Big Ed’s Mailbag: Blending talent, chemistry, health is pivotal

Sometimes, you know you hit a nerve.

Earlier this week, I responded to somebody on Twitter who said that the Mavericks had Luka Dončić “fall in their lap” and haven’t put any worthwhile roster pieces around him in four-plus seasons.

My retort was that, by that assertion, Trae Young and Nikola Jokic also play for franchises that have failed them because those terrific players have made the same number of conference finals appearances as has Dončić. And Ja Morant still is looking for a trip that far into the playoffs.

The backlash has been impressive. You’d have thought I was clubbing baby seals.

My inbox has been flooded by people saying the comparison is pitiful because Memphis, Atlanta and Denver all have rosters with far more attractive assets than the Mavericks have.

Really? OK, let’s have a look.

Listen, I was as big a John Collins fan as there was. Clint Capela, too. But the last time I looked, Atlanta’s 16-16 record matches the Mavericks. The Hawks seem to have regressed since their 2021 run to the East finals, for whatever reason.

And everybody is a big fan of the Joker. But the Nuggets have two young players in Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray who already have sustained serious injuries and missed long stretches. Both are on fat contracts. Those aren’t the easiest kind of assets to trade and get fair value for.

And Memphis has, indeed, done a wonderful job of compiling talent. But they will have a challenging few years trying to improve the roster when Desmond Bane signs what surely will be a monster extension.

The bottom line is that nobody is strolling through the NBA’s superstore looking for the “Let’s help the Mavericks” department.

Or helping any other team, either. Winning big is hard.

All I can say is that the Mavericks know where they are in the NBA’s landscape better than anybody else. They know the deadline for improving the roster is the same as it has always been:

Right now.

That doesn’t make it easy. But before we try to launch grenades as this roster, it’s always a good idea to look around and see what’s happening with some of the other franchises that aren’t that much different than the Mavericks.

And with that, here’s this week’s mailbag.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: You compare the Mavericks to Denver, Memphis and Atlanta? If Luka had that kind of roster, he would have a ring by now. I know the Kristaps Porzingis experiment failed, but not keeping Brunson was an incompetent move. Imagine having Wood, Spencer, JB and also getting THJ back. Think that would be competitive? Darius P.

Big Ed: People, have we not learned anything through all these years? The NBA is about talent. That’s true. But it’s equally about chemistry. And staying healthy. Look at the top two teams in the NBA: Milwaukee and Boston. They have cores that have been together numerous years and have been judicious about adding pieces around them. Now look at teams that are struggling. The Lakers are hurt and clearly left out the “chemistry” part of their recipe. Golden State can’t keep its roster healthy. Even if you get two of the three things right the teams that do the best in an NBA season are the ones that come closest to hitting the trifecta of talent, chemistry and health. Look no further than the 2011 Mavericks. They had one superstar in Dirk Nowitzki, but Jason Terry shot like a second star in the playoffs. And they had two former all-stars in Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion. And it was a team that had glue in Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea. In December, teams are trying to build all three foundation pieces for greatness. The Mavericks, like pretty much everybody else, aren’t there yet. But if you added Brunson to the current mix, would things be better? Of course. Would all the problems be solved? Of course not. No matter what the narrative is now, it’s going to be different in a month. Maybe Davis Bertans becomes a starter. Maybe Kemba Walker recaptures his youth. And no matter what, the narrative could be different still after the trade deadline. Just be ready to move quickly with your thoughts and opinions on this team.

Question: What’s the difference in this team from the one that went to the West finals? We added Wood, Luka started off like the MVP, his teammates missed free throws and shot under 30 percent and Jason Kidd didn’t coach to win. The Mavs’ establishment sabotaged Luka’s MVP season. He must leave Dallas. It’s toxic.

Big Ed: Well, you’re making the assumption that replacing Jalen Brunson with Christian Wood is a push. And it might be. But to say that the Mavericks collectively have sabotaged his MVP bid? Come on, man. I got several versions of this question and about the only thing it is good for is that it sets up our last one.

Question: It’s ridiculous to compare the Mavericks now to last year’s team, especially since Luka’s been healthy and playing at an MVP level all year and Mark Cuban let their second-best player walk for nothing. Not offering Brunson $150 million just compounded the blunder of not extending him when they could have. Jay L.

Big Ed: We included this even though it didn’t have a question in it because Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks visit American Airlines Center on Tuesday. It’s the first time the 6-1 point guard will return to AAC since he joined the Knicks in free agency. The Mavericks did err in not extending him before he entered his contract season. But that was a business decision. When it got to free agency, they had no chance. Brunson wanted to go to New York. The Knicks have been pretty decent with Brunson leading the way. They recently won eight in a row to put some air between themselves and .500. And Brunson deserves a warm reception on Tuesday in Dallas. Then, the Mavericks should try to beat the tar out of him and the Knicks.

Twitter: @ESefko

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