The ONE AND ONLY Luka Doncic discussion thread
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I would say I'm the only one in the thread that has kept saying the Mavs roster is not as bad as everyone is making out to be, Kleiber/DFS are above average defenders who can space the floor and guys like Curry/Wright/THJ can all ball. What Luka is doing is remarkable but it's games like these against the better teams where he can't one man the whole game where it shows the supporting cast around him is not bad at all when it comes to production/effort/FIT even if the names are fairly unknown. Even Zinger despite the stats just him being on the floor alters the way other teams play on both ends.
Luka is next next level.
Luka is next next level.
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I shan't let this go! The Mavs have two unicorns and no other basketball players. The Kings have a well balanced roster. I don't question Doncic's ability to put a team on his back over Fox's; perhaps the reason you haven't seen it happen consistently also has something to do with it being impractical for the Kings to play that way, given that they have multiple good players. If i were Walton, I would definitely have a hard time telling Fox to make a play every possession at the end of the game if i also knew that I had Bagley, Buddy, and Bogdon. Why become one dimensional if you don't have to?
I would agree with Sam's assessment as of right now Luka has to be the MVP. He's really doing this offensively almost all by himself. The crazy thing is if he actually had a finisher on the pick-n-roll he could easily be averaging 2-3 more assists per game.
I think the Maverick's will probably end up around 42 to 45 wins and I'm not sure that is enough for him to win MVP. If they win say 46 to 50 games and he's putting up these same numbers then he almost has to be MVP. If Luka was to get injured they'd go in a free-fall, so I'm not sure they could afford to lose Luka for more than just a few games this year.
I think the Maverick's will probably end up around 42 to 45 wins and I'm not sure that is enough for him to win MVP. If they win say 46 to 50 games and he's putting up these same numbers then he almost has to be MVP. If Luka was to get injured they'd go in a free-fall, so I'm not sure they could afford to lose Luka for more than just a few games this year.
I've said it once and I'll say it again: when online forum fans know better than your GM/President, then a change needs to be made. For all the stuff Vlade has done, he's been a horrible drafter. He needs to go, or get somebody else as GM to make those calls and let him "manage" personalities or whatever as POBO.
You aren't new to this game. When was the last time the Kings looked to have this much talent and promise? 13-14 years? Maybe when Vlade was an actual freaking player for the Kings? I wasn't happy with much of his drafting but being a GM hits on more than one area and with the mess Vlade assumed when he took over the only thing I can say is that we're are extremely lucky to have Vlade. Again.
What does "this team has sucked for a long time" have to do with my point that Vlade is whiffing on not only all-star calibre players with top picks, but slam-dunk (pun intended) picks that could end up in Springfield? Vlade can have a "vision" and manage personalities, but at this point he's proven to be out of his depth when it comes to drafting.
And for all the talk about "Kings are turning it around", why don't you call me when they reach .500, let alone the playoffs? Or how about just 40 wins? Why are people acting as if the "Vladfather" is somehow turning things around? This team hasn't achieved anything yet in 4 years. He set the expectation, not me. He said he'd quit if he didn't build a playoff team. And he's so far failed to do so in large part due to his own decisions.
And for all the talk about "Kings are turning it around", why don't you call me when they reach .500, let alone the playoffs? Or how about just 40 wins? Why are people acting as if the "Vladfather" is somehow turning things around? This team hasn't achieved anything yet in 4 years. He set the expectation, not me. He said he'd quit if he didn't build a playoff team. And he's so far failed to do so in large part due to his own decisions.
When your entire point became about firing someone for their drafting. There is a bigger picture to grade on and your second paragraph will be it. And so far, the really important picks (high lotto) haven't looked wasted by any means since he drafted Willie. The rest even have some level of excuse tied into them whether that's being a weak draft or bad positional fit. He's been much better on his worst day than Mullin and 'ol Pete on their best playing rock, paper, scissors to see what direction the team goes halfway towards. We already know how much worse it could be. And yes, fair or not, them setting the bar as low as they did makes it easier for Vlade.
I know the focus of this thread is Luka, but while we're talking about draft misses, why don't we ever talk about passing on Trae Young? Is it because a lot of people though he'd be a bust? Is it because he's a point guard and we already have Fox?
Trae has absolutely exploded this year. He's averaging 28/4/8 on 45% shooting, and he's getting better with each game. He's one step below Luka but Trae can go for 30 or 40 on any given night. And when I watch him play I can tell he's got that X-Factor you look for in a superstar player.
With that said, I know Trae lacks length and his defense is poor, and we've yet to see what Bagley can fully bring to the table, but it's worth noting Trae is superstar level.
Trae has absolutely exploded this year. He's averaging 28/4/8 on 45% shooting, and he's getting better with each game. He's one step below Luka but Trae can go for 30 or 40 on any given night. And when I watch him play I can tell he's got that X-Factor you look for in a superstar player.
With that said, I know Trae lacks length and his defense is poor, and we've yet to see what Bagley can fully bring to the table, but it's worth noting Trae is superstar level.
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But the big picture hasn't manifested. That's my point. You can talk about "upswing" but the fact is this team hasn't reached 40 wins since like 2006. So what good does having picks that YOU like if it doesn't actually result in anything? The kings with J-Will, Vlade, and Webber were "on the upswing" when they lost to the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs. Vlade has been here for almost 5 years and cannot crack .500. So yes, I will call out his inability to draft well and build a team when we could have had a playoff team by now had he made other decisions. Hell, if he didn't trade for Barnes the kings were on pace to be 8th last season, and the rotation changes after the trade and Barne's struggles killed any hope of the playoffs. Not saying the Barnes deal will be a net negative, but my point is the Kings are not a playoff team and have yet to prove it despite your claim that he's drafted well.
This is a good sample, how often he draws double defenders to the perimeter, either he blows by them, shoots over them or delivers the ball to wide open shooters or cutters makes the game easier around him. Another thing is he keeps the game under his control, rarely let the opponents to dictate the game... an exciting player to watch now.
In fairness he's only in year 3 of his own reset. Remember the whole trading the franchise player thing? I'd say he's done an admirable job resupplying the team with talent even if you can look back at a few drafts and question things. Now it's time to see what that talent does. I highly doubt he feels this team can continue to exist on a horizontal plane of success. It's time to start moving up. And any success or failure last year is conjecture. The Kings were more talented after that trade and we've already seen the positives of it this year. Making the playoffs last year and not having that talent is a short view story.
And for reference, my point isn't that he "drafted well". I'm saying the end result of the team left after all was said and done is better than it was and is in a good spot on paper. Go back in the draft threads and you can see plenty of my frustration as it happened. Haha. Your point was he should be fired for his draft record. I think that's a rather short sighted view. There are more aspects than just drafting when it comes to building a team.
And for reference, my point isn't that he "drafted well". I'm saying the end result of the team left after all was said and done is better than it was and is in a good spot on paper. Go back in the draft threads and you can see plenty of my frustration as it happened. Haha. Your point was he should be fired for his draft record. I think that's a rather short sighted view. There are more aspects than just drafting when it comes to building a team.
vlade is still employed because he is here in sacramento where the fans have such low expectations. If he screwed up this bad ANYWHERE ELSE he would have been fired long ago. Luca is fighting for lebrons torch. Let that sink in. Thats what vlade passed on.......
FIRE VLADE YESTERDAY!!!
I look to what the 49ers have done. The franchise was a dumpster fire. Ownership decided to start over and try to build this franchise correctly. They fired damn near everyone 3 years ago. They hire a new GM, a new coach who brings in his own staff, and the owner takes a back seat. From there the niners have been working toward building the team correctly. The kings need to do the same thing, Start over. Vlade passed on what might be the best player since lebron and he shouldn't be employed here anymore. Its embarrassing.
FIRE VLADE YESTERDAY!!!
I look to what the 49ers have done. The franchise was a dumpster fire. Ownership decided to start over and try to build this franchise correctly. They fired damn near everyone 3 years ago. They hire a new GM, a new coach who brings in his own staff, and the owner takes a back seat. From there the niners have been working toward building the team correctly. The kings need to do the same thing, Start over. Vlade passed on what might be the best player since lebron and he shouldn't be employed here anymore. Its embarrassing.
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dude I’m the biggest Luka fan out there but no way I agree with this. I would’ve fired Vlade and anyone involved in passing on Luka 5 minutes after our pick was announced but not now.
He’s giving us a great coach and a very talented roster that alone buys him more time. I think we have a very good chance to make the playoffs this year Fox just needs to hurry back. We definitely don’t need to start over at all we have the talent to make the playoffs and possible assets to become a contender in the future.
He’s giving us a great coach and a very talented roster that alone buys him more time. I think we have a very good chance to make the playoffs this year Fox just needs to hurry back. We definitely don’t need to start over at all we have the talent to make the playoffs and possible assets to become a contender in the future.
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