absolutely need to I think oh man can be there I thinkx I think it’ll be next season where omx still keeps improving it’s it’s a little harsh like I think we you don’t we don’t necessarily compare him to Derek uh

Derek Lively but you know it’s hard I’m sure he wants to be playing but I’m I’m positive about the idea that you know this is just a learning experience for him and I think he can get better but I think it’s good I think overall good

Trades I I get the concerns you know trading a first like what do we have but you still have two firsts going into the summer you still have four seconds which is good and I think you have a a group of players right like I mentioned

Earlier I think now you have 10 players under 26 like I don’t think I was ever expecting that at any point in the offseason we talking about we had I think I mentioned we had like five players that were younger than Luca you know now you have a lot more guys who

Are younger than Luca which is something that I didn’t really expect so you know going into the offseason we’ll see I don’t know if the team is necessarily going to make moves in the offseason we’ll worry about that later yeah and really for me I think the rest

Of the season is just about first of all getting healthy can you get like D Jones really drik Lively healthy Dante we’ll see what happens but and then building a coherent system and chemistry with these guys specifically on the defensive side of the floor I’m not that worried about

The offense for this team I’ve really never been worried about the offense for this team it’s about how do you raise the floor of your defensive performance so that you’re not you know you you don’t have to score 14 40 points if you don’t need to right and so that’s where

I’m a little more positive you’re just bringing in guys who have a have a a baseline for their defense they can perform well on defense I think PJ less so than Gafford but you have an ability to do that and it’s it’s in a way it’s kind of rep you’re trying to replicate

Right like that 22 run but you’re doing it with way more players and way more versatility sure again I never felt like ultimately the roster is like the biggest issue um I think I talked about it in the in the preseason I still think coaching is always gonna be the biggest issue but

Ultimately until you know it becomes really toxic where Luca and Kyrie are kind of the ones who are initiating you know that they don’t want kid as their coach I think it’s going to be kid but I think these marginal improvements to the r roster are still important because it

Felt F felt like for so long this team has been stuck in the same kind of roster in the same players year over-year and it felt like you know the team was not felt like it was the team was trying to convince you that oh you

Know it’s a new season like it’s going to get better and really what was getting better was Luca Luca was really the the only tangible thing that was getting better while the rest of the roster was aging and so yeah it’s I get it it’s a lot of turnover and I think

From a national media perspective they look at all this stuff and they go like this is chaotic like why are they making moves but it’s not like there was much to start with anyways and the fact has much roster turnover I think is better now than never right and that’s right

Everyone everyone there’s always going to be speculation like um Luca is going to leave but I would have rather see the team at least try make attempts and and balance out going for it and protecting some things you know not it feels like a balanced approach to everything it

Doesn’t feel like they’re going all in where they’re just trading everything right we almost like a a Lakers situation but it doesn’t feel like you know planned powder where they’re just not doing anything and they’re they’re sitting on it and it’s kind of a a balanced act but we’ll see how it goes

OKC will probably be tough I think kid was saying like they may not play on Saturday but again it’s like it’s going to be a process you know you have to integrate these guys in but I’m excited I I’m I’m more excited about this roster now it feels like a lot more balanced

Than anything and hopefully it’s fun like the most important thing is it’s fun and I think the West at least at the bottom is competitive enough that it’s good the Mavs at least have been winning some games I think it would have been disastrous if we hadn’t won anything in

This time and you’re at least in Striking Distance of being out of the play which I think would be great that would be nice it would thank you so much for hanging out once again absolutely you take care K all right talk soon chrish now all right coming up next is

Rapael Rafael what’s going on man hit the unmute button hi K how you doing guys thank you for having first time yeah H everybody wants to talk about the trade deadline but I think we have to talk about that look pass the thing was amazing amazing it’s so funny

You mentioned that because while chrishna was talking I was clicking through and and it it came across the timeline again and I just sat there and watched it like six times in a row I know a couple people were telling me that he’s had better passes this year

And I just don’t agree that was the craziest thing I seen I just can’t remember a single one like that just don’t I think was a fun game uh the first the first half Luca was not ah I’m gonna win this game by myself so everyone was getting touches Josh Green

Was some nice finish Derk Jones Jr had a nice game I think it’s it’s good when luuka doesn’t go superhero because we can see how what we can do the looks we can have so was a fun game until he he decides no that’s over I’m going to make

Is six seven threes in front of these guys and game had a great time yeah about the TR line I think Gord the biggest thing is the regular season when you get crushed by this terrible bigs of some War RS putting 20 points on the MS

What a I’m tired of this yeah seems like every team has a better big it’s just because I have playing Power Max and I think I don’t know if he he’s going to make a such impact in coming the playoffs he probably going to play

Like 15 20 Max will play a lot of fight probably but I think he really helps and it’s not like we guarante playoffs it’s different because at that point you’re making the choice to play Maxi as opposed to having to play Maxi he even mentioned that we we’re

Going to reduce Max minutes and that’s it Max oh always broke down some point and we we’ve been asking him to do too much in the last couple of season and he had amazing game yes the Nicks uh bench but he was amazing four blocks they were not finish anything in

The ring against him and it was different you put Power Josh finished the ring things so I think maxing Max with reduced role be a big thing for us in the playoffs and going to the regular season yep yep man what else you got for us just about PJ I was reading something

John holla right it’s kind of De Don sometimes but never likes any of the M’s moves he’s just he that guy but he said about the idea of BJ Washington and I can of agreee you to do everything but doesn’t do anything PR well but I think

It’s a high ceing movie because I don’t think he uh he’s going to be terrible but if everything goes right this can be like the I don’t go out to the Nuggets kind of move a guy off out of nor he fits he does the little things we need

And this can be awesome I think I think he raises the the ceiling I think we can beat someone in the first round of playoffs right now doesn’t that’s right and that’s it just just one uh crazy prediction if whole things work work if you we going on a

Run to finish the season L LCA is probably the favorite to win the MVP within beid imagine Ms number four five if if if number four I think Luca could get there but I think right now interestingly enough sgaa has kind of an inside track just because they’re such a

High seed but I like that take it’s a good one yeah thanks right man talk soon Rafael joining us that was great um coming up next is Jacob Jacob welcome to the show man thanks for waiting hey KK can you hear me you got me I can you

Sound good all right cool yeah it’s uh dare I say dare I say The Vibes are back we’ll see they looked different they felt different and I wasn’t even paying that close attention to the game and it it felt different you know it kind of reminds me

Of when we traded for Kyrie last year and then we won that game in Utah where so that’s why I’m like you know a little bit hesitant to say that the Vibes are back but it felt like we ran we we were running the West on that

Day last year but you know that’s that’s because we just wanted to kind of meme it to reality but no yeah I mean the we won a game that we should have against a hospital team so you know we weren’t doing that against you know the Cavs the

Grizzlies uh there’s another loss in there that I’m forgetting but yeah finally took care of business against the hospital Nicks and especially when hartenstein went down I mean even with uh div chenzo and Josh Hart going off from three just to be able to lead that lead tonight’s game wire to wire

Um tell you what it was an awesome feeling but I mean as far as the trade go trades go I mean I Gafford just like I’m not saying like he moves the needle like in a way that’s like like I guess Vanderbilt last year maybe did for the Lakers the Vanderbilt

Trade and you know when they all shuffled the roster yes uh around the Lakers did and they went to the W finals last year but um to the last guy’s point you know saying about reducing Maxi’s minutes like this like you know and moving Maxi to the four it sounds like like we

Actually seems like we have like a legit 10man rotation which I I go back to even just last year when we were all bitching about the center rotation last year and how just thin it was and I we never do anything about it and we you know I give I give

Nico hish credit um and he I I really wanted Grant to work out seems like a cool dude I guess just didn’t right was we able to get off his contract write that wrong pretty fast yeah um yeah I mean PJ Walker I mean I admittedly haven’t watched a ton of Charlotte I

Don’t think anyone has um not yeah I’m not gonna have firm takes for at least a coule for at least a couple weeks right right but I mean I think we generally have an idea that okay you know you can kind of trust him to you know maybe put

The ball on the floor and get a shot off in the mid-range uh rebound a little bit I we we think he’s going to start right I mean so I’m not sure I bet kid tries a lot of different stuff I really do because it’s like do you send Josh Green

To the bench you know it’s the Mavericks play so many different starting lineups why not some more yeah that’s that’s true yeah I i’ I guess I I figure that at some point maybe I don’t know let’s say game one of the playoffs you know

For should we get that far um Luca Kyrie Josh PJ Lively I would write I mean maybe uh we’ll see so uh but yeah uh I I heard you were talking Josh you and Josh were talking earlier about Den witty I mean Josh might have kind of

Talked me into him I’m just I don’t know he he’s such a Mercurial guy when things are going well he’s definitely a dude you want on your team when they’re not it’s like all right you know he was he was he was just a bit much for

Me yeah the he is a little bit of a crypt man is a little bit of an interesting dude I guess but you know i’ never forget um when he uh baptized goar on TV that was incredible that was a quite yeah that’s a good moment I like that’s a

Great call back I don’t know maybe I’m just wanting to relive that run so bad but I mean if exam’s not going to be healthy and I don’t I we’re prognosticating about his knees which is weird because like you know before he went over to Europe uh you know he

Couldn’t stay healthy ever right but he goes over to Europe and he’s healthy all the time yep and then he comes back and all of a sudden the KN issues are popping up again I don’t right it’s weird I mean in a perfect world we don’t

Need I think it’s number of games I do I think it’s number of games and minutes and frequency that stuff is tough yeah I get yeah I mean yeah I don’t know about ex like I’m not a doctor but I mean I Googled right you know neee btis and it said like two

Two three four weeks somewhere in there and this that was after he uh what his foot get hurt or something had something with the plantar like that tendon that runs down the middle of your foot so yeah know that that’s that’s annoying but yeah I mean if if if if we

Can’t I mean if we’re not going to be able to rely on exom I mean I guess I just don’t really see the risk yeah of den witty really but maybe yall are right maybe I’m just being a ninny so we’ll see yeah we’ll see what

About Daniel house I mean like him too you know I don’t I I shouldn’t have such strong opinions on guys that aren’t going to have tons of minutes I just I get like that sometimes but the guy man that really just I feel like is is in an

Awkward spot is Tim because I know by and large the fan base wanted to see him go you know like it is he a winning player you know and hey I mean the full Tim Hardaway Jr experience was in full bloom tonight when he knocked down that impossible shot from the

Corner and he comes right back and he throws up a heat check which I don’t know why Tim feels the need to throw up a heat check whenever he makes one shot I mean I get that you’re a microwave and he’s basically our cam Thomas but like it’s like he can really

Shoot you out of games but then he’ll come right back and just make a Tim Tim is Tim is lowkey the funniest player in the league oh yeah he does no he just says he’s like a has a memory of a goldfish he just does the crazy thing

And yeah yeah so um but yeah I I was actually surprised to see Hardy surpris I was survive the deadline he just doesn’t make enough money to move yeah I mean I I guess there was something that we could have do for Wiggins you know with the Burton’s exception 10 and you

Know maybe something there but yeah I don’t know I’m just kind of thinking out loud but no yes it’s a The Vibes feel like they could be back I mean I’m just saying especially if Den Wy comes back you know I mean I won’t say they’re Immaculate because you know that was

Brunson’s whole thing but I mean hey uh if if we just all I’m saying is the thunder better not let us win on Saturday yeah cuz we are going to get so ignorant and then and then the Wizards and the Spurs we’re going 6 a win streak into All-Star break we’re going thank

You so much well that’s what I’m hoping for I just a six game win streak and Allstar break would be great you wouldn’t be able to tell me anything all week be great yep well hey man thanks for popping in all right yeah have a good one all right coming up next is

David David welcome back what’s going on hey Kirk uh just running errands tonight grabbing some medicine for the little one you know know how it is sorry to hear that hope it’s all right oh just little little nothing yeah it’ll be fine um but uh now I’m pulled over and I just

Had to say uh I wanted to to celebrate joining the party um it’s always fun kicking the out of the Knicks so I don’t care if they’re injured hurt their fans are insane uh after being at a game a few years ago MSG so it’s always fun to

Watch them uh go home and swallow a bucket of Tears so what do you got we got six more people and my wife is giving me the stin eye so oh I know how that feels um I you know I I’ll go to to something that um

So I I’ve been calling in and saying you know we got to get bigger we got to get bigger and we got bigger today so that was huge um I’m loving this three- game win streak I’ll I’ll go to a conversation I was having with a friend

Of mine during all the trade stuff and uh you know I think our ceiling is the second round potentially this this year just because of the you know TR you know jelling in in mid season’s always tough um I think this this group of players possibly if they pan out like we expect

We could hit another level next year especially if we’re healthy but first round matchups if we are you know sixth or seventh you know essentially we’re we’re past the play in in the first round who can we take that’s in the top four right now and I’m presuming Phoenix stays at

Five I don’t know man I I don’t feel good about any of them I really like it’s there it’s like which kind of pain am I looking forward to in that particular day I I think the Wolves would probably be the most testy because I I think you could make half that team

Collapse in the moment probably followed by the Thunder and then Denver would be the the the team I wouldn’t want to play second most and then I don’t want to play the Clippers no thank you that’s like exactly what I said we’re on the same page my friend was

Thinking the Timberwolves would be a tough out but I think we own Rudy gobear Jason kids already carved him up once they just don’t fouls get called differently and the and the Wolves whole the Wolves whole thing is is they just Val a lot I I think the Maverick can

Flat out outscore them because I don’t think the wolves have very good offense but it worry they that would be what would worry me is like it would become kind of a Fest and that doesn’t interest me that’s fair and then I think the Thunder are just you know they’re I

Don’t I think it takes a little bit more playoff experience to be really ready H and the Mavericks I think would be a little bit of a bad match up for them in a first round I think they’re GNA yeah I my my problem with the Thunder is you

Don’t know what you don’t know meaning so many of those guys are so young and so inexperienced that I don’t know if you’d know to be scared does that make sense like there’s an interesting conversation going on in the chat about SGA and like SGA gets all the foul calls because he

Doesn’t complain he plays unbelievable defense and just orchestrates that team they’re smaller though they play they you know the Mavericks and them would kind of be a fun I think it’d be a fun matchup but I just they just have the the Mavericks have more horses now but

The Thunder have a lot of guys so that’s that’s where I settle with them I see that we play the next game so we’re gonna get a we’re gonna get a front row view of of what we think of them pretty soon I I can’t wait look e six and0 or

Even five- one in this last out of games I will punch that ticket um you know that’s three more games we got to win but everything seems winnable now we I feel like I called you after that bucks loss and I was like uh ready to go you

Know jump off a a bridge uh over at Market hunt uh last thing I’m just gonna say real quick though I think with these guys that we got with Washington and um uh what is Dick given or Daniel um Gafford there we go I figured it out uh

You know the fact that we actually have our first real tandem Center rotation since like 2011 with Hayward and uh and um Tyson uh you know to me this feels like a real Center rotation I can’t wait to see him play uh I think I’ve seen him

Play once before uh when the Wizards were in town uh but it also to me probably marks the end of the pick and roll with Dwight pal where he doesn’t know to be ready for a pass when he gets wide open so I watching him flail against God’s Grand Design when

He’s underneath the basket and like lose his is is uh you know I love the guy he works extra hard as best he can but those little T-Rex arms trying to grab passes that float a little bit or trying to make the adjustment I don’t

Think we have to see that at the five anymore which just makes me happy and uh I you know appreciate that the guy sets really hard screens but you got to be able to do something with it if you do set a hard screen um so I can’t wait

To see uh you know I thought your assessment earlier uh with Josh was perfect that this guy is a is another Lively esque type Above the Rim player and that’s what the Mavericks love for their floor spacing and their attack plan with Luca and having that Rim

Rolling threat is just going to keep our offense humming when uh when last year just bogged down and everyone just stood around with their hand up their ass so um can’t wait well thanks so much for hanging out and waiting to talk all right all right have a good night Kirk

Thanks yep all right coming up next is long time show Joiner Chris who stayed up extra late for us what’s up man yeah sorry if you saw me in the background yawning yeah showed up late um to this uh uh podcast feed but I haven’t been

Getting on to these um party lives but I’ve been I’ve been watching the show of course YouTube premium I still watch it a loyal listener um but let me wrot down some of the stuff I I’m kind of rusty so I have to write down some of the stuff I

Was talking about how much so how many uh draft picks do we have left to like first round picks did we have to 20 2025 but they have to move on from the next one 2031 and then they have three or I’m sorry four second rounders I’m

Not sure what years I want to say it’s so we have a we’re going to use this year’s uh OKC second round pick is that what we’re getting or our first this year we’re getting I don’t know which one I don’t I don’t care right now I’m

Not my brain’s too tired I get you we got to focus on but we do have a second round pick this draft yes okay okay honestly I feel like with these moves that we’re third we’re the third best team in the west even over the Thunder I

Know I sound crazy like that but hey do I do I sound like a to like want to play the Clippers in the playoffs yes have you looked at qu numbers have you looked at ka’s numbers though if we play them in the second round though dude you know

I’m not hoping for it he’s 50% from three over like the last 30 games oh he’s a he is playing better basketball than he’s ever played before he is a death ma actually U they’ve consistently been on the floor I don’t think they’ve really missed many games

At all so no and it makes you wonder whether the dude was ever injured at all it’s crazy yeah or get to the playoffs if they get to the second round is he gonna run mean is he gonna run into an injury I mean you never hope for anybody

To get injured sure um I don’t know I just kind I just want that Revenge man I was at that game I get it 21 and I’m like I feel like it would get a little Vindication for this team they’re they also happen to be better because I I

Just don’t know how you defend them in in to a certain extent yeah but uh yeah it’s gonna be nice to not have you know I mean Dwight Pal’s gonna be really at the end of the bench now because he’s like the fourth Center on the team right

Now right yeah you got yeah yeah Lively and and Gafford was a player that a couple years ago I was even talking about even on this show I was like what about a guy like Daniel geffre yeah he would be nice I’m glad they got somebody there wasn’t really a good big talent

Pool anyway um available today anyway um so I really feel like the Knicks and the MS had the best trade day really so I mean I felt like we’ve improved and we need we needed a backup center we got a backup center we need a wing we got a

Wing so and like like the other guy I don’t really know much about PJ Washington because I don’t the only time I watch the Hornets play is when they play don’t really remember him he wasn’t he wasn’t and against the Mavs Allstar is is what I will say so in your opinion

Real quick lastly um do you think that this team currently constructed as long as they stay healthy is better than the 22 maps I mean it’s deeper let’s see him play let’s let’s talk probably during the trade deadline let’s get like two to three games and we’ll see yeah I’m

Looking forward to it I I’ll let you go I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and uh you know playoffs hopefully now we won’t be a playing team so for sure man thanks so much man talk soon all right coming up next is Leo Leo what’s up

Dude hi Mr Kirk is the mic okay yeah you sound great all right just some quick hits is there specific uh kind of defense or offense you’re looking for the maps to run now that they have more size at more positions no but I would

Like to see you know one of the things that Luca does is he finds something he likes and he kind of Beats the hell out of it um and and I would I would like to see the Mavericks attempt to experiment more that’s all with different lineups

You know okay and the second one I don’t know if you’re going to be able to answer this one do you know if any of the maps coaches have a specific kind of Interest or like Anor and Josh Green cuz the one game I went to the Milwaukee

Game like during every like of play like Josh would always be go over talking to Sweeney or kid like quite literally every time someone was shooting a free throw or there was a timeout not sure you know Josh Green’s a tough one for me because I’m so mean

About him that sometimes I over analyze him other times I don’t pay attention at all okay all right hope you have a good night it’s good that’s a good insight though like paying attention you pay attention to a lot of stuff Leo I think that’s good all right you have a good

Night Mr Kirk all right talk soon all right coming up next is Simon hey Simon what’s up Kirk man it’s been a while since I’ve talked to you you know it’s um a lot A lot’s H A lot’s happened and I you know I have a long list of stuff I

Want to talk about but I know it’s late so you know we only got so much time um so I guess we’ll start with the trade deadline uh it looks like most of the mass fandom is is Happy uh with the results of it which I uh think they

Should be uh on a funny you used to live in Northern Virginia right yes yeah so are you familiar with you know Tyson’s mall yes yeah it’s a funny story on a personal note uh I was Christmas shopping there um yeah yeah you can imagine and and I run into of all people

Daniel Gafford he looked he looked like he was kind of stoned but large human yeah he was very large I was like you know he’s wearing a gray sweatsuit I’m like that guy looks for really oh that’s Daniel Gafford yeah but you know obviously living up here I watch a lot

Of wizards uh games unfortunately but I think Gafford is was like you know I talked to my dad a lot about basketball but he’s like one of the few guys in the Wizards I’m like well if he was on a a a team that actually was was playing

For something he could help him because he he does have a a definable skill set that can help a team which is he just rolled the rim and dunk the hell out of the ball right and and like I mean that’s like you know there’s all you

Know he’s top I think he’s you know Lively is is top 10 in the league in dunks and I think gaffard is also top 10 of the league in dunks and and I know you uh correctly have have always one of your complaints about the Mavs has been

They just lack size and they just lack athleticism and they just lack what other NBA teams have but that you know now you go to a center rotation with Lively Gafford and all of a sudden you know when Luca turns the corner on a pick and roll it’s it’s it’s a lot more

Threatening yeah PJ Washington I don’t really have a take on you know he seems like a you know kind of a um how do you say it you know he fits the bill he’s six foot n he’s got he does a little bit of this and a little bit of that he post

Up a little he shoots the three he’s not shooting a great this year I looked at the stats um but obviously with the looks that Luca creates you know he’s he seems to raise a lot of people’s three-point percentages uh when when when they they’re getting more open

Shots yeah that’s exactly when they share the court with him but again he’s you know he’s six foot n like he’s like I think somebody else said earlier he’s like a legit you know power forward at least in today’s NBA you know he’s not a you know an Oakley or anything like that

But he’s in the you know the parlament of the modern NBA he is a he is a power forward which is you know something that they didn’t I mean they were playing it’s a it really is kind of crazy to think about how two years ago they made

The Conference Finals and their two quote unquote forwards were Reggie and Dorian yep I mean that’s like that is that is wild to think about um what else man like I said it’s been a while all right I you know the game tonight I mean there there you know not

Much not really much to glean off it obviously give me a like let’s take a win and get out of Dodge yeah yeah take a win and get out of Dodge but I’ll get I want to I got to give the Knicks credit because I mean they were extremely extremely short-handed they

Obviously just made the trade so they were missing the rotation pieces from that and and Brunson wasn’t playing Randall wasn’t playing anobi wasn’t playing uh but I mean divon chenzo I mean I don’t know what the I was like damn I might take Dante’s been on a run

Go look at his box score his recent Bo SC I have and you know I I saw the box scores I was like I don’t know where that came from but then I watched him tonight the dude just like you he move he moves well he’s got a lot of

Confidence you know every you know every shot especially the threes I mean like they showed on the broadcast he’s taking 14 threes a game over his last five or six games but every three he takes looks like it’s you know he’s on balance and

He’s got a he’s got a solid base I mean it was a fun game you know the mass were never really threatened which is great you know I mean you gota just take you gotta take take the wins when you can get them and uh and move on to the next

Uh and last thing I guess before I go I you know I waited all night for you uh after Luca scored 73 because I really I really wanted I really wanted to talk a little bit about that um that one sucked that was in the hospital yeah that’s that’s so unfortunate

But uh there was a there were I don’t know if you I’m I’m sure you’ve watched it since then there was a in the third quarter he shot a uh it was like a falling out of bounds you know Baseline shot going to his right who’s this like

He Luca okay LCA in the in the in the in the Atlanta game where you know and which is a shot that he NE he never shoots he like it’s not like I don’t think it’s something that he works on but he just in that game he just like he

Just pulled it out of you know it’s like a Kawhi Leonard uh or or Kobe type of shot you know or Jordan and he doesn’t really do that because he doesn’t shoot like the traditional jump yeah he doesn’t take he takes like High high value shots but not high like but he

Doesn’t take low he tries not to take too many low efficiency shots unless it’s like a really far away three correct well I mean he does like he does like have that little he when he does the step back it the mid-range step back going to his left on the left side

Off the glass it seems like he makes it every time he’s gotten very comfortable with that and that’s like one of the ways that his game his game has grown because you know his first honestly like a week ago I remember I watched like his uh the the series versus the Clippers in

The bubble and he didn’t take anything but layups and threes it was like you know 75% layups and 25% threes but it was amazing how much he was getting the I mean was just it was just uncanny and I think you know I came on earlier in

The year and like I I was like a little bit frustrated with like how sometimes he just seems like he just doesn’t attack enough and you kind of talk me off of it a little bit it’s like well he’s just you know he’s saving himself I think especially with the fact that he’s

Got a broken nose whatever he’s probably trying not to get hit too much thank God tonight the three bowls start to follow him in the second half and uh you know and it’ll look good final numbers are good Mavs got a win they got Oklahoma City coming up that’s going to be a

Great game excited to watch it and uh it’s great to talk to you Kirk I can’t wait to do it against him thanks for hanging out man talk soon yes yes sir all right all right coming up last but not least is Mr Green who looks like he

Is in a field Mr Green are you hanging out are you there you g to talk to us sorry when when you have we had such a long a lot of people I wanted to talk tonight um makes it a little bit tough to get through everybody but we tried I

Missed my man Rolo but just a few minutes he just messaged me and said he had to go to bed Mr Green are you there okay well I’m going to talk for a few seconds more oh y I’m going to talk for a few seconds more here we’re going

To close out thanks for hanging out Josh Bo and I will be back on Saturday don’t know when because it’s an early game uh that 2 pm start time local is very different but we’ll try to figure out something appreciate your support thanks for hanging out we will talk soon

Everybody have a great rest of your week go Mavs

Kirk and Josh connect to talk about the #DallasMavericks playing the #NewYorkKnicks. Oh and there’s the #NBATradeDeadline !!! The Mavericks traded for PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford, we analyze those trades to. Get excited! #BlueWireVideo

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