On this episode of 'Inside The Mavs', Mavericks Pre/Post Host Kevin Gray breaks down the Dallas Mavericks signing Spencer Dinwiddie as the Mavs continue a terrific offseason. KG breaks down why Dinwiddie is back with the Mavs, what he gives them off the bench and if the Mavericks are the favorites in the West with one of the deepest teams in the league and much more!
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Support the show: This episode is brought to you by Aura. Aura: Stop data brokers from exposing your personal information. Go to my sponsor at https://aura.com/kevingray to get a 14-day free trial and see how much of yours is being sold.
Subscribe to @InsideTheMavs on YouTube for more Mavericks content and subscribe to Grant's channel @GrantAfseth on YouTube for more Mavericks coverage as well!
Be sure to subscribe to Kevin's YouTube channel @KevinGraySports and follow him on X @KevinGraySports
Download and subscribe to the 'Inside The Mavs' Podcast, the official Mavericks podcast of 97.1 The Eagle wherever you get podcasts free, give it a five-star rating and write a review for the podcast.
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Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-mavs/id1687581495
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Dallas has to lock all by himself, but Mitchell was able to break it
up get it back a titanic finisherfrom Dinwitty. Spencer Dinwittie is back with
the Dallas Mavericks. Is their rostercomplete and what does it mean for this
upcoming season for the Western Conference Champs. This is Inside the MAVs. Welcome
(00:53):
to Inside the mass presented by Aura. I'm your host Kevin Gray, maveris
pre and post game host on theDallas Maveris Radio Network of Apreciate you joining
me here for the latest episode ofInside the MAVs. Makes you a download,
subscribe to the podcast wherever you getyour podcast for free, give it
a five star rating and write areview for it while you're there. And
if you're watching some my YouTube channellike Kevin Gray Sports, makes you like
a comment on the video and subscribeto the channel as well. You can
(01:15):
follow me on Twitter at Kevin GraySports. The Dallas Mavericks make yet another
move this offseason as they bring backSpencer Dinwitty to the Western Conference champs on
a one year deal. Of course, Dinwitty last year spent the season with
the Brooklyn Nets and the Los AngelesLakers, the thirty one year old averaging
(01:36):
nearly eleven points per game and nearlyfive assists per game in seventy six games
in total last year with the Netsand the Lakers, famously choosing the Lakers
over the MAVs, but nonetheless aplayer who helped the Mavericks get to the
Western Conference Finals a couple of yearsago and was instrumental with his playmaking and
his ability to get to the rim, is now back with the Mavericks to
(01:59):
provide some behind Luca Dongis and KyrieIrving. As far as their bench is
concerned, the Mavericks are still expectedto bring back Markith Morris as well.
If that means moving on from aguy like aj loss It to make room
for Markith Morris, that would seemlike the most logical move for the Mavericks
to make, But for the Mavericksthis is another opportunity to bring in a
(02:20):
ball handler and a playmaker off thebench. There have been rumors from Mark
Stein of Substack that the Mavericks wereconsidering not only Spencer Dinwiddie, but Taylor
Horton Tucker and also Mavericks fan favoriteDennis Smith Junior. The Mavericks opting to
go with the offense and the playmakingand shooting of Spencer Dinwiddie over the ballhawking
defense of a guard in Dennis SmithJunior who has really remade his career and
(02:44):
found a nice role in this league, especially on the defensive end. But
for the Mavericks, the familiarity withSpencer Dinwiddie, how comfortable he has been
playing with this organization, and whileyes, he spurred the Mavericks to join
the Lakers this past season, thereis obviously an opportunity for him to come
back to an environment now being ableto be a part of that with Klay
(03:05):
Thompson, Luka, Doncis and KyrieIrving. Ironically, of course, Dinwitty
was a part of the deal thathelped acquire Kyrie Irving to get to the
Mavericks in the first place. Thingscoming full circle for Spencer now coming back
to the Mavericks. I want totake it back though, of course,
to his interesting comments that he madewhen he had a chance to choose the
Lakers over the Mavericks, and howhe compared the two situations, and what
(03:30):
Mavericks fans may remember about what Spencerdidn't, what he said, Take listen,
I'll give you all something funny thatI told my people, because I'm
fairly candidate. The two situations,I felt like this, right, Let's
say you were a kid and yougot your ask for about a bully that
was looking like your MoMA being like, it's okay, man, you don't
worry about it. Lakers are likeyour dad. Now, you better go
(03:53):
out there and fight till you win, you feel me, And I just
felt like that was what I needat the time. I'm Jenna, I'm
being believer in kind of doing whatthe thing to do with whatever kind it
is, and so that's how Icut about it. I'm sure water under
the bridge now. But Spencer nowhas a chance to be able to play
with a team that knows this gameextremely well, will provide that kind of
(04:17):
playmaking and shooting off the bench toprovide the Mavericks that much more scoring punch
for a lineup that's expected to beextremely good on the offensive end this year.
All of this part of Nico Harrison'splan to put together a roster that
will not only have the depth behindit with Luka Dons and Kyrie Irving,
but the necessary shooting to compete withthe teams like the Boston Celtics, where
(04:40):
of course we saw the Mavericks fallshorts in the NBA Finals. Their lack
of shooting depth and their inability toknock down shots, especially from the outside,
really was a detriment to them inthe NBA Finals. And now with
the additions of Klay Thompson, whowill be inserted into the starting lineup,
the acquisitions of Naji Marshall and QuintonGrimes as well, Naji marsh a really
(05:00):
good defender who can shoot the ballfrom three, Quinton Grimes at twenty four
years of age, can do somethings at the guard position as well,
and now adding Dinwitty to the fold, the Mavericks feel like they have a
complete roster with a team that's builtnot only to play and do well during
the regular season, but also dowell especially in the postseason. Now having
gone the experience of how to getto an NBA Finals, they have the
(05:24):
death at the right places, atthe right positions, at every aspect of
this team to be able to bea legitimate threat to be a top four
seed in the West once again andthreaten to get back to the NBA Finals,
and that to me is where allof this offseason has culminated to,
whether it be the acquisition of KlayThompson, Quinn Grimes, Najie Marshall,
(05:45):
and now bringing back Spencer Dinwittie.This is a team that's built not only
for the short term, but forthe long term as well in making that
kind of run that legitimately puts themin the conversations with the Denver Nuggets,
the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, with the top four teams in the
West to really give themselves a chanceto get back to an NBA Finals where
(06:05):
they made it for the first timesince twenty eleven. All of this is
part of a what is a terrificoffseason for the Mavericks and when you look
at what they've built at all thepositions, whether you go back to the
trade deadline last year where they acquirePJ. Washington and Daniel Gaffer to strengthen
their defense, to go along withobviously what Derek Lively was building at the
(06:27):
center position. To have that tandemwith Daniel gafferd PJ. Washington becoming the
kind of guy that's relied upon asa team's great defender as he continues to
improve his three point shooting. Thisteam has the necessary pieces to be able
to make that run back to theWestern Conference finals. The question will be
how quickly will this team be ableto gel? But for them, the
(06:49):
Mavericks now are looking at a reallygood team based on what they've put together.
Before we go any further, let'stake a quick break here on inside
the MAVs from today's sponsor of ourvideo and our podcast and Aura. But
on the other side of the break, where are the Mavericks now in terms
of what we look at them inthe Western Conference? Now that the roster
(07:10):
appears to be set, But beforewe get there, let's hear from Aura.
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Please see the link in the descriptionback here on Inside the Mass.
Thank you to today's sponsor for ourvideo on our podcast and Aura the Mavers
bring back Spencer Dinwity on a oneyear deal to help this team provide death
at the guard position behind Luka Doncicand Kyrie Irving. When you look at
(08:58):
what this opening a roster is goingto look like, are they one of
the favorites in the West when youstart looking at their rotation. A starting
five that will have Luka Doncis,Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Derek Lyve
of the second and PJ Washington asyour first five, I would imagine with
Daniel Gafford sliding to the bench tobe able to help that second unit that
(09:18):
would include a Spencer Dinwiddie, aQuinton Grimes, Naji Marshall, Maxi Kleiba
and Daniel Gafford, Dante Exem,jaydon Hardy, Olivier, Maxis Prosper round
the out the roster for this team. And when you look at each of
their positions and the players that wejust name, a starting five that's as
good as any in the NBA,especially if you get the Klay Thompson that
(09:39):
was really good last year even ina down year for him, were averaging
only eighteen points it was shooting nearlyforty percent from three at thirty nine percent
from downtown. And this is ateam that's got shooting on the wings.
With an open Klay Thompson, It'sgoing to see a lot of wide open
looks off the passes of Luka Doncicand Kyrie Irving. Luka Doncics coming back
healthy this coming season after dealing withankle injuries and knee injuries and all the
(10:03):
things that he's been dealing with,and even with Kyrie Irving, who was
dealing with a broken left hand,should be ready by the time we get
to training camp in September. Sothis team coming back healthy with the experience,
but also having a full training campto be able to grow together.
After we mentioned earlier with the acquisitionsof PJ. Washington and Daniel Gaffer,
(10:24):
a full offseason for those two individualsto be able to grow with this team
as well. Along with bringing inNaji Marshall and Quinton Grimes. You're looking
at one of the deeper teams inthe West and that to me is a
massive sign of improvement based on whatthey did this offseason. The depth is
there and the quality of player isthere as well. To give you an
(10:46):
idea that this is one of thedeepest teams in the NBA, not only
one through five, but also onethrough ten as well. And as much
maligned as Maxi Kliebit is, weknow that his defensive versatility is something that
the Mavericks have value and will continueto value. And yes, I know
Dwight Palell is still on this teamas well, you say, Kevin,
you forgot to mention him. Yes, Dwight pale is still on this team
(11:09):
as well. I'm sure he'll finda way to get hit in the face
at some point during the regular seasonlike he always does. But jokes aside,
this is a deep team with chemistrythat you've seen be able to make
the kinds of moves that this frontoffice has made, moving out Tim Hardaway
Junior and Josh Green among others tobe able to make room for Klay Thompson,
Quinton Grimes and Naji Marshall. Andfor this team, this is a
(11:33):
group that, even with the absenceof Derek Jones Jr. Who moved on
to the Los Angeles Clippers on athree year, thirty million dollar deal,
you still feel confident in their abilitynot only to defend on a night to
night basis, but to really scoreand put pressure on teams offensively given.
But you know what you're going toget from Luka Donston Kyrie irving the amount
of wide open threes that Klay Thompsonis going to get in. Now behind
(11:56):
them, the depth with Naji Marshalland Spencer Dinwitie. While some folks may
contend that they wanted to see thedefense and the ballhawking guarding ability of a
dentist, Smith Junior be brought backto this Maveris team, knowing how much
of a fan favorite he is,this is a comfortable signing for the Mavericks
as well. They know exactly whatthey're going to get from Dinwidie as someone
(12:16):
who understands the expectations of playing underJason Kidd and also playing for Nico Harrison
as well. You remember the buzzerbeater that he hit against the Brooklyn Nets,
and you remember him running over tothe sidelines thanking Nico Harrison for bringing
him to the Mavericks, high fivinghim constantly after knocking down what was an
incredible shot to beat his former teamin the Brooklyn Nets once again. But
(12:41):
at the same time, now thisculture, and this team that they've put
together is one with a lot ofveteran experience, a lot of young talent
as well, but a core anda nucleus that will grow together for years.
When we're talking about the idea ofLukadanci's at twenty five years of age,
we're talking about Derek Lively the secondwho's in his early twenties as well,
PJ. Washington, Daniel Gaffer twentyfive to twenty six years old as
(13:03):
well. You can see the visionthat this team is put together from a
veteran leadership standpoint, from a talentstandpoint, but most importantly how young this
group is and what they have remadeover the last few seasons. Now turning
over this team to become more athletic, be much better defensively, but now
putting together the kind of scoring andshooting that can balance out what was a
(13:24):
terrific defensive team during the second halfof the year to now one that cannot
only score but can defend as well. I want to take you back to
what Klay Thompson said and why hechose Dallas, and I bring this up
because this is part of the reasonwhy you look at a spencer Dinwity signing,
among the other things that the Maverickshave done, and why Mavericks fans
should be excited about what this groupcan be going into the future. Take
(13:48):
listen, why is now the timeto depart for a new team and what
made Dallas the destination for you?Well? Uh, I mean, whether
you play basketball or work in thecorporate world or wherever whatever industry, sometimes
(14:13):
change just can spur greatness and anew change of scenery can do do wonders.
And I'm very grateful for my timeat UH Golden State, but I
just felt like, you know,moving on could just re energize me and
UH do something special for the restof my career. And Dallas was so
(14:35):
attractive because of the young players,they have, the style of play,
the uh you know, world classtreatment these players get from this organization,
and just a beautiful city who lovestheir hoops. So when I was watching
the playoffs and I'm watching the MAVs, you know, make a run for
the championship, uh, I justsaw myself fitting in really well with this
(14:58):
team and the personnel, and theylook like they have fun playing with each
other and they play for each other, and that was very attractive for me,
and that's really all I needed tosee. And there's mutual interest there
and that's why I'm here. Sothe Mavericks now two for two when it
comes to players choosing the Mavericks overthe Lakers. Sean Sharane reporting that the
(15:20):
Lakers were trying to bring back SpencerDinwiddie this summer, but Dinwititty chose the
Mavericks over the Lakers. And weknow that Klay Thompson, as you just
heard there, did the same whenchoosing the Mavericks over the Lakers. The
culture and the environment that this teamis building is something that's attractive. But
most importantly, this team having madethe NBA Finals gives players the idea that
(15:43):
they can come in and be seriouscontributors to a team that has a championship
window that's open right now. Andeven for Dinwiddie, who played his best
ball of his career with the DallasMavericks, coming back to this team with
how they have remade themselves in theidentity on the defensive end, but also
now the scoring that they have,this is an exciting team that gives you
(16:03):
real considerations that they can get backout of the Western Conference. And make
it back to the NBA Finals.But that is the most important aspect of
how this offseason has gone for Dallas. They prove that they are going to
be in championship contention for years tocome by making it to the NBA Finals
and doing so with a young superstarin Luka Doncis at twenty five years of
(16:26):
age. When you look at howthe Mavericks made the finals back at twenty
eleven, they did it with anaging superstar in Dirt Novinski, and you
didn't think that they would be ableto potentially get back there even if they
brought back that entire team because ofhow difficult the West was starting to become
at that time. Even with thegauntlet that the Mavericks had ran to win
that NBA Finals, Mark Cuban ofcourse breaking up that team, not even
(16:48):
giving it the opportunity to try anddefend that championship with some Mavericks fans are
still sour to to this day.But the Mavericks now, based on what
they've been able to build and createwith this team athletically, defensively, and
with the scoring that they have,this team is legit and they are for
real going back into this upcoming seasonwith the acquisitions that they've made, and
(17:11):
most importantly now they have signaled tothe rest of the league that they are
not a doormat. Now when itcomes to the idea that free agents don't
want to come to Dallas, ithas become now a place where players want
to play. And if that isthe case, this team should be able
to remain in the conversations for thekinds of players as this roster continues to
improve and the changes that are made, even with this team trying to make
(17:33):
sure it stays in that championship window, that these players, whether it be
free agents or players that are oncurrent teams, that see Dallas' situation and
how much they've continued to improve andthe trajectory that they're on, would want
to come to LA or come toDallas. I should say to come play
with the Dallas Mavericks. And forLuka Doncic, who yes was an MVP
(17:55):
candidate, won the scoring titles,scored seventy three points, fifth executive First
Team All NBA selection, yet anotherindication that this is the right place for
him going into the future as hegets ready to sign his Supermax at the
end of this upcoming season where itwill be the richest contract in the history
of this league. That this isthe place and the organization that has his
(18:18):
best interests at heart, but mostimportantly is put in the kinds of players
and instructure around him to succeed goinginto the future as well. Yet another
sign for Luca that the Dallas Mavericksare going to continue to push the envelope
day after day, year after year, especially under this regime and Nico Harrison,
to make this team better as quicklyas they can, because they have
(18:41):
now finally caught up to the timelineof Luca Doncis in terms of the success
that he has already had in thisleague. And now they've built a team
that is young and talented with veteranexperience that should help them be able to
navigate difficult playoff situations or the experiencefor a lot of these guys for the
first time to be able to havethat kind of experience going into next year.
(19:04):
I know how talented Minnesota is.I know how good the Oklahoma City
Thunder are with the improvements that theymade with Alice Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein coming
to Okay See. I know obviouslyhow good the Denver Nuggets are with Nikola
Jokics. I know they lost ContaviousCalwell Pope to the Orlando Magic, but
that is still an extremely dangerous teamwith Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokics leading that
(19:29):
squad. The West is extremely difficult, and you've got up and coming teams
like the New Orleans Pelicans and theMemphis Grizzlies, who will be back,
of course with John Moranthus upcoming season, the West is going to be difficult
to navigate. But if you're lookingat what this team was at the end
of this past season after losing infive games in the NBA Finals to the
Boston Celtics, and where they arenow going into this upcoming season with the
(19:52):
idea that they'll most likely bring backMarkkeith Morris, this team is as good
as any in the entire league,not just in the West, but in
the entire league, because you've gotto have the right mix of young and
veteran guys to be able to blendtogether. And Jason Kidd, now having
being an NBA Finals coach, nowunderstands what this group is and what they
(20:14):
can be and most importantly, what'sgoing to take to get back to the
NBA Finals and for Luca Doncis andKybrie Irving working in tandem as the superstar
duo to lead this group. Thisis exactly what they needed an offseason to
build on the success that they hadand the sense of urgency that Nico Harrison
in his front office have displayed duringthis offseason to continue to build this group
(20:38):
toward the kind of championship run thatthey believe that they are capable of making
based off the success that they hadthis past year. That to me is
massive knowing what the Mavericks are tryingto put together for years to come.
The sense of urgency has remained theresince Nico Harrison has got to this team
to run the basketball operations. Hehas not been afraid to make the moves
(21:00):
and challenge the organization to bring thekinds of players to Jason Kidd to be
able to help this team grow,even with the step back that they took
when they acquire Kyrie Irving going fiveand eleven, when Luke and Kyrie were
in the starting line together and thingsnot going the way that they wanted to
in missing the playoffs altogether, tothen bouncing back to make it to the
NBA Finals. This is a teamthat has a vision and a plan and
(21:22):
with the acquisition bringing all the wayback to Spencer Dinwiddie, all the moves
that they have made have been purposefuland most importantly, there is a vision
that can be clearly seen on whatthey are asking these players to do and
what their role is going to be. Defined roles for each of these players
you could see based on the acquisitionsthat they've made, whether it be Naji
(21:42):
Marshall, Quinn Grimes, bringing backSpencer Dinwiddie, and obviously the biggest free
agent move that this team made thisoffseason bringing in Klay Thompson, each one
of them understand what they have tocontribute to this team to help Luka Donsson,
Kyrie Irving, Daniel Gafford, DerekLAIJ Washington, any number of these
players that you want to name.They now know what the mission is and
(22:06):
what they're objective to do to handlethem their roles on this team to be
able to be effective nine in andnight out. That to me is exciting
for this team based on who theyare, what they've acquired, and what
they're achieving going into next year andbeyond everyone understands what the mission and the
goal is, and they have playerswho have been there understand that and most
(22:27):
importantly know how to play alongside aLuka, Doncon and Kyrie irving to be
able to make that happen going intonext year. So if you're a Mavericks
fan watching what this team has donethis offseason, you should be extremely proud
of what this group has put togetherand now health wise, can they remain
that this upcoming season to really givefans an opportunity to see how good this
(22:52):
team is going to be offensively remainingone of the best defensive teams in the
league because we know that Jason Kiddis going to continue to prestat in terms
of the identity of this team andnow what they have built in terms of
their depth. They are good atevery position on this team, and when
you're trying to make a championship,that's what's most important. Do you have
good players who you can see continueto grow in terms of a Jaydon Hardy
(23:15):
for example, in terms of hisrole where he became a better playmaker this
past season as well. Everyone thatyou can see on this team has a
defined role in what they're going tobe looking to do to help this team.
The Mavericks have had themselves a hellof an offseason and it continues with
bringing back Spencer Dinwiddie as well.We'll forgive the fact that what he said
then Jim choosing the Lakers, ApparentlyMom knows exactly what she's talking about,
(23:41):
and that's why he chose to comeback. Because now Spencer dinwidd he's back
with the Dallas Mavericks and a chanceto make a real imprint on this team
going into next year for a teamthat's already made the NBA Finals of looking
to going to go back this upcomingseason. That'll do it for this episode
of Inside the Mass. Thank youagain for joining me here on this episode.
(24:02):
Appreciate you supporting Inside the Mask.Make sure you download and subscribe to
the podcast wherever you get your podcastsfor free. Give it a five star
rating, write a review for itwhile you're there. If you're watching this
on my YouTube channel, it's KevinGray Sports. Makes you like a comment
on the video as well. Subscribeto the channel at Kevin Gray Sports and
you can follow me on x a'sKevin Gray Sports as well. Plenty more
(24:23):
covers of this Maverick team throughout thecourse of this offseason. Your first stop
right here on Inside the Mass presentedby URA. My name is Kevin Gray.
And then I'll do it for Insidethe Mass. We'll talk to you
later, please,
Dallas has to lock all by himself, but Mitchell was able to break it
up get it back a titanic finisherfrom Dinwitty. Spencer Dinwittie is back with
the Dallas Mavericks. Is their rostercomplete and what does it mean for this
upcoming season for the Western Conference Champs. This is Inside the MAVs. Welcome
(00:53):
to Inside the mass presented by Aura. I'm your host Kevin Gray, maveris
pre and post game host on theDallas Maveris Radio Network of Apreciate you joining
me here for the latest episode ofInside the MAVs. Makes you a download,
subscribe to the podcast wherever you getyour podcast for free, give it
a five star rating and write areview for it while you're there. And
if you're watching some my YouTube channellike Kevin Gray Sports, makes you like
a comment on the video and subscribeto the channel as well. You can
(01:15):
follow me on Twitter at Kevin GraySports. The Dallas Mavericks make yet another
move this offseason as they bring backSpencer Dinwitty to the Western Conference champs on
a one year deal. Of course, Dinwitty last year spent the season with
the Brooklyn Nets and the Los AngelesLakers, the thirty one year old averaging
(01:36):
nearly eleven points per game and nearlyfive assists per game in seventy six games
in total last year with the Netsand the Lakers, famously choosing the Lakers
over the MAVs, but nonetheless aplayer who helped the Mavericks get to the
Western Conference Finals a couple of yearsago and was instrumental with his playmaking and
his ability to get to the rim, is now back with the Mavericks to
(01:59):
provide some behind Luca Dongis and KyrieIrving. As far as their bench is
concerned, the Mavericks are still expectedto bring back Markith Morris as well.
If that means moving on from aguy like aj loss It to make room
for Markith Morris, that would seemlike the most logical move for the Mavericks
to make, But for the Mavericksthis is another opportunity to bring in a
(02:20):
ball handler and a playmaker off thebench. There have been rumors from Mark
Stein of Substack that the Mavericks wereconsidering not only Spencer Dinwiddie, but Taylor
Horton Tucker and also Mavericks fan favoriteDennis Smith Junior. The Mavericks opting to
go with the offense and the playmakingand shooting of Spencer Dinwiddie over the ballhawking
defense of a guard in Dennis SmithJunior who has really remade his career and
(02:44):
found a nice role in this league, especially on the defensive end. But
for the Mavericks, the familiarity withSpencer Dinwiddie, how comfortable he has been
playing with this organization, and whileyes, he spurred the Mavericks to join
the Lakers this past season, thereis obviously an opportunity for him to come
back to an environment now being ableto be a part of that with Klay
(03:05):
Thompson, Luka, Doncis and KyrieIrving. Ironically, of course, Dinwitty
was a part of the deal thathelped acquire Kyrie Irving to get to the
Mavericks in the first place. Thingscoming full circle for Spencer now coming back
to the Mavericks. I want totake it back though, of course,
to his interesting comments that he madewhen he had a chance to choose the
Lakers over the Mavericks, and howhe compared the two situations, and what
(03:30):
Mavericks fans may remember about what Spencerdidn't, what he said, Take listen,
I'll give you all something funny thatI told my people, because I'm
fairly candidate. The two situations,I felt like this, right, Let's
say you were a kid and yougot your ask for about a bully that
was looking like your MoMA being like, it's okay, man, you don't
worry about it. Lakers are likeyour dad. Now, you better go
(03:53):
out there and fight till you win, you feel me, And I just
felt like that was what I needat the time. I'm Jenna, I'm
being believer in kind of doing whatthe thing to do with whatever kind it
is, and so that's how Icut about it. I'm sure water under
the bridge now. But Spencer nowhas a chance to be able to play
with a team that knows this gameextremely well, will provide that kind of
(04:17):
playmaking and shooting off the bench toprovide the Mavericks that much more scoring punch
for a lineup that's expected to beextremely good on the offensive end this year.
All of this part of Nico Harrison'splan to put together a roster that
will not only have the depth behindit with Luka Dons and Kyrie Irving,
but the necessary shooting to compete withthe teams like the Boston Celtics, where
(04:40):
of course we saw the Mavericks fallshorts in the NBA Finals. Their lack
of shooting depth and their inability toknock down shots, especially from the outside,
really was a detriment to them inthe NBA Finals. And now with
the additions of Klay Thompson, whowill be inserted into the starting lineup,
the acquisitions of Naji Marshall and QuintonGrimes as well, Naji marsh a really
(05:00):
good defender who can shoot the ballfrom three, Quinton Grimes at twenty four
years of age, can do somethings at the guard position as well,
and now adding Dinwitty to the fold, the Mavericks feel like they have a
complete roster with a team that's builtnot only to play and do well during
the regular season, but also dowell especially in the postseason. Now having
gone the experience of how to getto an NBA Finals, they have the
(05:24):
death at the right places, atthe right positions, at every aspect of
this team to be able to bea legitimate threat to be a top four
seed in the West once again andthreaten to get back to the NBA Finals,
and that to me is where allof this offseason has culminated to,
whether it be the acquisition of KlayThompson, Quinn Grimes, Najie Marshall,
(05:45):
and now bringing back Spencer Dinwittie.This is a team that's built not only
for the short term, but forthe long term as well in making that
kind of run that legitimately puts themin the conversations with the Denver Nuggets,
the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, with the top four teams in the
West to really give themselves a chanceto get back to an NBA Finals where
(06:05):
they made it for the first timesince twenty eleven. All of this is
part of a what is a terrificoffseason for the Mavericks and when you look
at what they've built at all thepositions, whether you go back to the
trade deadline last year where they acquirePJ. Washington and Daniel Gaffer to strengthen
their defense, to go along withobviously what Derek Lively was building at the
(06:27):
center position. To have that tandemwith Daniel gafferd PJ. Washington becoming the
kind of guy that's relied upon asa team's great defender as he continues to
improve his three point shooting. Thisteam has the necessary pieces to be able
to make that run back to theWestern Conference finals. The question will be
how quickly will this team be ableto gel? But for them, the
(06:49):
Mavericks now are looking at a reallygood team based on what they've put together.
Before we go any further, let'stake a quick break here on inside
the MAVs from today's sponsor of ourvideo and our podcast and Aura. But
on the other side of the break, where are the Mavericks now in terms
of what we look at them inthe Western Conference? Now that the roster
(07:10):
appears to be set, But beforewe get there, let's hear from Aura.
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Please see the link in the descriptionback here on Inside the Mass.
Thank you to today's sponsor for ourvideo on our podcast and Aura the Mavers
bring back Spencer Dinwity on a oneyear deal to help this team provide death
at the guard position behind Luka Doncicand Kyrie Irving. When you look at
(08:58):
what this opening a roster is goingto look like, are they one of
the favorites in the West when youstart looking at their rotation. A starting
five that will have Luka Doncis,Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Derek Lyve
of the second and PJ Washington asyour first five, I would imagine with
Daniel Gafford sliding to the bench tobe able to help that second unit that
(09:18):
would include a Spencer Dinwiddie, aQuinton Grimes, Naji Marshall, Maxi Kleiba
and Daniel Gafford, Dante Exem,jaydon Hardy, Olivier, Maxis Prosper round
the out the roster for this team. And when you look at each of
their positions and the players that wejust name, a starting five that's as
good as any in the NBA,especially if you get the Klay Thompson that
(09:39):
was really good last year even ina down year for him, were averaging
only eighteen points it was shooting nearlyforty percent from three at thirty nine percent
from downtown. And this is ateam that's got shooting on the wings.
With an open Klay Thompson, It'sgoing to see a lot of wide open
looks off the passes of Luka Doncicand Kyrie Irving. Luka Doncics coming back
healthy this coming season after dealing withankle injuries and knee injuries and all the
(10:03):
things that he's been dealing with,and even with Kyrie Irving, who was
dealing with a broken left hand,should be ready by the time we get
to training camp in September. Sothis team coming back healthy with the experience,
but also having a full training campto be able to grow together.
After we mentioned earlier with the acquisitionsof PJ. Washington and Daniel Gaffer,
(10:24):
a full offseason for those two individualsto be able to grow with this team
as well. Along with bringing inNaji Marshall and Quinton Grimes. You're looking
at one of the deeper teams inthe West and that to me is a
massive sign of improvement based on whatthey did this offseason. The depth is
there and the quality of player isthere as well. To give you an
(10:46):
idea that this is one of thedeepest teams in the NBA, not only
one through five, but also onethrough ten as well. And as much
maligned as Maxi Kliebit is, weknow that his defensive versatility is something that
the Mavericks have value and will continueto value. And yes, I know
Dwight Palell is still on this teamas well, you say, Kevin,
you forgot to mention him. Yes, Dwight pale is still on this team
(11:09):
as well. I'm sure he'll finda way to get hit in the face
at some point during the regular seasonlike he always does. But jokes aside,
this is a deep team with chemistrythat you've seen be able to make
the kinds of moves that this frontoffice has made, moving out Tim Hardaway
Junior and Josh Green among others tobe able to make room for Klay Thompson,
Quinton Grimes and Naji Marshall. Andfor this team, this is a
(11:33):
group that, even with the absenceof Derek Jones Jr. Who moved on
to the Los Angeles Clippers on athree year, thirty million dollar deal,
you still feel confident in their abilitynot only to defend on a night to
night basis, but to really scoreand put pressure on teams offensively given.
But you know what you're going toget from Luka Donston Kyrie irving the amount
of wide open threes that Klay Thompsonis going to get in. Now behind
(11:56):
them, the depth with Naji Marshalland Spencer Dinwitie. While some folks may
contend that they wanted to see thedefense and the ballhawking guarding ability of a
dentist, Smith Junior be brought backto this Maveris team, knowing how much
of a fan favorite he is,this is a comfortable signing for the Mavericks
as well. They know exactly whatthey're going to get from Dinwidie as someone
(12:16):
who understands the expectations of playing underJason Kidd and also playing for Nico Harrison
as well. You remember the buzzerbeater that he hit against the Brooklyn Nets,
and you remember him running over tothe sidelines thanking Nico Harrison for bringing
him to the Mavericks, high fivinghim constantly after knocking down what was an
incredible shot to beat his former teamin the Brooklyn Nets once again. But
(12:41):
at the same time, now thisculture, and this team that they've put
together is one with a lot ofveteran experience, a lot of young talent
as well, but a core anda nucleus that will grow together for years.
When we're talking about the idea ofLukadanci's at twenty five years of age,
we're talking about Derek Lively the secondwho's in his early twenties as well,
PJ. Washington, Daniel Gaffer twentyfive to twenty six years old as
(13:03):
well. You can see the visionthat this team is put together from a
veteran leadership standpoint, from a talentstandpoint, but most importantly how young this
group is and what they have remadeover the last few seasons. Now turning
over this team to become more athletic, be much better defensively, but now
putting together the kind of scoring andshooting that can balance out what was a
(13:24):
terrific defensive team during the second halfof the year to now one that cannot
only score but can defend as well. I want to take you back to
what Klay Thompson said and why hechose Dallas, and I bring this up
because this is part of the reasonwhy you look at a spencer Dinwity signing,
among the other things that the Maverickshave done, and why Mavericks fans
should be excited about what this groupcan be going into the future. Take
(13:48):
listen, why is now the timeto depart for a new team and what
made Dallas the destination for you?Well? Uh, I mean, whether
you play basketball or work in thecorporate world or wherever whatever industry, sometimes
(14:13):
change just can spur greatness and anew change of scenery can do do wonders.
And I'm very grateful for my timeat UH Golden State, but I
just felt like, you know,moving on could just re energize me and
UH do something special for the restof my career. And Dallas was so
(14:35):
attractive because of the young players,they have, the style of play,
the uh you know, world classtreatment these players get from this organization,
and just a beautiful city who lovestheir hoops. So when I was watching
the playoffs and I'm watching the MAVs, you know, make a run for
the championship, uh, I justsaw myself fitting in really well with this
(14:58):
team and the personnel, and theylook like they have fun playing with each
other and they play for each other, and that was very attractive for me,
and that's really all I needed tosee. And there's mutual interest there
and that's why I'm here. Sothe Mavericks now two for two when it
comes to players choosing the Mavericks overthe Lakers. Sean Sharane reporting that the
(15:20):
Lakers were trying to bring back SpencerDinwiddie this summer, but Dinwititty chose the
Mavericks over the Lakers. And weknow that Klay Thompson, as you just
heard there, did the same whenchoosing the Mavericks over the Lakers. The
culture and the environment that this teamis building is something that's attractive. But
most importantly, this team having madethe NBA Finals gives players the idea that
(15:43):
they can come in and be seriouscontributors to a team that has a championship
window that's open right now. Andeven for Dinwiddie, who played his best
ball of his career with the DallasMavericks, coming back to this team with
how they have remade themselves in theidentity on the defensive end, but also
now the scoring that they have,this is an exciting team that gives you
(16:03):
real considerations that they can get backout of the Western Conference. And make
it back to the NBA Finals.But that is the most important aspect of
how this offseason has gone for Dallas. They prove that they are going to
be in championship contention for years tocome by making it to the NBA Finals
and doing so with a young superstarin Luka Doncis at twenty five years of
(16:26):
age. When you look at howthe Mavericks made the finals back at twenty
eleven, they did it with anaging superstar in Dirt Novinski, and you
didn't think that they would be ableto potentially get back there even if they
brought back that entire team because ofhow difficult the West was starting to become
at that time. Even with thegauntlet that the Mavericks had ran to win
that NBA Finals, Mark Cuban ofcourse breaking up that team, not even
(16:48):
giving it the opportunity to try anddefend that championship with some Mavericks fans are
still sour to to this day.But the Mavericks now, based on what
they've been able to build and createwith this team athletically, defensively, and
with the scoring that they have,this team is legit and they are for
real going back into this upcoming seasonwith the acquisitions that they've made, and
(17:11):
most importantly now they have signaled tothe rest of the league that they are
not a doormat. Now when itcomes to the idea that free agents don't
want to come to Dallas, ithas become now a place where players want
to play. And if that isthe case, this team should be able
to remain in the conversations for thekinds of players as this roster continues to
improve and the changes that are made, even with this team trying to make
(17:33):
sure it stays in that championship window, that these players, whether it be
free agents or players that are oncurrent teams, that see Dallas' situation and
how much they've continued to improve andthe trajectory that they're on, would want
to come to LA or come toDallas. I should say to come play
with the Dallas Mavericks. And forLuka Doncic, who yes was an MVP
(17:55):
candidate, won the scoring titles,scored seventy three points, fifth executive First
Team All NBA selection, yet anotherindication that this is the right place for
him going into the future as hegets ready to sign his Supermax at the
end of this upcoming season where itwill be the richest contract in the history
of this league. That this isthe place and the organization that has his
(18:18):
best interests at heart, but mostimportantly is put in the kinds of players
and instructure around him to succeed goinginto the future as well. Yet another
sign for Luca that the Dallas Mavericksare going to continue to push the envelope
day after day, year after year, especially under this regime and Nico Harrison,
to make this team better as quicklyas they can, because they have
(18:41):
now finally caught up to the timelineof Luca Doncis in terms of the success
that he has already had in thisleague. And now they've built a team
that is young and talented with veteranexperience that should help them be able to
navigate difficult playoff situations or the experiencefor a lot of these guys for the
first time to be able to havethat kind of experience going into next year.
(19:04):
I know how talented Minnesota is.I know how good the Oklahoma City
Thunder are with the improvements that theymade with Alice Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein coming
to Okay See. I know obviouslyhow good the Denver Nuggets are with Nikola
Jokics. I know they lost ContaviousCalwell Pope to the Orlando Magic, but
that is still an extremely dangerous teamwith Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokics leading that
(19:29):
squad. The West is extremely difficult, and you've got up and coming teams
like the New Orleans Pelicans and theMemphis Grizzlies, who will be back,
of course with John Moranthus upcoming season, the West is going to be difficult
to navigate. But if you're lookingat what this team was at the end
of this past season after losing infive games in the NBA Finals to the
Boston Celtics, and where they arenow going into this upcoming season with the
(19:52):
idea that they'll most likely bring backMarkkeith Morris, this team is as good
as any in the entire league,not just in the West, but in
the entire league, because you've gotto have the right mix of young and
veteran guys to be able to blendtogether. And Jason Kidd, now having
being an NBA Finals coach, nowunderstands what this group is and what they
(20:14):
can be and most importantly, what'sgoing to take to get back to the
NBA Finals and for Luca Doncis andKybrie Irving working in tandem as the superstar
duo to lead this group. Thisis exactly what they needed an offseason to
build on the success that they hadand the sense of urgency that Nico Harrison
in his front office have displayed duringthis offseason to continue to build this group
(20:38):
toward the kind of championship run thatthey believe that they are capable of making
based off the success that they hadthis past year. That to me is
massive knowing what the Mavericks are tryingto put together for years to come.
The sense of urgency has remained theresince Nico Harrison has got to this team
to run the basketball operations. Hehas not been afraid to make the moves
(21:00):
and challenge the organization to bring thekinds of players to Jason Kidd to be
able to help this team grow,even with the step back that they took
when they acquire Kyrie Irving going fiveand eleven, when Luke and Kyrie were
in the starting line together and thingsnot going the way that they wanted to
in missing the playoffs altogether, tothen bouncing back to make it to the
NBA Finals. This is a teamthat has a vision and a plan and
(21:22):
with the acquisition bringing all the wayback to Spencer Dinwiddie, all the moves
that they have made have been purposefuland most importantly, there is a vision
that can be clearly seen on whatthey are asking these players to do and
what their role is going to be. Defined roles for each of these players
you could see based on the acquisitionsthat they've made, whether it be Naji
(21:42):
Marshall, Quinn Grimes, bringing backSpencer Dinwiddie, and obviously the biggest free
agent move that this team made thisoffseason bringing in Klay Thompson, each one
of them understand what they have tocontribute to this team to help Luka Donsson,
Kyrie Irving, Daniel Gafford, DerekLAIJ Washington, any number of these
players that you want to name.They now know what the mission is and
(22:06):
what they're objective to do to handlethem their roles on this team to be
able to be effective nine in andnight out. That to me is exciting
for this team based on who theyare, what they've acquired, and what
they're achieving going into next year andbeyond everyone understands what the mission and the
goal is, and they have playerswho have been there understand that and most
(22:27):
importantly know how to play alongside aLuka, Doncon and Kyrie irving to be
able to make that happen going intonext year. So if you're a Mavericks
fan watching what this team has donethis offseason, you should be extremely proud
of what this group has put togetherand now health wise, can they remain
that this upcoming season to really givefans an opportunity to see how good this
(22:52):
team is going to be offensively remainingone of the best defensive teams in the
league because we know that Jason Kiddis going to continue to prestat in terms
of the identity of this team andnow what they have built in terms of
their depth. They are good atevery position on this team, and when
you're trying to make a championship,that's what's most important. Do you have
good players who you can see continueto grow in terms of a Jaydon Hardy
(23:15):
for example, in terms of hisrole where he became a better playmaker this
past season as well. Everyone thatyou can see on this team has a
defined role in what they're going tobe looking to do to help this team.
The Mavericks have had themselves a hellof an offseason and it continues with
bringing back Spencer Dinwiddie as well.We'll forgive the fact that what he said
then Jim choosing the Lakers, ApparentlyMom knows exactly what she's talking about,
(23:41):
and that's why he chose to comeback. Because now Spencer dinwidd he's back
with the Dallas Mavericks and a chanceto make a real imprint on this team
going into next year for a teamthat's already made the NBA Finals of looking
to going to go back this upcomingseason. That'll do it for this episode
of Inside the Mass. Thank youagain for joining me here on this episode.
(24:02):
Appreciate you supporting Inside the Mask.Make sure you download and subscribe to
the podcast wherever you get your podcastsfor free. Give it a five star
rating, write a review for itwhile you're there. If you're watching this
on my YouTube channel, it's KevinGray Sports. Makes you like a comment
on the video as well. Subscribeto the channel at Kevin Gray Sports and
you can follow me on x a'sKevin Gray Sports as well. Plenty more
(24:23):
covers of this Maverick team throughout thecourse of this offseason. Your first stop
right here on Inside the Mass presentedby URA. My name is Kevin Gray.
And then I'll do it for Insidethe Mass. We'll talk to you
later, please,
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