Jump to content
Odin

Trade Thread

Recommended Posts

Quote

There are three challenges the Mavericks are facing when it comes to resolving the Dennis Smith Jr. situation. The first is pretty common: Dallas needs to find a suitable deal for a player who was the No. 9 pick in the 2017 draft, a 21-year-old who has averaged 14.4 points in 97 NBA games.

The second is a function of the market as it stands. According to league sources, while there are certainly teams interested in Smith, there is some reluctance to make a commitment to him because there could be other more traditional young point guards on the market this summer.

There will be the likes of Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker in free agency, of course. But for rebuilding teams in need of a point guard — Orlando and Phoenix have been mentioned as possible Smith suitors — the preference is to take aim at young restricted free agents like Terry Rozier or D’Angelo Russell this summer rather than gamble on whether Smith can develop into a point guard. 

"He is very athletic, but he’s not a playmaker and not a great shooter," one front office executive told SN. "If you have money under the cap this offseason (the Suns and Magic will), there are other guys you can pursue who fit better, who can pass and score."

The third challenge is a very unusual one. It’s the situation itself, the very fact that a player just one-and-a-half years into his NBA career is already at a standstill with his organization. Smith has been sitting out for the last four games, with what’s being called a back issue, but he is clearly healthy.

The problem centers on Smith’s change in role with the addition of rookie Luka Doncic. Smith’s field-goal attempts have dropped from 14.8 per game to 10.6, and his usage rate has gone from 28.9 to 22.8. He has butted heads with Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle along the way.

Carlisle can be a hardliner who runs a very tight ship in Dallas, and Smith is not the first point guard to chafe under his rigidity. But for any team considering trading for Smith, there is concern that, at his age and experience level, he is already having problems with tough coaching and his role on the team.

All of this has tamped down the market for Smith, and the Mavericks have no interest in dealing a guy of his youth and talent under that kind of cloud.

Smith, too, needs to understand that patience is required to ensure that the Mavs can get the best possible deal and put him in the right situation. The sides are talking now, hoping to find a resolution that gets Smith back with the team and producing on the floor.

Still, a source told SN that a trade of Smith "is a matter of when, not if." Could be in the three weeks left before the trade deadline. Could be this summer. But it’ll have to come after the Mavs have dealt with some of the challenges of trading Smith now.

http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/nba-trade-rumors-mavericks-face-three-big-challenges-in-dealing-dennis-smith-jr/xx7c8jy650b618mfdqt8sxze8

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, The Neighborhood Bully said:

the preference is to take aim at young restricted free agents like Terry Rozier or D’Angelo Russell this summer rather than gamble on whether Smith can develop into a point guard. 

So this was a surprising comment to me. I understand complaints about his "pointguardness" coming from his assist turnover ratio but Rozier has similar issues.

That comment pushed me to watch every assist Smith has made this year and I don't agree with the above assessment as least in terms of his passing ability. Rozier doesn't get many "point guard" assists. He gathers a significant proportion of them by bouncing the ball from the wing to the perimeter or standing still and hitting guys coming off of screens for catch and shoot jumpers. So I understand criticising his point guard skills. And it's not like Smith doesn't get some of these assists too

But Smith does a great job at drive and kicks, lobs, skip passes, and something I saw 3 or 4 times where he'd drive and jump into a big man's chest at the rim be hanging in the air and see a wing cheat inside for a rebound and he has enough peripheral vision in that situation to kick the ball out for an open three. I don't really see that from other players. 

I have zero worry about his passing skills. It's not like he's Lonzo but he's not Rozier either. 

I wrote down a few games where I saw him pass well a few times. I'm gonna see if I can find YouTube compilations for video evidence

Edit: I meant Rozier passes from the wing to the corner, not perimeter

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
13 minutes ago, ?4thewin said:

So this was a surprising comment to me. I understand complaints about his "pointguardness" coming from his assist turnover ratio but Rozier has similar issues.

That comment pushed me to watch every assist Smith has made this year and I don't agree with the above assessment as least in terms of his passing ability. Rozier doesn't get many "point guard" assists. He gathers a significant proportion of them by bouncing the ball from the wing to the perimeter or standing still and hitting guys coming off of screens for catch and shoot jumpers. So I understand criticising his point guard skills. And it's not like Smith doesn't get some of these assists too

But Smith does a great job at drive and kicks, lobs, skip passes, and something I saw 3 or 4 times where he'd drive and jump into a big man's chest at the rim be hanging in the air and see a wing cheat inside for a rebound and he has enough peripheral vision in that situation to kick the ball out for an open three. I don't really see that from other players. 

I have zero worry about his passing skills. It's not like he's Lonzo but he's not Rozier either. 

I wrote down a few games where I saw him pass well a few times. I'm gonna see if I can find YouTube compilations for video evidence

I saw that too. Smith is a much better passer than he’s getting credited for in this article. We need to get this trade done. He fits what we need. A slashing athletic PG who has range and can distribute. With the right tutelage, he could have a Lillard like impact. 

Come on WeHam!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
8 minutes ago, ?4thewin said:

So this was a surprising comment to me. I understand complaints about his "pointguardness" coming from his assist turnover ratio but Rozier has similar issues.

That comment pushed me to watch every assist Smith has made this year and I don't agree with the above assessment as least in terms of his passing ability. Rozier doesn't get many "point guard" assists. He gathers a significant proportion of them by bouncing the ball from the wing to the perimeter or standing still and hitting guys coming off of screens for catch and shoot jumpers. So I understand criticising his point guard skills. And it's not like Smith doesn't get some of these assists too

But Smith does a great job at drive and kicks, lobs, skip passes, and something I saw 3 or 4 times where he'd drive and jump into a big man's chest at the rim be hanging in the air and see a wing cheat inside for a rebound and he has enough peripheral vision in that situation to kick the ball out for an open three. I don't really see that from other players. 

I have zero worry about his passing skills. It's not like he's Lonzo but he's not Rozier either. 

I wrote down a few games where I saw him pass well a few times. I'm gonna see if I can find YouTube compilations for video evidence

Shouldn't it be important to note that the numbers seem to be a function of the role he is being asked to fill?

Last year he had an assist % of 29.5% and a turnover rate of 14.9%

This year: 22% and 20.7%

Rozier, on the other hand, has never had an assist rate of over 17.5%. Sure, he has a lower turnover rate, but he isn't really functioning in the way of a PG. Those are more ball handling SG numbers. Fournier, for example, has a higher assist rate this season than Rozier ever has had.

Obviously, the increased turn overs are somewhat worrisome, but they are not the end of the world.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
6 minutes ago, ?4thewin said:

So this was a surprising comment to me. I understand complaints about his "pointguardness" coming from his assist turnover ratio but Rozier has similar issues.

That comment pushed me to watch every assist Smith has made this year and I don't agree with the above assessment as least in terms of his passing ability. Rozier doesn't get many "point guard" assists. He gathers a significant proportion of them by bouncing the ball from the wing to the perimeter or standing still and hitting guys coming off of screens for catch and shoot jumpers. So I understand criticising his point guard skills. And it's not like Smith doesn't get some of these assists too

But Smith does a great job at drive and kicks, lobs, skip passes, and something I saw 3 or 4 times where he'd drive and jump into a big man's chest at the rim be hanging in the air and see a wing cheat inside for a rebound and he has enough peripheral vision in that situation to kick the ball out for an open three. I don't really see that from other players. 

I have zero worry about his passing skills. It's not like he's Lonzo but he's not Rozier either. 

I wrote down a few games where I saw him pass well a few times. I'm gonna see if I can find YouTube compilations for video evidence

Particularly 1:06 2:25

I can't find the other two games. November 17th vs Golden State and November 28th vs Houston. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
43 minutes ago, The Boss said:

Fournier + Simmons

Wes + DSJ

Thanks.

        Eh, i would throw in our 2019 pick if it gets done. A young PG cost controlled for a few years plus 20 million to throw at someone this off-season?

Sign me up. No loss of our young core, plus we still can keep Ross and Vuch for a playoff push. If Ross and Vuch are really as good as people think, surely they can lead us to the 8th seed in the east.

        Remember, they would be doing us a huge favor taking a contract 80% do not want going forward and giving us another young player who might develop into something.

So who cares about another pick we might draft a bad player with?

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I’ve been reading up on DSJr it appears his down sides may be length, character questions, ? Play making and I believe a couple knee injuries. His upside is high, but I wouldn’t be real upset if our front office didn’t give up a lot for his potential. We will have other options in the summer. I say make an offer that keeps your flexibility and still pursue. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×