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2017-18 Dallas Mavericks: Bombing for Bamba


RexWilson

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I don't think it's fair to compare Sterling to Cuban in that Sterling clearly initiated his own personal conduct in a way that was a danger to the entire NBA if something was not done swiftly.  The players themselves would have revolted (this is a huge factor that made the owners act) and harmed the NBA owners with no action, and that (unfortunately in some ways when you think about it) is not the case with this situation at all.  I think the actual harm of Dallas' workplace is much worse than Sterling's comments with real victims, but Cuban himself didn't conduct himself that way.  I think Cuban's very strong level of cooperation with the NBA investigation and quick changes in the organization (new CEO a very big one) saved him from losing a draft pick or being suspended for some time this season.

I do think the NBA missed a real golden opportunity to showcase a level of commitment to this issue for example creating a new campaign aimed to target these issues with say an NBA task force (even a new executive position perhaps just for this issue at the NBA) and set of guidelines and standards signed by all NBA owners in unison for all NBA teams with new reporting standards and many other changes that could have been a great PR move for them.  The NBA has always been so superior to the NFL in being proactive with many issues, but I think they missed a good chance here.

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3 hours ago, UTDD said:

 

I do think the NBA missed a real golden opportunity to showcase a level of commitment to this issue for example creating a new campaign aimed to target these issues with say an NBA task force (even a new executive position perhaps just for this issue at the NBA) and set of guidelines and standards signed by all NBA owners in unison for all NBA teams with new reporting standards and many other changes that could have been a great PR move for them.  The NBA has always been so superior to the NFL in being proactive with many issues, but I think they missed a good chance here.

Could Dallas be the outlier in this? Other franchises might already have their policies in place?

I'm asking because, like you, i think the NBA has been proactive in addressing many issues and would be surprised if they missed here.

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Correct me if I’m wrong, the really egregious stuff had to do with the continued employment of Earl K Sneed which actually endangered female employees. The other stuff, while they definitely don’t belong in the workplace were more relics of old man workplace behavior of the past (ie unwanted touching/massages and misogynistic comments). What else was Ussery accused of in case I’m talking out of my ass?

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22 hours ago, WJC88 said:

Could Dallas be the outlier in this? Other franchises might already have their policies in place?

I'm asking because, like you, i think the NBA has been proactive in addressing many issues and would be surprised if they missed here.

I honestly don't know if other NBA teams have great policies or not -- every HR/legal department is different but you would hope organizations this large would be on top of this type of thing.  I tend to think truly good leadership will translate to good standards more often than not, so having a few key executives with the vision and foresight to ensure the brand (team) is not in danger is of paramount importance.  I am sure every team has some sort of policy but the issue is whether the policy is great (or not) on paper, and how it actually translates to solving actual issues that may arise.  Let's not forget other things have come up in the past as well (for example Thomas with the Knicks) here and there.  

I still think the NBA could have taken this as a PR opportunity to commit somehow to all NBA teams following a very good set of uniform guidelines for reporting/standards that are somehow based on specific metrics that are recommended best practices by the appropriate organization(s) (experts in this area) to nip this issue in the bud in a big way (plus the positive PR both helps the league long-term and deflects the attention on reporters possibly investigating other teams and/or employees of other NBA teams coming out with their own stories more easily).  The NBA certainly doesn't need to do this at all, but it would be very proactive and aggressive in ensuring maximization of their long-term brand.

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I’m looking forward to the season for the first time in a long time.  Particularly looking forward to seeing Luka in the preseason.  Our future is completely dependent on how good Luka and DSJ are.  A core of DSJ, Barrea, Luka, Barnes, Matthews, Dirk, Powell, & Deandre doesn’t suck.  If DSJ takes a step forward and Luka is something resembling what we think he can be, it will be a fun year for the first time  in a while.

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Only first preseason game against the fucking Beijing Ducks but Luka looks like the real deal. Rare combination of skills. The shot looks good. The range is there. Handles and vision check. Definitely has the size. It all looks like it comes natural to him. I’ll go ahead and say the Mavs sneak into the playoffs.

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3 hours ago, Post Oak said:

My best case scenario is that they improve dramatically but still miss the playoffs. (Likely) This year the lotto God's smile on them and they pick inside the top5 (unlikely)

I'm pretty sure they're on record as not liking this draft much. I'd rather go ahead and concede the pick this season and get it over with. 

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11 minutes ago, immortal13 said:

Not a Mavs fan here, but I just don't see Dallas not making the playoffs with that line-up. The Doncic kid is legit.

I am a Mav fan, agree with you about Doncic, and initally agreed with you about the playoffs.  Then I looked at the rest of the West.  It’s a very stacked conference.  I’ll be happy if they compete for the playoffs while Luka takes his lumps as a rookie and DSJ hopefully takes a step forward in his 2nd year.

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8 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

I'm on the record here and at the old place multiple times for how great I think Doncic is going to be, but he looks like he put on 15 lbs of bad weight since the draft. He's looking very doughy to me.

He played a lot of basketball the last 2 years, more than any college player.  Once he finished his post-draft media blitz, the Mavs told him to go home, rest up, and get ready to go for training camp.  He didn’t actually move to Dallas until a month ago.  Check out his Instagram, he was having fun with his friends back home in July and August.  Not real concerned about the weight, Dirk likes his work ethic, and that’s good enough for me.

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10 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

He played a lot of basketball the last 2 years, more than any college player.  Once he finished his post-draft media blitz, the Mavs told him to go home, rest up, and get ready to go for training camp.  He didn’t actually move to Dallas until a month ago.  Check out his Instagram, he was having fun with his friends back home in July and August.  Not real concerned about the weight, Dirk likes his work ethic, and that’s good enough for me.

I get it, but look at his body in the Euroleague Finals just a few months ago. It's a pretty decent change for a 19 year old. I'm sure he will round into shape, but when one of the main knocks on you entering the league is your quickness, you probably shouldn't be carrying around any extra weight.

 

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If he's still carrying the freshman 15 in a month, I'll be a little concerned.  I can't wait to see him against SEC NBA-caliber athletes.  I expect him to be a sieve on defense this year, just want to see how much of a sieve he is going to be.  He looks to have good instincts, both in help side defense and playing passing lanes, but there will be a steep learning curve when he gets isolated on elite wings.  Thankfully Barnes/Matthews can do the heavy lifting on D, and having Jordan protecting the rim will help as well. 

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On 10/1/2018 at 9:51 PM, immortal13 said:

Not a Mavs fan here, but I just don't see Dallas not making the playoffs with that line-up. The Doncic kid is legit.

I'm as big an optimist as any homer can be, but if we make the playoffs I would be pretty surprised. That would mean Doncic is an all-star his first year and I don't see what playoff team we'd overtake from last season--especially with LeBron in LA now.  Deandre is going to help a TON with our rebounding woes, but our defense is going to be very poor I suspect. If we are playing meaningful basketball in March and April, though, I will be giddy. 

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22 minutes ago, Patrick Bateman said:

Maybe he needs to stick to more cowboy hat pics????

 

Not sure what else Cuban can do at this point. Silver even backed up the third party investigation that Marshall initiated. This looks like just another shitty employee that Ussery enabled while he was in charge of the office. 

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